Most trypanosomatid flagellates do not have catalase. In the evolution of this group, the gene encoding catalase has been independently acquired at least three times from three different bacterial groups. Here, we demonstrate that the catalase of Vickermania was obtained by horizontal gene transfer from Gammaproteobacteria, extending the list of known bacterial sources of this gene. Comparative biochemical analyses revealed that the enzymes of V. ingenoplastis, Leptomonas pyrrhocoris, and Blastocrithidia sp., representing the three independent catalase-bearing trypanosomatid lineages, have similar properties, except for the unique cyanide resistance in the catalase of the latter species.

Blastocrithidia nonstop is a protist with a highly unusual nuclear genetic code, in which all three standard stop codons are reassigned to encode amino acids, with UAA also serving as a sole termination codon. In this study, we demonstrate that this parasitic flagellate is amenable to genetic manipulation, enabling gene ablation and protein tagging. Using preassembled Cas9 ribonucleoprotein complexes, we successfully disrupted and tagged the non‐essential gene encoding catalase. These advances establish this single‐celled eukaryote as a model organism for investigating the malleability and evolution of the genetic code in eukaryotes.

Frontal sinus fractures are rare. Although they can manifest as isolated fractures, they mostly occur as a part of larger panfacial injuries of the facial bones. Considering the relative rarity of this type of fracture, we decided to perform a retrospective analysis of patients with this type of injury at our institution, focusing on post-injury complications. We retrospectively evaluated 26 patients with frontal sinus fracture (isolated or as a part of a complex injury to the facial skeleton) treated and subsequently followed up at our institution between 2016 and 2022. The most common complication was trigeminal nerve hypersensitivity, occurring in 7 patients (47% of patients with any complication). All patients with this complication were treated conservatively. Four patients developed cerebrospinal fluid leak, of which three were treated conservatively and one surgically. Four more patients developed a deformity, of which 3 patients underwent surgery and one was treated conservatively. The therapeutic goal is to restore the conditions of the mucosa and to preserve the drainage of the frontal sinus.