IL-33 regulates Müller cell-mediated retinal inflammation and neurodegeneration in diabetic retinopathy.

Diabetic retinopathy (DR) is characterised by dysfunction of the retinal neurovascular unit, leading to visual impairment and blindness. Müller cells are key components of the retinal neurovascular unit and diabetes has a detrimental impact on these glial cells, triggering progressive neurovascular pathology of DR. Amongst many factors expressed by Müller cells, interleukin-33 (IL-33) has an established immunomodulatory role, and we investigated the role of endogenous IL-33 in DR.

HNRNPH1 regulates the neuroprotective cold-shock protein RBM3 expression through poison exon exclusion.

Enhanced expression of the cold-shock protein RNA binding motif 3 (RBM3) is highly neuroprotective both in vitro and in vivo. Whilst upstream signalling pathways leading to RBM3 expression have been described, the precise molecular mechanism of RBM3 cold induction remains elusive. To identify temperature-dependent modulators of RBM3, we performed a genome-wide CRISPR-Cas9 knockout screen using RBM3-reporter human iPSC-derived neurons.

Groundwater denitrification using a continuous flow mode hybrid system combining a hydrogenotrophic biofilter and an electrooxidation cell.

An attached-growth continuous flow hydrogenotrophic denitrification system was investigated for groundwater treatment. Two bench-scale packed-bed reactors were used in series, without external pH adjustment or carbon source addition, while inorganic carbonate salts already contained in the groundwater were the sole carbon source used by the denitrifying bacteria. The hydrogen was produced by water electrolysis using renewable energy sources thus minimizing resource-draining factors of the treatment process.

CRISPR-Cas9 genetic screen leads to the discovery of L-Moses, a KAT2B inhibitor that attenuates Tunicamycin-mediated neuronal cell death.

Accumulation of aggregated and misfolded proteins, leading to endoplasmic reticulum stress and activation of the unfolded protein response, is a hallmark of several neurodegenerative disorders, including Alzheimer's and Parkinson's disease. Genetic screens are powerful tools that are proving invaluable in identifying novel modulators of disease associated processes. Here, we performed a loss-of-function genetic screen using a human druggable genome library, followed by an arrayed-screen validation, in human iPSC-derived cortical neurons.

A workflow for annotating the knowledge gaps in metabolic reconstructions using known and hypothetical reactions.

Advances in medicine and biotechnology rely on a deep understanding of biological processes. Despite the increasingly available types and amounts of omics data, significant knowledge gaps remain, with current approaches to identify and curate missing annotations being limited to a set of already known reactions. Here, we introduce etwork ntegrated omputational xplorer for ap nnotation of tabolism (NICEgame), a workflow to identify and curate nonannotated metabolic functions in genomes using the ATLAS of Biochemistry and genome-scale metabolic models (GEMs).

Nitrate removal from groundwater using a batch and continuous flow hybrid Fe-electrocoagulation and electrooxidation system.

During the last two decades nitrate contaminated groundwater has become an extensive worldwide problem with wide-reaching negative effects on human health and the environment. In this study, a combination of electrocoagulation (EC) and electrooxidation (EO) was studied as a denitrification process to efficiently remove nitrates and ammonium (a by-product produced during EC) from real polluted groundwater. Initially, EC experiments under batch operating mode were performed using iron electrodes at different applied current density values (20-40 mA cm).

IL-33 deficiency causes persistent inflammation and severe neurodegeneration in retinal detachment.

Background: Interleukin-33 (IL-33) belongs to the IL-1 cytokine family and resides in the nuclei of various cell types. In the neural retina, IL-33 is predominately expressed in Müller cells although its role in health and disease is ill-defined. Müller cell gliosis is a critical response during the acute phase of retinal detachment (RD), and in this study, we investigated if IL-33 was modulatory in the inflammatory and neurodegenerative pathology which is characteristic of this important clinical condition.

Attenuating Diabetic Vascular and Neuronal Defects by Targeting P2rx7.

Retinal vascular and neuronal degeneration are established pathological features of diabetic retinopathy. Data suggest that defects in the neuroglial network precede the clinically recognisable vascular lesions in the retina. Therefore, new treatments that target early-onset neurodegeneration would be expected to have great value in preventing the early stages of diabetic retinopathy.

Glucose transporter 1 critically controls microglial activation through facilitating glycolysis.

Background: Uncontrolled microglial activation contributes to the pathogenesis of various neurodegenerative diseases. Previous studies have shown that proinflammatory microglia are powered by glycolysis, which relays on high levels of glucose uptake. This study aimed to understand how glucose uptake is facilitated in active microglia and whether microglial activation can be controlled by restricting glucose uptake.

Data on cellular lipids of grown on fatty substrates.

, which is model oleaginous yeast with high industrial interest, was cultivated on fatty substrates. Data concerning fatty acid composition of both substrate and yeast lipids and comparisons of the experimental data with model predictions presented in "Biomodification of fats and oils and scenarios of adding value on renewable fatty materials through microbial fermentations: Modelling and trials with " (Vasiliadou et al., 2018) were provided.

Sustained high glucose exposure sensitizes macrophage responses to cytokine stimuli but reduces their phagocytic activity.

Background: Macrophages are tissue resident immune cells important for host defence and homeostasis. During diabetes, macrophages and other innate immune cells are known to have a pro-inflammatory phenotype, which is believed to contribute to the pathogenesis of various diabetic complications. However, diabetic patients are highly susceptible to bacterial infections, and often have impaired wound healing.

