Blue Light-Induced, Dosed Protein Expression of Active BDNF in Human Cells Using the Optogenetic CRY2/CIB System.

The use of optogenetic tools offers an excellent method for spatially and temporally regulated gene and protein expression in cell therapeutic approaches. This could be useful as a concomitant therapeutic measure, especially in small body compartments such as the inner ear, for example, during cochlea implantation, to enhance neuronal cell survival and function. Here, we used the blue light activatable CRY2/CIB system to induce transcription of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) in human cells.

A remote motion analysis of mass casualty incident simulations.

Background: Regular training for mass casualty incidents at physical simulation events is vital for emergency services. The preparation and execution of these simulations consume huge amounts of time, personnel, and money. It is therefore important to gather as much information as possible from each simulation while minimizing any influence on the participants, so as to keep the simulation as realistic as possible.

Comprehensive benchmarking of computational tools for predicting toxicokinetic and physicochemical properties of chemicals.

Ensuring the safety of chemicals for environmental and human health involves assessing physicochemical (PC) and toxicokinetic (TK) properties, which are crucial for absorption, distribution, metabolism, excretion, and toxicity (ADMET). Computational methods play a vital role in predicting these properties, given the current trends in reducing experimental approaches, especially those that involve animal experimentation. In the present manuscript, twelve software tools implementing Quantitative Structure-Activity Relationship (QSAR) models were selected for the prediction of 17 relevant PC and TK properties.

Tracking of serum lipids from prepuberty to young adulthood: results from the KiGGS cohort study.

Background: Universal lipid screening in childhood for early detection and treatment of familial hypercholesterolemia is under discussion, but will also detect children with multifactorial dyslipidemia. Results from population-based studies can support the design of public health strategies. As few previous studies considered pubertal changes in serum lipid levels, we examined tracking of serum lipids from prepuberty to young adulthood in a population-based cohort.

The association between different timeframes of air pollution exposure and COVID-19 incidence, morbidity and mortality in German counties in 2020.

Background: Ambient air pollution is a known risk factor for several chronic health conditions, including pulmonary dysfunction. In recent years, studies have shown a positive association between exposure to air pollutants and the incidence, morbidity, and mortality of a COVID-19 infection, however the time period for which air pollution exposure is most relevant for the COVID-19 outcome is still not defined. The aim of this study was to analyze the difference in association when varying the time period of air pollution exposure considered on COVID-19 infection within the same cohort during the first wave of the pandemic in 2020.

PSA testing in primary care: is it time to change our practice?

Background: Historical prostate-specific antigen (PSA)-based screening studies reduced prostate cancer-related deaths but also led to overdiagnosis/overtreatment. Since then, opportunistic PSA testing has increased, and late-stage diagnoses and prostate-cancer related deaths are rising.

Objectives: To review current trends regarding PSA testing in primary care and propose a collaborative approach to improve early prostate cancer detection.

Psychotherapy with somatosensory stimulation as a complementary treatment for women with endometriosis-associated pain - a qualitative study.

Objective: This qualitative study aimed to explore patients' experiences with a novel treatment approach for endometriosis-associated pain, termed 'sinosomatics'. Specifically, it sought to understand women's experiences of the treatment and its components, the effects of the treatment on biological, psychological, and social levels, and how the women interpreted the changes they experienced.

Methods: We conducted ten semi-structured interviews with patients, who had undergone the complementary treatment for endometriosis-associated pain.

Association of maxillofacial injuries with traumatic brain injuries in paediatric patients: a case-control study.

Background: Traumatic brain injuries (TBIs) are among the most challenging conditions to accurately diagnose in children, and many TBIs are underdiagnosed. Patients with maxillofacial injury may be at risk for TBI. The objective of this study was to analyse the association between maxillofacial injuries and TBI among paediatric patients.

Comparative genomics of Fervidobacterium: a new phylogenomic landscape of these wide-spread thermophilic anaerobes.

Background: Fervidobacterium is a genus of thermophilic anaerobic Gram-negative rod-shaped bacteria belonging to the phylum Thermotogota. They can grow through fermentation on a wide range of sugars and protein-rich substrates. Some can also break down feather keratin, which has significant biotechnological potential.

Entropy of difference works similarly to permutation entropy for the assessment of anesthesia and sleep EEG despite the lower computational effort.

EEG monitoring during anesthesia or for diagnosing sleep disorders is a common standard. Different approaches for measuring the important information of this biosignal are used. The most often and efficient one for entropic parameters is permutation entropy as it can distinguish the vigilance states in the different settings.

Noninvasive estimation of PaCO from volumetric capnography in animals with injured lungs: an Artificial Intelligence approach.

To investigate the feasibility of non-invasively estimating the arterial partial pressure of carbon dioxide (PaCO) using a computational Adaptive Neuro-Fuzzy Inference System (ANFIS) model fed by noninvasive volumetric capnography (VCap) parameters. In 14 lung-lavaged pigs, we continuously measured PaCO with an optical intravascular catheter and VCap on a breath-by-breath basis. Animals were mechanically ventilated with fixed settings and subjected to 0 to 22 cmHO of positive end-expiratory pressure steps.

Disease Network-Based Approaches to Study Comorbidity in Heart Failure: Current State and Future Perspectives.

