Ad hoc laboratory-based surveillance of SARS-CoV-2 by real-time RT-PCR using minipools of RNA prepared from routine respiratory samples.

Background: A novel coronavirus, severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), emerged in China in late 2019 and subsequently caused a pandemic. Surveillance is important to better appreciate this evolving pandemic and to longitudinally monitor the effectiveness of public health measures.

Objectives: We aimed to provide a rapid, easy to establish and costeffective laboratory-based surveillance tool for SARS-CoV-2.

Unexpected Hair Regrowth in a Patient with Longstanding Alopecia Universalis During Treatment of Recalcitrant Dermatomyositis with the Janus Kinase Inhibitor Ruxolitinib.

is missing (Short communication).

Loss of the nuclear Wnt pathway effector TCF7L2 promotes migration and invasion of human colorectal cancer cells.

The transcription factor TCF7L2 is indispensable for intestinal tissue homeostasis where it transmits mitogenic Wnt/β-Catenin signals in stem and progenitor cells, from which intestinal tumors arise. Yet, TCF7L2 belongs to the most frequently mutated genes in colorectal cancer (CRC), and tumor-suppressive functions of TCF7L2 were proposed. This apparent paradox warrants to clarify the role of TCF7L2 in colorectal carcinogenesis.

Selective Janus Kinase 1 Inhibition Is a Promising Therapeutic Approach for Lupus Erythematosus Skin Lesions.

Background: Cutaneous lupus erythematosus (CLE) is an interferon (IFN) -driven autoimmune skin disease characterized by an extensive cytotoxic lesional inflammation with activation of different innate immune pathways. Aim of our study was to investigate the specific role of Janus kinase 1 (JAK1) activation in this disease and the potential benefit of selective JAK1 inhibitors as targeted therapy in a preclinical CLE model.

Methods: Lesional skin of patients with different CLE subtypes and healthy controls ( = 31) were investigated on JAK1 activation and expression of IFN-associated mediators via immunohistochemistry and gene expression analyses.

Cerebral angiogenesis ameliorates pathological disorders in -deficient mice with small-vessel disease.

Cerebral small-vessel diseases (SVDs) often follow a progressive course. Little is known about the function of angiogenesis, which potentially induces regression of SVDs. Here, we investigated angiogenesis in a mouse model of incontinentia pigmenti (IP), a genetic disease comprising features of SVD.

Bias and stereotyping among research and clinical professionals: Perspectives on minority recruitment for oncology clinical trials.

Background: In recent years, extensive attention has been paid to the possibility that bias among health care professionals contributes to health disparities. In its 2003 report, the Institute of Medicine concluded that bias against racial minorities may affect communication or care offered. However, to the authors' knowledge, the role of bias within the context of recruitment of racial and ethnic minorities to cancer clinical trials has not been explored to date.

Computational Mechanisms of Effort and Reward Decisions in Patients With Depression and Their Association With Relapse After Antidepressant Discontinuation.

Importance: Nearly 1 in 3 patients with major depressive disorder who respond to antidepressants relapse within 6 months of treatment discontinuation. No predictors of relapse exist to guide clinical decision-making in this scenario.

Objectives: To establish whether the decision to invest effort for rewards represents a persistent depression process after remission, predicts relapse after remission, and is affected by antidepressant discontinuation.

Value-based care for the treatment and evaluation of benign prostatic hyperplasia: an analysis of a metropolitan service area claims database.

Purpose: With an aging population, cost containment and improved outcomes will be crucial for a sustainable healthcare ecosystem. Current data demonstrate great variation in payments for procedures and diagnostic workup of benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH). To help determine the best financial value in BPH care, we sought to analyze the major drivers of total payments in BPH.

Standardized protocol for determination of biohydrogen potential.

Biohydrogen production potential (BHP) depends on several factors like inoculum source, substrate, pH, among many others. Batch assays are the most common strategy to evaluate such parameters, where the comparison is a challenging task due to the different procedures used. The present method introduces the first internationally validated protocol, evaluated by 8 independent laboratories from 5 different countries, to assess the biohydrogen potential.

In-situ extraction and impregnation of black walnut husk into polyethylene film using supercritical carbon dioxide with an ethanol modifier.

Walnuts are commonly cultivated for their kernel, which is a rich source of antioxidant phenolic compounds. The husk likewise contains antioxidant and antimicrobial compounds, but is typically discarded without further processing. Antioxidant compounds are useful in creating active packaging films, but typically decompose at melt extrusion temperatures in polymer processing.

Zoonotic spillover infections with Borna disease virus 1 leading to fatal human encephalitis, 1999-2019: an epidemiological investigation.

Background: In 2018-19, Borna disease virus 1 (BoDV-1), the causative agent of Borna disease in horses, sheep, and other domestic mammals, was reported in five human patients with severe to fatal encephalitis in Germany. However, information on case frequencies, clinical courses, and detailed epidemiological analyses are still lacking. We report the occurrence of BoDV-1-associated encephalitis in cases submitted to the Institute of Clinical Microbiology and Hygiene, Regensburg University Hospital, Regensburg, Germany, and provide a detailed description of newly identified cases of BoDV-1-induced encephalitis.

Successful treatment of psoriatic arthritis and comorbid annular atrophic lichen planus with etanercept.

