Predicting the spread of SARS-CoV-2 variants: An artificial intelligence enabled early detection.

During more than 3 years since its emergence, SARS-CoV-2 has shown great ability to mutate rapidly into diverse variants, some of which turned out to be very infectious and have spread throughout the world causing waves of infections. At this point, many countries have already experienced up to six waves of infections. Extensive academic work has focused on the development of models to predict the pandemic trajectory based on epidemiological data, but none has focused on predicting variant-specific spread.

Collaborative effect of Csnk1a1 haploinsufficiency and mutant p53 in Myc induction can promote leukemic transformation.

It is still not fully understood how genetic haploinsufficiency in del(5q) myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) contributes to malignant transformation of hematopoietic stem cells. We asked how compound haploinsufficiency for Csnk1a1 and Egr1 in the common deleted region on chromosome 5 affects hematopoietic stem cells. Additionally, Trp53 was disrupted as the most frequently comutated gene in del(5q) MDS using CRISPR/Cas9 editing in hematopoietic progenitors of wild-type (WT), Csnk1a1-/+, Egr1-/+, Csnk1a1/Egr1-/+ mice.

Effects of maternal modafinil treatment on fetal development and neonatal growth parameters - a multicenter case series of the European Network of Teratology Information Services (ENTIS).

Objective: In recent years, safety concerns about modafinil exposure during pregnancy have emerged. In particular, increased risks for major congenital anomalies (MCA) and impaired fetal growth were reported, although study results were conflicting. Our investigation aims to examine previously reported safety signals.

Exercise-Induced Cell-Free DNA Correlates with Energy Expenditure in Multiple Exercise Protocols.

Purpose: Exercise-induced cell-free DNA (ei-cfDNA) has been studied in response to various types of exercise. Its correlation with exercise intensity and duration has been observed consistently. However, comprehensive measurements and exploration of the tissue of origin are lacking.

Balanced cell division is secured by two different regulatory sites in OxyS RNA.

The hydrogen peroxide-induced small RNA OxyS has been proposed to originate from the 3' UTR of a peroxide mRNA. Unexpectedly, phylogenetic OxyS targetome predictions indicate that most OxyS targets belong to the category of "cell cycle," including cell division and cell elongation. Previously, we reported that OxyS inhibits cell division by repressing expression of the essential transcription termination factor , thereby leading to the expression of the KilR protein, which interferes with the function of the major cell division protein, FtsZ.

Short report: Plasma based biomarkers detect radiation induced brain injury in cancer patients treated for brain metastasis: A pilot study.

Background: Radiotherapy has an important role in the treatment of brain metastases but carries risk of short and/or long-term toxicity, termed radiation-induced brain injury (RBI). As the diagnosis of RBI is crucial for correct patient management, there is an unmet need for reliable biomarkers for RBI. The aim of this proof-of concept study is to determine the utility of brain-derived circulating free DNA (BncfDNA), identified by specific methylation patterns for neurons, astrocytes, and oligodendrocytes, as biomarkers brain injury induced by radiotherapy.

Methylation-directed regulatory networks determine enhancing and silencing of mutation disease driver genes and explain inter-patient expression variation.

Background: Common diseases manifest differentially between patients, but the genetic origin of this variation remains unclear. To explore possible involvement of gene transcriptional-variation, we produce a DNA methylation-oriented, driver-gene-wide dataset of regulatory elements in human glioblastomas and study their effect on inter-patient gene expression variation.

Results: In 175 of 177 analyzed gene regulatory domains, transcriptional enhancers and silencers are intermixed.

Extensive elimination of acinar cells during normal postnatal pancreas growth.

While programmed cell death plays important roles during morphogenetic stages of development, post-differentiation organ growth is considered an efficient process whereby cell proliferation increases cell number. Here we demonstrate that early postnatal growth of the pancreas unexpectedly involves massive acinar cell elimination. Measurements of cell proliferation and death in the human pancreas in comparison to the actual increase in cell number predict daily elimination of 0.

