Rickettsia lanei, sp. nov. (Rickettsiales: Rickettsiaceae), a Newly Recognized Pathogen of Humans Associated with the Rabbit Tick, Haemaphysalis leporispalustris (Acari: Ixodidae).

Haemaphysalis leporispalustris (the rabbit tick) is one of the most broadly distributed hard tick species in the Americas. In 2018, investigators amplified DNA from a spotted fever group Rickettsia (SFGR) species found in host-seeking larvae and nymphs of H. leporispalustris collected in northern California and proposed the name Candidatus "Rickettsia lanei" using results obtained via multilocus sequence typing.

Suppression of Spotted Wing Drosophila, (Matsumura), in Raspberry Using the Sterile Insect Technique.

is an invasive pest of many fruit crops worldwide. Employing the Sterile Insect Technique (SIT) could mitigate population growth and crop damage. This study evaluated the efficacy of SIT on commercial fruit, by (1) validating the quality of irradiated sterile males (male mating competitiveness, courtship, and flight performance) in the laboratory, and (2) assessing population suppression and fruit damage reduction in commercial raspberry fields.

A systems-based approach to uterine fibroids identifies differential splicing associated with abnormal uterine bleeding.

Background: Uterine fibroids (UFs), benign tumours prevalent in up to 80% of women of reproductive age, are associated with significant morbidity, including abnormal uterine bleeding, pain and infertility. Despite identification of key genomic alterations in MED12 and HMGA2, the pathogenic mechanisms underlying UFs and heavy menstrual bleeding (HMB) remain poorly understood.

Methods: To correlate systematically genetic, transcriptional and proteomic phenotypes, we conducted an integrative multi-omic approach utilising targeted DNA sequencing, RNA sequencing and proteomic methodologies, encompassing fibroid, myometrium, and endometrium tissues from 91 patients.

Tumor-specific CD8 T cell characterization in HR breast cancer reveals an impaired antitumoral response in patients with lymph node metastasis.

Most breast cancers express the estrogen receptor (ER), but the immune response of hormone receptor-positive (HR) breast cancer remains poorly characterized. Here, dendritic cells loaded with tumor lysate are used to identify tumor-reactive CD8 T cells, which are detected in most HR breast cancer patients, especially those with early-stage tumors. When present, the circulating antitumor CD8 response contains cytotoxic T cells with diverse specificity and T cell receptor (TCR) repertoire.

Racial Discrimination and Substance Use: Results from a 2023 Survey of Racism and Public Health in the United States.

Background: Racial/ethnic disparities in substance use outcomes continue to widen in the US. Despite increasing evidence of the myriad ways that racism impacts health, this has not been extensively studied with respect to substance use outcomes. The current study explores the association between self-reported exposure to racial discrimination across the life course and substance use disorders among US adults.

Amyloid-β disrupts APP-regulated protein aggregation and dissociation from recycling endosomal membranes.

Secretory proteins aggregate into non-soluble dense-core granules in recycling endosome-like compartments prior to regulated release. By contrast, aberrantly processed, secreted amyloid-β (Aβ) peptides derived from amyloid precursor protein (APP) form pathological extracellular amyloidogenic aggregations in late-stage Alzheimer's disease (AD). By examining living Drosophila prostate-like secondary cells, we show that both APP and Aβ peptides affect normal biogenesis of dense-core granules.

Sensitizing solid tumors to CAR-mediated cytotoxicity by lipid nanoparticle delivery of synthetic antigens.

Chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cell immunotherapy relies on CAR targeting of tumor-associated antigens; however, heterogenous antigen expression, interpatient variation and off-tumor expression by healthy cells remain barriers. Here we develop synthetic antigens to sensitize solid tumors for recognition and elimination by CAR T cells. Unlike tumor-associated antigens, we design synthetic antigens that are orthogonal to endogenous proteins to eliminate off-tumor targeting and that have a small genetic footprint to facilitate efficient tumor delivery to tumors by lipid nanoparticles.

Multiscale mechanical properties and enhancement mechanism of cellulose-composited hydrogels.

We prepared cellulose-composited ionic-covalent entanglement (ICE) network gelatin methacrylate/alginate (G/A) hydrogels using microfibrillated cellulose (MFC) and nanofibrillated cellulose (NFC), of which the mechanical properties were evaluated at two different length scales. Macro-compression shows that cellulose improves the toughness, compression resistance, and Young's moduli of ICE hydrogels, attributed to the synergistic interaction between the cellulose fiber network and ICE due to hydrogen bonding. Pure MFC (363.

