Effectiveness and safety of VISULAS® green selective laser trabeculoplasty: 12 months retrospective data.

To report the safety and effectiveness of selective laser trabeculoplasty (SLT) using the SLT mode of the VISULAS green laser in patients with primary open-angle glaucoma (POAG). Twelve months results are presented. Retrospective extension in 4 German centers of an initially prospective interventional multicenter 3-month clinical investigation using the VISULAS green SLT (Carl Zeiss Meditec AG, Jena, Germany) in patients with POAG who either needed treatment escalation or commenced treatment and had an IOP ≥ 17mmHg at baseline, with no previous glaucoma or other ocular surgery.

Improved health by combining dietary restriction and promoting muscle growth in DNA repair-deficient progeroid mice.

Background: Ageing is a complex multifactorial process, impacting all organs and tissues, with DNA damage accumulation serving as a common underlying cause. To decelerate ageing, various strategies have been applied to model organisms and evaluated for health and lifespan benefits. Dietary restriction (DR, also known as caloric restriction) is a well-established long-term intervention recognized for its universal anti-ageing effects.

Effects of canopy gaps on microclimate, soil biological activity and their relationship in a European mixed floodplain forest.

Forest canopy gaps can influence understorey microclimate and ecosystem functions such as decomposition. Gaps can arise from silviculture or tree mortality, increasingly influenced by climate change. However, to what degree canopy gaps affect the buffered microclimate in the understorey under macroclimatic changes is unclear.

Autoantibodies Targeting Nephrin in Podocytopathies.

Background: Minimal change disease and primary focal segmental glomerulosclerosis in adults, along with idiopathic nephrotic syndrome in children, are immune-mediated podocytopathies that lead to nephrotic syndrome. Autoantibodies targeting nephrin have been found in patients with minimal change disease, but their clinical and pathophysiological roles are unclear.

Methods: We conducted a multicenter study to analyze antinephrin autoantibodies in adults with glomerular diseases, including minimal change disease, focal segmental glomerulosclerosis, membranous nephropathy, IgA nephropathy, antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibody-associated glomerulonephritis, and lupus nephritis, as well as in children with idiopathic nephrotic syndrome and in controls.

Function of the RNA-targeting class 2 type VI CRISPR Cas system of .

Bacteria use CRISPR Cas systems to defend against invading foreign nucleic acids, e.g., phage genomes, plasmids or mobile genetic elements.

lncRNA LINC00941 modulates MTA2/NuRD occupancy to suppress premature human epidermal differentiation.

Numerous long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) were shown to have a functional impact on cellular processes such as human epidermal homeostasis. However, the mechanism of action for many lncRNAs remains unclear to date. Here, we report that lncRNA LINC00941 regulates keratinocyte differentiation on an epigenetic level through association with the NuRD complex, one of the major chromatin remodelers in cells.

HERC5 downregulation in non-small cell lung cancer is associated with altered energy metabolism and metastasis.

Background: Metastasis is the leading cause of cancer-related death in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients. We previously showed that low HERC5 expression predicts early tumor dissemination and a dismal prognosis in NSCLC patients. Here, we performed functional studies to unravel the mechanism underlying the "metastasis-suppressor" effect of HERC5, with a focus on mitochondrial metabolism pathways.

Nature as blueprint: Global phenotype engineering of CHO production cells based on a multi-omics comparison with plasma cells.

Especially for the production of artificial, difficult to express molecules a further development of the CHO production cell line is required to keep pace with the continuously increasing demands. However, the identification of novel targets for cell line engineering to improve CHO cells is a time and cost intensive process. Since plasma cells are evolutionary optimized for a high antibody expression in mammals, we performed a comprehensive multi-omics comparison between CHO and plasma cells to exploit optimized cellular production traits.

The proteasome modulates endocytosis specifically in glomerular cells to promote kidney filtration.

Kidney filtration is ensured by the interaction of podocytes, endothelial and mesangial cells. Immunoglobulin accumulation at the filtration barrier is pathognomonic for glomerular injury. The mechanisms that regulate filter permeability are unknown.

Visual performance and patient preference with bilateral implantation of an extended depth of focus or combined implantation of an extended depth of focus/trifocal intraocular lens.

Purpose: Evaluate postoperative visual performance in patients with bilaterally implanted AT LARA or AT LARA/AT LISA tri (Carl Zeiss AG, Jena, Germany) intraocular lenses.

Methods: Multicentered, comparative, open-label, retrospective/prospective study. Post-IOL implantation, patients were prospectively enrolled into this study; preoperative patient data were collected retrospectively.

Refractive outcomes of small lenticule extraction (SMILE) Pro® with a 2 MHz femtosecond laser.

Purpose: To evaluate the initial visual outcomes of Small Incision Lenticule Extraction (SMILE) Pro® using a 2 MHz femtosecond laser (VisuMax 800, Carl Zeiss Meditec) and to assess the efficacy, safety, predictability, accuracy, and complication rate.

Methods: This retrospective analysis included eyes which underwent the SMILE Pro® procedure using VisuMax 800 femtosecond laser to correct myopia. All surgeries were performed by one surgeon (DB).

ZEPTO-assisted pseudophakic capsulotomy: Precision pulse technology for management of capsular contraction syndrome.

