Pharmacotherapy from Pre-COVID to Post-COVID: Longitudinal Trends and Predictive Indicators for Long COVID Symptoms.

Background/objectives: A significant number of COVID-19 cases experience persistent symptoms after the acute infection phase, a condition known as long COVID or post-acute sequelae of COVID-19. Approved prevention and treatment options for long COVID are currently lacking. Given the heterogeneous nature of long COVID, a personalized medicine approach is essential for effective disease management.

Case report: Cardiac intimal sarcoma in a young child.

Undifferentiated mesenchymal tumors from the intimal layer (intimal sarcomas) are rare within the ventricles and exceptional in children. A rare case of an intimal sarcoma located in the right ventricle in a young child is presented with need for urgent surgical resection due to mechanical flow obstruction. Tumor cells showed amplification of gene and a homozygous loss of on 9p21.

Advances in multimodal imaging for diagnosis of pigmented ocular fundus lesions.

Pigmented ocular fundus lesions can range from benign to malignant. While observation is reasonable for asymptomatic benign lesions, early recognition of tumours that are vision or life threatening is critical for long-term prognosis. With recent advances and increased accessibility of multimodal imaging, it is important that providers understand how to best use these tools to detect tumours that require early referral to subspecialty centres.

Identification of genomic loci regulating platelet plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 in mice.

Background: Plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 (PAI-1, Serpine1) is an important circulating fibrinolysis inhibitor. PAI-1 exists in 2 pools, packaged within platelet α-granules and freely circulating in plasma. Elevated plasma PAI-1 levels are associated with cardiovascular disease.

Breast implant associated EBV-positive Diffuse Large B-cell lymphoma: an underrecognized entity?

Breast-implant associated (BIA) lymphoma is an infrequent type of cancer occurring in the fluid and fibrous capsule around a textured breast implant. Recently, both the 2022 WHO 5th edition classification of Haematological tumours (WHO HAEM5) and 2022 International Consensus Classification of Mature Lymphoid Neoplasms (22ICC), recognized breast implant-associated Anaplastic Large Cell Lymphoma (BIA-ALCL) as a definitive entity, defined as a mature CD30-positive T-cell lymphoma, confined by a fibrous capsule, in a breast implant setting. Only few B-cell lymphomas have been reported in the literature to be associated with breast implants.

Efficacy of non-pharmacological interventions to reduce pain in children with sickle cell disease: A systematic review.

Background: Pain is the clinical hallmark of sickle cell disease (SCD) leading to hospitalization, psychological sequelae and a decreased health-related quality of life. The aim of this systematic literature review is to evaluate the efficacy of non-pharmacological interventions in reducing sickle cell related pain in children with SCD.

Methods: Following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis guidelines, a comprehensive literature search up until October 2022 was performed to identify studies that investigated the efficacy of non-pharmacological interventions on (1) pain frequency and/or intensity, and (2) analgesic and health service use in children with SCD until the age of 21.

How arginine derivatives alter the stability of lipid membranes: dissecting the roles of side chains, backbone and termini.

Arginine (R)-rich peptides constitute the most relevant class of cell-penetrating peptides and other membrane-active peptides that can translocate across the cell membrane or generate defects in lipid bilayers such as water-filled pores. The mode of action of R-rich peptides remains a topic of controversy, mainly because a quantitative and energetic understanding of arginine effects on membrane stability is lacking. Here, we explore the ability of several oligo-arginines R[Formula: see text] and of an arginine side chain mimic R[Formula: see text] to induce pore formation in lipid bilayers employing MD simulations, free-energy calculations, breakthrough force spectroscopy and leakage assays.

Membrane fusion studied by colloidal probes.

Membrane-coated colloidal probes combine the benefits of solid-supported membranes with a more complex three-dimensional geometry. This combination makes them a powerful model system that enables the visualization of dynamic biological processes with high throughput and minimal reliance on fluorescent labels. Here, we want to review recent applications of colloidal probes for the study of membrane fusion.

