Protection of K18-hACE2 Mice against SARS-CoV-2 Challenge by a Capsid Virus-like Particle-Based Vaccine.

The SARS-CoV-2 pandemic and the emergence of novel virus variants have had a dramatic impact on public health and the world economy, underscoring the need for detailed studies that explore the high efficacy of additional vaccines in animal models. In this study, we confirm the pathogenicity of the SARS-CoV-2/Leiden_008 isolate (GenBank accession number MT705206.1) in K18-hACE2 transgenic mice.

Epidemiology and Treatment of Patients With Primary Open Angle Glaucoma in Germany: A Health Claims Data Analysis.

Prcis: Based on a large administrative database of German claims data, our study provides current estimates of the prevalence and incidence of primary open angle glaucoma (POAG) in Germany and describes selected outcomes for prevalent patients with POAG.

Purpose: To estimate the prevalence and incidence of POAG in Germany, to describe the patient population in terms of comorbidity burden, routine care, and overall healthcare resource utilization (HCRU) and associated costs, and to describe treatment patterns over time in patients undergoing relevant laser procedures.

Materials And Methods: Based on anonymized German claims data, we carried out a retrospective, noninterventional study covering calendar years 2016-2021.

Valproic Acid Treatment after Traumatic Brain Injury in Mice Alleviates Neuronal Death and Inflammation in Association with Increased Plasma Lysophosphatidylcholines.

The histone deacetylase inhibitor (HDACi) valproic acid (VPA) has neuroprotective and anti-inflammatory effects in experimental traumatic brain injury (TBI), which have been partially attributed to the epigenetic disinhibition of the transcription repressor RE1-Silencing Transcription Factor/Neuron-Restrictive Silencer Factor (REST/NRSF). Additionally, VPA changes post-traumatic brain injury (TBI) brain metabolism to create a neuroprotective environment. To address the interconnection of neuroprotection, metabolism, inflammation and REST/NRSF after TBI, we subjected C57BL/6N mice to experimental TBI and intraperitoneal VPA administration or vehicle solution at 15 min, 1, 2, and 3 days post-injury (dpi).

Molecular characterisation of a rabbit Hepatitis E Virus strain detected in a chronically HEV-infected individual from Germany.

In immunocompromised individuals persisting viremia frequently leads to a chronic hepatitis E virus (HEV) infection. Zoonotic transmission of HEV from pigs and wild boar to humans is proven and sporadic infections with rabbit HEV (raHEV) have recently been reported. Here, the molecular characterisation of a raHEV strain isolated from an immunocompromised, chronically HEV-infected, heart-transplanted patient is described.

Impact of Simulated Rotating Shift Work on Mammary Tumor Development in the Mouse Model for Breast Cancer.

Epidemiological studies associate night shift work with increased breast cancer risk. However, the underlying mechanisms are not clearly understood. To better understand these mechanisms, animal models that mimic the human situation of different aspects of shift work are needed.

Engineering potent live attenuated coronavirus vaccines by targeted inactivation of the immune evasive viral deubiquitinase.

Coronaviruses express a papain-like protease (PLpro) that is required for replicase polyprotein maturation and also serves as a deubiquitinating enzyme (DUB). In this study, using a Middle East respiratory syndrome virus (MERS-CoV) PLpro modified virus in which the DUB is selectively inactivated, we show that the PLpro DUB is an important MERS-CoV interferon antagonist and virulence factor. Although the DUB-negative rMERS-CoV replicates robustly in the lungs of human dipeptidyl peptidase 4 knock-in (hDPP4 KI) mice, it does not cause clinical symptoms.

Learning From Instructional Videos: Learner Gender Does Matter; Speaker Gender Does Not.

One crucial design characteristic of auditory texts embedded in instructional videos is the speaker gender, which has received some attention from empirical researcher in the recent years. Contrary to the theoretical assumption that similarity between the speaker's and the learner's gender might positively affect learning outcomes, the findings have often been mixed, showing null to contrary effects. Notwithstanding the effect on the outcomes, a closer look at how the speaker's gender and speaker-learner similarities further determine cognitive variables, such as different cognitive load types, is overdue.

Identification of a Putative Novel Genotype of Avian Hepatitis E Virus from Apparently Healthy Chickens in Southwestern Nigeria.

Avian hepatitis E virus (aHEV) is the major etiological agent of hepatitis-splenomegaly syndrome (HSS), big liver and spleen disease (BLSD), and hepatic rupture hemorrhage syndrome (HRHS) in chickens. Infections with aHEV cause a significant decrease in egg production and increased mortality in chickens worldwide. However, studies on the prevalence of aHEV in Nigeria are scarce.

Administration of all-trans retinoic acid after experimental traumatic brain injury is brain protective.

Background And Purpose: All-trans retinoic acid (ATRA) is a vitamin A metabolite, important in the developing and mature brain. Pre-injury ATRA administration ameliorates ischaemic brain insults in rodents. This study examined the effects of post-traumatic ATRA treatment in experimental traumatic brain injury (TBI).

Save Your Maximum Tolerated Dose: How to Diagnose Procedure-Related Spinal Cord Lesions After Lumbar Intrathecal Bolus Administration of Oligonucleotides in Cynomolgus Monkeys.