Psoriasis vulgaris and lichen planus are distinct T-cell-driven inflammatory skin diseases. Both present in a variety of clinical subtypes. Mucosal or nail involvement may be present.

Impaired endothelium-mediated cerebrovascular reactivity promotes anxiety and respiration disorders in mice.

Carbon dioxide (CO), the major product of metabolism, has a strong impact on cerebral blood vessels, a phenomenon known as cerebrovascular reactivity. Several vascular risk factors such as hypertension or diabetes dampen this response, making cerebrovascular reactivity a useful diagnostic marker for incipient vascular pathology, but its functional relevance, if any, is still unclear. Here, we found that GPR4, an endothelial H receptor, and endothelial Gα proteins mediate the CO/H effect on cerebrovascular reactivity in mice.

Physical, Chemical, and Biological Factors that Contribute to the Variability of Mercury Concentrations in Largemouth Bass Micropterus salmoides from Missouri Reservoirs.

Large-bodied predatory sportfish from Missouri reservoirs can contain elevated methylmercury concentrations that are of concern to the health of consumers. The concentration of total mercury (tHg) in the muscle (which > 95% is in the methylated-Hg form) of harvestable-sized largemouth bass (Micropterus salmoides; LMB) was examined to determine which factors contributed to the variability of tHg concentration in sportfish populations among Missouri reservoirs. Mean tHg concentrations in LMB from each reservoir were compared to physical and chemical characteristics of the reservoir and to biological attributes of each LMB population.

The impact of endothelial cell death in the brain and its role after stroke: A systematic review.

The supply of oxygen and nutrients to the brain is vital for its function and requires a complex vascular network that, when disturbed, results in profound neurological dysfunction. As part of the pathology in stroke, endothelial cells die. As endothelial cell death affects the surrounding cellular environment and is a potential target for the treatment and prevention of neurological disorders, we have systematically reviewed important aspects of endothelial cell death with a particular focus on stroke.

Rationale and Design of the Hamburg City Health Study.

The Hamburg City Health Study (HCHS) is a large, prospective, long-term, population-based cohort study and a unique research platform and network to obtain substantial knowledge about several important risk and prognostic factors in major chronic diseases. A random sample of 45,000 participants between 45 and 74 years of age from the general population of Hamburg, Germany, are taking part in an extensive baseline assessment at one dedicated study center. Participants undergo 13 validated and 5 novel examinations primarily targeting major organ system function and structures including extensive imaging examinations.

Computational Investigation of Drug Phototoxicity: Photosafety Assessment, Photo-Toxophore Identification, and Machine Learning.

One of the most appreciated capabilities of computational toxicology is to support the design of pharmaceuticals with reduced toxicological hazard. To this end, we have strengthened our drug photosafety assessments by applying novel computer models for the anticipation of in vitro phototoxicity and human photosensitization. These models are typically used in pharmaceutical discovery projects as part of the compound toxicity assessments and compound optimization methods.

Moderators of Exercise Effects on Cancer-related Fatigue: A Meta-analysis of Individual Patient Data.

Purpose: Fatigue is a common and potentially disabling symptom in patients with cancer. It can often be effectively reduced by exercise. Yet, effects of exercise interventions might differ across subgroups.

Microbiota adaptation after an alkaline pH perturbation in a full-scale UASB anaerobic reactor treating dairy wastewater.

The aim of this study was to understand how the microbial community adapted to changes, including a pH perturbation, occurring during the start-up and operation processes in a full-scale methanogenic UASB reactor designed to treat dairy wastewater. The reactor performance, prokaryotic community, and lipid degradation capacity were monitored over a 9-month period. The methanogenic community was studied by mcrA/mrtA gene copy-number quantification and methanogenic activity tests.

Effects and moderators of exercise on sleep in adults with cancer: Individual patient data and aggregated meta-analyses.

Objectives: To evaluate the effects of exercise interventions on sleep disturbances and sleep quality in patients with mixed cancer diagnoses, and identify demographic, clinical, and intervention-related moderators of these effects.

Methods: Individual patient data (IPD) and aggregated meta-analyses of randomized controlled trials (RCTs). Using data from the Predicting OptimaL cAncer RehabIlitation and Supportive care project, IPD of 2173 adults (mean age = 54.

Choosing an Adequate Test to Determine Fitness for Air Travel in Obese Individuals.

Background: Air travel is physically demanding and, because obesity is rising, physicians increasingly need to assess whether such patients can fly safely. Our aim was to compare the diagnostic accuracy of two routinely used exercise tests, 50-m walk test and 6-min walk test, and hypoxic challenge testing (HCT) in obese individuals. We further explored the diagnostic potential of perceived dyspnea as measured with the Borg scale because this is often recorded subsequent to walking tests.

Cutaneous lupus erythematosus: new insights into pathogenesis and therapeutic strategies.

Cutaneous lupus erythematosus (CLE) is an autoimmune disease that can present as an isolated skin disease or as a manifestation within the spectrum of systemic lupus erythematosus. The clinical spectrum of CLE is broad, ranging from isolated discoid plaques to widespread skin lesions. Histologically, skin lesions present as interface dermatitis (inflammation of the skin mediated by anti-epidermal responses), which is orchestrated by type I and type III interferon-regulated cytokines and chemokines.