Publications by authors named "D M Lenz"

Background: In people with substance use disorders (SUDs), stress-exposure can impair executive function, and increase craving and likelihood of drug-use recurrence. Research shows that acute stressors increase drug-seeking behavior; however, mechanisms underlying this effect are incompletely understood. The Competing Neurobehavioral Decisions System theory posits that persons with SUDs may have hyperactive limbic reward circuitry and hypoactive executive control circuitry.

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Background: Pediatric acute liver failure (PALF) is a rare and life-threatening condition. In up to 50% of PALF cases, the underlying etiology remains unknown during routine clinical testing. This lack of knowledge complicates clinical management and liver transplantation decisions.

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In recent years, pathogenic variants in ARS genes, encoding aminoacyl-tRNA synthetases (aaRSs), have been associated with human disease. Patients harbouring pathogenic variants in ARS genes have clinical signs partly unique to certain aaRSs defects, partly overlapping between the different aaRSs defects. Diagnosis relies mostly on genetics and remains challenging, often requiring functional validation of new ARS variants.

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Article Synopsis
  • The human IRGM gene is associated with inflammatory conditions like sepsis and Crohn's disease, where decreased expression can lead to increased inflammatory markers in the body.
  • Prior research showed that changes in metabolism and mitochondrial functions are linked to increased inflammatory responses, but the exact mechanisms were unclear.
  • New findings revealed that type I interferon (IFN) production in macrophages is crucial for heightened cytokine levels due to IRGM deficiency, and novel pathways affecting mitochondrial function contribute to this inflammatory response.
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