Cluster of Legionellosis Cases Associated with Manufacturing Process, South Carolina, USA, 2022.

Evolving technology and the development of new devices that can aerosolize water present a risk for new sources of Legionella bacteria growth and spread within industrial settings. We investigated a cluster of legionellosis among employees of a manufacturing facility in South Carolina, USA, and found 2 unique equipment sources of Legionella bacteria. The cluster of cases took place during August-November 2022; a total of 34 cases of legionellosis, including 15 hospitalizations and 2 deaths, were reported.

NuInsSeg: A fully annotated dataset for nuclei instance segmentation in H&E-stained histological images.

In computational pathology, automatic nuclei instance segmentation plays an essential role in whole slide image analysis. While many computerized approaches have been proposed for this task, supervised deep learning (DL) methods have shown superior segmentation performances compared to classical machine learning and image processing techniques. However, these models need fully annotated datasets for training which is challenging to acquire, especially in the medical domain.

Effectiveness of oral prednisone tapering following intravenous methylprednisolone for acute optic neuritis in multiple sclerosis.

Acute optic neuritis treatment lacks standardized protocols. The value of oral prednisone taper (OPT) following intravenous methylprednisolone (IVMP) on visual outcome parameters in optic neuritis (ON) has never been explored. In the present retrospective study, we investigated whether OPT after IVMP affects the structural and functional visual outcomes of inaugural clinically isolated syndrome (CIS)- or multiple sclerosis (MS)-ON.

Forages and pastures symposium: forage biodegradation: advances in ruminal microbial ecology.

The rumen microbial ecosystem provides ruminants a selective advantage, the ability to utilize forages, allowing them to flourish worldwide in various environments. For many years, our understanding of the ruminal microbial ecosystem was limited to understanding the microbes (usually only laboratory-amenable bacteria) grown in pure culture, meaning that much of our understanding of ruminal function remained a "black box." However, the ruminal degradation of plant cell walls is performed by a consortium of bacteria, archaea, protozoa, and fungi that produces a wide variety of carbohydrate-active enzymes (CAZymes) that are responsible for the catabolism of cellulose, hemicellulose, and pectin.

Mortality prediction of the frailty syndrome in patients with severe mitral regurgitation.

In this prospective observational study, we investigated the impact of geriatric syndromes and frailty on mortality and evaluated the prognostic value of different frailty, nutritional, and geriatric assessment tools in high-risk patients with severe mitral valve regurgitation (MR) who were evaluated for mitral valve therapies including surgical, interventional, and conservative treatment options. We prospectively assessed multiple parameters including the CONUT Score, the Katz Index of independence in activities of daily living (ADL), the Fried Frailty Phenotype (FFP), and the Essential Frailty Toolset (EFT) Score in 127 patients with severe symptomatic MR requiring surgical/interventional treatment versus conservative monitoring. We compared their predictive value on mortality including multivariate regression analysis to identify the most suitable tool to predict outcomes in these patient groups.

Neuro-ophthalmological Presentation of Optic Neuritis in Myelin Oligodendrocyte Glycoprotein Antibody-Associated Disease.

Myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein antibody-associated disease (MOGAD) is a rare demyelinating autoimmune disorder of the central nervous system. MOGAD frequently manifests with severe, bilateral, and episodes of recurrent optic neuritis (ON) and is an important differential diagnosis to multiple sclerosis and aquaporin-4-IgG seropositive neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorders. Besides ON, the clinical manifestations of MOGAD commonly include transverse myelitis, acute disseminated encephalomyelitis, and brain stem encephalitis.

Frailty, malnutrition, and the endocrine system impact outcome in patients undergoing aortic valve replacement.

Background: Frailty is a multidimensional syndrome that affects mortality after aortic valve replacement (AVR). Malnutrition is often associated with the development of frailty. However, data regarding the association of frailty with nutritional status and underlying endocrinological dysregulation in patients with severe aortic valve stenosis are limited.

Dapagliflozin reduces thrombin generation and platelet activation: implications for cardiovascular risk reduction in type 2 diabetes mellitus.

Aims/hypothesis: People with diabetes have an increased cardiovascular risk with an accelerated development of atherosclerosis and an elevated mortality rate after myocardial infarction. Therefore, cardioprotective effects of glucose-lowering therapies are of major importance for the pharmacotherapy of individuals with type 2 diabetes. For sodium-glucose cotransporter 2 inhibitors (SGLT2is), in addition to a reduction in blood glucose, beneficial effects on atherosclerosis, obesity, renal function and blood pressure have been observed.

Tumor DNA methylation profiles correlate with response to anti-PD-1 immune checkpoint inhibitor monotherapy in sarcoma patients.

Background: Some sarcomas respond to immune checkpoint inhibition, but predictive biomarkers are unknown. We analyzed tumor DNA methylation profiles in relation to immunological parameters and response to anti-programmed cell death 1 (anti-PD-1) immune checkpoint inhibitor (ICI) therapy in patients with sarcoma.

Patients And Methods: We retrospectively identified adult patients who had received anti-PD-1 ICI therapy for recurrent sarcoma in two independent centers.

LAG-3 expression in the inflammatory microenvironment of glioma.

Purpose: Immune modulatory therapies including immune checkpoint inhibitors have so far failed to result in clinically meaningful efficacy in glioma. We aimed to investigate lymphocyte activation gene 3 (LAG-3), an inhibitory receptor on immune cells and target of second-generation immune checkpoint inhibitors, in glioma.

