The role of lysophosphatidic acid and its receptors in corneal nerve regeneration.

The integrity of corneal nerves is critical for ocular surface health, and damages can lead to Neurotrophic Keratopathy (NK). Despite the regenerative abilities of the peripheral nerve system (PNS), corneal nerve regeneration is often incomplete, and the underlying mechanisms are poorly understood. This study aims to identify potential factors that can enhance corneal nerve regeneration for NK treatment, with a focus on Lysophosphatidic acid (LPA).

Synthesis and exploration of a 1-germol-1-ide/pyridine bidentate ligand.

The synthesis of an anionic [Ge,N]-bidentate ligand based on the combination of an amidopyridinato group with an anionic germolide ring is reported. The potential of the germolide part of this ligand to switch between η-( Ge) and η-( CGe) coordination modes makes this ligand an interesting synthetic target. Salt metathesis reactions of the potassium salt of this ligand with GeCl dioxane and SnCl allow the synthesis of bis-germolyl-substituted germylenes and stannylenes with the tetrel atoms in a distorted square pyramidal coordination environment.

Mercury bioaccumulation and assimilation in marine plankton in meltwater influenced fjords and shelf waters along the east coast of Greenland.

The rapid melting of the Arctic cryosphere due to climate change will result in significant freshwater input into Arctic marine ecosystems. This might also cause the release of legacy mercury (Hg) stored in the cryosphere, increasing Hg concentration and its subsequent effects on the marine biota. However, there is scarce knowledge on the concentration of Hg in the lower trophic level organisms at the base of the Arctic pelagic food web.

Use and application of geographical restrictions in systematic reviews with the aim of including studies about Germany: An update of a methodological review.

Background: In systematic reviews (SRs), geographical limitations in literature searches can aid in focussing research efforts. A methodological review published in 2016 examined the approaches SR authors use to identify studies about Germany, analysing 36 SRs.

Objective: The aim of this study was to update the original review.

The value of information in predicting harmful algal blooms.

Environmental decision-making is inherently subject to uncertainty. However, decisions are often urgent, and whether to take direct action or invest in collecting additional data beforehand is pervasive. To make this trade-off explicit, the value of information (VoI) theory offers a powerful decision analytic tool to quantify the expected benefit of resolving uncertainty in a decision context.

Investigation of Possible Sources of Electrodermal Activity in Surgical Personnel to Assess Workplace Stress Levels.

Objective: The aim of this study was to evaluate alternative measurement points to assess stress levels during surgery, given that taking electrodermal activity (EDA) measurements from the palms, a commonly used standard, is impractical in surgical contexts.

Methods: A combination of mentally challenging tasks on a laparoscopy trainer (LapSim) and physically challenging sports exercises were performed by a group of participants. During these tasks, EDA was measured at three different locations: the fingers, toes, and shoulder/neck area.

Long-living transients in ecological models: Recent progress, new challenges, and open questions.

Traditionally, mathematical models in ecology placed an emphasis on asymptotic, long-term dynamics. However, a large number of recent studies highlighted the importance of transient dynamics in ecological and eco-evolutionary systems, in particular 'long transients' that can last for hundreds of generations or even longer. Many models as well as empirical studies indicated that a system can function for a long time in a certain state or regime (a 'metastable regime') but later exhibits an abrupt transition to another regime not preceded by any parameter change (or following the change that occurred long before the transition).

Identification and functional characterization of multiple haemadins and an oligomeric decorsin in the Asian land leech Haemadipsa interrupta.

Haematophagous leeches rely on a broad variety of bioactive compounds to secure a sufficient blood meal from their vertebrate prey. Both the primary (platelet aggregation) and secondary (blood coagulation) haemostasis are the main targets of action. The platelet aggregation inhibitor decorsin was first described in the North American leech, Macrobdella decora Say, 1824, whereas the bivalent thrombin inhibitor hirudin was originally identified in the European medicinal leech, Hirudo medicinalis Linnaeus, 1758.

