Biology subjects

Haynes, E.

Publications and source records attributed to Haynes, E..

4 recordsLinked to original sources

bioRxiv2026

Integrated Transcriptomic Profiling Reveals MAPK14-Related Inflammatory Signalling Associated with Postoperative Atrial Fibrillation

Postoperative atrial fibrillation (POAF) affects up to half of patients after cardiac surgery and raises long-term risk of stroke and death. Why only some patients develop it, despite similar surgical exposure, remains poorly understood. We studied a pilot cohort of 20 patients undergoing cardiac surgery in Northwest England, comparing those who developed POAF within four days (n=10) with those who did not (n=10). Circulating plasma RNA was profiled using the NanoString nCounter Cardiovascular Disease panel, and differentially expressed genes were mapped onto protein-protein interaction networks using STRING and Cytoscape. Candidate genes were then validated by RT-qPCR in the same cohort, alongside serial ELISA measurement of plasma MAPK14 protein. Peripheral blood monocyte, neutrophil and total white blood cell counts were also compared between the two groups on postoperative Days 1, 2 and 4. Screening identified MAPK14, COX6C and COX7B as elevated in POAF, with PTPN12 reduced. These genes clustered within a connected inflammatory and stress-response network, and pathway enrichment pointed to immune activation. RT-qPCR confirmed higher MAPK14, COX6C and COX7B expression in POAF patients. Plasma MAPK14 rose after surgery in both groups, with the largest increase in POAF patients on day two, though this did not reach significance. Peripheral blood monocyte counts were significantly higher in POAF patients than in those without POAF at all three postoperative timepoints, whereas neutrophil and total white blood cell counts did not differ significantly between groups. These early findings identify a circulating plasma RNA signature linked to MAPK14-related inflammatory signalling as a candidate marker of POAF susceptibility, warranting confirmation in a larger, adequately powered cohort.

physiology↗

bioRxiv2025

Value-Added: Importance of Incorporating Menstrual Cycle Phases to Clarify Sex-Related Differences in Force Steadiness

AimThis study aimed to determine whether female elbow flexion force steadiness varies across the menses, follicular and luteal phases of the menstrual cycle. MethodsTo control for repeated testing effects unrelated to hormonal fluctuations across the menstrual cycle, a comparison group of males completed the same protocol over three equally spaced testing sessions to the females. Maximal voluntary contractions and force steadiness were assessed in the neutral and pronated forearm positions. Elbow flexion force tracking tasks were performed at 2.5, 5, 10, 25, 50 and 75% maximal voluntary contraction in both forearm positions, and force steadiness was quantified as the coefficient of variation of force. ResultsMales were stronger than females (p<0.001), and maximal voluntary contractions did not differ between menstrual phases (p>0.14) or between days in males (p>0.56) in both forearm positions. There was no difference in coefficient of variation of force across sessions for the males (p<0.36). The coefficient of variation of force for all submaximal forces was significantly greater during the luteal phase compared to menses (Neutral p=0.02; Pronated p<0.05) but not the follicular phase (Neutral p=0.71; Pronated p=0.10). The coefficient of variation of force during the luteal phase in females was higher than males in both positions (p<0.02). ConclusionThese findings support previous observations that females are less steady than males for isometric steady contractions; however, this study identifies luteal specific phase effects. This underscores the importance of accounting for menstrual cycle phase when conducting sex-related comparisons.

physiology↗

bioRxiv2024

One Health in practice: Multi-season survey of ixodid tick species collected from domestic dogs in Chad

