Streptococcal Arginine Deiminase Inhibits T Lymphocyte Differentiation In Vitro.

Pathogenic microbes use arginine-metabolizing enzymes as an immune evasion strategy. In this study, the impact of streptococcal arginine deiminase (ADI) on the human peripheral blood T lymphocytes function in vitro was studied. The comparison of the effects of parental strain ( M49-16) with wild type of gene and its isogenic mutant with inactivated gene ( M49-16del) was carried out.

Heterogenous CD8+ T Cell Maturation and 'Polarization' in Acute and Convalescent COVID-19 Patients.

Background: The adaptive antiviral immune response requires interaction between CD8+ T cells, dendritic cells, and Th1 cells for controlling SARS-CoV-2 infection, but the data regarding the role of CD8+ T cells in the acute phase of COVID-19 and post-COVID-19 syndrome are still limited.

Methods: . Peripheral blood samples collected from patients with acute COVID-19 ( 71), convalescent subjects bearing serum SARS-CoV-2 N-protein-specific IgG antibodies ( 51), and healthy volunteers with no detectable antibodies to any SARS-CoV-2 proteins (HC, 46) were analyzed using 10-color flow cytometry.

Alterations in B Cell and Follicular T-Helper Cell Subsets in Patients with Acute COVID-19 and COVID-19 Convalescents.

Background: Humoral immunity requires interaction between B cell and T follicular helper cells (Tfh) to produce effective immune response, but the data regarding a role of B cells and Tfh in SARS-CoV-2 defense are still sparse.

Methods: Blood samples from patients with acute COVID-19 ( = 64), convalescents patients who had specific IgG to SARS-CoV-2 N-protein ( = 55), and healthy donors with no detectable antibodies to any SARS-CoV-2 proteins (HC, = 44) were analyses by multicolor flow cytometry.

Results: Patients with acute COVID-19 showed decreased levels of memory B cells subsets and increased proportion plasma cell precursors compared to HC and COVID-19 convalescent patients, whereas for the latter the elevated numbers of virgin naïve, Bm2' and "Bm3+Bm4" was found if compared with HC.

Sleep Mediates the Association Between Stress at Work and Incident Dementia: Study From the Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe.

Background: Both psychosocial stress at work and sleep disturbance may predispose impaired cognitive function and dementia in later life. However, whether sleep plays a mediating role for the link between stress at work and subsequent dementia has yet to be investigated.

Methods: Data from the Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe were used for the study.

Protective Role of Hydrolysate in Lipopolysaccharide-Galactosamine Acute Liver Injury.

Acute liver injury in its terminal phase trigger systemic inflammatory response syndrome with multiple organ failure. An uncontrolled inflammatory reaction is difficult to treat and contributes to high mortality. Therefore, to solve this problem a search for new therapeutic approaches remains urgent.

Aggregation-based fluorescence amplification strategy: "turn-on" sensing of aminoglycosides using near-IR carbocyanine dyes and pre-micellar surfactants.

This study is aimed at developing sensing schemes without obtaining selective receptors. A series of simple carbocyanine dyes was synthesized, whose emission was quenched in water with formation of nanoparticles in the range of 20-100 nm. Fluorescence in near-IR region is "turned on" in the presence of a drug cation of middle molecular weight (400-700 Da) and sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS), as well as anionic drugs and a cationic surfactant (cetyltrimethylammonium bromide, CTAB).

MRI-Based Classification Models in Prediction of Mild Cognitive Impairment and Dementia in Late-Life Depression.

Late-life depression (LLD) is associated with development of different types of dementia. Identification of LLD patients, who will develop cognitive decline, i.e.

Chorein Sensitive Dopamine Release from Pheochromocytoma (PC12) Cells.

Background: Chorein, a protein supporting activation of phosphoinositide 3 kinase (PI3K), participates in the regulation of actin polymerization and cell survival. A loss of function mutation of the chorein encoding gene VPS13A (vacuolar protein sorting-associated protein 13A) leads to chorea-acanthocytosis (ChAc), a neurodegenerative disorder with simultaneous erythrocyte akanthocytosis. In blood platelets chorein deficiency has been shown to compromise expression of vesicle-associated membrane protein 8 (VAMP8) and thus degranulation.

