Beta-Cell-Derived Extracellular Vesicles: Mediators of Intercellular Communication in the Islet Microenvironment in Type 1 Diabetes.

Type 1 diabetes (T1D) is a chronic autoimmune disorder characterised by an autoimmune response specifically mounted against the insulin-producing beta cells. Within the islet, high cellular connectivity and extensive vascularisation facilitate intra-islet communication and direct crosstalk with the surrounding tissues and the immune system. During the development of T1D, cytokines and extracellular vesicles released by beta cells can contribute to the recruitment of immune cells, further amplifying autoimmunity and aggravating beta cell damage and dysfunction.

Performance of questionnaires to predict sleep-disordered breathing in acute stroke patients.

Sleep-disordered breathing is common in stroke and may negatively affect its outcome. Screening for sleep-disordered breathing in this setting is of interest but poorly studied. We aimed to evaluate the performance of eight obstructive sleep apnea screening questionnaires to predict sleep-disordered breathing in acute stroke or transient ischaemic attack patients, and to assess the impact of stroke/transient ischaemic attack-specific factors on sleep-disordered breathing prediction.

Charge injection mediated by inverse micelles in nonpolar solvents: A microscopic model.

Hypothesis: Nonpolar solvents with added charge control agents are widely used in various applications, such as E-paper displays. In spite of previous work, the mechanisms governing charge generation in nonpolar liquids, particularly those induced by electrochemical reactions at the liquid-solid interface, are not completely understood. We hypothesize that a physics-based model, according to the modified Butler-Volmer equation, can be used to quantitatively predict the injection of charges and the corresponding currents, in nonpolar solvents with surfactants.

Extracellular vesicles derived from stressed beta cells mediate monocyte activation and contribute to islet inflammation.

Objective: Beta cell destruction in type 1 diabetes (T1D) results from the combined effect of inflammation and recurrent autoimmunity. In recent years, the role played by beta cells in the development of T1D has evolved from passive victims of the immune system to active contributors in their own destruction. We and others have demonstrated that perturbations in the islet microenvironment promote endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress in beta cells, leading to enhanced immunogenicity.

Orbital- and millennial-scale Asian winter monsoon variability across the Pliocene-Pleistocene glacial intensification.

Intensification of northern hemisphere glaciation (iNHG), ~2.7 million years ago (Ma), led to establishment of the Pleistocene to present-day bipolar icehouse state. Here we document evolution of orbital- and millennial-scale Asian winter monsoon (AWM) variability across the iNHG using a palaeomagnetically dated centennial-resolution grain size record between 3.

Impact of Comorbid Sleep-Disordered Breathing and Atrial Fibrillation on the Long-Term Outcome After Ischemic Stroke.

Background: Sleep-disordered breathing (SDB) and atrial fibrillation (AF) are highly prevalent in patients with stroke and are recognized as independent risk factors for stroke. Little is known about the impact of comorbid SDB and AF on long-term outcomes after stroke.

Methods: In this prospective cohort study, 353 patients with acute ischemic stroke or transient ischemic attacks were analyzed.

Predicting Egg Storage Time with a Portable Near-Infrared Instrument: Effects of Temperature and Production System.

Determining egg freshness is critical for ensuring food safety and security and as such, different methods have been evaluated and implemented to accurately measure and predict it. In this study, a portable near-infrared (NIR) instrument combined with chemometrics was used to monitor and predict the storage time of eggs under two storage conditions-room temperature (RT) and cold (CT) storage-from two production systems: cage and free-range. A total of 700 egg samples were analyzed, using principal component analysis (PCA) and partial least squares (PLS) regression to analyze the NIR spectra.

Concurrent Asian monsoon strengthening and early modern human dispersal to East Asia during the last interglacial.

The relationship between initial dispersal from Africa to East Asia and the orbitally paced evolution of the Asian summer monsoon (ASM)-currently the largest monsoon system-remains underexplored due to lack of coordinated synthesis of both Asian paleoanthropological and paleoclimatic data. Here, we investigate orbital-scale ASM dynamics during the last 280 thousand years (kyr) and their likely influences on early dispersal to East Asia, through a unique integration of i) new centennial-resolution ASM records from the Chinese Loess Plateau, ii) model-based East Asian hydroclimatic reconstructions, iii) paleoanthropological data compilations, and iv) global habitat suitability simulations. Our combined proxy- and model-based reconstructions suggest that ASM precipitation responded to a combination of Northern Hemisphere ice volume, greenhouse gas, and regional summer insolation forcing, with cooccurring primary orbital cycles of ~100-kyr, 41-kyr, and ~20-kyr.

Blood pressure variability, nocturnal heart rate variability and endothelial function predict recurrent cerebro-cardiovascular events following ischemic stroke.

Introduction: Cardiovascular parameters characterizing blood pressure (BP), heart rate (HR), endothelial function and arterial stiffness predict cerebro-cardiovascular events (CCVE) in the general population. Considering the paucity of data in stroke patients, we assessed these parameters as potential predictors of recurrent CCVE at acute stroke stroke.

Patients And Methods: This is a secondary outcome analysis of a prospective observational longitudinal Sleep Deficiency & Stroke Outcome Study (ClinicalTrials.

Multiple sleep-wake disturbances after stroke predict an increased risk of cardio-cerebrovascular events or death: A prospective cohort study.

