Perivascular cells function as key mediators of mechanical and structural changes in vascular capillaries.

A hallmark of chronic and inflammatory diseases is the formation of a fibrotic and stiff extracellular matrix (ECM), typically associated with abnormal, leaky microvascular capillaries. Mechanisms explaining how the microvasculature responds to ECM alterations remain unknown. Here, we used a microphysiological model of capillaries on a chip mimicking the characteristics of healthy or fibrotic collagen to test the hypothesis that perivascular cells mediate the response of vascular capillaries to mechanical and structural changes in the human ECM.

Prediction and prevention of late-onset pre-eclampsia: a systematic review.

Background: Pre-eclampsia is a major cause of perinatal morbidity and mortality worldwide. Late-onset pre-eclampsia (LOP), which results in delivery ≥34 weeks gestation, is the most common type. However, there is a lack of knowledge in its prediction and prevention.

WD-repeat containing protein-61 regulates endometrial epithelial cell adhesion indicating an important role in receptivity.

Endometrial receptivity is crucial for successful embryo implantation during early pregnancy. The human endometrium undergoes remodeling within each menstrual cycle to prepare or become receptive to an implanting blastocyst in the mid-secretory phase. However, the mechanisms behind these changes are not fully understood.

The Impact of Expert Pathology Review and Molecular Diagnostics on the Management of Sarcoma Patients: A Prospective Study of the Hellenic Group of Sarcomas and Rare Cancers.

Precise classification of sarcomas is crucial to optimal clinical management. In this prospective, multicenter, observational study within the Hellenic Group of Sarcoma and Rare Cancers (HGSRC), we assessed the effect of expert pathology review, coupled with the application of molecular diagnostics, on the diagnosis and management of sarcoma patients. Newly diagnosed sarcoma patients were addressed by their physicians to one of the two sarcoma pathologists of HGSRC for histopathological diagnostic assessment.

HIV-1 Integrase Assembles Multiple Species of Stable Synaptic Complex Intasomes That Are Active for Concerted DNA Integration In vitro.

Retroviral DNA integration is mediated by nucleoprotein complexes (intasomes) in which a pair of viral DNA ends are bridged by a multimer of integrase (IN). Most of the high-resolution structures of HIV-1 intasomes are based on an HIV-1 IN with an Sso7d protein domain fused to the N-terminus. Sso7d-IN aggregates much less than wild-type IN and has been critical for structural studies of HIV-1 intasomes.

Viruses exploit growth factor mechanisms to achieve augmented pathogenicity and promote tumorigenesis.

Cellular homeostasis is regulated by growth factors (GFs) which orchestrate various cellular processes including proliferation, survival, differentiation, motility, inflammation and angiogenesis. Dysregulation of GFs in microbial infections and malignancies have been reported previously. Viral pathogens exemplify the exploitation of host cell GFs and their signalling pathways contributing to viral entry, virulence, and evasion of anti-viral immune responses.

A novel cysteine-rich adaptor protein is required for mucin packaging and secretory granule stability in vivo.

Mucins are large, highly glycosylated extracellular matrix proteins that line and protect epithelia of the respiratory, digestive, and urogenital tracts. Previous work has shown that mucins form large, interconnected polymeric networks that mediate their biological functions once secreted. However, how these large matrix molecules are compacted and packaged into much smaller secretory granules within cells prior to secretion is largely unknown.

Using organoids to investigate human endometrial receptivity.

The human endometrium is only receptive to an implanting blastocyst in the mid-secretory phase of each menstrual cycle. Such time-dependent alterations in function require intricate interplay of various factors, largely coordinated by estrogen and progesterone. Abnormal endometrial receptivity is thought to contribute to two-thirds of the implantation failure in humans and therefore significantly hindering IVF success.

IL11 activates the placental inflammasome to drive preeclampsia.

Introduction: Preeclampsia is a life-threatening disorder of pregnancy unique to humans. Interleukin (IL)11 is elevated in serum from pregnancies that subsequently develop early-onset preeclampsia and pharmacological elevation of IL11 in pregnant mice causes the development of early-onset preeclampsia-like features (hypertension, proteinuria, and fetal growth restriction). However, the mechanism by which IL11 drives preeclampsia is unknown.

