miRNA-Mediated Regulation of Synthetic Gene Circuits in the Green Alga Chlamydomonas reinhardtii.

MicroRNAs (miRNAs), small RNA molecules of 20-24 nts, have many features that make them useful tools for gene expression regulation-small size, flexible design, target predictability, and action at a late stage of the gene expression pipeline. In addition, their role in fine-tuning gene expression can be harnessed to increase robustness of synthetic gene networks. In this work, we apply a synthetic biology approach to characterize miRNA-mediated gene expression regulation in the unicellular green alga Chlamydomonas reinhardtii.

Hybrid treatment system for remediation of sugarcane vinasse.

The sugar and alcohol industries provide promising alternative energy sources to replace the use of petroleum derivatives. Vinasse is a byproduct of the alcoholic fermentation of various raw materials, and is used in the fertirrigation of sugarcane plantations. However, its excessive use leads to many soil and groundwater related problems, including toxicity to living organisms, acidification of soil and water, accumulation of heavy metals, and contamination of groundwater.

Comprehensive functional genomic resource and integrative model for the human brain.

Despite progress in defining genetic risk for psychiatric disorders, their molecular mechanisms remain elusive. Addressing this, the PsychENCODE Consortium has generated a comprehensive online resource for the adult brain across 1866 individuals. The PsychENCODE resource contains ~79,000 brain-active enhancers, sets of Hi-C linkages, and topologically associating domains; single-cell expression profiles for many cell types; expression quantitative-trait loci (QTLs); and further QTLs associated with chromatin, splicing, and cell-type proportions.

Post-Trial Sustainability and Scalability of the Benefits of a Medical Home for High-Risk Children with Medical Complexity.

Objective: To assess the sustainability of the benefits relative to usual care of a medical home providing comprehensive care for high-risk children with medical complexity (≥2 hospitalizations or ≥1 pediatric intensive care unit [PICU] admission in the year before enrollment) after we made comprehensive care our standard practice and expanded the program.

Study Design: We conducted pre-post comparisons of the rate of children with serious illness (death, PICU admission, or >7-day hospitalization) and health-system costs observed after program expansion (March 2014-June 2015) to those during the clinical trial (March 2011-August 2013) for each of the trial's treatment groups (usual care, n = 96, and comprehensive care, n = 105; primary analyses), and among all children given comprehensive care (n = 233, including trial usual care children who transitioned to comprehensive care post-trial and newly enrolled medically complex children, and n = 105; secondary analyses). We also analyzed the findings for the trial patients as a 2-phase stepped-wedge study.

Chemically-Induced Production of Anti-Inflammatory Molecules in Microalgae.

Microalgae have been widely recognized as a valuable source of natural, bioactive molecules that can benefit human health. Some molecules of commercial value synthesized by the microalgal metabolism have been proven to display anti-inflammatory activity, including the carotenoids lutein and astaxanthin, the fatty acids EPA (eicosapentaenoic acid) and DHA (docosahexaenoic acid), and sulphated polysaccharides. These molecules can accumulate to a certain extent in a diversity of microalgae species.

Colonic metastasis from infiltrating ductal breast carcinoma in a male patient: A case report.

Introduction: A colonic metastasis from infiltrating breast ductal carcinoma is a rare phenomenon in the literature, especially in a male.

Presentation Of Case: We present a rare case of a 55-year-old male with a past medical history of breast cancer who presented with signs and symptoms of appendicitis. A computed tomography (CT) scan revealed acute appendicitis in addition to a 2.

Effects of Resistance Training on Immunoinflammatory Response, TNF-Alpha Gene Expression, and Body Composition in Elderly Women.

The aim of this study was to determine the effects of resistance training on the immunologic response, body composition, tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) gene expression obtained from blood leukocytes, and the cytokines interleukin-6, TNF-alpha, and C-reactive protein (CRP), in the elderly women (mean age 63 ± 2 y). A randomized controlled trial was performed using a bi-set training method for eight weeks in nineteen elderly women. Peripheral blood samples were collected by puncture in pretraining (Pre) and posttraining (Post) moments.

Which method of distal pancreatectomy is cost-effective among open, laparoscopic, or robotic surgery?

Background: The aim of this study was to analyze the clinical and economic impact of robotic distal pancreatectomy, laparoscopic distal pancreatectomy, and open distal pancreatectomy.

Methods: All consecutive patients who underwent distal pancreatic resection for benign and malignant diseases between January 2012 and December 2015 were prospectively included. Cost analysis was performed; all charges from patient admission to discharge were considered.

Multispectral total-variation reconstruction applied to lens-free microscopy.

Lens-free microscopy multispectral acquisitions are processed with an inverse problem approach: a multispectral total variation criterion is defined and minimized with the conjugate gradients method. Reconstruction results show that the method is efficient to recover the phase image of densely packed cells.

GENCODE reference annotation for the human and mouse genomes.

The accurate identification and description of the genes in the human and mouse genomes is a fundamental requirement for high quality analysis of data informing both genome biology and clinical genomics. Over the last 15 years, the GENCODE consortium has been producing reference quality gene annotations to provide this foundational resource. The GENCODE consortium includes both experimental and computational biology groups who work together to improve and extend the GENCODE gene annotation.

Overcoming immunogenicity issues of HIV p24 antigen by the use of innovative nanostructured lipid carriers as delivery systems: evidences in mice and non-human primates.

