Evidence for host-dependent RNA editing in the transcriptome of SARS-CoV-2

The COVID-19 outbreak has become a global health risk and understanding the response of the host to the SARS-CoV-2 virus will help to contrast the disease. Editing by host deaminases is an innate restriction process to counter viruses, and it is not yet known whether it operates against Coronaviruses. Here we analyze RNA sequences from bronchoalveolar lavage fluids derived from infected patients. We identify nucleotide changes that may be signatures of RNA editing: Adenosine-to-Inosine changes from ADAR deaminases and Cytosine-to-Uracil changes from APOBEC ones. A mutational analysis of genomes from different strains of human-hosted Coronaviridae reveals mutational patterns compatible to those observed in the transcriptomic data. Our results thus suggest that both APOBECs and ADARs are involved in Coronavirus genome editing, a process that may shape the fate of both virus and patient.For the casual ReaderJust to make a few things clear: - RNA editing and DNA editing are PHYSIOLOGICAL processes. Organisms uses them to (a) try to fight viruses, (b) increase heterogeneity inside cells (on many levels), (c) recognise their own RNA.- our work suggests that: (a) cells use RNA editing in trying to deal with Coronaviruses. We don't know to what extent they succeed (and it would be nice if we could help them). (b) Whatever happens, mutations inserted by RNA editing fuel viral evolution. We don't know whether viruses actively exploit this.- If you (scientist or not) think our work suggests ANYTHING ELSE, contact us. It can be a first step to help fight these !@#$ coronavirus, or towards a Nobel prize - but we need to discuss it thoroughly.- If you think these cellular processes are fascinating, join the club and contact us. We can have a nice cup of tea while chatting how wondrous nature is at coming up with extraordinary solutions…

Food & Nutrition: What Everyone Needs to Know

I laud Professor Newby for her effort in producing a nutrition book that is accessible for a casual reader, but I cannot condone the severing of sources to information; it undermines the credibility of the writing.

The Ideal of Female Beauty in Greek Tombstone Inscriptions and Writings of Early Christian Authors

The extant remains from both Classical and Hellenistic periods portray a body of a Greek woman in all its beauty. They do not cover what was once revealed. On the contrary, they bring the female beauty to the centre of attention. This freedom of expression gradually disappears and a body is exposed only when portraying a woman with colourful past to show her failures. This paper introduces Greek tombstone inscriptions that captured female beauty for the future generations. Upon this, a question arises: what do these inscriptions mean to a casual reader? What is their purpose? What value did a beautiful woman have in the ancient society? Was she somewhat different from those around her? How did emerging Christianity react to the Greek ideal of beauty? What ideas were adopted and what ideas were firmly rejected? These and many other questions have arisen during the study of the inscriptions that engage people even today.

Imaging for Sarcoidosis

Sarcoidosis is a systemic disease characterized by widespread development of noncaseating epithelioid granulomas. Based on a joint statement by the American Thoracic Society (ATS), European Thoracic Society (ERS), and the World Association for Sarcoidosis and other Granulomatous Disorders (WASOG), the diagnosis of sarcoidosis requires a compatible clinical picture, histologic demonstration of noncaseating granulomas, and exclusion of other diseases that may give a similar histologic or clinical picture. Although to a casual reader these recommendations suggest that making a diagnosis of sarcoidosis is straightforward, a consensus on the diagnostic role of imaging in sarcoidosis remains unclear. First, despite the primacy of chest computed tomography (CT) for evaluating diffuse lung disease, a guideline-based diagnosis of sarcoidosis without biopsy requires specific appearances on chest radiography (Löfgren's syndrome) or 67Ga Scintigraphy (Heerfordt's syndrome). Second, although the literature on CT as a prognostic tool in interstitial lung disease is relatively extensive, very little of this focuses specifically on sarcoidosis. Third, staging of sarcoidosis relies on radiographic appearances at presentation using a system devised by Scadding more than 40 years ago. This is in stark contrast to idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis where significant advances have been made in imaging-based staging and computer-assisted quantification of disease in the past 10 years. In this article, in addition to describing the myriad of imaging patterns seen in sarcoidosis, the impact imaging has on diagnosis, staging, and prediction of outcome will also be discussed. Cardiac-related sarcoidosis and neurosarcoidosis will be discussed in separate articles.

Undermining the Caesars: Using the Agricola to Demonstrate Tacitus' Attempt to Protest and Subvert Roman Imperialism

Although Tacitus is known for his many publications on the histories and biographies about the Imperial Roman world, one who is a casual reader may not pick up on his sometimes subtle, sometimes blatant criticisms of Roman imperialism. Andrew Fear makes an excellent point when he wrote: “The Agricola is a complex text and it would be a mistake to see it dominated by one single narrative purpose” (Fear, 305). Tacitus employs a variety of writing techniques that range from ring composition to homage to sarcasm in order to express his views. In this paper I will be focusing on Tacitus’ biography of his father-in-law, G. Julius Agricola, and I will show how he has a history of subversive writing (especially in his Germania) as well having the ability to creatively structure his writing style so as to not anger authorities in an attempt to undermine and denounce both Roman imperialism and its rulers.

