Acoustic detection of a mutation-specific Ligase Chain Reaction based on liposome amplification.

Single nucleotide variants (SNVs) play a crucial role in understanding genetic diseases, cancer development, and personalized medicine. However, existing ligase-based amplification and detection techniques, such as Rolling Circle Amplification and Ligase Detection Reaction, suffer from low efficiency and difficulties in product detection. To address these limitations, we propose a novel approach that combines Ligase Chain Reaction (LCR) with acoustic detection using highly dissipative liposomes.

Virtual Hemodynamic Assessment of Coronary Lesions: The Advent of Functional Angiography and Coronary Imaging.

Unlabelled: The fractional flow reserve (FFR) is well recognized as a gold standard measure for the estimation of functional coronary stenosis. Technological progressions in image processing have empowered the reconstruction of three-dimensional models of the coronary arteries via both non-invasive and invasive imaging modalities. The application of computational fluid dynamics (CFD) techniques to coronary 3D anatomical models allows the virtual evaluation of the hemodynamic significance of a coronary lesion with high diagnostic accuracy.

Therapeutic strategies and outcomes in neuropsychiatric systemic lupus erythematosus: an international multicentre retrospective study.

Objectives: The management of neuropsychiatric systemic lupus erythematosus (NPSLE) poses considerable challenges due to limited clinical trials. Therapeutic decisions are customized based on suspected pathogenic mechanisms and symptoms severity. This study aimed to investigate therapeutic strategies and disease outcome for patients with NPSLE experiencing their first neuropsychiatric (NP) manifestation.

The IV International Symposium on Fungal Stress and the XIII International Fungal Biology Conference.

For the first time, the International Symposium on Fungal Stress was joined by the XIII International Fungal Biology Conference. The International Symposium on Fungal Stress (ISFUS), always held in Brazil, is now in its fourth edition, as an event of recognized quality in the international community of mycological research. The event held in São José dos Campos, SP, Brazil, in September 2022, featured 33 renowned speakers from 12 countries, including: Austria, Brazil, France, Germany, Ghana, Hungary, México, Pakistan, Spain, Slovenia, USA, and UK.

Flares in Lupus Nephritis: Risk Factors and Strategies for Their Prevention.

Purpose Of Review: Discuss the prognostic significance of kidney flares in patients with lupus nephritis, associated risk factors, and possible preventative strategies.

Recent Findings: Recently performed clinical trials and observational cohort studies underscore the high frequency of relapses of kidney disease, following initial response, in patients with proliferative and/or membranous lupus nephritis. Analysis of hard disease outcomes such as progression to chronic kidney disease or end-stage kidney disease, coupled with histological findings from repeat kidney biopsy studies, have drawn attention to the importance of renal function preservation that should be pursued as early as lupus nephritis is diagnosed.

Restoration of aberrant gene expression of monocytes in systemic lupus erythematosus via a combined transcriptome-reversal and network-based drug repurposing strategy.

Background: Monocytes -key regulators of the innate immune response- are actively involved in the pathogenesis of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). We sought to identify novel compounds that might serve as monocyte-directed targeted therapies in SLE.

Results: We performed mRNA sequencing in monocytes from 15 patients with active SLE and 10 healthy individuals.

An All-in-One Tool for 2D Atherosclerotic Disease Assessment and 3D Coronary Artery Reconstruction.

Diagnosis of coronary artery disease is mainly based on invasive imaging modalities such as X-ray angiography, intravascular ultrasound (IVUS) and optical coherence tomography (OCT). Computed tomography coronary angiography (CTCA) is also used as a non-invasive imaging alternative. In this work, we present a novel and unique tool for 3D coronary artery reconstruction and plaque characterization using the abovementioned imaging modalities or their combination.

Nogo-A and LINGO-1: Two Important Targets for Remyelination and Regeneration.

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is an inflammatory disease of the central nervous system (CNS) that causes progressive neurological disability in most patients due to neurodegeneration. Activated immune cells infiltrate the CNS, triggering an inflammatory cascade that leads to demyelination and axonal injury. Non-inflammatory mechanisms are also involved in axonal degeneration, although they are not fully elucidated yet.

Correction: Nikoloudaki et al. Persistence of Depression and Anxiety despite Short-Term Disease Activity Improvement in Patients with Systemic Lupus Erythematosus: A Single-Centre, Prospective Study. 2022, , 4316.

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Harmonization Strategies in Multicenter MRI-Based Radiomics.

Radiomics analysis is a powerful tool aiming to provide diagnostic and prognostic patient information directly from images that are decoded into handcrafted features, comprising descriptors of shape, size and textural patterns. Although radiomics is gaining momentum since it holds great promise for accelerating digital diagnostics, it is susceptible to bias and variation due to numerous inter-patient factors (e.g.

Persistence of Depression and Anxiety despite Short-Term Disease Activity Improvement in Patients with Systemic Lupus Erythematosus: A Single-Centre, Prospective Study.

Mental disorders such as anxiety and depression are prevalent in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) patients, yet their association with the underlying disease activity remains uncertain and has been mostly evaluated at a cross-sectional level. To examine longitudinal trends in anxiety, depression, and lupus activity, a prospective observational study was performed on 40 adult SLE outpatients with active disease (SLE Disease Activity Index [SLEDAI]-2K ≥ 3 [excluding serology]) who received standard-of-care. Anxiety and depression were determined at baseline and 6 months by the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale.

Modern Biophysics Redefines Our Understanding of Fungal Cell Wall Structure, Complexity, and Dynamics.

