Quantitative evaluation of anti-biofilm cavitation activity seeded from microbubbles or protein cavitation nuclei by passive acoustic mapping.

Bacterial biofilms represent a major challenge for effective antibiotic therapy as they confer physical and functional changes that protect bacteria from their surrounding environment. In this work, focused ultrasound in combination with cavitation nuclei was used to disrupt biofilms of Staphylococcus aureus and Pseudomonas aeruginosa, both of which are on the World Health Organization's priority list for new antimicrobial research. Approach: Single species biofilms were exposed to ultrasound (0.

Sustaining Engagement: How Follower Resilience May Mitigate the Negative Effects of Dark Triad Leaders.

We propose that followers with leaders who exhibit any or all of the dark triad leadership traits, may be able to mitigate negative effects through their resilience. In this study, we use Job Demands-Resources theory to propose moderated relationships among follower perceptions of their leader's psychopathic, Machiavellian, or narcissistic traits, follower engagement, and follower resilience. We found support for two of three hypotheses: Follower resilience mitigated the negative effects of leader psychopathy and leader Machiavellianism on follower work engagement.

Sonosensitive Cavitation Nuclei-A Customisable Platform Technology for Enhanced Therapeutic Delivery.

Ultrasound-mediated cavitation shows great promise for improving targeted drug delivery across a range of clinical applications. Cavitation nuclei-sound-sensitive constructs that enhance cavitation activity at lower pressures-have become a powerful adjuvant to ultrasound-based treatments, and more recently emerged as a drug delivery vehicle in their own right. The unique combination of physical, biological, and chemical effects that occur around these structures, as well as their varied compositions and morphologies, make cavitation nuclei an attractive platform for creating delivery systems tuned to particular therapeutics.

Lack of improvement in anorectal manometry parameters after implementation of a pelvic floor/anal sphincter biofeedback in persons with motor-incomplete spinal cord injury.

Background: Effect of biofeedback on improving anorectal manometric parameters in incomplete spinal cord injury is unknown. A short-term biofeedback program investigated any effect on anorectal manometric parameters without correlation to bowel symptoms.

Methods: This prospective uncontrolled interventional study comprised three study subject groups, Group 1: sensory/motor-complete American Spinal Injury Association Impairment Scale (AIS) A SCI (n = 13); Group 2 (biofeedback group): sensory incomplete AIS B SCI (n = 17) (n = 3), and motor-incomplete AIS C SCI (n = 8), and AIS D SCI (n = 6); and Group 3: able-bodied (AB) controls (n = 12).

Creatine for Exercise and Sports Performance, with Recovery Considerations for Healthy Populations.

Creatine is one of the most studied and popular ergogenic aids for athletes and recreational weightlifters seeking to improve sport and exercise performance, augment exercise training adaptations, and mitigate recovery time. Studies consistently reveal that creatine supplementation exerts positive ergogenic effects on single and multiple bouts of short-duration, high-intensity exercise activities, in addition to potentiating exercise training adaptations. In this respect, supplementation consistently demonstrates the ability to enlarge the pool of intracellular creatine, leading to an amplification of the cell's ability to resynthesize adenosine triphosphate.

Bi- and tri-valent T cell engagers deplete tumour-associated macrophages in cancer patient samples.

Background: Tumour-associated macrophages (TAMs) are often implicated in cancer progression but can also exert anti-tumour activities. Selective eradication of cancer-promoting (M2-like) TAM subsets is a highly sought-after goal. Here, we have devised a novel strategy to achieve selective TAM depletion, involving the use of T cell engagers to direct endogenous T cell cytotoxicity towards specific M2-like TAMs.

Delivery of neostigmine and glycopyrrolate by iontophoresis: a nonrandomized study in individuals with spinal cord injury.

Study Design: Phase I Clinical Trial.

Objectives: In this proof-of-principle study, the effectiveness and safety of transdermal administration of neostigmine/glycopyrrolate to elicit a bowel movement was compared to intravenous administration in patients with spinal cord injury.