Structural study of UFL1-UFC1 interaction uncovers the role of UFL1 N-terminal helix in ufmylation.

Ufmylation plays a crucial role in various cellular processes including DNA damage response, protein translation, and ER homeostasis. To date, little is known about how the enzymes responsible for ufmylation coordinate their action. Here, we study the details of UFL1 (E3) activity, its binding to UFC1 (E2), and its relation to UBA5 (E1), using a combination of structural modeling, X-ray crystallography, NMR, and biochemical assays.

Megakaryocyte- and erythroblast-specific cell-free DNA patterns in plasma and platelets reflect thrombopoiesis and erythropoiesis levels.

Circulating cell-free DNA (cfDNA) fragments are a biological analyte with extensive utility in diagnostic medicine. Understanding the source of cfDNA and mechanisms of release is crucial for designing and interpreting cfDNA-based liquid biopsy assays. Using cell type-specific methylation markers as well as genome-wide methylation analysis, we determine that megakaryocytes, the precursors of anuclear platelets, are major contributors to cfDNA (~26%), while erythroblasts contribute 1-4% of cfDNA in healthy individuals.

Development of a specific and potent IGF2BP1 inhibitor: A promising therapeutic agent for IGF2BP1-expressing cancers.

IGF2BP1 is a protein that controls the stability, localization, and translation of various mRNA targets. Poor clinical outcomes in numerous cancer types have been associated with its overexpression. As it has been demonstrated to impede tumor growth and metastasis in animal models, inhibiting IGF2BP1 function is a promising strategy for combating cancer.

Dormant bacterial spores encrypt a long-lasting transcriptional program to be executed during revival.

Sporulating bacteria can retreat into long-lasting dormant spores that preserve the capacity to germinate when propitious. However, how the revival transcriptional program is memorized for years remains elusive. We revealed that in dormant spores, core RNA polymerase (RNAP) resides in a central chromosomal domain, where it remains bound to a subset of intergenic promoter regions.

Identification of Small Molecules for Prevention of Lens Epithelium-Derived Cataract Using Zebrafish.

Cataract is the leading cause of blindness worldwide. It can be treated by surgery, whereby the damaged crystalline lens is replaced by a synthetic lens. Although cataract surgery is highly effective, a relatively common complication named posterior capsular opacification (PCO) leads to secondary loss of vision.

Cognitive Effects of Subthalamic Nucleus Deep Brain Stimulation in Parkinson's Disease with GBA1 Pathogenic Variants.

Genetic subtyping of patients with Parkinson's disease (PD) may assist in predicting the cognitive and motor outcomes of subthalamic deep brain stimulation (STN-DBS). Practical questions were recently raised with the emergence of new data regarding suboptimal cognitive outcomes after STN-DBS in individuals with PD associated with pathogenic variants in glucocerebrosidase gene (GBA1-PD). However, a variety of gaps and controversies remain.

Does MDMA have treatment potential in sexual dysfunction? A systematic review of outcomes across the female and male sexual response cycles.

Introduction: Sexual health, an integral component of overall well-being, is frequently compromised by common yet underdiagnosed sexual dysfunctions. Traditional interventions encompass pharmaceutical and psychological treatments. Unconventional therapies, like MDMA, offer hope for sexual dysfunction.

The total mass, number, and distribution of immune cells in the human body.

The immune system is a complex network of cells with critical functions in health and disease. However, a comprehensive census of the cells comprising the immune system is lacking. Here, we estimated the abundance of the primary immune cell types throughout all tissues in the human body.

Complex haploinsufficiency in pluripotent cells yields somatic cells with DNA methylation abnormalities and pluripotency induction defects.

A complete knockout of a single key pluripotency gene may drastically affect embryonic stem cell function and epigenetic reprogramming. In contrast, elimination of only one allele of a single pluripotency gene is mostly considered harmless to the cell. To understand whether complex haploinsufficiency exists in pluripotent cells, we simultaneously eliminated a single allele in different combinations of two pluripotency genes (i.