Outbreaks of cyclosporiasis, a food-borne illness caused by the coccidian parasite Cyclospora cayetanensis have increased in the USA in recent years, with approximately 2300 laboratory-confirmed cases reported in 2018. Genotyping tools are needed to inform epidemiological investigations, yet genotyping Cyclospora has proven challenging due to its sexual reproductive cycle which produces complex infections characterized by high genetic heterogeneity. We used targeted amplicon deep sequencing and a recently described ensemble-based distance statistic that accommodates heterogeneous (mixed) genotypes and specimens with partial genotyping data, to genotype and cluster 648 C. cayetanensis samples submitted to CDC in 2018. The performance of the ensemble was assessed by comparing ensemble-identified genetic clusters to analogous clusters identified independently based on common food exposures. Using these epidemiologic clusters as a gold standard, the ensemble facilitated genetic clustering with 93.8% sensitivity and 99.7% specificity. Hence, we anticipate that this procedure will greatly complement epidemiologic investigations of cyclosporiasis.

Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is the most common cause of chronic liver disease. Non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) is a more severe form of NAFLD and causes subsequent pathological changes including cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma. Inflammation is the key pathological change in NASH and involves a series of cytokines and chemokines. The C-X-C motif chemokine 10 (CXCL10), which is known as a pro-inflammation chemokine, was recently proven to play a pivotal role in the pathogenesis of NASH. Hepatic CXCL10 is mainly secreted by hepatocytes and liver sinusoidal endothelium. By binding to its specific receptor CXCR3, CXCL10 recruits activated CXCR3+ T lymphocytes and macrophages to parenchyma and promotes inflammation, apoptosis and fibrosis. The circulating CXCL10 level correlates with the severity of lobular inflammation and is an independent risk factor for NASH patients. Thus, CXCL10 may be both a potential prognostic tool and a therapeutic target for the treatment of patients with NASH. The aim of this review is to highlight the growing advances in basic knowledge and clinical interest of CXCL10 in NASH to propagate new insights into novel pharmacotherapeutic avenues.

We find a strong tendency for positive returns during the overnight period followed by reversals during the trading day. This behavior is driven by an opening price that is high relative to intraday prices. It is concentrated among stocks that have recently attracted the attention of retail investors, it is more pronounced for stocks that are difficult to value and costly to arbitrage, and it is greater during periods of high overall retail investor sentiment. The additional implicit transaction costs for retail traders who buy high-attention stocks near the open frequently exceed the effective half spread.

The observing program of the Nordic Near-Earth-Object Network (NEON) accrues knowledge about the physical and dynamical properties of near-Earth objects (NEOs) using state-of-the-art inverse methods. Photometric and astrometric observations are being carried out at the Nordic Optical Telescope. Here, the NEON observations from June 2004–September 2006 are reviewed. Statistical orbital inversion is illustrated by the so-called Volume-of-Variation method. Statistical inversion for spins and shapes is carried using a simple triaxial shape model yielding analytical disk-integrated brightnesses for both Lommel-Seeliger and Lambert scattering laws. The novel approach allows spin-shape error analyses with the help of large numbers of sample solutions. Currently, such spin-shape solutions have been derived for 2002 FF12, 2003 MS2, 2003 RX7, and 2004 HW. For (1862) Apollo, an unambiguous spin-shape solution has been obtained using the conventional, convex inversion method and, for (1685) Toro and (1981) Midas, the conventional method has been applied repeatedly to map the regime of possible solutions.

Dynamin is a 100 kD GTPase that plays an essential role in clathrin-coated vesicle formation during receptor mediated endocytosis, and in caveolae internalization and may play a role in intracellular membrane trafficking (1). It shares an extensive sequence homology (70% identity) to shibiregene product in Drosophila(2,3). The shibiretsmutants exhibit a rapid and reversible paralysis at non-permissive temperature due to a depletion of synaptic vesicles in their nerve termini which is believed to be caused by a block in endocytosis since there is an accumulation of “collared” clathrin-coated pits at the plasma membrane (4). Synaptosomes treated with GTPγs produces elongated necks surrounded by dynamin (6). Purified recombinant dynamin itself can assemble to form spirals and bind to lipid vesicles to form tubes, which resemble the “collar” at the necks of coated pits (5). These dynamin tubes vesiculate upon GTP treatment (7), suggesting a unique role of dynamin acting as a mechanoenzyme which causes clathrin-coated vesicles to be pinched off plasma membrane.

A major concern in the development and implementation of metal implants for the clinical use is the assessment of material-induced mutagenesis. In this study we used synchrotron microspectroscopy in the mid-infrared region (4000-400 cm1 ) to non-invasively assess the in situ human cell responses to metal surfaces. Specifically we examined the subtle genetic aberrations of cells as they responded to a range of metals commonly used in metal prosthetic devices. Relative band intensities and band intensity ratios for functional groups of biomolecules that are inherent to the experimental system were examined. The molecular components of the biomolecules as they were perturbed by the interactions with metals were investigated. These results demonstrate the potential use of synchrotron FTIR microspectroscopy to screen the mutagenicity of metal implants.