Metastasis Detection Using True and Artificial T1-Weighted Postcontrast Images in Brain MRI.

Objectives: Small lesions are the limiting factor for reducing gadolinium-based contrast agents in brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). The purpose of this study was to compare the sensitivity and precision in metastasis detection on true contrast-enhanced T1-weighted (T1w) images and artificial images synthesized by a deep learning method using low-dose images.

Materials And Methods: In this prospective, multicenter study (5 centers, 12 scanners), 917 participants underwent brain MRI between October 2021 and March 2023 including T1w low-dose (0.

Suppressive might of a few: T follicular regulatory cells impede auto-reactivity despite being outnumbered in the germinal centres.

The selection of high-affinity B cells and the production of high-affinity antibodies are mediated by T follicular helper cells (Tfhs) within germinal centres (GCs). Therein, somatic hypermutation and selection enhance B cell affinity but risk the emergence of self-reactive B cell clones. Despite being outnumbered compared to their helper counterpart, the ablation of T follicular regulatory cells (Tfrs) results in enhanced dissemination of self-reactive antibody-secreting cells (ASCs).

Associations of Migration, Socioeconomic Position and Social Relations With Depressive Symptoms - Analyses of the German National Cohort Baseline Data.

We analyze whether the prevalence of depressive symptoms differs among various migrant and non-migrant populations in Germany and to what extent these differences can be attributed to socioeconomic position (SEP) and social relations. The German National Cohort health study (NAKO) is a prospective multicenter cohort study (N = 204,878). Migration background (assessed based on citizenship and country of birth of both participant and parents) was used as independent variable, age, sex, Social Network Index, the availability of emotional support, SEP (relative income position and educational status) and employment status were introduced as covariates and depressive symptoms (PHQ-9) as dependent variable in logistic regression models.

Toward Identification of Functional Sequences and Variants in Noncoding DNA.

Understanding the noncoding part of the genome, which encodes gene regulation, is necessary to identify genetic mechanisms of disease and translate findings from genome-wide association studies into actionable results for treatments and personalized care. Here we provide an overview of the computational analysis of noncoding regions, starting from gene-regulatory mechanisms and their representation in data. Deep learning methods, when applied to these data, highlight important regulatory sequence elements and predict the functional effects of genetic variants.

Decrease in acetyl-CoA pathway utilizing butyrate-producing bacteria is a key pathogenic feature of alcohol-induced functional gut microbial dysbiosis and development of liver disease in mice.

Emerging research evidence has established the critical role of the gut-liver axis in the development of alcohol-associated liver disease (ALD). The present study employed 16S rRNA gene and whole genome shotgun (WGS) metagenomic analysis in combination with a revised microbial dataset to comprehensively detail the butyrate-producing microbial communities and the associated butyrate metabolic pathways affected by chronic ethanol feeding. Specifically, the data demonstrated that a decrease in several butyrate-producing bacterial genera belonging to distinct families within the Firmicutes phyla was a significant component of ethanol-induced dysbiosis.

Enhanced Ca signaling, mild primary aldosteronism, and hypertension in a familial hyperaldosteronism mouse model ( ).

Gain-of-function mutations in the gene (encoding the T-type calcium channel Ca3.2) cause autosomal-dominant familial hyperaldosteronism type IV (FH-IV) and early-onset hypertension in humans. We used CRISPR/Cas9 to generate knockin mice as a model of the most common FH-IV mutation, along with corresponding knockout mice ( ).

Cognitive Reserve in Model Systems for Mechanistic Discovery: The Importance of Longitudinal Studies.

The goal of this review article is to provide a resource for longitudinal studies, using animal models, directed at understanding and modifying the relationship between cognition and brain structure and function throughout life. We propose that forthcoming longitudinal studies will build upon a wealth of knowledge gleaned from prior cross-sectional designs to identify early predictors of variability in cognitive function during aging, and characterize fundamental neurobiological mechanisms that underlie the vulnerability to, and the trajectory of, cognitive decline. Finally, we present examples of biological measures that may differentiate mechanisms of the cognitive reserve at the molecular, cellular, and network level.

Sulfate Alters the Competition Among Microbiome Members of Sediments Chronically Exposed to Asphalt.

