Optical discrimination of terpenes in citrus peels with a host:guest sensing array.

A simple aqueous host:guest sensing array can selectively discriminate between different types of citrus varietal from peel extract samples. It can also distinguish between identical citrus samples at varying stages of ripening. The discrimination effects stem from detection of changes in the terpenoid composition of the peel extracts by the host:guest array, despite the overwhelming excess of a single component, limonene, in each sample. The hosts are insensitive to limonene but bind other monoterpenes strongly, even though they are similar in structure to the major limonene component. This work demonstrates the capability of host:guest arrays in sensing target molecules in environments with the competing agents present at high abundances in the sample matrix.

Investigation of the effects on proton relaxation times upon encapsulation in a water-soluble synthetic receptor.

Sequestration of small molecule guests in the cavity of a water-soluble deep cavitand host has a variety of effects on their NMR properties. The effects of encapsulation on the longitudinal (T1) and transverse (T2) relaxation times of the protons in variably sized guest molecules are analyzed here, using inversion recovery and spin-echo experiments. Sequestration of neutral organic species from the bulk solvent reduces the overall proton relaxation times, but the magnitude of this effect on different protons in the same molecule has a variety of contributors, from the motion of the guest when bound, to the position of the protons in the cavity and the magnetic anisotropy induced by the aromatic walls of the host. These subtle effects can have large consequences on the environment experienced by the bound guest, and this sheds light on the nature of small molecules in enclosed environments.

Selective recognition and discrimination of single isomeric changes in peptide strands with a host : guest sensing array.

An indirect competitive binding mechanism can be exploited to allow a combination of cationic fluorophores and water-soluble synthetic receptors to selectively recognize and discriminate peptide strands containing a single isomeric residue in the backbone. Peptide isomerization occurs in long-lived proteins and has been linked with diseases such as Alzheimer's, cataracts and cancer, so isomers are valuable yet underexplored targets for selective recognition. Planar cationic fluorophores can selectively bind hydrophobic, Trp-containing peptide strands in solution, and when paired with receptors that provide a competitive host for the fluorophore, can form a differential sensing array that enables selective discrimination of peptide isomers. Residue variations such as D- and L-Asp, D- and L-isoAsp, D-Ser and D-Glu can all be recognized, simply by their effects on the folded structure of the flexible peptide. Molecular dynamics simulations were applied to determine the most favorable conformation of the peptide : fluorophore conjugate, indicating that favorable π-stacking with internal tryptophan residues in a folded binding pocket enables micromolar binding affinity.

Crisis response planning rapidly reduces suicidal ideation among U.S. military veterans receiving massed cognitive processing therapy for PTSD.

Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is common among U.S. military veterans and is associated with increased risk of suicidal thoughts and behaviors. Crisis response planning (CRP), a brief safety planning-type intervention, has been shown to rapidly reduce suicidal ideation and suicide attempts in emergency and acute care settings. CRP's effectiveness when combined with trauma-focused therapies remains unknown. In this randomized pragmatic clinical trial with one-year follow-up, 157 U.S. military personnel and veterans were randomly assigned to receive CRP or self-guided safety planning (SP) prior to beginning massed cognitive processing therapy (CPT) for PTSD. Among 51 (32.5 % of sample) participants endorsing suicidal ideation at baseline, reductions in the severity of suicidal ideation were significantly larger and faster in CRP (F(11,672)= 15.8, p < .001). Among 106 participants denying suicidal ideation at baseline, 8.5 % of CRP participants versus 11.9 % of SP participants (OR=0.69, 95 % CI=0.19-2.52) reported new-onset suicidal ideation during any follow-up assessment. PTSD symptoms significantly reduced over time with no differences between groups. Results support the effectiveness of CRP for rapidly reducing suicidal ideation and managing suicide risk during outpatient treatment for PTSD.

Top of the Basilar Syndrome: A Case Report of a Healthy Young Woman and Literature Review.

Top of the basilar syndrome (TBS) is defined as the presence of multiple ischemic lesions on magnetic resonance image (MRI) including more than two territories supplied by branches of the distal portion of the basilar artery, causing symptoms such as dizziness, diplopia, ataxia, and acute cognitive decline that can lead to quadriplegia and death. Diagnosing TBS is challenging because it can mimic other conditions such as thalamic hemorrhages or vertebrobasilar ischemia, and requires advanced imaging. Although the prognosis for these patients is poor, rehabilitation is essential for their recovery. This case describes a healthy 28-year-old woman who presented with headache, vomiting, and tonic-clonic seizures sent to the hospital with a stroke diagnosis.

