FBXO38 is dispensable for PD-1 regulation.

SKP1-CUL1-F-box protein (SCF) ubiquitin ligases are versatile protein complexes that mediate the ubiquitination of protein substrates. The direct substrate recognition relies on a large family of F-box-domain-containing subunits. One of these substrate receptors is FBXO38, which is encoded by a gene found mutated in families with early-onset distal motor neuronopathy.

Correlative atomic force microscopy and scanning electron microscopy of bacteria-diamond-metal nanocomposites.

Research investigating the interface between biological organisms and nanomaterials nowadays requires multi-faceted microscopic methods to elucidate the interaction mechanisms and effects. Here we describe a novel approach and methodology correlating data from an atomic force microscope inside a scanning electron microscope (AFM-in-SEM). This approach is demonstrated on bacteria-diamond-metal nanocomposite samples relevant in current life science research.

Absolute energy levels in nanodiamonds of different origins and surface chemistries.

Nanodiamonds (NDs) are versatile, broadly available nanomaterials with a set of features highly attractive for applications from biology over energy harvesting to quantum technologies. synthesis and surface chemistry, NDs can be tuned from the sub-micron to the single-digit size, from conductive to insulating, from hydrophobic to hydrophilic, and from positively to negatively charged surface by simple annealing processes. Such ND diversity makes it difficult to understand and take advantage of their electronic properties.

Cervical excisional treatment increases the risk of intraamniotic infection in subsequent pregnancy complicated by preterm prelabor rupture of membranes.

Background: Excisional treatment of cervical intraepithelial neoplasia or very early stages of cervical cancer increases the risk of preterm prelabor rupture of membranes in subsequent pregnancies. The risk increases with the length of the excised cone. The subset of cases with preterm prelabor rupture of membranes and a history of cervical excisional treatment could also be at higher risk of intraamniotic infection/inflammation.

Intra-amniotic inflammation and birth weight in pregnancies with preterm labor with intact membranes: A retrospective cohort study.

Objective: To assess the association between newborn birth weight and the presence of intra-amniotic infection, presence of sterile intra-amniotic inflammation, and absence of intra-amniotic inflammation in pregnancies with preterm labor with intact membranes.

Methods: A total of 69 pregnancies with preterm labor with intact membranes between gestational ages 22 + 0 and 34 + 6 weeks who delivered within seven days of admission were included in this retrospective cohort study. Transabdominal amniocentesis to determine the presence of microorganisms and/or their nucleic acids in amniotic fluid (through culturing and molecular biology methods) and intra-amniotic inflammation (according to amniotic fluid interleukin-6 concentrations) were performed as part of standard clinical management.

Disability and the (dysbiotic) gut: Sensing, tasting and knowing with food.

This article offers insights into eating practices, conceptualising and making of 'good' food by people living with chronic disease. Based on ethnographic research focussing on people with Inflammatory Bowel Disease (Crohn's disease, ulcerative colitis and undefined IBD) in the Czech Republic, we explore what it would mean to conceptualise disability from the non-normative gut. We trace the practices of tinkering with foods and one's body, and ways of learning to sense (with) dysbiotic guts that people with IBD develop.

Sympoietic growth: living and producing with fungi in times of ecological distress.

Drawing upon ethnographic research on human living and producing with fungi, and Haraway's theorization of sympoiesis and the model ecosystems of mycorrhizae developed in current mycological research, we offer a concept of . Sympoiesis is a concept that suggests a way of thinking about growth as a more-than-human process and provides an alternative political imaginary both to current forms of economic growth and to the idea of "degrowth." We explore human-fungi co-operation in forests, an urban park, and a shopping mall, on a miso production farm, and in a Catholic parish to provide insights into the logic and relationships involved in sympoietic growth in the field of agriculture and food production.

How barefoot and conventional shoes affect the foot and gait characteristics in toddlers.

Objectives: Barefoot shoes have recently become a popular alternative to conventional shoes among the parents of pre-school children. As the long-term effect of habitual shoe-wearing on the foot is still unclear, the aim of this study was to compare the arch index, dynamic foot anthropometry and gait parameters in toddlers who had been habitually wearing barefoot shoes or conventional shoes since their first steps.