Symbols and Not Manifestoes Are the Selling Point Here

In this chapter the aim is to analyze multimodal realisation of contemporary Nigerian politics from a critical view point by considering political party images which are constructed and exploited in Nigerian politics to guarantee sustenance of interests by party stalwarts' patronage and consequently, electoral victory. The methodology consists of, first, outlining the political images and slogans; then socio-culturally and linguistically interpreting the symbols, and finally drawing effects of imaging on the ‘ideology' and affiliation of political parties in Nigeria. The 1607 page September 2011 Source Book on Political Parties' Manifestoes and Constitutions is the data source. Significant is that not more than 7 parties of about 69 parties profiled in the Source book, as at end of 2011 elections, interprets for the followers its symbols; thus not only leaving to guesses what the symbols either meant or are intended to convey but also significant is that what the symbols communicate ideologically are often not obvious neither to the casual to the casual reader nor even to the political elites behind the parties.

Zivotofsky: The Difference Between Inherent and Exclusive Presidential Power

If we stipulate that the Foreign Relations Authorization Act of 2002 presented a genuine constitutional conflict between the President and Congress, reasonable minds can differ about the outcome in Zivotofsky v. Kerry (Zivotofsky II). The Court’s answer to the specific question presented is actually the least interesting thing about the decision—indeed, the majority avers its insignificance so often that a casual reader might be forgiven for wondering why certiorari was granted in the first place.

General Conclusions

Brett Dennen is a fine musician, but listening to his lyrics, one might be tempted to think that because we ‘do [or see] it every day’, then it does not deserve an explanation. Our book has dealt with a variety of everyday phenomena such as ageing, sex, species, a green world, and a blue sea, and we hope that by now our readers will agree that there is a reason why things are this way. Indeed, the fact that these phenomena are so commonplace makes the questions all the more important. The exciting thing is that while considerable progress has been made in each of the areas we address, we still do not have a complete answer to any of the questions we have posed. We use this short concluding chapter to pull together some common threads and to discuss some of the interrelationships between our answers. First and foremost, even the most casual reader will note that there is a close interrelationship between the ecological and evolutionary explanations we have presented. Taking the perspective of evolutionary biology, almost all of the evolutionary explanations we have proposed include an important ecological component. For example, ageing is now widely seen to arise as a consequence of there being relatively weak natural selection late in an organism’s life. Yet the primary reason for this ‘selective shadow’ is that predators and parasites are likely to have killed the organism long before it reaches an advanced stage of maturity. Likewise, one explanation for the evolution of sex is that the variation it generates allows at least some of the offspring to better compete with members of the same species, or to avoid parasitism. In a similar vein, many of the ecological phenomena we have sought to explain have evolutionary origins. For example, tropical areas may have more species because rates of speciation are greater in the tropics, or because rates of extinction are greater at high latitudes, or both. Likewise, plants have evolved secondary compounds to deter herbivory, and the presence of these compounds may go some way towards understanding why the world remains green.

Is an Intra-Islamic Theological Ecumenism Possible? A Response to Sherman Jackson

It is rare to find within contemporary Islamic thought writers who are conversantin both the classical Islamic theological heritage and recent developmentsin philosophy and theology. More often than not, those who doattempt to engage in Islamic theology display either an ignorance of the pastor the present. This is not, however, the case with Sherman Jackson, whojoins a small handful of others, such as S. H. Nasr, Khalid Abou Fadl, andAbdal Hakim Murad, whose works – diverse as they are – reflect a grasp ofboth the Muslim intellectual tradition and modern thought.Jackson’s recent On the Boundaries of Theological Tolerance in Islam(Karachi: Oxford University Press, 2002) is not only a translation of al-Ghazali’s Faysal al-Tafriqah bayna al-Islam wa al-Zandaqah (TheDecisive Criterion for Distinguishing Islam from Masked Infidelity), one ofthe most significant medieval attempts to formulate a method to definitivelydelineate “orthodoxy,” but is prefaced by a highly original essay inwhich, among other things, he ventures to extend al-Ghazali’s project byredefining and expanding the limits of Islamic orthodoxy within a contemporarycontext. In this sense, the introduction is a creative and laudableattempt by a serious Muslim thinker to do Islamic theology rather thanmerely exposit the dogmatic formulations of his medieval predecessors. Assuch, the introductory essay is the most original part of the book,1 since itis here that Jackson argues, among other things, for the possibility of anintra-Islamic theological ecumenism, one in which creedal schools that previously saw each other as misguided might come to a greater recognitionof their mutual legitimacies.This is, indeed, an ambitious project. Yet, few of the book’s reviewersseem to have fully appreciated the magnitude of Jackson’s project as laid outin his introductory essay – virtually an independent piece in its own right –and devoted, instead, the bulk of their reviews to the rest of the work.2 WhatI intend to do in the few pages that follow is to respond briefly to some ofhis arguments insofar as they pertain to his ideas on intra-Islamic theologicalecumenism.3 My purpose is to show that despite the ingenuity withwhich he tackles the issue of doctrinal and theological diversity, many of hiscentral arguments are beset by internal contradictions and incongruenciesthat might otherwise evade the casual reader ...

The social function of Attic tragedy: a Response to Jasper Griffin

Jasper Griffin's polemic, in this journal, against what he calls the ‘collectivist school’ of interpretation of Athenian tragedy is welcome, as it encourages clarification of fundamental differences. I do not have the space here to tackle him wherever I think he is wrong, still less construct an argument to the effect that Athenian tragedy was a ‘collective’ phenomenon. Rather I want to do two things. Firstly, the casual reader may have formed the impression that whereas the ‘collectivists’ operate with vague and unsubstantiated notions, Griffin's view has the advantage of being firmly grounded in the ancient texts. This impression I intend to dispel. In doing so I will confine myself to some of G.'s general remarks and to his attack on my own views, as a sample of the quality of his argument. Secondly, I also adduce new material in the hope of advancing the debate on this important issue.