Neuro-immune interactions in health and disease: Insights from FENS-Hertie 2022 Winter School.

In a great partnership, the Federation of European Neuroscience Societies (FENS) and the Hertie Foundation organized the FENS-Hertie 2022 Winter School on 'Neuro-immune interactions in health and disease'. The school selected 27 PhD students and 13 postdoctoral fellows from 20 countries and involved 14 faculty members experts in the field. The Winter School focused on a rising field of research, the interactions between the nervous and both innate and adaptive immune systems under pathological and physiological conditions.

Acute and chronic effects of levosimendan in the ZSF1 obese rat model of heart failure with preserved ejection fraction.

Heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF) is a syndrome characterized by impaired cardiovascular reserve in which therapeutic options are scarce. Our aim was to evaluate the inodilator levosimendan in the ZSF1 obese rat model of HFpEF. Twenty-week-old male Wistar-Kyoto (WKY), ZSF1 lean (ZSF1 Ln) and ZSF1 obese rats chronically treated for 6-weeks with either levosimendan (1 mg/kg/day, ZSF1 Ob + Levo) or vehicle (ZSF1 Ob + Veh) underwent peak-effort testing, pressure-volume (PV) haemodynamic evaluation and echocardiography (n = 7 each).

Emerging roles of the Protein Phosphatase 1 (PP1) in the context of viral infections.

Protein Phosphatase 1 (PP1) is a major serine/threonine phosphatase in eukaryotes, participating in several cellular processes and metabolic pathways. Due to their low substrate specificity, PP1's catalytic subunits do not exist as free entities but instead bind to Regulatory Interactors of Protein Phosphatase One (RIPPO), which regulate PP1's substrate specificity and subcellular localization. Most RIPPOs bind to PP1 through combinations of short linear motifs (4-12 residues), forming highly specific PP1 holoenzymes.

Barriers and facilitators of health professionals in adopting digital health-related tools for medication appropriateness: A systematic review.

Objective: Digital health is described as the use and development of all types of digital technologies to improve health outcomes. It could be used to prevent medication errors, a priority for health systems worldwide. However, the adoption of such tools remains slow.

The Impact of Long Noncoding RNAs in Tissue Regeneration and Senescence.

Overcoming senescence with tissue engineering has a promising impact on multiple diseases. Here, we provide an overview of recent studies in which cellular senescence was inhibited through the up/downregulation of specific lncRNAs. This approach prevented senescence in the bones, joints, nervous system, heart, and blood vessels, with a potential impact on regeneration and the prevention of osteoarthritis and osteoporosis, as well as neurodegenerative and cardiovascular diseases.

Preview of the Lung Science Conference 2024.

https://bit.ly/3Rxr7SH.

Preoperative Delirium Risk Screening in Patients Undergoing a Cardiac Surgery: Results from the Prospective Observational FINDERI Study.

Objective: Postoperative delirium (POD) is a common complication of cardiac surgery that is associated with higher morbidity, longer hospital stay, cognitive decline, and mortality. Preoperative assessments may help to identify patients´ POD risk. However, a standardized screening assessment for POD risk has not been established.

Resting-state alterations in behavioral variant frontotemporal dementia are related to the distribution of monoamine and GABA neurotransmitter systems.

Background: Aside to clinical changes, behavioral variant frontotemporal dementia (bvFTD) is characterized by progressive structural and functional alterations in frontal and temporal regions. We examined if there is a selective vulnerability of specific neurotransmitter systems in bvFTD by evaluating the link between disease-related functional alterations and the spatial distribution of specific neurotransmitter systems and their underlying gene expression levels.

Methods: Maps of fractional amplitude of low-frequency fluctuations (fALFF) were derived as a measure of local activity from resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging for 52 bvFTD patients (mean age = 61.

Different inflammatory signatures based on CSF biomarkers relate to preserved or diminished brain structure and cognition.

Neuroinflammation is a hallmark of Alzheimer's disease (AD) and both positive and negative associations of individual inflammation-related markers with brain structure and cognitive function have been described. We aimed to identify inflammatory signatures of CSF immune-related markers that relate to changes of brain structure and cognition across the clinical spectrum ranging from normal aging to AD. A panel of 16 inflammatory markers, Aβ42/40 and p-tau181 were measured in CSF at baseline in the DZNE DELCODE cohort (n = 295); a longitudinal observational study focusing on at-risk stages of AD.

Association of latent factors of neuroinflammation with Alzheimer's disease pathology and longitudinal cognitive decline.

Introduction: We investigated the association of inflammatory mechanisms with markers of Alzheimer's disease (AD) pathology and rates of cognitive decline in the AD spectrum.

