August 24, 2022 Greenmail, University Of Alabama At Birmingham

GreenMail (student newsletter through 2024)

No abstract provided.

Igg Antibodies To Sars-Cov-2 In Asymptomatic Blood Donors At Two Time Points In Karachi, Muhammad Hasan, Bushra Moiz, Shama Qaiser, Kiran I. Masood, Zara Ghous, Areeba Hussain, Natasha Bahadur Ali, Syed Hani Abidi, Kulsoom Ghias, Erum Khan, Zahra Hasan

Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine

Introduction: An estimated 1.5 million cases were reported in Pakistan until 23 March, 2022. However, SARS-CoV-2 PCR testing capacity has been limited and the incidence of COVID-19 infections is unknown. Volunteer healthy blood donors can be a control population for assessment of SARS-CoV-2 exposure in the population. We determined COVID-19 seroprevalence during the second pandemic wave in Karachi in donors without known infections or symptoms in 4 weeks prior to enrollment.
Materials and methods: We enrolled 558 healthy blood donors at the Aga Khan University Hospital between December 2020 and February 2021. ABO blood groups were determined. Serum IgG reactivity …

2022-08-23_Michiganoverview_Covidsymptoms, Michigan Department Of Health & Human Services

Michigan COVID-19 Syndromic Surveillance System Data

The Syndromic Surveillance System Data report was obtained from Michigan's COVID-19 dashboard, from under the link "​Coronavirus Symptoms": https://www.michigan.gov/coronavirus/stats/coronavirus-symptoms. Data was compiled by the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS). The information was updated twice a week on Mondays and Thursdays.

Syndromic Surveillance System data is obtained from approximately 216 facilities participating in syndromic surveillance (139 Emergency Departments (ED), 77 Urgent Cares) across the State of Michigan. The reporting is based on individuals who present at EDs and may not be representative of the overall population. The coronavirus-like symptoms query searches visit free-text (chief complaint, triage notes, …

August 23, 2022 Ereporter, University Of Alabama At Birmingham

eReporter (campus newsletter)

No abstract provided.

The Need For Sexual Health Clinics, Their Future Role, And Contribution To Public Health, Meena S. Ramchandani, Christopher Bourne, Lindley A. Barbee, Elske Hoornenborg, Preeti Pathela, Stephanie N. Taylor, Henry De Vries

School of Medicine Faculty Publications

Specialised sexual health clinics (SHCs) play an important role in addressing the staggering rates of STIs seen in many high-income nations. Despite increasing healthcare coverage in the US and nationalised health care in some countries, there is a continued need for SHCs to meet the needs of patients and the community, especially for high-priority populations: those at high risk of STI acquisition and/or groups historically marginalised and underserved in the traditional healthcare system. We need to mobilise resources to support a stronger clinical infrastructure in specialised SHCs. This review describes the importance of SHCs, their future role, and some of …

Climate Warming Amplifies The Frequency Of Fish Mass Mortality Events Across North Temperate Lakes, Simon P. Tye, Adam M. Siepielski, Andrew Bray, Andrew L. Rypel, Nicholas B.D. Phelps, Samuel B. Fey

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications and Presentations

Recent increases of animal mass mortality events have coincided with substantial changes in global climate. Yet, tractable approaches that predict how climate change will accentuate occurrences of these ecological catastrophes remain nascent. We compiled one of the most comprehensive datasets of lentic fish mortality events, thermal tolerances of affected families, and 1.2 million air and water temperature profiles across 8891 north temperate lakes in North America. Temperature extremes within and across lakes were strongly associated with the three most frequent cause types (infectious agents, summerkills, winterkills). Thermal tolerances mediated the lethality of direct thermal stress, but mortalities of warm- and …

Great-Tailed Grackles (Quiscalus Mexicanus) As A Tolerant Host Of Avian Malaria Parasites, M. Andreína Pacheco, Francisco C. Ferreira, Corina J. Logan, Kelsey B. Mccune, Maggie P. Macpherson, Sergio Albino Miranda, Diego Santiago-Alarcon, Ananias A. Escalante

Harold W. Manter Laboratory of Parasitology: Library Materials

Great-tailed Grackles (Quiscalus mexicanus) are a social, polygamous bird species whose populations have rapidly expanded their geographic range across North America over the past century. Before 1865, Great-tailed Grackles were only documented in Central America, Mexico, and southern Texas in the USA. Given the rapid northern expansion of this species, it is relevant to study its role in the dynamics of avian blood parasites. Here, 87 Great-tailed grackles in Arizona (a population in the new center of the range) were screened for haemosporidian parasites using microscopy and PCR targeting the parasite mitochondrial cytochrome b gene. Individuals were caught …

Covid-19 Newsletter (Vol. 133), Center For Disaster Medicine, New York Medical College

COVID-19 Newsletter

No abstract provided.

