Mossy Fiber Sprouting in Temporal Lobe Epilepsy: The Impact of Netrin-1, DCC, and Gene Expression Changes.

Background: Temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE) is the most common form of drug-resistant epilepsy, often associated with hippocampal sclerosis (HS), which involves selective neuronal loss in the Cornu Ammonis subregion 1 CA1 and CA4 regions of the hippocampus. Granule cells show migration and mossy fiber sprouting, though the mechanisms remain unclear. Microglia play a role in neurogenesis and synaptic modulation, suggesting they may contribute to epilepsy.

Molluscs generate preferred crystallographic orientation of biominerals by organic templates, the texture and microstructure of Caudofoveata (Aplacophora) shells.

Caudofoveata are molluscs that protect their vermiform body with a scleritome, a mosaic of unconnected blade/lanceolate-shaped aragonite sclerites. For the species Falcidens gutturosus and Scutopus ventrolineatus we studied the crystallographic constitution and crystal orientation texture of the sclerites and the scleritome with electron-backscatter-diffraction (EBSD), laser-confocal-microscopy (LCM) and field-emission electron microscopy (FE-SEM) imaging. Each sclerite is an aragonite single crystal that is completely enveloped by an organic sheath.

Biomineral crystallographic preferred orientation in Solenogastres molluscs (Aplacophora) is controlled by organic templating.

Aplacophoran molluscs are shell-less and have a worm-like body which is covered by biomineralized sclerites. We investigated sclerite crystallography and the sclerite mosaic of the Solenogastres species Dorymenia sarsii, Anamenia gorgonophila, and Simrothiella margaritacea with electron-backscattered-diffraction (EBSD), laser-confocal-microscopy and FE-SEM imaging. The soft tissue of the molluscs is covered by spicule-shaped, aragonitic sclerites.

Fibroblast Growth Factor Receptors and Ligands in Context of Bevacizumab Response in Ovarian Carcinoma: An Exploratory Analysis of AGO-OVAR11/ICON-7.

With more novel drugs being approved for the treatment of ovarian carcinoma, the question remains to what extent patients benefit from antiangiogenic treatment with bevacizumab, either in combination with poly-(ADP-ribose) polymerase inhibitors or as single-agent maintenance. As fibroblast growth factor receptors and their ligands (FGFRs/FGFs) are key players in angiogenic signaling and have been linked to resistance to several drugs, we investigated the prognostic or predictive potential of FGFs/FGFRs signaling in the context of bevacizumab treatment within the prospective phase III AGO-OVAR11/ICON-7 study. FGFR1, FGFR2, FGFR3, FGFR4, FGF1, and FGF19 gene expressions were determined in 380 ovarian carcinoma tumor samples collected from German centers in the multicenter phase III AGO-OVAR11 trial/ICON-7 trial.

On the Connection Between Language Change and Language Processing.

Previous studies provided evidence for a connection between language processing and language change. We add to these studies with an exploration of the influence of lexical-distributional properties of words in orthographic space, semantic space, and the mapping between orthographic and semantic space on the probability of lexical extinction. Through a binomial linear regression analysis, we investigated the probability of lexical extinction by the first decade of the twenty-first century (2000s) for words that existed in the first decade of the nineteenth-century (1800s) in eight data sets for five languages: English, French, German, Italian, and Spanish.

Genetic basis of ear length in sheep breeds sampled across the region from the Middle East to the Alps.

Ear length in sheep (Ovis aries) shows a wide range of natural variation, from the absence of an outer ear structure (anotia), to small outer ears (microtia), to regular ear length. Up until now, the underlying genetics of this phenotype has been studied in four sheep breeds from China, Jordan and Italy. These studies revealed a broad range of genes significantly associated with ear length, potentially indicating genetic heterogeneity across breeds or geographic regions.

Advantages of laparoscopic-assisted ovariohysterectomy versus open ovariohysterectomy for dogs with pyometra not detected in randomized clinical trial.

Objective: To compare results for surgery time, perioperative pain, need for rescue analgesia, variables, serum C-reactive protein concentration, and postoperative complications for dogs with pyometra treated with laparoscopic-assisted ovariohysterectomy (LaOVH) versus open-surgery (OS) ovariohysterectomy.

