Working sick and out of sorts: a cross-cultural approach on presenteeism climate, organizational justice and work–family conflict

A climate of presenteeism has important effects on employee well-being and the organization itself. Our study, based on surveys of health sector employees in six different countries (Brazil, Ecuador, Lebanon, Portugal, Russia and Spain) examines whether organizational justice plays a mediating role in the relationship between a presenteeism climate in the organization and work–family conflict (WFC). Our results indicate that the perception of organizational justice and the presenteeism climate do influence WFC. Moreover, higher levels of WFC were found in non-Latin countries. This study contributes to the work attendance and life balance field by providing cross-cultural empirical evidence corroborating the effect of justice and presenteeism climate on the WFC.info:eu-repo/semantics/acceptedVersio

Tamm-Horsfall Protein Regulates Mononuclear Phagocytes in the Kidney

Tamm-Horsfall protein (THP), also known as uromodulin, is a kidney-specific protein produced by cells of the thick ascending limb of the loop of Henle. Although predominantly secreted apically into the urine, where it becomes highly polymerized, THP is also released basolaterally, toward the interstitium and circulation, to inhibit tubular inflammatory signaling. Whether, through this latter route, THP can also regulate the function of renal interstitial mononuclear phagocytes (MPCs) remains unclear, however. Here, we show that THP is primarily in a monomeric form in human serum. Compared with wild-type mice, THP-/- mice had markedly fewer MPCs in the kidney. A nonpolymerizing, truncated form of THP stimulated the proliferation of human macrophage cells in culture and partially restored the number of kidney MPCs when administered to THP-/- mice. Furthermore, resident renal MPCs had impaired phagocytic activity in the absence of THP. After ischemia-reperfusion injury, THP-/- mice, compared with wild-type mice, exhibited aggravated injury and an impaired transition of renal macrophages toward an M2 healing phenotype. However, treatment of THP-/- mice with truncated THP after ischemia-reperfusion injury mitigated the worsening of AKI. Taken together, our data suggest that interstitial THP positively regulates mononuclear phagocyte number, plasticity, and phagocytic activity. In addition to the effect of THP on the epithelium and granulopoiesis, this new immunomodulatory role could explain the protection conferred by THP during AKI

Role of the Microbiome in Allergic Disease Development

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Evidence suggests that the microbiome of the skin, gastrointestinal tract, and airway contribute to health and disease. As we learn more about the role that the microbiota plays in allergic disease development, we can develop therapeutics to alter this pathway. RECENT FINDINGS: Epidemiologic studies reveal that an association exists between environmental exposures, which alter the microbiota, and developing atopic dermatitis, food allergy, and/or asthma. In fact, samples from the skin, gastrointestinal tract, and respiratory tract reveal distinct microbiotas compared with healthy controls, with microbial changes (dysbiosis) often preceding the development of allergic disease. Mechanistic studies have confirmed that microbes can either promote skin, gut, and airway health by strengthening barrier integrity, or they can alter skin integrity and damage gut and airway epithelium. In this review, we will discuss recent studies that reveal the link between the microbiota and immune development, and we will discuss ways to influence these changes

Functional studies of the kidney of living animals using multicolor 2-photon microscopy

Optical microscopy, when applied to living animals, provides a powerful means of studying cell biology in the most physiologically relevant setting. The ability of two-photon microscopy to collect optical sections deep into biological tissues has opened up the field of intravital microscopy to high-resolution studies of the brain, lens, skin, and tumors. Here we present examples of the way in which two-photon microscopy can be applied to intravital studies of kidney physiology. Because the kidney is easily externalized without compromising its function, microscopy can be used to evaluate various aspects of renal function in vivo. These include cell vitality and apoptosis, fluid transport, receptor-mediated endocytosis, blood flow, and leukocyte trafficking. Efficient two-photon excitation of multiple fluorophores permits comparison of multiple probes and simultaneous characterization of multiple parameters and yields spectral information that is crucial to the interpretation of images containing uncharacterized autofluorescence. The studies described here demonstrate the way in which two-photon microscopy can provide a level of resolution previously unattainable in intravital microscopy, enabling kinetic analyses and physiological studies of the organs of living animals with subcellular resolution

A Method Based on a Nonlinear Generalized Heisenberg Algebra to Study the Molecular Vibrational Spectrum

We propose a method, based on a Generalized Heisenberg Algebra (GHA), to reproduce the anharmonic spectrum of diatomic molecules. The theoretical spectrum generated by GHA allows us to fit the experimental data and to obtain the dissociation energy for the carbon monoxide molecule. Our outcomes are more accurate than the standard models used to study molecular vibrations, namely the Morse and the $q$-oscillator models and comparable to the perturbed Morse model proposed by Huffaker \cite{hf}, for the first experimental levels. The dissociation energy obtained here is more accurate than all previous models