**Risk-Taking Or Risk-Negotiating Model Of Vaccine Liability? Legal And Policy Considerations For Pandemic Vaccines**, Yu-Wei Chen

Lincoln Memorial University Law Review Archive

Vaccine liability determines vaccine availability. The allocation of vaccine liability is a determinant in reaching a procurement contract. Particularly during a pandemic, vaccine accelerated production poses new challenges to vaccine safety, quality, and efficacy. Solving the issue of vaccine liability is as equally important as vaccine equity in ensuring access to vaccines. For COVID-19 vaccine procurements, there are two discernible models of liability allocation around the globe: the United States risk-taking model and the European Union risk-negotiating model. The United States' risk-taking model shows that vaccine liability is borne by the government; in contrast, the European Union's risk-negotiating model shows …

**Towards Action And In Pursuit Of Scofflaws: Shifting The Framework Of Pandemic Public Health Punishment From Theory To Pragmatism**, Michael L. Cederblom

Lincoln Memorial University Law Review Archive

The COVID-19 pandemic sparked a debate over whether the government should implement public health interventions like mask mandates and whether public health scofflaws should be punished. The result was a split largely across political lines; “permissive” jurisdictions promoted ideas of individual freedom and condemnation of government-imposed punishment, while “restrictive” jurisdictions implemented a range of punishments attached to mask mandates. This political battle became one of stagnant theories and essentially fused considerations of public health and legal punishment. Bracketing political concerns, what philosophical theories fueled this divide? While public health generally employs a utilitarian framework limited by deontic constraints, permissive jurisdictions …

Association Between Antidepressant Use And Ed Or Hospital Visits In Outpatients With Sars-Cov-2, Bradley A Fritz, Nicolas Hoertel, Eric J Lenze, Farid Jalali, Angela M Reiersen

2020-Current year OA Pubs

Antidepressants have previously been associated with better outcomes in patients hospitalized with COVID-19, but their effect on clinical deterioration among ambulatory patients has not been fully explored. The objective of this study was to assess whether antidepressant exposure was associated with reduced emergency department (ED) or hospital visits among ambulatory patients with SARS-CoV-2 infection. This retrospective cohort study included adult patients (N = 25 034) with a positive SARS-CoV-2 test performed in a non-hospital setting. Logistic regression analyses tested associations between home use of antidepressant medications and a composite outcome of ED visitation or hospital admission within 30 days. Secondary …

مُستوى مَعرِفة معلِّمي الدراساتِ الاجتماعيّة للتعليم ما بعد الأساسي في سَلطنة عُمان بالأوبئة. The Level Of Knowledge Of Social Studies Teachers In Post-Basic Education Schools In The Sultanate Of Oman About Epidemics, سيف ناصر المعمري, رحمة علي البدوي

Association of Arab Universities Journal for Education and Psychology

هدفتِ الدراسةُ الحالية إلى تعرف مستوى معرفة معلمي الدراسات الاجتماعية للتعليم بعد الأساسي في سلطنة عُمان بالأوبئة، علاوة على كشفِ أثرِ مُتغيِّر النوعِ، والتخصص، وسنوات الخبرة، والمحافظة، ومعدل متابعة أخبار كوفيد 19، ومصادر الحصول على المعلومات الصحية خلال الجائحة، ومدى الالتزام بالإجراءات الوقائية. وظَّفت الدراسة المَنهجَ الوصفي من خلال إعدادِ اختبار معارف تكوَّن من ستة محاور، هي مفهوم الأوبئة، تاريخ الأوبئة، أسباب انتشار الأوبئة، الآثار المترتبة على انتشار الأوبئة، طرائق علاج الأوبئة، دور سلطنة عُمان في مكافحة الأوبئة. وطُبقت على عينة مكونة من (200) من مُعلِّمي الدراسات الاجتماعيَّة في سلطنة عُمان. وأظهرت النتائج أن مستوى معرفة المُعلِّمين بالأوبئة منخفض، كما …