Many potential drugs for treatment of neurodegenerative diseases, particularly antisense oligonucleotides (ASOs), are administered via lumbar intrathecal injection, because these drugs do not cross the blood-brain barrier. Intrathecal injection is a well-established method in cynomolgus monkeys, a species that is used in preclinical safety assessment when other nonrodent species cannot be used. The authors completed intrathecal ASO administration in over 30 preclinical safety studies (>1000 animals and >4500 dose administrations) during which we observed 3 cases of procedure-related spinal cord necrosis (incidence <0.

Life in a fragment: Evolution of foraging strategies of translocated collared brown lemurs, Eulemur collaris, over an 18-year period.

While the drivers of primate persistence in forest fragments have been often considered at the population level, the strategies to persist in these habitats have been little investigated at the individual or group level. Considering the rapid variation of fragment characteristics over time, longitudinal data on primates living in fragmented habitats are necessary to understand the key elements for their persistence. Since translocated animals have to cope with unfamiliar areas and face unknown fluctuations in food abundance, they offer the opportunity to study the factors contributing to successful migration between fragments.

The multi PAM2 protein Upa2 functions as novel core component of endosomal mRNA transport.

mRNA transport determines spatiotemporal protein expression. Transport units are higher-order ribonucleoprotein complexes containing cargo mRNAs, RNA-binding proteins and accessory proteins. Endosomal mRNA transport in fungal hyphae belongs to the best-studied translocation mechanisms.

The germinal centre kinase Don3 is crucial for unconventional secretion of chitinase Cts1 in Ustilago maydis.

Unconventional secretion has emerged as an increasingly important cellular process in eukaryotic cells. The underlying translocation mechanisms are diverse and often little understood. We study unconventional secretion of chitinase Cts1 in the corn smut fungus Ustilago maydis.

CD31 and VEGF are prognostic biomarkers in early-stage, but not in late-stage, laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma.

Background: Patients suffering from squamous cell carcinoma of the larynx (LSCC) with lymphatic metastasis have a relatively poor prognosis and often require radical therapeutic management. The mechanisms which drive metastasis to the lymph nodes are largely unknown but may be promoted by a pro-angiogenic tumor microenvironment. In this study, we examined whether the number of microvessels and the expression level of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) in the primary tumor are correlated with the degree of lymph node metastasis (N-stage), tumor staging (T) and survival time in LSCC patients.

Recombinant IFN-γ from the bank vole Myodes glareolus: a novel tool for research on rodent reservoirs of zoonotic pathogens.

Rodent species like Myodes glareolus and Microtus spp. are natural reservoirs for many zoonotic pathogens causing human diseases and are gaining increasing interest in the field of eco-immunology as candidate animal models. Despite their importance the lack of immunological reagents has hampered research in these animal species.

Underlying Processes of an Inverted Personalization Effect in Multimedia Learning - An Eye-Tracking Study.

One of the frequently examined design principles in multimedia learning is the personalization principle. Based on empirical evidence this principle states that using personalized messages in multimedia learning is more beneficial than using formal language (e.g.

RNA Live Imaging in the Model Microorganism Ustilago maydis.

An essential feature of protein expression is the tight regulation of when and where a protein is translated from its cognate mRNA. This spatiotemporal expression is particularly important in guaranteeing the correct and efficient targeting of proteins to defined subcellular sites. In order to achieve local translation, mRNAs must be deposited at specific locations.

The Dark Side of the Epitranscriptome: Chemical Modifications in Long Non-Coding RNAs.

The broad application of next-generation sequencing technologies in conjunction with improved bioinformatics has helped to illuminate the complexity of the transcriptome, both in terms of quantity and variety. In humans, 70-90% of the genome is transcribed, but only ~2% carries the blueprint for proteins. Hence, there is a huge class of non-translated transcripts, called long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs), which have received much attention in the past decade.

Model-based performance and energy analyses of reverse osmosis to reuse wastewater in a PVC production site.

A pilot-scale reverse osmosis (RO) followed behind a membrane bioreactor (MBR) was developed for the desalination to reuse wastewater in a PVC production site. The solution-diffusion-film model (SDFM) based on the solution-diffusion model (SDM) and the film theory was proposed to describe rejections of electrolyte mixtures in the MBR effluent which consists of dominant ions (Na and Cl) and several trace ions (Ca, Mg, K and SO). The universal global optimisation method was used to estimate the ion permeability coefficients (B) and mass transfer coefficients (K) in SDFM.

Is there genetic variation in mycorrhization of ?

Differences in the plant's response among ecotypes or accessions are often used to identify molecular markers for the respective process. In order to analyze genetic diversity of in respect to interaction with the arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungus , mycorrhizal colonization was evaluated in 32 lines of the nested core collection representing the genetic diversity of the SARDI collection. All studied lines and the reference line Jemalong A17 were inoculated with and the mycorrhization rate was determined at three time points after inoculation.

Rac1-mediated cardiac damage causes diastolic dysfunction in a mouse model of subacute doxorubicin-induced cardiotoxicity.

The anticancer efficacy of anthracyclines is limited by congestive heart failure. Clinically established markers of early onset of cardiotoxicity following anthracycline treatment and preventive measures are missing. Although statins are reported to alleviate anthracycline-induced cardiotoxicity in vivo, the molecular mechanisms involved remain elusive.

Epidemiological and Molecular Analysis of an Outbreak of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza H5N8 clade 2.3.4.4 in a German Zoo: Effective Disease Control with Minimal Culling.

Outbreaks of highly pathogenic avian influenza A virus (HPAIV) subtype H5N8, clade 2.3.4.