Serum Cytokine Profile in a Patient Diagnosed with Dysferlinopathy

Limb-girdle muscular dystrophy type 2 (LGMD2B) is a mild form of dysferlinopathy, characterized by limb weakness and wasting. It is an autosomal recessive disease, with currently 140 mutations in the LGMD2B gene identified. Lack of functional dysferlin inhibits muscle fiber regeneration in voluntary muscles, the main pathological finding in LGMD2B patients. However, the immune system has been suggested to contribute to muscle cell death and tissue regeneration. Serum levels of 27 cytokines were evaluated in a dysferlinopathy patient. Levels of 8 cytokines differed in patient serum compared to controls. Five cytokines (IL-10, IL-17, CCL2, CXCL10, and G-CSF) were higher while 3 were lower in the patient than in controls (IL-2, IL-8, and CCL11). Together, these data on serum cytokine profile of this dysferlinopathy patient suggest immune response activation, which could explain leukocyte infiltration in the muscle tissue

Ultrasensitive plano-concave optical microresonators for ultrasound sensing

Highly sensitive broadband ultrasound detectors are needed to expand the capabilities of biomedical ultrasound, photoacoustic imaging and industrial ultrasonic non-destructive testing techniques. Here, a generic optical ultrasound sensing concept based on a novel plano-concave polymer microresonator is described. This achieves strong optical confinement (Q-factors > 105) resulting in very high sensitivity with excellent broadband acoustic frequency response and wide directivity. The concept is highly scalable in terms of bandwidth and sensitivity. To illustrate this, a family of microresonator sensors with broadband acoustic responses up to 40 MHz and noise-equivalent pressures as low as 1.6 mPa per √Hz have been fabricated and comprehensively characterized in terms of their acoustic performance. In addition, their practical application to high-resolution photoacoustic and ultrasound imaging is demonstrated. The favourable acoustic performance and design flexibility of the technology offers new opportunities to advance biomedical and industrial ultrasound-based techniques

Recommended reading list of early publications on atomic layer deposition-Outcome of the "Virtual Project on the History of ALD"

Atomic layer deposition (ALD), a gas-phase thin film deposition technique based on repeated, self-terminating gas-solid reactions, has become the method of choice in semiconductor manufacturing and many other technological areas for depositing thin conformal inorganic material layers for various applications. ALD has been discovered and developed independently, at least twice, under different names: atomic layer epitaxy (ALE) and molecular layering. ALE, dating back to 1974 in Finland, has been commonly known as the origin of ALD, while work done since the 1960s in the Soviet Union under the name "molecular layering" (and sometimes other names) has remained much less known. The virtual project on the history of ALD (VPHA) is a volunteer-based effort with open participation, set up to make the early days of ALD more transparent. In VPHA, started in July 2013, the target is to list, read and comment on all early ALD academic and patent literature up to 1986. VPHA has resulted in two essays and several presentations at international conferences. This paper, based on a poster presentation at the 16th International Conference on Atomic Layer Deposition in Dublin, Ireland, 2016, presents a recommended reading list of early ALD publications, created collectively by the VPHA participants through voting. The list contains 22 publications from Finland, Japan, Soviet Union, United Kingdom, and United States. Up to now, a balanced overview regarding the early history of ALD has been missing; the current list is an attempt to remedy this deficiency. (C) 2016 Author(s).Peer reviewe

ЭХОКАРДИОГРАФИЧЕСКИЕ ПРЕДИКТОРЫ НЕБЛАГОПРИЯТНЫХ КЛИНИЧЕСКИХ СОБЫТИЙ ПРИ СЕРДЕЧНОЙ НЕДОСТАТОЧНОСТИ С СОХРАННОЙ ФРАКЦИЕЙ ВЫБРОСА ЛЕВОГО ЖЕЛУДОЧКА В СОЧЕТАНИИ С СИНДРОМОМ ОБСТРУКТИВНОГО АПНОЭ ВО СНЕ

