Viruses tipping the scales: The role of the CD4/CD8 ratio in determining viral outcome.

Here we review recent data on how animal viruses alter the T cell dynamics, and how stressed T cell populations alter viral disease outcomes. The CD4/CD8 ratio of T cells is regulated by the thymus well into adulthood, and determined by both host genetics and environmental exposures. Human and animal data now show many chronic viral infections interact with this ratio and Immune Health Grades, but this raises new questions and justifies new experimental systems.

Aspartylglucosaminuria: Clinical Presentation and Potential Therapies.

Aspartylglucosaminuria (AGU) is a recessively inherited neurodegenerative lysosomal storage disease characterized by progressive intellectual disability, skeletal abnormalities, connective tissue overgrowth, gait disturbance, and seizures followed by premature death. AGU is caused by pathogenic variants in the aspartylglucosaminidase () gene, leading to glycoasparagine accumulation and cellular dysfunction. Although more prevalent in the Finnish population, more than 30 variants have been identified worldwide.

The Role of Apoptin in Chicken Anemia Virus Replication.

Apoptin is the Vp3 protein of chicken anemia virus (CAV), which infects the thymocytes and erythroblasts in young chickens, causing chicken infectious anemia and immunosuppression. Apoptin is highly studied for its ability to selectively induce apoptosis in human tumor cells and, thus, is a protein of interest in anti-tumor therapy. CAV apoptin is known to localize to different subcellular compartments in transformed and non-transformed cells, depending on the DNA damage response, and the phosphorylation of several identified threonine residues.

Auricular Acupressure in the Prevention of Postoperative Nausea and Emesis A Randomized Controlled Trial.

Introduction: Successful antiemesis contributes significantly to quality, safety, and patient satisfaction. Patients undergoing general anesthesia often experience postoperative nausea and vomiting (PONV). Acupressure offers a side effect-free alternative to common first-line antiemetics.

Cytotoxic molecular mechanisms and cytoprotection by enzymic metabolism or autoxidation for glyceraldehyde, hydroxypyruvate and glycolaldehyde.

Previously, we showed that dietary fructose or its carbonyl metabolites, glyceraldehyde and glycolaldehyde, could be oxidized by inflammatory reactive oxygen species (ROS), products of immune cells, to form highly toxic and genotoxic products, such as glyoxal. Glycolaldehyde-caused hepatocyte protein carbonylation likely resulted from glyoxal, an autoxidation product formed by ROS. Although hepatocyte protein carbonylation by glyoxal or d-glycolaldehyde was rapid, the product was unstable.

Cytotoxic effects of polychlorinated biphenyl hydroquinone metabolites in rat hepatocytes.

Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) are persistent organic pollutants that exhibit various toxic effects in animals and exposed human populations. The molecular mechanisms of PCB toxicity have been attributed to the toxicological properties of its metabolites, such as hydroquinones, formed by cytochrome-P-450 oxidation. The effects of PCB hydroquinone metabolites towards freshly isolated rat hepatocytes were investigated.