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Journal of Microbiology and... Dec 2023The recently published high-resolution R388 T4SS structure provides exciting new details about the complete complex of T4SS, including the components making up the stalk... (Review)
Review
The recently published high-resolution R388 T4SS structure provides exciting new details about the complete complex of T4SS, including the components making up the stalk and arches, numerous symmetry mismatches between regions of the complex, and an intriguing interpretation of the closed stalk and radial symmetry of the inner membrane complex, which is related to pilus biogenesis assembly. However, there are a few unidentified densities in the electron microscopy map and portions of the identified component sequences for which the structure is not yet known. It is also unclear how well this minimized DNA-transporting T4SS predicts the structure of other T4SSs, such as expanded systems and those that transport proteins rather than DNA. In this review, we evaluate what can be inferred from the recent high-resolution structure of the R388 T4SS with respect to the Cag and Dot/Icm systems. These systems were selected because, given what is currently known about these systems, we expect them to present most structural differences compared to the R388 T4SS structure. Furthermore, we discuss bacterial physiology and diversity, the T4SS structures and their variations between different bacterial species. These insights may prove beneficial for researchers who elucidate the structure and functions of T4SS in different bacterial species.
Topics: Type IV Secretion Systems; Biological Transport; DNA; Bacterial Proteins
PubMed: 37528551
DOI: 10.4014/jmb.2307.07006 -
Acta Crystallographica. Section E,... Feb 2024The ()-(+)-1-(4-bromo-phen-yl)--[(4-methoxyphen-yl)methyl-idene]ethyl-amine ligand, CHBrNO, (I), was synthesized through the reaction of 4-meth-oxy-anisaldehyde with...
()-(+)-1-(4-Bromo-phen-yl)--[(4-methoxyphen-yl)methyl-idene]ethyl-amine and bis-{()-(+)-1-(4-bromo-phen-yl)--[(4-methoxyphen-yl)methyl-idene]ethyl-amine-κ}di-chlorido-palladium(II).
The ()-(+)-1-(4-bromo-phen-yl)--[(4-methoxyphen-yl)methyl-idene]ethyl-amine ligand, CHBrNO, (I), was synthesized through the reaction of 4-meth-oxy-anisaldehyde with ()-(-)-1-(4-bromo-phen-yl)ethyl-amine. It crystallizes in the ortho-rhom-bic space group 222 belonging to the Sohncke group, featuring a single mol-ecule in the asymmetric unit. The refinement converged successfully, achieving an factor of 0.0508. The Pd com-plex bis-{()-(+)-1-(4-bromo-phen-yl)--[(4-methoxyphen-yl)methyl-idene]ethyl-amine-κ}di-chlorido-pal-ladium(II), [PdCl(CHBrNO)], (II), crystallizes in the monoclinic space group 2 belonging to the Sohncke group, with two mol-ecules in the asymmetric unit. The central atom is tetra-coordinated by two N atoms and two Cl atoms, resulting in a square-planar configuration. The imine moieties exhibit a configuration around the Pd centre, with average Cl-Pd-N angles of approximately 89.95 and 90°. The average distances within the palladium com-plex for the two mol-ecules are ∼2.031 Å for Pd-N and ∼2.309 Å for Pd-Cl.
PubMed: 38333132
DOI: 10.1107/S2056989024000690 -
International Journal of Offender... May 2024The current study explored the association between psychopathic traits and release suitability decisions and examined the role of Psychopathy Checklist-Revised (PCL-R)...
The current study explored the association between psychopathic traits and release suitability decisions and examined the role of Psychopathy Checklist-Revised (PCL-R) and Static-99 in predicting general and sexual recidivism. The sample included 207 adult male sex offenders involved in the long-term follow-up at the Massachusetts Treatment Center for Sexually Dangerous Persons (MTC) in Bridgewater, Massachusetts. Contrary to our expectations, PCL-R Factor 2 (Lifestyle/Antisocial) scores were positively associated with being selected for gradual release, whereas PCL-R Factor 1 (Interpersonal/Affective) scores were not related to parole boards' decisions. Additionally, the interaction between the two factors was a significant predictor, suggesting that the individuals with more pronounced Factor 1 traits were less likely to be released when their Factor 2 scores were high as well. Although Static-99 scores predicted both contact and non-contact sexual recidivism, psychopathy was not related to reoffending, possibly because offenders with child victims were over-represented in the sample.
PubMed: 34126798
DOI: 10.1177/0306624X211022672 -
Data in Brief Oct 2023Here, we present and release the Global Rainfall Erosivity Database (GloREDa), a multi-source platform containing rainfall erosivity values for almost 4000 stations...
