Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Philip C. Robinson, David F. L. Liew, Helen L. Tanner, John R. Grainger, Raymond A. Dwek, Ronald B. Reisler, Lawrence Steinman, Marc Feldmann, Ling-Pei Ho, Tracy Hussell, Paul Moss, Duncan Richards, Nicole Zitzmann
Summary: The emergence of SARS-CoV-2 and the resulting COVID-19 pandemic have had a significant impact on global society. While substantial investment in life sciences has led to rapid advancements in viral characterization, testing, and the development of highly effective vaccines, drug treatments for COVID-19 have been limited. Innovative approaches in clinical trials and repurposing existing drugs have saved lives, but there is still a need for further development of therapeutics. It is important to address the challenges and unmet needs in order to prepare for future pandemics and ensure the cost-effective development and equitable distribution of new therapeutics.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
(2022)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Pier Luigi Sacco
Summary: The resolution of the vaccine equity crisis is crucial for our ability to address future challenges. The short-term damage caused by the current pandemic, which is directly observable within the political cycle, highlights the need for policymakers to take timely and effective measures. Failing to tackle this crisis effectively could undermine our credibility in addressing future crises and hinder our capacity to reach binding agreements.
SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT
(2022)
Review
Microbiology
David M. Engelthaler, James C. Chatters, Arturo Casadevall
Summary: Coccidioides immitis, a pathogenic environmental fungus causing Valley fever, has emerged in the Columbia River Basin region in southcentral Washington state, USA, over the past 12 years. The emergence was initially linked to a wound infection from soil contamination during an accident. Further analysis revealed positive soil samples near the accident site and several cases of coccidioidomycosis without travel history to known endemic areas. Genomic analysis confirmed the close relatedness between patient and soil isolates, establishing C. immitis as a newly endemic fungus in the region. This discovery raises questions about its presence, emergence causes, and its implications on disease landscape.
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Andrzej G. Chmielewski
Summary: This paper reviews the progress in radiation technology and analyzes its importance in the industrial and scientific fields. By critically evaluating areas such as radiation source engineering, processing systems, and technology application, it provides guidance for future research and industrial sectors.
RADIATION PHYSICS AND CHEMISTRY
(2023)
Article
Virology
Farah Harmouch, Kashyap Shah, John T. Hippen, Ashish Kumar, Harsh Goel
Summary: This study analyzed clinical characteristics and laboratory variables of patients with COVID-19, identifying age and myocardial injury as independent predictors of mortality, while factors predicting need for ICU care and mechanical ventilation included body mass index, elevated ferritin, elevated d-dimer, and elevated procalcitonin. Inflammatory markers (ferritin and d-dimer) were found to predict severe disease, but not necessarily death.
JOURNAL OF MEDICAL VIROLOGY
(2021)
Editorial Material
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Richard Hodge
Summary: As PLOS Biology marks its 20th anniversary, this month's issue highlights biotechnology with articles on topics ranging from genome editing to synthetic biology. The focus is on expanding the journal's presence in biotechnology research.
Article
Genetics & Heredity
Raphael R. Leonard, Eric Sauvage, Valerian Lupo, Amandine Perrin, Damien Sirjacobs, Paulette Charlier, Frederic Kerff, Denis Baurain
Summary: The nature of the last bacterial common ancestor and the characteristics of its cell wall are critical for understanding the evolution of life on Earth. Recent research suggests that all known bacteria may have evolved from a common ancestor with a monoderm cell wall structure, challenging the idea that the appearance of the outer membrane was a unique event.
Article
Sport Sciences
Trine Moholdt, Eivind Schjelderup Skarpsno, Borge Moe, Tom Ivar Lund Nilsen
Summary: Individuals who remained, or became, physically inactive had substantially greater risk of all-cause and cardiovascular disease mortality compared with those who met the physical activity recommendations throughout the lifespan.
