Epidemiologic and Genomic Analysis of the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 Epidemic in the Nebraska Region of the United States, March 2020-2021.

COVID-19 emerged at varying intervals in different regions of the United States in 2020. This report details the epidemiologic and genetic evolution of Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) during the first year of the epidemic in the state of Nebraska using data collected from the Creighton Catholic Health Initiatives (CHI) health system. Statistical modelling identified age, gender, and previous history of diabetes and/or stroke as significant risk factors associated with mortality in COVID-19 patients. In parallel, the viral genomes of over 1,000 samples were sequenced. The overall rate of viral variation in the population was 0.07 mutations/day. Genetically, the first 9 months of the outbreak, which include the initial outbreak, a small surge in August and a major outbreak in November 2020 were primarily characterized by B.1. lineage viruses. In early 2021, the United Kingdom variant (B.1.1.7 or alpha) quickly became the dominant variant. Notably, surveillance of non-consensus variants detected B.1.1.7 defining mutations months earlier in Fall 2020. This work provides insights into the regional variance and evolution of SARS-CoV-2 in the Nebraska region during the first year of the pandemic.

Not All Lectins Are Equally Suitable for Labeling Rodent Vasculature.

The vascular system is vital for all tissues and the interest in its visualization spans many fields. A number of different plant-derived lectins are used for detection of vasculature; however, studies performing direct comparison of the labeling efficacy of different lectins and techniques are lacking. In this study, we compared the labeling efficacy of three lectins: Griffonia simplicifolia isolectin B4 (IB4); wheat germ agglutinin (WGA), and Lycopersicon esculentum agglutinin (LEA). The LEA lectin was identified as being far superior to the IB4 and WGA lectins in histological labeling of blood vessels in brain sections. A similar signal-to-noise ratio was achieved with high concentrations of the WGA lectin injected during intracardial perfusion. Lectins were also suitable for labeling vasculature in other tissues, including spinal cord, dura mater, heart, skeletal muscle, kidney, and liver tissues. In uninjured tissues, the LEA lectin was as accurate as the Tie2-eGFP reporter mice and GLUT-1 immunohistochemistry for labeling the cerebral vasculature, validating its specificity and sensitivity. However, in pathological situations, e.g., in stroke, the sensitivity of the LEA lectin decreases dramatically, limiting its applicability in such studies. This work can be used for selecting the type of lectin and labeling method for various tissues.

Barcoded oligonucleotides ligated on RNA amplified for multiplexed and parallel in situ analyses.

We present barcoded oligonucleotides ligated on RNA amplified for multiplexed and parallel insitu analyses (BOLORAMIS), a reverse transcription-free method for spatially-resolved, targeted, in situ RNA identification of single or multiple targets. BOLORAMIS was demonstrated on a range of cell types and human cerebral organoids. Singleplex experiments to detect coding and non-coding RNAs in human iPSCs showed a stem-cell signature pattern. Specificity of BOLORAMIS was found to be 92% as illustrated by a clear distinction between human and mouse housekeeping genes in a co-culture system, as well as by recapitulation of subcellular localization of lncRNA MALAT1. Sensitivity of BOLORAMIS was quantified by comparing with single molecule FISH experiments and found to be 11%, 12% and 35% for GAPDH, TFRC and POLR2A, respectively. To demonstrate BOLORAMIS for multiplexed gene analysis, we targeted 96 mRNAs within a co-culture of iNGN neurons and HMC3 human microglial cells. We used fluorescence in situ sequencing to detect error-robust 8-base barcodes associated with each of these genes. We then used this data to uncover the spatial relationship among cells and transcripts by performing single-cell clustering and gene-gene proximity analyses. We anticipate the BOLORAMIS technology for in situ RNA detection to find applications in basic and translational research.

COVID-19 and a novel initiative to improve safety by 3D printing personal protective equipment parts from computed tomography.

BACKGROUND: Powered air-purifying respirators are in short supply and can break down with extended use. Replacement parts can become hard to acquire. The aim of this study was to create an innovative quality improvement proof of concept using rapid prototyping. METHODS: Here we report three cases of 3D printed powered air-purifying respirator parts. 3D printing was performed on all parts using fused deposition modeling with standard polylactic acid, in the same way that presurgical models would be created. Measurements using an electronic caliper as well as CT scans were used to compare an original part to its corresponding 3D printed parts for accuracy. RESULTS: Electronic caliper and computed tomography measurements both showed accuracy consistant with current published norms. CONCLUSIONS: Ultimately, there will be questions surrounding intellectual property, effectiveness and potential long-term safety for these types of 3D printed parts. Future research should look into the addition of specific nanoparticles from the position of cost, efficacy, safety and improved accuracy.

PDGF-B Is Required for Development of the Glymphatic System.

The glymphatic system is a highly polarized cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) transport system that facilitates the clearance of neurotoxic molecules through a brain-wide network of perivascular pathways. Herein we have mapped the development of the glymphatic system in mice. Perivascular CSF transport first emerges in hippocampus in newborn mice, and a mature glymphatic system is established in the cortex at 2 weeks of age. Formation of astrocytic endfeet and polarized expression of aquaporin 4 (AQP4) consistently coincided with the appearance of perivascular CSF transport. Deficiency of platelet-derived growth factor B (PDGF-B) function in the PDGF retention motif knockout mouse line Pdgfbret/ret suppressed the development of the glymphatic system, whose functions remained suppressed in adulthood compared with wild-type mice. These experiments map the natural development of the glymphatic system in mice and define a critical role of PDGF-B in the development of perivascular CSF transport.

Disease onset in X-linked dystonia-parkinsonism correlates with expansion of a hexameric repeat within an SVA retrotransposon in TAF1.

X-linked dystonia-parkinsonism (XDP) is a neurodegenerative disease associated with an antisense insertion of a SINE-VNTR-Alu (SVA)-type retrotransposon within an intron of TAF1 This unique insertion coincides with six additional noncoding sequence changes in TAF1, the gene that encodes TATA-binding protein-associated factor-1, which appear to be inherited together as an identical haplotype in all reported cases. Here we examined the sequence of this SVA in XDP patients (n = 140) and detected polymorphic variation in the length of a hexanucleotide repeat domain, (CCCTCT)n The number of repeats in these cases ranged from 35 to 52 and showed a highly significant inverse correlation with age at disease onset. Because other SVAs exhibit intrinsic promoter activity that depends in part on the hexameric domain, we assayed the transcriptional regulatory effects of varying hexameric lengths found in the unique XDP SVA retrotransposon using luciferase reporter constructs. When inserted sense or antisense to the luciferase reading frame, the XDP variants repressed or enhanced transcription, respectively, to an extent that appeared to vary with length of the hexamer. Further in silico analysis of this SVA sequence revealed multiple motifs predicted to form G-quadruplexes, with the greatest potential detected for the hexameric repeat domain. These data directly link sequence variation within the XDP-specific SVA sequence to phenotypic variability in clinical disease manifestation and provide insight into potential mechanisms by which this intronic retroelement may induce transcriptional interference in TAF1 expression.

Josephine Baker: psychoanalysis and the colonial fetish.

This paper traces an intricate path connecting racial fantasy, aesthetic judgment, and the larger cultural problem of inter-subjective recognition. In particular, the author examines the theme of fetishism, both sexual and racial, in a Western historical, colonial context, in order to unravel a set of disturbances that cohere around the racial fetish then and now. Taking the figure of an entertainment icon of the 1920s, Josephine Baker, as a case study, the author shows how the imagination of the colonizing white male was both articulated and disrupted by Baker as a ready-made representation of the cultural, racial, and sexual other.