Selective anion sensing in high salt water via a remote indicator displacement assay.

Water-soluble deep cavitands with cationic functions at the lower rim can selectively bind iodide anions in purely aqueous solution. By pairing this lower rim recognition with an indicator dye that is bound in the host cavity, optical sensing of anions is possible. The selectivity for iodide is high enough that micromolar concentrations of iodide can be detected in the presence of molar chloride. Iodide binding at the "remote" lower rim causes a conformational change in the host, displacing the bound dye from the cavity and effecting a fluorescence response. The sensing is sensitive, selective, and works in complex environments, so will be important for optical anion detection in biorelevant media.

Soil contamination in nearby natural areas mirrors that in urban greenspaces worldwide.

Soil contamination is one of the main threats to ecosystem health and sustainability. Yet little is known about the extent to which soil contaminants differ between urban greenspaces and natural ecosystems. Here we show that urban greenspaces and adjacent natural areas (i.e., natural/semi-natural ecosystems) shared similar levels of multiple soil contaminants (metal(loid)s, pesticides, microplastics, and antibiotic resistance genes) across the globe. We reveal that human influence explained many forms of soil contamination worldwide. Socio-economic factors were integral to explaining the occurrence of soil contaminants worldwide. We further show that increased levels of multiple soil contaminants were linked with changes in microbial traits including genes associated with environmental stress resistance, nutrient cycling, and pathogenesis. Taken together, our work demonstrates that human-driven soil contamination in nearby natural areas mirrors that in urban greenspaces globally, and highlights that soil contaminants have the potential to cause dire consequences for ecosystem sustainability and human wellbeing.

Agro-physiological and soil microbial responses to desalinated seawater irrigation in two crops.

Irrigation with desalinated seawater (DSW) is a potential solution for addressing water scarcity in semiarid regions across the globe. However, this strategy may compromise the health of agricultural ecosystems due to the high content of phytotoxic elements (mainly boron, B) in this water. Here, a three-year experiment was carried to evaluate the response of the soil's physicochemical and microbiological properties, and plant physiology, to three irrigation water treatments (DSW; fresh water, FW; and their blend (1:1), BW) in the presence or not of organic amendments. Lemon trees (Citrus limon (L.) Burm. fil. cv. Eureka), with a higher sensitivity to B toxicity, and apricot trees (Prunus armeniaca L. cv. 'Búlida'), with a lower one, were used as model plants. Lemon trees irrigated with BW and DSW showed a decline in net photosynthesis and stomatal conductance, and an accumulation of B in leaves that exceeded the toxicity threshold. These effects were stronger in amended soils. In soils cultivated with lemon trees, DSW irrigation increased the water-soluble nitrogen content, the urease activity, and the activity and biomass of the microbial community, and shifted the microbial community structure as compared with the other water treatments. The soil microbial community responses were controlled by the addition of organic amendments. The irrigation of apricots with DSW did not negatively impact plant physiological parameters but increased the soil microbial biomass, as in the case of the lemon tree-soil system. These results suggest that DSW irrigation increases soil microbial biomass in both crop-soil systems but harms the physiological status of the most sensitive crop. Our findings provide an initial approach to evaluate the response of the plant-soil system to DSW.

Global hotspots for soil nature conservation.

Soils are the foundation of all terrestrial ecosystems1. However, unlike for plants and animals, a global assessment of hotspots for soil nature conservation is still lacking2. This hampers our ability to establish nature conservation priorities for the multiple dimensions that support the soil system: from soil biodiversity to ecosystem services. Here, to identify global hotspots for soil nature conservation, we performed a global field survey that includes observations of biodiversity (archaea, bacteria, fungi, protists and invertebrates) and functions (critical for six ecosystem services) in 615 composite samples of topsoil from a standardized survey in all continents. We found that each of the different ecological dimensions of soils-that is, species richness (alpha diversity, measured as amplicon sequence variants), community dissimilarity and ecosystem services-peaked in contrasting regions of the planet, and were associated with different environmental factors. Temperate ecosystems showed the highest species richness, whereas community dissimilarity peaked in the tropics, and colder high-latitudinal ecosystems were identified as hotspots of ecosystem services. These findings highlight the complexities that are involved in simultaneously protecting multiple ecological dimensions of soil. We further show that most of these hotspots are not adequately covered by protected areas (more than 70%), and are vulnerable in the context of several scenarios of global change. Our global estimation of priorities for soil nature conservation highlights the importance of accounting for the multidimensionality of soil biodiversity and ecosystem services to conserve soils for future generations.

