Flowering plants that produce nectar frequently face pathogenic invasion of their nectaries. Angiosperms have evolved mechanisms to prevent destructive colonization of their nectar by invasive microbes while maintaining a healthy nectar microbiome. This microbiome is highly selective and is composed of microbes that have ways to deal with the stresses of the nectar environment. Osmotic pressure is the primary obstacle that microbes must overcome due to the high concentration of solutes dissolved in the nectar.

Type II diabetes onset is characterized by a decrease in insulin production by the β-cells in the pancreas. One reason β-cells may stop producing insulin is due to the loss of β-cell identity and the acquisition of α-cell fate, in a process known as differentiation. Transcription factor Pdx1 is a master regulator of β-cell identity. As a transcription factor, Pdx1 localizes to the nucleus to perform its function on the genome.

Drew Adamek, Bhavana Goparaju, MS, Maggie Eckerstorfer, Opeyemi Adesida, MBBS, MPH, Shahid Jaffer, MD, Jonathan Kirsch, MD 8 March 2022

Head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) is a widespread and common cancer, ranking as the sixth most prevalent form of cancer within the last decade. Treatment resistance and tumor persistence are large contributing factors to the mortality of HNSCC. One mechanism of treatment resistance is the maintenance of stem cell-like properties of cancer cells and their subsequent adaptability to changes in the tumor microenvironment (TME).

Quinazolinediones are structurally similar to fluoroquinolones and inhibit topoisomerases. Fluoroquinolones compose the largest class of antibiotics on the market due to their ability to inhibit and poison bacterial topoisomerases, but in eukaryotic models, topoisomerase poisoning creates secondary malignancies. Recently, an addition of a biphenyl group at the N-1 position of several fluoroquinolones showed inhibition of type I eukaryotic topoisomerases without poisoning effects.

Functional magnetic resonance spectroscopy (fMRS) is a method of measuring dynamic changes in brain metabolites in activated areas of the brain during tasks. Previous studies have observed imbalances of neurotransmitters such as glutamate and GABA in people with psychosis (PwP) using resting-state MRS, but it is not clear how closely these differences may be linked to the dynamic neural processes that are thought to be disrupted in schizophrenia.

Colorectal cancer and diverticular disease are two of the most prevalent disorders that necessitate colonic resection. Surgical resection and the creation of a healthy connection (anastomosis) are required to ensure optimal patient care from the surgery. With this surgery comes the complications of anastomotic leak (AL). Preoperative surgical bowel preparation (SBP), which includes mechanical bowel preparation (MBP) and oral antibiotics (OA), is used to lower the risk of anastomotic leak (AL), although the influence of each component on intestinal microbiota is unknown.

Increasing prevalence has caused adolescent depression to become an increasingly relevant topic of psychiatric research. Currently, treatments for depression are generalized and ineffective. Factors like abuse have previously been implicated in the development of treatment-resistant depression (TRD), and is characterized by dysfunctional social-cognition, increased negative self-processing, and increased rumination.

Many soil components are important indicators of soil health, including soil organic matter (SOM), soil carbon, nitrogen, and enzyme activity within the soil microbial community. Enzyme assays are a measure of this enzyme activity, specifically how soil microbes process and cycle nutrients like nitrogen, carbon, and phosphorus, among others. In agriculture, these nutrients are lost as harvested materials leave the fields. Cover crops are used to replenish these materials when they are reincorporated into the soil and the organic matter is broken down.

The abundance of Manoomin (northern wild rice, Zizania palustris), a sacred relative to the Anishinaabe people, has been declining since Euro-American settlement throughout northern Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Michigan. Sediment characteristics may be one cause of this decline. Extremely flocculent sediments can impact both Manoomin’s rooting ability and the ability for its seeds to germinate, and it may be linked to low nutrient availability.