Multi-omics profiling to identify early plasma biomarkers in pre-diagnostic pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma: a nested case-control study.

Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is an aggressive disease with poor survival. Novel biomarkers are urgently needed to improve the outcome through early detection. Here, we aimed to discover novel biomarkers for early PDAC detection using multi-omics profiling in pre-diagnostic plasma samples biobanked after routine health examinations.

Metabolomics for early pancreatic cancer detection in plasma samples from a Swedish prospective population-based biobank.

Background: Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (pancreatic cancer) is often detected at late stages resulting in poor overall survival. To improve survival, more patients need to be diagnosed early when curative surgery is feasible. We aimed to identify circulating metabolites that could be used as early pancreatic cancer biomarkers.

A productivity bottleneck in the Baltic herring (Clupea harengus membras): Early life-history processes and recruitment variability.

Exogenous anomalies induced by contemporary climate change may severely impact dynamics of early life stages of fish. Here, we modelled how growth rate and abundance of postflexion larvae, and recruitment of Baltic spring-spawning herring (Clupea harengus membras) in the Pärnu Bay, Gulf of Riga (GoR) may respond to shifting climate variables. Higher larval growth rates were aligned with later seasonal emergence of yolk-sac larvae, while lower abundance of postflexion larvae occurred in years of earlier seasonal seawater warming.

Performance of plasma calprotectin as a biomarker of early sepsis: a pilot study.

Aim: To determine the performance of plasma calprotectin as a marker of sepsis on intensive care unit (ICU) admission and as a marker of mortality day 30 post-ICU admission.

Materials & Methods: Consecutive ICU patients were allocated to: sepsis (n = 15), postoperative inflammation (n = 23) and intoxication without inflammation (n = 7) groups.

Results: Calprotectin was 4.

Human X-DING-CD4 mediates resistance to HIV-1 infection through novel paracrine-like signaling.

X-DING-CD4 is a novel phosphatase mediating antiviral responses to HIV-1 infection. This protein is constitutively expressed and secreted by HIV-1 resistant CD4(+) T cells and its mRNA transcription is up-regulated in peripheral blood mononuclear cells from HIV-1 elite controllers. The secreted/soluble X-DING-CD4 protein form is of particular importance because it blocks virus transcription when added to HIV-1 susceptible cells.

Shifts in the spring herring (Clupea harengus membras) larvae and related environment in the eastern Baltic Sea over the past 50 years.

Because of the high management relevance, commercial fish related aspects have often been central in marine ecosystem investigations. The iterative shiftogram method was applied to detect occurrence, type and timing of shifts in the single and multivariate time series linked to the spring spawning herring larvae in the Gulf of Riga (Baltic Sea). Altogether nineteen larval herring and related environmental variables were utilized during the period of 1957-2010.

DING proteins from phylogenetically different species share high degrees of sequence and structure homology and block transcription of HIV-1 LTR promoter.

Independent research groups reported that DING protein homologues isolated from bacterial, plant and human cells demonstrate the anti-HIV-1 activity. This might indicate that diverse organisms utilize a DING-mediated broad-range protective innate immunity response to pathogen invasion, and that this mechanism is effective also against HIV-1. We performed structural analyses and evaluated the anti-HIV-1 activity for four DING protein homologues isolated from different species.

The interplay between the X-DING-CD4, IFN-α and IL-8 gene activity in quiescent and mitogen- or HIV-1-exposed PBMCs from HIV-1 elite controllers, AIDS progressors and HIV-negative controls.

X-DING-CD4 blocks HIV-1 long terminal repeat (LTR) and pathogen induced pro-inflammatory response. Increased activity of the X-DING-CD4 gene is associated with cellular resistance to virus; therefore, HIV-1 elite controllers (ECs) should have higher X-DING-CD4 and reduced pro-inflammatory mRNA activity than viremic or uninfected individuals. Also, depending on the cell stimulating factor, expression of X-DING-CD4 mRNA in ECs might be autonomous or contingent on IFN signaling.