Background And Purpose: Contradictory evidence on the impact of single sleep-wake-disturbances (SWD), such as sleep-disorderd breating (SDB) or insomnia, in patients with stroke, on the risk of subsequent cardio- and cerebrovascular events (CCE) and death, exists. Very recent studies in the general population suggest that the presence of multiple SWD increases cardio-cerebrovascular risk. Hence, the aim of this study was to asssess whether a novel score capturing the burden of multiple SWD, a so called "sleep burden index", is predictive for subsequent CCE including death in a prospectively followed cohort of stroke patients.

Inhibition of complement activation by CD55 overexpression in human induced pluripotent stem cell derived kidney organoids.

End stage renal disease is an increasing problem worldwide driven by aging of the population and increased prevalence of metabolic disorders and cardiovascular disease. Currently, kidney transplantation is the only curative option, but donor organ shortages greatly limit its application. Regenerative medicine has the potential to solve the shortage by using stem cells to grow the desired tissues, like kidney tissue.

ER stress promotes mitochondrial DNA mediated type-1 interferon response in beta-cells and interleukin-8 driven neutrophil chemotaxis.

Beta-cell destruction in type 1 diabetes (T1D) results from the combined effect of inflammation and recurrent autoimmunity. Accumulating evidence suggests the engagement of cellular stress during the initial stage of the disease, preceding destruction and triggering immune cell infiltration. While the role of the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) in this process has been largely described, the participation of the other cellular organelles, particularly the mitochondria which are central mediator for beta-cell survival and function, remains poorly investigated.

Rapid light carbon releases and increased aridity linked to Karoo-Ferrar magmatism during the early Toarcian oceanic anoxic event.

Large-scale release of isotopically light carbon is responsible for the carbon isotope excursion (CIE) of the Toarcian Oceanic Anoxic Event during the Lower Jurassic. Proposed sources include methane hydrate dissociation, volcanogenic outgassing of carbon dioxide and/or thermogenic methane release from the Karoo-Ferrar magmatic province (southern Africa). Distinct small-scale shifts superimposed on the long-term CIE have been interpreted as rapid methane pulses linked to astronomically forced climate changes.

More Than Spikes: On the Added Value of Non-linear Intracranial EEG Analysis for Surgery Planning in Temporal Lobe Epilepsy.

Epilepsy surgery can be a very effective therapy in medication refractory patients. During patient evaluation intracranial EEG is analyzed by clinical experts to identify the brain tissue generating epileptiform events. Quantitative EEG analysis increasingly complements this approach in research settings, but not yet in clinical routine.

Sleep apnoea and ischaemic stroke: current knowledge and future directions.

Sleep apnoea, one of the most common chronic diseases, is a risk factor for ischaemic stroke, stroke recurrence, and poor functional recovery after stroke. More than half of stroke survivors present with sleep apnoea during the acute phase after stroke, with obstructive sleep apnoea being the most common subtype. Following a stroke, sleep apnoea frequency and severity might decrease over time, but moderate to severe sleep apnoea is nevertheless present in up to a third of patients in the chronic phase after an ischaemic stroke.

Eccentricity-paced monsoon variability on the northeastern Tibetan Plateau in the Late Oligocene high CO world.

Constraining monsoon variability and dynamics in the warm unipolar icehouse world of the Late Oligocene can provide important clues to future climate responses to global warming. Here, we present a ~4-thousand year (ka) resolution rubidium-to-strontium ratio and magnetic susceptibility records between 28.1 and 24.

Measuring Sleep, Wakefulness, and Circadian Functions in Neurologic Disorders.

Neurologic disorders impact the ability of the brain to regulate sleep, wake, and circadian functions, including state generation, components of state (such as rapid eye movement sleep muscle atonia, state transitions) and electroencephalographic microarchitecture. At its most extreme, extensive brain damage may even prevent differentiation of sleep stages from wakefulness (eg, status dissociatus). Given that comorbid sleep-wake-circadian disorders are common and can adversely impact the occurrence, evolution, and management of underlying neurologic conditions, new technologies for long-term monitoring of neurologic patients may potentially usher in new diagnostic strategies and optimization of clinical management.

Plasticity in gustatory and nociceptive neurons controls decision making in C. elegans salt navigation.

A conventional understanding of perception assigns sensory organs the role of capturing the environment. Better sensors result in more accurate encoding of stimuli, allowing for cognitive processing downstream. Here we show that plasticity in sensory neurons mediates a behavioral switch in C.

Molecular diagnosis of scabies using a novel probe-based polymerase chain reaction assay targeting high-copy number repetitive sequences in the Sarcoptes scabiei genome.

Background: The suboptimal sensitivity and specificity of available diagnostic methods for scabies hampers clinical management, trials of new therapies and epidemiologic studies. Additionally, parasitologic diagnosis by microscopic examination of skin scrapings requires sample collection with a sharp scalpel blade, causing discomfort to patients and difficulty in children. Polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-based diagnostic assays, combined with non-invasive sampling methods, represent an attractive approach.

Orbital climate variability on the northeastern Tibetan Plateau across the Eocene-Oligocene transition.

The first major build-up of Antarctic glaciation occurred in two consecutive stages across the Eocene-Oligocene transition (EOT): the EOT-1 cooling event at ~34.1-33.9 Ma and the Oi-1 glaciation event at ~33.

[Non-typhoidal Salmonellainfections: not always innocent].

Non-typhoidalSalmonellae (NTS) are virulent bacteria that commonly cause gastroenteritis. However, less than 5% of patients infected with NTS develop bacteraemia and metastatic foci of infection. Mortality remains high, despite appropriate use of antibiotic therapy.