30233 research outputs found
Sort by
Antipsychotics in child and adolescent patients with major depressive disorder: A retrospective analysis of prescribing patterns
No full textCareful consideration should be taken when using off-label antipsychotics in children due to limited studies on efficacy. Future research is warranted to assess the efficacy and safety of these agents in children and adolescents
Microbe Interactions within the Skin Microbiome
No full textThe skin is the largest human organ and is responsible for many important functions, such as temperature regulation, water transport, and protection from external insults. It is colonized by several microorganisms that interact with each other and with the host, shaping the microbial structure and community dynamics. Through these interactions, the skin microbiota can inhibit pathogens through several mechanisms such as the production of bacteriocins, proteases, phenol soluble modulins (PSMs), and fermentation. Furthermore, these commensals can produce molecules with antivirulence activity, reducing the potential of these pathogens to adhere to and invade human tissues. Microorganisms of the skin microbiota are also able to sense molecules from the environment and shape their behavior in response to these signals through the modulation of gene expression. Additionally, microbiota-derived compounds can affect pathogen gene expression, including the expression of virulence determinants. Although most studies related to microbial interactions in the skin have been directed towards elucidating competition mechanisms, microorganisms can also use the products of other species to their benefit. In this review, we will discuss several mechanisms through which microorganisms interact in the skin and the biotechnological applications of products originating from the skin microbiota that have already been reported in the literature
Early research on anther‐smut disease: A fuller view of science?
No full textThe anther‐smut host–pathogen system has provided extensive insights into the evolutionary ecology of disease resistance, transmission modes, host shifts, pathogen specialization, and disease evolution in metapopulations. It also has led to unexpected insights into sex ratio distorters, sex chromosome evolution, and transposable elements in fungi. In addition, anther‐smut disease played a major role in Linnaeus' germ theory and the correspondence on parasitic castration between Darwin and Becker, one of the first female botanists. Here, we explicitly highlight some of the realities in the process of science, using an unusual autobiographical approach to describe how we came to collaborate on this system in the 1980s. Using perspectives from our different career stages, we present a surprising narrative that could not be deduced from merely reading the published papers. While our work was grounded in previous ecological and evolutionary theory, it was the product as much of empirical failures and intellectual roadblocks, as the result of a progressive scientific method. Our experiences illustrate not only the “human dimension of science” but more importantly show that linear sequences of hypothesis testing do not necessarily lead to new study systems and new ideas. We suggest there is a need to re‐evaluate the scientific method in ecology and evolution, especially where the challenge is to engage in a productive dialog between natural history and theory
Gene expression variation underlying tissue-specific responses to copper stress in Drosophila melanogaster
No full textCopper is one of a handful of biologically necessary heavy metals that is also a common environmental pollutant. Under normal conditions, copper ions are required for many key physiological processes. However, in excess, copper results in cell and tissue damage ranging in severity from temporary injury to permanent neurological damage. Because of its biological relevance, and because many conserved copper-responsive genes respond to nonessential heavy metal pollutants, copper resistance in Drosophila melanogaster is a useful model system with which to investigate the genetic control of the heavy metal stress response. Because heavy metal toxicity has the potential to differently impact specific tissues, we genetically characterized the control of the gene expression response to copper stress in a tissue-specific manner in this study. We assessed the copper stress response in head and gut tissue of 96 inbred strains from the Drosophila Synthetic Population Resource using a combination of differential expression analysis and expression quantitative trait locus mapping. Differential expression analysis revealed clear patterns of tissue-specific expression. Tissue and treatment specific responses to copper stress were also detected using expression quantitative trait locus mapping. Expression quantitative trait locus associated with MtnA, Mdr49, Mdr50, and Sod3 exhibited both genotype-by-tissue and genotype-by-treatment effects on gene expression under copper stress, illuminating tissue- and treatment-specific patterns of gene expression control. Together, our data build a nuanced description of the roles and interactions between allelic and expression variation in copper-responsive genes, provide valuable insight into the genomic architecture of susceptibility to metal toxicity, and highlight candidate genes for future functional characterization
Viewing Modern Korean Social Issues Through BTS’ Lyrics: The Life of the Korean Youth in the Contemporary Education System and Society
