Commutability assessment of new standard reference materials (SRMs) for determining serum total 25-hydroxyvitamin D using ligand binding and liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) assays.

Commutability is where the measurement response for a reference material (RM) is the same as for an individual patient sample with the same concentration of analyte measured using two or more measurement systems. Assessment of commutability is essential when the RM is used in a calibration hierarchy or to ensure that clinical measurements are comparable across different measurement procedures and at different times. The commutability of three new Standard Reference Materials (SRMs) for determining serum total 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D], defined as the sum of 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D] and 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D], was assessed through an interlaboratory study.

Health effects of railway-induced vibration combined with railway noise - A systematic review with exposure-effect curves.

Background: The combined health impact of concurrent railway noise and railway vibration exposure is not yet well understood.

Objectives: This systematic review gives an overview of epidemiological studies on health effects from railway vibration, aiming to quantify this association with exposure-effect curves. Moreover, the combined health effects of vibration and concurrent noise were investigated.

Interlaboratory comparison of 25-hydroxyvitamin D assays: Vitamin D Standardization Program (VDSP) Intercomparison Study 2 - Part 2 ligand binding assays - impact of 25-hydroxyvitamin D and 24R,25-dihydroxyvitamin D on assay performance.

An interlaboratory comparison study was conducted by the Vitamin D Standardization Program (VDSP) to assess the performance of ligand binding assays (Part 2) for the determination of serum total 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D]. Fifty single-donor samples were assigned target values for concentrations of 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D], 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D], 3-epi-25-hydroxyvitamin D [3-epi-25(OH)D], and 24R,25-dihydroxyvitamin D [24R,25(OH)D] using isotope dilution liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (ID LC-MS/MS). VDSP Intercomparison Study 2 Part 2 includes results from 17 laboratories using 32 ligand binding assays.

LifeTime and improving European healthcare through cell-based interceptive medicine.

Here we describe the LifeTime Initiative, which aims to track, understand and target human cells during the onset and progression of complex diseases, and to analyse their response to therapy at single-cell resolution. This mission will be implemented through the development, integration and application of single-cell multi-omics and imaging, artificial intelligence and patient-derived experimental disease models during the progression from health to disease. The analysis of large molecular and clinical datasets will identify molecular mechanisms, create predictive computational models of disease progression, and reveal new drug targets and therapies.

Murine Mesenchymal Stromal Cells Retain Biased Differentiation Plasticity Towards Their Tissue of Origin.

Mesenchymal stromal/stem cells (MSCs) reside in many human tissues and comprise a heterogeneous population of cells with self-renewal and multi-lineage differentiation potential, making them useful in regenerative medicine. It remains inconclusive whether MSCs isolated from different tissue sources exhibit variations in biological features. In this study, we derived MSCs from adipose tissue (AT-MSC) and compact bone (CB-MSC).

[Effects of Noise Protection Measures on Annoyance, Sleep Disorders, and Cardiovascular Diseases: A Model Calculation].

Aim: In Germany, traffic noise-related threshold values are currently set at 70 decibels (dB) during the day and 60 dB at night. According to recent study results, these threshold values might not sufficiently protect against disease risks. The model calculation presented here aimed to estimate the effects of 3 specific noise-protection measures on annoyance, sleep disorders, and cardiovascular diseases.

The permeation barrier of plant cuticles: uptake of active ingredients is limited by very long-chain aliphatic rather than cyclic wax compounds.

Background: The barrier to diffusion of organic solutes across the plant cuticle is composed of waxes consisting of very long-chain aliphatic (VLCA) and, to varying degrees, cyclic compounds like pentacyclic triterpenoids. The roles of both fractions in controlling cuticular penetration by organic solutes, e.g.

The Mode of Action of Adjuvants-Relevance of Physicochemical Properties for Effects on the Foliar Application, Cuticular Permeability, and Greenhouse Performance of Pinoxaden.

We comprehensively studied the complexity of the mode of action of adjuvants by uncoupling the parameters contributing to the spray process during foliar application of agrochemicals. The ethoxylated sorbitan esters Tween 20 and Tween 80 improved the efficiency of pinoxaden (PXD) in controlling grass-weed species in greenhouse experiments by aiding retention, having humectant properties, maintaining the bioavailability, and increasing the cuticular penetration of PXD. The nonethoxylated sorbitan esters Span 20 and Span 80 showed minimal effects on retention, droplet hydration, or cuticular penetration, resulting in reduced PXD effects in the greenhouse.

Water Sorption Isotherms of Surfactants: A Tool To Evaluate Humectancy.

