Discovery of Early-Branching Reveals Functional Enrichment on Horizontally Transferred Genes.

is a widespread endosymbiont of insects and filarial nematodes that profoundly influences host biology. has also been reported in rhizosphere hosts, where its diversity and function remain poorly characterized. The discovery that plant-parasitic nematodes (PPNs) host strains with unknown roles is of interest evolutionarily, ecologically, and for agriculture as a potential target for developing new biological controls.

IL-6 blockade in systemic juvenile idiopathic arthritis - achievement of inactive disease and remission (data from the German AID-registry).

Background: Systemic juvenile idiopathic arthritis (sJIA) is a complex disease with an autoinflammatory component of unknown etiology related to the innate immune system. A major role in the pathogenesis has been ascribed to proinflammatory cytokines like interleukin-6 (IL-6), and effective drugs inhibiting their signaling are being developed. This study evaluates sJIA patients treated with the IL-6 inhibitor tocilizumab (TCZ) concerning clinical response rate, disease course and adverse effects in a real-life clinical setting.