Transcultural adaptation of the neck disability index to mexican spanish and assessment of its psychometric properties.

PURPOSE: To transculturally adapt the Neck Disability Index to Mexican Spanish (NDI-Mx) and to evaluate its psychometric properties. METHODS: Translation and transcultural adaptation of the NDI were conducted according to published guidelines. The test-retest reliability of the NDI-Mx was assessed with intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC3,1), the student t-test, standard error of measurement, minimal detectable change and Bland-Altman plot. Cronbach's α coefficient was used to evaluate internal consistency. Floor and ceiling effects were also evaluated. Convergent validity was assessed by comparison of the NDI-Mx with the Northwick Park Neck Pain Questionnaire (NPQ) through the Spearman correlation coefficient. Finally, a confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) was conducted. RESULTS: The sample was composed of 113 subjects (38 men and 75 women) with a mean age of 30 (SD, 12.19) years. All items of the NDI-Mx showed good test-retest reliability (ICC3,1 = 0.86) and good internal consistency (Cronbach's α = 0.85). Floor and ceiling effects were not observed. There was good convergent validity with a high correlation between NDI-Mx and NPQ (ρ = 0.83). The CFA revealed that a one-factor solution fitted adequately the data (χ2(32) = 41.18, p = .13). CONCLUSION: The NDI-Mx seems to be a valid and reliable tool that can be used in clinical practice and research on Mexican populations with neck pain.

The Transcription Factor Lrp of Pantoea stewartii subsp. stewartii Controls Capsule Production, Motility, and Virulence Important for in planta Growth.

The bacterial phytopathogen Pantoea stewartii subsp. stewartii causes leaf blight and Stewart's wilt disease in susceptible corn varieties. A previous RNA-Seq study examined P. stewartii gene expression patterns during late-stage infection in the xylem, and a Tn-Seq study using a P. stewartii mutant library revealed genes essential for colonization of the xylem. Based on these findings, strains with in-frame chromosomal deletions in the genes encoding seven transcription factors (NsrR, IscR, Nac, Lrp, DSJ_00125, DSJ_03645, and DSJ_18135) and one hypothetical protein (DSJ_21690) were constructed to further evaluate the role of the encoded gene products during in vitro and in planta growth. Assays for capsule production and motility indicate that Lrp plays a role in regulating these two key physiological outputs in vitro. Single infections of each deletion strain into the xylem of corn seedlings determined that Lrp plays a significant role in P. stewartii virulence. In planta xylem competition assays between co-inoculated deletion and the corresponding complementation or wild-type strains as well as in vitro growth curves determined that Lrp controls functions important for P. stewartii colonization and growth in corn plants, whereas IscR may have a more generalized impact on growth. Defining the role of essential transcription factors, such as Lrp, during in planta growth will enable modeling of key components of the P. stewartii regulatory network utilized during growth in corn plants.

Genomic signatures of Lake Erie bacteria suggest interaction in the Microcystis phycosphere.

Microbial interactions in harmful algal bloom (HAB) communities have been examined in marine systems, but are poorly studied in fresh waters. To investigate HAB-microbe interactions, we isolated bacteria with close associations to bloom-forming cyanobacteria, Microcystis spp., during a 2017 bloom in the western basin of Lake Erie. The genomes of five isolates (Exiguobacterium sp. JMULE1, Enterobacter sp. JMULE2, Deinococcus sp. JMULE3, Paenibacillus sp. JMULE4, and Acidovorax sp. JMULE5.) were sequenced on a PacBio Sequel system. These genomes ranged in size from 3.1 Mbp (Exiguobacterium sp. JMULE1) to 5.7 Mbp (Enterobacter sp. JMULE2). The genomes were analyzed for genes relating to critical metabolic functions, including nitrogen reduction and carbon utilization. All five of the sequenced genomes contained genes that could be used in potential signaling and nutrient exchange between the bacteria and cyanobacteria such as Microcystis. Gene expression signatures of algal-derived carbon utilization for two isolates were identified in Microcystis blooms in Lake Erie and Lake Tai (Taihu) at low levels, suggesting these organisms are active and may have a functional role during Microcystis blooms in aggregates, but were largely missing from whole water samples. These findings build on the growing evidence that the bacterial microbiome associated with bloom-forming algae have the functional potential to contribute to nutrient exchange within bloom communities and interact with important bloom formers like Microcystis.