Publications by authors named "Gruber F"

Importance: Sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (sCJD) is a rare, rapidly progressive and fatal neurodegenerative disease. Definite sCJD diagnosis can only be made post mortem, and little is known about the prodromal phase of the disease.

Objective: To compare drug prescription patterns before the clinical onset of sCJD between patients and matched controls for exploration of potential risk factors and to assess correlations between drug exposure and sCJD survival.

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The epidermis of the skin and skin appendages, such as nails, hair and sebaceous glands, depend on a balance of cell proliferation and terminal differentiation in order to fulfill their functions at the interface of the body and the environment. The differentiation of epithelial cells of the skin, commonly referred to as keratinocytes, involves major remodeling processes that generate metabolically inactive cell remnants serving as building blocks of the epidermal stratum corneum, nail plates and hair shafts. Only sebaceous gland differentiation results in cell disintegration and holocrine secretion.

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  • * New research tools are helping scientists study senescence more effectively, but identifying senescent cells remains challenging because of a lack of clear markers.
  • * The "minimum information for cellular senescence experimentation in vivo" (MICSE) guidelines offer a comprehensive resource on senescence markers in different organisms and types of tissues to enhance the study of senescent cells.
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  • Researchers focused on inhibiting Cbl-b, a protein that regulates T cell activation, to explore its therapeutic potential.
  • After screening a vast DNA-encoded library, they identified a promising compound that was confirmed through biochemical assays.
  • Optimization efforts were enhanced by obtaining a cocrystal structure, revealing how the compound binds to the SH2 domain of Cbl-b, although its effectiveness in cells was limited to high concentrations.
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Two-dimensional (2D) materials exhibit the potential to transform semiconductor technology. Their rich compositional and stacking varieties allow tailoring materials' properties toward device applications. Monolayer to multilayer gallium sulfide (GaS) with its ultraviolet band gap, which can be tuned by varying the layer number, holds promise for solar-blind photodiodes and light-emitting diodes as applications.

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  • Sebaceous glands play a key role in acne, but their impact on other skin diseases like psoriasis and atopic dermatitis is still not fully understood.
  • A study examined sebaceous glands' gene expression in human skin samples from patients with these conditions, finding distinct patterns related to lipid metabolism and inflammation.
  • The results indicate that sebaceous glands actively influence inflammation in skin diseases and contribute to skin health differently depending on the condition.
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Male contraceptive options and infertility treatments are limited, and almost all innovation has been limited to updates to medically assisted reproduction protocols and methods. To accelerate the development of drugs that can either improve or inhibit fertility, we established a small molecule library as a toolbox for assay development and screening campaigns using human spermatozoa. We have profiled all compounds in the Sperm Toolbox in several automated high-throughput assays that measure stimulation or inhibition of sperm motility or the acrosome reaction.

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DNA encoded library (DEL) synthesis represents a convenient means to produce, annotate and store large collections of compounds in a small volume. While DELs are well suited for drug discovery campaigns, the chemistry used in their production must be compatible with the DNA tag, which can limit compound class accessibility. As a result, most DELs are heavily populated with peptidomimetic and sp -rich molecules.

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In situ transmission electron microscopy (TEM) observations of the metal-organic vapor phase epitaxy (MOVPE) growth promise to enhance the understanding of this complex process. However, a new experimental approach is required, capable of live imaging at the atomic scale and simultaneously reflecting this method's elevated pressures. To this end, a closed gas cell in situ TEM setup is used as a micrometer-scaled MOVPE reactor to grow GaP using tertiary butyl phosphine (TBP) and trimethyl gallium (TMGa).

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  • Researchers are investigating how morphogenetic movements are coordinated during the development of the wing in pupae, focusing on the mechanical and cellular behaviors involved.
  • Previous studies indicated that wing morphogenesis includes behaviors for stress relaxation and other patterned actions, but this new research shows these active cellular behaviors do not rely on a key signaling pathway called core planar cell polarity (PCP).
  • Experiments demonstrated that while core PCP mutations could alter quick responses to certain disturbances, they do not significantly impact the overall mechanics of tissue shape changes during wing development.
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The book De Medicina by Aulus Cornelius Celsus was the first complete treatise about medicine written in Latin. We know little about his life. The monography consists of eight books describing all that was known within the whole sphere of medicine and surgery in the first century AD.

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Human skin equivalents (HSEs) are three-dimensional skin organ culture models raised in vitro. This review gives an overview of common techniques for setting up HSEs. The HSE consists of an artificial dermis and epidermis.

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Linoleic acid (LA) is an essential omega-6 polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) derived from the diet. Sebocytes, whose primary role is to moisturise the skin, process free fatty acids (FFAs) to produce the lipid-rich sebum. Importantly, like other sebum components such as palmitic acid (PA), LA and its derivative arachidonic acid (AA) are known to modulate sebocyte functions.

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Complement factor H (CFH) negatively regulates consumption of complement component 3 (C3), thereby restricting complement activation. Genetic variants in CFH predispose to chronic inflammatory disease. Here, we examined the impact of CFH on atherosclerosis development.

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The spatial boundaries of tissue response to wounding are unknown. Here, we show that in mammals, the ribosomal protein S6 (rpS6) is phosphorylated in response to skin injury, forming a zone of activation surrounding the region of the initial insult. This p-rpS6-zone forms within minutes after wounding and is present until healing is complete.

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Atopic dermatitis (AD) is a complex disease characterized by chronic recurring eczema and pruritus. In addition, patients with AD display increased cutaneous and systemic levels of oxidative damage markers, whose source remains elusive. In this study, we investigated oxidative and mitochondrial stress in AD epidermis.

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NRF2 is a master regulator of the cellular protection against oxidative damage in mammals and of multiple pathways relevant in the mammalian aging process. In the epidermis of the skin NRF2 contributes additionally to the formation of an antioxidant barrier to protect from environmental insults and is involved in the differentiation process of keratinocytes. In chronological aging of skin, the capacity for antioxidant responses and the ability to restore homeostasis after damage are impaired.

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  • Autophagy is a crucial process for cellular self-digestion that supports stress response, development, and aging by regulating lipid balance and protein stability.
  • In experiments with mice lacking autophagy in skin cells, researchers found that while skin structure remained intact, these mice were more prone to damage and exhibited signs of accelerated aging.
  • Analysis revealed that autophagy-deficient mice had reduced storage lipids and changes in fatty acid composition, along with altered expression of lipid transport proteins, indicating that proper autophagic function is important for maintaining skin lipid health as mammals age.
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Skin diseases are easily diagnosable by observation. Authors in ancient times already wrote on these diseases, if only succinctly. In the sixteenth century, Mercuriale, a famous Italian physician who taught in Padua, Bologna, and Pisa, wrote "The morbis cutaneis", the first book on the subject.

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The accumulation of senescent cells in tissues alters tissue homeostasis and affects wound healing. It is also considered to be the main contributing factor to aging. In addition to losing their ability to divide, senescent cells exert detrimental effects on surrounding tissues through their senescence-associated secretory phenotype (SASP).

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There is a need for non-hormonal contraceptives. One area that needs further investigation is the development of male contraceptives. Comparatively little is understood about potential drug targets in men to achieve a reversible contraceptive effect.

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