Animals: 12 client-owned dogs with pyometra between June 1, 2016, and December 31, 2019.

Methods: Dogs enrolled in this prospective single-center randomized clinical trial had pyometra confirmed by history, physical examination, ultrasonography, and blood work and were randomly assigned to treatment group LaOVH or OS.

Novel kinetoplastid-specific cAMP binding proteins identified by RNAi screening for cAMP resistance in .

Cyclic AMP signalling in trypanosomes differs from most eukaryotes due to absence of known cAMP effectors and cAMP independence of PKA. We have previously identified four genes from a genome-wide RNAi screen for resistance to the cAMP phosphodiesterase (PDE) inhibitor NPD-001. The genes were named cAMP Response Protein (CARP) 1 through 4.

A multidrug-resistant Typhimurium DT104 complex lineage circulating among humans and cattle in the USA lost the ability to produce pertussis-like toxin ArtAB.

subsp. serotype Typhimurium definitive type 104 (DT104) can infect both humans and animals and is often multidrug-resistant (MDR). Previous studies have indicated that, unlike most .

Treatment and survival of patients with malignant ovarian sex cord-stromal cell tumours: An analysis of the Arbeitsgemeinschaft für Gynäkologische Onkologie (AGO) study group CORSETT database.

Background: Malignant sex cord-stromal cell tumours (SCST) account for only 7% of ovarian malignancies. The Arbeitsgemeinschaft fuer Gynaekologische Onkologie (AGO) study group has established a clinicopathological database to provide an overview of the current treatment strategies and survival of SCST patients and to identify research needs.

Methods: Twenty centres provided mixed retro- and prospective data of patients with tumour specimens and second-opinion pathology review treated between 2000 and 2014.

Contamination Rate of Cryopreserved Umbilical Cord Blood Is Inversely Correlated with Volume of Sample Collected and Is also Dependent on Delivery Mode.

Cord blood (CB) collected at birth has become a valuable stem cell source for hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT). However, the collection of umbilical cord blood always bears a risk of microbiological contamination, both in vaginal birth and in cesarean section. A total of 10 054 umbilical cord stem cell samples were successfully cryopreserved between 2010 and 2020, of which 783 (8%) samples were tested positive for bacterial contamination.

Social video gaming and well-being.

Despite stereotypes of video games as isolating technologies, video gaming can be a highly social activity that contributes to well-being. Advances in computing technology and greater social acceptance of video gaming have led to overall increases in gameplay in social scenarios. Our review focuses on three areas of research relevant to understanding social gaming and well-being: social play in video games (both past and present social play, and forms of tandem play), social gaming and psychological recovery (both short-term recovery and long-term resilience), and the use of emerging technologies to connect via gaming (such as game streaming and augmented/virtual reality).

Carrier Protein-Free Enzymatic Biaryl Coupling in Arylomycin A2 Assembly and Structure of the Cytochrome P450 AryC.

Invited for the cover of this issue are Sabine Schneider, Tobias A. M. Gulder and co-workers at Technical University of Dresden, Technical University of Munich and Ludwig-Maximillians-University Munich.

Carrier Protein-Free Enzymatic Biaryl Coupling in Arylomycin A2 Assembly and Structure of the Cytochrome P450 AryC.

The arylomycin antibiotics are potent inhibitors of bacterial type I signal peptidase. These lipohexapeptides contain a biaryl structural motif reminiscent of glycopeptide antibiotics. We herein describe the functional and structural evaluation of AryC, the cytochrome P450 performing biaryl coupling in biosynthetic arylomycin assembly.

A squalene-hopene cyclase in represents a eukaryotic adaptation to sterol-limited anaerobic environments.

Biosynthesis of sterols, which are key constituents of canonical eukaryotic membranes, requires molecular oxygen. Anaerobic protists and deep-branching anaerobic fungi are the only eukaryotes in which a mechanism for sterol-independent growth has been elucidated. In these organisms, tetrahymanol, formed through oxygen-independent cyclization of squalene by a squalene-tetrahymanol cyclase, acts as a sterol surrogate.