BRITISH JOURNAL OF SPORTS MEDICINE
(2021)
Review
Gastroenterology & Hepatology
Scott L. L. Friedman, Arun J. J. Sanyal
Summary: The field of hepatology has made significant progress in understanding liver function, genetic determinants of disease, antiviral therapy, and transplantation in the past 75 years. However, challenges such as fatty liver diseases, autoimmune disease, cancer, and pediatric liver disease still need to be addressed. Diagnostic advances are urgently needed to improve risk stratification and testing of new agents. Integrated care models should be extended to address systemic manifestations and comorbidities. Expansion of the workforce and incorporating emerging skills in data management and precision medicine are necessary. Continued investment in science is crucial for further progress.
Editorial Material
Public, Environmental & Occupational Health
Ichiro Kawachi
Summary: The American Journal of Epidemiology (AJE) has played a significant role in the development of social epidemiology. To celebrate its centennial, commentaries were invited from different authors to reflect on AJE's contribution to understanding social determinants of population health and health disparities. A common theme in these commentaries is AJE's commitment to publishing critical self-reflection of the discipline.
AMERICAN JOURNAL OF EPIDEMIOLOGY
(2022)
Review
Chemistry, Physical
Matteo Genovese, Alexander Schlueter, Eugenio Scionti, Francesco Piraino, Orlando Corigliano, Petronilla Fragiacomo
Summary: The EU is promoting the use of hydrogen as a significant energy carrier, aiming to fulfill 20% of energy needs, especially in transportation and industry. Power-to-Hydrogen and Hydrogen-to-X technologies are essential in achieving this shift as they convert renewable power into green hydrogen, which can be easily stored and transferred. This paper focuses on discussing the role of these technologies in the current and future energy systems, particularly in the European context, highlighting their integration and synergy potential in various sectors up to 2050.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF HYDROGEN ENERGY
(2023)
Article
Rheumatology
Marthe Halsan Liff, Mari Hoff, Ulrik Wisloff, Vibeke Videm
Summary: Low cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) was found to be an important mediator of the increased all-cause mortality rate in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients compared with the general population. The excess relative risk of mortality in RA was 28%, with RA itself contributing 5% and the direct and indirect contributions of low eCRF accounting for 23%. It is recommended that RA patients should engage in physical activities that increase CRF and receive optimized treatment with antirheumatic drugs from the time of diagnosis.
Review
Oncology
Ying L. Liu, Zsofia K. Stadler
Summary: Under the traditional paradigm of genetic testing in cancer, the roles of germline and tumor testing are distinct. Parallel tumor-normal genetic testing has revealed more germline findings in patients, impacting screening for at-risk relatives and gene discovery.
JOURNAL OF THE NATIONAL COMPREHENSIVE CANCER NETWORK
(2021)
Article
Medicine, General & Internal
Camilla A. Michalski, Lori M. Diemert, Mack Hurst, Vivek Goel, Laura C. Rosella
Summary: This study aimed to investigate the association between life satisfaction and future mental health service use. The findings revealed that individuals with lower life satisfaction were at a higher risk of seeking mental health services in both hospital/emergency department and outpatient settings. This study contributes to the evidence linking positive well-being with health system outcomes.
Article
Astronomy & Astrophysics
Kenneth J. Duncan
Summary: This paper presents photometric redshift (photo-z) estimates for the Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument (DESI) Legacy Imaging Surveys. The photo-z methodology is based on a machine-learning approach using sparse Gaussian processes and Gaussian mixture models, which can predict reliable and unbiased redshifts for galaxies in wide area surveys. The estimates are significantly less biased and more accurate at z > 1 compared to previous literature estimates, and have negligible loss in precision or reliability for resolved galaxies at z < 1. This approach also offers accurate predictions for rare high-value populations, including optically selected quasars at high redshifts and X-ray or radio continuum selected populations across a broad range of flux and redshift.
MONTHLY NOTICES OF THE ROYAL ASTRONOMICAL SOCIETY
(2022)