Transition metal transporting P-type ATPases: terminal metal-binding domains serve as sensors for autoinhibitory tails.

Copper is an essential micronutrient and yet is highly toxic to cells at elevated concentrations. P-ATPase proteins are critical for this regulation, providing active extrusion across cellular membranes. One unique molecular adaptation of P-ATPases compared to other P-type ATPases is the presence of metal-binding domains (MBDs) at the cytosolic termini, which however are poorly characterized with an elusive mechanistic role.

RhD-negative red blood cells can be saved during liver transplantation in RhD-negative patients due to low risk of alloimmunization against RhD.

Background: Transfusion demand is high in liver transplantation (LT), and thus RhD-positive (RhD+) red blood cell concentrates (RBCs) are sometimes given to RhD-negative (RhD-) patients. Due to immunosuppression, these patients rarely produce anti-D. We investigated the rate of anti-D formation in RhD- patients undergoing LT who were transfused with RhD+ RBCs as well as the number of transfused RhD- and RhD+ RBCs.

Poly(Sitosterol)-Based Hydrophobic Blocks in Amphiphilic Block Copolymers for the Assembly of Hybrid Vesicles.

Amphiphilic block copolymer and lipids can be assembled into hybrid vesicles (HVs), which are an alternative to liposomes and polymersomes. Block copolymers that have either poly(sitostryl methacrylate) or statistical copolymers of sitosteryl methacrylate and butyl methacrylate as the hydrophobic part and a poly(carboxyethyl acrylate) hydrophilic segment are synthesized and characterized. These block copolymers assemble into small HVs with soybean L-α-phosphatidylcholine (soyPC), confirmed by electron microscopy and small-angle X-ray scattering.

RHD-negative red cells may be avoided for patients with ambiguous serologic typing for the RHD antigen.

Background And Objectives: Serologic typing with monoclonal anti-D is mandatory for RHD antigen determination before transfusion, but due to aberrant (weak or partial) variants of RHD, results may be ambiguous and molecular RHD-typing is required. Before that, RHD-negative (RHD -) red blood cells concentrates (RBCs) shall be transfused to avoid anti-D formation, which probably leads to wastage of RHD - RBCs. STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS: All patients with ambiguous results in serologic RHD-typing and molecular RHD-typing were assessed retrospectively.

Monitoring the SARS-CoV-2 Pandemic: Prevalence of Antibodies in a Large, Repetitive Cross-Sectional Study of Blood Donors in Germany-Results from the SeBluCo Study 2020-2022.

SARS-CoV-2 serosurveillance is important to adapt infection control measures and estimate the degree of underreporting. Blood donor samples can be used as a proxy for the healthy adult population. In a repeated cross-sectional study from April 2020 to April 2021, September 2021, and April/May 2022, 13 blood establishments collected 134,510 anonymised specimens from blood donors in 28 study regions across Germany.

Can advanced edge enhancement software improve image quality to visualise tubes, catheters and wires in digital chest radiographs?

Introduction: This study aimed to test whether Advanced Edge Enhancement (AEE) software could improve the localisation of tubes, catheters or wires, while also affecting the overall image quality in chest x-rays (CXR).

Methods: In total, 50 retrospective CXRs were included. All images were obtained utilising the Canon X-ray system (CANON/Arcoma Precision T3 DR System, Canon Europe, Amsterdam, NL) with a CXDI-810C wireless detector.

Completing the Donor History Questionnaire before the Donation Visit Can Improve Blood Safety.

Background And Objectives: In Germany, the donor history questionnaire (DHQ) is traditionally filled in at the donation center to avoid any influence of others. Since March 2020, it has been suggested to donors to answer the DHQ already at home and to call if they have any concerns to reduce the number of ineligible donors on-site during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Materials And Methods: We evaluated the rate of ineligible donors before and after March 2020.

Kinetics of the Antibody Response to Boostering With Three Different Vaccines Against SARS-CoV-2.

Background: Heterologous vaccinations against SARS-CoV-2 with ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 and a second dose of an mRNA-based vaccine have been shown to be more immunogenic than homologous ChAdOx1 nCoV-19. In the current study, we examined the kinetics of the antibody response to the second dose of three different vaccination regimens (homologous ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 vs. ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 + BNT162b2 or mRNA-1273) against SARS-CoV-2 in a longitudinal manner; whether there are differences in latency or amplitude of the early response and which markers are most suitable to detect these responses.

Validation of a predictive model for identifying an increased risk for recurrence in adolescents and young adults with a first provoked thromboembolism.

