Arthroscopic subscapularis repair using the subscapularis interlocking (SICK)-stitch technique leads to restoration of clinical function with low complication and revision rates.

Background: The purpose of this study is to determine the mid-term outcome after arthroscopic subscapularis tendon (SCP) reconstruction using the subscapularis interlocking (SICK)-stitch technique. The hypotheses are that arthroscopically repaired SCP lesions using the SICK-stitch show a good restoration of shoulder function with low complication and failure rates.

Methods: This is a retrospective monocentric study of n = 199 patients (n = 106 female) with arthroscopically treated SCP tears with the interlocking (SICK) stitch technique from July 2013 to October 2018.

Midterm outcomes of autologous bridging of rotator cuff tears with an autologous tendon patch (TEAR patch).

Background: Large and massive rotator cuff tears and tears after failed surgical repair are a challenging clinical problem with different treatment options. The purpose of the study was to evaluate the midterm outcomes after rotator cuff repair (RCR) with autologous hamstring tendon graft bridging (tissue-enhanced autologous rotator cuff repair [TEAR] patch) with the hypothesis that outcomes would be reasonable and complication rates would be low.

Methods: This is a retrospective case series study of patients who underwent open RCR using a TEAR patch from June 2015 to March 2019.

Anterolateral Acromioplasty Does Not Change the Critical Shoulder Angle and Acromion Index in a Clinically Relevant Amount.

Purpose: Assessment on whether radiographic parameters of the acromion measured in radiographs change significantly after anterolateral acromioplasty.

Methods: This retrospective study included patients that underwent an arthroscopic anterolateral acromioplasty between January 2014 and September 2020. n = 435 subjects with high-quality preoperative and postoperative radiographs according to Suter-Henninger criteria were included in the final assessment.

CD85k Contributes to Regulatory T Cell Function in Chronic Viral Infections.

Regulatory T cells (Tregs) prevent excessive immune responses and limit immune pathology upon infections. To fulfill this role in different immune environments elicited by different types of pathogens, Tregs undergo functional specialization into distinct subsets. During acute type 1 immune responses, type 1 Tregs are induced and recruited to the site of ongoing Th1 responses to efficiently control Th1 responses.

Tissue-resident memory Th17 cells maintain stable fungal commensalism in the oral mucosa.

Keeping a stable equilibrium between the host and commensal microbes to which we are constantly exposed, poses a major challenge for the immune system. The host mechanisms that regulate homeostasis of the microbiota to prevent infection and inflammatory disorders are not fully understood. Here, we provide evidence that CD4 tissue-resident memory T (T) cells act as central players in this process.

CSF Neurofilament light chain level predicts axonal damage in cerebral vasculitis.

The rarity of primary angiitis of the central nervous system (PACNS) demands diagnostic and prognostic biomarkers. We retrospectively measured Neurofilament light chain (NFL) concentrations in cerebrospinal fluid in a severely relapsing PACNS patient at multiple time points during the course of the disease. A marked increase in NFL levels preceding the onset of neuro-axonal damage and arterial-vessel abnormalities was observed with magnetic resonance imaging as well as with MR- and conventional angiography.

Persistence of in the Oral Mucosa Induces a Curbed Inflammatory Host Response That Is Independent of Immunosuppression.

Controlled immune activation in response to commensal microbes is critical for the maintenance of stable colonization and prevention of microbial overgrowth on epithelial surfaces. Our understanding of the host mechanisms that regulate bacterial commensalism has increased substantially, however, much less data exist regarding host responses to members of the fungal microbiota on colonized surfaces. Using a murine model of oropharyngeal candidiasis, we have recently shown that differences in immune activation in response to diverse natural isolates of are associated with different outcomes of the host-fungal interaction.

The Skin Commensal Yeast Malassezia Triggers a Type 17 Response that Coordinates Anti-fungal Immunity and Exacerbates Skin Inflammation.

