Implications of Complement Imbalance in COVID-19: A Molecular Mechanistic Discussion on the Importance of Complement Balance.

Two central questions in COVID-19 treatment which should be considered are: "How does the imbalance of the complement system affect the therapeutic approaches?" and "Do we consider complement inhibitors in therapeutic protocols?". The complement system is a double-edged sword since it may either promote immune responses against COVID-19 or contribute to destructive inflammation in the host. Therefore, it is crucial to regulate this system with complement inhibitors.

Mitochondrial dysfunction associated with ascorbate synthesis in plants.

Mitochondria are the major organelles of energy production; however, active mitochondria can decline their energetic role and show a dysfunctional status. Mitochondrial dysfunction was induced by high non-physiological level of L-galactone-1,4-lactone (L-GalL), the precursor of ascorbate (AsA), in plant mitochondria. The dysfunction induced by L-GalL was associated with the fault in the mitochondrial electron partition and reactive oxygen species (ROS) over-production.

Proteomic pattern of breast milk discriminates obese mothers with infants of delayed weight gain from normal-weight mothers with infants of normal weight gain.

We previously reported that exclusively breastfed infants born to mothers with pregestational obesity gain less weight during the first month after birth than those born to mothers of normal pregestational weight. This issue is potentially important since lower weight gain in breastfed infants of obese mothers might increase the risk of developing later obesity. Breast milk quality and quantity, together with breastfeeding practice, possibly influence infants' feeding behavior, appetite control, and regulation of growth later in life.

Two-long terminal repeat (LTR) DNA circles are a substrate for HIV-1 integrase.

Integration of the HIV-1 DNA into the host genome is essential for viral replication and is catalyzed by the retroviral integrase. To date, the only substrate described to be involved in this critical reaction is the linear viral DNA produced in reverse transcription. However, during HIV-1 infection, two-long terminal repeat DNA circles (2-LTRcs) are also generated through the ligation of the viral DNA ends by the host cell's nonhomologous DNA end-joining pathway.

Poor adherence to population-based vaccination in two counties after meningococcal B:14:P1.7,16 outbreak: an illustration of the growing vaccine hesitancy in France.

Background: Neisseria meningitidis is a virulent bacteria provoking outbreaks of invasive meningococcal disease (IMD) that authorities may try to control with population-based vaccinations. Such campaigns are most often thoroughly followed. We assess the response of poor adherence during a population-based vaccination after a meningococcal B:14:P1.

Distal extremities soft tissue sarcomas: Are they so different from other limb localizations?

Background And Objectives: Soft tissue sarcoma localization in distal extremities (DESTS) of the limbs (hand/fingers, and foot/toes) is unusual. The literature is scarce about their behavior and this study was designed to assess their epidemiological characteristics, outcomes, and prognosis compared to other limb localizations (OLSTS).

Methods: From 1980 to 2010, adult DESTS and OLSTS in 22 centers were included.

[Partial nephrectomy for renal masses >7cm: Morbidity, oncological and functional outcomes (UroCCR-7 study)].

Objectives: To describe the morbidity, mortality, oncological and functional results of Partial nephrectomy (PN) for the treatment of renal tumors of more than 7cm.

Material And Methods: Thirty-seven partial nephrectomies for tumors larger than 7cm operated in a single center between 1987 and 2016 were analyzed retrospectively. The pre, per and postoperative clinico-biological data were collected within the UroCCR database.

First-in-man phase I study assessing the safety and pharmacokinetics of a 1-hour intravenous infusion of the doxorubicin prodrug DTS-201 every 3 weeks in patients with advanced or metastatic solid tumours.

Purpose: DTS-201 is a doxorubicin (Dox) prodrug that shows encouraging data in experimental models in terms of both efficacy and safety compared with conventional Dox. The purpose of this phase I study was to assess the safety profile, to establish the recommended dose (RD) for clinical phase II studies and to assess potential anticancer activity of the compound.

Experimental Design: DTS-201 was administered as a 1-hour infusion every 3 weeks in eligible patients with advanced solid tumours according to common clinical phase I criteria.

[Costs of healthcare resource consumption after a myocardial infarction in France: An estimate from a medicoadministrative database (GSB)].

Objective: To estimate the costs of healthcare resource consumption in the year preceding and the year following a myocardial infarction (MI).

Patients And Methods: A historical cohort of patients experiencing an MI in France between 2007 and 2011 was extracted from the échantillon généraliste de bénéficiaires, a 1/97th sample of all beneficiaries of public health insurance in France.

Results: A total of 1920 patients experiencing an MI were identified.

Category-Specific Visual Recognition and Aging from the PACE Theory Perspective: Evidence for a Presemantic Deficit in Aging Object Recognition.

Unlabelled: Background/Study Context: The objective of this study was to investigate the object recognition deficit in aging. Age-related declines were examined from the presemantic account of category effects (PACE) theory perspective (Gerlach, 2009, Cognition, 111, 281-301). This view assumes that the structural similarity/dissimilarity inherent in living and nonliving objects, respectively, can account for a wide range of category-specific effects.