Risk Score for Early Prediction of In-Hospital Mortality After Aneurysmal Subarachnoid Hemorrhage: Pooled Analysis With Score Construction and Validation.

Objective: Aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage (aSAH) has a high complications burden, with in-hospital mortality as the most devastating outcome. We aimed to develop and validate a risk score for early prediction of in-hospital mortality after aSAH.

Methods: Data from 2 university hospitals were pooled (n = 1070), with cohorts for score construction (n = 886) and external validation (n = 184).

Protocol for autofluorescence-driven isolation of human peripheral blood eosinophils.

Most common techniques for isolating eosinophils utilize CD16-negative selection, neglecting the CD16-positive fraction of eosinophils. Here, we present a protocol for isolating human CD16+ and CD16- eosinophils based on their autofluorescence using the MACSQuant Tyto cell sorter. We describe steps for purifying eosinophils and assessing purity, viability, and functional activity.

The tyrosine kinase Yes1 is a druggable host factor of HEV.

Background: HEV is a positive-sense, single-stranded RNA virus of the Hepeviridae family. Although HEV accounts for more than 3 million symptomatic cases of viral hepatitis per year, specific anti-HEV therapy and knowledge about HEV pathogenesis are scarce.

Methods: To gain a deeper understanding of the HEV infectious cycle and guide the development of novel antiviral strategies, we here used an RNAi mini screen targeting a selection of kinases, including mitogen-activated protein kinases, receptor tyrosine kinases, and Src-family kinases.

Cyclin-dependent kinase 13 is indispensable for normal mouse heart development.

Congenital heart disease (CHD) has an incidence of approximately 1%. Over the last decade, sequencing studies including large cohorts of individuals with CHD have begun to unravel the genetic mechanisms underpinning CHD. This includes the identification of variants in cyclin-dependent kinase 13 (CDK13), in individuals with syndromic CHD.

A systematic review and risk of bias analysis of in vitro studies on trophoblast response to immunological triggers.

An increasing amount of evidence suggests that immune responses may affect trophoblast functioning, which in turn may play a role in gestational disorders and fetal development. This systematic review offers the first summary of in vitro studies on the trophoblast response to immunological triggers, in conjunction with a risk of bias analysis. A search in Pubmed and Embase yielded 110 relevant studies.

The discovery of an overseen pygmy backswimmer in Europe (Heteroptera, Nepomorpha, Pleidae).

The Pleidae, or pygmy backswimmers, is a family of aquatic bugs (Hemiptera, Heteroptera, Nepomorpha) containing four genera. Here, we describe Plea cryptica sp. nov.

Antidiabetic and antioxidant profiling of 67 African trifoliate yam accessions by planar on-surface assays versus in vitro assays.

Trifoliate yam (Dioscorea dumetorum) is traditionally used to treat diabetics in Nigeria. However, almost no information is available on its antidiabetic constituents and their natural variance. Hence, the activity of methanolic tuber extracts of 67 trifoliate yam accessions from the largest collection in Africa was proven by four colorimetric antidiabetic and antioxidant in vitro assays, as diabetes is also linked with oxidative stress.

Reduced brain oxygen response to spreading depolarization predicts worse outcome in ischaemic stroke.

Spreading depolarization (SD) describes a propagating neuronal mass depolarization within the cerebral cortex that represents a mediator of infarct development and strongly stimulates the metabolic rate of O2 consumption. Here, we investigated the influence of Spreading Depolarization (SD) on brain tissue partial pressure of O2 (ptiO2) within the peri-infarct tissue of patients suffering malignant hemispheric stroke (MHS). This prospective observational trial included 25 patients with MHS that underwent decompressive hemicraniectomy followed by subdural placement of electrodes for electrocorticography (ECoG) and neighboring implantation of a ptiO2 probe within the peri-infarcted cortex.