Methods: 30 toddlers- 15 habitually wearing barefoot shoes (BF group) and 15 habitually wearing conventional shoes (N-BF group)-participated in this study.

Search for a time- and cost-saving genetic testing strategy for maturity-onset diabetes of the young.

Aims: Correct genetic diagnosis of maturity-onset diabetes of the young (MODY) is beneficial for person's diabetes management compared to no genetic testing. Aim of the present study was a search for optimal time- and cost-saving strategies by comparing two approaches of genetic testing of participants with clinical suspicion of MODY.

Methods: A total of 121 consecutive probands referred for suspicion of MODY (Group A) were screened using targeted NGS (tNGS), while the other 112 consecutive probands (Group B) underwent a single gene test based on phenotype, and in cases of negative findings, tNGS was conducted.

The Impact of Different Periods of Walking Experience on Kinematic Gait Parameters in Toddlers.

This study aimed to analyse the kinematic differences in gait between three groups of toddlers who differed in their weeks of independent walking (IW) experience, but not in anthropometrical characteristics, to determine the relationship between walking experience without the side effect of morphological differences on gait parameters. Twenty-six toddlers participated in this study. Depending on the week of their IW, toddlers were divided into three groups: Group 1 (1-5 weeks of IW), Group 2 (6-10 weeks of IW), and Group 3 (11-15 weeks of IW).

Telomerase Interaction Partners-Insight from Plants.

Telomerase, an essential enzyme that maintains chromosome ends, is important for genome integrity and organism development. Various hypotheses have been proposed in human, ciliate and yeast systems to explain the coordination of telomerase holoenzyme assembly and the timing of telomerase performance at telomeres during DNA replication or repair. However, a general model is still unclear, especially pathways connecting telomerase with proposed non-telomeric functions.

Association of Genetic Variants Affecting microRNAs and Pancreatic Cancer Risk.

Genetic factors play an important role in the susceptibility to pancreatic cancer (PC). However, established loci explain a small proportion of genetic heritability for PC; therefore, more progress is needed to find the missing ones. We aimed at identifying single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) affecting PC risk through effects on micro-RNA (miRNA) function.

Long-term donor-site morbidity after thumb reconstruction with twisted-toe technique.

Background: Traumatic thumb loss is a serious injury affecting patient´s ability to work and participate in activities of daily life. The main goal for a plastic surgeon is to restore hand grip, often by microsurgical methods. However, patients should be informed of all effects associated with tissue harvesting.

Growth Inhibition of Gram-Positive and Gram-Negative Bacteria by Zinc Oxide Hedgehog Particles.

Purpose: Nanomaterials for antimicrobial applications have gained interest in recent years due to the increasing bacteria resistance to conventional antibiotics. Wound sterilization, water treatment and surface decontamination all avail from multifunctional materials that also possess excellent antibacterial properties, eg zinc oxide (ZnO). Here, we assess and compare the effects of synthesized hedgehog-like ZnO structures and commercial ZnO particles with and without mixing on the inactivation of bacteria on surfaces and in liquid environments.

Disruption of NAP1 genes in Arabidopsis thaliana suppresses the fas1 mutant phenotype, enhances genome stability and changes chromatin compaction.

Histone chaperones mediate the assembly and disassembly of nucleosomes and participate in essentially all DNA-dependent cellular processes. In Arabidopsis thaliana, loss-of-function of FAS1 or FAS2 subunits of the H3-H4 histone chaperone complex CHROMATIN ASSEMBLY FACTOR 1 (CAF-1) has a dramatic effect on plant morphology, growth and overall fitness. CAF-1 dysfunction can lead to altered chromatin compaction, systematic loss of repetitive elements or increased DNA damage, clearly demonstrating its severity.

Targeted Sequencing of Pancreatic Adenocarcinomas from Patients with Metachronous Pulmonary Metastases.