Identification of different malaria patterns due to Plasmodium falciparum and Plasmodium vivax in Ethiopian children: a prospective cohort study.

Background: The identification of epidemiological pattern of infection with Plasmodium falciparum and Plasmodium vivax in malaria-endemic area, where multiple episodes are common, is important for intervention programmes.

Methods: A longitudinal cohort study based on weekly house-to-house visits was conducted between July 2008 and June 2010 in 2040 children less than 10 years of age, living nearby the Gilgel-Gibe hydroelectric power dam reservoir in order to determine factors associated with increased P. vivax and P.

Benchmarking trial between France and Australia comparing management of primary rectal cancer beyond TME and locally recurrent rectal cancer (PelviCare Trial): rationale and design.

Background: Among patients with rectal cancer, 5-10% have a primary rectal cancer beyond the total mesorectal excision plane (PRC-bTME) and 10% recur locally following primary surgery (LRRC). In both cases, patients 'care remains challenging with a significant worldwide variation in practice regarding overall management and criteria for operative intervention. These variations in practice can be explained by structural and organizational differences, as well as cultural dissimilarities.

Docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) prevents corticosterone-induced changes in astrocyte morphology and function.

The many functions of astrocytes, such as glutamate recycling and morphological plasticity, enable them to stabilize synapses environment and protect neurons. Little is known about how they adapt to glucocorticoid-induced stress, and even less about the influence of dietary factors. We previously showed that omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (ω3PUFA), dietary fats which alleviate stress responses, influence the way astroglia regulate glutamatergic synapses.

The MAP3K ZAK, a novel modulator of ERK-dependent migration, is upregulated in colorectal cancer.

Often described as a mediator of cell cycle arrest or as a pro-apoptotic factor in stressful conditions, the MAP3K ZAK (Sterile alpha motif and leucine zipper-containing kinase) has also been proven to positively regulate epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) and WNT signaling pathways, cancer cell proliferation and cellular neoplastic transformation. Here, we show that both isoforms of ZAK, ZAK-α and ZAK-β are key factors in cancer cell migration. While ZAK depletion reduced cell motility of HeLa and HCT116 cells, its overexpression triggered the activation of all three mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPKs), extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK), c-JUN N-terminal kinase (JNK) and p38, as well as an increase in cell motion.

The β-phosphorus hyperfine coupling constant in nitroxide: part 3: titration of water by electron paramagnetic resonance.

Recently, we showed that the phosphorus hyperfine coupling constant aPβ of persistent cyclic nitroxides decreased with the normalized polarity Reichardt's constant E. Thus, we investigated the changes in aPβ in binary mixtures of solvents. The sensitivity of aPβ to the solvent was high enough to allow us to perform water titration in THF, 1,4-dioxane, and acetonitrile by EPR.

Incorporation of nested frailties into semiparametric multi-state models.

Proportional hazards models are among the most popular regression models in survival analysis. Multi-state models generalize them by jointly considering different types of events and their interrelations, whereas frailty models incorporate random effects to account for unobserved risk factors, possibly shared by clusters of subjects. The integration of multi-state and frailty methodology is an interesting way to control for unobserved heterogeneity in the presence of complex event history structures and is particularly appealing for multicenter clinical trials.

Frailty among Mexican community-dwelling elderly: a story told 11 years later. The Mexican Health and Aging Study.

Objective: To describe the characteristics and prognosis of subjects classified as frail in a large sample of Mexican community-dwelling elderly.

Materials And Methods: An eleven-year longitudinal study of 5 644 old adults participating in the Mexican Health and Aging Study (MHAS). Frailty was defined by meeting at least three of the following criteria: weight loss, weakness, exhaustion, slow walking speed and low physical activity.

DNA Physical Properties and Nucleosome Positions Are Major Determinants of HIV-1 Integrase Selectivity.

Retroviral integrases (INs) catalyse the integration of the reverse transcribed viral DNA into the host cell genome. This process is selective, and chromatin has been proposed to be a major factor regulating this step in the viral life cycle. However, the precise underlying mechanisms are still under investigation.

Low Serum Vitamin D Levels Are Associated With Inferior Survival in Follicular Lymphoma: A Prospective Evaluation in SWOG and LYSA Studies.

Purpose: Recent literature reports a potential association between high vitamin D and improved lymphoma prognosis. We evaluated the impact of pretreatment vitamin D on follicular lymphoma (FL) outcome.

Patients And Methods: SWOG participants were previously untreated patients with FL enrolled onto SWOG clinical trials (S9800, S9911, or S0016) involving CHOP chemotherapy plus an anti-CD20 antibody (rituximab or iodine-131 tositumomab) between 1998 and 2008.

ST1926, an orally active synthetic retinoid, induces apoptosis in chronic myeloid leukemia cells and prolongs survival in a murine model.

The tyrosine kinase inhibitor, imatinib, is the first line of treatment for chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) patients. Unfortunately, patients develop resistance and relapse due to bcr-abl point mutations and the persistence of leukemia initiating cells (LIC). Retinoids regulate vital biological processes such as cellular proliferation, apoptosis, and differentiation, in particular of hematopoietic progenitor cells.