We determined a number of potential RNA targets involved in several pathways including translation and DNA repair. Specifically, we confirmed that PprS binds within the coding region to stabilize the pprM (DR_0907) transcript, a RDR modulator. Overall, these results are the first to present an additional layer of sRNA-based control in DNA repair pathways associated with bacterial radioresistance.To assess the quality of life of keratoconus patients using the Keratoconus Outcomes Research Questionnaire (KORQ), translated and validated in Portuguese language. The KORQ is the only validated keratoconus specific questionnaire and has a high rating for its psychometric properties. This cross-sectional study enrolled 100 keratoconus patients from a tertiary referral eye hospital between April 2018 and June 2019. Associations between age, sex, allergic conjunctivitis, keratoconus stage, best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA), maximum simulated keratometry (Kmax), steep keratometry (K2), pachymetry, treatments performed, hydrops, and KORQ scores were evaluated using univariate (Wilcoxon test and the Kruskal Wallis test) and multivariate linear regression with stepwise backward modeling. Lower KORQ scores are associated with better quality of life, whereas, higher scores are associated with greater impairment of functional activities and symptoms. Among the 100 patients, mild, moderate, and severe keratoconus were observed in 15%, 46% and 39% of participants, respectively. Univariate analysis showed lower function scores values, with male sex (p  less then  0.05) and both functional and symptom scores were significantly associated with BCVA  less then  0.3 (LogMAR) (p  less then  0.05). Multivariate analysis indicated significantly lower functional scores in individuals with BCVA  less then  0.3 (LogMAR) (p  less then  0.001) and those with a history of crosslinking treatment (p = 0.022), while symptom scores were only significantly associated with only BCVA  less then  0.3 (LogMAR) (p  less then  0.001). In patients with keratoconus, BCVA in the better eye and history of crosslinkig were factors associated with better quality of life scores using the KORQ.Shortly after the enactment of restrictions aimed at limiting the spread of COVID-19, various local government and public health authorities around the world reported an increased sighting of rats. Such reports have yet to be empirically validated. Here we combined data from multi-catch rodent stations (providing data on rodent captures), rodent bait stations (providing data on rodent activity) and residents' complaints to explore the effects of a six week lockdown period on rodent populations within the City of Sydney, Australia. The sampling interval encompassed October 2019 to July 2020 with lockdown defined as the interval from April 1st to May 15th, 2020. Rodent captures and activity (visits to bait stations) were stable prior to lockdown. Captures showed a rapid increase and then decline during the lockdown, while rodent visits to bait stations declined throughout this period. There were no changes in the frequency of complaints during lockdown relative to before and after lockdown. There was a non-directional change in the geographical distribution of indices of rodent abundance suggesting that rodents redistributed in response to resource scarcity. We hypothesize that lockdown measures initially resulted in increased rodent captures due to sudden shortage of human-derived food resources. Rodent visits to bait stations might not show this pattern due to the nature of the binary data collected, namely the presence or absence of a visit. Relocation of bait stations driven by pest management goals may also have affected the detection of any directional spatial effect. We conclude that the onset of COVID-19 may have disrupted commensal rodent populations, with possible implications for the future management of these ubiquitous urban indicator species.The main purpose of this study is to elaborate anticorrosive coatings for the welded steel 316L, since this later is widely used in industrial field. Hence, within this work we have studied the electrochemical behaviour of different zones of the welded steel 316 in 1 M HCl media. The macrography study of the welded steel has revealed the different areas with a good contrast. We have stated three different zones, namely; melted zone (MZ), heat affected zone (HAZ) and base metal zone (BM). Impedance studies on welded steel 316L were conducted in 1 M HCl solution, coating of Epoxy/Alumina composite was applied on different zones, in order to reveal the anti-corrosion efficiency in each zone. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) analysis was undertaken in order to check how far the used coating in such aggressive media protects the studied zones and these findings were assessed by water contact angle measurements. The choice of this coating is based on the cost and the safety. We concluded that the Epoxy/Alumina composite has a good protecting effect regarding welded steel in aggressive media.Chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cells are engineered cells used in cancer therapy and are studied to treat infectious diseases. Trafficking and persistence of CAR T cells is an important requirement for efficacy to target cancer. Here, we describe a CAR RNA FISH histo-cytometry platform combined with a random reaction seed image analysis algorithm to quantitate spatial distribution and in vivo functional activity of a CAR T cell population at a single cell resolution for preclinical models. In situ, CAR T cell exhibited a heterogenous effector gene expression and this was related to the distance from tumor cells, allowing a quantitative assessment of the potential in vivo effectiveness. https://www.selleckchem.com/ The platform offers the potential to study immune functions of genetically engineered cells in situ with their target cells in tissues with high statistical power and thus, can serve as an important tool for preclinical assessment of CAR T cell effectiveness.Non-communicable diseases are increasing faster in HIV/AIDS patients than in the general population. We studied the association between hypertension and other possible confounding factors on viral load and CD4-cell counts in hypertensive and non-hypertensive HIV/AIDS patients receiving antiretroviral therapy (ART) at a large hospital in Eswatini over a 4-year period. We performed a retrospective longitudinal review of the medical records of 560 ART patients divided into non-hypertension and hypertension groups (n = 325 and n = 235) from July 27 to September 8, 2018. Generalized Estimated Equation was used to analyze the longitudinal data. Hypertensive patients were more likely to have improved CD4-cell counts than non-hypertensive patients (OR = 1.83, [1.37-2.44]). ART patients with hypertension were more likely to have detectable viral loads, though not significant (OR = 1.37 [0.77-2.43]). In non-hypertensive patients, second line ART was significantly associated with viral load (OR = 8.61 [2.93-25.34]) and adverse side effects (OR = 3.