To identify the changes in serial 2-hourly forced expiratory volume in 1 s (FEV ) measurements required to identify occupational asthma (OA) using the Oasys Area Between Curves (ABC) score. The ABC score from 2-hourly measurements of FEV was compared between workers with confirmed OA and asthmatics without occupational exposure to identify the optimum separation using receiver operator characteristic (ROC) analysis. Separate analyses were made for plots using clock time and time from waking to allow for use in shift workers. Minimum record criteria were ≥6 readings per day, >4 day shifts and >4 rest days (or >9 days for controls). A retrospective analysis identified 22 workers with OA and 30 control asthmatics whose records reached the quality standards. Median FEV diurnal variation was 20.3% (IQR 16.1-32.6) for OA and 19.5% (IQR 14.5-26.1) for asthmatic controls. ROC curve analysis identified that a difference of 0.056 L/hour gave a ROC score of 0.821 for clock time and 0.768 for time from waking with a sensitivity of 73% and a specificity of 93% for the diagnosis of OA. The diagnosis of OA requires objective confirmation. Unsupervised serial FEV measurements are more difficult to obtain reliably than measurements of peak expiratory flow, which are likely to remain the standard for general use. A FEV ABC score >0.056 L/hour provides a valid cut-off for those who wish to use FEV rather than peak expiratory flow.0.056 L/hour provides a valid cut-off for those who wish to use FEV1 rather than peak expiratory flow.Paenibacillus polymyxa is an agriculturally important plant growth-promoting rhizobacterium. Many Paenibacillus species are known to be engaged in complex bacteria-bacteria and bacteria-host interactions, which in other species were shown to necessitate quorum sensing communication. However, to date, no quorum sensing systems have been described in Paenibacillus Here, we show that the type strain P. polymyxa ATCC 842 encodes at least 16 peptide-based communication systems. Each of these systems is comprised of a pro-peptide that is secreted to the growth medium and processed to generate a mature short peptide. Each peptide has a cognate intracellular receptor of the RRNPP family, and we show that external addition of P. polymyxa communication peptides leads to reprogramming of the transcriptional response. We found that these quorum sensing systems are conserved across hundreds of species belonging to the Paenibacillaceae family, with some species encoding more than 25 different peptide-receptor pairs, representing a record number of quorum sensing systems encoded in a single genome.RNAi promises to reshape pest control by being nontoxic, biodegradable, and species specific. However, due to the plastic nature of RNAi, there is a significant variability in responses. In this study, we investigate small RNA pathways and processing of ingested RNAi trigger molecules in a hemipteran plant pest, the whitefly Bemisia tabaci Unlike Drosophila, where the paradigm for insect RNAi technology was established, whitefly has abundant somatic piwi-associated RNAs (piRNAs). Long regarded as germline restricted, piRNAs are common in the soma of many invertebrates. We sought to exploit this for a novel gene silencing approach. The main principle of piRNA biogenesis is the recruitment of target RNA fragments into the pathway. Veliparib As such, we designed synthetic RNAs to possess complementarity to the loci we annotated. Following feeding of these exogenous piRNA triggers knockdown as effective as conventional siRNA-only approaches was observed. These results demonstrate a new approach for RNAi technology that could be applicable to dsRNA-recalcitrant pest species and could be fundamental to realizing insecticidal RNAi against pests. To gather natural history data to better understand the changing course of type 2 Gaucher disease (GD2) in order to guide future interventional protocols. A structured interview was conducted with parents of living or deceased patients with GD2. Retrospective information obtained included disease presentation, progression, medical and surgical history, medications, family history, management, complications, and cause of death, as well as the impact of disease on families. Data from 23 patients were analyzed (20 deceased and 3 living), showing a mean age at death of 19.2 months, ranging from 3 to 55 months. Fourteen patients were treated with enzyme replacement therapy, 2 were treated with substrate reduction therapy, and 3 underwent bone marrow transplantation. Five patients received ambroxol and one was on -acetylcysteine, both considered experimental treatments. Fifteen patients had gastrostomy tubes placed; 10 underwent tracheostomies. Neurologic disease manifestations included choking episodes, myoclonic jerks, autonomic dysfunction, apnea, seizures, and diminished blinking, all of which worsened as disease progressed. Current available therapies appear to prolong life but do not alter neurologic manifestations. Despite aggressive therapeutic interventions, GD2 remains a progressive disorder with a devastating prognosis that may benefit from new treatment approaches.Current available therapies appear to prolong life but do not alter neurologic manifestations. Despite aggressive therapeutic interventions, GD2 remains a progressive disorder with a devastating prognosis that may benefit from new treatment approaches. To examine the relationship between scalp EEG biomarkers of hyperexcitability in Alzheimer disease (AD) and to determine how these electric biomarkers relate to the clinical expression of seizures in AD. In this cross-sectional study, we performed 24-hour ambulatory scalp EEGs on 43 cognitively normal elderly healthy controls (HC), 41 participants with early-stage AD with no history or risk factors for epilepsy (AD-NoEp), and 15 participants with early-stage AD with late-onset epilepsy related to AD (AD-Ep). Two epileptologists blinded to diagnosis visually reviewed all EEGs and annotated all potential epileptiform abnormalities. A panel of 9 epileptologists blinded to diagnosis was then surveyed to generate a consensus interpretation of epileptiform abnormalities in each EEG. Epileptiform abnormalities were seen in 53% of AD-Ep, 22% of AD-NoEp, and 4.7% of HC. Specific features of epileptiform discharges, including high frequency, robust morphology, right temporal location, and occurrence during wakefulness and REM, were associated with clinical seizures in AD.