Higher phagocytic activity of thioglycollate-elicited peritoneal macrophages is related to metabolic status of the cells.

Background: Peritoneal macrophages are widely used in immunological studies. The cells can be collected under non-elicited (resident) or elicited (e.g.

Cortical Lewy bodies and Aβ burden are associated with prevalence and timing of dementia in Lewy body diseases.

Aims: Our main objective was to determine the neuropathological correlates of dementia in patients with Lewy body disease (LBD). Furthermore, we used data derived from clinical, neuropathological and genetic studies to investigate boundary issues between Dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB) and Parkinson's disease with (PDD) and without (PDND) dementia.

Methods: One hundred and twenty-one cases with a neuropathological diagnosis of LBD and clinical information on dementia status were included in the analysis (55 PDD, 17 DLB and 49 PDND).

Mathematical modeling of olive mill waste composting process.

The present study aimed at developing an integrated mathematical model for the composting process of olive mill waste. The multi-component model was developed to simulate the composting of three-phase olive mill solid waste with olive leaves and different materials as bulking agents. The modeling system included heat transfer, organic substrate degradation, oxygen consumption, carbon dioxide production, water content change, and biological processes.

Molasses as an efficient low-cost carbon source for biological Cr(VI) removal.

In the present study, indigenous microorganisms from industrial sludge were used to reduce the activity of Cr(VI). Molasses, a by-product of sugar processing, was selected as the carbon source (instead of sugar used in a previous work) as it is a low-cost energy source for bioprocesses. Initially, experiments were carried out in suspended growth batch reactors for Cr(VI) concentrations of 1.

Pleiotropic effects of Sox2 during the development of the zebrafish epithalamus.

The zebrafish epithalamus is part of the diencephalon and encompasses three major components: the pineal, the parapineal and the habenular nuclei. Using sox2 knockdown, we show here that this key transcriptional regulator has pleiotropic effects during the development of these structures. Sox2 negatively regulates pineal neurogenesis.

Recurrent thyroid cancer diagnosis: ROC study of the effect of a high-resolution head and neck 18F-FDG PET/CT scan.

Rationale And Objectives: (18)F-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography/computed tomography ((18)F-FDG PET/CT) has demonstrated significant value in the evaluation of patients with indication of recurrent thyroid cancer with negative conventional workup. The hypothesis of this study was that the addition of a dedicated, high-resolution head and neck scan (HNS) to the standard whole-body scan (WBS) improves the accuracy of the detection and diagnosis of recurrent thyroid cancer.

Materials And Methods: Forty-three consecutive patients suspected for recurrent thyroid cancer, as indicated by increased tumor markers, prospectively underwent a WBS and a HNS with (18)F-FDG PET/CT.

Date rape among Cypriot female college students: an explorative study.

This study examined the prevalence and reporting of date rape among female college students (aged 18-24) in Cyprus and assessed the students' attitudes and awareness regarding date rape. In addition, the study examined how date rape is perceived among representatives of related private and governmental organizations in Cyprus. This is part of a larger multi-country study.

Modelling of biological Cr(VI) removal in draw-fill reactors using microorganisms in suspended and attached growth systems.

The kinetics of hexavalent chromium bio-reduction in draw-fill suspended and attached growth reactors was examined using sugar as substrate and indigenous microorganisms from the industrial sludge of the Hellenic Aerospace Industry. Initially, experiments in suspended growth batch reactors for Cr (VI) concentrations of 1.4-110 mg/l were carried out, to extensively study the behaviour of a mixed culture.

Modeling of oleaginous fungal biofilm developed on semi-solid media.

An oleaginous fungus, Mortierella isabellina, able to transform efficiently sugar to storage lipid, was used as a model microorganism which develops a biofilm structure during the semi-solid fermentation process for the production of biodiesel from sweet sorghum. A mathematical model was developed to describe the fungal oil production in M. isabellina biofilm.

Single cell oil production from rice hulls hydrolysate.

Rice hull hydrolysate was used as feedstock for microbial lipids production using the oleaginous fungus Mortierella isabellina. Kinetic experiments were conducted in C/N ratios 35, 44 and 57 and the oil accumulation into fungal biomass was 36%, 51.2% and 64.

Discovery and assessment of conserved Pax6 target genes and enhancers.

The characterization of transcriptional networks (TNs) is essential for understanding complex biological phenomena such as development, disease, and evolution. In this study, we have designed and implemented a procedure that combines in silico target screens with zebrafish and mouse validation, in order to identify cis-elements and genes directly regulated by Pax6. We chose Pax6 as the paradigm because of its crucial roles in organogenesis and human disease.

Modeling of single-cell oil production under nitrogen-limited and substrate inhibition conditions.

Sweet sorghum extract was used as substrate for lipid accumulation by the oleaginous fungus Mortierella isabellina in batch cultures. Various initial sugar (13-91 g/L) and nitrogen (100-785 mg/L) concentrations resulting in various C/N (43-53) ratios were tested. Oil accumulation ranged between 43% and 51% corresponding to oil production from 2.

Hydrogenotrophic denitrification of potable water: a review.

Several approaches of hydrogenotrophic denitrification of potable water as well as technical data and mathematical models that were developed for the process are reviewed. Most of the applications that were tested for hydrogenotrophic process achieved great efficiency, high denitrification rates, and operational simplicity. Moreover, this paper reviews the variety of reactor configurations that have been used for hydrogen gas generation and efficient hydrogen delivery.