Ticks are medically important vectors of pathogens, many of which are zoonotic or impact domestic animal and/or wildlife health. Climate change, landscape use, and increasing interactions between domestic animals, wildlife, and humans have resulted in changes in tick-host dynamics and the emergence of novel pathogens worldwide. Therefore, it is crucial to describe the host and geographic ranges of vector species to assess disease risk, particularly in areas where research is lacking. This task necessitates adopting a One Health approach. In sub-Saharan Africa, previous work on ticks has focused primarily on those species most relevant to domestic livestock or humans, highlighting a significant knowledge gap concerning species of ticks that infest peri-domestic animals in rural areas. The objective of this study was to investigate the species diversity of ticks on peri-domestic dogs in rural areas of Chad, Africa. From 2019-2022, we collected 3,412 ixodid ticks from 435 peri-domestic dogs from 23 villages in Chad, Africa during both dry and wet seasons. Ticks were identified to species using morphological techniques and/or molecular analyses of the 16S rRNA, 12S rRNA, and cytochrome oxidase I gene regions. We identified 11 species of ticks from dogs including Amblyomma variegatum, Amblyomma marmoreum, Haemaphysalis leachi, a Haemaphysalis sp., Hyalomma impressum, Hyalomma truncatum, Rhipicephalus decoloratus, Rhipicephalus guilhoni, Rhipicephalus muhsamae, Rhipicephalus linnaei (=R. sanguineus tropical lineage), and a Rhipicephalus sp. Several of these tick species are known vectors for important canine and zoonotic pathogens and some are more commonly associated with cattle hosts. Our results show that sampling ticks from peri-domestic dogs provides an opportunity to examine vectors that may infest domestic animals, agricultural animals, wildlife, and humans as hosts in an understudied area. HighlightsO_LITick-borne diseases are significant concern across sub-Saharan Africa C_LIO_LILimited data on ticks of animals and people in Chad, Africa C_LIO_LIA high diversity of tick species infested domestic dogs in Chad C_LIO_LIMany detected tick species associated with important pathogens C_LI

zoology↗

bioRxiv2022

Genetic mechanisms and biological processes underlying host response to ophidiomycosis (Snake Fungal Disease) inferred from tissue-specific transcriptome analyses.

There is growing concern about infectious diseases in wildlife species caused by pathogenic fungi. Detailed knowledge exists about host pathology and the molecular mechanisms underlying host physiological response to some fungal diseases affecting amphibians and bats but is lacking for others with potentially significant impacts on large groups of animals. One such disease is ophidiomycosis (Snake Fungal Disease; SFD) which is caused by the fungus Ophidiomyces ophidiicola and impacts diverse species of snakes. Despite this potential, the biological mechanisms and molecular changes occurring during infection are unknown for any snake species. To gain this information, we performed a controlled experimental infection of captive Prairie rattlesnakes (Crotalus viridis) with O. ophidiicola at different temperatures. We then generated liver, kidney, and skin transcriptomes from control and infected snakes to assess tissue specific genetic responses to infection. Given previous SFD histopathological studies and the fact that snakes are ectotherms, we expected highest fungal activity on skin and a significant impact of temperature on host response. In contrast, we found that most of the differential gene expression was restricted to internal tissues and fungal-infected snakes showed transcriptome profiles indicative of long-term inflammation of specific tissues. Infected snakes at the lower temperature had the most pronounced overall host functional response whereas, infected snakes at the higher temperature had overall expression profiles similar to control snakes possibly indicating recovery from the disease. Overall, our results suggest SFD is a systemic disease with a chronic host response, unlike acute response shown by amphibians to Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis infections. Our analysis also generated a list of candidate protein coding genes that potentially mediate SFD response in snakes, providing tools for future comparative and evolutionary studies into variable species susceptibility to ophidiomycosis. Author summaryOphidiomycosis (Snake Fungal Disease; SFD) is an infectious fungal disease in snakes that has been documented in more than 40 species over the past 20 years. Though many snake species seem vulnerable to SFD, little is known about how snake physiology changes in response to infection with the causative fungus, Ophidiomyces ophidiicola. Here we report results from the first experimental transcriptomic study of SFD in a snake host. Our goals were to identify genes with a putative role in host response, use this information to understand what biological changes occur in different tissues in snakes when infected with O. ophidiicola, and determine if temperature has an impact in these ectothermic animals. We conclude that SFD is a systemic disease with a chronic inflammation leading to deterioration of internal organs and that these physiological impacts are more pronounced at low rather than high temperatures. These results contrast with fungal infections in amphibians where hosts show an acute response mostly restricted to skin. Our list of candidate genes carry utility in potentially diagnosing genetic susceptibility to SFD in snake species of conservation concern.

pathology↗