Extracellular matrix complexity in biomarker studies: a novel assay detecting total serum tenascin-C reveals different distribution to isoform-specific assays.

Serum biomarkers are the gold standard in non-invasive disease diagnosis and have tremendous potential as prognostic and theranostic tools for patient stratification. Circulating levels of extracellular matrix molecules are gaining traction as an easily accessible means to assess tissue pathology. However, matrix molecules are large, multimodular proteins that are subject to a vast array of post-transcriptional and post-translational modifications.

Homeostasis, injury, and recovery dynamics at multiple scales in a self-organizing mouse intestinal crypt.

The maintenance of the functional integrity of the intestinal epithelium requires a tight coordination between cell production, migration, and shedding along the crypt-villus axis. Dysregulation of these processes may result in loss of the intestinal barrier and disease. With the aim of generating a more complete and integrated understanding of how the epithelium maintains homeostasis and recovers after injury, we have built a multi-scale agent-based model (ABM) of the mouse intestinal epithelium.

An Observation-Based Dataset of Global Sub-Daily Precipitation Indices (GSDR-I).

Precipitation indices based on daily gauge observations are well established, openly available and widely used to detect and understand climate change. However, in many areas of climate science and risk management, it has become increasingly important to understand precipitation characteristics, variability and extremes at shorter (sub-daily) durations. Yet, no unified dataset of sub-daily indices has previously been available, due in large part to the lesser availability of suitable observations.

Galectin-3 promotes secretion of proteases that decrease epithelium integrity in human colon cancer cells.

Galectin-3 is a galactoside-binding protein that is commonly overexpressed in many epithelial cancers. It is increasingly recognized as a multi-functional, multi-mode promoter in cancer development, progression, and metastasis. This study reports that galectin-3 secretion by human colon cancer cells induces cancer cell secretion, in an autocrine/paracrine manner, of a number of proteases including cathepsin-B, MMP-1 and MMP-13.

Pragmatic considerations for negative control outcome studies to guide non-randomized comparative analyses: A narrative review.

Purpose: This narrative review describes the application of negative control outcome (NCO) methods to assess potential bias due to unmeasured or mismeasured confounders in non-randomized comparisons of drug effectiveness and safety. An NCO is assumed to have no causal relationship with a treatment under study while subject to the same confounding structure as the treatment and outcome of interest; an association between treatment and NCO then reflects the potential for uncontrolled confounding between treatment and outcome.

Methods: We focus on two recently completed NCO studies that assessed the comparability of outcome risk for patients initiating different osteoporosis medications and lipid-lowering therapies, illustrating several ways in which confounding may result.

The significance of building behavior in the evolution of animal architecture.

Animals make a diverse array of architectures including nests, bowers, roosts, traps, and tools. Much of the research into animal architecture has focused on the analysis of physical properties such as the dimensions and material of the architectures, rather than the behavior responsible for creating these architectures. However, the relationship between the architecture itself and the construction behavior that built it is not straightforward, and overlooking behavior risks obtaining an incomplete or even misleading picture of how animal architecture evolves.

Towards Quantifying the Uncertainty in Estimating Observed Scaling Rates.

Short-duration precipitation extremes (PE) increase at a rate of around 7%/K explained by the Clausius-Clapeyron relationship. Previous studies show uncertainty in the extreme precipitation-temperature relationship (scaling) due to various thermodynamic/dynamic factors. Here, we show that uncertainty may arise from the choice of data and methods.

Regulation and Function of Matrix Metalloproteinase-13 in Cancer Progression and Metastasis.

Matrix metalloproteinase-13 (MMP-13) is a member of the Matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) family of endopeptidases. MMP-13 is produced in low amounts and is well-regulated during normal physiological conditions. Its expression and secretion are, however, increased in various cancers, where it plays multiple roles in tumour progression and metastasis.

Correction: The physicochemical fingerprint of Necator americanus.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1371/journal.pntd.

Gastric metastasis before diagnosis of primary invasive lobular breast carcinoma: a rare case presentation from Pakistan.

Metastatic spread of invasive lobular breast carcinoma to stomach is rare especially before diagnosis of primary breast cancer. Incorrect diagnosis might result in delay of appropriate treatment for breast cancer. Recognition of this possibility enables better clinical management.

Appearance of peanut agglutinin in the blood circulation after peanut ingestion promotes endothelial secretion of metastasis-promoting cytokines.

Peanut agglutinin (PNA) is a carbohydrate-binding protein in peanuts that accounts for ~0.15% peanut weight. PNA is highly resistant to cooking and digestion and is rapidly detectable in the blood after peanut consumption.

Automatic MeSH Indexing: Revisiting the Subheading Attachment Problem.

This year less than 200 National Library of Medicine indexers expect to index 1 million articles, and this would not be possible without the assistance of the Medical Text Indexer (MTI) system. MTI is an automated indexing system that provides MeSH main heading/subheading pair recommendations to assist indexers with their heavy workload. Over the years, a lot of research effort has focused on improving main heading prediction performance, but automated fine-grained indexing with main heading/subheading pairs has received much less attention.

