Methylation of two-component response regulator MtrA in mycobacteria negatively modulates its DNA binding and transcriptional activation.

Post-translational modifications such as phosphorylation, nitrosylation, and pupylation modulate multiple cellular processes in Mycobacterium tuberculosis. While protein methylation at lysine and arginine residues is widespread in eukaryotes, to date only two methylated proteins in Mtb have been identified. Here, we report the identification of methylation at lysine and/or arginine residues in nine mycobacterial proteins.

Lysine-urethane-based tissue adhesion for mastectomy-an approach to reducing the seroma rate?

Purpose: Postoperative seromas are a problem in the surgical treatment of breast cancer. The aim of the study was to evaluate whether the lysine-urethane-based tissue adhesive TissuGlu without drainage is equal/ non-inferior to standard mastecomy with drainage.

Methods: The study was designed as a prospective, randomized, multicentre non-inferiority study comparing the use of TissuGlu without drainage with standard wound care with a drain insertion in ablative breast procedures.

Shared Genetics of Multiple System Atrophy and Inflammatory Bowel Disease.

Background: Multiple system atrophy (MSA) is a rare neurodegenerative disease characterized by intracellular accumulations of α-synuclein and nerve cell loss in striatonigral and olivopontocerebellar structures. Epidemiological and clinical studies have reported potential involvement of autoimmune mechanisms in MSA pathogenesis. However, genetic etiology of this interaction remains unknown.

Idiopathic pulmonary arterial hypertension phenotypes determined by cluster analysis from the COMPERA registry.

The term idiopathic pulmonary arterial hypertension (IPAH) is used to categorize patients with pre-capillary pulmonary hypertension of unknown origin. There is considerable variability in the clinical presentation of these patients. Using data from the Comparative, Prospective Registry of Newly Initiated Therapies for Pulmonary Hypertension, we performed a cluster analysis of 841 patients with IPAH based on age, sex, diffusion capacity of the lung for carbon monoxide (DLCO; <45% vs ≥45% predicted), smoking status, and presence of comorbidities (obesity, hypertension, coronary heart disease, and diabetes mellitus).

Medical students' knowledge and attitudes regarding vaccination against measles, influenza and HPV. An international multicenter study.

Introduction: Inaccurate information leads to increased scepticism concerning vaccinations among health care workers. Therefore, a proper education of medical students on vaccination is important.

Methods: During summer term 2015, we performed a paper-based survey to identify the knowledge and attitudes of medical students on vaccinations against measles, influenza and HPV in seven medical schools in Germany, Austria and Switzerland.

Varying development of femoral and tibial subchondral bone tissue and their interaction with articular cartilage during progressing osteoarthritis.

Introduction: Differences between tibial and femoral joint surfaces and knee compartments concerning coupled bone and cartilage turnover or bone-cartilage cross talk have not been previously examined, although the mechanical and biological interaction of the mineralized subchondral tissues with articular cartilage is of great importance for advancing osteoarthritis.

Materials And Methods: Therefore, with the help of immunohistochemistry and real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR), human knee joint cartilage tissue was investigated for expression of key molecules of the extracellular matrix and cartilage composition (collagen type I and II, aggrecan) plus proteoglycan content (colorimetric analysis). Furthermore, we correlated the results with 3D microcomputed tomography of the underlying subchondral bone (high-resolution micro-CT system).

Long-term prognosis after kidney donation: a propensity score matched comparison of living donors and non-donors from two population cohorts.

Background: Live donor nephrectomy is a safe procedure. However, long-term donor prognosis is debated, necessitating high-quality studies.

Methods: A follow-up study of 761 living kidney donors was conducted, who visited the outpatient clinic and were propensity score matched and compared to 1522 non-donors from population-based cohort studies.

The exhaustive genomic scan approach, with an application to rare-variant association analysis.

Region-based genome-wide scans are usually performed by use of a priori chosen analysis regions. Such an approach will likely miss the region comprising the strongest signal and, thus, may result in increased type II error rates and decreased power. Here, we propose a genomic exhaustive scan approach that analyzes all possible subsequences and does not rely on a prior definition of the analysis regions.

Associations between adipose tissue volume and small molecules in plasma and urine among asymptomatic subjects from the general population.

Obesity is one of the major risk factor for cardiovascular and metabolic diseases. A disproportional accumulation of fat at visceral (VAT) compared to subcutaneous sites (SAT) has been suspected as a key detrimental event. We used non-targeted metabolomics profiling to reveal metabolic pathways associated with higher VAT or SAT amount among subjects free of metabolic diseases to identify possible contributing metabolic pathways.

European medicinal mushrooms: Do they have potential for modern medicine? - An update.

Background: The application of mushrooms for health purposes has a long tradition and is very common in Asian countries. This trend is also becoming increasingly popular in the western hemisphere. However, mushrooms from European tradition are being treated in a restrained manner despite having significant potential as drugs or as sources of pure bioactive substances.

Protein-coding variants contribute to the risk of atopic dermatitis and skin-specific gene expression.

Background: Fifteen percent of atopic dermatitis (AD) liability-scale heritability could be attributed to 31 susceptibility loci identified by using genome-wide association studies, with only 3 of them (IL13, IL-6 receptor [IL6R], and filaggrin [FLG]) resolved to protein-coding variants.

Objective: We examined whether a significant portion of unexplained AD heritability is further explained by low-frequency and rare variants in the gene-coding sequence.

