A chickpea MAGIC population to dissect the genetics of complex traits.

Multiparent populations are now widespread in crop genetic studies as they capture more genetic diversity and offer high statistical power for detecting quantitative trait loci (QTLs). To confirm the suitability of using a recently developed chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.) multi-parent advanced generation intercross (MAGIC) population for genetic studies, we characterized the diversity of the eight founder lines and explored the linkage disequilibrium decay, marker coverage, segregation distortion, allelic variation, and structure of the population.

Safety and immunogenicity of the ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 (AZD1222) vaccine in children aged 6-17 years: Final results of a phase 2, single-blind, randomised controlled trial (COV006).

Background: Paediatric COVID-19 vaccination programmes were initiated in response to the coronavirus pandemic declared by the World Health Organisation (WHO) in 2020. Ten COVID-19 vaccines received WHO Emergency Use Listing, however, only five were approved for use in children. ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 (AZD1222) was approved in adults in a two-dose regimen.

A qualitative evaluation of a partnership between a local authority and community organisations to improve mental health and wellbeing.

Unlabelled: Mental health problems lead to earlier mortality, poor physical health and socioeconomic disadvantage. Some people, including those from black and minority ethnic groups and low-income households, are at higher risk of poor mental health and are less likely to seek support from statutory services. Community Protect (CP) is a model in which a local government public health team acquired funding to support third sector organisations working with marginalised populations.

Impact of a Procalcitonin Guided Antibiotic Management Strategy in Pediatric Sickle Cell Patients With Fever.

Objective: This study assessed the relationship between antibiotic durations and the use of procalcitonin (PCT) in febrile pediatric patients with sickle cell disease (SCD), including those diagnosed with acute chest syndrome (ACS) and/or vaso-occlusive crisis (VOC).

Methods: This multicenter, retrospective cohort study compared antibiotic durations in febrile pediatric SCD patients between 2 cohorts, 1 utilizing PCT (PCT cohort) and 1 not utilizing PCT (no-PCT cohort). Secondary endpoints compared the impact of PCT on antibiotic durations in those also diagnosed with ACS and/or VOC.

Haplotype-based insights into seminal root angle in barley.

Root system architecture (RSA) plays a crucial role in crop adaptation and yield stability, especially in the context of climate change and variable growing conditions. Despite this, the genetic basis of RSA remains poorly understood in barley (Hordeum vulgare L.), necessitating the need for more research to better characterize this architecture and explore the potential of diverse germplasm for trait improvement.

The PIN2 ortholog in barley modifies root gravitropism and architecture.

Roots provide the critical interface where plants acquire nutrients and water, but our limited understanding of the genetic controls modulating root system architecture (RSA) in crop species constrains opportunities to develop future cultivars with improved root systems. However, there is vast knowledge of root developmental genes in model plant species, which has the potential to accelerate progress in crops with more complex genomes, particularly given that genome editing protocols are now available for most species. PIN-FORMED2 (PIN2) encodes a root-specific polar auxin transporter, where its absence resulted in roots being unable to orient themselves using gravity, producing a significantly wider root system.

Real-World Analysis of Irinotecan With or Without Fluorouracil in the Second-Line Treatment of Metastatic Colorectal Cancer.

Background: The most used first-line chemotherapy backbone for metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC) is fluoropyrimidine and oxaliplatin. Despite limited data supporting the superiority of second-line FOLFIRI over irinotecan, guidelines continue to endorse both options, and FOLFIRI remains more commonly used.

Patients And Methods: This study used a nationwide electronic health record-derived deidentified database to select patients with mCRC who received first-line treatment with fluoropyrimidine and oxaliplatin with or without a biologic agent, and second-line treatment with irinotecan ± fluorouracil with or without a biologic agent.

Harnessing clonal diversity in grapevine: from genomic insights to modern breeding applications.

