Publications by authors named "Behnke J"

Strategies for combining ionic and non-ionic functional groups are important for altering detergent properties and exploring new chemical spaces within the detergentome. Previous synthesis protocols for ionic/non-ionic hybrid detergents require asymmetric detergent precursors with independently addressable hydroxyl groups that can be decorated with charged groups. However, preparation of ionic/non-ionic headgroups can be tedious in terms of required synthesis steps and resource consumption.

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Dengue remains the most rapidly advancing vector-borne disease in the world, and while the disease burden is predominantly in low-to-middle-income countries, the association with poverty remains in question. Consequently, a study was undertaken to evaluate the prevalence of anti-dengue antibodies among individuals residing in the People's Housing Program (PPR), a government-sponsored low-cost housing initiative targeting low-income earners. This type of public housing often faces challenges, including substandard housing facilities.

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Rodents are recognized as reservoirs for , playing a crucial role in maintaining the parasite's presence in the environment. Biomonitoring was conducted to assess the role of sylvatic rodents in maintaining , and to analyse the prevalence and seroprevalence of the parasite in seven wild rodent species. Rodents were collected in an open grassland study site located in northeastern Poland, and dissected.

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As important primary producers and key components of biogeochemical processes, phytoplankton communities are highly diverse and continually adapt to changes in the environment, impacting the entire marine ecosystem. Consequently, it remains important to isolate, culture and properly describe new phytoplankton strains to provide relevant model organisms for laboratory research and accurate reference sequences for identification. Here, 73 phytoplankton strains from the eastern Canadian waters were isolated and genetically characterized using a long rRNA fragment (~4000 bp) covering the 18S, ITS and 28S rRNA regions generated with long-read sequencing technology.

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Wood mice () and bank voles () are often employed as natural study models in infectious disease ecology. Yet the identities of some elements of their parasite fauna have been subject to long-standing confusion. One instance of this relates to 2 nominal species of the capillariid nematode genus : (Dujardin, 1845) and (Diesing, 1851).

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Article Synopsis
  • Spiny mice in the Sinai Peninsula are mainly infected by big stomach worms called spirurid nematodes, which can lead to a lot of worms inside the mice.
  • Researchers studied data from 431 mice to see if having these spirurid worms affected the chance of getting other types of worms.
  • They found that while the spirurid worms didn’t change the number of other worm species, mice with more spirurid worms were more likely to have other types of worms too, especially from certain groups.
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Phenotype distortion of lung resident mesenchymal stem cells (MSC) in preterm infants is a hallmark event in the pathogenesis of bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD). Here, we evaluated the impact of cyclic mechanical stretch (CMS) and hyperoxia (HOX). The negative action of HOX on proliferation and cell death was more pronounced at 80% than at 40%.

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Coevolution of parasites with their hosts may lead to balancing selection on genes involved in determining the specificity of host-parasite interactions, but examples of such specific interactions in wild vertebrates are scarce. Here, we investigated whether the polymorphic outer surface protein C (OspC), used by the Lyme disease agent, Borrelia afzelii, to manipulate vertebrate host innate immunity, interacts with polymorphic major histocompatibility genes (MHC), while concurrently eliciting a strong antibody response, in one of its main hosts in Europe, the bank vole. We found signals of balancing selection acting on OspC, resulting in little differentiation in OspC variant frequencies between years.

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Toxoplasmosis is a zoonotic disease caused by the obligate intracellular protozoan Toxoplasma gondii. The current study assessed the seroepidemiological status and risk factors of T. gondii in the West Bank, Palestine.

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Over the last five decades, widespread industrialisation and urbanisation have resulted in the influx of low-skilled workers, particularly from Southeast and West Asia to Malaysia. The current practice for migrant workers entry for employment requires mandatory medical screening for infectious diseases. However, screening for parasitic infections in Malaysia is woefully inadequate.

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Oxygen toxicity constitutes a key contributor to bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD). Critical step in the pathogenesis of BPD is the inflammatory response in the immature lung with the release of pro-inflammatory cytokines and the influx of innate immune cells. Identification of efficient therapies to alleviate the inflammatory response remains an unmet research priority.

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Protein-based drugs are a mainstay of modern medicine. In contrast to antibodies, most of these need highly individualized production processes which often limits their development. Here, we develop an immunoglobulin domain tag (i-Tag), which can be fused to any protein of interest.

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Ionic detergents enable applications and cause harm in biospheres due to cell toxicity. The utility of covalent combinations between ionic and non-ionic detergent headgroups in modulating cell toxicity remains speculative due to the yet rarely explored synthesis. We close this gap and establish the modular synthesis of ionic/non-ionic hybrid detergents.