Methods: We studied 296 cases from the Deutsches Zentrum für Neurodegenerative Erkrankungen Longitudinal Cognitive Impairment and Dementia Study (DELCODE) cohort, and an extension cohort of 276 cases of the Alzheimer's Disease Neuroimaging Initiative study. Using Bayesian confirmatory factor analysis, we constructed latent factors for synaptic integrity, microglia, cerebrovascular endothelial function, cytokine/chemokine, and complement components of the inflammatory response using a set of inflammatory markers in cerebrospinal fluid.

Long-Term Exposure to Supraphysiological Levels of Testosterone Impacts Rat Submandibular Gland Proteome.

The salivary glands play a central role in the secretion of saliva, whose composition and volume affect oral and overall health. A lesser-explored dimension encompasses the possible changes in salivary gland proteomes in response to fluctuations in sex hormone levels. This study aimed to examine the effects of chronic exposure to testosterone on salivary gland remodeling, particularly focusing on proteomic adaptations.

Metabolomics Integration in Assisted Reproductive Technologies for Enhanced Embryo Selection beyond Morphokinetic Analysis.

Embryo quality evaluation during in vitro development is a crucial factor for the success of assisted reproductive technologies (ARTs). However, the subjectivity inherent in the morphological evaluation by embryologists can introduce inconsistencies that impact the optimal embryo choice for transfer. To provide a more comprehensive evaluation of embryo quality, we undertook the integration of embryo metabolomics alongside standardized morphokinetic classification.

Polar Lipids of Marine Microalgae and Mitigate the LPS-Induced Pro-Inflammatory Response in Macrophages.

Microalgae are recognized as a relevant source of bioactive compounds. Among these bioactive products, lipids, mainly glycolipids, have been shown to present immunomodulatory properties with the potential to mitigate chronic inflammation. This study aimed to evaluate the anti-inflammatory effect of polar lipids isolated from and .

Single-cell RNA-sequencing of PBMCs from SAVI patients reveals disease-associated monocytes with elevated integrated stress response.

Gain-of-function mutations in stimulator of interferon gene 1 (STING1) result in STING-associated vasculopathy with onset in infancy (SAVI), a severe autoinflammatory disease. Although elevated type I interferon (IFN) production is thought to be the leading cause of the symptoms observed in patients, STING can induce a set of pathways, which have roles in the onset and severity of SAVI and remain to be elucidated. To this end, we performed a multi-omics comparative analysis of peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) and plasma from SAVI patients and healthy controls, combined with a dataset of healthy PBMCs treated with IFN-β.

Corrigendum: The selective advantage of the operon for is conditional on diet and microbiota composition.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2021.

Contribution of water-soluble extracts to the oxidative and inflammatory effects of atmospheric aerosols: A critical review.

Exposure to atmospheric particulate matter (PM) has been associated with heightened risks of lung cancer, cardiovascular and respiratory diseases. PM exposure also affects the immune system, leading to an increased susceptibility to infections, exacerbating pre-existent inflammatory and allergic lung diseases. Atmospheric PM can primarily impact human health through the generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) that subsequently induce or exacerbate inflammation.

Sustainable animal production: exploring the benefits of sperm sexing technologies in addressing critical industry challenges.

The sex of the animals is of paramount importance in many animal production systems. This is particularly evident in the production of milk or in breeding programs focused on the production of female animals. In some cases, slaughter or euthanasia of animals of the unwanted sex becomes the only solution, highlighting ethical and economic concerns.

Magnitude and Determinants of Long-term Use of Proton Pump Inhibitors Among Portuguese Older Adults in Primary Health Care.

Purpose: Proton Pump Inhibitors (PPIs) have been associated with several adverse effects of particular concern in older populations. Their use for a period longer than 8 weeks is not recommended for older adults. Strategies to discontinue PPIs have been offered; however, their use remains high.

Persisting Verbal Memory Encoding and Recall Deficiency after mGluR5 Autoantibody-Mediated Encephalitis.

Background: Metabotropic glutamate receptors type 5 (mGluR5) play a central role in persistent forms of synaptic plasticity and memory formation. Antibodies to mGluR5 have been reported to be clinically associated with memory impairment. Here, we report on a patient with persistent amnestic cognitive impairment in a single cognitive domain after resolution of mGluR5-associated encephalitis.

Age-Dependent Alterations in Semen Parameters and Human Sperm MicroRNA Profile.

The trend to delay parenthood is increasing, impacting fertility and reproductive outcomes. Advanced paternal age (APA), defined as men's age above 40 years at conception, has been linked with testicular impairment, abnormal semen parameters, and poor reproductive and birth outcomes. Recently, the significance of sperm microRNA for fertilization and embryonic development has emerged.

Understanding vaccination hesitation among health professionals: a systematic review of qualitative studies.

Objectives: In terms of vaccination, people trust healthcare professionals (HCPs) more than any other source of information. They are the cornerstone of vaccination as they can move undecided populations not only towards vaccination but also towards non-vaccination. The aim of this systematic review was to explore the knowledge, beliefs, attitudes, and barriers associated with own vaccination and patient recommendation in HCPs.