CD103+ dendritic cell - fibroblast crosstalk via TLR9, TDO2, and AHR signaling drives lung fibrogenesis.

Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is characterized by progressive scarring and loss of lung function. With limited treatment options, patients succumb to the disease within 2 to 5 years. The molecular pathogenesis of IPF regarding the immunologic changes that occur is poorly understood.

Olfactory specialization in the Senegalese sole (Solea senegalensis): CO acidified water triggers nostril-specific immune processes.

Increased carbon dioxide (CO) in the ocean is changing seawater chemistry. Behavioural alterations in CO exposed fish have been linked to changes in the central nervous system (CNS). However, we hypothesise that receptor cells in direct contact with the environment are more susceptible to changes in water chemistry than the CNS.

Giant liver abscess as a manifestation of sexually transmitted disease.

European male in his mid-30s with risky homosexual sexual behavior, without a history of recent travels, presented to the emergency department with a two-week history of right upper abdominal and fever. He had severe anemia (hemoglobin 7.9g/dl), and elevated C-reactive protein (150 mg/L).

A Rare Case of Lemierre's Syndrome Caused by Streptococcus pyogenes.

Lemierre's syndrome (LS) is a rare condition characterized by septic thrombophlebitis of the internal jugular vein (IJV). Typically, the primary infection originates in the oropharynx, progressing to the lateral pharyngeal space, IJV, and potentially leading to bacteremia. Through septic embolization, these patients can develop severe complications, underscoring the importance of early diagnosis.

Gender representation in cardiothoracic surgical academia: a call to support women across the globe.

Underrepresentation of women in surgical specialties persists, especially in academic leadership roles. Efforts to better understand disparities and support women cardiothoracic surgeons are ongoing.

Return to work after parenting in thoracic surgery: a call to action.

Objectives: Women in our modern era are facing considerable challenges in the workplace, particularly in Cardiothoracic Surgery where women are under-represented in leadership and academic roles. Returning to work after parental leave may potentially uncover or exacerbate existing gender biases within the workplace, with important consequences on professional and personal lives. Our goal was to characterize the experiences and the impact of return-to-work after parenting on Thoracic Surgery careers across Europe.

Polycystic liver - A cyst-ridden abdomen.

A 44-year-old female with an established diagnosis of autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease (based on imaging findings and family history) was being evaluated for weight loss, early satiety and progressive abdominal distension. Kidney function had been relatively stable for years. Because of a history of multiple liver cysts on ultrasonography, the patient was referred for Gastroenterology for evaluation.

Metabolic Profiles of Critically Ill COVID-19 Patients: A Comparative Analysis of Energy Expenditure.

Introduction and aims The COVID-19 pandemic has placed a significant burden on healthcare systems worldwide, especially in the management of critically ill patients. Accurate assessment of energy expenditure (EE) is crucial for providing optimal nutritional support and improving clinical outcomes in these patients. Indirect calorimetry (IC) is the preferred method for measuring EE, yet its use in critically ill COVID-19 patients has not been extensively documented.

European multicentre study evaluating the prognosis of peripheral early-stage lung adenocarcinoma patients operated on by segmentectomy or lobectomy.

Objectives: To analyse impact of segmentectomy on oncological outcomes of different peripheral early-stage lung adenocarcinoma patterns.

Methods: Retrospective multicentre study including patients who underwent either lobectomy or segmentectomy in 6 European centres from 2015 to 2021, for ≤2 cm pathological peripheral lung adenocarcinoma. Overall and disease-free survivals were assessed by cox-regression and lung cancer-specific survival by competing regression analyses to adjust for patient- and tumour-related factors both in the entire dataset and the in aggressive adenocarcinoma patterns dataset.

Subclinical left ventricular dysfunction in rheumatoid arthritis: findings from the prospective Porto-RA cohort.

Aim: Patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) have an increased risk of cardiac dysfunction and heart failure (HF) due to a pro-inflammatory state. Detecting cardiac dysfunction in RA is challenging as these patients often present preserved ejection fraction (EF) but may have subclinical ventricular dysfunction. Echocardiographic strain analysis is a promising tool for early detection of subclinical left ventricular systolic dysfunction (LVSD).

Dual transcriptomic analysis reveals early induced defense-related genes and effectors.

Rands devastates forest species worldwide, causing significant ecological and economic impacts. The European chestnut () is susceptible to this hemibiotrophic oomycete, whereas the Asian chestnuts ( and ) are resistant and have been successfully used as resistance donors in breeding programs. The molecular mechanisms underlying the different disease outcomes among chestnut species are a key foundation for developing science-based control strategies.