Glucocorticoid receptor dysregulation underlies 5-HT2AR-dependent synaptic and behavioral deficits in a mouse neurodevelopmental disorder model.

Prenatal environmental insults increase the risk of neurodevelopmental psychiatric conditions in the offspring. Structural modifications of dendritic spines are central to brain development and plasticity. Using maternal immune activation (MIA) as a rodent model of prenatal environmental insult, previous results have reported dendritic structural deficits in the frontal cortex. However, very little is known about the molecular mechanism underlying MIA-induced synaptic structural alterations in the offspring. Using prenatal (E12.5) injection with polyinosinic-polycytidylic acid potassium salt as a mouse MIA model, we show here that upregulation of the serotonin 5-HT2A receptor (5-HT2AR) is at least in part responsible for some of the effects of prenatal insults on frontal cortex dendritic spine structure and sensorimotor gating processes. Mechanistically, we report that this upregulation of frontal cortex 5-HT2AR expression is associated with MIA-induced reduction of nuclear translocation of the glucocorticoid receptor (GR) and, consequently, a decrease in the enrichment of GR at the 5-HT2AR promoter. The translational significance of these preclinical findings is supported by data in postmortem human brain samples suggesting dysregulation of GR translocation in frontal cortex of schizophrenia subjects. We also found that repeated corticosterone administration augmented frontal cortex 5-HT2AR expression and reduced GR binding to the 5-HT2AR promoter. However, virally (adeno-associated virus) mediated augmentation of GR function reduced frontal cortex 5-HT2AR expression and improved sensorimotor gating processes via 5-HT2AR. Together, these data support a negative regulatory relationship between GR signaling and 5-HT2AR expression in the mouse frontal cortex that may carry implications for the pathophysiology underlying 5-HT2AR dysregulation in neurodevelopmental psychiatric disorders.

Global homogenization of the structure and function in the soil microbiome of urban greenspaces.

The structure and function of the soil microbiome of urban greenspaces remain largely undetermined. We conducted a global field survey in urban greenspaces and neighboring natural ecosystems across 56 cities from six continents, and found that urban soils are important hotspots for soil bacterial, protist and functional gene diversity, but support highly homogenized microbial communities worldwide. Urban greenspaces had a greater proportion of fast-growing bacteria, algae, amoebae, and fungal pathogens, but a lower proportion of ectomycorrhizal fungi than natural ecosystems. These urban ecosystems also showed higher proportions of genes associated with human pathogens, greenhouse gas emissions, faster nutrient cycling, and more intense abiotic stress than natural environments. City affluence, management practices, and climate were fundamental drivers of urban soil communities. Our work paves the way toward a more comprehensive global-scale perspective on urban greenspaces, which is integral to managing the health of these ecosystems and the well-being of human populations.

Differential mechanisms of change in motivational interviewing versus health education for smoking cessation induction.

Objective: To determine if Motivational Interviewing (MI) versus health education (HE) elicited different types of client language and whether these differences were associated with outcomes in a randomized clinical trial (RCT) for cessation induction among people who smoke with low motivation to quit. Methods: A secondary data analysis was conducted using data from the MI and HE arms of a trial in which people who smoke (N = 202) with low desire to quit were randomly assigned to four sessions of MI, HE or brief advice. Mediation analyses examined two types of client language: change talk (CT) and a novel form of client speech called "learning talk" (LT). Outcomes were assessed at baseline, 3 and 6 months. Results: With HE as the reference group, MI resulted in greater CT (OR = 3.0, 95% CI: 1.7-5.5) which was associated with better outcomes (average d = .34, SD = .13) and HE resulted in greater LT (OR = .05, 95% CI: .02-.10) which was also associated with better outcomes (average d = .42, SD = .08). Indirect parallel mediation effects on quit attempts were significant for both MI-CT (OR = 1.4, 95% CI: 1.1-1.7) and HE-LT (OR = .4, 95% CI: .2-.7). Conclusions: MI and HE were both efficacious via different pathways to change, confirming the utility of MI in this RCT as well as highlighting the potential of HE based on the "5R's" for smoking cessation. These findings emphasize the value of exploring theorized mechanisms of action of interventions evaluated in RCTs. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2021 APA, all rights reserved).

