Netosis as a bridge between inflammation and liver cell injury

One of programmed cell death types, netosis, discovered in ’96, was first described by Zychlinsky et al. and has gained elevating popularity among many researchers. It is a process occurring in order to catch pathogens into a trap and kill them. This trap is a scaffold somewhat consisting of chromatin and particles with antimicrobial properties such as histones. Extracellular histones are capable of proinflammatory cytokines production and platelets aggregation what accounts for inflammatory response. Unfortunately, these proteins have also a toxic potential which leads to cell injury through Toll like receptors presented by neutrophils. Mentioned neutrophils participate in an oxidative burst which yields to production reactive oxygen species performing a crucial role in the development of hepatocytes injury. Thus, alcohol abuse appears to result in a rapid development of liver cell injury through progression of inflammation induced by netosis. However, controlled NETs forming can be a future therapeutic option

Very late-onset of inflammatory bowel disease. A case report

Introduction Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) in most cases is classified into Crohn’s disease (CD) or ulcerative colitis (UC). It appears in 25-35 years of age and the second peak is after fifties. It is very rare to recognize it in the elderly. Case presentation We present a case of a 79-year-old female patient who was admitted to the Chair and Department of Gastroenterology with Endoscopic Unit at the Medical University of Lublin in December 2018 with an acute lower gastrointestinal hemorrhage and dyselectrolytemia. Additionally, she suffered from atrial fibrillation. She has been treated with an anticoagulant therapy and has been receiving dabigatran for many years. After 16 days of diagnostic research and intensive treatment the patient was discharged home with no previous symptoms. After the next 12 days at home our patient returned to the hospital with recurrent gastrointestinal bleeding, abdominal pain and after fainting episode. Digital rectal exam was positive and laboratory test showed anemia again. Colonoscopic findings on admission showed proximally to the splenic flexure blood signs, on Bauhin’s valve a flat ulcer. The histopathological report confirmed the inflammatory bowel disease. After diagnosis of IBD, an effective treatment with mesalazine and prednisone was started. Conclusions Despite the newest clinical trials are more and more common in Crohn’s disease or ulcerative colitis, the elderly patients are mostly excluded from them because of the other accompanying diseases and their burdensome side effects. Choosing the right therapy becomes the main problem in these patients after setting a proper diagnosis which can take years and many unnecessary hospitalizations

Decannulation factors in patients after serious brain injuries

Background. Patients with a long term tracheotomy (longer than 4 weeks) are quite frequent patients in the Neurorehabilitation Wards. These are especially patients after serious traumatic brain injuries, ischemic or hemorrhagic strokes, ischemic brain injuries and others. A correct multidisciplinary treatment requires a very close cooperation of: physiotherapists, neurologists, laryngologists and speech therapists. The aim of our study was to analyze factors that may influence positive decanulation in patients with tracheotomy performed because of the traumatic brain injury, stroke or cardiac arrest. Methods. Our material includes 127 patients hospitalized in our Department of Rehabilitation between 2002 and 2005. All of them had tracheotomy performed after the brain injury. We analyzed factors like: age, sex, cause of tracheotomy, GCS scale, duration of tracheotomy, concomitant diseases, microbiology examination of the bronchial secretion and the influence of these factors on decanulation. Results. We confirmed that young age (less than 40), traumatic brain injury and short time of tracheotomy are the positive decannulation factors.Background. Patients with a long term tracheotomy (longer than 4 weeks) are quite frequent patients in the Neurorehabilitation Wards. These are especially patients after serious traumatic brain injuries, ischemic or hemorrhagic strokes, ischemic brain injuries and others. A correct multidisciplinary treatment requires a very close cooperation of: physiotherapists, neurologists, laryngologists and speech therapists. The aim of our study was to analyze factors that may influence positive decanulation in patients with tracheotomy performed because of the traumatic brain injury, stroke or cardiac arrest. Methods. Our material includes 127 patients hospitalized in our Department of Rehabilitation between 2002 and 2005. All of them had tracheotomy performed after the brain injury. We analyzed factors like: age, sex, cause of tracheotomy, GCS scale, duration of tracheotomy, concomitant diseases, microbiology examination of the bronchial secretion and the influence of these factors on decanulation. Results. We confirmed that young age (less than 40), traumatic brain injury and short time of tracheotomy are the positive decannulation factors

Mapping Glacier Forelands Based on UAV BVLOS Operation in Antarctica

The aim of this article is to show geomorphological mapping of remote Antarctic locations usingimagestakenbyafixed-wingunmannedaerialvehicle(UAV)duringtheBeyondVisualLineof Sight (BVLOS) operations. We mapped landform assemblages developed in forelands of Ecology Glacier (EGF), Sphinx Glacier (SGF) and Baranowski Glacier (BGF) in Antarctic Specially Protected Area No. 128 (ASPA 128) on King George Island (South Shetland Islands) and inferred about glacial dynamics. The orthophoto and digital elevation model allowed for geomorphological mapping of glacial forelands, including (i) glacial depositional landforms, (ii) fluvial and fluvioglacial landforms, (iii) littoral and lacustrine landforms, (iv) bodies of water, and (v) other. The largest area is occupied by ground moraine and glacial lagoons on EGF and BGF. The most profound features of EGF are the largelatero-frontalmoraineridgesfromLittleIceAgeandthefirsthalfofthe20thcentury. Largeareas of ground moraine, frequently fluted and marked with large recessional moraine ridges, dominate on SGF. A significant percentage of bedrock outcrops and end moraine complexes characterize BGF. The landform assemblages are typical for discontinuous fast ice flow of tidewater glaciers over a deformable bed. It is inferred that ice flow velocity decreased as a result of recession from the sea coast, resulting in a significant decrease in the length of ice cliffs and decrease in calving rate. Image acquisition during the fixed-wing UAV BVLOS operation proved to be a very robust technique in harsh polar conditions of King George Island