Fundamental experimental data for moisture absorption of non-ionic polydisperse surfactants with differing ethylene oxide (EO) content and variable aliphatic portions were measured at relative humidities between 0 and 95% at 25 °C. Remarkable differences in moisture absorption were observed between surfactant classes but also within one series of surfactants differing in either EO content or the long-chain aliphatic fraction. Both the EO units as well as the entire molecular structure, including also the lipophilic domain, were discussed to account for the humectant activity of surfactants.

The dynamics of genome-wide DNA methylation reprogramming in mouse primordial germ cells.

Genome-wide DNA methylation reprogramming occurs in mouse primordial germ cells (PGCs) and preimplantation embryos, but the precise dynamics and biological outcomes are largely unknown. We have carried out whole-genome bisulfite sequencing (BS-Seq) and RNA-Seq across key stages from E6.5 epiblast to E16.

Aqueous pathways dominate permeation of solutes across Pisum sativum seed coats and mediate solute transport via diffusion and bulk flow of water.

The permeability of seed coats to solutes either of biological or anthropogenic origin plays a major role in germination, seedling growth and seed treatment by pesticides. An experimental set-up was designed for investigating the mechanisms of seed coat permeation, which allows steady-state experiments with isolated seed coats of Pisum sativum. Permeances were measured for a set of organic model compounds with different physicochemical properties and sizes.

Gains of item-specific training in visual working memory and their neural correlates.

Experts sometimes show higher working memory performance than novices but contrary to this finding, evidence for a positive effect of item-specific training is rare. This study provides evidence for item-specific training gains. We presented Chinese characters and artificial patterns (spotted figures) in a change detection task before and after training (varying set size from 1 to 3).

HBsAg blood screening and diagnosis: performance evaluation of the ARCHITECT HBsAg qualitative and ARCHITECT HBsAg qualitative confirmatory assays.

A low initial reactive rate for screening assays is important for time- and cost-effective infectious disease testing. Therefore, the new ARCHITECT HBsAg Qualitative screening assay, in conjunction with the new ARCHITECT HBsAg Qualitative Confirmatory assay, was introduced. As the role of hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) as surrogate marker for HBV resolution and the monitoring of drug effectiveness are becoming increasingly important, the established ARCHITECT HBsAg Quantitative assay remains available on the market.

Polycomb purification by in vivo biotinylation tagging reveals cohesin and Trithorax group proteins as interaction partners.

The maintenance of specific gene expression patterns during cellular proliferation is crucial for the identity of every cell type and the development of tissues in multicellular organisms. Such a cellular memory function is conveyed by the complex interplay of the Polycomb and Trithorax groups of proteins (PcG/TrxG). These proteins exert their function at the level of chromatin by establishing and maintaining repressed (PcG) and active (TrxG) chromatin domains.

Retrotransposons and germ cells: reproduction, death, and diversity.

The evolutionary success of retrotransposable elements is reflected by their abundance in mammalian genomes. To restrict their further advance, a number of defence mechanisms have been put in place by the host. These seem to be particularly effective in the germ line while somatic lineages might be more permissive to new insertions, as recent work by Kano and colleagues suggests.

Genome-wide erasure of DNA methylation in mouse primordial germ cells is affected by AID deficiency.

Epigenetic reprogramming including demethylation of DNA occurs in mammalian primordial germ cells (PGCs) and in early embryos, and is important for the erasure of imprints and epimutations, and the return to pluripotency. The extent of this reprogramming and its molecular mechanisms are poorly understood. We previously showed that the cytidine deaminases AID and APOBEC1 can deaminate 5-methylcytosine in vitro and in Escherichia coli, and in the mouse are expressed in tissues in which demethylation occurs.

Characterization of hydrophilic and lipophilic pathways of Hedera helix L. cuticular membranes: permeation of water and uncharged organic compounds.

The permeability of astomatous leaf cuticular membranes of Hedera helix L. was measured for uncharged hydrophilic (octanol/water partition coefficient log K(O/W) < or =0) and lipophilic compounds (log K(O/W) >0). The set of compounds included lipophilic plant protection agents, hydrophilic carbohydrates, and the volatile compounds water and ethanol.

Amino acids critical for substrate affinity of rat organic cation transporter 1 line the substrate binding region in a model derived from the tertiary structure of lactose permease.

To identify functionally relevant amino acids in the rat organic cation transporter 1 (rOCT1), 18 consecutive amino acids in the presumed fourth transmembrane alpha helix (TMH) were mutated and functionally characterized after expression in Xenopus laevis oocytes. After mutation of three amino acids on successive turns of the alpha helix, K(m) values for tetraethylammonium (TEA) and/or 1-methyl-4-phenylpyridinium (MPP) were decreased. After replacement of Trp218 by tyrosine (W218Y) and Tyr222 by leucine (Y222L), the K(m) values for both TEA and MPP were decreased.