Nestmate recognition in ants is regulated through the detection of cuticular hydrocarbons by odorant receptors (ORs) in the antennae. These ORs are crucial for maintaining colony cohesion that allows invasive ant species to dominate colonized environments. In the invasive Argentine ant, Linepithema humile, ORs regulating nestmate recognition are thought to be present in a clade of nine-exon odorant receptors, but the identity of the specific genes remains unknown.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFItal J Dermatol Venerol
June 2024
SIDeMaST (Società Italiana di Dermatologia Medica, Chirurgica, Estetica e delle Malattie Sessualmente Trasmesse) contributed to the development of the present guideline on the systemic treatment of chronic plaque psoriasis. With the permission of EuroGuiDerm, SIDeMaST adapted the guideline to the Italian healthcare context to supply a reliable and affordable tool to Italian physicians who take care of patients affected by atopic dermatitis. The evidence- and consensus-based guideline on atopic eczema was developed in accordance with the EuroGuiDerm Guideline and Consensus Statement Development Manual.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFItal J Dermatol Venerol
June 2024
Mutations that perturb leptin-melanocortin signaling are known to cause hyperphagia and obesity, but energy expenditure has not been well studied outside rodents. We report on a common canine mutation in pro-opiomelanocortin (), which prevents production of β-melanocyte-stimulating hormone (β-MSH) and β-endorphin but not α-MSH; humans, similar to dogs, produce α-MSH and β-MSH from the propeptide, but rodents produce only α-MSH. We show that energy expenditure is markedly lower in affected dogs, which also have increased motivational salience in response to a food cue, indicating increased wanting or hunger.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF[F]tetrafluoroborate ([F]TFB) is an emerging PET tracer with excellent properties for human sodium iodide symporter (NIS)-based imaging in patients with differentiated thyroid cancer (DTC). The aim of this study was to compare [F]TFB PET with high-activity posttherapeutic [I]iodine whole-body scintigraphy and SPECT/CT in recurrent DTC and with [F]FDG PET/CT in suspected dedifferentiation. Twenty-six patients treated with high-activity radioactive [I]iodine therapy (range, 5.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFOne of the main challenges in the fight against coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) stems from the ongoing evolution of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) into multiple variants. To address this hurdle, research groups around the world have independently developed protocols to isolate these variants from clinical samples. These isolates are then used in translational and basic research-for example, in vaccine development, drug screening or characterizing SARS-CoV-2 biology and pathogenesis.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: The airway epithelium is composed of diverse cell types with specialized functions that mediate homeostasis and protect against respiratory pathogens. Human airway epithelial (HAE) cultures at air-liquid interface are a physiologically relevant in vitro model of this heterogeneous tissue and have enabled numerous studies of airway disease. HAE cultures are classically derived from primary epithelial cells, the relatively limited passage capacity of which can limit experimental methods and study designs.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFJ Eur Acad Dermatol Venereol
November 2023
Small animal models have been a challenge for the study of SARS-CoV-2 transmission, with most investigators using golden hamsters or ferrets. Mice have the advantages of low cost, wide availability, less regulatory and husbandry challenges, and the existence of a versatile reagent and genetic toolbox. However, adult mice do not robustly transmit SARS-CoV-2.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFWe aimed to evaluate the predictive and prognostic value of baseline F-FDG-PET-CT (PET-CT) radiomic features (RFs) for immune checkpoint-inhibitor (CKI)-based first-line therapy in advanced non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients. In this retrospective study 44 patients were included. Patients were treated with either CKI-monotherapy or combined CKI-based immunotherapy-chemotherapy as first-line treatment.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe airway epithelium is composed of diverse cell types with specialized functions that mediate homeostasis and protect against respiratory pathogens. Human airway epithelial cultures at air-liquid interface (HAE) are a physiologically relevant model of this heterogeneous tissue, enabling numerous studies of airway disease . HAE cultures are classically derived from primary epithelial cells, the relatively limited passage capacity of which can limit experimental methods and study designs.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe emergence of recombinant viruses is a threat to public health, as recombination may integrate variant-specific features that together result in escape from treatment or immunity. The selective advantages of recombinant SARS-CoV-2 isolates over their parental lineages remain unknown. We identified a Delta-Omicron (AY.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFUnlabelled: Serine Protease Inhibitors (SERPINs) regulate protease activity in various physiological processes such as inflammation, cancer metastasis, angiogenesis, and neurodegenerative diseases. However, their potential in combating viral infections, where proteases are also crucial, remains underexplored. This is due to our limited understanding of SERPIN expression during viral-induced inflammation and of the SERPINs' full spectrum of target proteases.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFCo-opting host cell protein synthesis is a hallmark of many virus infections. In response, certain host defense proteins limit mRNA translation globally, albeit at the cost of the host cell's own protein synthesis. Here, we describe an interferon-stimulated helicase, DDX60, that decreases translation from viral internal ribosome entry sites (IRESs).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFSmall animal models have been a challenge for the study of SARS-CoV-2 transmission, with most investigators using golden hamsters or ferrets . Mice have the advantages of low cost, wide availability, less regulatory and husbandry challenges, and the existence of a versatile reagent and genetic toolbox. However, adult mice do not robustly transmit SARS-CoV-2 .
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe evidence- and consensus-based guideline on atopic eczema was developed in accordance with the EuroGuiDerm Guideline and Consensus Statement Development Manual. Four consensus conferences were held between December 2020 and July 2021. Twenty-nine experts (including clinicians and patient representatives) from 12 European countries participated.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFLong noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) have emerged as critical regulators of gene expression, yet their contribution to immune regulation in humans remains poorly understood. Here, we report that the primate-specific lncRNA is induced by influenza A virus and SARS-CoV-2 infection and coordinates the expression of interferon-stimulated genes (ISGs) that execute antiviral responses. depletion in human macrophages reduces histone acetylation at regulatory regions of ISG loci and attenuates ISG expression in response to microbial stimuli.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFJ Eur Acad Dermatol Venereol
September 2022
Background: The emergence of recombinant viruses is a threat to public health. Recombination of viral variants may combine variant-specific features that together catalyze viral escape from treatment or immunity. The selective advantages of recombinant SARS-CoV-2 isolates over their parental lineages remain unknown.
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