Practical Approaches To Improve Vancomycin-Related Patient Outcomes In Pediatrics- An Alternative Strategy When Auc/Mic Is Not Feasible, Kashif Hussain, Muhammad Sohail Salat, Shahzad Rauf, Manoj Rathi, Midhat Khan, Fizzah Naz, Wasif Ahmed Khan, Rahila Ikram, Gul Ambreen

Department of Biological & Biomedical Sciences

Background: Anecdotal experience and studies have shown that most pediatric patients fail to reach target therapeutic vancomycin trough levels (VTLs) and required higher total daily doses (TDD). This retrospective study aims to evaluate the frequency of hospitalized children who achieved target VTLs with a vancomycin (VNCO) dosing regimen of 40-60 mg/kg/d q6h and to assess the VNCO-TDD required to attain the target and their effects on clinical outcomes in pediatric patients.
Methods: After ethical approval, patients of 3 month-12 years were evaluated in this chart review study who received ≥ 3 intravenous-VNCO doses and appropriately drawn blood samples of VTLs …

Obesity As A Risk Factor For Covid-19, Gabriela Hermes, Mir Saleem

Mako: NSU Undergraduate Student Journal

The coronavirus pandemic has presented a wide range of challenges for healthcare systems in the world. COVID-19 has infected millions of people, with approximately 90% of the population showing mild or no symptoms. The disease has some risk factors that increase its severity, such as obesity, age, diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, suppressed immune system, and pulmonary disorders. Obese individuals have higher chances of having symptomatic COVID-19 infection with excessive rates of hospitalization and ICU admission. Understanding the mechanisms defining the link between COVID-19 and obesity is necessary to develop preventive measures and therapeutic interventions for people with obesity. Patients with obesity …

Medical School Watercooler Newsletter - August 19, 2022, Lindsey Lyle

Watercooler Newsletter

This is the August 19, 2022 edition of the Frederick P. Whiddon College of Medicine's newsletter - Watercooler.

Contents include:

• New students begin Basic Medical Sciences Graduate Program
• Whiddon College of Medicine announces leadership changes in Department of Internal Medicine
• Cooper recognized for top academic performance in doctoral program
• Meet a Ph.D. Student: Christian Macarilla

Phase 2 Of Extracellular Rna Communication Consortium Charts Next-Generation Approaches For Extracellular Rna Research, Bogdan Mateescu, Jennifer C Jones, Roger P Alexander, Eric Alsop, Ji Yeong An, Mohammad Asghari, Alex Boomgarden, Laura Bouchareychas, Alfonso Cayota, Hsueh-Chia Chang, Al Charest, Daniel T Chiu, Robert J Coffey, Saumya Das, Peter De Hoff, Andrew Demello, Crislyn D'Souza-Schorey, David Elashoff, Kiarash R Eliato, Jeffrey L Franklin, David J Galas, Mark B Gerstein, Ionita H Ghiran, David B Go, Stephen Gould, Tristan R Grogan, James N Higginbotham, Florian Hladik, Tony Jun Huang, Xiaoye Huo, Elizabeth Hutchins, Dennis K Jeppesen, Tijana Jovanovic-Talisman, Betty Y S Kim, Sung Kim, Kyoung-Mee Kim, Yong Kim, Robert R Kitchen, Vaughan Knouse, Emily L Laplante, Carlito B Lebrilla, L James Lee, Kathleen M Lennon, Guoping Li, Feng Li, Tieyi Li, Tao Liu, Zirui Liu, Adam L Maddox, Kyle Mccarthy, Bessie Meechoovet, Nalin Maniya, Yingchao Meng, Aleksandar Milosavljevic, Byoung-Hoon Min, Amber Morey, Martin Ng, John Nolan, Getulio P De Oliveira Junior, Michael E Paulaitis, Tuan Anh Phu, Robert L Raffai, Eduardo Reátegui, Matthew E Roth, David A Routenberg, Joel Rozowsky, Joseph Rufo, Satyajyoti Senapati, Sigal Shachar, Himani Sharma, Anil K Sood, Stavros Stavrakis, Alessandra Stürchler, Muneesh Tewari, Juan P Tosar, Alexander K Tucker-Schwartz, Andrey Turchinovich, Nedyalka Valkov, Kendall Van Keuren-Jensen, Kasey C Vickers, Lucia Vojtech, Wyatt N Vreeland, Ceming Wang, Kai Wang, Zeyu Wang, Joshua A Welsh, Kenneth W Witwer, David T W Wong, Jianping Xia, Ya-Hong Xie, Kaichun Yang, Mikołaj P Zaborowski, Chenguang Zhang, Qin Zhang, Angela M Zivkovic, Louise C Laurent