Setting: James J.

Electromyographical Comparison of Muscle Activation Patterns Across Three Commonly Performed Kettlebell Exercises.

Lyons, BC, Mayo, JJ, Tucker, WS, Wax, B, and Hendrix, RC. Electromyographical comparison of muscle activation patterns across 3 commonly performed kettlebell exercises. J Strength Cond Res 31(9): 2363-2370, 2017-The purpose of this study was to compare the muscle activation patterns of 3 different kettlebell (KB) exercises using electromyography (EMG).

Monitoring the Disassembly of Virus-like Particles by F-NMR.

Virus-like particles (VLPs) are stable protein cages derived from virus coats. They have been used extensively as biomolecular platforms, e.g.

Amyloid Plaque in the Human Brain Can Decompose from Aβ(1-40/1-42) by Spontaneous Nonenzymatic Processes.

The degradation of long-lived proteins in the body is an important aspect of aging, and much of the breakdown is due to the intrinsic instability of particular amino acids. In this study, peptides were examined to discover if spontaneous nonenzymatic reactions could be responsible for the composition of Alzheimer's (AD) plaque in the human brain. The great majority of AD plaque consists of N-terminally truncated versions of Aβ(1-40/1-42), with the most abundant peptide commencing with Glu (residue 3 in Aβ1-40/1-42) that is present as pyroGlu.

Spontaneous cleavage of proteins at serine and threonine is facilitated by zinc.

Old proteins are widely distributed in the body. Over time, they deteriorate and many spontaneous reactions, for example isomerisation of Asp and Asn, can be replicated by incubation of peptides under physiological conditions. One of the signatures of long-lived proteins that has proven to be difficult to replicate in vitro is cleavage on the N-terminal side of Ser residues, and this is important since cleavage at Ser, and also Thr, has been observed in a number of human proteins.

Off-duty deviance: Organizational policies and evidence for two prevention strategies.

Anecdotal evidence suggests that organizations are increasingly concerned with employee off-duty deviance (ODD), yet management research has rarely investigated this type of deviant behavior. We define ODD as behaviors committed outside the workplace or when off-duty that are deviant by organizational and/or societal standards, jeopardize the employee's status within the organization, and threaten the interests and well-being of the organization and its stakeholders. Three studies are presented to better understand the relevance of ODD to modern organizations and then to understand potential approaches to reduce the incidence of ODD.

Dysregulation of inter-photoreceptor retinoid-binding protein (IRBP) after induced Müller cell disruption.

Reduced expression of a ~150 kDa protein was unexpectedly observed while investigating Norrin protein in a transgenic murine model in which Müller cells can be selectively and inducibly disrupted. Isolation of this unknown protein via ion exchange and hydrophobic interaction chromatography followed by Tandem mass spectrometry identified it as Inter-photoreceptor retinoid-binding protein (IRBP). Significantly reduced IRBP mRNA expression was observed at the early and late stages after Müller cell disruption.

Neostigmine Administered With MoviPrep Improves Bowel Preparation for Elective Colonoscopy in Patients With Spinal Cord Injury: A Randomized Study.

Background: Poor preparation for elective colonoscopy is exceedingly common in persons with spinal cord injury (SCI). This unsatisfactory outcome is likely due to long-standing difficulty with evacuation and decreased colonic motility, which may result in inadequate responses to conventional bowel preparation regimens. We determined whether the addition of neostigmine to MoviPrep before elective colonoscopy produced a higher percentage of acceptable bowel preparations in patients with SCI.

Comparison between pulsed irrigation enhanced evacuation and polyethylene glycol-electrolyte lavage solution for bowel preparation prior to elective colonoscopy in veterans with spinal cord injury.

Background: Poor preparation for elective colonoscopy is common in persons with spinal cord injury (SCI). This unsatisfactory outcome is likely due to long-standing difficulty with evacuation and decreased colonic motility. Our objective was to determine the most effective preparation for elective colonoscopy applying a novel and traditional approach to bowel cleansing.