Background: To develop and validate a predictive model to determinate patients at increased risk to suffer from recurrence following a first provoked deep vein thrombosis (VTE).

Methods: Predictive variables, i.e.

Antimicrobial peptides: mechanism of action and lipid-mediated synergistic interactions within membranes.

Biophysical and structural studies of peptide-lipid interactions, peptide topology and dynamics have changed our view of how antimicrobial peptides insert and interact with membranes. Clearly, both peptides and lipids are highly dynamic, and change and mutually adapt their conformation, membrane penetration and detailed morphology on a local and a global level. As a consequence, peptides and lipids can form a wide variety of supramolecular assemblies in which the more hydrophobic sequences preferentially, but not exclusively, adopt transmembrane alignments and have the potential to form oligomeric structures similar to those suggested by the transmembrane helical bundle model.

Donors for SARS-CoV-2 Convalescent Plasma for a Controlled Clinical Trial: Donor Characteristics, Content and Time Course of SARS-CoV-2 Neutralizing Antibodies.

Background: Convalescent plasma is one of the treatment options for COVID-19 which is currently being investigated in many clinical trials. Understanding of donor and product characteristics is important for optimization of convalescent plasma.

Methods: Patients who had recovered from CO-VID-19 were recruited as donors for COVID-19 convalescent plasma (CCP) for a randomized clinical trial of CCP for treatment of severe COVID-19 (CAPSID Trial).

The influence of a novel edge enhancement software on image quality of DR hand images of patients with rheumatoid arthritis.

Introduction: This study aimed to evaluate the effects of a newly developed Advanced Edge Enhancement software (AEE) (Canon Europe, Amsterdam, NL) on image quality (IQ) of Digital Radiography (DR) hand images focusing on rheumatoid arthritis (RA).

Methods And Materials: Fifty posterior-anterior hand images with or suspected for RA were collected. For each of the 50 images, six copies were made with each their AEE algorithm settings.

Revealing the Mechanisms of Synergistic Action of Two Magainin Antimicrobial Peptides.

The study of peptide-lipid and peptide-peptide interactions as well as their topology and dynamics using biophysical and structural approaches have changed our view how antimicrobial peptides work and function. It has become obvious that both the peptides and the lipids arrange in soft supramolecular arrangements which are highly dynamic and able to change and mutually adapt their conformation, membrane penetration, and detailed morphology. This can occur on a local and a global level.

Acquired von Willebrand syndrome in ECMO patients: A 3-year cohort study.

Background: Bleeding is a common but possibly underreported side effect of Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation (ECMO). Impairment of primary hemostasis by acquired von Willebrand syndrome (aVWS) and platelet dysfunction as well as activation and consumption of plasmatic coagulation factors contribute to hemorrhage. The aim of the present cohort study of consecutively enrolled patients admitted to our ECMO center was to collect demographic, medical and laboratory data possibly associated with i) development of clinically relevant bleeding and/or ii) death during a 12-months follow-up.

The Reversible Non-covalent Aggregation Into Fibers of PGLa and Magainin 2 Preserves Their Antimicrobial Activity and Synergism.

Magainin 2 and PGLa are antimicrobial peptides found together in frog skin secretions. When added as a mixture they show an order of magnitude increase in antibacterial activity and in model membrane permeation assays. Here we demonstrate that both peptides can form fibers with beta-sheet/turn signature in ATR-FTIR- and CD-spectroscopic analyses, but with different morphologies in EM images.

Two Novel Variants in the Protein S Gene PROS1 Are Associated with Protein S Deficiency and Thrombophilia.

Protein S (PS) is an important anticoagulant. Its main function is to act as a non-enzymatical cofactor of activated protein C. PS deficiency is defined as low plasma levels of PS and/or loss of function associated with variable risk of venous thromboembolism (VTE).

Role of prothrombin 19911 A>G polymorphism, blood group and male gender in patients with venous thromboembolism: Results of a German cohort study.

The role of the A>G polymorphism at position 19911 in the prothrombin gene (factor [F] 2 at rs3136516) as a risk factor for venous thromboembolism [VTE] is still unclear. To evaluate the presence of the F2 polymorphism in VTE patients compared to healthy blood donors and to adjust the results for common inherited thrombophilias [IT], age at onset and blood group [BG], and to calculate the risk of VTE recurrence. We investigated 1012 Caucasian patients with a diagnosis of VTE for the presence of the F2 rs3136516 polymorphism and compared these with 902 healthy blood donors.