Microbial diversity in homes and the risk of allergic rhinitis and inhalant atopy in two European birth cohorts.

Background: Microbial exposures in early childhood direct the development of the immune system and their diversity may influence the risk of allergy development. We aimed to determine whether the indoor microbial diversity at early-life is associated with the development of allergic rhinitis and inhalant atopy.

Methods: The study population included children within two birth cohorts: Finnish rural-suburban LUKAS (N = 312), and German urban LISA from Munich and Leipzig study centers (N = 248).

Precision 3D-Printed Cell Scaffolds Mimicking Native Tissue Composition and Mechanics.

Cellular dynamics are modeled by the 3D architecture and mechanics of the extracellular matrix (ECM) and vice versa. These bidirectional cell-ECM interactions are the basis for all vital tissues, many of which have been investigated in 2D environments over the last decades. Experimental approaches to mimic in vivo cell niches in 3D with the highest biological conformity and resolution can enable new insights into these cell-ECM interactions including proliferation, differentiation, migration, and invasion assays.

Structural insight into the binding of human galectins to corneal keratan sulfate, its desulfated form and related saccharides.

Glycosaminoglycan chains of keratan sulfate proteoglycans appear to be physiologically significant by pairing with tissue lectins. Here, we used NMR spectroscopy and molecular dynamics (MD) simulations to characterize interactions of corneal keratan sulfate (KS), its desulfated form, as well as di-, tetra- (N-acetyllactosamine and lacto-N-tetraose) and octasaccharides with adhesion/growth-regulatory galectins, in particular galectin-3 (Gal-3). The KS contact region involves the lectin canonical binding site, with estimated K values in the low µM range and stoichiometry of ~ 8 to ~ 20 galectin molecules binding per polysaccharide chain.

Pro4 prolyl peptide bond isomerization in human galectin-7 modulates the monomer-dimer equilibrum to affect function.

Human galectin-7 (Gal-7; also termed p53-induced gene 1 product) is a multifunctional effector by productive pairing with distinct glycoconjugates and protein counter-receptors in the cytoplasm and nucleus, as well as on the cell surface. Its structural analysis by NMR spectroscopy detected doubling of a set of particular resonances, an indicator of Gal-7 existing in two conformational states in slow exchange on the chemical shift time scale. Structural positioning of this set of amino acids around the P4 residue and loss of this phenomenon in the bioactive P4L mutant indicated cis-trans isomerization at this site.

Validation of the Bullying Scale for Adults - Results of the PRONIA-study.

Background: Bullying as a specific subtype of adverse life events is a major risk factor for poor mental health. Although many questionnaires on bullying are available, so far none covers bullying retrospectively throughout school and working life. To close this gap, the Bullying Scale for Adults (BSA) was designed.

Update and breakthrough in cardiac xenotransplantation.

Purpose Of Review: Considerable advancements have been made in the field of cardiac xenotransplantation in the recent years, achieving prolonged survival of the life-supporting cardiac xenograft and paving the way toward first clinical implications.

Recent Findings: The combination of genetic modifications and novel immunosuppression with costimulation blockade, as well as supporting therapy with antiinflammatory treatment, growth prevention, and adaptation of the heart procurement system to reduce myocardial ischemia and reperfusion injury improves the overall cardiac xenograft function and overall survival in nonhuman primates. Through the newly identified xenoantigens and novel gene-editing techniques, further genetic modification of the porcine xenografts should be explored, to ensure clinical safety.

Neurotoxin injection in benign submandibular gland hypertrophy: A first choice treatment.

Background: Various benign clinical entities with a symptomatology of hypertrophic submandibular glands like sialadenitis, sialadenosis, sialolithiasis, or an ageing neck have been described. Botulinum toxin type A is an elegant tool in the management of these conditions.

Methods: This article is an original article, describing the Munich Concept of treating persistent submandibular swelling with Botulinum Toxin Type A from aesthetic and functional aspect.

Are scurs in heterozygous polled (Pp) cattle a complex quantitative trait?

Background: Breeding genetically hornless, i.e. polled, cattle provides an animal welfare-friendly and non-invasive alternative to the dehorning of calves.