Proteome changes induced by laser in diabetic retinopathy.

Background: Diabetic macular oedema (DMO) is the commonest cause of vision loss in people with diabetes. Laser photocoagulation can be effective in the treatment of DMO; however, its mechanism of action is still poorly understood. A better understanding of these mechanisms may allow the development of therapeutic approaches that could avoid the deleterious adverse events associated with photocoagulation.

Spontaneous cyclization of polypeptides with a penultimate Asp, Asn or isoAsp at the N-terminus and implications for cleavage by aminopeptidase.

A cyclic product that forms spontaneously from peptides that contain a penultimate Asp, Asn or isoAsp residue at the N-terminus has been characterized. This 2,5-diketopiperazine derivative forms under physiological conditions and is stable, showing little degradation even following heating at 60 °C. A mechanism for its formation from Asn and Asp peptides is proposed that involves a succinimide or isoaspartate intermediate.

Characterisation of a novel UV filter in the lens of the thirteen-lined ground squirrel (Ictidomys tridecemlineatus).

Structural analysis of a novel UV filter present in the lens of the thirteen-lined ground squirrel has shown that it is related in structure to N-acetyl-3-hydroxykynurenine. This finding is consistent with the fact that the squirrel lenses also contain high levels of this tryptophan metabolite. Analysis of both NMR and mass spectrometric data suggested that the novel UV filter compound forms by condensation of proline with N-acetyl-3-hydroxykynurenine.

Separate mechanisms for age-related truncation and racemisation of peptide-bound serine.

Some amino acids are particularly susceptible to degradation in long-lived proteins. Foremost among these are asparagine, aspartic acid and serine. In the case of serine residues, cleavage of the peptide bond on the N-terminal side, as well as racemisation, has been observed.

Human protein aging: modification and crosslinking through dehydroalanine and dehydrobutyrine intermediates.

Nonenzymatic post-translational modification (PTM) of proteins is a fundamental molecular process of aging. The combination of various modifications and their accumulation with age not only affects function, but leads to crosslinking and protein aggregation. In this study, aged human lens proteins were examined using HPLC-tandem mass spectrometry and a blind PTM search strategy.

Age-dependent modification of proteins: N-terminal racemization.

Age-dependent deterioration of long-lived proteins in humans may have wide-ranging effects on health, fitness and diseases of the elderly. To a large extent, denaturation of old proteins appears to result from the intrinsic instability of certain amino acids; however, these reactions are incompletely understood. One method to investigate these reactions involves exposing peptides to elevated temperatures at physiological pH.

Molecular signatures of long-lived proteins: autolytic cleavage adjacent to serine residues.

The centre of the human lens, which is composed of proteins that were synthesized prior to birth, is an ideal model for the evaluation of long-term protein stability and processes responsible for the degradation of macromolecules. By analysing the sequences of peptides present in human lens nuclei, characteristic features of intrinsic protein instability were determined. Prominent was the cleavage on the N-terminal side of serine residues.

Is protein methylation in the human lens a result of non-enzymatic methylation by S-adenosylmethionine?

Since crystallins in the human lens do not turnover, they are susceptible to modification by reactive molecules over time. Methylation is a major post-translational lens modification, however the source of the methyl group is not known and the extent of modification across all crystallins has yet to be determined. Sites of methylation in human lens proteins were determined using HPLC/mass spectrometry following digestion with trypsin.

Effect of grip strength and grip strengthening exercises on instantaneous bat velocity of collegiate baseball players.

Bat velocity is considered to be an important factor for successful hitting. The relationship between grip strength and bat velocity has not been conclusively established. The purposes of this study were to determine the relationship of grip strength to bat velocity and to ascertain whether the performance of resistance training exercises designed to specifically target the forearms and grip would significantly alter bat velocity.