Circular RNAs: Epigenetic regulators of PTEN expression and function in cancer.

Epigenetic regulation of gene expression, without altering the DNA sequence, is involved in many normal cellular growth and division events, as well as diseases such as cancer. Epigenetics is no longer limited to DNA methylation, and histone modification, but regulatory non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs) also play an important role in epigenetics. Circular RNAs (circRNAs), single-stranded RNAs without 3' and 5' ends, have recently emerged as a class of ncRNAs that regulate gene expression.

The International Virus Bioinformatics Meeting 2023.

The 2023 International Virus Bioinformatics Meeting was held in Valencia, Spain, from 24-26 May 2023, attracting approximately 180 participants worldwide. The primary objective of the conference was to establish a dynamic scientific environment conducive to discussion, collaboration, and the generation of novel research ideas. As the first in-person event following the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic, the meeting facilitated highly interactive exchanges among attendees.

Fear of Falling Carries Over into Overprotection in Old Age: A Cross-Lagged Panel Analysis.

Fear of falling might result in overprotection by one's social environment. In turn, feeling dependent could increase fear of falling. However, the association between fear of falling and perceived overprotection and its temporal order is unknown.

Lessons learned after one year of COVID-19 from a urologist and radiotherapist view: A German survey on prostate cancer diagnosis and treatment.

Introduction: Since the beginning of the pandemic in 2020, COVID-19 has changed the medical landscape. International recommendations for localized prostate cancer (PCa) include deferred treatment and adjusted therapeutic routines.

Materials And Methods: To longitudinally evaluate changes in PCa treatment strategies in urological and radiotherapy departments in Germany, a link to a survey was sent to 134 institutions covering two representative baseline weeks prior to the pandemic and 13 weeks from March 2020 to February 2021.

Association of glycated hemoglobin A levels with cardiovascular outcomes in the general population: results from the BiomarCaRE (Biomarker for Cardiovascular Risk Assessment in Europe) consortium.

Background: Biomarkers may contribute to improved cardiovascular risk estimation. Glycated hemoglobin A (HbA) is used to monitor the quality of diabetes treatment. Its strength of association with cardiovascular outcomes in the general population remains uncertain.

Fetal Zone Steroids and Estrogen Show Sex Specific Effects on Oligodendrocyte Precursor Cells in Response to Oxidative Damage.

Oxygen causes white matter damage in preterm infants and male sex is a major risk factor for poor neurological outcome, which speculates the role of steroid hormones in sex-based differences. Preterm birth is accompanied by a drop in 17β-estradiol (E2) and progesterone along with increased levels of fetal zone steroids (FZS). We performed a sex-based analysis on the FZS concentration differences in urine samples collected from preterm and term infants.

Novel DiOC 96-well real-time efflux assay for discovery of NorA efflux pump inhibitors in Staphylococcus aureus.

The NorA efflux pump is one of the most studied efflux systems in Staphylococcus aureus and confers multidrug resistance to a variety of dyes and antimicrobial compounds. Hence, inhibition of the NorA efflux pump might be a viable option for restoring susceptibility to antibiotics like fluoroquinolones. Fluorescent real-time efflux assays are important tools to identify putative efflux pump inhibitors.

NLRP3 inflammasomes are involved in the progression of postoperative cognitive dysfunction: from mechanism to treatment.

Postoperative cognitive dysfunction (POCD) involves patient memory and learning decline after surgery. POCD not only presents challenges for postoperative nursing and recovery but may also cause permanent brain damage for patients, including children and the aged, with vulnerable central nervous systems. Its occurrence is mainly influenced by surgical trauma, anesthetics, and the health condition of the patient.

Nup133 and ERα mediate the differential effects of hyperoxia-induced damage in male and female OPCs.

Background: Hyperoxia is a well-known cause of cerebral white matter injury in preterm infants with male sex being an independent and critical risk factor for poor neurodevelopmental outcome. Sex is therefore being widely considered as one of the major decisive factors for prognosis and treatment of these infants. But unfortunately, we still lack a clear view of the molecular mechanisms that lead to such a profound difference.