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

The extracellular RNA communication consortium (ERCC) is an NIH-funded program aiming to promote the development of new technologies, resources, and knowledge about exRNAs and their carriers. After Phase 1 (2013-2018), Phase 2 of the program (ERCC2, 2019-2023) aims to fill critical gaps in knowledge and technology to enable rigorous and reproducible methods for separation and characterization of both bulk populations of exRNA carriers and single EVs. ERCC2 investigators are also developing new bioinformatic pipelines to promote data integration through the exRNA atlas database. ERCC2 has established several Working Groups (Resource Sharing, Reagent Development, Data Analysis and Coordination, Technology Development, nomenclature, …

Omicron Spike Function And Neutralizing Activity Elicited By A Comprehensive Panel Of Vaccines, John E. Bowen, Amin Addetia, Ha V Dang, Cameron Stewart, Jack T. Brown, William K. Sharkey, Kaitlin R. Sprouse, Kumail Ahmed, Asefa Shariq Ansari, Najeeha Talat Iqbal

Department of Paediatrics and Child Health

The severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) Omicron variant of concern comprises several sublineages, with BA.2 and BA.2.12.1 having replaced the previously dominant BA.1 and with BA.4 and BA.5 increasing in prevalence worldwide. We show that the large number of Omicron sublineage spike mutations leads to enhanced angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) binding, reduced fusogenicity, and severe dampening of plasma neutralizing activity elicited by infection or seven clinical vaccines relative to the ancestral virus. Administration of a homologous or heterologous booster based on the Wuhan-Hu-1 spike sequence markedly increased neutralizing antibody titers and breadth against BA.1, BA.2, BA.2.12.1, BA.4, and …

Cmv And Ebv Co-Infection In Hiv-Infected Children: Infection Rates And Analysis Of Differential Expression Of Cytokines In Hiv Mono- And Hiv-Cmv-Ebv Co-Infected Groups, Fizza Nazim, Hammad Afzal Kayani, Aspara Ali Nathwani, Fatima Mir, Syed Hani Abidi

Department of Biological & Biomedical Sciences

Background: CMV and EBV co-infections can affect the HIV disease progression by modulating the immune system. The disease dynamics can differ in HIV-positive adults and children. In Pakistan, HIV is rapidly expanding, especially in children; however, the prevalence of CMV and EBV co-infection and the effect on immune modulation in HIV-positive children are not known. This study aimed to bridge this gap by estimating the rate of active CMV and EBV co-infection in HIV-positive children, followed by the analysis of differential expression of cytokines in HIV mono- and HIV/CMV/EBV co-infected children.
Methods: DNA samples from 319 HIV-positive children, previously recruited …

Real-World Evidence For Covid-19 Delta Variant's Effects On The Digestive System And Protection Of Inactivated Vaccines From A Medical Center In Yangzhou, China: A Retrospective Observational Study, Wenjing Zhao, Yong Li, Ruijin Xie, Yuying Dong, Yan Wei, Ce Cheng, Scott Lowe, Chenyu Sun, Cunjin Wang, Ju Gao

Student Publications

Background: Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is rapidly disseminated worldwide, and it continues to threaten global public health. Recently, the Delta variant has emerged as the most dreaded variant worldwide. COVID-19 predominantly affects the respiratory tract, and studies have reported the transient effects of COVID-19 on digestive system function. However, the relationship between the severity of the Delta variant and digestive system function remains to be investigated. Additionally, data on the ability of the inactive Chinese vaccines (Sinovac or Sinopharm) to protect against the Delta variant or COVID-19-induced gastrointestinal symptoms in the real world are insufficient. Thus, the present retrospective observational …

Mitigating Covid-19 Infection Rates And Increasing Vaccination Rates For Children Ages 5-11: A Content Analysis Of How Two Hospitals’ Use Of Effective Social Media Engagement Helped To Influence A Healthier Public, Jacqueline Delorey

Honors Program Theses and Projects

The Covid-19 outbreak initiated an international public health crisis, altering our publics dependency on health organizations communication strategies and tactics. Immediate crisis communication and public health efforts were needed to mitigate panic and infectious disease across the globe. The digital marketing strategies utilized for social media began to reflect the value of accurate and timely information spread in correlation to a healthier targeted public for large health organizations. The significance of this thesis in the field of communications directly correlates to the health belief model, which is used to observe the motivation and decision-making processes that influence an individual’s choice …