No full textSubmitted to the Department of East Asian Languages and Cultures of the University of Kansas in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts.One of the social issues that is commonly addressed in Korean popular media is the education system and its impacts on students’ self-worth. This is a topic that the K-pop group BTS addressed frequently in their earlier music—particularly in the songs “No More Dream,” “N.O,” “Spine Breaker” (“Deunggol Beureikeo”), and “Silver Spoon” (“Baepsae”). Although these songs were not in the Billboard charts, they formed the group’s image and identity as a band. Despite the fact that their songs are specific to the Korean context, their themes are universal so that a global audience can still resonate or connect in their own way. While it should be kept in mind that not all media depict real life well, this paper focuses on lyrics from four early songs of BTS and observe how well BTS captures the current zeitgeist or cultural climate of contemporary Korean students’ and young adults’ struggles and hardships. This paper was able to observe the social conflicts and struggles youth have in contemporary Korea. Based on the statistics and information provided by the Korean government and other research, it can be concluded that BTS represented such realities rather well
Combining the Benefits of Biotin–Streptavidin Aptamer Immobilization with the Versatility of Ni-NTA Regeneration Strategies for SPR
No full textThe high affinity of the biotin–streptavidin interaction has made this non-covalent coupling an indispensable strategy for the immobilization and enrichment of biomolecular affinity reagents. However, the irreversible nature of the biotin–streptavidin bond renders surfaces functionalized using this strategy permanently modified and not amenable to regeneration strategies that could increase assay reusability and throughput. To increase the utility of biotinylated targets, we here introduce a method for reversibly immobilizing biotinylated thrombin-binding aptamers onto a Ni-nitrilotriacetic acid (Ni-NTA) sensor chip using 6xHis-tagged streptavidin as a regenerable capture ligand. This approach enabled the reproducible immobilization of aptamers and measurements of aptamer–protein interaction in a surface plasmon resonance assay. The immobilized aptamer surface was stable during five experiments over two days, despite the reversible attachment of 6xHis-streptavidin to the Ni-NTA surface. In addition, we demonstrate the reproducibility of this immobilization method and the affinity assays performed using it. Finally, we verify the specificity of the biotin tag–streptavidin interaction and assess the efficiency of a straightforward method to regenerate and reuse the surface. The method described here will allow researchers to leverage the versatility and stability of the biotin–streptavidin interaction while increasing throughput and improving assay efficiency
Mutualisms weaken the latitudinal diversity gradient among oceanic islands
No full textThe latitudinal diversity gradient (LDG) dominates global patterns of diversity, but the factors that underlie the LDG remain elusive. Here we use a unique global dataset to show that vascular plants on oceanic islands exhibit a weakened LDG and explore potential mechanisms for this effect. Our results show that traditional physical drivers of island biogeography-namely area and isolation-contribute to the difference between island and mainland diversity at a given latitude (that is, the island species deficit), as smaller and more distant islands experience reduced colonization. However, plant species with mutualists are underrepresented on islands, and we find that this plant mutualism filter explains more variation in the island species deficit than abiotic factors. In particular, plant species that require animal pollinators or microbial mutualists such as arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi contribute disproportionately to the island species deficit near the Equator, with contributions decreasing with distance from the Equator. Plant mutualist filters on species richness are particularly strong at low absolute latitudes where mainland richness is highest, weakening the LDG of oceanic islands. These results provide empirical evidence that mutualisms, habitat heterogeneity and dispersal are key to the maintenance of high tropical plant diversity and mediate the biogeographic patterns of plant diversity on Earth
Role of HNF4alpha-cMyc interaction in liver regeneration after partial hepatectomy
No full textA grant from the One-University Open Access Fund at the University of Kansas was used to defray the author's publication fees in this Open Access journal. The Open Access Fund, administered by librarians from the KU, KU Law, and KUMC libraries, is made possible by contributions from the offices of KU Provost, KU Vice Chancellor for Research & Graduate Studies, and KUMC Vice Chancellor for Research. For more information about the Open Access Fund, please see http://library.kumc.edu/authors-fund.xml.Hepatocyte nuclear factor 4 alpha (HNF4α) is a highly conserved member of the nuclear receptor expressed at high levels in hepatocytes. HNF4α is important for normal liver development and the maintenance of hepatic differentiation (1). HNF4α regulates various metabolic processes, including bile acid and coagulation factor synthesis, lipid, glucose and amino acid metabolism, and expression of several drug metabolism genes (2–5). Recent studies have shown that HNF4α also regulates hepatocyte proliferation (6). Deletion of HNF4α results in increased spontaneous hepatocyte proliferation without liver injury, and it also promotes carcinogen-induced hepatocellular carcinoma (6). HNF4α negatively regulates several pro-mitogenic genes, including but not limited to the proto-oncogene cMyc (7).