Neighborhood characteristics and health literacy: Evidence from the survey of racism and public health.

Objectives: Limited research exists on the relationship between neighborhood characteristics and health literacy. We investigated the potential impacts of neighborhood characteristics on health literacy and explored whether these associations varied across racial/ethnic groups.

Study Design: The study was a web-based cross-sectional study of adults (18+ years old) residing in areas within the US Health and Human Services Regions 1, 2, or 3.

Defining hypoxia in cancer: A landmark evaluation of hypoxia gene expression signatures.

Tumor hypoxia drives metabolic shifts, cancer progression, and therapeutic resistance. Challenges in quantifying hypoxia have hindered the exploitation of this potential "Achilles' heel." While gene expression signatures have shown promise as surrogate measures of hypoxia, signature usage is heterogeneous and debated.

Social vulnerability and genetic service utilization among unaffected BRIDGE trial patients with inherited cancer susceptibility.

Background: Research on social determinants of genetic testing uptake is limited, particularly among unaffected patients with inherited cancer susceptibility.

Methods: We conducted a secondary analysis of the Broadening the Reach, Impact, and Delivery of Genetic Services (BRIDGE) trial at University of Utah Health and NYU Langone Health, involving 2,760 unaffected patients meeting genetic testing criteria for inherited cancer susceptibility and who were initially randomized to either an automated chatbot or an enhanced standard of care (SOC) genetic services delivery model. We used encounters from the electronic health record (EHR) to measure the uptake of genetic counseling and testing, including dichotomous measures of (1) whether participants initiated pre-test cancer genetic services, (2) completed pre-test cancer genetic services, (3) had genetic testing ordered, and (4) completed genetic testing.

Determinants of Breast Cancer Screening Adherence During the COVID-19 Pandemic in a Cohort at Increased Inherited Cancer Risk in the United States.

Background: We examined neighborhood characteristics concerning breast cancer screening annual adherence during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Methods: We analyzed 6673 female patients aged 40 or older at increased inherited cancer risk in 2 large health care systems (NYU Langone Health [NYULH] and the University of Utah Health [UHealth]). Multinomial models were used to identify predictors of mammogram screening groups (non-adherent, pre-pandemic adherent, pandemic period adherent) in comparison to adherent females.

Autophagy Blockage Up-Regulates HLA-Class-I Molecule Expression in Lung Cancer and Enhances Anti-PD-L1 Immunotherapy Efficacy.

Background/objectives: Immune checkpoint inhibitors have an established role in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) therapy. The loss of HLA-class-I expression allows cancer cell evasion from immune surveillance, disease progression, and failure of immunotherapy. The restoration of HLA-class-I expression may prove to be a game-changer in current immunotherapy strategies.

Associations between perceived discrimination over the life course, subjective social status, and health literacy: A racial/ethnic stratification analysis.

Objective: To analyze the relationship between perceived discrimination over the life course, social status, and limited health literacy (HL).

Methods: 5040 adults who participated in the 2023 Survey of Racism and Public Health. We applied stratified multilevel models adjusted for sociodemographic characteristics.

Uptake of Cancer Genetic Services for Chatbot vs Standard-of-Care Delivery Models: The BRIDGE Randomized Clinical Trial.

Importance: Increasing numbers of unaffected individuals could benefit from genetic evaluation for inherited cancer susceptibility. Automated conversational agents (ie, chatbots) are being developed for cancer genetics contexts; however, randomized comparisons with standard of care (SOC) are needed.

Objective: To examine whether chatbot and SOC approaches are equivalent in completion of pretest cancer genetic services and genetic testing.

Stress-induced Rab11a-exosomes induce amphiregulin-mediated cetuximab resistance in colorectal cancer.

Exosomes are secreted vesicles made intracellularly in the endosomal system. We have previously shown that exosomes are not only made in late endosomes, but also in recycling endosomes marked by the monomeric G-protein Rab11a. These vesicles, termed Rab11a-exosomes, are preferentially secreted under nutrient stress from several cancer cell types, including HCT116 colorectal cancer (CRC) cells.