Child Health In Darfur, Sudan: Addressing The Effects Of Armed Conflict On Children's Health In Darfur, Judith Natukunda

Master's Projects and Capstones

ABSTRACT

Background: For 19 years, the Darfur region of Sudan has experienced unending civil unrest and war, resulting in more than 2 million deaths and over 4 million displaced persons. The war led to severe food insecurity, clean and safe drinking water shortages, high disease prevalence, destruction of infrastructure, and a broken health care system. Despite the interventions by the global community and various humanitarian agencies, over 2.8 million people are still displaced and living in IDP camps across Darfur. Over 300,000 children are living in neighboring Chad. The armed conflict led to high levels of child malnutrition, a high …

Experimental Infection Of Brazilian Free-Tailed Bats (Tadarida Brasiliensis) With Two Strains Of Sars-Cov-2, Angela M. Bosco-Lauth, Stephanie M. Porter, Karen A. Fox, Mary E. Wood, Daniel Neubaum, Marissa Quilici

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is presumed to have originated from wildlife and shares homology with other bat coronaviruses. Determining the susceptibility of North American bat species to SARS-CoV-2 is of utmost importance for making decisions regarding wildlife management, public health, and conservation. In this study, Brazilian free-tailed bats (Tadarida brasiliensis) were experimentally infected with two strains of SARS-CoV-2 (parental WA01 and Delta variant), evaluated for clinical disease, sampled for viral shedding and antibody production, and analyzed for pathology. None of the bats (n = 18) developed clinical disease associated with infection, shed infectious virus, or …

A Case Series Of Children With Acute Hepatitis And Human Adenovirus Infection, L Helena Gutierrez Sanchez, Henry Shiau, Julia M Baker, Stephanie Saaybi, Markus Buchfellner, William Britt, Veronica Sanchez, Jennifer L Potter, L Amanda Ingram, David Kelly, Xiaoyan Lu, Stephanie Ayers-Millsap, Wesley G Willeford, Negar Rassaei, Julu Bhatnagar, Hannah Bullock, Sarah Reagan-Steiner, Ali Martin, Michael E Rogers, Anna M Banc-Husu, Sanjiv Harpavat, Daniel H Leung, Elizabeth A Moulton, Daryl M Lamson, Kirsten St George, Aron J Hall, Umesh Parashar, Adam Macneil, Jacqueline E Tate, Hannah L Kirking

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

BACKGROUND: Human adenoviruses typically cause self-limited respiratory, gastrointestinal, and conjunctival infections in healthy children. In late 2021 and early 2022, several previously healthy children were identified with acute hepatitis and human adenovirus viremia.

METHODS: We used International Classification of Diseases, 10th Revision, codes to identify all children (<18 years of age) with hepatitis who were admitted to Children’s of Alabama hospital between October 1, 2021, and February 28, 2022; those with acute hepatitis who also tested positive for human adenovirus by whole-blood quantitative polymerase chain reaction (PCR) were included in our case series. Demographic, clinical, laboratory, and treatment data were obtained from medical records. Residual blood specimens were sent for diagnostic confirmation and human adenovirus typing.

RESULTS: A total of 15 children were identified with acute hepatitis - 6 (40%) who had hepatitis with an identified cause and 9 (60%) who had hepatitis without a known cause. Eight (89%) of the patients with hepatitis of unknown cause tested positive for human adenovirus. These 8 patients plus 1 …

Statistical Analysis Methods Applied To Early Outpatient Covid-19 Treatment Case Series Data, Eleftherios Gkioulekas, Peter A. Mccullough, Vladimir Zelenko

School of Mathematical & Statistical Sciences Faculty Publications

When confronted with a public health emergency, significant innovative treatment protocols can sometimes be discovered by medical doctors at the front lines based on repurposed medications. We propose a statistical framework for analyzing the case series of patients treated with such new protocols, that enables a comparison with our prior knowledge of expected outcomes, in the absence of treatment. The goal of the proposed methodology is not to provide a precise measurement of treatment efficacy, but to establish the existence of treatment efficacy, in order to facilitate the binary decision of whether the treatment protocol should be adopted on an …

Habitat Loss Exacerbates Pathogen Spread: An Agent-Based Model Of Avian Influenza Infection In Migratory Waterfowl, Shenglai Yin, Yanjie Xu, Mingshuai Xu, Mart C M De Jong, Mees Rs Huisman, Andrea Contina, Herbert H T Prins, Zheng Y X Huang, Willem F. De Boer

