Malaria transmission relies on concavin-mediated maintenance of Plasmodium sporozoite cell shape

During transmission of malaria-causing parasites from mosquitoes to mammals, Plasmodium sporozoites migrate rapidly in the skin to search for a blood vessel. The high migratory speed and narrow passages taken by the parasites suggest considerable strain on the sporozoites to maintain their shape. Here we report on a newly identified protein, concavin, that is important for maintenance of the sporozoite shape inside salivary glands of mosquitoes and during migration in the skin. Concavin-GFP localized at the cytoplasmic periphery of sporozoites and concavin(-) sporozoites progressively rounded up upon entry of salivary glands. These rounded concavin(-) sporozoites failed to pass through the narrow salivary ducts and were hence rarely ejected by mosquitoes. However, normally shaped concavin(-) sporozoites could be transmitted and migrated in the skin or skin like environments. Strikingly, motile concavin(-) sporozoites could disintegrate while migrating through narrow strictures in the skin leading to parasite arrest or death and decreased transmission efficiency. We suggest that concavin contributes to cell shape maintenance by riveting the plasma membrane to the subtending inner membrane complex.

Hypertension: Diagnosis and management in primary care

The global prevalence of hypertension is high and continues to rise, making it an increasingly common condition managed in primary care. Untreated hypertension can cause end-organ damage leading to complications that increase morbidity and mortality from cardiac, renal, and cerebrovascular disease. Hypertension can significantly affect an individual patient’s quality of life and can cause a considerable strain on the healthcare system. If hypertension is detected early, these events are avoidable, as there is an opportunity for intervention at a much lesser cost. Several proven, highly effective, and well-tolerated lifestyle and drug treatment strategies can achieve reduction in blood pressure. The aim of this article is to illustrate evidence-based steps that are applicable in the diagnosis and management of hypertension in primary care.

Quantitative Detection of Bifidobacterium longum Strains in Feces Using Strain-Specific Primers

We adopted a bioinformatics-based technique to identify strain-specific markers, which were then used to quantify the abundances of three distinct B. longum sup. longum strains in fecal samples of humans and mice. A pangenome analysis of 205 B. longum sup. longum genomes revealed the accumulation of considerable strain-specific genes within this species; specifically, 28.7% of the total identified genes were strain-specific. We identified 32, 14, and 49 genes specific to B. longum sup. longum RG4-1, B. longum sup. longum M1-20-R01-3, and B. longum sup. longum FGSZY6M4, respectively. After performing an in silico validation of these strain-specific markers using a nucleotide BLAST against both the B. longum sup. longum genome database and an NR/NT database, RG4-1_01874 (1331 bp), M1-20-R01-3_00324 (1745 bp), and FGSZY6M4_01477 (1691 bp) were chosen as target genes for strain-specific quantification. The specificities of the qPCR primers were validated against 47 non-target microorganisms and fecal baseline microbiota to ensure that they produced no PCR amplification products. The performance of the qPCR primer-based analysis was further assessed using fecal samples. After oral administration, the target B. longum strains appeared to efficiently colonize both the human and mouse guts, with average population levels of >108 CFU/g feces. The bioinformatics pipeline proposed here can be applied to the quantification of various bacterial species.

Molecular Epidemiology of Group A Streptococcus Infections in The Gambia

Molecular epidemiological data on Group A Streptococcus (GAS) infection in Africa is scarce. We characterized the emm-types and emm-clusters of 433 stored clinical GAS isolates from The Gambia collected between 2004 and 2018. To reduce the potential for strain mistyping, we used a newly published primer for emm-typing. There was considerable strain diversity, highlighting the need for vaccine development offering broad strain protection.

High-Energy-Density Shape Memory Materials with Ultrahigh Strain for Reconfigurable Artificial Muscles

Programmable and reconfigurable artificial muscles are highly promising and desirable for applications, including soft robotics, flexible devices, and biomedical devices. However, the combination of considerable strain and high energy...

Thinking outside the governance box to the board of the future: Exploring “fit-for-future-purpose” governance operating models

The research aim was to explore whether the dominant style of board model used in Australia was reaching its use-by-date and if so, what more future-ready model/s or features could be considered. This paper represents original thinking and research to generate a new set of “working hypotheses”. We have followed a “grounded research” (an inductive methodology) to produce an emergent theory. We have used semi-structured and qualitative interviewing techniques. The research has generated an initial “theory” and point of view that is directional (not empirical). The focus of the study was on board operating models of the future — taking a much longer-term perspective, more specifically to identify and postulate what “fit-for-purpose” board operating models could look like in 2030 and beyond. By examining possible solutions through an operating model lens, the study has taken a system’s view of boards, going well beyond the constraints of current siloed, domain-specific research. The findings clearly point to a model that for larger and/or more complicated enterprises is under considerable strain. It is fast approaching its use-by-date, especially in the light of 1) a shift toward stakeholder capitalism and 2) the need to operate effectively in faster-moving, less predictable, and significantly more complicated environments than the existing board models were designed for. Having set the context for future governance, the recommendations focus on six elements of board operating models, board structures, key governance processes, management systems, and frameworks, e.g., board charters, technology/systems, participants and skills, and ways of working. The relevance of the paper is that at a time when directors are doubling down on what needs to be done, there is a general absence of consideration of 1) what “fit-for-purpose” governance should be and 2) whether the governance system as we know it in Australia is approaching a breaking point for some major enterprises (not all companies).