Transoral approach in facial penetrating trauma - importance of multidisciplinary management and nutritional support a case report.

The high incidence and prevalence of facial trauma makes it important to consider related injuries and possible complications that may arise as a result. Penetrating trauma to the face, although not common, requires a surgeon with knowledge of the anatomy and physiology of the injured area and injury patterns. We present a case of penetrating trauma to the face that was caused by a blunt object (stake) resulting from the felling of a palm tree. We describe the transoral management that was performed and the multidisciplinary support that allowed optimal management of the injury without complications, including functional or aesthetic sequelae.

Arthroscopy-Assisted Latissimus Dorsi Transfer for Irreparable Subscapularis Tears.

Irreparable tears of the subscapularis (SS) tendon are difficult to manage and represent a challenge for the surgeon, especially in young and active patients. They are associated with a horizontal imbalance of the shoulder, causing pain and limitation of active internal rotation. Historically, the alternative for these patients has been transfer of the pectoralis major, with all its variations, total or partial, up or under the conjoint tendon. However, this transfer has mechanical disadvantages, especially related to the vector of traction, because it originates in the anterior region of the chest. In 2013, Elhassan and colleagues demonstrated in cadavers the technical feasibility and neurological safety of performing transfers of the latissimus dorsi (LD) to the lesser tuberosity to reconstruct irreparable lesions of the subscapularis. This option, compared with alternatives, has superior biomechanical advantages such as a similar vector of traction, originating from lower and posterior to the thorax, in addition to involving a synergistic muscle in action. In early 2016, Kany and colleagues first published a study of 5 patients undergoing arthroscopic assisted LD to SS transfer, with promising results. Our purpose is to present an arthroscopically assisted latissimus dorsi transfer technique in patients with irreparable subscapularis rupture.

Effect of size and amount of sugarcane fibers on the properties of baked foams based on plantain flour.

Baked foams made with plantain flour (PF) and sugarcane fiber (SF) were characterized by calorimetric, mechanical, physicochemical and structural techniques in order to assess the results induced by different sugarcane concentrations and fiber size on the structure of baked foams. The addition of SF to the baked samples increased their hydrophobic properties. Thermal conductivity (TC) decreased when the concentration of SF was 10 g and 7.5 g in the baked foams. The density of the biodegradable baked foams (BBFs) decreased with decreasing concentrations of SF, observing an inverse behavior in water vapor permeability (WVP) and solubility properties. The mechanical properties of the baked foams were more influenced by the concentration of SF than by the size of SF, obtained from different sieves. The scanning electron microscopy cross-sectional images of the BBFs showed that the size of SF affected the size and number of the internal cells in the BBFs.

Organic amendments exacerbate the effects of silver nanoparticles on microbial biomass and community composition of a semiarid soil.

Increased utilization of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) can result in an accumulation of these particles in the environment. The potential detrimental effects of AgNPs in soil may be associated with the low fertility of soils in semiarid regions that are usually subjected to restoration through the application of organic amendments. Microbial communities are responsible for fundamental processes related to soil fertility, yet the potential impacts of low and realistic AgNPs concentrations on soil microorganisms are still unknown. We studied the effects of realistic citrate-stabilized AgNPs concentrations (0.015 and 1.5 µg kg-1) at two exposure times (7 and 30 days) on a sandy clay loam Mediterranean soil unamended (SU) and amended with compost (SA). We assessed soil microbial biomass (microbial fatty acids), soil enzyme activities (urease, ß-glucosidase, and alkaline phosphatase), and composition of the microbial community (bacterial 16S rRNA gene and fungal ITS2 sequencing) in a microcosm experiment. In the SA, the two concentrations of AgNPs significantly decreased the bacterial biomass after 7 days of incubation. At 30 days of incubation, only a significant decrease in the Gram+ was observed at the highest AgNPs concentration. In contrast, in the SU, there was a significant increase in bacterial biomass after 30 days of incubation at the lowest AgNPs concentration. Overall, we found that fungal biomass was more resistant to AgNPs than bacterial biomass, in both SA and SU. Further, the AgNPs changed the composition of the soil bacterial community in SA, the relative abundance of some bacterial taxa in SA and SU, and fungal richness in SU at 30 days of incubation. However, AgNPs did not affect the activity of extracellular enzymes. This study demonstrates that the exposure time and organic amendments modulate the effects of realistic concentrations of AgNPs in the biomass and composition of the microbial community of a Mediterranean soil.