Differential expression of several factors involved in placental development in normal and abnormal condition.

The placenta, a temporary organ that forms during pregnancy, is the largest fetal organ and the first to develop. It is recognized as an organ that plays a vital role as a metabolic and physical barrier in the fetoplacental unit; throughout fetal development it acts as the lungs, gut, kidneys, and liver of the fetus. When its two components, the fetal and the maternal one, successfully interact, pregnancy proceeds healthily.

Lack of the multidrug transporter MRP4/ABCC4 defines the PEL-negative blood group and impairs platelet aggregation.

The rare PEL-negative phenotype is one of the last blood groups with an unknown genetic basis. By combining whole-exome sequencing and comparative global proteomic investigations, we found a large deletion in the ABCC4/MRP4 gene encoding an ATP-binding cassette (ABC) transporter in PEL-negative individuals. The loss of PEL expression on ABCC4-CRISPR-Cas9 K562 cells and its overexpression in ABCC4-transfected cells provided evidence that ABCC4 is the gene underlying the PEL blood group antigen.

Nicotinamide -Methyltransferase and Its Precursor Substrate Methionine Directly and Indirectly Control Malignant Metabolism During Progression of Renal Cell Carcinoma.

Background/aim: Renal cell carcinoma (RCC) is one of the most common tumor diseases in adults, and new specific biomarkers are urgently needed to define diagnosis and prognosis of patients with RCC as well as monitor the outcome of therapeutic interventions. The enzyme nicotinamide N-methyltransferase (NNMT) is believed to represent such a marker molecule in RCC therapy.

Materials And Methods: NNMT expression was examined by western blotting in samples from patients with RCC and in RCC cell lines.

A multi-ancestry genome-wide study incorporating gene-smoking interactions identifies multiple new loci for pulse pressure and mean arterial pressure.

Elevated blood pressure (BP), a leading cause of global morbidity and mortality, is influenced by both genetic and lifestyle factors. Cigarette smoking is one such lifestyle factor. Across five ancestries, we performed a genome-wide gene-smoking interaction study of mean arterial pressure (MAP) and pulse pressure (PP) in 129 913 individuals in stage 1 and follow-up analysis in 480 178 additional individuals in stage 2.

Platelet activation parameters and platelet-leucocyte-conjugate formation in glioblastoma multiforme patients.

Patients with glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) suffer from an increased incidence of vascular thrombotic events. However, key influencing factors of the primary hemostasis have not been characterized in GBM patients to date. Thus, the present study determines the activation level of circulating platelets in GBM patients, reactivity to agonist-induced platelet stimulation and the formation of circulating platelet-leucocyte conjugates as well as the plasma levels of the proinflammatory lipid mediator sphingosine-1-phosphate (S1P).

Health Risk Behavior Patterns in a National Adult Population Survey.

: The aim of this paper is to analyze the co-occurrence of health risk behaviors (HRBs), namely, tobacco smoking, alcohol risk drinking, overeating, and physical inactivity, as well as their 16 combinations (patterns), which are stratified by age and gender. : The data of 19,294 study participants, from a telephone survey among the adult general population of Germany that was conducted in 2012, were analyzed. : In adults, two or more of the four HBRs were found among 51.

Characterization and Management of Borderline Ovarian Tumors - Results of a Retrospective, Single-center Study of Patients Treated at the Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics of the University Medicine Greifswald.

Background/aim: Borderline ovarian tumors (BOT) are malignant epithelial ovarian tumors with a very low incidence, therefore lacking sufficient clinical experience in diagnostics and treatment. This study characterized the histology, clinical features, diagnostics and therapy of BOT including patients treated at the Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics of the University Medicine Greifswald.

Materials And Methods: In this retrospective, single-center study, patients with BOT treated between 1990 and 2010 were analyzed according to their histological and clinical reports.