Appendiceal goblet cell carcinomas have poor survival despite completion surgery.

Purpose: Appendiceal goblet cell carcinomas (aGCCs) are rare but aggressive tumours associated with significant mortality. We retrospectively reviewed the outcomes of aGCC patients treated at our tertiary referral centre.

Methods: We analysed aGCC patients, diagnosed between 1990-2016, assessing the impact of completion surgery and tumour factors on survival.

Experimental infection with the hookworm, Necator americanus, is associated with stable gut microbial diversity in human volunteers with relapsing multiple sclerosis.

Background: Helminth-associated changes in gut microbiota composition have been hypothesised to contribute to the immune-suppressive properties of parasitic worms. Multiple sclerosis is an immune-mediated autoimmune disease of the central nervous system whose pathophysiology has been linked to imbalances in gut microbial communities.

Results: In the present study, we investigated, for the first time, qualitative and quantitative changes in the faecal bacterial composition of human volunteers with remitting multiple sclerosis (RMS) prior to and following experimental infection with the human hookworm, Necator americanus (N+), and following anthelmintic treatment, and compared the findings with data obtained from a cohort of RMS patients subjected to placebo treatment (PBO).

Long-Term Iron Deficiency and Dietary Iron Excess Exacerbate Acute Dextran Sodium Sulphate-Induced Colitis and Are Associated with Significant Dysbiosis.

Background: Oral iron supplementation causes gastrointestinal side effects. Short-term alterations in dietary iron exacerbate inflammation and alter the gut microbiota, in murine models of colitis. Patients typically take supplements for months.

Towards advancing scientific knowledge of climate change impacts on short-duration rainfall extremes.

A large number of recent studies have aimed at understanding short-duration rainfall extremes, due to their impacts on flash floods, landslides and debris flows and potential for these to worsen with global warming. This has been led in a concerted international effort by the INTENSE Crosscutting Project of the GEWEX (Global Energy and Water Exchanges) Hydroclimatology Panel. Here, we summarize the main findings so far and suggest future directions for research, including: the benefits of convection-permitting climate modelling; towards understanding mechanisms of change; the usefulness of temperature-scaling relations; towards detecting and attributing extreme rainfall change; and the need for international coordination and collaboration.

The impact of lymph node metastases and right hemicolectomy on outcomes in appendiceal neuroendocrine tumours (aNETs).

Introduction: European Neuroendocrine Tumour Society (ENETS) recommends managing appendiceal neuroendocrine tumours (aNET) with appendicectomy and possibly completion right hemicolectomy (CRH). However, disease behaviour and survival patterns remain uncertain.

Materials And Methods: We retrospectively assessed the impact of lymph nodes and CRH on outcomes, including survival, in all aNET patients diagnosed between 1990 and 2016.

An Absence of Epstein-Barr Virus Reactivation and Associations with Disease Activity in People with Multiple Sclerosis Undergoing Therapeutic Hookworm Vaccination.

Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) infection is strongly associated with multiple sclerosis (MS). Helminth infection can downregulate antiviral immune responses, potentially protecting against MS, but with a theoretical risk for reactivating latent EBV infection. To investigate parameters of EBV infection and their relationship with disease activity in people with MS (PwMS) therapeutically vaccinated with (hookworm).

The evolution of IgE-mediated type I hypersensitivity and its immunological value.

The allergic phenotype manifests itself in a spectrum of troublesome to life-threatening diseases, from seasonal hay fever, through the food allergies, atopic eczema, asthma, to anaphylaxis. Allergy, that is an overreaction to allergen in hypersensitive individuals, results from the production of IgE, mast cell and basophil sensitisation and degranulation, requiring a range of medications to manage the conditions. Yet it is highly likely that allergy evolved for a purpose and that allergic diseases are accidental consequences of an insufficiently regulated immune response.

Buzz pollination.

Pritchard and Vallejo-Marín introduce the process and evolution of buzz pollination.

Hookworm Treatment for Relapsing Multiple Sclerosis: A Randomized Double-Blinded Placebo-Controlled Trial.

Importance: Studies suggest gut worms induce immune responses that can protect against multiple sclerosis (MS). To our knowledge, there are no controlled treatment trials with helminth in MS.

Objective: To determine whether hookworm treatment has effects on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) activity and T regulatory cells in relapsing MS.

Systematic review: management of localised low-grade upper gastrointestinal neuroendocrine tumours.

Background: Neuroendocrine tumours (NETs) of the stomach and duodenum are rare, but are increasing in incidence. Optimal management of localised, low-grade gastric and duodenal NETs remains controversial.

Aims: To systematically review recent literature that has evaluated the management of localised low-grade gastric and duodenal NETs.

Floral vibrations by buzz-pollinating bees achieve higher frequency, velocity and acceleration than flight and defence vibrations.

Vibrations play an important role in insect behaviour. In bees, vibrations are used in a variety of contexts including communication, as a warning signal to deter predators and during pollen foraging. However, little is known about how the biomechanical properties of bee vibrations vary across multiple behaviours within a species.