HighlightsRepeated hospitalizations occupy a special place in adverse clinical events in heart failure, currently representing one of the most powerful predictors of adverse outcomes in this group of patients. Echocardiographic parameters such as longitudinal myocardial deformation, displacement in the annulus of the tricuspid valve, and left atrial volume index can serve as predictors of hospitalization for cardiovascular diseases in patients with heart failure with preserved ejection fraction and obstructive sleep apnea. Abstract Aim. To study the prognostic role of individual echocardiographic parameters in heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF) in patients with arterial hypertension and obstructive sleep apnea (OSA).Methods. The study included 59 men with hypertension and OSA (apnea/hypopnea index >15 per hour). At baseline all patients underwent a sleep study and echocardiography with an additional assessment of the global longitudinal strain (GLS). Upon inclusion in the study and after 12 months of follow-up, a 6-minute walk test was performed. After 12 months, the clinical course of the disease was retrospectively assessed. The criteria for an adverse clinical course were episodes of hospitalization for cardiovascular diseases, the development of paroxysmal atrial fibrillation or high-grade ventricular arrhythmias (III–V class according to Ryan), worsening of heart failure with a transition to a higher functional class according to NYHA.Results. Significant differences were found in several echocardiographic parameters between the groups of patients with and without hospitalizations within 12 months of follow-up: tricuspid annular plane systolic excursion (TAPSE) (p = 0.017), GLS (p = 0.005), left atrial volume index (LAVI) (p = 0.032). According to the regression analysis results, TAPSE, GLS and left ventricular ejection fraction make a statistically significant contribution to the probability of hospitalizations among the evaluated echocardiographic predictors.Conclusion. The results of the study allow us to consider certain echocardiographic parameters, in particular GLS, TAPSE and LAVI, as predictors of hospitalizations in patients with HFpEF and OSA.Основные положенияПовторные госпитализации занимают особое место в ряду клинических событий при хронической сердечной недостаточности, представляя в настоящее время один из наиболее мощных предикторов неблагоприятных исходов в этой группе. Эхокардиографические параметры – продольная деформация миокарда левого желудочка, величина смещения фиброзного кольца трикуспидального клапана и индекс объема левого предсердия – служат предикторами госпитализации в стационар по поводу сердечно-сосудистых заболеваний у больных сердечной недостаточностью с сохранной фракцией выброса и синдромом обструктивного апноэ во сне. РезюмеЦель. Изучить прогностическую роль отдельных эхокардиографических параметров при сердечной недостаточности с сохранной фракцией выброса у больных артериальной гипертензией и синдромом обструктивного апноэ во сне (СОАС).Материалы и методы. В исследование включено 59 мужчин с артериальной гипертензией и СОАС (с индексом апноэ/гипопноэ >15 в час). Всем пациентам при включении в исследование выполнены полисомнографическое исследование и эхокардиография с дополнительной оценкой глобальной продольной деформации миокарда левого желудочка (GLS). При включении в исследование и через 12 мес. наблюдения проведен тест 6-минутной ходьбы. Через 12 мес. ретроспективно оценен характер клинического течения заболевания. Критериями неблагоприятного течения являлись эпизоды госпитализации в стационар по поводу сердечно-сосудистых заболеваний, развитие пароксизмальной фибрилляции предсердий или регистрация желудочковых нарушений ритма высоких градаций (III–V класса по Ryan), ухудшение хронической сердечной недостаточности с переходом в более высокий функциональный класс по NYHA.Результаты. Обнаружены значимые различия между группами пациентов с наличием и отсутствием госпитализаций в течение 12 мес. наблюдения по ряду эхокардиографических параметров: систолическому смещению фиброзного кольца трикуспидального клапана (TAPSE) (p = 0,017), GLS (p = 0,005) и индексу объема левого предсердия (p = 0,032). По результатам регрессионного анализа, статистически значимый вклад в вероятность госпитализаций среди оцениваемых эхокардиографических предикторов вносят TAPSE, GLS и фракция выброса левого желудочка.Заключение. Результаты исследования позволяют рассматривать отдельные эхокардиографические параметры, в частности GLS, TAPSE и индекс объема левого предсердия, в качестве предикторов госпитализаций у больных сердечной недостаточностью с сохранной фракцией выброса и СОАС

