Longer-term outcomes after bicuspid aortic valve repair in 142 patients.

Background: The aim of this study was to evaluate the longer-term results of bicuspid aortic valve (BAV) repair with or without aortic root replacement.

Methods: From 1999 to 2017, 142 patients with or without aortic root dilatation who underwent repair of a regurgitant BAV were included in the study. Ninety-four patients underwent isolated BAV repair (Group 1; median age 43 years) and 48 patients underwent valve-sparing aortic root replacement plus BAV repair (aortic valve reimplantation-Group 2; median age 48 years).

Species richness is more important for ecosystem functioning than species turnover along an elevational gradient.

Many experiments have shown that biodiversity enhances ecosystem functioning. However, we have little understanding of how environmental heterogeneity shapes the effect of diversity on ecosystem functioning and to what extent this diversity effect is mediated by variation in species richness or species turnover. This knowledge is crucial to scaling up the results of experiments from local to regional scales.

Periodontal furcation lesions: A survey of diagnosis and management by general dental practitioners.

Aim: The aim of this study was to explore general dental practitioners' (GDPs) attitude to periodontal furcation involvement (FI).

Materials And Methods: An online survey focused on diagnosis and management of periodontal FI was circulated to GDPs in seven different countries.

Results: A total of 400 responses were collected.

Early outcomes of patients with Marfan syndrome and acute aortic type A dissection.

Background: Acute aortic Stanford type A dissection remains a frequent and life-limiting event for patients with Marfan syndrome. Outcome results in this high-risk group are limited.

Methods: The German Registry for Acute Aortic Dissection Type A collected the data of 56 centers between July 2006 and June 2015.

Development of a prognostic tool: based on risk factors for tooth loss after active periodontal therapy.

Objectives: The aim of this study was to develop a prognostic tool to estimate long-term tooth retention in periodontitis patients at the beginning of active periodontal therapy (APT).

Material And Methods: Tooth-related factors (type, location, bone loss (BL), infrabony defects, furcation involvement (FI), abutment status), and patient-related factors (age, gender, smoking, diabetes, plaque control record) were investigated in patients who had completed APT 10 years before. Descriptive analysis was performed, and a generalized linear-mixed model-tree was used to identify predictors for the main outcome variable tooth loss.

Evaluation of Platelet Activation by HIV Protease Inhibitors - The HIV-PLA II Study.

Background: In the past, protease inhibitors (PIs) and the reverse transcriptase inhibitor abacavir were identified increasing the risk for thromboembolic complications and cardiovascular events (CVE) of HIV infected patients taking a combination antiretroviral therapy (cART). Results of the previous HIV-PLA I-study lead to the assumption that platelet activation could play a substantial role in increasing CVE risks.

Methods: The open label, monocentric HIV-PLA II-study investigated HIV-1-infected, therapy-naïve adults (n=45) starting with cART, consisting either of boosted PI (atazanavir, n= 6, darunavir, n=11), NNRTI (efavirenz, n=14) or integrase inhibitor (raltegravir, n=14), each plus tenofovir/emtricitabine co-medication.

Switching at the ribosome: riboswitches need rProteins as modulators to regulate translation.

Translational riboswitches are cis-acting RNA regulators that modulate the expression of genes during translation initiation. Their mechanism is considered as an RNA-only gene-regulatory system inducing a ligand-dependent shift of the population of functional ON- and OFF-states. The interaction of riboswitches with the translation machinery remained unexplored.

The 2018 classification of periodontal diseases: Its predictive value for tooth loss.

Background: Predictive models and assessment tools for disease susceptibility and progression are necessary to enhance personalized medicine. The aim of this study is to assess the predictive accuracy of using the 2018 classification to predict likelihood of tooth loss.

Methods: A total of 134 patients were screened 10 years after periodontal therapy.

Retrospective long-term analysis of tooth loss over 20 years in a specialist practice setting: Periodontally healthy/gingivitis and compromised patients.

Objective: To assess tooth loss (TL) in initially periodontally healthy/gingivitis (PHG) and periodontally compromised (PC) individuals during a 15- to 25-year follow-up in a specialist practice and to identify the factors influencing TL.

Materials And Methods: Patients were re-examined 240 ± 60 months after active periodontal therapy (PC) or initial examination (PHG). PHG patients were periodontally healthy or had gingivitis, and PC patients exhibited at least stage II periodontitis.

Communication skills in nursing home residents with dementia : Results of a prospective intervention study over 21 months.

Background: The dementia syndrome compromises effective communication and may thus lead to social isolation, psychological distress and decreased quality of life. It is therefore of importance to maintain communication capacity in dementia as long as possible.

Material And Methods: A total of 24 professional caregivers from 8 nursing homes were assigned to train 254 of their respective colleagues using the train-the-trainer program MultiTANDEMplus.

NMR-based Fragment Screening in a Minimum Sample but Maximum Automation Mode.

Fragment-based screening (FBS) is a well-validated and accepted concept within the drug discovery process both in academia and industry. The greatest advantage of NMR-based fragment screening is its ability not only to detect binders over 7-8 orders of magnitude of affinity but also to monitor purity and chemical quality of the fragments and thus to produce high quality hits and minimal false positives or false negatives. A prerequisite within the FBS is to perform initial and periodic quality control of the fragment library, determining solubility and chemical integrity of the fragments in relevant buffers, and establishing multiple libraries to cover diverse scaffolds to accommodate various macromolecule target classes (proteins/RNA/DNA).