Grapevine has been clonally propagated for thousands of years. Though clonal propagation aims at maintaining varietal identity, somatic mutations and epigenetic modifications accumulated over hundreds to thousands of years lead to intra-varietal diversity. This intra-varietal variation is a very valuable resource in grapevine breeding, as it creates the opportunity to improve important traits related to yield, phenology, stress tolerance, and quality without altering the varietal identity which is extremely important for the industry.

Complement Modulation Mitigates Inflammation-Mediated Preterm Birth and Fetal Neural Inflammation.

Preterm birth and the neonatal pathological sequelae that follow spontaneous preterm labor are closely associated with maternal and fetal inflammatory activation. Previous studies have indicated a role for the complement system in this inflammatory response. Utilizing an LPS inflammation-induced model of preterm birth, we investigated various delivery outcomes and their correlation with complement activation products within cervical, uterine, and fetal brain tissue after administration of LPS.

CEPR1 function across plant lineages: peptide hormone recognition by cereal crop orthologs and developmental roles in barley.

Arabidopsis peptide hormones from the C-TERMINALLY ENCODED PEPTIDE (CEP) family and their receptor, CEP RECEPTOR1 (CEPR1), integrate growth and development with environmental cues. Since cereals display anatomical differences to dicots, it is unknown if CEPR1 functions similarly in monocots and dicots. We investigated cereal CEPR1 function by introducing putative barley, rice, or maize CEPR1 orthologues into an Arabidopsis cepr1 mutant to determine if its diverse root, vegetative development, and fecundity phenotypes could be restored.

Understanding the interaction of upper respiratory tract infection with respiratory syncytial virus and Streptococcus pneumoniae using a human challenge model: a multicenter, randomized controlled study protocol.

Background: Streptococcus pneumoniae (pneumococcus) and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) are major causes of respiratory infections globally. Viral and bacterial co-infections are commonly observed in respiratory infections and there is evidence that these pathogens interact synergistically to evade host responses and lead to more severe disease. Notably, RSV seasonal outbreaks are associated with increased hospitalization and a subsequent peak in invasive pneumococcal disease cases, particularly in pediatric populations.

Phenotyping the hidden half: Combining UAV phenotyping and machine learning to predict barley root traits in the field.

Improving crop root systems for enhanced adaptation and productivity remains challenging due to limitations in scalable non-destructive phenotyping approaches, inconsistent translation of root phenotypes from controlled environments to the field and a lack of understanding of genetic controls. This study serves as a proof of concept, evaluating a panel of Australian barley breeding lines and cultivars in field experiments conducted across two contrasting environments. A diverse subset of 20 genotypes was subjected to ground-based root and shoot phenotyping at key growth stages and this dataset was used in combination with UAV-captured vegetation indices (VIs) to train machine learning models to predict root distribution and above-ground biomass for the untested panel comprising 544 genotypes across the two seasons.

variants in neonatal onset of self-limiting epilepsy.

Objectives: To describe the clinical presentation and response to medication in two cases of self-limiting -related epilepsy.

Case Presentation: Both infants were born at term and had tonic seizures during the first two weeks after birth. The first infant had frequent seizures at presentation requiring two weeks of hospital stay.

Time to flowering and flowering duration in mungbean are unrelated physiological traits with independent genetic controls.

Mungbean (Vigna radiata L.), a valuable sub-tropical grain legume, typically has a long, asynchronous flowering window, increasing vulnerability to abiotic stress and complicating harvest. To facilitate breeding, we extensively studied days to flowering (DTF) and the novel trait flowering duration (FD) in multi-environment trials.

A large-scale multi-environment study dissecting adult-plant resistance haplotypes for stripe rust resistance in Australian wheat breeding populations.

Genetic variation in stripe rust resistance exists in Australian wheat breeding populations and is environmentally influenced. Stacking multiple resistance haplotypes or using whole-genome approaches will improve resistance stability and environmental specificity. Wheat stripe rust (Puccinia striiformis) is a fungal disease responsible for substantial yield losses globally.

Genomic regions associated with spot blotch resistance in elite barley breeding populations.

