A bioinformatic ecological risk assessment framework for externally applied dsRNA-based biopesticides.

Double-stranded RNA (dsRNA)-based biopesticides are a promising new method of pest management. These biopesticides leverage the endogenous RNA interference (RNAi) pathway to selectively regulate expression of key genes involved in growth and development in pests, providing the potential to minimize harmful environmental effects by highly specific targeting. As dsRNA-based biopesticides are presented for regulatory review, evaluating potential off-target effects on Non-Target Organisms (NTOs) in a manner that may be unique to this novel sequence-specific mode of action (MoA) is crucial.

Sterol-modified plants reduce aphid performance by limiting sterol availability.

Sterols are essential for eukaryotic cell structure and metabolism, yet insects cannot synthesize them de novo and must acquire them through their diet. For insect herbivores, plant-derived sterols are typically converted into cholesterol to support development and reproduction. We previously engineered Arabidopsis thaliana lines with silenced HYD1, resulting in altered sterol composition.

Poor Correlation Between Inflammatory and Brain Injury Biomarkers After Neonatal Intraventricular Hemorrhage: A Pilot Study.

Background: This study investigated changes in hemoglobin and neuroinflammatory and brain injury biomarkers (tumor necrosis factor-alpha [TNF-α] and glial fibrillary acidic protein [GFAP]) in early stages of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) diversion in preterm neonates with intraventricular hemorrhage (IVH). We hypothesized that patients with higher CSF hemoglobin levels would have higher TNF-α and GFAP levels.

Methods: This prospective study included infants with grade 3 or 4 IVH.

dsRNAmax: a multi-target chimeric dsRNA designer for safe and effective crop protection.

Crop protection is undergoing significant evolution, transitioning towards sustainable approaches that minimize impacts on the environment and human health. Exogenous application of double-stranded RNA (dsRNA) that silences pest or pathogen genes via RNA interference (RNAi) has promise as a safe and effective next-generation crop protection platform without the need for genetic modification. However, exogenous dsRNA application at scale presents challenges.

Lady in Red: A Fatal Case of Drug Reaction With Eosinophilia and Systemic Symptoms.

Drug reaction with eosinophilia and systemic symptoms (DRESS) is a rare, life-threatening drug-induced hypersensitivity reaction. Here, we present the case of a 72-year-old female patient who developed DRESS after starting allopurinol, a well-known causative agent. The patient initially presented to Urgent Care with rash and diarrhea where she was prescribed methylprednisolone dose pack, diphenhydramine as needed, and metronidazole for possible colitis.

Challenges in the Diagnosis and Management of the Miller Fisher Variant of Guillain-Barré Syndrome: A Case Report.

Miller Fisher syndrome (MFS) is a rare variant of Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS), characterized by the triad of ophthalmoplegia, ataxia, and areflexia, often following a bacterial or viral illness. This case report presents a 58-year-old Hispanic female patient with a preceding streptococcal pharyngitis who developed symptoms of bilateral facial nerve palsy and lower limb ataxia. Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) analysis revealed albuminocytologic dissociation and, combined with her presentation of ophthalmoplegia, ataxia, and areflexia, supported the diagnosis of MFS.

Navigating the Complexities of Anterior Cord Syndrome in a 71-Year-Old: A Case Study of Vertebral Osteomyelitis and Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus Bacteremia.

Anterior cord syndrome is a rare yet critical neurological condition that poses significant challenges in clinical management. We present the case of a 71-year-old male with a medical history of hypertension, uncontrolled type II diabetes mellitus, hypothyroidism, and end-stage renal disease requiring dialysis who presented to the emergency department with complaints of chills, back pain, abdominal pain, and vomiting episodes. Based on the severity of the patient's illness, it was decided that inpatient admission would be best.

Optimism for a global plastics treaty.

The lack of consensus at the United Nations (UN) global plastics treaty negotiations in December may seem like a setback, but declaring the talks a failure is premature. The process has not collapsed but has been extended, with further negotiations anticipated in 2025. This offers a crucial opportunity for the scientific community to assert its role in shaping a robust, evidence-based agreement to address the global plastic pollution crisis.

Rh(I)-Catalyzed Regio- and Enantioselective Ring Opening of Vinyl Cyclopropanes.

We describe a Rh(I) catalyzed asymmetric ring opening of vinyl cyclopropanes using aryl boronic acids as C-nucleophiles. When ferrocene-based chiral bisphosphines are used as ligands, the products are obtained with regioselectivities typically 99:1 r.r.

A Chemical Reaction Network Drives Complex Population Dynamics in Oscillating Self-Reproducing Vesicles.

We report chemically fueled oscillations of vesicles. The population cycling of vesicles is driven by their self-reproduction and collapse within a biphasic reaction network involving the interplay of molecular and supramolecular events. We studied the oscillations on the molecular and supramolecular scales and tracked vesicle populations in time by interferometric scattering microscopy and dynamic light scattering.

Morphometric Analysis of Spina Bifida after Fetal Repair Shows New Subtypes with Associated Outcomes.

Importance: The binary classification of spina bifida lesions as myelomeningocele (with sac) or myeloschisis (without sac) belies a spectrum of morphologies, which have not been correlated to clinical characteristics and outcomes.