Pembrolizumab-induced necrotizing myositis in a patient with metastatic non-small-cell lung cancer: a case report.

A 57-year-old man presented with swelling and pain in the lower limbs, inability to walk and increasing dyspnea for 2 days. Because of refractory stage IV non-small-cell lung cancer, pembrolizumab was started 21 days before presentation. Since then, he experienced general discomfort, fatigue and bilateral weakness in the legs with exercise limitation.

The essential role of complement in antibody-mediated resistance to Salmonella.

Vaccines can serve as essential tools to prevent bacterial diseases via the induction of long-lasting IgG responses. The efficacy of such vaccines depends on the effector mechanisms triggered by IgG. The complement system and Fc-gamma receptors (FcγRs) can potentially play a crucial role in IgG-mediated immunity against bacterial diseases.

FcγRI expression on macrophages is required for antibody-mediated tumor protection by cytomegalovirus-based vaccines.

Cytomegalovirus (CMV)-based vaccine vectors are promising vaccine platforms because they induce strong and long-lasting immune responses. Recently it has been shown that vaccination with a mouse CMV (MCMV) vector expressing the melanoma-specific antigen TRP2 (MCMV-TRP2) protects mice against outgrowth of TRP2-positive B16 melanoma tumors, and this protection was dependent on the induction of IgG antibodies. Here we demonstrate that, although mice lacking all receptors for the Fc part of IgG (FcγRs) develop normal IgG responses after MCMV-TRP2 vaccination, the protection against B16 melanoma was completely abrogated, indicating that FcγRs are indispensable in the downstream effector pathway of the polyclonal anti-TRP2 antibody response.

Tumor Heterogeneity in Colorectal Cancer: What Do We Know So Far?

Colorectal cancer is not one disease but rather a collection of neoplastic diseases. Due to heterogeneity in the disease biology, therapy response, and prognosis, extensive disease stratification is required. Therefore, TNM stage, microsatellite status, tumor grade, lymphovascular invasion, and other parameters are assessed in the pathology report to indicate the extent and prognosis of the disease.

Nickel-ruthenium-based complexes as biomimetic models of [NiFe] and [NiFeSe] hydrogenases for dihydrogen evolution.

The two heterodinuclear nickel-ruthenium complexes [Ni(xbSmS)RuCp(PPh)]PF and [Ni(xbSmSe)RuCp(PPh)]PF (HxbSmS = 1,2-bis(4-mercapto-3,3-dimethyl-2-thiabutyl)benzene, HxbSmSe = 1,2,-bis(2-thiabutyl-3,3-dimethyl-4-selenol)benzene, Cp = cyclopentadienyl) were synthesized as biomimetic models of [NiFe] and [NiFeSe] hydrogenases. The X-ray structural analyses of the complexes show that the two NiRu complexes are isomorphous; in both NiRu complexes the nickel(ii) centers are coordinated in a square-planar environment with two thioether donor atoms and two thiolate or selenolate donors that are bridging to the ruthenium(ii) center. The Ru(ii) ion is further coordinated to a η-cyclopentadienyl group and a triphenylphosphane ligand.

Axin2-mTurquoise2: A novel reporter mouse model for the detection of canonical Wnt signalling.

The canonical Wnt signalling pathway has been implicated in organogenesis and self-renewal of essentially all stem cell systems. In vivo reporter systems are crucial to assess the role of Wnt signalling in the biology and pathology of stem cell systems. We set out to develop a Turquoise (TQ) fluorescent protein based Wnt reporter.

Cathepsin B as a potential cystatin M/E target in the mouse hair follicle.

Deficiency of the cysteine protease inhibitor cystatin M/E (Cst6) in mice leads to disturbed epidermal cornification, impaired barrier function, and neonatal lethality. We report the rescue of the lethal skin phenotype of (Cst6-deficient; ) mice by transgenic, epidermis-specific, reexpression of Cst6 under control of the human involucrin (INV) promoter. Rescued Tg(INV-) mice survive the neonatal phase, but display severe eye pathology and alopecia after 4 mo.