Sulfate-reducing microorganisms (SRMs) often compete with methanogens for common substrates. Due to thermodynamic reasons, SRMs should outcompete methanogens in the presence of sulfate. However, many studies have documented coexistence of these microbial groups in natural environments, suggesting that thermodynamics alone cannot explain the interactions among them.

The (Un)Conscious Mouse as a Model for Human Brain Functions: Key Principles of Anesthesia and Their Impact on Translational Neuroimaging.

In recent years, technical and procedural advances have brought functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to the field of murine neuroscience. Due to its unique capacity to measure functional activity non-invasively, across the entire brain, fMRI allows for the direct comparison of large-scale murine and human brain functions. This opens an avenue for bidirectional translational strategies to address fundamental questions ranging from neurological disorders to the nature of consciousness.

Angiotensin-(1-7) Receptor Mas Deficiency Does Not Exacerbate Cardiac Atrophy Following High-Level Spinal Cord Injury in Mice.

Experimental spinal cord injury (SCI) causes a morphological and functional deterioration of the heart, in which the renin-angiotensin system (RAS) might play a role. The recently discovered non-canonical axis of RAS with angiotensin-(1-7) and its receptor Mas, which is associated with cardioprotection could be essential to prevent damage to the heart following SCI. We investigated the cardiac consequences of SCI and the role of Mas in female wild-type (WT, = 22) and mice deficient of Mas ( , = 25) which underwent spinal cord transection at thoracic level T4 (T4-Tx) or sham-operation by echocardiography (0, 7, 21, and 28 days post-SCI), histology and gene expression analysis at 1 or 2 months post-SCI.

High Nuclease Activity of Long Persisting Isolates Within the Airways of Cystic Fibrosis Patients Protects Against NET-Mediated Killing.

is one of the first and most prevalent pathogens cultured from the airways of cystic fibrosis (CF) patients, which can persist there for extended periods. Airway infections in CF patients are characterized by a strong inflammatory response of highly recruited neutrophils. One killing mechanism of neutrophils is the formation of neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs), which capture and eradicate bacteria by extracellular fibers of neutrophil chromatin decorated with antimicrobial granule proteins.

Advantages and Challenges of Cardiovascular and Lymphatic Studies in Zebrafish Research.

Since its introduction, the zebrafish has provided an important reference system to model and study cardiovascular development as well as lymphangiogenesis in vertebrates. A scientific workshop, held at the 2018 European Zebrafish Principal Investigators Meeting in Trento (Italy) and chaired by Massimo Santoro, focused on the most recent methods and studies on cardiac, vascular and lymphatic development. Daniela Panáková and Natascia Tiso described new molecular mechanisms and signaling pathways involved in cardiac differentiation and disease.

Integrated Transcriptional Regulatory Network of Quorum Sensing, Replication Control, and SOS Response in .

Quorum sensing (QS) coordinates population wide gene expression of bacterial species. Highly adaptive traits like gene transfer agents (GTA), morphological heterogeneity, type 4 secretion systems (T4SS), and flagella are QS controlled in , a Roseobacter model organism. Its QS regulatory network is integrated with the CtrA phosphorelay that controls cell division in alphaproteobacteria.

Novel Approach to Elucidate Human Baroreflex Regulation at the Brainstem Level: Pharmacological Testing During fMRI.

Brainstem nuclei govern the arterial baroreflex, which is crucial for heart rate and blood pressure control. Yet, brainstem function is difficult to explore in living humans and is therefore mostly studied using animal models or postmortem human anatomy studies. We developed a methodology to identify brainstem nuclei involved in baroreflex cardiovascular control in humans by combining pharmacological baroreflex testing with functional magnetic resonance imaging.

Pure and syndromic optic atrophy explained by deep intronic OPA1 mutations and an intralocus modifier.

The genetic diagnosis in inherited optic neuropathies often remains challenging, and the emergence of complex neurological phenotypes that involve optic neuropathy is puzzling. Here we unravel two novel principles of genetic mechanisms in optic neuropathies: deep intronic OPA1 mutations, which explain the disease in several so far unsolved cases; and an intralocus OPA1 modifier, which explains the emergence of syndromic 'optic atrophy plus' phenotypes in several families. First, we unravelled a deep intronic mutation 364 base pairs 3' of exon 4b in OPA1 by in-depth investigation of a family with severe optic atrophy plus syndrome in which conventional OPA1 diagnostics including gene dosage analyses were normal.