Functional dissection of structural regions of the Thermus thermophilus competence protein PilW: Implication in secretin complex stability, natural transformation and pilus functions.

Uptake of DNA from the environment into the bacterial cytoplasm is mediated by a macromolecular transport machinery that is similar in structure and function to type IV pili (T4P) and, indeed, DNA translocator and T4P share common components. One is the secretin PilQ which is assembled into homopolymeric complexes forming highly dynamic outer membrane (OM) channels mediating pilus extrusion and DNA uptake. How PilQ interacts with the motor is still enigmatic.

COVI-Prim survey: Challenges for Austrian and German general practitioners during initial phase of COVID-19.

Background: Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) represents a significant challenge to health care systems around the world. A well-functioning primary care system is crucial in epidemic situations as it plays an important role in the development of a system-wide response.

Methods: 2,187 Austrian and German GPs answered an internet survey on preparedness, testing, staff protection, perception of risk, self-confidence, a decrease in the number of patient contacts, and efforts to control the spread of the virus in the practice during the early phase of the COVID-pandemic (3rd to 30th April).

From Antisense RNA to RNA Modification: Therapeutic Potential of RNA-Based Technologies.

Therapeutic oligonucleotides interact with a target RNA via Watson-Crick complementarity, affecting RNA-processing reactions such as mRNA degradation, pre-mRNA splicing, or mRNA translation. Since they were proposed decades ago, several have been approved for clinical use to correct genetic mutations. Three types of mechanisms of action (MoA) have emerged: RNase H-dependent degradation of mRNA directed by short chimeric antisense oligonucleotides (gapmers), correction of splicing defects via splice-modulation oligonucleotides, and interference of gene expression via short interfering RNAs (siRNAs).

Association, prediction, generalizability: Cross-center validity of predicting tooth loss in periodontitis patients.

Objectives: To predict patients' tooth loss during supportive periodontal therapy across four German university centers.

Methods: Tooth loss in 897 patients in four centers (Kiel (KI) n = 391; Greifswald (GW) n = 282; Heidelberg (HD) n = 175; Frankfurt/Main (F) n = 49) during supportive periodontal therapy (SPT) was assessed. Our outcome was annualized tooth loss per patient.

Ibero-Panamerican Federation of Periodontics Delphi study on the trends in diagnosis and treatment of peri-implant diseases and conditions: A Latin American consensus.

Background: The social diversity, heterogeneous culture, and inherent economic inequality factors in Latin America (LA) justify conducting a comprehensive analysis on the current status and future trends of peri-implant diseases and conditions. Thus, the aim of this Delphi study was to predict the future trends in the diagnosis and treatment of peri-implant diseases and conditions in LA countries for the year 2030.

Methods: A Latin American steering committee and group of experts in implant dentistry validated a questionnaire including 64 questions divided into eight sections.

Growth of the acetogenic bacterium Acetobacterium woodii on glycerol and dihydroxyacetone.

More than 2 million tons of glycerol are produced during industrial processes each year and, therefore, glycerol is an inexpensive feedstock to produce biocommodities by bacterial fermentation. Acetogenic bacteria are interesting production platforms and there have been few reports in the literature on glycerol utilization by this ecophysiologically important group of strictly anaerobic bacteria. Here, we show that the model acetogen Acetobacterium woodii DSM1030 is able to grow on glycerol, but contrary to expectations, only for 2-3 transfers.

H, C, and N backbone chemical-shift assignments of SARS-CoV-2 non-structural protein 1 (leader protein).

The current COVID-19 pandemic caused by the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has become a worldwide health crisis, necessitating coordinated scientific research and urgent identification of new drug targets for treatment of COVID-19 lung disease. The covid19-nmr consortium seeks to support drug development by providing publicly accessible NMR data on the viral RNA elements and proteins. The SARS-CoV-2 genome comprises a single RNA of about 30 kb in length, in which 14 open reading frames (ORFs) have been annotated, and encodes approximately 30 proteins.

Backbone chemical shift spectral assignments of SARS coronavirus-2 non-structural protein nsp9.

As part of an International consortium aiming at the characterization by NMR of the proteins of the SARS-CoV-2 virus, we have obtained the virtually complete assignment of the backbone atoms of the non-structural protein nsp9. This small (12 kDa) protein is encoded by ORF1a, binds to RNA and seems to be essential for viral RNA synthesis. The crystal structures of the SARS-CoV-2 protein and other homologues suggest that the protein is dimeric as also confirmed by analytical ultracentrifugation and dynamic light scattering.

Tooth loss in periodontally compromised patients: Retrospective long-term results 10 years after active periodontal therapy - tooth-related outcomes.

Background: Estimating prognosis of periodontally affected teeth at the beginning of supportive periodontal care (SPC) is an important component for further treatment planning. This study aimed to evaluate tooth loss (TL) during 10 years of SPC in periodontally compromised patients and to identify tooth-related factors affecting TL.

Methods: Patients were re-examined 120 ± 12 months after accomplishment of active periodontal therapy.

Frozen Elephant Trunk: Minimally Invasive Implantation of a New Trifurcated Hybrid Aortic Prosthesis.

Implantation of hybrid prostheses using the frozen elephant trunk technique has become a standard procedure for aortic arch and proximal descending aorta pathologies. New devices have been introduced to reduce surgical complexity by enabling the frozen elephant trunk technique to be performed in proximal segments of the aorta. This facilitates a minimally invasive approach and provides a safe and durable aortic arch repair.