Publications by authors named "Stefan Krebs"

Background And Purpose: Three large, randomized trials demonstrated the benefit of short-term dual antiplatelet therapy (DAPT) versus monotherapy after non-cardioembolic minor stroke or high-risk transient ischemic attack (TIA). The aim of this study was to evaluate effects of DAPT versus monotherapy on functional outcomes and safety in a real-life setting.

Methods: Patients with minor stroke (NIHSS <4) or high-risk TIA (ABCD2 score ≥4) of non-cardioembolic origin without major vessel occlusion or revascularization therapy (thrombolysis or thrombectomy) treated between 2018 and 2023 were analyzed based on a prospective nationwide stroke unit registry.

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Sponges (Phylum Porifera) are aquatic sessile metazoans found worldwide in marine and freshwater environments. They are significant in the animal tree of life as one of the earliest-branching metazoan lineages and as filter feeders play crucial ecological roles, particularly in coral reefs, but are susceptible to the effects of climate change. In the face of the current biodiversity crisis, genomic data is crucial for species conservation efforts and predicting their evolutionary potential in response to environmental changes.

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  • Parapoxviruses (PPVs) are globally spread viruses affecting livestock, with well-studied species in small ruminants but less known genomes in large ruminants.
  • The study utilized Nanopore sequencing to analyze the whole genome sequences of several strains, including Bovine papular stomatitis virus (BPSV) and Pseudocowpox virus (PCPV), revealing important genomic features and variability.
  • This approach improved the accuracy of phylogenetic comparisons among PPV genomes and allowed for better identification of new Poxvirus species, enhancing understanding in virus diagnostics.
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Innate antiviral factors are essential for effective defense against viral pathogens. However, the identity of major restriction mechanisms remains elusive. Current approaches to discover antiviral factors usually focus on the initial steps of viral replication and are limited to a single round of infection.

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Narcolepsy is a rare cause of hypersomnolence and may be associated or not with cataplexy, i.e. sudden muscle weakness.

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Under-reporting of COVID-19 and the limited information about circulating SARS-CoV-2 variants remain major challenges for many African countries. We analyzed SARS-CoV-2 infection dynamics in Addis Ababa and Jimma, Ethiopia, focusing on reinfection, immunity, and vaccination effects. We conducted an antibody serology study spanning August 2020 to July 2022 with five rounds of data collection across a population of 4723, sequenced PCR-test positive samples, used available test positivity rates, and constructed two mathematical models integrating this data.

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  • The Pre-Pottery Neolithic site of Aşıklı Höyük, occupied roughly 10,300 to 9,300 years ago in Central Anatolia, is associated with the early domestication of sheep, transitioning from residential stabling to open pasturing over time.
  • Genetic analysis of 629 mitochondrial genomes revealed unexpected high genetic diversity during occupation, contradicting the earlier assumption of a domestication bottleneck.
  • A significant demographic bottleneck was instead identified later in the Neolithic, leading to the dominance of a specific mitochondrial haplogroup in southwestern Anatolia that influenced sheep populations in Europe and today’s global sheep diversity.
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Purpose: This study presents an abnormality of the musculus rectus capitis posterior minor (RCPmi) as a new etiological factor for nontraumatic sagittal plane instability in the C0-C1-C2-complex, with a focus on identifying the absence or atrophy of RCPmi on both sides.

Methods: A 36-year-old male patient presented with recurring neck pain (VAS 8/10) and tingling paresthesia in the entire left hand over a six-month period, without significant neurological deficits. Radiated arm pain was not reported.

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T follicular helper (T) cells are essential for effective antibody responses, but deciphering the intrinsic wiring of mouse T cells has long been hampered by the lack of a reliable protocol for their generation in vitro. We report that transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β) induces robust expression of T hallmark molecules CXCR5 and Bcl6 in activated mouse CD4 T cells in vitro. TGF-β-induced mouse CXCR5 T cells are phenotypically, transcriptionally, and functionally similar to in vivo-generated T cells and provide critical help to B cells.

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Purpose: Lung transplant recipients are at increased risk of severe disease following infection with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus type 2 (SARS-CoV-2) due to high-dose immunosuppressive drugs and the lung is the main organ affected by Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Several studies have confirmed increased SARS-CoV-2-related mortality and morbidity in patients living with lung allografts; however, detailed immunological studies of patients with SARS-CoV-2 infection in the early phase following transplantation remain scarce.

Methods: We investigated patients who were infected with SARS-CoV-2 in the early phase (18-103 days) after receiving double-lung allografts (n = 4, LuTx) in comparison to immunocompetent patients who had not received solid organ transplants (n = 88, noTx).

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  • Scientists study unusual things to learn more about normal body processes.
  • The thyroglobulin gene is really special because it stays very active for a long time in thyroid cells.
  • This gene works similarly in many different animal groups and doesn't change based on hormone levels, making it a great model for research.
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Activating colony-stimulating factor-3 receptor gene () mutations are recurrent in acute myeloid leukemia (AML) with t(8;21) translocation. However, the nature of oncogenic collaboration between alterations of and the t(8;21) associated fusion remains unclear. In CD34+ hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells from healthy donors, double oncogene expression led to a clonal advantage, increased self-renewal potential, and blast-like morphology and distinct immunophenotype.