Objective: To characterize spina bifida lesion types and correlate them with preoperative presentation and postoperative outcomes.

Design: Secondary analysis of images and videos obtained during fetoscopic spina bifida repair surgery from 2020-2023.

Superior Sagittal Sinus Thrombectomy in Pediatric Head Injury.

Introduction: Injury and subsequent thrombosis of the cerebral venous sinuses may be caused by closed head injuries secondary to a variety of different mechanisms. Skull fractures can lacerate or otherwise disrupt adjacent dural sinuses. The sequelae of such injuries may include thrombosis and either partial or total occlusion of the sinus, ultimately resulting in significant venous congestion.

Chelation enables selectivity control in enantioconvergent Suzuki-Miyaura cross-couplings on acyclic allylic systems.

Asymmetric Suzuki-Miyaura cross-couplings with aryl boronic acids and allylic electrophiles are a powerful method to convert racemic mixtures into enantioenriched products. Currently, enantioconvergent allylic arylations are limited to substrates that are symmetrical about the allylic unit, and the absence of strategies to control regio-, E/Z- and enantioselectivity in acyclic allylic systems is a major restriction. Here, using a system capable of either conjugate addition or allylic arylation, we have discovered the structural features and experimental conditions that allow an acyclic system to undergo chemo- and regioselective, enantioconvergent allylic Suzuki-Miyaura-type arylation.

Can Craniosynostosis be Diagnosed on Physical Examination? A Retrospective Review.

Craniosynostosis is a developmental craniofacial defect in which one or more sutures of the skull fuse together prematurely. Uncorrected craniosynostosis may have serious complications including elevated intracranial pressure, developmental delay, and blindness. Proper diagnosis of craniosynostosis requires a physical examination of the head with assessment for symmetry and palpation of sutures for prominence.

From autocatalysis to survival of the fittest in self-reproducing lipid systems.

Studying autocatalysis - in which molecules catalyse their own formation - might help to explain the emergence of chemical systems that exhibit traits normally associated with biology. When coupled to other processes, autocatalysis can lead to complex systems-level behaviour in apparently simple mixtures. Lipids are an important class of chemicals that appear simple in isolation, but collectively show complex supramolecular and mesoscale dynamics.

Platelet-derived exerkine CXCL4/platelet factor 4 rejuvenates hippocampal neurogenesis and restores cognitive function in aged mice.

The beneficial effects of physical activity on brain ageing are well recognised, with exerkines, factors that are secreted into the circulation in response to exercise, emerging as likely mediators of this response. However, the source and identity of these exerkines remain unclear. Here we provide evidence that an anti-geronic exerkine is secreted by platelets.

Catalytic Enantioselective Synthesis of 3-Piperidines from Arylboronic Acids and Pyridine.

Piperidines are frequently found in natural products and are of importance to the pharmaceutical industry. A generally useful asymmetric route to enantiomerically enriched 3-substituted piperidines remains elusive. Here we report a cross-coupling approach to enantioenriched 3-piperidines from pyridine- and sp-hybridized boronic acids.

Harnessing citizen science to tackle urban-sourced ocean plastic pollution: Experiences and lessons learned from implementing city-wide surveys of plastic litter.

Plastic litter is an endemic problem within all regions, particularly cities. Much of this litter reaches the world's oceans with well documented environmental impacts. However, the monitoring of urban litter is often piecemeal at best.

Stakeholder alliances are essential to reduce the scourge of plastic pollution.

Progress to reduce plastic pollution has been painfully slow and the consequent damage to the natural environment and to human health is likely to increase further. This has been because the views and ways of working of four distinct stakeholder communities are not sufficiently well integrated. (1) Scientists, (2) industry, (3) society at large and (4) those making policy and legislation must in future find ways to work together.

Characterization of the cholesterol biosynthetic pathway in Dioscorea transversa.

Cholesterol is the precursor of bioactive plant metabolites such as steroidal saponins. An Australian plant, Dioscorea transversa, produces only two steroidal saponins: 1β-hydroxyprotoneogracillin and protoneogracillin. Here, we used D.

Cryopreserved human umbilical cord as a meningeal patch during in utero spina bifida repair in a modified ovine model.

Objective: Despite in utero spina bifida (SB) repair, more than two-thirds of patients with SB are unable to ambulate independently, and 1 in 4 children need surgery for tethered cord by school age. The objective of this study was to test the cryopreserved human umbilical cord (HUC) as an antiscarring material to reduce tethering and improve function in a modified in utero SB repair model.

Methods: An SB defect (L2-6 levels) without myelotomy was created in fetuses of timed-pregnant ewes at gestational day (GD) 75.

The significance of hindbrain herniation reversal following prenatal repair of neural tube defects.

Objective: The aim of this study was to determine whether reversal of hindbrain herniation (HBH) on MRI following prenatal repair of neural tube defects (NTDs) is associated with reduced rates of ventriculoperitoneal (VP) shunt placement or endoscopic third ventriculostomy (ETV) within the 1st year of life.

Methods: This is a secondary analysis of prospectively collected data from all patients who had prenatal open repair of a fetal NTD at a single tertiary care center between 2012 and 2020. Patients were offered surgery according to inclusion criteria from the Management of Myelomeningocele Study (MOMS).