Breeding in bread-making wheat varieties for Mediterranean climate: the need to get resilient varieties.

Introduction: Being one of the "big three" most cultivated cereals in the world, wheat plays a crucial role in ensuring global food/nutrition security, supplying close to 20% of the global needs for calories and proteins. However, the increasingly large fluctuations between years in temperatures and precipitation due to climate change cause important variations in wheat production worldwide. This fact makes wheat breeding programs a tool that, far from going out of fashion, is becoming the most important solution to develop varieties that can provide humanity with the sufficient amount of food it demands without forgetting the objective of quality.

Overexpression of Ginkbilobin-2 homologous domain gene improves tolerance to Phytophthora cinnamomi in somatic embryos of Quercus suber.

In recent decades an extensive mortality and decline of Quercus suber populations mainly caused by Phytophthora cinnamomi has been observed. In the current study, a chestnut gene homologous to ginkbilobin-2 (Cast_Gnk2-like), which in Ginkgo biloba codifies an antifungal protein, was transferred into cork oak somatic embryos of three different embryogenic lines by Agrobacterium mediated transformation. The transformation efficiency varied on the genotype from 2.

Anatomy of the olfactory system and potential role for chemical communication in the sound-producing Lusitanian toadfish, Halobatrachus didactylus.

The current study investigated the structure and function of the olfactory system of the Lusitanian toadfish, Halobatrachus didactylus, using histology and electrophysiology (electro-olfactogram [EOG]), respectively. The olfactory system consists of a digitated anterior peduncle, of unknown function, containing the inhalant nostril. This then leads to a U-shaped olfactory chamber with the olfactory epithelium-identified by G-immunoreactivity-on the ventral surface.

Dendritic Cell - Fibroblast Crosstalk via TLR9 and AHR Signaling Drives Lung Fibrogenesis.

Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is characterized by progressive scarring and loss of lung function. With limited treatment options, patients succumb to the disease within 2-5 years. The molecular pathogenesis of IPF regarding the immunologic changes that occur is poorly understood.

Olmesartan-Induced Enteropathy: When the Treatment of One Disease Causes Another.

Olmesartan is an angiotensin II receptor antagonist used for the management of hypertension. This drug can lead to an enteropathy that clinically and histologically resembles coeliac disease. Symptoms may appear months or years after the introduction of the drug and usually resolve after discontinuation.

Role of the Plastic Surgeon in Tuberculosis Treatment.

Background: Tuberculous empyema is rare. Its treatment requires oral antituberculous drugs, empyema drainage, and in severe cases, decortication and pneumectomy. In the presence of tuberculosis, lung resection has a high risk of postoperative bronchopleural fistula (BPF) and empyema.

Environmental salinity modulates olfactory sensitivity in the euryhaline European seabass, Dicentrarchus labrax, acclimated to seawater and brackish water.

The olfactory epithelium of fish is - of necessity - in intimate contact with the surrounding water. In euryhaline fish, movement from seawater to freshwater (and vice versa) exposes the epithelium to massive changes in salinity and ionic concentrations. How does the olfactory system function in the face of such changes? The current study compared olfactory sensitivity in seawater- (35‰) and brackish water-adapted seabass (5‰) using extracellular multi-unit recording from the olfactory nerve.

The Sustainable Bioactive Dyeing of Textiles: A Novel Strategy Using Bacterial Pigments, Natural Antibacterial Ingredients, and Deep Eutectic Solvents.

The textile industry stands as a prominent contributor to global environmental pollution, primarily attributable to its extensive reliance on synthetic dyes, hazardous components, and solvents throughout the textile dyeing and treatment processes. Consequently, the pursuit of sustainable textile solutions becomes imperative, aimed at replacing these environmentally unfriendly constituents with biobased and bioactive pigments, antibacterial agents, and, notably, natural solvents. Achieving this goal is a formidable yet indispensable challenge.

Gastric mixed neuroendocrine/non neuroendocrine neoplasia: a rare entity.

Gastric neoplasms have different histological subtypes. Mixed neuroendocrine/non neuroendocrine neoplasms (MiNEN), as defined by the World Health Organization (WHO) 2019 Classification of Tumours of the Digestive System, are rare composite tumours bearing morphological characteristics of more than one histological type. Historically, the diagnosis requires that each component accounts for at least 30% of the total tumour burden.