Epstein-Barr virus-driven B cell lymphoma mediated by a direct LMP1-TRAF6 complex.

Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) latent membrane protein 1 (LMP1) drives viral B cell transformation and oncogenesis. LMP1's transforming activity depends on its C-terminal activation region 2 (CTAR2), which induces NF-κB and JNK by engaging TNF receptor-associated factor 6 (TRAF6). The mechanism of TRAF6 recruitment to LMP1 and its role in LMP1 signalling remains elusive.

Animal and Cell Culture Models of PPGLs - Achievements and Limitations.

Research on rare tumors heavily relies on suitable models for basic and translational research. Paragangliomas (PPGL) are rare neuroendocrine tumors (NET), developing from adrenal (pheochromocytoma, PCC) or extra-adrenal (PGL) chromaffin cells, with an annual incidence of 2-8 cases per million. While most PPGL cases exhibit slow growth and are primarily treated with surgery, limited systemic treatment options are available for unresectable or metastatic tumors.

Heat-Related Mortality in the Extreme Summer of 2022—an Analysis Based on Daily Data.

Background: Estimating the excess mortality attributable to heat is a central element of the documentation of the consequences of climate change for human health. Until now, estimates of heatrelated deaths in Germany by the Robert Koch Institute (RKI) have been based on weekly mortality records.

Methods: Our study is the first to use higher resolution data-i.

Clinical identification of malignant pleural effusions.

Introduction: Pleural effusions frequently signal disseminated cancer. Diagnostic markers of pleural malignancy at presentation that would assess cancer risk and would streamline diagnostic decisions remain unidentified.

Methods: A consecutive cohort of 323 patients with pleural effusion (PE) from different etiologies were recruited between 2013 and 2017 and was retrospectively analyzed.

Retest variability and patient reliability indices of quantitative fundus autofluorescence in age-related macular degeneration: a MACUSTAR study report.

This study aimed to determine the retest variability of quantitative fundus autofluorescence (QAF) in patients with and without age-related macular degeneration (AMD) and evaluate the predictive value of patient reliability indices on retest reliability. A total of 132 eyes from 68 patients were examined, including healthy individuals and those with various stages of AMD. Duplicate QAF imaging was conducted at baseline and 2 weeks later across six study sites.

Deciphering the complexes of zinc ions and hen egg white lysozyme: Instrumental analysis, molecular docking, and antimicrobial assessment.

In the research presented in this manuscript, an intricate study has been carried out on the interaction of zinc ions with the hen egg white lysozyme (HEWL) protein. Utilizing a spectroscopic technique, the alterations that arise due to the binding of Zn to the HEWL were scrutinized, underscoring the paramount significance of deprotonated carboxyl and thiol groups in the process of binding. The binding phenomena were substantiated using capillary electrophoresis integrated with inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (CE-ICP-MS).

How European Research Projects Can Support Vaccination Strategies: The Case of the ORCHESTRA Project for SARS-CoV-2.

ORCHESTRA ("Connecting European Cohorts to Increase Common and Effective Response To SARS-CoV-2 Pandemic") is an EU-funded project which aims to help rapidly advance the knowledge related to the prevention of the SARS-CoV-2 infection and the management of COVID-19 and its long-term sequelae. Here, we describe the early results of this project, focusing on the strengths of multiple, international, historical and prospective cohort studies and highlighting those results which are of potential relevance for vaccination strategies, such as the necessity of a vaccine booster dose after a primary vaccination course in hematologic cancer patients and in solid organ transplant recipients to elicit a higher antibody titer, and the protective effect of vaccination on severe COVID-19 clinical manifestation and on the emergence of post-COVID-19 conditions. Valuable data regarding epidemiological variations, risk factors of SARS-CoV-2 infection and its sequelae, and vaccination efficacy in different subpopulations can support further defining public health vaccination policies.

Human serum albumin-bound selenium (Se-HSA) in serum and its correlation with other selenium species.

Introduction: Selenium (Se) is a trace element with different toxicological and nutritional properties according to its chemical forms. Among the wide range of selenium species, human serum albumin-bound selenium (Se-HSA) has still uncertain composition in terms of organic or inorganic selenium species. This study aimed at investigating the relation between Se-HSA levels with total selenium and the specific organic and inorganic selenium species.

Selenoprotein P concentrations and risk of progression from mild cognitive impairment to dementia.

There is a growing literature investigating the effects of selenium on the central nervous system and cognitive function. However, little is known about the role of selenoprotein P, the main selenium transporter, which can also have adverse biological effects. We conducted a prospective cohort study of individuals aged 42-81 years who received a clinical diagnosis of mild cognitive impairment.

Transferability and reproducibility of exposed air-liquid interface co-culture lung models.

Background: The establishment of reliable and robust in vitro models for hazard assessment, a prerequisite for moving away from animal testing, requires the evaluation of model transferability and reproducibility. Lung models that can be exposed via the air, by means of an air-liquid interface (ALI) are promising in vitro models for evaluating the safety of nanomaterials (NMs) after inhalation exposure. We performed an inter-laboratory comparison study to evaluate the transferability and reproducibility of a lung model consisting of the human bronchial cell line Calu-3 as a monoculture and, to increase the physiologic relevance of the model, also as a co-culture with macrophages (either derived from the THP-1 monocyte cell line or from human blood monocytes).

Advanced Mass Spectrometric Techniques for the Comprehensive Study of Synthesized Silicon-Based Silyl Organic Compounds: Identifying Fragmentation Pathways and Characterization.

