Aquificae's arsenate reduction potential via arsC was observed for the first time at the transcriptional level. This study expands the diversity of the arsC-based arsenate-reducing community and highlights the importance of Aquificae to As biogeochemistry.The DNA methyltransferase inhibitor decitabine has classically been used to reactivate silenced genes and as a pretreatment for anticancer therapies. In a variation of this idea, this study explores the concept of adding low-dose decitabine (DAC) following administration of chemotherapy to bolster therapeutic efficacy. We find that addition of DAC following treatment with the chemotherapy agent gemcitabine improves survival and slows tumor growth in a mouse model of high-grade sarcoma. Unlike prior studies in epithelial tumor models, DAC did not induce a robust antitumor T cell response in sarcoma. Furthermore, DAC synergizes with gemcitabine independently of the immune system. Mechanistic analyses demonstrate that the combination therapy induces biphasic cell cycle arrest and apoptosis. Therapeutic efficacy was sequence dependent, with gemcitabine priming cells for treatment with DAC through inhibition of ribonucleotide reductase. This study identifies an apparently unique application of DAC to augment the cytotoxic effects of conventional chemotherapy in an immune-independent manner. The concepts explored in this study represent a promising paradigm for cancer treatment by augmenting chemotherapy through addition of DAC to increase tolerability and improve patient response. These findings have widespread implications for the treatment of sarcomas and other aggressive malignancies.Preeclampsia is a serious pregnancy disorder that lacks effective treatments other than delivery. Improper sensing of oxygen changes during placentation by prolyl hydroxylases (PHDs), specifically PHD2, causes placental hypoxia-inducible factor-1 (HIF1) buildup and abnormal downstream signaling in early-onset preeclampsia, yet therapeutic targeting of HIF1 has never been attempted. Here we generated a conditional (placenta-specific) knockout of Phd2 in mice (Phd2-/- cKO) to reproduce HIF1 excess and to assess anti-HIF therapy. Conditional deletion of Phd2 in the junctional zone during pregnancy increased placental HIF1 content, resulting in abnormal placentation, impaired remodeling of the uterine spiral arteries, and fetal growth restriction. Pregnant dams developed new-onset hypertension at midgestation (E9.5) in addition to proteinuria and renal and cardiac pathology, hallmarks of severe preeclampsia in humans. Daily injection of acriflavine, a small molecule inhibitor of HIF1, to pregnant Phd2-/- cKO mice from E7.5 (prior to hypertension) or E10.5 (after hypertension had been established) to E14.5 corrected placental dysmorphologies and improved fetal growth. Moreover, it reduced maternal blood pressure and reverted renal and myocardial pathology. Thus, therapeutic targeting of the HIF pathway may improve placental development and function, as well as maternal and fetal health, in preeclampsia.Top Abstracts of the Joint Australasian Sexual Health and HIV & AIDS Conferences, Held 29 August-1 September 2022 at the Sunshine Coast Convention Centre.
HIV self-testing (HIVST) is effective in improving the uptake of HIV testing among key populations. Complementary data on the economic evaluation of HIVST is critical for planning and scaling up HIVST. This study aimed to evaluate the cost of a community-based organisation (CBO)-led HIVST model implemented in China.

An economic evaluation was conducted by comparing a CBO-led HIVST model with a CBO-led facility-based HIV rapid diagnostics testing (HIV-RDT) model. The full economic cost, including fixed and variable cost, from a health provider perspective using a micro costing approach was estimated. We determined the incremental cost-effectiveness ratios of these two HIV testing models over a 2-yeartime horizon (i.e. duration of the programs), and reported costs using US dollars (2021).

From January 2017 to December 2018, a total of 4633 men were tested in the HIVST model, and 1780 men were tested in the HIV-RDT model. The total number of new diagnoses was 155 for HIVST and 126 for the HIV-RDT model; the HIV test positivity was 3.3% (95% confidence interval (CI) 2.8-3.9) for the HIVST model and 7.1% (95% CI 5.9-8.4) for the HIV-RDT model. The mean cost per person tested was USD10.38 for HIVST and USD41.45 for HIV-RDT. The mean cost per diagnosed person was USD310.12 for HIVST compared with USD585.58 for HIV-RDT.