Prenatal diagnosis of Smith-Lemli-Opitz syndrome – case report

Abstract Smith-Lemli-Opitz syndrome (SLOS) is a hereditary, autosomal recessive abnormality of cholesterol metabolism, leading to malformations of multiple organs. It is probably one of the most frequent metabolic disorders but variable clinical presentation makes the diagnosis of the syndrome difficult. The authors of the following work present a case report of prenatal diagnosis of SLOS in fetus with malformations of multiple organs and negative family history

Skin Microbiome in Prurigo Nodularis

Prurigo nodularis (PN) is a chronic condition characterized by the presence of nodular lesions accompanied by intense pruritus. The disease has been linked to several infectious factors, but data on the direct presence of microorganisms in the lesions of PN are scarce. The aim of this study was to evaluate the diversity and composition of the bacterial microbiome in PN lesions by targeting the region V3-V4 of 16S rRNA. Skin swabs were obtained from active nodules in 24 patients with PN, inflammatory patches of 14 patients with atopic dermatitis (AD) and corresponding skin areas of 9 healthy volunteers (HV). After DNA extraction, the V3-V4 region of the bacterial 16S rRNA gene was amplified. Sequencing was performed using the Illumina platform on the MiSeq instrument. Operational taxonomic units (OTU) were identified. The identification of taxa was carried out using the Silva v.138 database. There was no statistically significant difference in the alpha-diversity (intra-sample diversity) between the PN, AD and HV groups. The beta-diversity (inter-sample diversity) showed statistically significant differences between the three groups on a global level and in paired analyses. Staphylococcus was significantly more abundant in samples from PN and AD patients than in controls. The difference was maintained across all taxonomic levels. The PN microbiome is highly similar to that of AD. It remains unclear whether the disturbed composition of the microbiome and the domination of Staphylococcus in PN lesions may be the trigger factor of pruritus and lead to the development of cutaneous changes or is a secondary phenomenon. Our preliminary results support the theory that the composition of the skin microbiome in PN is altered and justify further research on the role of the microbiome in this debilitating condition.This research was supported by the mini-Dgrant provided by the Polish Dermatological Society to Dr. Magdalena Zychowska (1/2020)

MetalionRNA: computational predictor of metal-binding sites in RNA structures

Motivation: Metal ions are essential for the folding of RNA molecules into stable tertiary structures and are often involved in the catalytic activity of ribozymes. However, the positions of metal ions in RNA 3D structures are difficult to determine experimentally. This motivated us to develop a computational predictor of metal ion sites for RNA structures

RNA-seq of newly diagnosed patients in the PADIMAC study leads to a bortezomib/lenalidomide decision signature.

Improving outcomes in multiple myeloma will involve not only development of new therapies but also better use of existing treatments. We performed RNA sequencing on samples from newly diagnosed patients enrolled in the phase 2 PADIMAC (Bortezomib, Adriamycin, and Dexamethasone Therapy for Previously Untreated Patients with Multiple Myeloma: Impact of Minimal Residual Disease in Patients with Deferred ASCT) study. Using synthetic annealing and the large margin nearest neighbor algorithm, we developed and trained a 7-gene signature to predict treatment outcome. We tested the signature in independent cohorts treated with bortezomib- and lenalidomide-based therapies. The signature was capable of distinguishing which patients would respond better to which regimen. In the CoMMpass data set, patients who were treated correctly according to the signature had a better progression-free survival (median, 20.1 months vs not reached; hazard ratio [HR], 0.40; confidence interval [CI], 0.23-0.72; P = .0012) and overall survival (median, 30.7 months vs not reached; HR, 0.41; CI, 0.21-0.80; P = .0049) than those who were not. Indeed, the outcome for these correctly treated patients was noninferior to that for those treated with combined bortezomib, lenalidomide, and dexamethasone, arguably the standard of care in the United States but not widely available elsewhere. The small size of the signature will facilitate clinical translation, thus enabling more targeted drug regimens to be delivered in myeloma.Wellcome Trust, Bloodwise, Cancer Research UK

A New (Old), Invasive Ant in the Hardwood Forests of Eastern North America and Its Potentially Widespread Impacts

Biological invasions represent a serious threat for the conservation of biodiversity in many ecosystems. While many social insect species and in particular ant species have been introduced outside their native ranges, few species have been successful at invading temperate forests. In this study, we document for the first time the relationship between the abundance of the introduced ant, Pachycondyla chinensis, in mature forests of North Carolina and the composition, abundance and diversity of native ant species using both a matched pair approach and generalized linear models. Where present, P. chinensis was more abundant than all native species combined. The diversity and abundance of native ants in general and many individual species were negatively associated with the presence and abundance of P. chinensis. These patterns held regardless of our statistical approach and across spatial scales. Interestingly, while the majority of ant species was strongly and negatively correlated with the abundance and presence of P. chinensis, a small subset of ant species larger than P. chinensis was either as abundant or even more abundant in invaded than in uninvaded sites. The large geographic range of this ant species combined with its apparent impact on native species make it likely to have cascading consequences on eastern forests in years to come, effects mediated by the specifics of its life history which is very different from those of other invasive ants. The apparent ecological impacts of P. chinensis are in addition to public health concerns associated with this species due to its sometimes, deadly sting