Redefining the learning space: Developing peer mentoring in the enterprise curriculum

This account of practice seeks to demystify the entrepreneurship classroom and to provide practical insights into the successful introduction and embedding of a multi-level peer mentoring scheme. Over a 5-year period, peer mentoring has been embedded in an undergraduate enterprise curriculum. This has posed challenges to a number of taken-for-granted assumptions about the enterprise classroom. The role of the tutor in the classroom was redefined; the roles of both colleagues and students were questioned. The accepted rules and norms of the learning environment were placed under considerable strain. It was found that both colleagues and students had very clearly defined expectations of one another and their respective roles: these proved difficult to change. The article recounts the journey, and how the organisers learned to accept and embrace the difficulties faced. Hygiene factors such as timetabling and communication were highly important in allowing the interactions to take place, as were socialisation and facilitation. The mistakes made are also recounted so that they can be avoided by other practitioners.

Your feet and my hands – fulcrums of support and reorganization: Bio-somatic dance movement naturotherapy

This article is offered as part of the COVID-19 special issue. I imagine it is useful for practitioners and students who are working at home, unable to attend the studio. The article explores the joints in the feet through a model of differentiation (traditional anatomy) and de-differentiation (biotensegrity). The feet are often forgotten. While they carry us through the world, from our first step to our last, they often fall beneath conscious awareness. Our feet run frantically underneath us, trying to catch up with our over sympathetically charged bodies. Under current socio-economic pressures, and work–rest imbalance, they suffer considerable strain. They often become a repository of life’s stresses and strain. The health of the feet affects the whole organism and any change in the feet locally will affect the global. In this article, I share a practice that helps to realign the feet through a model of biotensegrity, co-creative touch and self-regulatory movement. In this model, the bones are viewed as floating in a sea of connective tissue. Each joint is perceived as a mini fulcrum of reorganization. The article explores the feet as fulcrums of reorganization and the receptive hands of the therapist as fulcrums of sensory support. The article also shares some subtle embodied qualities that underlie healthy practice, such as finding safety in your nervous system before facilitating. The article is divided into four parts – Part 1: Hygeia meets Asclepius; Part 2: The feet suffer; Part 3: Preparing for practice; and Part 4: My hands, your feet: Fulcrums of support and reorganization.

Anger and confrontation during the COVID-19 pandemic: a national cross-sectional survey in the UK

Objectives To investigate factors associated with anger or confronting others due to COVID-19. Design Online cross-sectional survey. Setting Data were collected between 17 and 20 July 2020. Participants A total of 2237 participants living in the UK aged 16–75 years. Main outcome measures Reporting having had arguments, felt angry or fallen out with others because of COVID-19. Reporting having confronted or reported someone to the authorities, or that you had been confronted or reported to the authorities, for not wearing a face covering; not keeping your distance from others or being in too large a group; or alternatively following recommended measures too carefully. We used logistic regression analyses to identify factors associated with anger and confrontation. Results Most participants reported having had arguments, feeling angry or fallen out with others because of COVID-19 (56%, n = 1255). Twenty-two percent (n = 500) of participants reported that they had confronted or reported someone. Fourteen percent (n = 304) of participants reported that they had been confronted or reported by someone. Confronting someone, having been confronted and feeling angry or having had arguments were strongly associated with each other. Anger and confrontation were associated with younger age, greater likelihood of experiencing significant financial difficulties due to the pandemic, greater perceived risk of COVID-19 and getting information about COVID-19 from social media. Conclusions Measures put in place to prevent the spread of COVID-19 have caused considerable strain. Increased support, clear messaging on the rationale for easing restrictions and combatting misinformation on social media may all help decrease tension.

Neuromuscular Junction Aging: A Role for Biomarkers and Exercise

Age-related skeletal muscle degradation known as “sarcopenia” exerts considerable strain on public health systems globally. While the pathogenesis of such atrophy is undoubtedly multifactorial, disruption at the neuromuscular junction (NMJ) has recently gained traction as a key explanatory factor. The NMJ, an essential communicatory link between nerve and muscle, undergoes profound changes with advancing age. Ascertaining whether such changes potentiate the onset of sarcopenia would be paramount in facilitating a timely implementation of targeted therapeutic strategies. Hence, there is a growing level of importance to further substantiate the effects of age on NMJs, in parallel with developing measures to attenuate such changes. As such, this review aimed to establish the current standpoint on age-related NMJ deterioration and consequences for skeletal muscle, while illuminating a role for biomarkers and exercise in ameliorating these alterations. Recent insights into the importance of key biomarkers for NMJ stability are provided, while the stimulative benefits of exercise in preserving NMJ function are demonstrated. Further elucidation of the diagnostic and prognostic relevance of biomarkers, coupled with the therapeutic benefits of regular exercise may be crucial in combating age-related NMJ and skeletal muscle degradation.