Compared to facility-based HIV-RDT, a CBO-led HIVST program is cheaper and more effective among MSM living in China.
Compared to facility-based HIV-RDT, a CBO-led HIVST program is cheaper and more effective among MSM living in China.Neuropathic pain is one of the most important clinical consequences of injury to the somatosensory system. Nevertheless, the critical pathophysiological mechanisms involved in neuropathic pain development are poorly understood. In this study, we found that neuropathic pain is abrogated when the kynurenine metabolic pathway (KYNPATH) initiated by the enzyme indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase 1 (IDO1) is ablated pharmacologically or genetically. Mechanistically, it was found that IDO1-expressing dendritic cells (DCs) accumulated in the dorsal root leptomeninges and led to an increase in kynurenine levels in the spinal cord. In the spinal cord, kynurenine was metabolized by kynurenine-3-monooxygenase-expressing astrocytes into the pronociceptive metabolite 3-hydroxykynurenine. Ultimately, 3-hydroxyanthranilate 3,4-dioxygenase-derived quinolinic acid formed in the final step of the canonical KYNPATH was also involved in neuropathic pain development through the activation of the glutamatergic N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor. In conclusion, these data revealed a role for DCs driving neuropathic pain development through elevation of the KYNPATH. This paradigm offers potential new targets for drug development against this type of chronic pain.The accuracy of neuropsychological assessments relies on participants exhibiting their true abilities during administration. The Test of Memory Malingering (TOMM) is a popular performance validity test used to determine whether an individual is providing honest answers. While the TOMM has proven to be highly sensitive to those who are deliberately exaggerating their symptoms, there is a limited explanation regarding the significance of using 45 as a cutoff score. The present study aims to further investigate this question by examining TOMM scores obtained in a large sample of active-duty military personnel (N = 859, M = 26 years, SD = 6.14, 97.31% males, 72.44% white). Results indicated that no notable discrepancies existed between the frequency of participants who scored a 45 and those who scored slightly below a 45 on the TOMM. The sensitivity and specificity of the TOMM were derived using the forced-choice recognition (FCR) scores obtained by participants on the California Verbal Learning Test, Second Edition (CVLT-II). The sensitivity for each trial of the TOMM was 0.84, 0.55, and 0.63, respectively; the specificity for each trial of the TOMM was 0.69, 0.93, and 0.92, respectively. Because sensitivity and specificity rates are both of importance in this study, balanced accuracy scores were also reported. Results suggested that various alternative cutoff scores produced a more accurate classification compared to the traditional cutoff of 45. Further analyses using Fisher's exact test also indicated that there were no significant performance differences on the FCR of the CVLT-II between individuals who received a 44 and individuals who received a 45 on the TOMM. The current study provides evidence on why the traditional cutoff may not be the most effective score. Future research should consider employing alternative methods which do not rely on a single score.Metabolic reprogramming is an important cancer hallmark. However, the mechanisms driving metabolic phenotypes of cancer cells are unclear. Here, we show that the interferon-inducible (IFN-inducible) protein viperin drove metabolic alteration in cancer cells. Viperin expression was observed in various types of cancer and was inversely correlated with the survival rates of patients with gastric, lung, breast, renal, pancreatic, or brain cancer. By generating viperin knockdown or stably expressing cancer cells, we showed that viperin, but not a mutant lacking its iron-sulfur cluster-binding motif, increased lipogenesis and glycolysis via inhibition of fatty acid β-oxidation in cancer cells. In the tumor microenvironment, deficiency of fatty acids and oxygen as well as production of IFNs upregulated viperin expression via the PI3K/AKT/mTOR/HIF-1α and JAK/STAT pathways. Moreover, viperin was primarily expressed in cancer stem-like cells (CSCs) and functioned to promote metabolic reprogramming and enhance CSC properties, thereby facilitating tumor growth in xenograft mouse models. Collectively, our data indicate that viperin-mediated metabolic alteration drives the metabolic phenotype and progression of cancer.This study characterizes airborne asbestos exposures resulting from the adult application of cosmetic talc body powders spiked with known concentrations of tremolite. Raw talc ores were spiked with 0.005% and 0.1% asbestiform or non-asbestiform tremolite. Personal samples were collected during 16 simulated events, including puff and shaker application and associated clean-up activities. Airborne fiber levels (PCM) were not significantly different for simulations involving talc spiked with asbestiform and non-asbestiform tremolite (p = 0.6104). For application and clean-up of talc spiked with 0.005% asbestiform tremolite, 2 of 24 (8.3%) samples were above the LOD for TEM (0.003 f/cc). For application of talc spiked with 0.1% asbestiform tremolite, 21 of 24 (87.5%) were above the LOD for TEM. The corresponding mean PCME asbestos concentrations were 0.016 f/cc for puff and shaker for samples collected in the first 15 min, 0.002 f/cc for puff and 0.004 f/cc for shaker in the second 15 min, and 0.005 f/cc for puff and 0.013 f/cc for shaker for the full 30 min. Mean PCME concentrations for samples collected during clean-up following application of talc spiked with 0.1% asbestiform tremolite were 0.003 f/cc for samples collected in the first 15 min following puff application, 0.005 f/cc for samples collected in the second 15 min following shaker application, and 0 f/cc for the remaining clean-up samples. Using the EPA's exposure factors, we determined the range of cumulative asbestiform fiber exposures that would result from product use, assuming asbestiform tremolite was present at 0.1%.Hydrothermal dehydration is an attractive method for deoxygenation and upgrading of biofuels because it requires no reagents or catalysts other than superheated water. Although mono-alcohols cleanly deoxygenate via dehydration under many conditions, polyols such as those derived from saccharides and related structures are known to be recalcitrant with respect to dehydration. Here, we describe detailed mechanistic and kinetic studies of hydrothermal dehydration of 1,2- and 1,4-cyclohexanediols as model compounds to investigate how interactions between the hydroxyls can control the reaction. The diols generally dehydrate more slowly and have more complex reaction pathways than simple cyclohexanol. Although hydrogen bonding between hydroxyls is an important feature of the diol reactions, hydrogen bonding on its own does not explain the reduced reactivity. click here Rather, it is the way that hydrogen bonding influences the balance between the E1 and E2 elimination mechanisms. We also describe the reaction pathways and follow-up secondary reactions for the slower-dehydrating diols.click here