Geometry of the Contact Zone between Fused Membrane-Coated Beads Mimicking Cell-Cell Fusion.

The fusion of lipid membranes is a key process in biology. It enables cells and organelles to exchange molecules with their surroundings, which otherwise could not cross the membrane barrier. To study such complex processes we use simplified artificial model systems, i.

Targeted sequencing by proximity ligation for comprehensive variant detection and local haplotyping.

Despite developments in targeted gene sequencing and whole-genome analysis techniques, the robust detection of all genetic variation, including structural variants, in and around genes of interest and in an allele-specific manner remains a challenge. Here we present targeted locus amplification (TLA), a strategy to selectively amplify and sequence entire genes on the basis of the crosslinking of physically proximal sequences. We show that, unlike other targeted re-sequencing methods, TLA works without detailed prior locus information, as one or a few primer pairs are sufficient for sequencing tens to hundreds of kilobases of surrounding DNA.

Lambert-Eaton myasthenic syndrome in a 13-year-old girl with Xp11.22-p11.23 duplication.

Lambert-Eaton myasthenic syndrome (LEMS) is an autoimmune disease of the presynaptic neuromuscular junction, typically occurring in adults as a paraneoplastic syndrome. Only rare cases have been reported in childhood. In most childhood cases, malignancies have not been detected but a propensity to autoimmune disease was noticed.

Generation of embryonic stem cells and mice for duchenne research.

Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) is a muscle-wasting disease in which muscle is continuously damaged, resulting in loss of muscle tissue and function. Antisense-mediated exon skipping is a promising therapeutic approach for DMD. This method uses sequence specific antisense oligonucleotides (AONs) to reframe disrupted dystrophin transcripts.

Identification of a novel CD40 ligand for targeted imaging of inflammatory plaques by phage display.

The CD40/CD40L dyad is deemed to play a central role in several inflammatory processes, including atherosclerosis. As CD40 is overexpressed in atherosclerotic lesions, it constitutes a promising candidate for targeted imaging approaches. Here we describe the design of a novel, selective peptide ligand for CD40 by phage display.

The influence of an educational program on the HbA(1c)-level of adolescents with type 1 diabetes mellitus: a retrospective study.

Objectives: Adherence to diabetes management tasks in type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM) patients deteriorates during puberty. This causes glycemic dysregulation, which accelerates the development of long-term complications.

Methods: The data of 25 poorly regulated T1DM-patients were compared before and 3 and 9 months after a psycho-educational program.

Universal vaccine based on ectodomain of matrix protein 2 of influenza A: Fc receptors and alveolar macrophages mediate protection.

The ectodomain of matrix protein 2 (M2e) of influenza A virus is an attractive target for a universal influenza A vaccine: the M2e sequence is highly conserved across influenza virus subtypes, and induced humoral anti-M2e immunity protects against a lethal influenza virus challenge in animal models. Clinical phase I studies with M2e vaccine candidates have been completed. However, the in vivo mechanism of immune protection induced by M2e-carrier vaccination is unclear.

Growth charts for children with Ellis-van Creveld syndrome.

Ellis-van Creveld (EvC) syndrome is a congenital malformation syndrome with marked growth retardation. In this study, specific growth charts for EvC patients were derived to allow better follow-up of growth and earlier detection of growth patterns unusual for EvC. With the use of 235 observations of 101 EvC patients (49 males, 52 females), growth charts for males and females from 0 to 20 years of age were derived.

Experimental antibody therapy of liver metastases reveals functional redundancy between Fc gammaRI and Fc gammaRIV.

Many patients with colorectal cancer will develop liver metastases, even after successful surgical removal of the primary tumor at a time at which no visible metastases are present. We previously demonstrated that surgery--although mandatory--paradoxically enhances the risk of developing liver metastases. Because Ab therapy has been acknowledged as a successful strategy to treat malignancies, we studied the potential of postoperative adjuvant Ab therapy to prevent outgrowth of liver metastases.