High-Throughput Sequencing of RNA Silencing-Associated Small RNAs in Olive (Olea europaea L.)

Small RNAs (sRNAs) of 20 to 25 nucleotides (nt) in length maintain genome integrity and control gene expression in a multitude of developmental and physiological processes. Despite RNA silencing has been primarily studied in model plants, the advent of high-throughput sequencing technologies has enabled profiling of the sRNA component of more than 40 plant species. Here, we used deep sequencing and molecular methods to report the first inventory of sRNAs in olive (Olea europaea L.). sRNA libraries prepared from juvenile and adult shoots revealed that the 24-nt class dominates the sRNA transcriptome and atypically accumulates to levels never seen in other plant species, suggesting an active role of heterochromatin silencing in the maintenance and integrity of its large genome. A total of 18 known miRNA families were identified in the libraries. Also, 5 other sRNAs derived from potential hairpin-like precursors remain as plausible miRNA candidates. RNA blots confirmed miRNA expression and suggested tissue- and/or developmental-specific expression patterns. Target mRNAs of conserved miRNAs were computationally predicted among the olive cDNA collection and experimentally validated through endonucleolytic cleavage assays. Finally, we use expression data to uncover genetic components of the miR156, miR172 and miR390/TAS3-derived trans-acting small interfering RNA (tasiRNA) regulatory nodes, suggesting that these interactive networks controlling developmental transitions are fully operational in olive

Phenological shifts of abiotic events, producers and consumers across a continent

Ongoing climate change can shift organism phenology in ways that vary depending on species, habitats and climate factors studied. To probe for large-scale patterns in associated phenological change, we use 70,709 observations from six decades of systematic monitoring across the former Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. Among 110 phenological events related to plants, birds, insects, amphibians and fungi, we find a mosaic of change, defying simple predictions of earlier springs, later autumns and stronger changes at higher latitudes and elevations. Site mean temperature emerged as a strong predictor of local phenology, but the magnitude and direction of change varied with trophic level and the relative timing of an event. Beyond temperature-associated variation, we uncover high variation among both sites and years, with some sites being characterized by disproportionately long seasons and others by short ones. Our findings emphasize concerns regarding ecosystem integrity and highlight the difficulty of predicting climate change outcomes. The authors use systematic monitoring across the former USSR to investigate phenological changes across taxa. The long-term mean temperature of a site emerged as a strong predictor of phenological change, with further imprints of trophic level, event timing, site, year and biotic interactions.Peer reviewe

Chronicles of nature calendar, a long-term and large-scale multitaxon database on phenology

We present an extensive, large-scale, long-term and multitaxon database on phenological and climatic variation, involving 506,186 observation dates acquired in 471 localities in Russian Federation, Ukraine, Uzbekistan, Belarus and Kyrgyzstan. The data cover the period 1890-2018, with 96% of the data being from 1960 onwards. The database is rich in plants, birds and climatic events, but also includes insects, amphibians, reptiles and fungi. The database includes multiple events per species, such as the onset days of leaf unfolding and leaf fall for plants, and the days for first spring and last autumn occurrences for birds. The data were acquired using standardized methods by permanent staff of national parks and nature reserves (87% of the data) and members of a phenological observation network (13% of the data). The database is valuable for exploring how species respond in their phenology to climate change. Large-scale analyses of spatial variation in phenological response can help to better predict the consequences of species and community responses to climate change.Peer reviewe