Abstract During postnatal development of the epididymis, a change in the expression of gap junction proteins, or connexins (Cxs), occurs, in which Gjb2 (Cx26) and Gja1 (Cx43) levels in the proximal epididymis are decreased, while Gjb1(Cx32), Gjb4 (Cx30.3) and Gjb5 (Cx31.1) levels increase. The mechanism(s) responsible for the switch in Cx expression is unknown. The aims of this study are: 1) to identify the mechanisms responsible for the decrease in GJB2 protein levels and the increase in other Cxs during postnatal development. Results indicate that decreased Gjb2 expression does not induce changes in the expression of other Cxs in rat RCE-1 principal cells, suggesting a lack of compensatory expression. Sequence analysis of both Gjb2 and Gjb1 promoters identified common multiple response elements to steroid hormones. Using RCE-1 cells, we showed that glucocorticoids increased Gjb2 expression, while estradiol had no effect. Orchidectomy in rats resulted in a significant increase in GJB2 and decreased GJB1 in the caput and corpus epididymidis. Changes in Cxs protein levels were prevented by administering testosterone in orchidectomized rats. Similar results were observed in the prostate, another androgen-receptive organ. LNCaP cells, which are androgen-responsive, showed that exogenous dihydrotestosterone (DHT) exposure resulted in a decrease in Gjb2mRNA levels concomitant with increased Gjb1 levels. Using a GJB1 promoter construct we showed that DHT could induce transactivation of the luciferase transgene, while transactivation using two GJB2 promoters were not altered. Together, our results suggest that androgens and glucocorticoids regulate the expression of Cxs in the epididymis.

Significant weight loss among teens may indicate eating disorder (ED) onset, and weight restoration and/or stabilization is crucial for successful treatment and sustained recovery from restrictive EDs. While achieving and sustaining a restored body weight is necessary during ED recovery, it is often challenging to define an individual's expected healthy body weight (EBW) due to diverse premorbid growth trajectories. Population-based norms fall short in capturing the nuances of illness and recovery across individuals, and there are no current tools that offer personalized, reproducible, and statistically-driven EBW estimations. This paper introduces the TeenGrowth package and its web-based application, designed to calculate and forecast expected body mass index (eBMI) and EBW across adolescence. With input from individual growth charts, demographic data, and age of ED onset, TeenGrowth offers a reproducible method for determining EBWs. The package includes functions for data cleaning, BMI and BMI z-score calculations, and growth forecasting, accommodating various data inputs. The accompanying Shiny web application provides a user-friendly interface for researchers and providers, enabling the identification of EBWs for individual patients and weight restoration planning. Through a series of simulation studies, the package's various options for predictive models are evaluated, highlighting its potential for use in ED screening and improving accuracy of EBW estimations. The introduction of TeenGrowth represents a significant step towards personalized medicine in ED treatment, with potential to promote individualized care and enhance clinical outcomes.

Abstract The bacterial genus Sulfurimonas is globally widespread and occupies a key ecological niche in different habitats. However, phages infecting Sulfurimonas have never been isolated and characterized. Here we systematically investigated the genetic diversity, taxonomy and interaction patterns of Sulfurimonas-associated phages based on sequenced microbial genomes and metagenome datasets. High-confidence phage contigs related to Sulfurimonas were identified from various ecosystems, clustered into 61 viral operational taxonomic units across 3 viral realms. Most Sulfurimonas-associated phages were tailed viruses of Caudoviricetes; these were assigned to 19 genus-level viral clusters, the majority of which were distantly related to previously known viruses. Phages encoding double jelly-roll major capsid proteins represented another group of double-stranded DNA phage with diverse gene compositions. Inovirus-like single-stranded DNA phages were primarily identified as integrated prophages or extrachromosomal viral genomes, suggesting chronic infections in hosts. Historical and current phage-host interactions were revealed, implying the viral impact on host evolution. Additionally, phages encoding auxiliary metabolic genes might benefit the infected bacteria by compensating or augmenting host metabolisms. This study highlights the remarkable diversity and novelty of Sulfurimonas-associated phages with highly divergent tailless lineages, providing basis for further investigation of phage-host interactions within this genus.

Oropouche virus (OROV) is an arbovirus transmitted to humans by mosquitoes, with the Culicoides paraensis mosquito species as its primary vector, causing Oropouche fever. Records of an outbreak in Brazil have so far been restricted to Central-North region of the country. However, an increase in the occurrence of cases of this disease has been observed in the state of Bahia, where the rapid spread of the OROV virus is configured as an outbreak in the South and East macro-regions of great concern for public health. This is a case-based study of acute OROV infection that led to the death of two young women without comorbidities amid an outbreak of the disease. The patient’s biological samples were subjected to routine real-time PCR assays for the diagnosis of Oropouche fever and other pathologies. In addition, serological tests and metagenomics were performed during the laboratory investigation. This study shows the need for an active and efficient surveillance system to control the spread of this virus, as well as the importance of carrying out prospective studies to better clarify the natural history of this disease.

To investigate the cluster glass phase of ultrasoft particles, we examine an annealed two-replica system endowed with an attractive inter-replica field similar to that of a binary symmetric electrolyte. Leveraging this analogy, we conduct pole analysis on the total correlation functions in the two-replica system where the inter-replica field will eventually be switched off. By synthesizing discussions grounded in the pole analysis with a hierarchical view of the free-energy landscape, we derive an analytical form of the mean overlap between two replicas within the mean field approximation of the Gaussian core model. This formula elucidates novel numerical findings observed in the cluster glass phase.

We employ molecular dynamics simulations to investigate ion and water transport driven by an electric field through quasi-two-dimensional nanoslits with a tapered geometry. Despite the absence of surface charge on the channel walls and the associated electric double layer, we do observe a robust ion selectivity. This selectivity favors the transport of cations from base to tip when the electric field is directed from base to tip, and anions from base to tip when the field direction is reversed. Additionally, we observe a corresponding electro-osmotic water flow from base to tip, regardless of the electric field direction. Intriguingly, ion selectivity and electro-osmotic flow are conventionally associated with surface charge and electric double layers. However, in uncharged tapered nanoslits, we uncover a novel mechanism for these phenomena, where ion selectivity arises from the divergence of the heterogeneous water polarization.

A search for long-lived heavy neutral leptons (HNLs) using proton-proton collision data corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 138 fb$^{-1}$ collected at $\sqrt{s}$ = 13 TeV with the CMS detector at the CERN LHC is presented. Events are selected with a charged lepton originating from the primary vertex associated with the proton-proton interaction, as well as a second charged lepton and a hadronic jet associated with a secondary vertex that corresponds to the semileptonic decay of a long-lived HNL. No excess of events above the standard model expectation is observed. Exclusion limits at 95% confidence level are evaluated for HNLs that mix with electron and/or muon neutrinos. Limits are presented in the mass range of 1-16.5 GeV, with excluded square mixing parameter values reaching as low as 2 $\times$ 10$^{-7}$. For masses above 11 GeV, the presented limits exceed all previous results in the semileptonic decay channel, and for some of the considered scenarios are the strongest to date.

In this study we focused on the linear Kawahara equation in a bounded domain, employing two boundary controls. The controllability of this system has been previously demonstrated over the past decade using the Hilbert uniqueness method which involves proving an observability inequality, in general, demonstrated via Carleman estimates. Here, we extend this understanding by achieving the exact controllability within a space of analytic functions, employing the flatness approach which is a new approach for higher-order dispersive systems.