Sulfated endospermic nanocellulose crystals prevent the transmission of SARS-CoV-2 and HIV-1.

Biomaterials with antimicrobial activity are gaining attention due to their biodegradability and efficacy in interacting with a wide range of microorganisms. A new cellulose nano-biomaterial, endospermic nanocellulose crystals (ENC) obtained from parenchymal tissue of ivory nut endosperm, has a natural capacity as a universal binder. This feature is enhanced when it is chemically functionalized, and can be exploited in the fight against microbes.

The Role of Imaging in the Pre- and Postoperative Evaluation of Inguinal Hernia.

Inguinal hernia repair is the most frequently performed surgical procedure. Imaging has a fundamental role in initial assessment and postoperative evaluation of inguinal hernias. Clinical implications of radiology in the preoperative setting include diagnosis of occult/complicated hernias and enhancement of diagnostic certainty.

Endometrial stromal cell miR-19b-3p release is reduced during decidualization implying a role in decidual-trophoblast cross-talk.

Introduction: A healthy pregnancy requires successful blastocyst implantation into an adequately prepared or 'receptive' endometrium. Decidualization of uterine endometrial stromal fibroblast cells (hESF) is critical for the establishment of a healthy pregnancy. microRNAs (miRs) are critical regulators of cellular function that can be released by a donor cell to influence the physiological state of recipient cells.

Radiotherapy exposure directly damages the uterus and causes pregnancy loss.

Female cancer survivors are significantly more likely to experience infertility than the general population. It is well established that chemotherapy and radiotherapy can damage the ovary and compromise fertility, yet the ability of cancer treatments to induce uterine damage, and the underlying mechanisms, have been understudied. Here, we show that in mice total-body γ-irradiation (TBI) induced extensive DNA damage and apoptosis in uterine cells.

Pre-eclampsia.

Pre-eclampsia is a life-threatening disease of pregnancy unique to humans and a leading cause of maternal and neonatal morbidity and mortality. Women who survive pre-eclampsia have reduced life expectancy, with increased risks of stroke, cardiovascular disease and diabetes, while babies from a pre-eclamptic pregnancy have increased risks of preterm birth, perinatal death and neurodevelopmental disability and cardiovascular and metabolic disease later in life. Pre-eclampsia is a complex multisystem disease, diagnosed by sudden-onset hypertension (>20 weeks of gestation) and at least one other associated complication, including proteinuria, maternal organ dysfunction or uteroplacental dysfunction.

Infertile human endometrial organoid apical protein secretions are dysregulated and impair trophoblast progenitor cell adhesion.

Introduction: Embryo implantation failure leads to infertility. As an important approach to regulate implantation, endometrial epithelial cells produce and secrete factors apically into the uterine cavity in the receptive phase to prepare the initial blastocyst adhesion and implantation. Organoids were recently developed from human endometrial epithelium with similar apical-basal polarity compared to endometrial gland making it an ideal model to study endometrial epithelial secretions.

Sulfated endospermic nanocellulose crystals prevent the transmission of SARS-CoV-2 and HIV-1.

Biomaterials with antimicrobial activity are gaining attention due to their biodegradability and efficacy in interacting with a wide range of microorganisms. A new cellulose nano-biomaterial, endospermic nanocellulose crystals (ENC) obtained from parenchymal tissue of ivory nut endosperm, has a natural capacity as a universal binder. This feature is enhanced when it is chemically functionalized, and can be exploited in the fight against microbes.

Myxoid spindle cell sarcoma with ETV6-NTRK3 fusion.

Myxoid spindle cell sarcoma is a rare sarcoma with a demanding histopathologic diagnosis due to the absence of pathognomic immunohistochemistry markers. Genetics include complex karyotypic alterations without characteristic molecular abnormalities for this entity. NTRK alterations are rare findings with great clinical importance since they can be therapeutically targeted with two NTRK inhibitors.

Galectin-7 dysregulates renin-angiotensin-aldosterone and NADPH oxide synthase pathways in preeclampsia.

Objectives: Preeclampsia is a life-threatening disorder of pregnancy unique to humans. Poor placentation in the first trimester of pregnancy is widely accepted to be an underlying cause of preeclampsia. Galectin-7 is abnormally elevated in chorionic villous samples and serum from women that subsequently develop pre-term preeclampsia.