Even though the cell wall has been recognized as a crucial protective organelle for fungi, essential for its virulence and a unique emblem of this kingdom, biosynthesis of this organelle remains poorly understood. Our knowledge was based mainly in the past on the chemical analysis of cell wall mutants and on the biochemical study of a few synthases and transglycosidases. Recent developments in biophysical equipment and methods, such as solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance or cryo-electron microscopy, have promoted a better appreciation of the spatiotemporal dynamics of cell wall biosynthesis.

Lupus Nephritis: Improving Treatment Options.

Despite improvements in patient and renal death rates following the introduction of potent immunosuppressive drugs in earlier decades, a sizeable fraction of patients with lupus nephritis is burdened with suboptimal or delayed responses, relapses, chronic use of glucocorticoids and accrual of renal (chronic renal insufficiency) and extra-renal organ damage. The recently approved combinatory treatments comprising belimumab or voclosporin added to conventional agents, especially mycophenolate, hold promise for further improving disease outcomes and enabling a faster steroid tapering, thus being relevant to the treat-to-target context. However, it remains uncertain whether these dual regimens should become the first-line choice for all patients or instead be prioritized to certain subgroups.

Acoustic Array Biochip Combined with Allele-Specific PCR for Multiple Cancer Mutation Analysis in Tissue and Liquid Biopsy.

Regular screening of point mutations is of importance to cancer management and treatment selection. Although techniques like next-generation sequencing and digital polymerase chain reaction (PCR) are available, these are lacking in speed, simplicity, and cost-effectiveness. The development of alternative methods that can detect the extremely low concentrations of the target mutation in a fast and cost-effective way presents an analytical and technological challenge.

A Multimodal Approach for the Risk Prediction of Intensive Care and Mortality in Patients with COVID-19.

Background: Although several studies have been launched towards the prediction of risk factors for mortality and admission in the intensive care unit (ICU) in COVID-19, none of them focuses on the development of explainable AI models to define an ICU scoring index using dynamically associated biological markers.

Methods: We propose a multimodal approach which combines explainable AI models with dynamic modeling methods to shed light into the clinical features of COVID-19. Dynamic Bayesian networks were used to seek associations among cytokines across four time intervals after hospitalization.

Error Propagation in the Simulation of Atherosclerotic Plaque Growth and the Prediction of Atherosclerotic Disease Progression.

Assessments of coronary artery disease can be achieved using non-invasive computed tomography coronary angiography (CTCA). CTCA can be further used for the 3D reconstruction of the coronary arteries and the development of computational models. However, image acquisition and arterial reconstruction introduce an error which can be propagated, affecting the computational results and the accuracy of diagnostic and prognostic models.

An "Onion-like" Model of Protein Unfolding: Collective versus Site Specific Approaches.

Approximating protein unfolding by an all-or-none cooperative event is a convenient assumption that can provide precious global information on protein stability. It is however quickly emerging that the scenario is far more complex and that global denaturation curves often hide a rich heterogeneity of states that are largely probe dependent. In this review, we revisit the importance of gaining site-specific information on the unfolding process.

IVUS Longitudinal and Axial Registration for Atherosclerosis Progression Evaluation.

Intravascular ultrasound (IVUS) imaging offers accurate cross-sectional vessel information. To this end, registering temporal IVUS pullbacks acquired at two time points can assist the clinicians to accurately assess pathophysiological changes in the vessels, disease progression and the effect of the treatment intervention. In this paper, we present a novel two-stage registration framework for aligning pairs of longitudinal and axial IVUS pullbacks.

Treatment of neuropsychiatric systemic lupus erythematosus: clinical challenges and future perspectives.

: Neuropsychiatric (NP) involvement represents an emerging frontier in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), posing significant challenges due to its clinical diversity and obscure pathophysiology. The authors herein discuss selected aspects in the management of NPSLE based on existing literature and our experience, aiming to facilitate routine medical care.: Research related to diagnosis, neuroimaging, treatment and outcome is discussed, focusing on data published in PubMed during the last 5 years.

A Domain Enriched Deep Learning Approach to Classify Atherosclerosis using Intravascular Ultrasound Imaging.

Intravascular ultrasound (IVUS) imaging is widely used for diagnostic imaging in interventional cardiology. The detection and quantification of atherosclerosis from acquired images is typically performed manually by medical experts or by virtual histology IVUS (VH-IVUS) software. VH-IVUS analyzes backscattered radio frequency (RF) signals to provide a color-coded tissue map, and is the method of choice for assessing atherosclerotic plaque .

, One Uninucleate Species with Disparate Offspring.

Establishment of a fungal infection due to relies on the efficient germination of the airborne conidia once they penetrate the respiratory tract. However, the features of conidial germination have been poorly explored and understood in this fungal species as well as in other species of filamentous fungi. We show here that the germination of is asynchronous.

Development of programmable gemcitabine-GnRH pro-drugs bearing linker controllable "click" oxime bond tethers and preclinical evaluation against prostate cancer.

Peptide-drug conjugates (PDCs) are gaining considerable attention as anti-neoplastic agents. However, their development is often laborious and time-consuming. Herein, we have developed and preclinically evaluated three PDCs with gemcitabine as the anticancer cytotoxic unit and D-Lys-GnRH (gonadotropin-releasing hormone; GnRH) as the cancer-targeting unit.

Galactomannan Produced by : An Update on the Structure, Biosynthesis and Biological Functions of an Emblematic Fungal Biomarker.

The galactomannan (GM) that is produced by the human fungal pathogen is an emblematic biomarker in medical mycology. The GM is composed of two monosaccharides: mannose and galactofuranose. The furanic configuration of galactose residues, absent in mammals, is responsible for the antigenicity of the GM and has favoured the development of ELISA tests to diagnose aspergillosis in immunocompromised patients.