Mutation spectra of 250 cancer driver, druggable, and actionable genes were analyzed in surgically resected pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) patients who developed metachronous pulmonary metastases. Targeted sequencing was performed in DNA from blood and archival samples of 15 primary tumors and three paired metastases. Results were complemented with the determination of G12V mutation in by droplet digital PCR.

Effects of Bacterial Nanocellulose Loaded with Curcumin and Its Degradation Products on Human Dermal Fibroblasts.

Bacterial nanocellulose has found applications in tissue engineering, in skin tissue repair, and in wound healing. Its large surface area enables the adsorption of various substances. Bacterial nanocellulose with adsorbed substances can serve as a substrate for drug-delivery of specific bioactive healing agents into wounds.

3D kinematic analysis of patients' gait before and after unilateral total hip replacement.

Purpose: The purpose of the study was to describe changes in the kinematic parameters in the patients' gait after total hip replacement.

Methods: Research group of men in the end stage of osteoarthritis indicated to the THR (n = 10; age 54.1 ± 7.

A new way to prepare gold nanoparticles by sputtering - Sterilization, stability and other properties.

We have developed a novel simple method for effective preparing gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) intended for utilization in biomedicine. The method is based on gold sputtering into liquid poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG). The PEG was used as a basic biocompatible stabilizer of the AuNP colloid.

Special footwear designed for pregnant women and its effect on kinematic gait parameters during pregnancy and postpartum period.

During pregnancy, an array of changes occurs in women body to enable the growth and development of the future baby and the consequent delivery. These changes are reflected in the range of motion of trunk, pelvis, lower limbs and other body segments, affect the locomotion and some of these changes may persist to the postpartum period. The aim of this study was to describe the changes affecting the gait during pregnancy and to determine the effect of tested footwear on kinematic gait characteristics during pregnancy as previous studies indicate that special orthopaedic insoles and footwear might be useful in prevention of the common musculoskeletal pain and discomfort related to pregnancy.

Incidence and analysis of campylobacteriosis cases in the Czech Republic in 1997-2017.

Aim: The aim of our study was to conduct analysis of reported epidemiological data on human campylobacteriosis in the Czech Republic (CZ) from 1997 to 2017 and to summarize the current knowledge about the disease.

Methods: We conducted a descriptive epidemiological analysis of data on campylobacteriosis cases reported to the national surveillance system of infectious diseases in the CZ (EpiDat) from 1997 to 2017. MS Excel 2010 and statistical program R were used for data management and analysis.

Versatile Application of Nanocellulose: From Industry to Skin Tissue Engineering and Wound Healing.

Nanocellulose is cellulose in the form of nanostructures, i.e., features not exceeding 100 nm at least in one dimension.

Prion diseases with a focus on Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, a summary of the incidence of Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease in the Czech Republic over the last 17 years, 2000-2017.

Background: Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD) is a prion disease. It is a rare, rapidly progressing fatal disorder of the central nervous system, which occurs in four forms: sporadic (sCJD), genetic/familial (gCJD), iatrogenic (iCJD), and variant (vCJD).

Methods: CJD research in the Czech Republic (CR) is conducted by the National Reference Laboratory for Human Transmissible Spongiform Encephalopathies and Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease, Department of Pathology and Molecular Medicine, established in 2001 at the Department of Pathology, Thomayer Hospital, Prague.

Antimicrobial and photophysical properties of chemically grafted ultra-high-molecular-weight polyethylene.

Surface of ultra-high-molecular-weight polyethylene (UHMWPE) was modified by chemical methods. Surface was firstly activated by Piranha solution and then grafted with selected amino-compounds (cysteamine, ethylenediamine or chitosan). The next step was grafting of some borane cluster compounds, highly fluorescent borane hydride cluster anti-BH or its thiolated derivative 4,4'-(HS)-anti-BH.

Reaction parameters of in situ silver chloride precipitation on cellulose fibres.

In the present work, non-woven, non-regenerated cellulose wound dressing was subjected to in situ silver (Ag) deposition in the form of silver chloride (AgCl) under various reaction conditions. The studied reaction parameters were as follows: time, temperature, and reactants´ concentration. AgCl was bound on the cellulose via two-step process.