Utilization of Rehabilitation Services and Rehabilitation-Related Patient Satisfaction Following Total Knee Arthroplasty-Results of the Prospective FInGK Study.

(1) Background: This study aims to examine rehabilitation service utilization among total knee arthroplasty (TKA) subjects and the influencing factors associated with rehabilitation-related satisfaction. (2) Methods: The FInGK study was a single-center prospective cohort study. Patients (≥18 years) undergoing primary or revision TKA in a German university hospital were consecutively recruited between December 2019-May 2021.

Enhanced platelet sensitization is accompanied by increased expression of the transporter MRP4 and elevated plasma S1P levels in mild COVID-19 convalescents.

Viral infections can lead to platelet activation and hemostatic complications. However, the extent to which platelet reactivity remains altered after convalescence, contributing to long-term health impairments as observed after COVID-19 is not yet fully understood. Therefore, we conducted a cohort study (DRKS00025217) to determine platelet function in individuals convalesced from mild COVID-19.

The Co-Occurrence of Medullary and Papillary Thyroid Carcinoma-A Literature Review Based on a Case Report.

The co-occurrence of medullary thyroid carcinoma (MTC) and papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) is thought to be a rare phenomenon. Here, we present a patient undergoing surgery due to a suspected MTC. Histopathological workup confirmed the suspected diagnosis but also described an incidental PTC in the contralateral lobe with lymph node metastasis in the central cervical compartment.

Extreme fractal dimension at periodicity cascades in parameter spaces.

In the parameter spaces of nonlinear dynamical systems, we investigate the boundaries between periodicity and chaos and unveil the existence of fractal sets characterized by a singular fractal dimension that deviates greatly from the fractal sets in their vicinity. This extreme fractal dimension stands out from the typical value previously considered universal for these parameter boundaries. We show that such singular fractal sets dwell along parameter curves, called extreme curves, that intersect periodicity cascades at their centers of stability across all scales of parameter spaces.

Accounting for effects of growth rate when measuring ecological stability in response to pulse perturbations.

Ecological stability is a vital component of natural ecosystems that can inform effective conservation and ecosystem management. Furthermore, there is increasing interest in making comparisons of stability values across sites, systems and taxonomic groups, often using comparative synthetic approaches, such as meta-analysis. However, these synthetic approaches often compare/contrast systems where measures of stability mean very different things to the taxa involved.

Nerve ultrasound in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis: systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background/ Aim: Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a neurodegenerative disease affecting upper and lower motor neurons, causing progressive atrophy of muscles, hypertonia, and paralysis. This study aimed to evaluate the current evidence and effectiveness of ultrasound in investigating nerve cross-sectional area (CSA) of peripheral nerves, vagus and cervical roots in those with ALS compared with healthy controls and to pool the CSA measurements.

Methods: A systematic search was conducted on Cochrane, Clarivate Web of Science, PubMed, Scopus, and Embase for the mesh terms nerve, ultrasonography, and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.

Two-Dimensional Liquid Chromatography Tandem Mass Spectrometry Untangles the Deep Metabolome of Marine Dissolved Organic Matter.

Dissolved organic matter (DOM) is an ultracomplex mixture that plays a central role in global biogeochemical cycles. Despite its importance, DOM remains poorly understood at the molecular level. Over the last decades, significant efforts have been made to decipher the chemical composition of DOM by high-resolution mass spectrometry (HR-MS) and liquid chromatography (LC) coupled with tandem mass spectrometry (MS/MS).

Visualizing multimerization of plasticity-related gene 5 at the plasma membrane using FLIM-FRET.

Plasticity-related gene (PRG) 5 is a vertebrate specific membrane protein, that belongs to the family of lipid-phosphate phosphatases (LPPs). It is prominently expressed in neurons and is involved in cellular processes such as growth-cone guidance and spine formation. At a functional level, PRG5 induces filopodia in non-neuronal cell lines, as well as the formation of plasma membrane protrusions in primary cortical and hippocampal neurons.