The liver has an exceptional ability to regenerate following drug-and diet-induced liver injury and surgical resection (8). Liver regeneration is a highly regulated process that involves cell proliferation and tissue remodeling. Partial hepatectomy (PHX) is the most common model for studying liver regeneration, in which approximately 70% of the liver is surgically removed and the remnant liver is allowed to regenerate (9). After PHX, hepatocytes leave the quiescence phase and start proliferating to contribute to the regeneration process. This model is clinically significant because PHX is a common therapy for several chronic liver diseases and is also the basis for successful living donor liver transplantation (10). Furthermore, understanding the mechanisms of the initiation and termination of hepatocyte proliferation is crucial because excessive proliferation can lead to carcinogenesis.
Previous studies in our laboratory investigated the role of HNF4α in regulating liver regeneration after PHX (7). Our studies revealed that HNF4α is essential for the termination of liver regeneration. Other studies from our laboratory investigated the role of HNF4α-cMyc interaction in liver regeneration after drug-and diet-induced liver injury. We found that after acetaminophen-induced acute induced liver injury, HNF4α contributes to regeneration by downregulating the expression of cMyc and supports cytoprotection by inducing Nrf2 activity (11). During choline deficient and ethionine supplemented (CDE) diet-induced chronic liver injury, HNF4α protects against injury, which is exacerbated by cMyc (12). Both the acetaminophen overdose and CDE diet feeding models are different from PHX in the context of liver injury, inflammation, and regenerative cell type. In this study, we investigated the role of HNF4α-cMyc interaction in the regulation of liver regeneration after PHX, a model with significantly less inflammation
Genome-Wide Association Study (GWAS) for Identifying SNPs and Genes Related to Phosphate-Induced Phenotypic Traits in Tomato ( L.)
No full textPhosphate (P) is a crucial macronutrient for normal plant growth and development. The P availability in soils is a limitation factor, and understanding genetic factors playing roles in plant adaptation for improving P uptake is of great biological importance. Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) have become indispensable tools in unraveling the genetic basis of complex traits in various plant species. In this study, a comprehensive GWAS was conducted on diverse tomato ( L.) accessions grown under normal and low P conditions for two weeks. Plant traits such as shoot height, primary root length, plant biomass, shoot inorganic content (SiP), and root inorganic content (RiP) were measured. Among several models of GWAS tested, the Bayesian-information and linkage disequilibrium iteratively nested keyway (BLINK) models were used for the identification of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs). Among all the traits analyzed, significantly associated SNPs were recorded for PB, i.e., 1 SNP (SSL4.0CH10_49261145) under control P, SiP, i.e., 1 SNP (SSL4.0CH08_58433186) under control P and 1 SNP (SSL4.0CH08_51271168) under low P and RiP i.e., 2 SNPs (SSL4.0CH04_37267952 and SSL4.0CH09_4609062) under control P and 1 SNP (SSL4.0CH09_3930922) under low P condition. The identified SNPs served as genetic markers pinpointing regions of the tomato genome linked to P-responsive traits. The novel candidate genes associated with the identified SNPs were further analyzed for their protein-protein interactions using STRING. The study provided novel candidate genes, viz. for PB under control, , and for SiP and , , , and for RiP under low P condition. These findings offer a glimpse into the genetic diversity of tomato accessions' responses to P uptake, highlighting the potential for tailored breeding programs to develop P-efficient tomato varieties that could adapt to varying soil conditions, making them crucial for sustainable agriculture and addressing global challenges, such as soil depletion and food security
Data for "A Collection of Ticks from Kansas in the 1980s, with Notes on Range Expansions of Tick Species"
No full textA dataset assembled from tick specimens collected and identified by Prof. Donald Mock, of Kansas State University, from across Kansas