Purpose Of Review: Heart failure (HF) is often accompanied by a constellation of comorbidities, leading to diverse patient presentations and clinical trajectories. While traditional methods have provided valuable insights into our understanding of HF, network medicine approaches seek to leverage these complex relationships by analyzing disease at a systems level. This review introduces the concepts of network medicine and explores the use of comorbidity networks to study HF and heart disease.

Centenarians-the way to healthy vascular ageing and longevity: a review from VascAgeNet.

The prevalence of centenarians, people who lived 100 years and longer, is steadily growing in the last decades. This exceptional longevity is based on multifaceted processes influenced by a combination of intrinsic and extrinsic factors such as sex, (epi-)genetic factors, gut microbiota, cellular metabolism, exposure to oxidative stress, immune status, cardiovascular risk factors, environmental factors, and lifestyle behavior. Epidemiologically, the incidence rate of cardiovascular diseases is reduced in healthy centenarians along with late onset of age-related diseases compared with the general aged population.

Love as a Commitment Device : Evidence from a Cross-Cultural Study across 90 Countries.

Given the ubiquitous nature of love, numerous theories have been proposed to explain its existence. One such theory refers to love as a commitment device, suggesting that romantic love evolved to foster commitment between partners and enhance their reproductive success. In the present study, we investigated this hypothesis using a large-scale sample of 86,310 individual responses collected across 90 countries.

Oral Sex May Serve as Low Mate Value Compensation Among Men: Evidence from a Pre-registered Study.

From the evolutionary perspective, maintaining a committed relationship is beneficial for reproductive success but involves risks such as losing a partner or infidelity. People typically prefer partners with similar mate value (MV) to avoid rejection. However, when a mate value discrepancy (MVD) arises, the partner with lower MV might employ mate retention strategies to maintain the relationship.

Gram-negative bacteria-driven increase of cytosolic phospholipase A2 leads to activation of Kupffer cells.

Bacterial infections are prevalent and the major cause of morbidity and mortality in cirrhosis. Activation of human Kupffer cells (HKCs) from livers is essential for human innate immunity. Cytosolic phospholipase A2 (cPLA2) plays a crucial role in the control and balance of innate immune and inflammatory reactions.

Interplay between elevated RAB5B gene expression and insulin resistance among women with PCOS-insights from a case-control study.

Background: Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) represents a multifaceted endocrine, reproductive, and metabolic disorder characterized by hyperandrogenism and hyperinsulinemia-induced insulin resistance (IR). Recent studies reported that the etiology of PCOS is likely correlated with genes involved in steriodogenesis, IR and glucose metabolism. Among the candidate genes in insulin signaling pathways, RAB5B, a small GTPase involved in vesicle trafficking, significantly impacts cellular pathways in ovarian follicular cells, leading to clinical and endocrine changes among women with PCOS.

Risk factors and surgical outcomes in pediatric patients with congenital heart disease and ischemic colitis.

Introduction: This study investigates risk factors and surgical outcomes in pediatric patients with congenital heart defects (CHD) who develop ischemic colitis (IC). Previous research indicates a higher IC risk in very low birth weight neonates with CHD.

Methods: A retrospective analysis compared an IC-CHD group to a CHD-only group.

High-resolution DNA methylation changes reveal biomarkers of heart failure with preserved ejection fraction versus reduced ejection fraction.

Novel biomarkers are needed to better identify-and distinguish-heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF) from other clinical phenotypes. The goal of our study was to identify epigenetic-sensitive biomarkers useful to a more accurate diagnosis of HFpEF. We performed a network-oriented genome-wide DNA methylation study of circulating CD4 T lymphocytes isolated from peripheral blood using reduced representation bisulfite sequencing (RRBS) in two cohorts (i.

Genetic modeling of degenerative diseases and mechanisms of neuronal regeneration in the zebrafish cerebellum.

The cerebellum is a highly conserved brain compartment of vertebrates. Genetic diseases of the human cerebellum often lead to degeneration of the principal neuron, the Purkinje cell, resulting in locomotive deficits and socio-emotional impairments. Due to its relatively simple but highly conserved neuroanatomy and circuitry, these human diseases can be modeled well in vertebrates amenable for genetic manipulation.

Predictors of anxiety in endometriosis patients.

Purpose: To evaluate the main factors influencing anxiety in endometriosis patients presenting to an endometriosis centre in Germany.

Methods: One hundred and eighty-two patients were asked to complete the German version of the STAI (state anxiety and trait anxiety) questionnaire prior to examination for diagnosis and treatment of pelvic pain or suspected endometriosis. Typical endometriosis symptoms, main complaints, operations, type of endometriosis and planned treatment were analyzed as influencing factors of anxiety in endometriosis patients.

Cognitive skills differentially influence narrative macrostructure in bilinguals' L1 and L2.

This study explored cognitive effects on narrative macrostructure in both languages of 38 Russian-German bilinguals aged 4;6 to 5;1' while controlling for demographic factors (sex, socioeconomic status) and language proficiency. Macrostructure was operationalised as story structure (SS) and story complexity (SC) using the Multilingual Assessment Instrument for Narratives. Nonverbal cognitive subtasks assessing shifting (Figure Ground), visual memory (Form Completion), and inhibition (Attention Divided) were administered.