Unlabelled: Spot blotch (SB), a prevalent foliar disease of barley, is caused by the hemibiotrophic fungal pathogen . Predominately occurring in humid growing regions worldwide, SB can result in yield losses of up to 30%. Genetic resistance remains the most effective strategy for disease management; however, most Australian barley cultivars exhibit susceptibility despite the previous identification of major resistance loci.

Safety and humoral immunogenicity of the ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 vaccine administered as a fourth dose booster following two doses of ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 and a third dose of BNT162b2 (COV009): A prospective cohort study.

Objectives: Evaluation of the safety and humoral immunogenicity of ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 as a fourth dose booster in individuals who have had two initial doses of the vaccine and a third dose of BNT162b2.

Methods: COV009 is a safety follow-up study of volunteers enroled in the pivotal pre-licensure ChAdOx1 nCoV-19. In this sub-study, 149 eligible participants were given a fourth dose of ChAdOx1 nCoV-19.

Rapid and Robust Monitoring of Phytophthora Infectivity Through Detached Leaf Assays with Automated Image Analysis.

The detached leaf assay is a valuable method for studying plant-pathogen interactions, enabling the assessment of pathogenicity, plant resistance, and treatment effects. In this protocol, we outline how to set up a Phytophthora detached leaf assay and use non-expert machine learning tools to increase the reliability and throughput of the image analysis. Utilizing ilastik for pixel classification and Python scripts for segmentation, manual correction, and temporal linking, the pipeline provides objective and quantitative data over time.

Potential approaches to create ultimate genotypes in crops and livestock.

Many thousands and, in some cases, millions of individuals from the major crop and livestock species have been genotyped and phenotyped for the purpose of genomic selection. 'Ultimate genotypes', in which the marker allele haplotypes with the most favorable effects on a target trait or traits in the population are combined together in silico, can be constructed from these datasets. Ultimate genotypes display up to six times the performance of the current best individuals in the population, as demonstrated for net profit in dairy cattle (incorporating a range of economic traits), yield in wheat and 100-seed weight in chickpea.

Gaining Respect and Mitigating Risk: A Qualitative Exploration of How New Attendings Navigate Interpersonal Relationships with Recent Resident Peers.

Background: Physicians moving through training experience changes in personal and professional relationships, which can increase stress, uncertainty, and burnout. Social connection can be an important resource but can introduce complexity and conflict. This study aimed to explore how early-career attendings navigate and manage changing organizational and friendship roles with recent resident peers (near-peers) through this critical transition.

Pneumococcal Carriage and Disease in Adults in England, 2011-2019: The Importance of Adults as a Reservoir for Pneumococcus in Communities.

Background: Pneumococcal carriage in healthy adults and its relationship to invasive pneumococcal disease (IPD) is not well understood.

Methods: Nasal wash samples from adults without close contact with young children (Liverpool, UK), 2011-2019, were cultured, and culture-negative samples tested by polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Pneumococcal carriage in adults 18-44 years was compared with carriage among pneumococcal conjugate vaccine-vaccinated children aged 13-48 months (nasopharyngeal swabs, Thames Valley, UK) and national IPD data, 2014-2019.

Characterizing stay-green in barley across diverse environments: unveiling novel haplotypes.

There is variation in stay-green within barley breeding germplasm, influenced by multiple haplotypes and environmental conditions. The positive genetic correlation between stay-green and yield across multiple environments highlights the potential as a future breeding target. Barley is considered one of the most naturally resilient crops making it an excellent candidate to dissect the genetics of drought adaptive component traits.

Spatial and temporal clustering of anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibodies in Illinois household cats, 2021-2023.

This study aimed to evaluate the seroprevalence and spatial and temporal clustering of SARS-CoV-2 antibodies in household cats within 63 counties in Illinois from October 2021 to May 2023. The analysis followed a stepwise approach. First, in a choropleth point map, we illustrated the distribution of county-level seroprevalence of SARS-CoV-2 antibodies.