Sequence Changes Modulate Peptoid Self-Association in Water.

Peptoids, N-substituted glycine oligomers, are a class of diverse and sequence-specific peptidomimetics with wide-ranging applications. Advancing the functional repertoire of peptoids to emulate native peptide and protein functions requires engineering peptoids that adopt regular secondary and tertiary structures. An understanding of how changes to peptoid sequence change structural features, particularly in water-soluble systems, is underdeveloped. To address this knowledge gap, five 15-residue water-soluble peptoids that include naphthalene-functionalized side chains were designed, prepared, and subjected to a structural study using a palette of techniques. Peptoid sequence designs were based on a putative amphiphilic helix peptoid bearing structure-promoting (S)-N-(1-naphthylethyl)glycine residues whose self-association in water has been studied previously. New peptoid variants reported here include sequence changes that influenced peptoid conformational flexibility, functional group patterning (amphiphilicity), and hydrophobicity. Peptoid structures were evaluated and compared using circular dichroism spectroscopy, fluorescence spectroscopy, and size exclusion chromatography. Spectral data confirmed that sequence changes alter peptoids' degree of assembly and the organization of self-assembled structures in aqueous solutions. Insights gained in these studies will inform the design of new water-soluble peptoids with regular structural features, including desirable higher-order (tertiary and quaternary) structural features.

Gut microbiota manipulation during the prepubertal period shapes behavioral abnormalities in a mouse neurodevelopmental disorder model.

Previous studies demonstrate an association between activation of the maternal immune system during pregnancy and increased risk of neurodevelopmental psychiatric conditions, such as schizophrenia and autism, in the offspring. Relatively recent findings also suggest that the gut microbiota plays an important role in shaping brain development and behavior. Here we show that maternal immune activation (MIA) accomplished by infection with a mouse-adapted influenza virus during pregnancy induced up-regulation of frontal cortex serotonin 5-HT2A receptor (5-HT2AR) density in the adult offspring, a phenotype previously observed in postmortem frontal cortex of schizophrenic subjects. 5-HT2AR agonist-induced head-twitch behavior was also augmented in this preclinical mouse model. Using the novel object recognition (NOR) test to evaluate cognitive performance, we demonstrate that MIA induced NOR deficits in adult offspring. Oral antibiotic treatment of prepubertal mice prevented this cognitive impairment, but not increased frontal cortex 5-HT2AR density or psychedelic-induced head-twitch behavior in adult MIA offspring. Additionally, gut microbiota transplantation from MIA mice produced behavioral deficits in antibiotic-treated mock mice. Adult MIA offspring displayed altered gut microbiota, and relative abundance of specific components of the gut microbiota, including Ruminococcaceae, correlated with frontal cortex 5-HT2AR density. Together, these findings provide a better understanding of basic mechanisms by which prenatal insults impact offspring brain function, and suggest gut-brain axis manipulation as a potential therapeutic approach for neurodevelopmental psychiatric conditions.

Environmentally relevant concentrations of silver nanoparticles diminish soil microbial biomass but do not alter enzyme activities or microbial diversity.

The increasing use of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) due to their well-known antimicrobial activity, has led to their accumulation in soil ecosystems. However, the impact of environmental realistic concentrations of AgNPs on the soil microbial community has been scarcely studied. In this work, we have assessed the impact of AgNPs, that mimic real concentrations in nature, on tropical soils cultivated with Coffea arabica under conventional and organic management systems. We evaluated the biomass, extracellular enzyme activities, and diversity of the soil microbial community, in a microcosm experiment as a function of time. After seven days of incubation, we found an increase in microbial biomass in an AgNPs-concentration-independent manner. In contrast, after 60-day-incubation, there was a decrease in Gram+ and actinobacterial biomass, in both soils and all AgNPs concentrations. Soil physico-chemical properties and enzyme activities were not affected overall by AgNPs. Regarding the microbial community composition, only some differences in the relative abundance at phylum and genus level in the fungal community were observed. Our results suggest that environmental concentrations of AgNPs affected microbial biomass but had little impact on microbial diversity and may have little effects on the soil biogeochemical cycles mediated by extracellular enzyme activities.