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Toxoplasma gondii is an obligate intracellular protozoan parasite affecting all warm-blooded vertebrates, including humans. Infections in humans can lead to severe clinical manifestations in pregnant women and immunocompromised patients. The aim of the present study was to assess seroprevalence of T.

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Detergent chemistry enables applications in the world today while harming safe operating spaces that humanity needs for survival. Aim of this review is to support a holistic thought process in the design of detergent chemistry. We harness the planetary boundary concept as a framework for literature survey to identify progresses and knowledge gaps in context with detergent chemistry and five planetary boundaries that are currently transgressed, i.

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Background: The ornate dog tick Dermacentor reticulatus is second only to the hard tick Ixodes ricinus in terms of importance as a vector of infectious organisms, especially of Babesia canis, the agent of canine babesiosis. Both the geographical range and local densities of D. reticulatus are steadily increasing in many regions of Europe.

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Article Synopsis
  • This scoping review aims to explore existing knowledge about gender differences in chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS) and identify gaps in the literature regarding this topic.! -
  • A systematic search yielded 23 relevant studies from over 523 abstracts, categorized into three main areas: presentation and baseline quality of life, pathophysiology, and treatment outcomes, revealing that women report a worse quality of life due to CRS compared to men.! -
  • The findings suggest that while women experience a greater subjective burden from CRS, treatment outcomes are similar for both genders; however, more research is needed, particularly on the pathophysiology of CRS, to fully understand these differences.!
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Extrarenal clear cell renal cell carcinoma (eccRCC) is a rare type of RCC that arises in areas other than the kidney. Given its rarity, consensus guidelines for optimal treatment of eccRCC have not been established, and the literature is lacking any reports of patient response to systemic therapy and any reports of administration of immunotherapy to patients with ecRCC. Here, we present the case of a patient in their 60s with eccRCC arising in the spleen.

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Nematode spicules play a vital role in the reproductive activity of species that possess them. Our primary objective was to compare the lengths of spicules of the laboratory mouse () – maintained isolate – with those of from naturally infected wood mice (). On a more limited scale, we also included from bank voles (), a species reputed to possess longer spicules than either of the 2 former species.

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  • This study explored how rhizosphere microbial communities, particularly fungi, impact the growth of Norway spruce trees across four developmental stages in a protected area.
  • Using Illumina sequencing to analyze the fungal diversity, findings revealed that saprotrophic fungi decreased while mycorrhizal fungi increased as the tree stands matured.
  • The composition of these fungal communities supports natural regeneration of spruce and suggests a healthy balance that benefits the forest ecosystem, particularly in Wigry National Park.
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Objectives: To identify the differences in the impact of chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS) between female and male adolescent patients at presentation.

Study Design: Cross sectional study.

Methods: Adolescent patients, age 12 to 18 years old, presenting to our Otolaryngology clinic between August 2020 and April 2023 for CRS were asked to fill both the SNOT-22 and the SN5 forms.

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  • The rise in zoonotic diseases due to global changes has prompted the need for improved wildlife surveillance using remote environmental data.
  • Researchers utilized long-term datasets from rodents in stable habitats to analyze the impact of vegetation health (measured by the enhanced vegetation index, EVI) on infectious agent populations.
  • The study found that EVI could predict fluctuations in infectious agent abundance, suggesting that monitoring vegetation could enhance our understanding of disease risks and help prioritize surveillance efforts.
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Background: Global studies show intestinal parasitic infections (IPIs) have been introduced and spread with refugee inflows from low to high socio-economic countries. However, there is relatively limited information on the prevalence of infections among the community.

Methods: A 2-year cross-sectional study was conducted to determine the prevalence and associated risk factors for infections among urban refugees in the Klang Valley, Malaysia.

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Few studies have evaluated the association of recurrent acute rhinosinusitis (RARS) with other comorbidities. Allergic rhinitis, asthma, primary antibody deficiency, and autoimmune disorders are associated with RARS. Evaluation for these comorbidities should be considered when treating patients with RARS.

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Repetitive physical insults to the head, including those that elicit mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI), are a known risk factor for a variety of neurodegenerative conditions including Alzheimer's disease (AD), Parkinson's disease (PD), and chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE). Although most individuals who sustain mTBI typically achieve a seemingly full recovery within a few weeks, a subset experience delayed-onset symptoms later in life. As most mTBI research has focused on the acute phase of injury, there is an incomplete understanding of mechanisms related to the late-life emergence of neurodegeneration after early exposure to mild head trauma.

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