Methods: We evaluated common, low-frequency, and rare protein-coding variants using exome chip and replication genotype data of 15,574 patients and 377,839 control subjects combined with whole-transcriptome data on lesional, nonlesional, and healthy skin samples of 27 patients and 38 control subjects.

Novel Small-molecule Antibacterials against Gram-positive Pathogens of and Species.

Defeat of the antibiotic resistance of pathogenic bacteria is one great challenge today and for the future. In the last century many classes of effective antibacterials have been developed, so that upcoming resistances could be met with novel drugs of various compound classes. Meanwhile, there is a certain lack of research of the pharmaceutical companies, and thus there are missing developments of novel antibiotics.

Systematic revision of the . complex: Resurrection of the genus and introduction of the new genus .

The genus is resurrected on the basis of comparative morphology and phylogeny of partial nuc 18S rDNA (18S) and translation elongation factor 1-alpha () nucleotide sequences. The genus is characterized by the firm upper surface of the pseudoaethalium, accreted but easily separable sporothecae, a tubular or fibrous columella, and spores with a reticulate ornamentation consisting of 7-9 meshes across the diameter. In addition to the currently known single species (= ), two new members of are described: from coniferous forests of Europe, east Asia, and southeast Asia, and from temperate and subarctic regions of North America and alpine regions of Europe.

Next-generation sequencing for the diagnosis of MYH9-RD: Predicting pathogenic variants.

The heterogeneous manifestations of MYH9-related disorder (MYH9-RD), characterized by macrothrombocytopenia, Döhle-like inclusion bodies in leukocytes, bleeding of variable severity with, in some cases, ear, eye, kidney, and liver involvement, make the diagnosis for these patients still challenging in clinical practice. We collected phenotypic data and analyzed the genetic variants in more than 3,000 patients with a bleeding or platelet disorder. Patients were enrolled in the BRIDGE-BPD and ThromboGenomics Projects and their samples processed by high throughput sequencing (HTS).

Identification and optimization of PrsA in Bacillus subtilis for improved yield of amylase.

Background: PrsA is an extracytoplasmic folding catalyst essential in Bacillus subtilis. Overexpression of the native PrsA from B. subtilis has repeatedly lead to increased amylase yields.

Evaluation of the prognostic role of co-morbidities on disease outcome in renal cell carcinoma patients.

Background: Co-morbidities may induce local and systemic tumor progression of renal cell carcinoma (RCC); however, the prognostic impact of co-morbidities has not yet been well characterized.

Patients And Methods: RCC patients (n = 2206) surgically treated at three academic institutions in the US and Europe were included in the analysis. Presence of diabetes mellitus, hypertension, chronic kidney disease, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, coronary heart disease, and hypothyroidism were investigated for their association with clinicopathological features and cancer-specific survival.

Practical management of riociguat in patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension.

Riociguat is one of several approved therapies available for patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH). Treatment should be initiated and monitored at an expert center by a physician experienced in treating PAH, and the dose adjusted in the absence of signs and symptoms of hypotension. In certain populations, including patients with hepatic or renal impairment, the elderly, and smokers, riociguat exposure may differ, and dose adjustments should therefore be made with caution according to the established scheme.

A Biased Diffusion Approach to Sleep Dynamics Reveals Neuronal Characteristics.

We propose a biased diffusion model of accumulated subthreshold voltage fluctuations in wake-promoting neurons to account for stochasticity in sleep dynamics and to explain the occurrence of brief arousals during sleep. Utilizing this model, we derive four neurophysiological parameters related to neuronal noise level, excitability threshold, deep-sleep threshold, and sleep inertia. We provide the first analytic expressions for these parameters, and we show that there is good agreement between empirical findings from sleep recordings and our model simulation results.

Public attitudes towards depression and schizophrenia in an urban Turkish sample.

Stigma towards mental illness influences help-seeking behavior and prevents individuals with a mental illness from seeking the appropriate treatment for their condition. In Turkey, a shift from inpatient psychiatric mental health care towards a community-based, low-threshold system highlights the importance of understanding public attitudes towards the mentally ill. This study aims to underpin developments in mental health care through culturally sensitive research.

Fatty acid profiles of the European migratory common noctule bat (Nyctalus noctula).

In animals, fatty acids (FA) are essential as structural components in membranes and for energy storage in adipocytes. Here, we studied the relative proportions of FA in a mammal with extreme changes in metabolic rates. Common noctule bats (Nyctalus noctula) switch from energetically demanding long-distance migration at high metabolic rates to regular torpor with extremely low metabolic rates.

A multi-ancestry genome-wide study incorporating gene-smoking interactions identifies multiple new loci for pulse pressure and mean arterial pressure.

Elevated blood pressure (BP), a leading cause of global morbidity and mortality, is influenced by both genetic and lifestyle factors. Cigarette smoking is one such lifestyle factor. Across five ancestries, we performed a genome-wide gene-smoking interaction study of mean arterial pressure (MAP) and pulse pressure (PP) in 129 913 individuals in stage 1 and follow-up analysis in 480 178 additional individuals in stage 2.

Mendelian randomization evaluation of causal effects of fibrinogen on incident coronary heart disease.

Background: Fibrinogen is an essential hemostatic factor and cardiovascular disease risk factor. Early attempts at evaluating the causal effect of fibrinogen on coronary heart disease (CHD) and myocardial infraction (MI) using Mendelian randomization (MR) used single variant approaches, and did not take advantage of recent genome-wide association studies (GWAS) or multi-variant, pleiotropy robust MR methodologies.

Methods And Findings: We evaluated evidence for a causal effect of fibrinogen on both CHD and MI using MR.