LST-3TM12 is a member of the OATP1B family and a functional transporter.

Organic anion transporting polypeptides (OATPs) and particularly the two members of the OATP1B family are known for their role in pharmacokinetics. Both SLCO1B3 and SLCO1B1 are located on chromosome 12 encompassing the gene locus SLCO1B7. Hitherto, this particular gene has been assumed to be a pseudogene, even though there are published mRNA sequences linked to this chromosomal area.

Staphylococcal (phospho)lipases promote biofilm formation and host cell invasion.

Most Staphylococcus aureus strains secrete two lipases SAL1 and SAL2 encoded by gehA and gehB. These two lipases differ with respect to their substrate specificity. Staphylococcus hyicus secretes another lipase, SHL, which is in contrast to S.

Integrating evolutionary and regulatory information with a multispecies approach implicates genes and pathways in obsessive-compulsive disorder.

Obsessive-compulsive disorder is a severe psychiatric disorder linked to abnormalities in glutamate signaling and the cortico-striatal circuit. We sequenced coding and regulatory elements for 608 genes potentially involved in obsessive-compulsive disorder in human, dog, and mouse. Using a new method that prioritizes likely functional variants, we compared 592 cases to 560 controls and found four strongly associated genes, validated in a larger cohort.

MicroRNA-1 and MicroRNA-21 Individually Regulate Cellular Growth of Non-malignant and Malignant Renal Cells.

Background/aim: Due to its poor prognosis, it is increasingly necessary to understand the biology of renal cell cancer (RCC). Therefore, we investigated the role of microRNAs miR-1 and miR-21 in the growth of RCC cells compared to that of non-malignant renal cells.

Materials And Methods: Four malignant cell lines (Caki-1, 786-O, RCC4, A498) were examined regarding their cell growth, microRNA and telomerase expression, and were compared to non-malignant RC-124 renal cells.

Detection and Quantification of Nuclear Morphology Changes in Apoptotic Cells by Fluorescence Microscopy and Subsequent Analysis of Visualized Fluorescent Signals.

Background: Apoptosis results in specific and stage-dependent morphological alterations of the cell nucleus, including pyknosis and cell shrinking. The experimental investigation of apoptotic processes is still challenging and routinely based on the assessment of molecular events like chromatin fragmentation and caspase enzyme activity. Alternatively, the establishment of a fluorescence microscopy nuclear morphology assay would provide a simple and robust low-cost method for detection and quantification of apoptotic cascades.

Epidemiological performance and subsequent costs of different surveillance strategies to control bovine herpesvirus type 1 in dairy farms.

This study aimed at comparing the surveillance program of bovine herpesvirus type 1 (BHV1) as laid down by EU Decision 2004/558/EC and 2007/584/EC ('conventional design') with an alternative design. The alternative design was based on monthly bulk-milk testing, clinical surveillance and a risk-based component that involves testing of animals that are purchased from non-free cattle herds. Scenario-tree analyses were carried out to determine sensitivities of the surveillance system (and its components) and the monthly confidence of freedom on herd-level.

Computed tomography-based quantification of lesion water uptake identifies patients within 4.5 hours of stroke onset: A multicenter observational study.

Objective: Many patients with stroke cannot receive intravenous thrombolysis because the time of symptom onset is unknown. We tested whether computed tomography (CT)-based quantification of water uptake in the ischemic tissue can identify patients with stroke onset within 4.5 hours, the time window of thrombolysis.

New Treatment Options for Osteosarcoma - Inactivation of Osteosarcoma Cells by Cold Atmospheric Plasma.

Background/aim: Cold atmospheric plasma has been shown to inhibit tumor cell growth and induce tumor cell death. The aim of the study was to investigate the effects of cold atmospheric plasma treatment on proliferation of human osteosarcoma cells and to characterize the underlying cellular mechanisms.

Materials And Methods: Human osteosarcoma cells (U2-OS and MNNG/HOS) were treated with cold atmospheric plasma and seeded in culture plates.