Neuroanatomical correlates of late-life depression and associated cognitive changes.

We compared cortical thickness between patients with late-life depression (LLD) and healthy controls and between patients with early-onset (EOD) and late-onset (LOD) depression. We also tested age effects on cortical thickness in LLD and controls and if cortical thickness and hippocampal volumes were associated with cognitive performance in LLD. Three-dimensional T1-weighted magnetic resonance images were obtained in 49 LLD and 49 matched hospital controls and processed using FreeSurfer.

Up-regulation of hepatic alpha-2-HS-glycoprotein transcription by testosterone via androgen receptor activation.

Background/aims: Fetuin-A (alpha-2-HS-glycoprotein, AHSG), a liver borne plasma protein, contributes to the prevention of soft tissue calcification, modulates inflammation, reduces insulin sensitivity and fosters weight gain following high fat diet or ageing. In polycystic ovary syndrome, fetuin-A levels correlate with free androgen levels, an observation pointing to androgen sensitivity of fetuin-A expression. The present study thus explored whether the expression of hepatic fetuin-A is modified by testosterone.

Large-scale resting state network correlates of cognitive impairment in Parkinson's disease and related dopaminergic deficits.

Cognitive impairment is a common non-motor feature of Parkinson's disease (PD). Understanding the neural mechanisms of this deficit is crucial for the development of efficient methods for treatment monitoring and augmentation of cognitive functions in PD patients. The current study aimed to investigate resting state fMRI correlates of cognitive impairment in PD from a large-scale network perspective, and to assess the impact of dopamine deficiency on these networks.

Up-regulation of hERG K⁺ channels by B-RAF.

Human ether-a-go-go related-gene K⁺ channels (hERG) participate in the regulation of tumor cell proliferation and apoptosis. HERG channel activity is up-regulated by growth factors. Kinases sensitive to growth factor signaling include the serine/threonine protein kinase B-RAF.

Structural brain changes associated with depressive symptoms in the elderly with Alzheimer's disease.

Objective: To examine neuroanatomical changes associated with depressive symptoms in Alzheimer's disease (AD) and the relationship between brain structure and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) AD biomarkers in depressed and non-depressed patients.

Methods: Two independent cohorts were used in this study. The first cohort (KI) was collected from the Memory Clinic at Karolinska University Hospital and consisted of 41 AD patients.

Upregulation of the Na⁺-coupled phosphate cotransporters NaPi-IIa and NaPi-IIb by B-RAF.

B-RAF, a serine/threonine protein kinase, contributes to signaling of insulin-like growth factor IGF1. Effects of IGF1 include stimulation of proximal renal tubular phosphate transport, accomplished in large part by Na⁺-coupled phosphate cotransporter NaPi-IIa. The related Na⁺-coupled phosphate cotransporter NaPi-IIb accomplishes phosphate transport in intestine and tumor cells.

Effect of carbon monoxide donor CORM-2 on vitamin D3 metabolism.

Background/aims: Carbon monoxide (CO) interferes with cytochrome-dependent cellular functions and acts as gaseous transmitter. CO is released from CO-releasing molecules (CORM) including tricarbonyl-dichlororuthenium (II) dimer (CORM-2), molecules considered for the treatment of several disorders including vascular dysfunction, inflammation, tissue ischemia and organ rejection. Cytochrome P450-sensitive function include formation of 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3 (1,25(OH)2D3) by renal 25-hydroxyvitamin D3 1-alpha-hydroxylase (Cyp27b1).

Chorein sensitivity of actin polymerization, cell shape and mechanical stiffness of vascular endothelial cells.

Background/aims: Endothelial cell stiffness plays a key role in endothelium-dependent control of vascular tone and arterial blood pressure. Actin polymerization and distribution of microfilaments is essential for mechanical cell stiffness. Chorein, a protein encoded by the VPS13A gene, defective in chorea-acanthocytosis (ChAc), is involved in neuronal cell survival as well as cortical actin polymerization of erythrocytes and blood platelets.