The characteristics of dockless electric rental scooter-related injuries in a large U.S. city.

OBJECTIVE: To describe the characteristics of dockless electric rental scooter ("e-scooter")-related injuries presenting to two emergency departments in one large U.S. city. METHODS: This observational cohort study utilized the city's public health syndromic surveillance system to prospectively identify patients with e-scooter-related injuries presenting between September and November 2018. The medical records for all adult patients treated at the two participating emergency departments were manually reviewed to extract demographic and clinical data. Cases involving mobility scooters or non-electric scooters were excluded. RESULTS: For the 124 included adult patients with e-scooter-related injuries, the median age was 30 years (IQR: 22-43), they were predominantly male (59.7%), and approximately half (51.6%) arrived by ambulance. Falling from the scooter (84.7%) was the most common mechanism; twelve patients (9.7%) had collided with a motor vehicle. Head and face injuries (45.5%) were common; only 2 patients (1.6%) were documented as wearing a helmet at the time of injury. Most patients (n = 112, 90.3%) required imaging, more than half (n = 78, 62.9%) required an emergency department procedure, and 26 (21.0%) required surgical intervention. Most patients were discharged home, but 35 (28.2%) were admitted to hospital. Two patients (1.6%) were admitted to the intensive care unit. CONCLUSIONS: E-scooters are an emerging transportation technology associated with a wide range of potentially serious injuries that consume substantial emergency department and hospital resources. Head injuries are a particular concern, as few e-scooter riders are wearing helmets at the time of injury.

Covalent small ubiquitin-like modifier (SUMO) modification of Maf1 protein controls RNA polymerase III-dependent transcription repression.

RNA polymerase (pol) III transcribes genes that determine biosynthetic capacity. Induction of these genes is required for oncogenic transformation. The transcriptional repressor, Maf1, plays a central role in the repression of these and other genes that promote oncogenesis. Our studies identify an important new role for SUMOylation in repressing RNA pol III-dependent transcription. We show that a key mechanism by which this occurs is through small ubiquitin-like modifier (SUMO) modification of Maf1 by both SUMO1 and SUMO2. Mutation of each lysine residue revealed that Lys-35 is the major SUMOylation site on Maf1 and that the deSUMOylase, SENP1, is responsible for controlling Maf1K35 SUMOylation. SUMOylation of Maf1 is unaffected by rapamycin inhibition of mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) and mTOR-dependent Maf1 phosphorylation. By preventing SUMOylation at Lys-35, Maf1 is impaired in its ability to both repress transcription and suppress colony growth. Although SUMOylation does not alter Maf1 subcellular localization, Maf1K35R is defective in its ability to associate with RNA pol III. This impairs Maf1 recruitment to tRNA gene promoters and its ability to facilitate the dissociation of RNA pol III from these promoters. These studies identify a novel role for SUMOylation in controlling Maf1 and RNA pol III-mediated transcription. Given the emerging roles of SENP1, Maf1, and RNA pol III transcription in oncogenesis, our studies support the idea that deSUMOylation of Maf1 and induction of its gene targets play a critical role in cancer development.