Here, we present and release the Global Rainfall Erosivity Database (GloREDa), a multi-source platform containing rainfall erosivity values for almost 4000 stations globally. The database was compiled through a global collaboration between a network of researchers, meteorological services and environmental organisations from 65 countries. GloREDa is the first open access database of rainfall erosivity (R-factor) based on hourly and sub-hourly rainfall records at a global scale. This database is now stored and accessible for download in the long-term European Soil Data Centre (ESDAC) repository of the European Commission's Joint Research Centre. This will ensure the further development of the database with insertions of new records, maintenance of the data and provision of a helpdesk. In addition to the annual erosivity data, this release also includes the mean monthly erosivity data for 94% of the GloREDa stations. Based on these mean monthly R-factor values, we predict the global monthly erosivity datasets at 1 km resolution using the ensemble machine learning approach (ML) as implemented in the mlr package for R. The produced monthly raster data (GeoTIFF format) may be useful for soil erosion prediction modelling, sediment distribution analysis, climate change predictions, flood, and natural disaster assessments and can be valuable inputs for Land and Earth Systems modelling.
PubMed: 37636128
DOI: 10.1016/j.dib.2023.109482 -
Comparison of polynomial and rational function cornea models for effective dimensionality reduction.Computers in Biology and Medicine Dec 2023This study aims to examine geometric models of the corneal surface that can be used to reduce in reasonable time the dimensionality of datasets of normal anterior...
This study aims to examine geometric models of the corneal surface that can be used to reduce in reasonable time the dimensionality of datasets of normal anterior corneas. Polynomial models (P) like Zernike polynomials (ZP) and spherical harmonic polynomials (SHP) were obvious candidates along with their rational function (R) counterparts, namely Zernike rational functions (ZR) and spherical harmonic rational functions (SHR, new model). Knowing that both SHP and ZR were more accurate than ZP for the modeling of normal and keratoconus corneas, it was expected that both spherical harmonic (SH) models (SHP and SHR) would be more accurate than their Zernike (Z) counterparts (ZP and ZR, respectively), and both rational (R) models (SHR and ZR) more accurate than their polynomial counterparts (SHP and ZP, respectively) for a low dimensional space (coefficient number J < 30). This was the case. The SH factor contributed more to accuracy than the R factor. Considering the corneal processing time as a function of J, P models were processed in quasi-linear time with a quasi-null slope and rational models in polynomial time. Z models were faster than SH models, and increasingly so in their R version. In sum, for corneal dimensionality reduction, SHR is the most accurate model, but its processing time is increasingly prohibitive unless the best coefficient combination is identified beforehand. ZP is the fastest model and is reasonably accurate with normal corneas for exploratory tasks. SHP is the best compromise between accuracy and speed.
Topics: Humans; Corneal Topography; Cornea; Keratoconus; Algorithms; Models, Statistical
PubMed: 37952306
DOI: 10.1016/j.compbiomed.2023.107635 -
Personality Disorders Jul 2023Recidivism places a significant burden on society and efforts aimed at reducing cyclical criminal justice involvement are needed. This prospective study tested the...
Recidivism places a significant burden on society and efforts aimed at reducing cyclical criminal justice involvement are needed. This prospective study tested the utility of psychopathic traits in predicting general, felony, and substance-related rearrest in women following release from a correctional facility. The extent to which psychopathic traits offered incremental utility in predicting outcomes, above and beyond other established risk factors, including substance use disorder, was examined. Participants included 327 incarcerated adult women who completed comprehensive clinical and psychiatric assessments prior to release from correctional facilities. Psychopathic traits and lifetime substance use disorder were measured using the Hare Psychopathy Checklist-Revised (PCL-R) and Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV-TR Axis I Disorders, respectively. Results showed that general, felony, and substance-related rearrest following institutional release were associated with higher PCL-R Factor 2 scores, assessing lifestyle/behavioral and antisocial/developmental psychopathic traits. Additionally, when controlling for other risk factors associated with recidivism, including age at release, number of prior adult prison terms, and substance use disorder, higher PCL-R Factor 2 scores remained significantly associated with rearrest outcomes in women. Findings inform risk prediction and treatment efforts aimed at reducing recidivism in justice-involved women. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved).
Topics: Adult; Humans; Female; Recidivism; Prospective Studies; Antisocial Personality Disorder; Substance-Related Disorders; Checklist
PubMed: 36595436
DOI: 10.1037/per0000615 -
Environmental Science and Pollution... Jul 2023While some robust artificial intelligence (AI) techniques such as Gene-Expression Programming (GEP), Model Tree (MT), and Multivariate Adaptive Regression Spline (MARS)...
While some robust artificial intelligence (AI) techniques such as Gene-Expression Programming (GEP), Model Tree (MT), and Multivariate Adaptive Regression Spline (MARS) have been frequently employed in the field of water resources, documents aimed to explore their uncertainty levels are few and far between. Meanwhile, uncertainty determination of these AI models in practical applications is highly important especially when we aimed to use the AI models for streamflow forecast due to the repercussions of poorly managed water resources. With the aid of a global daily streamflow dataset, understanding the uncertainty of GEP, MT, and MARS for forecasting streamflow of natural rivers was studied. The efficiency of uncertainty analysis was quantified by two statistical indicators: 95% Percent Prediction Uncertainty (95%PPU) and R-factor. The results demonstrated that MT had lower uncertainty (95%PPU=0.59 and R-factor=1.67) in comparison with MARS (95%PPU=0.61 and R-factor=1.92) and GEP (95%PPU=0.64 and R-factor=2.03). Overall, although the confidence interval bands of uncertainty for the AI models almost captured the mean streamflow measurements, wide bands of uncertainty were obtained and consequently remarkable uncertainty in the calculation of monthly streamflow values was met.