Methods: 97 patients with diffuse glioma (68 with glioblastoma, 29 with WHO grade II-III glioma) were identified from the Neuro-Biobank of the Medical University of Vienna.

Complete mitochondrial genomes provide current refined phylogenomic hypotheses for relationships among ten species.

is the most species-rich genus of the passerine swallow family (Hirundinidae) and has a cosmopolitan distribution. Here we report the complete, annotated mitochondrial genomes for 25 individuals from 10 of the 14 extant species; these include representatives from four subspecies of the barn swallow, . Mitogenomes were conserved in size, ranging from 18,500 to 18,700 base pairs.

Soluble PD-L1 is associated with local and systemic inflammation markers in primary and secondary brain tumours.

Background: Immune-modulatory treatments have so far shown limited clinical activity in primary brain tumours. We aimed to investigate soluble programmed death receptor ligand 1 (sPD-L1) as systemic inflammation parameter in patients with brain tumour.

Methods: EDTA plasma was collected from 81 glioma (55 glioblastoma (GBM), 26 lower-grade glioma (LGG)), 17 meningioma and 44 brain metastasis (BM) patients and 24 controls.

Mesenchymal Plasticity Regulated by Prrx1 Drives Aggressive Pancreatic Cancer Biology.

Background & Aims: Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is characterized by a fibroblast-rich desmoplastic stroma. Cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) have been shown to display a high degree of interconvertible states including quiescent, inflammatory, and myofibroblastic phenotypes; however, the mechanisms by which this plasticity is achieved are poorly understood. Here, we aim to elucidate the role of CAF plasticity and its impact on PDAC biology.

[Suspected cardiac amyloidosis - diagnostic steps for evaluation].

Cardiac amyloidosis is a rare cause of cardiomyopathy, however, it is part of an underdiagnosed underlying systemic disease. For transthyretin (ATTR) amyloidosis, which is caused by the deposition of incorrectly folded transthyretin, either as the wild-type (wtATTR) or mutated (mATTR) form, novel evidence-based treatment options were recently shown to reduce disease progression as well as hospitalisation rates for heart failure. Thus, it is important to establish early and reliable diagnosis of cardiac involvement with ATTR amyloidosis.

Implementing cell-free DNA of pancreatic cancer patient-derived organoids for personalized oncology.

One of the major challenges in using pancreatic cancer patient-derived organoids (PDOs) in precision oncology is the time from biopsy to functional characterization. This is particularly true for endoscopic ultrasound-guided fine-needle aspiration biopsies, typically resulting in specimens with limited tumor cell yield. Here, we tested conditioned media of individual PDOs for cell-free DNA to detect driver mutations already early on during the expansion process to accelerate the genetic characterization of PDOs as well as subsequent functional testing.

4-Methylumbelliferone improves the thermogenic capacity of brown adipose tissue.

Therapeutic increase of brown adipose tissue (BAT) thermogenesis is of great interest as BAT activation counteracts obesity and insulin resistance. Hyaluronan (HA) is a glycosaminoglycan, found in the extracellular matrix, which is synthesized by HA synthases (Has1/Has2/Has3) from sugar precursors and accumulates in diabetic conditions. Its synthesis can be inhibited by the small molecule 4-methylumbelliferone (4-MU).

Decreased M1 macrophage polarization in dabigatran-treated Ldlr-deficient mice: Implications for atherosclerosis and adipose tissue inflammation.

Background And Aims: The non-vitamin K oral anticoagulant dabigatran etexilate (dabigatran) is increasingly prescribed to patients with non-valvular atrial fibrillation and venous thromboembolism. Adipose tissue (AT) inflammation during obesity plays a crucial role in the development of insulin resistance, type II diabetes and atherogenesis. The aim of the present study was to investigate the effects of thrombin inhibition by dabigatran in a combined model of diet-induced obesity and atherosclerosis.

Disparate Impact of Ischemic Injury on Regional Wall Dysfunction in Acute Anterior vs Inferior Myocardial Infarction.

Background: Acute transmural ischemia should induce similar magnitude of wall motion abnormality (WMA) in both anterior myocardial infarction (AMI) and inferior (IMI). However, patients with AMI generally suffer more severe hemodynamic compromise.

Methods: This retrospective study compared WMA's in ST segment elevation MI patients undergoing primary reperfusion and subsequent cardiac MRI.

Non-canonical activation of CREB mediates neuroprotection in a Caenorhabditis elegans model of excitotoxic necrosis.

Excitotoxicity, caused by exaggerated neuronal stimulation by Glutamate (Glu), is a major cause of neurodegeneration in brain ischemia. While we know that neurodegeneration is triggered by overstimulation of Glu-receptors (GluRs), the subsequent mechanisms that lead to cellular demise remain controversial. Surprisingly, signaling downstream of GluRs can also activate neuroprotective pathways.

Planning percutaneous coronary interventions using computed tomography angiography and fractional flow reserve-derived from computed tomography: A state-of-the-art review.

Fractional flow reserve derived by coronary computed tomography angiography (CTA; FFRCT) is an accurate noninvasive method for identifying coronary artery disease (CAD) and detecting hemodynamically significant stenosis. Although initially proposed as noninvasive tools to "rule out" significant CAD in low-risk patients, CTA and FFRCT are now utilized in higher-risk patients. Furthermore, new applications of CTA and FFRCT include a planning tool for percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI), which allows the cardiologist to assess lesion-specific ischemia, plan stent locations and sizes, and use virtual remodeling of the lumen (virtual stenting) to assess the functional impact of PCI.