Large-scale 3-dimensional quantitative imaging of tissues: state-of-the-art and translational implications

Recent developments in automated optical sectioning microscope systems have enabled researchers to conduct high resolution, three-dimensional (3D) microscopy at the scale of millimeters in various types of tissues. This powerful technology allows the exploration of tissues at an unprecedented level of detail, while preserving the spatial context. By doing so, such technology will also enable researchers to explore cellular and molecular signatures within tissue and correlate with disease course. This will allow an improved understanding of pathophysiology and facilitate a precision medicine approach to assess the response to treatment. The ability to perform large-scale imaging in 3D cannot be realized without the widespread availability of accessible quantitative analysis. In this review, we will outline recent advances in large-scale 3D imaging and discuss the available methodologies to perform meaningful analysis and potential applications in translational research

Submucosal Tunnel Endoscopic Resection of Gastric Lesion Before Obesity Surgery: a Case Series

Background: Submucosal tumors (SMTs) of the gastrointestinal tract are a rare pathological entity comprising a wide variety of neoplastic and non-neoplastic lesions. Even if most SMTs are benign tumors (e.g., leiomyomas), a smaller portion may have a malignant potential (e.g., gastrointestinal stromal tumor (GIST)). Preoperative diagnosis of SMT in bariatric patients may arise challenging clinical dilemmas. Long-term surveillance may be difficult after bariatric surgery. Moreover, according to SMT location, its presence may interfere with planned surgery. Submucosal tunneling endoscopic resection (STER) has emerged as an effective approach for minimally invasive en bloc excision of SMTs. This is the first case series of STER for SMTs before bariatric surgery. Methods: Seven female patients underwent STER for removal of SMTs before bariatric surgery. All lesions were incidentally diagnosed at preoperative endoscopy. STER procedural steps comprised mucosal incision, submucosal tunneling, lesion enucleation, and closure of mucosal defect. Results: En bloc removal of SMT was achieved in all cases. Mean procedural time was of 45 min (SD 18.6). No adverse event occurred. Mean size of the lesions was 20.6 mm (SD 5.8). Histological diagnoses were 5 leyomiomas, 1 lipoma, and 1 low grade GIST. Bariatric procedure was performed after a mean period of 4.1 months (SD 1.6) from endoscopic resection. Conclusion: STER is a safe and effective treatment for the management of SMT even in bariatric patients awaiting surgery. Preoperative endoscopic resection of SMTs has the advantages of reducing the need for surveillance and removing lesions that could interfere with planned surgery. STER did not altered accomplishment of bariatric procedures

Francisella tularensis Transmission by Solid Organ Transplantation, 20171.

In July 2017, fever and sepsis developed in 3 recipients of solid organs (1 heart and 2 kidneys) from a common donor in the United States; 1 of the kidney recipients died. Tularemia was suspected only after blood cultures from the surviving kidney recipient grew Francisella species. The organ donor, a middle-aged man from the southwestern United States, had been hospitalized for acute alcohol withdrawal syndrome, pneumonia, and multiorgan failure. F. tularensis subsp. tularensis (clade A2) was cultured from archived spleen tissue from the donor and blood from both kidney recipients. Whole-genome multilocus sequence typing indicated that the isolated strains were indistinguishable. The heart recipient remained seronegative with negative blood cultures but had been receiving antimicrobial drugs for a medical device infection before transplant. Two lagomorph carcasses collected near the donor's residence were positive by PCR for F. tularensis subsp. tularensis (clade A2). This investigation documents F. tularensis transmission by solid organ transplantation

The immunopeptidome landscape associated with T cell infiltration, inflammation and immune editing in lung cancer.

One key barrier to improving efficacy of personalized cancer immunotherapies that are dependent on the tumor antigenic landscape remains patient stratification. Although patients with CD3 <sup>+</sup> CD8 <sup>+</sup> T cell-inflamed tumors typically show better response to immune checkpoint inhibitors, it is still unknown whether the immunopeptidome repertoire presented in highly inflamed and noninflamed tumors is substantially different. We surveyed 61 tumor regions and adjacent nonmalignant lung tissues from 8 patients with lung cancer and performed deep antigen discovery combining immunopeptidomics, genomics, bulk and spatial transcriptomics, and explored the heterogeneous expression and presentation of tumor (neo)antigens. In the present study, we associated diverse immune cell populations with the immunopeptidome and found a relatively higher frequency of predicted neoantigens located within HLA-I presentation hotspots in CD3 <sup>+</sup> CD8 <sup>+</sup> T cell-excluded tumors. We associated such neoantigens with immune recognition, supporting their involvement in immune editing. This could have implications for the choice of combination therapies tailored to the patient's mutanome and immune microenvironment