School of Integrative Biological & Chemical Sciences Faculty Publications

Habitat availability determines the distribution of migratory waterfowl along their flyway, which further influences the transmission and spatial spread of avian influenza viruses (AIVs). The extensive habitat loss in the East Asian-Australasian Flyway (EAAF) may have potentially altered the virus spread and transmission, but those consequences are rarely studied. We constructed 6 fall migration networks that differed in their level of habitat loss, wherein an increase in habitat loss resulted in smaller networks with fewer sites and links. We integrated an agent-based model and a susceptible-infected-recovered model to simulate waterfowl migration and AIV transmission. We found that extensive habitat loss …

Employment Loss And Food Insecurity - Race And Sex Disparities In The Context Of Covid-19, Jacquelyn V Coats, Sarah Humble, Kimberly J Johnson, Havisha Pedamallu, Bettina F Drake, Elvin Geng, Charles W Goss, Kia L Davis

2020-Current year OA Pubs

INTRODUCTION: Applying an intersectional framework, we examined sex and racial inequality in COVID-19-related employment loss (ie, job furlough, layoff, and reduced pay) and food insecurity (ie, quality and quantity of food eaten, food worry, and receipt of free meals or groceries) among residents in Saint Louis County, Missouri.

METHODS: We used cross-sectional data from adults aged 18 or older (N = 2,146), surveyed by using landlines or cellular phones between August 12, 2020, and October 27, 2020. We calculated survey-weighted prevalence of employment loss and food insecurity for each group (Black female, Black male, White female, White male). Odds ratios …

Localization Of Epigenetic Markers In Leishmania Chromatin, Jacquelyn R Mcdonald, Bryan C Jensen, Aakash Sur, Iris L K Wong, Stephen M Beverley, Peter J Myler

2020-Current year OA Pubs

Eukaryotes use histone variants and post-translation modifications (PTMs), as well as DNA base modifications, to regulate DNA replication/repair, chromosome condensation, and gene expression. Despite the unusual organization of their protein-coding genes into large polycistronic transcription units (PTUs), trypanosomatid parasites also employ a "histone code" to control these processes, but the details of this epigenetic code are poorly understood. Here, we present the results of experiments designed to elucidate the distribution of histone variants and PTMs over the chromatin landscape of

August 17, 2022 Greenmail, University Of Alabama At Birmingham

GreenMail (student newsletter through 2024)

No abstract provided.

Structure-Based Design Of Stapled Peptides That Bind Gabarap And Inhibit Autophagy, Hawley Brown, Mia Chung, Alina Üffing, Nefeli Batistatou, Tiffany Tsang, Samantha Doskocil, Weiqun Mao, Dieter Willbold, Robert C Bast, Zhen Lu, Oliver H Weiergräber, Joshua A Kritzer

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

The LC3/GABARAP family of proteins is involved in nearly every stage of autophagy. Inhibition of LC3/GABARAP proteins is a promising approach to blocking autophagy, which sensitizes advanced cancers to DNA-damaging chemotherapy. Here, we report the structure-based design of stapled peptides that inhibit GABARAP with nanomolar affinities. Small changes in staple structure produced stapled peptides with very different binding modes and functional differences in LC3/GABARAP paralog selectivity, ranging from highly GABARAP-specific to broad inhibition of both subfamilies. The stapled peptides exhibited considerable cytosolic penetration and resistance to biological degradation. They also reduced autophagic flux in cultured ovarian cancer cells and sensitized …

Long-Term Effect Of A Gnrh-Based Immunocontraceptive On Feral Cattle In Hong Kong, Rebecca Pinkham, Ka-Kei Koon, Jason To, Jason Chan, Flavie Vial, Matt Gomm, Douglas C. Eckery, Giovanna Massei

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Increasing human-wildlife conflicts worldwide are driving the need for multiple solutions to reducing “problem” wildlife and their impacts. Fertility control is advocated as a non-lethal tool to manage free-living wildlife and in particular to control iconic species. Injectable immunocontraceptives, such as GonaCon, stimulate the immune system to produce antibodies against the gonadotrophin-releasing hormone (GnRH), which in turn affects the release of reproductive hormones in mammals. Feral cattle (Bos indicus or Bos taurus) in Hong Kong are an iconic species whose numbers and impacts on human activities have increased over the last decade. Previous studies have proven that a …