Machine learning for precision diagnostics of autoimmunity.

Early and accurate diagnosis is crucial to prevent disease development and define therapeutic strategies. Due to predominantly unspecific symptoms, diagnosis of autoimmune diseases (AID) is notoriously challenging. Clinical decision support systems (CDSS) are a promising method with the potential to enhance and expedite precise diagnostics by physicians.

Bryophyllum pinnatum Inhibits Oxytocin and Vasopressin Signaling in Myometrial Cells.

The medicinal plant was previously shown to block oxytocin (OT)-induced signals in myometrial cells, consistent with its tocolytic effect observed in patients. OT activates not only OT receptors but also V receptors, two receptors with high receptor homology that are both expressed in the myometrium and play a crucial role in myometrial contraction signaling. We aimed to study the molecular pharmacology of herbal preparations using specific receptor ligands, the human myometrial cell line hTERT-C3, and cell lines expressing recombinant human OT and V receptors.

How Technical Innovations May Help to Prevent Drug Shortages in Switzerland.

In this work, we investigated the technical feasibility of 'on-demand' production of selected drugs to cover their demand for a time window of 90 days. We focused on two sub-processes 'automated chemical synthesis' and 'formulation in micropellets'  to enable personalized dosing. The production of drugs 'on-demand' is challenging, important, but also attractive.

Geochemical landscapes as drivers of wildlife reproductive success: Insights from a high-Arctic ecosystem.

The bioavailability of essential and non-essential elements in vegetation is expected to influence the performance of free-ranging terrestrial herbivores. However, attempts to relate the use of geochemical landscapes by animal populations directly to reproductive output are currently lacking. Here we measured concentrations of 14 essential and non-essential elements in soil and vegetation samples collected in the Zackenberg valley, northeast Greenland, and linked these to environmental conditions to spatially predict and map geochemical landscapes.