Clinical Characterization and Prognostic Risk Factors of Susac Syndrome: A Retrospective Multicenter Study.

Background And Objectives: Susac syndrome (SuS) is a rare disorder characterized by encephalopathy, branch retinal artery occlusion, and sensorineural hearing loss, often accompanied by vertigo. Recent updates to diagnostic criteria and treatment guidelines have been made. This study examines clinical manifestations; disease activity; and risk factors of disability, dependency, and return to work in patients with SuS.

Melatonin's Impact on Cytokine Storm and Modulation of Purinergic Receptors for COVID-19 Prognosis: A Mental Health Perspective.

In 2019, coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) started a global health crisis and was associated with high rates of depression and anxiety. Both mental disorders and COVID-19 exhibit similarities in pathophysiology, characterized by immune system overactivation, involvement of the purinergic system, and oxidative stress, besides additional factors and systems likely contributing to the complexities of these conditions. The purinergic system contributes to the disease-influenced immune response, an essential strategy for controlling pathophysiological effects.

Echocardiographic characteristics of autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease.

Cardiovascular complications in patients with autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease (ADPKD) are frequently investigated extrarenal manifestations with contradictory outcomes. The primary goal of this study is to explore the prevalence of cardiovascular abnormalities using echocardiography and analyze their associations with clinical characteristics at different stages of chronic kidney disease (CKD) progression in ADPKD patients. We included sixty-eight patients in the study.

Hypoxia is linked to acquired resistance to immune checkpoint inhibitors in lung cancer.

Despite the established use of immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) to treat non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), only a subset of patients benefit from treatment and ∼50% of patients whose tumors respond eventually develop acquired resistance (AR). To identify novel drivers of AR, we generated murine Msh2 knock-out (KO) lung tumors that initially responded but eventually developed AR to anti-PD-1, alone or in combination with anti-CTLA-4. Resistant tumors harbored decreased infiltrating T cells and reduced cancer cell-intrinsic MHC-I and MHC-II levels, yet remained responsive to IFNγ.

Chitins and chitosans-A tale of discovery and disguise, of attachment and attainment.

Chitin polymers are an essential structural component of fungal cell walls, but host chitinases can weaken them, contributing to disease resistance in fungal pathogens. Chitin oligomers thus produced are immunogenic signal molecules eliciting additional disease resistance mechanisms. Fungi may counteract these, e.

Three intertwining effects guide the mode of action of chitin deacetylase de- and N-acetylation reactions.

Chitosans are promising multi-functional biomolecules for various applications whose performance is dependent on three key structural parameters, including the pattern of acetylation (PA). To date, chitin deacetylases (CDAs) are the only tool to control the PA of chitosan polymers via their specific mode of action during de- or N-acetylation. For a start, this review summarizes the current state of research on the classification of carbohydrate esterase 4 enzymes, the features in sequence and structure of CDAs, and the different PAs produced by different CDAs during de- or N-acetylation.

Follow-up assessment of the microvascular function in patients with long COVID.

Long COVID is a complex pathophysiological condition. However, accumulating data suggests that COVID-19 is a systemic microvascular endothelial dysfunction with different clinical manifestations. In this study, a microvascular function was assessed in long COVID patients (n = 33) and healthy controls (n = 30) using flow-mediated skin fluorescence technique (FMSF), based on measurements of nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide fluorescence intensity during brachial artery occlusion (ischemic response, IR) and immediately after occlusion (hyperemic response, HR).

Transcriptomics reveal a mechanism of niche defense: two beneficial root endophytes deploy an antimicrobial GH18-CBM5 chitinase to protect their hosts.

Effector secretion is crucial for root endophytes to establish and protect their ecological niche. We used time-resolved transcriptomics to monitor effector gene expression dynamics in two closely related Sebacinales, Serendipita indica and Serendipita vermifera, during symbiosis with three plant species, competition with the phytopathogenic fungus Bipolaris sorokiniana, and cooperation with root-associated bacteria. We observed increased effector gene expression in response to biotic interactions, particularly with plants, indicating their importance in host colonization.

Heterogeneously deacetylated chitosans possess an unexpected regular pattern favoring acetylation at every third position.

Chitosans are promising biopolymers for diverse applications, with material properties and bioactivities depending i.a. on their pattern of acetylation (PA).

Applicability of the New Myelin Oligodendrocyte Glycoprotein Antibody-associated Disease Diagnostic Criteria in an Israeli Cohort.

Background: Myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein antibody-associated disease (MOGAD) is a rare autoimmune demyelinating disorder of the central nervous system. Optic neuritis (ON) is the most common clinical manifestation of MOGAD in adults. In 2023, new MOGAD diagnostic criteria were proposed, highlighting the importance of supplemental criteria when MOG-immunoglobulin G (IgG) titers are unavailable.

