Psoas muscle index predicts time to rehospitalization in liver cirrhosis: An observational study.

Sarcopenia is frequent in liver cirrhosis (LC) where it is associated with morbidity and mortality. However, prognostic scores such as model for end-stage liver disease (MELD), MELD-sodium (MELD-Na), or Child-Turcotte-Pugh (CTP) do not contain sarcopenia as a variable. For this study, we utilized psoas muscle index (PMI) to objectively determine sarcopenia in hospitalized LC patients, and evaluated it as a predictor of time between discharge and readmission in LC.

Propafenone analogue with additional H-bond acceptor group shows increased inhibitory activity on P-glycoprotein.

P-glycoprotein (P-gp) is an ATP-dependent efflux pump that has a marked impact on the absorption, distribution, and excretion of therapeutic drugs. As P-gp inhibition can result in drug-drug interactions and altered drug bioavailability, identifying molecular properties that are linked to inhibition is of great interest in drug development. In this study, we combined chemical synthesis, in vitro testing, quantitative structure-activity relationship analysis, and docking studies to investigate the role of hydrogen bond (H-bond) donor/acceptor properties in transporter-ligand interaction.

PRDM9 forms a trimer by interactions within the zinc finger array.

PRDM9 is a trans-acting factor directing meiotic recombination to specific DNA-binding sites by its zinc finger (ZnF) array. It was suggested that PRDM9 is a multimer; however, we do not know the stoichiometry or the components inducing PRDM9 multimerization. In this work, we used binding studies and characterized with electrophoretic mobility shift assays, mass spectrometry, and fluorescence correlation spectroscopy the stoichiometry of the PRDM9 multimer of two different murine PRDM9 alleles carrying different tags and domains produced with different expression systems.

The consequences of sequence erosion in the evolution of recombination hotspots.

Meiosis is initiated by a double-strand break (DSB) introduced in the DNA by a highly controlled process that is repaired by recombination. In many organisms, recombination occurs at specific and narrow regions of the genome, known as recombination hotspots, which overlap with regions enriched for DSBs. In recent years, it has been demonstrated that conversions and mutations resulting from the repair of DSBs lead to a rapid sequence evolution at recombination hotspots eroding target sites for DSBs.

The long zinc finger domain of PRDM9 forms a highly stable and long-lived complex with its DNA recognition sequence.

PR domain containing protein 9 (PRDM9) is a meiosis-specific, multi-domain protein that regulates the location of recombination hotspots by targeting its DNA recognition sequence for double-strand breaks (DSBs). PRDM9 specifically recognizes DNA via its tandem array of zinc fingers (ZnFs), epigenetically marks the local chromatin by its histone methyltransferase activity, and is an important tether that brings the DNA into contact with the recombination initiation machinery. A strong correlation between PRDM9-ZnF variants and specific DNA motifs at recombination hotspots has been reported; however, the binding specificity and kinetics of the ZnF domain are still obscure.

Thyroid Hormones and Vitamin D in Patients with Breast Cancer with Mutations in BRCA1 or BRCA2 Genes.

Aim: The thyroid hormones free triiodothyronine (fT3), free thyroxine (fT4), thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) and vitamin D seem to be involved in the process of differentiation and proliferation of breast tissue. Little is known about these factors in breast cancer 1 and 2 (BRCA1/BRCA2)-mutation carriers with breast cancer (BC). The purpose of this investigation was to evaluate the association of thyroid gland function and vitamin D with BC in patients with BRCA mutations.

Subtle Structural Differences Trigger Inhibitory Activity of Propafenone Analogues at the Two Polyspecific ABC Transporters: P-Glycoprotein (P-gp) and Breast Cancer Resistance Protein (BCRP).

The transmembrane ABC transporters P-glycoprotein (P-gp) and breast cancer resistance protein (BCRP) are widely recognized for their role in cancer multidrug resistance and absorption and distribution of compounds. Furthermore, they are linked to drug-drug interactions and toxicity. Nevertheless, due to their polyspecificity, a molecular understanding of the ligand-transporter interaction, which allows designing of both selective and dual inhibitors, is still in its infancy.

HPV vaccination: acceptance and influencing factors among young men in Germany.

Aims: This study aims to determine the factors that influence the acceptance of the HPV vaccination among German males.

Patient & Methods: In 2014, we conducted a population-based cross-sectional study in men aged 15-25 years. A questionnaire was mailed to male trainees of the Bayerische Motorenwerke AG (BMW) insured at the BMW health insurance company.

Comparison of two surgical methods for the treatment of CIN: classical LLETZ (large-loop excision of the transformation zone) versus isolated resection of the colposcopic apparent lesion - study protocol for a randomized controlled trial.

Background: In compliance with national and international guidelines, non-pregnant women with cervical intraepithelial neoplasia grade 3 should be treated by cervical conization. According to the definition of the large loop excision of the transformation zone (LLETZ) operation, the lesion needs to be resected, including the transformation zone. It is well known from the literature that the cone size directly correlates with the risk of preterm delivery in the course of a future pregnancy.

Effect of optical clearing agents on optical coherence tomography images of cervical epithelium.

Optical coherence tomography (OCT) can be used as an adjunct to colposcopy in order to detect precancerous and cancerous cervical lesions. Optical clearing agents (OCAs) temporarily reduce the optical scattering of biological tissues. The purpose of this study was to investigate their influence on OCT imaging.

Resection of perihilar biliary schwannoma.

Introduction: Schwannomas are usually benign nerve sheath tumors, which typically arise in the head, neck, spinal cord and extremities. Schwannoma of the biliary tract is an extremely rare finding. Patients generally lack symptoms and seek medical attention when tumor growth causes obstructive jaundice.

Adiponectin pretreatment counteracts the detrimental effect of a diabetic environment on endothelial progenitors.

Objective: It has been shown that vascular progenitors from patients with diabetes are dysfunctional. However, therapeutic strategies to counteract their reduced functional capacity are still lacking. Because adiponectin has reported salutary effects on endothelial function, we investigated the functional effects of globular adiponectin (gAcrp), the active domain of adiponectin, on isolated endothelial colony-forming cells (ECFC).

Combination of injectable multiple growth factor-releasing scaffolds and cell therapy as an advanced modality to enhance tissue neovascularization.

Objective: Vasculogenic progenitor cell therapy for ischemic diseases bears great potential but still requires further optimization for justifying its clinical application. Here, we investigated the effects of in vivo tissue engineering by combining vasculogenic progenitors with injectable scaffolds releasing controlled amounts of proangiogenic growth factors.

Methods And Results: We produced biodegradable, injectable polylactic coglycolic acid-based scaffolds releasing single factors or combinations of vascular endothelial growth factor, hepatocyte growth factor, and angiopoietin-1.

Prostaglandin E positively modulates endothelial progenitor cell homeostasis: an advanced treatment modality for autologous cell therapy.

Aims: The mobilization of endothelial progenitor cells (EPC) and their functioning in postnatal neovascularization are tightly regulated. To identify new modulators of EPC homeostasis, we screened biologically active prostaglandin E compounds for their effects on EPC production, trafficking and function.

Methods And Results: We found that EPC are a rich source for prostaglandin E(2) (PGE(2)), stimulating their number and function in an auto- and paracrine manner.