Measuring the selective packaging of RNA molecules by viral coat proteins in cells.

Some RNA viruses package their genomes with extraordinary selectivity, assembling protein capsids around their own viral RNA while excluding nearly all host RNA. How the assembling proteins distinguish viral RNA from host RNA is not fully understood, but RNA structure is thought to play a key role. To test this idea, we perform in-cellulo packaging experiments using bacteriophage MS2 coat proteins and a variety of RNA molecules in .

Modulating the platelet-mediated innate foreign body response to affect in situ vascular tissue engineering outcomes.

The success of implanted tissue-engineered vascular grafts (TEVGs) relies on the coordinated inflammation and wound healing processes that simultaneously degrade the scaffold and guide the formation of a neovessel. Dysregulated responses can lead to aberrant remodeling (e.g.

Robust and resource-optimal dynamic pattern formation of Min proteins in vivo.

The Min protein system prevents abnormal cell division in bacteria by forming oscillatory patterns between cell poles. However, predicting the protein concentrations at which oscillations start and whether cells can maintain them under physiological perturbations remains challenging. Here we show that dynamic pattern formation is robust across a wide range of Min protein levels and variations in the growth physiology using genetically engineered strains.

A Novel Point-Of-Care Rapid IgM Test for the Diagnosis of Congenital Syphilis.

Background: Neonatal syphilis-specific IgM immunoglobulins are fetal in origin and may reflect congenital syphilis. This pilot study aims to determine the test performance of a point-of-care anti-treponemal IgM test for the diagnosis of congenital syphilis.

Methods: Sera from 2 uninfected and 29 pregnant patients with syphilis and 8 of their newborns with sonographic evidence of congenital syphilis were collected between May 2022 - June 2024.

Physiological Response of Tissue-Engineered Vascular Grafts to Vasoactive Agents in an Ovine Model.

Tissue-engineered vascular grafts (TEVGs) are emerging as promising alternatives to synthetic grafts, particularly in pediatric cardiovascular surgery. While TEVGs have demonstrated growth potential, compliance, and resistance to calcification, their functional integration into the circulation, especially their ability to respond to physiological stimuli, remains underexplored. Vasoreactivity, the dynamic contraction or dilation of blood vessels in response to vasoactive agents, is a key property of native vessels that affects systemic hemodynamics and long-term vascular function.