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  • Wastewater-based epidemiology (WBE) effectively tracks SARS-CoV-2 spread and can serve as an early warning for new pathogens, but it needs efficient sample handling and analysis due to decentralized laboratory setups.
  • An interlaboratory study evaluated various PCR and HTS methods by testing samples spiked with different SARS-CoV-2 variants, showing that labs reported comparable results despite using unique procedures.
  • The results indicated that while all labs could accurately detect viral genome copy numbers, high-throughput sequencing required a minimum concentration of virus and had limitations, demonstrating that decentralized methods can still yield reliable findings in SARS-CoV-2 monitoring.
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Diagnostic tests for direct pathogen detection have been instrumental to contain the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus type 2 (SARS-CoV-2) pandemic. Automated, quantitative, laboratory-based nucleocapsid antigen (Ag) tests for SARS-CoV-2 have been launched alongside nucleic acid-based test systems and point-of-care (POC) lateral-flow Ag tests. Here, we evaluated four commercial Ag tests on automated platforms for the detection of different sublineages of the SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant of concern (VoC) (B.

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  • Since late 2021, the Omicron variant and its sublineages (like BA.4 and BA.5) have been the dominant strains of SARS-CoV-2, and their detection via rapid antigen tests (RATs) is less effective compared to previous variants like Delta.
  • A study evaluated ten commonly used RATs on 171 respiratory samples from patients positive for Omicron-BA.4 and -BA.5, finding significant differences in test performance, with the worst RAT needing much higher viral loads to detect the infections.
  • The results showed that true-positive detection rates varied greatly depending on the viral load, highlighting the inconsistency in RAT effectiveness and raising concerns about their reliability for public use amidst the ongoing
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  • Ticks are significant vectors for diseases, but their classification, especially between closely related species like Ixodes inopinatus and Ixodes ricinus, remains unclear.
  • A study in Germany identified ticks from great tits, confirming that those morphologically identified as I. inopinatus are genetically actually I. ricinus, using advanced molecular techniques.
  • The findings imply that I. inopinatus may be geographically restricted and questions its presence in central Europe, demonstrating the potential of genomic tools for clarifying tick taxonomy.
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The largest subunit of RNA polymerase (Pol) II harbors an evolutionarily conserved C-terminal domain (CTD), composed of heptapeptide repeats, central to the transcriptional process. Here, we analyze the transcriptional phenotypes of a CTD-Δ5 mutant that carries a large CTD truncation in human cells. Our data show that this mutant can transcribe genes in living cells but displays a pervasive phenotype with impaired termination, similar to but more severe than previously characterized mutations of CTD tyrosine residues.

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Background Objectives: It is unclear whether IV thrombolysis (IVT) outperforms early dual antiplatelet therapy (DAPT) in the acute setting of mild ischemic stroke. The aim of this study was to compare the early safety and efficacy of IVT with that of DAPT.

Methods: Data of mild noncardioembolic stroke patients with admission NIH Stroke Scale (NIHSS) score ≤3 who received IVT or early DAPT in the period 2018-2021 were extracted from a nationwide, prospective stroke unit registry.

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Well-annotated and contiguous genomes are an indispensable resource for understanding the evolution, development, and metabolic capacities of organisms. Sponges, an ecologically important non-bilaterian group of primarily filter-feeding sessile aquatic organisms, are underrepresented with respect to available genomic resources. Here we provide a high-quality and well-annotated genome of , a glass sponge (Porifera: Hexactinellida) that forms large reef structures off the coast of British Columbia (Canada).

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Background: Primary aldosteronism is frequently caused by an adrenocortical aldosterone-producing adenoma (APA) carrying a somatic mutation that drives aldosterone overproduction. APAs with a mutation in (APA-) are characterized by heterogeneous CYP11B2 (aldosterone synthase) expression, a particular cellular composition and larger tumor diameter than those with wild-type (APA-). We exploited these differences to decipher the roles of transcriptome and metabolome reprogramming in tumor pathogenesis.

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The IFN system constitutes a powerful antiviral defense machinery. Consequently, effective IFN responses protect against severe COVID-19 and exogenous IFNs inhibit SARS-CoV-2 in vitro. However, emerging SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern (VOCs) may have evolved reduced IFN sensitivity.

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Understanding the sequence-dependent DNA damage formation requires probing a complete pool of sequences over a wide dose range of the damage-causing exposure. We used high throughput sequencing to simultaneously obtain the dose dependence and quantum yields for oligonucleotide damages for all possible 4096 DNA sequences with hexamer length. We exposed the DNA to ultraviolet radiation at 266 nm and doses of up to 500 absorbed photons per base.

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Although the quantitative trait locus (QTL) on chromosome 18 (BTA18) associated with paternal calving ease and stillbirth in Holstein Friesian cattle and its cross has been known for over 20 years, to our knowledge, the exact causal genetic sequence has yet escaped identification. The aim of this study was to re-examine the region of the published QTL on BTA18 and to investigate the possible reasons behind this elusiveness. For this purpose, we carried out a combined linkage disequilibrium and linkage analysis using genotyping data of 2,697 German Holstein Friesian (HF) animals and subsequent whole-genome sequencing (WGS) data analyses and genome assembly of HF samples.

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Background: The efficacy of recanalization treatment in patients with ischemic stroke due to large vessel occlusion (LVO) is highly time dependent. We aimed to investigate the effects of an optimization of prehospital and intrahospital pathways on time metrics and efficacy of endovascular treatment in ischemic stroke due to LVO.

Methods: Patients treated with mechanical thrombectomy (MT) at the Hospital of St.

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Article Synopsis
  • The Omicron variant of COVID-19, particularly its subvariants BA.1 and BA.2, has emerged as a significant concern during the pandemic in 2022, affecting detection rates of infections.
  • *Recent studies show that rapid antigen tests (RATs) have reduced effectiveness in detecting infections caused by Omicron-BA.1 compared to previous variants like Delta, with variability in performance among different RATs.
  • *In a study evaluating five RATs, significant differences in detection sensitivity were observed, with some tests requiring much higher viral loads to return positive results, highlighting the need for increased awareness of these shortcomings as new Omicron subvariants arise.
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