Topics: Artificial Intelligence; Uncertainty; Lead; Water Resources; Trees; Rivers; Forecasting
PubMed: 37369900
DOI: 10.1007/s11356-023-28236-y -
Cureus Dec 2023Hepatic injuries attributable to terbinafine usage are a well-documented yet infrequent phenomenon. This case study details the clinical presentation and management of a...
Hepatic injuries attributable to terbinafine usage are a well-documented yet infrequent phenomenon. This case study details the clinical presentation and management of a 70-year-old Hispanic female, with no previous medical history, subsequently hospitalized for progressive jaundice, right upper quadrant abdominal discomfort, and worsening pruritus. A comprehensive review of her prior records revealed a recent terbinafine prescription for onychomycosis, which she took consistently for five weeks and then self-discontinued four weeks before her current admission. Laboratory tests on admission revealed a cholestatic pattern of liver injury, evident by transaminitis and conjugated hyperbilirubinemia. The R factor used to determine whether a liver injury is hepatocellular or cholestatic was 0.9. Further diagnostic imaging, including abdominal ultrasound, CT of the abdomen, and magnetic resonance cholangiopancreatography, failed to disclose an obstructive pathology, revealing only cholelithiasis and chronic cholecystitis. Therapeutically, the patient was initiated on hydroxyzine to address symptoms of pruritus, and then subsequently underwent a liver biopsy. Histopathologic findings from the biopsy revealed benign hepatic parenchyma demonstrating focal canalicular cholestasis, mild chronic inflammation involving select portal tracts, and chronic lobular inflammation, suggesting terbinafine-induced hepatotoxicity. This case highlights the challenges of diagnosing terbinafine-induced liver injury, emphasizing the need for a high index of clinical suspicion and recognizing the potential for prolonged symptomatic manifestation after drug discontinuation. This article provides valuable insights into the complexities inherent in such diagnoses and significantly enriches a medical provider's approach to diagnosing and treating unexplained liver injuries.
PubMed: 38239534
DOI: 10.7759/cureus.50749 -
The Journal of Nervous and Mental... Aug 2023Spirituality/religion (S/R) is clinically relevant to recovery from alcohol use disorders (AUDs)/substance use disorders (SUDs) and also associated with less...
Spirituality/religion (S/R) is clinically relevant to recovery from alcohol use disorders (AUDs)/substance use disorders (SUDs) and also associated with less self-injury; however, the interplay of these factors has not been adequately evaluated. Participants ( n = 1443) were culled from a larger study among psychiatric patients. We assessed for S/R using self-report measures, and medical records were reviewed for demographics, clinical diagnoses, psychiatric medications, and self-harm engagement. Self-harm engagement was significantly higher among patients without AUD/SUD. S/R distress was higher among participants with AUD/SUD, but S/R community activity and importance of religion were lower. Interest in discussing S/R in treatment did not significantly differ across patients. Religious affiliation, importance of religion, and belief in God were associated with less self-harm, but effects were not moderated by presence of AUD/SUD. S/R factors are associated with lower self-harm, irrespective of the presence or absence of AUD/SUD. In contrast with clinical lore, S/R may be equally salient to psychiatric patients with AUD/SUD versus other disorders.
Topics: Humans; Spirituality; Alcoholism; Religion; Substance-Related Disorders; Self-Injurious Behavior
PubMed: 37015109
DOI: 10.1097/NMD.0000000000001655 -
Plasmid Jul 2023Plasmid families harbor different maintenances functions, depending on their size and copy number. Low copy number plasmids rely on active partition systems, organizing... (Review)
Review
Plasmid families harbor different maintenances functions, depending on their size and copy number. Low copy number plasmids rely on active partition systems, organizing a partition complex at specific centromere sites that is actively positioned using NTPase proteins. Some low copy number plasmids lack an active partition system, but carry atypical intracellular positioning systems using a single protein that binds to the centromere site but without an associated NTPase. These systems have been studied in the case of the Escherichia coli R388 and of the Staphylococcus aureus pSK1 plasmids. Here we review these two systems, which appear to be unrelated but share common features, such as their distribution on plasmids of medium size and copy number, certain activities of their centromere-binding proteins, StbA and Par, respectively, as well as their mode of action, which may involve dynamic interactions with the nucleoid-packed chromosome of their hosts.
Topics: Humans; Plasmids; DNA Copy Number Variations; Nucleoside-Triphosphatase; Escherichia coli; Bacterial Proteins; Chromosome Segregation
PubMed: 37301314
DOI: 10.1016/j.plasmid.2023.102694