The primary objective of this study was to synthesize and characterize novel silicon-based silyl organic compounds in order to gain a deeper understanding of their potential applications and interactions with other compounds. Four new artificial silyl organic compounds were successfully synthesized: 1-O-(Trimethylsilyl)-2,3,4,6-tetra-O-acetyl-β-d-glucopyranose (compound ), 1-[(1,1-dimethylehtyl)diphenylsilyl]-1H-indole (compound ), O-tert-butyldiphenylsilyl-(3-hydroxypropyl)oleate (compound ), and 1-O-tert-Butyldiphenylsilyl-myo-inositol (compound ). To thoroughly characterize these synthesized compounds, a combination of advanced mass spectrometric techniques was employed, including nanoparticle-assisted laser desorption/ionization mass spectrometry (NALDI-MS), Fourier-transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry (FT-ICR-MS), and triple quadrupole electrospray tandem mass spectrometry (QqQ ESI-MS/MS).

Predicting cellular responses to complex perturbations in high-throughput screens.

Recent advances in multiplexed single-cell transcriptomics experiments facilitate the high-throughput study of drug and genetic perturbations. However, an exhaustive exploration of the combinatorial perturbation space is experimentally unfeasible. Therefore, computational methods are needed to predict, interpret, and prioritize perturbations.

Pollen long-distance transport associated with symptoms in pollen allergics on the German Alps: An old story with a new ending?

Pollen grains are among the main causes of respiratory allergies worldwide and hence they are routinely monitored in urban environments. However, their sources can be located farther, outside cities' borders. So, the fundamental question remains as to how frequent longer-range pollen transport incidents are and if they may actually comprise high-risk allergy cases.

promotes colorectal carcinogenesis by deregulating intestinal immunity and inducing a mucus-degrading microbiota signature.

Objective: infection is the most prevalent bacterial infection worldwide. Besides being the most important risk factor for gastric cancer development, epidemiological data show that infected individuals harbour a nearly twofold increased risk to develop colorectal cancer (CRC). However, a direct causal and functional connection between infection and colon cancer is lacking.

Betula pendula trees infected by birch idaeovirus and cherry leaf roll virus: Impacts of urbanisation and NO levels.

Viruses are frequently a microbial biocontaminant of healthy plants. The occurrence of the infection can be also due to environmental stress, like urbanisation, air pollution and increased air temperature, especially under the ongoing climate change. The aim of the present study was to investigate the hypothesis that worsened air quality and fewer green areas may favour the higher frequency of common viral infections, particularly in a common tree in temperate and continental climates, Betula pendula ROTH.

Non-Oncogene Addiction of -Mutant Cancers to IL-1β via Versican and Mononuclear IKKβ.

-mutant cancers are frequent, metastatic, lethal, and largely undruggable. While interleukin (IL)-1β and nuclear factor (NF)-κB inhibition hold promise against cancer, untargeted treatments are not effective. Here, we show that human -mutant cancers are addicted to IL-1β via inflammatory versican signaling to macrophage inhibitor of NF-κB kinase (IKK) β.

IntestLine: a shiny-based application to map the rolled intestinal tissue onto a line.

Summary: To allow the comprehensive histological analysis of the whole intestine, it is often rolled to a spiral before imaging. This Swiss-rolling technique facilitates robust experimental procedures, but it limits the possibilities to comprehend changes along the intestine. Here, we present IntestLine, a Shiny-based open-source application for processing imaging data of (rolled) intestinal tissues and subsequent mapping onto a line.

Hyper-Reflective Foci in Intermediate Age-Related Macular Degeneration: Spatial Abundance and Impact on Retinal Morphology.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to analyze spatially resolved structural changes at retinal locations in presence (+) or absence (-) of hyper-reflective foci (HRF) in eyes with subretinal pigment epithelium (RPE) drusen in intermediate age-related macular degeneration (iAMD).

Methods: Patients with IAMD (n = 40; mean age = 69.7 ± 9.

Diplodia sapinea infection reprograms foliar traits of its pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) host to death.

Infection with the necrotrophic fungus Diplodia sapinea (Fr.) Fuckel is among the economically and ecologically most devastating diseases of conifers in the northern hemisphere and is accelerated by global climate change. This study aims to characterize the changes mediated by D.

Combining precision oncology and immunotherapy by targeting the MALT1 protease.

An innovative strategy for cancer therapy is to combine the inhibition of cancer cell-intrinsic oncogenic signaling with cancer cell-extrinsic immunological activation of the tumor microenvironment (TME). In general, such approaches will focus on two or more distinct molecular targets in the malignant cells and in cells of the surrounding TME. In contrast, the protease Mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue protein 1 (MALT1) represents a candidate to enable such a dual approach by engaging only a single target.

Histologic Cell Shape Descriptors for the Retinal Pigment Epithelium in Age-Related Macular Degeneration: A Comparison to Unaffected Eyes.

Purpose: Phenotype alterations of the retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) are a main characteristic of age-related macular degeneration (AMD). Individual RPE cell shape descriptors may help to delineate healthy from AMD-affected cells in early disease stages.

Methods: Twenty-two human RPE flatmounts (7 eyes with AMD [early, 3; geographic atrophy, 1; neovascular, 3); 15 unaffected eyes [8 aged ≤51 years; 7 aged >80 years)] were imaged at the fovea, perifovea, and near periphery (predefined sample locations) using a laser-scanning confocal fluorescence microscope.