Cellular resistance to HIV-1 infection in target cells coincides with a rapid induction of X-DING-CD4 mRNA: indication of the unique host innate response to virus regulated through function of the X-DING-CD4 gene.

Clinical reports indicate that some infected individuals control HIV-1 replication through undefined mechanisms. Our group reported that a human protein named X-DING-CD4 holds a potent antiviral activity, blocking transcription of HIV-1 LTR through the inhibition of NF-κB/DNA binding. Based on observations that transformed HIV-1 resistant CD4(+) T cells produce higher levels of soluble X-DING-CD4 protein upon their exposure to virus, we hypothesized that resistance to HIV-1 in these cells may be regulated through function of the X-DING-CD4 gene.

Native X-DING-CD4 protein secreted by HIV-1 resistant CD4+ T cells blocks activity of IL-8 promoter in human endothelial cells infected with enteric bacteria.

Onsets of bacterial infections devastate the compromised immune system in AIDS patients. Damaged gut mucosa permits dissemination of bacterial toxins into deeper layers and hyper-activation of the immune system. We previously reported that the unfractionated supernatants of HIV-resistant CD4(+) T cells impeded the NF-κB/DNA binding in macrophages induced by either HIV-1 or LPS.

Zinc supplementation in intensive care: results of a UK survey.

Purpose: Our laboratory receives many routine requests for plasma zinc analysis from intensive care units (ICUs) throughout Scotland. However, such requests are inappropriate because plasma zinc concentrations fall independently of nutritional deficiency during the systemic inflammatory response and, therefore, in critically ill patients. This survey was performed to investigate how widespread this practice was and if low plasma zinc concentrations were interpreted as zinc deficiency so triggering inappropriate initiation of zinc supplementation.

Feeding ecology of pelagic fish species in the Gulf of Riga (Baltic Sea): the importance of changes in the zooplankton community.

The feeding ecology of four pelagic fish species was studied in relation to their prey availability in the Gulf of Riga (Baltic Sea) during the summer 1999-2006. The zooplankton community was dominated by the cladoceran Bosmina longispina, rotifers Keratella cochlearis and K. quadrata and the copepod Eurytemora affinis, with the highest interannual variability in abundance recorded for B.

Intranasal transmission of hepatitis C virus: virological and clinical evidence.

Intranasal transmission of hepatitis C virus (HCV) via contaminated drug-sniffing implements is a potential but unconfirmed source of viral infection. We demonstrate the virological plausibility of intranasal transmission by confirming that blood and HCV RNA are present in the nasal secretions and drug-sniffing implements of HCV-infected intranasal drug users recruited from a community health clinic in New York City.

Levels of PCDD/F and dioxin-like PCB in Baltic fish of different age and gender.

Concentrations of polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins (PCDD), polychlorinated dibenzofurans (PCDF) and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCB) in Baltic Sea fish like herring (Clupea harengus membras), sprat (Sprattus sprattus balticus), perch (Perca fluviatilis), pikeperch (Sander lucioperca) and flounder (Platichthys flesus trachurus) collected from four areas of the Estonian coastal waters are reported. All samples are studied for their relationship between the length (cm) and wet weight (g); length (cm) and age (years); lipid content and dry matter. The level of PCDD/F and PCB concentrations in younger 1-5 years old Baltic herring and sprat collected in 2002-2005 from the eastern and central parts of the Gulf of Finland, Gulf of Riga and Open Baltic Sea (Central Baltic) is related to the fish age and compared with those found in the 1990s.

PCDD/Fs in sprat (Sprattus sprattus balticus) from the Gulf of Finland, the Baltic Sea.

The concentrations and congeners pattern of the polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins (PCDDs) and dibenzofurans (PCDFs) were determined in sprat collected by the commercial catches in the Gulf of Finland, Baltic Sea. Based on the toxic equivalent concentrations 2,3,4,7,8-PeCDF prevailed among the congeners of PCDD/Fs. The significance of age- and season-specific relationship between the concentration of lipids and dioxins was demonstrated.