Commensal fungi of the mammalian skin, such as those of the genus Malassezia, are associated with atopic dermatitis and other common inflammatory skin disorders. Understanding of the causative relationship between fungal commensalism and disease manifestation remains incomplete. By developing a murine epicutaneous infection model, we found Malassezia spp.

Common Features of Regulatory T Cell Specialization During Th1 Responses.

CD4Foxp3 Treg cells are essential for maintaining self-tolerance and preventing excessive immune responses. In the context of Th1 immune responses, co-expression of the Th1 transcription factor T-bet with Foxp3 is essential for Treg cells to control Th1 responses. T-bet-dependent expression of CXCR3 directs Treg cells to the site of inflammation.

Identification of Candida albicans regulatory genes governing mucosal infection.

The fungus Candida albicans thrives on a variety of human mucosae, yet the fungal determinants that contribute to fitness on these surfaces remain underexplored. Here, by screening a collection of C. albicans deletion strains in a mouse model of oral infection (oropharyngeal candidiasis), we identify several novel regulatory genes that modulate the fitness of the fungus in this locale.

A hybrid approach identifies metabolic signatures of high-producers for chinese hamster ovary clone selection and process optimization.

In-depth characterization of high-producer cell lines and bioprocesses is vital to ensure robust and consistent production of recombinant therapeutic proteins in high quantity and quality for clinical applications. This requires applying appropriate methods during bioprocess development to enable meaningful characterization of CHO clones and processes. Here, we present a novel hybrid approach for supporting comprehensive characterization of metabolic clone performance.

Antigen-Specific Th17 Cells Are Primed by Distinct and Complementary Dendritic Cell Subsets in Oropharyngeal Candidiasis.

Candida spp. can cause severe and chronic mucocutaneous and systemic infections in immunocompromised individuals. Protection from mucocutaneous candidiasis depends on T helper cells, in particular those secreting IL-17.

Impact of socio-economic factors on the long-term effectiveness of antihypertensive treatment with an angiotensin II receptor blocker: an observational study.

Objective: To investigate the role of socio-economic factors on the therapeutic effectiveness of and therapeutic adherence to the angiotensin II receptor blocker (ARB) olmesartan (OM) alone or in combination with hydrochlorothiazide in the treatment of arterial hypertension.

Research Design And Methods: In a multi-center, open-label, prospective and long-term observational study, data from hypertensive patients treated with OM were analyzed at baseline, month 3 and month 12 within the context of patients' socio-economic status (SES), determined using pre-defined criteria by physicians in outpatient practices and including multivariate analysis.

Results: Overall, 7724 patients were assigned to three subgroups representing low, medium and high socio-economic status.

Homozygous founder mutation in desmocollin-2 (DSC2) causes arrhythmogenic cardiomyopathy in the Hutterite population.

Background: Dominant mutations in cellular junction proteins are the major cause of arrhythmogenic cardiomyopathy, whereas recessive mutations in those proteins cause cardiocutaneous syndromes such as Naxos and Carvajal syndrome. The Hutterites are distinct genetic isolates who settled in North America in 1874. Descended from <100 founders, they trace their origins to 16th-century Europe.

Molecular insights into arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy caused by plakophilin-2 missense mutations.

Background: Arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy (ARVC) is an inherited cardiac disorder mainly caused by dominant mutations in several components of the cardiac desmosome including plakophilin-2 (PKP2), the most prevalent disease gene. Little is known about the underlying genetic and molecular mechanisms of missense mutations located in the armadillo (ARM) domains of PKP2, as well as their consequences on human cardiac pathology.

Methods And Results: We focused on in vivo and in vitro studies of the PKP2 founder mutation c.

Stress-induced dilated cardiomyopathy in a knock-in mouse model mimicking human titin-based disease.

Mutations in a variety of myofibrillar genes cause dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) in humans, usually with dominant inheritance and incomplete penetrance. Here, we sought to clarify the functional effects of the previously identified DCM-causing TTN 2-bp insertion mutation (c.43628insAT) and generated a titin knock-in mouse model mimicking the c.