We describe a novel technique that uses precision pulse capsulotomy (PPC) to perform a secondary capsulotomy for the management of anterior capsule contraction syndrome (ACCS), a condition that comprises a late complication after cataract surgery and intraocular lens (IOL) implantation. Micropulse secondary capsulotomy offers a controlled and safe approach for patients with severe anterior capsule contraction syndrome and may be considered as an alternative surgical technique.

Mitochondrial DNA damage triggers spread of Parkinson's disease-like pathology.

In the field of neurodegenerative diseases, especially sporadic Parkinson's disease (sPD) with dementia (sPDD), the question of how the disease starts and spreads in the brain remains central. While prion-like proteins have been designated as a culprit, recent studies suggest the involvement of additional factors. We found that oxidative stress, damaged DNA binding, cytosolic DNA sensing, and Toll-Like Receptor (TLR)4/9 activation pathways are strongly associated with the sPDD transcriptome, which has dysregulated type I Interferon (IFN) signaling.

Nivolumab Switch Maintenance Therapy After Tyrosine Kinase Inhibitor Induction in Metastatic Renal Cell Carcinoma: A Randomized Clinical Trial by the Interdisciplinary Working Group on Renal Tumors of the German Cancer Society (NIVOSWITCH; AIO-NZK-0116ass).

Background: The role of immune checkpoint inhibitor (ICI) maintenance therapy in metastatic renal cell carcinoma (mRCC) is undefined.

Objective: To determine whether switch maintenance therapy with nivolumab improves clinical outcomes in patients with mRCC with tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI) sensitivity.

Design, Setting, And Participants: This open-label phase 2 trial randomized patients with a partial response or stable disease after 10-12-wk TKI induction therapy to either TKI or nivolumab maintenance.

A distinct circular DNA profile intersects with proteome changes in the genotoxic stress-related hSOD1 model of ALS.

Background: Numerous genes, including SOD1, mutated in familial and sporadic amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (f/sALS) share a role in DNA damage and repair, emphasizing genome disintegration in ALS. One possible outcome of chromosomal instability and repair processes is extrachromosomal circular DNA (eccDNA) formation. Therefore, eccDNA might accumulate in f/sALS with yet unknown function.

Introduction of a novel chimeric active immunization mouse model of PLA2R1-associated membranous nephropathy.

The phospholipase A2 receptor 1 (PLA2R1) is the major target antigen in patients with membranous nephropathy (MN), an antibody-mediated autoimmune glomerular disease. Investigation of MN pathogenesis has been hampered by the lack of reliable animal models. Here, we overcome this issue by generating a transgenic mouse line expressing a chimeric PLA2R1 (chPLA2R1) consisting of three human PLA2R1 domains (cysteine-rich, fibronectin type-II and CTLD1) and seven murine PLA2R1 domains (CTLD2-8) specifically in podocytes.

Short-term dietary changes can result in mucosal and systemic immune depression.

Omnivorous animals, including mice and humans, tend to prefer energy-dense nutrients rich in fat over plant-based diets, especially for short periods of time, but the health consequences of this short-term consumption of energy-dense nutrients are unclear. Here, we show that short-term reiterative switching to 'feast diets', mimicking our social eating behavior, breaches the potential buffering effect of the intestinal microbiota and reorganizes the immunological architecture of mucosa-associated lymphoid tissues. The first dietary switch was sufficient to induce transient mucosal immune depression and suppress systemic immunity, leading to higher susceptibility to Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium and Listeria monocytogenes infections.

Design-Build-Test of Synthetic Promoters for Inducible Gene Regulation in Alphaproteobacteria.

Inducible gene expression is useful for biotechnological applications and for studying gene regulation and function in bacteria. Many inducible systems that perform in model organisms such as the Gammaproteobacterium do not perform well in other bacteria that are of biotechnological interest. Typical problems include weak or leaky expression.

A YAP/TAZ-ARHGAP29-RhoA Signaling Axis Regulates Podocyte Protrusions and Integrin Adhesions.

Glomerular disease due to podocyte malfunction is a major factor in the pathogenesis of chronic kidney disease. Identification of podocyte-specific signaling pathways is therefore a prerequisite to characterizing relevant disease pathways and developing novel treatment approaches. Here, we employed loss of function studies for () as a central podocyte gene to generate a cell type-specific disease model.

The human long non-coding RNA LINC00941 and its modes of action in health and disease.

Long non-coding RNAs have gained attention in recent years as they were shown to play crucial roles in the regulation of cellular processes, but the understanding of the exact mechanisms is still incomplete in most cases. This is also true for long non-coding RNA LINC00941, which was recently found to be highly upregulated in various types of cancer influencing cell proliferation and metastasis. Initial studies could not elucidate the mode of action to understand the role and real impact of LINC00941 in tissue homeostasis and cancer development.

Biomass removal promotes plant diversity after short-term de-intensification of managed grasslands.

Land-use intensification is one of the main drivers threatening biodiversity in managed grasslands. Despite multiple studies investigating the effect of different land-use components in driving changes in plant biodiversity, their effects are usually studied in isolation. Here, we establish a full factorial design crossing fertilization with a combined treatment of biomass removal, on 16 managed grasslands spanning a gradient in land-use intensity, across three regions in Germany.