Intratumoral Escherichia Is Associated With Improved Survival to Single-Agent Immune Checkpoint Inhibition in Patients With Advanced Non-Small-Cell Lung Cancer.

PURPOSEThe impact of the intratumoral microbiome on immune checkpoint inhibitor (ICI) efficacy in patients with non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is unknown. Preclinically, intratumoral Escherichia is associated with a proinflammatory tumor microenvironment and decreased metastases. We sought to determine whether intratumoral Escherichia is associated with outcome to ICI in patients with NSCLC.

Intratumoral immune triads are required for immunotherapy-mediated elimination of solid tumors.

Tumor-specific CD8 T cells are frequently dysfunctional and unable to halt tumor growth. We investigated whether tumor-specific CD4 T cells can be enlisted to overcome CD8 T cell dysfunction within tumors. We find that the spatial positioning and interactions of CD8 and CD4 T cells, but not their numbers, dictate anti-tumor responses in the context of adoptive T cell therapy as well as immune checkpoint blockade (ICB): CD4 T cells must engage with CD8 T cells on the same dendritic cell during the effector phase, forming a three-cell-type cluster (triad) to license CD8 T cell cytotoxicity and cancer cell elimination.

Immunohistochemical marker profiles for the differentiation of collagenous spherulosis from adenoid cystic carcinoma of the breast.

Collagenous spherulosis (CS) is a rare breast lesion of unknown histogenesis. Adenoid cystic carcinoma (ACC) is a rare basal-like breast carcinoma with low histological grade. CS is a benign lesion but resembles ACC.

Peripheral biomarkers as a predictor of poor prognosis in severe cases of COVID-19.

We evaluated glycemia and triglyceride, hepatic, muscular, and renal damage markers, redox profile, and leptin and ghrelin hormone levels in COVID-19 patients. We also conducted statistical analysis to verify the potential of biomarkers to predict poor prognosis and the correlation between them in severe cases. We assessed glycemia and the levels of triglycerides, hepatic, muscular, and renal markers in automatized biochemical analyzer.

A rare case of isolated persistent left superior vena cava diagnosed by echocardiography.

Background: The persistent left superior vena cava (PLSVC) is an infrequent vascular variant. PLSVC with absent right superior vena cava, also known as isolated PLSVC, is an exceptionally rare entity. In this case we present a patient with isolated PLSVC draining to coronary sinus, diagnosed incidentally during echocardiography.

Red Blood Cell Adenylate Energetics Is Related to Endothelial and Microvascular Function in Long COVID.

Adenine nucleotides play a critical role in maintaining essential functions of red blood cells (RBCs), including energy metabolism, redox status, shape fluctuations and RBC-dependent endothelial and microvascular functions. Recently, it has been shown that infection with the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) might lead to morphological and metabolic alterations in erythrocytes in both mild and severe cases of coronavirus disease (COVID-19). However, little is known about the effects of COVID-19 on the nucleotide energetics of RBCs nor about the potential contribution of nucleotide metabolism to the long COVID syndrome.

Association between clinical characteristics, acute steroid treatment and oligoclonal bands result in multiple sclerosis: A retrospective study.

Background: Detection of oligoclonal bands (OCBs) in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) is important for diagnosis of multiple sclerosis (MS). Previous studies reported that treatment with intravenous methylprednisolone (IVMP) before lumber puncture (LP) could suppress OCBs production. The aim of this study was to assess whether IVMP initiation prior to CSF collection affects OCBs results in patients with an acute demyelinating event.

The usefulness of speckle tracking echocardiography for the prediction of cardiac involvement in patients with biopsy-proven sarcoidosis.

Introduction: Cardiac sarcoidosis (CS) is commonly diagnosed based on clinical criteria and abnormalities in noninvasive imaging reported in patients with biopsy-proven extracardiac sarcoidosis. Electrocardiogram and two-dimensional echocardiography have a low sensitivity for CS detection. Cardiovascular magnetic resonance imaging (CMR) and positron emission tomography (PET) have limitations in terms of cost and availability.

Mechanisms of Vascular Inflammation and Potential Therapeutic Targets: A Position Paper From the ESH Working Group on Small Arteries.

Inflammatory responses in small vessels play an important role in the development of cardiovascular diseases, including hypertension, stroke, and small vessel disease. This involves various complex molecular processes including oxidative stress, inflammasome activation, immune-mediated responses, and protein misfolding, which together contribute to microvascular damage. In addition, epigenetic factors, including DNA methylation, histone modifications, and microRNAs influence vascular inflammation and injury.