HIV is one of the deadliest pandemics of modern times, having already caused 35 million deaths around the world. Despite the huge efforts spent to develop treatments, the virus cannot yet be eradicated and continues to infect new people. Spread of the virus remains uncontrolled, thus exposing the worldwide population to HIV danger, due to the lack of efficient vaccines.

Efficacy of tocilizumab monotherapy after response to combined tocilizumab and methotrexate in patients with rheumatoid arthritis: the randomised JUST-ACT study.

Objectives: The aim of the JUST-ACT study was to assess whether the add-on effect of tocilizumab (TCZ) to background methotrexate (MTX) observed in MTX-inadequate responders with active rheumatoid arthritis (RA), would be sustained when MTX is withdrawn.

Methods: A double-blind, parallel-group, phase 3 study in biologic-naïve RA patients with a disease activity score 28 (DAS28)>3.2 despite MTX which were treated with TCZ+MTX for an initial 16-week period.

Succinate receptor mediates intestinal inflammation and fibrosis.

Succinate, an intermediate of the tricarboxylic acid cycle, is accumulated in inflamed areas and its signaling through succinate receptor (SUCNR1) regulates immune function. We analyze SUCNR1 expression in the intestine of Crohn's disease patients and its role in murine intestinal inflammation and fibrosis. We show that both serum and intestinal succinate levels and SUCNR1 expression in intestinal surgical resections were higher in CD patients than in controls.

Sixteen diverse laboratory mouse reference genomes define strain-specific haplotypes and novel functional loci.

We report full-length draft de novo genome assemblies for 16 widely used inbred mouse strains and find extensive strain-specific haplotype variation. We identify and characterize 2,567 regions on the current mouse reference genome exhibiting the greatest sequence diversity. These regions are enriched for genes involved in pathogen defence and immunity and exhibit enrichment of transposable elements and signatures of recent retrotransposition events.

2018 Annual Report of the European Liver Transplant Registry (ELTR) - 50-year evolution of liver transplantation.

The purpose of this registry study was to provide an overview of trends and results of liver transplantation (LT) in Europe from 1968 to 2016. These data on LT were collected prospectively from 169 centers from 32 countries, in the European Liver Transplant Registry (ELTR) beginning in 1968. This overview provides epidemiological data, as well as information on evolution of techniques, and outcomes in LT in Europe over more than five decades; something that cannot be obtained from only a single center experience.

Infant Colic Represents Gut Inflammation and Dysbiosis.

Objective: To dissect potential confounding effects of breast milk and formula feeding on crying + fussing, fecal calprotectin, and gut microbiota in babies with colic. We hypothesized that infant colic is associated with gut inflammation linked to intestinal dysbiosis.

Study Design: A nested case-control design of 3 of our studies was used to analyze clinical and laboratory data at presentation, comparing babies with colic with controls.

Birth of a Photosynthetic Chassis: A MoClo Toolkit Enabling Synthetic Biology in the Microalga Chlamydomonas reinhardtii.

Microalgae are regarded as promising organisms to develop innovative concepts based on their photosynthetic capacity that offers more sustainable production than heterotrophic hosts. However, to realize their potential as green cell factories, a major challenge is to make microalgae easier to engineer. A promising approach for rapid and predictable genetic manipulation is to use standardized synthetic biology tools and workflows.

Population Structure, Antimicrobial Resistance, and Virulence-Associated Genes in Isolated From Three Ecological Niches: Gastroenteritis Patients, Broilers, and Wild Birds.

is the causal agent of the food-borne infection with the highest incidence in Europe. Both poultry and wild birds are a major reservoir. To gain insight into the population structure, virulence potential, and antimicrobial resistance (AMR), a collection of 150 isolates from three different ecological niches (broilers, wild birds, and human patients) was studied.

Bipolar dispersal of red-snow algae.

Red-snow algae are red-pigmented unicellular algae that appear seasonally on the surface of thawing snow worldwide. Here, we analyse the distribution patterns of snow algae sampled from glaciers and snow patches in the Arctic and Antarctica based on nuclear ITS2 sequences, which evolve rapidly. The number of phylotypes is limited in both polar regions, and most are specific to either the Arctic or Antarctica.

Oral vancomycin induces sustained deep remission in adult patients with ulcerative colitis and primary sclerosing cholangitis.

Ulcerative colitis (UC) is a chronic inflammatory bowel disease of unknown etiology. The treatment of UC is challenging, especially when it is associated with primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC), a chronic inflammatory disease of the bile ducts that affects around 5% of patients with UC, and leads to an increased risk of cholangiocarcinoma and colorectal cancer. Microbiota is considered to play an important role in the pathogenesis of UC, although the efficacy of antibiotics in this context is only limited and transient.

Indocyanine green fluorescence angiography during liver and pancreas transplantation: a tool to integrate perfusion statement's evaluation.

Background: Indocyanine green (ICG) fluorescence imaging is a promising tool for intraoperative decision-making during surgical procedures, in particular to assess organs perfusion.

Methods: We used the ICG fluorescence during liver transplantations in six cirrhotic patients to help assessing the graft biliary duct perfusion in order to identify the appropriate level to perform the anastomosis. We also used ICG fluorescence also in five patients receiving kidney-pancreas transplantation to evaluate the perfusion levels of the duodenal stump of the pancreas graft.

Accurate Segmentation and Registration of Skin Lesion Images to Evaluate Lesion Change.

Skin cancer is a major health problem. There are several techniques to help diagnose skin lesions from a captured image. Computer-aided diagnosis (CAD) systems operate on single images of skin lesions, extracting lesion features to further classify them and help the specialists.