Short-term physical exercise impacts on the human holobiont obtained by a randomised intervention study

Background Human well-being has been linked to the composition and functional capacity of the intestinal microbiota. As regular exercise is known to improve human health, it is not surprising that exercise was previously described to positively modulate the gut microbiota, too. However, most previous studies mainly focused on either elite athletes or animal models. Thus, we conducted a randomised intervention study that focused on the effects of different types of training (endurance and strength) in previously physically inactive, healthy adults in comparison to controls that did not perform regular exercise. Overall study duration was ten weeks including six weeks of intervention period. In addition to 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing of longitudinally sampled faecal material of participants (six time points), detailed body composition measurements and analysis of blood samples (at baseline and after the intervention) were performed to obtain overall physiological changes within the intervention period. Activity tracker devices (wrist-band wearables) provided activity status and sleeping patterns of participants as well as exercise intensity and heart measurements. Conclusions We could show that different types of exercise have distinct but moderate effects on the overall physiology of humans and very distinct microbial changes in the gut. The observed overall changes during the intervention highlight the importance of physical activity on well-being. Future studies should investigate the effect of exercise on a longer timescale, investigate different training intensities and consider high-resolution shotgun metagenomics technology. Trial registration DRKS, DRKS00015873 . Registered 12 December 2018; Retrospectively registered

UBTF::ATXN7L3 gene fusion defines novel B cell precursor ALL subtype with CDX2 expression and need for intensified treatment

Genomic aberrations—gene fusions in the majority of cases—and corresponding transcriptional regulations define an increasingly complex landscape of molecular subtypes in B cell precursor acute lymphoblastic leukemia (BCP-ALL) [1]. Up to 15% of patients cannot be allocated to established subtypes, suggesting the presence of unrecognized drivers—especially in adult patients who have been less studied so far

Standardized monitoring of cytomegalovirus-specific immunity can improve risk stratification of recurrent cytomegalovirus reactivation after hematopoietic stem cell transplantation

Recurrence of cytomegalovirus reactivation remains a major cause of morbidity and mortality following allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation. Monitoring cytomegalovirus-specific cellular immunity using a standardized assay might improve the risk stratification of patients. A prospective multicenter study was conducted in 175 intermediate- and high-risk allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplant recipients under preemptive antiviral therapy. Cytomegalovirus-specific cellular immunity was measured using a standardized IFN-γ ELISpot assay (T-Track® CMV). Primary aim was to evaluate the suitability of measuring cytomegalovirus-specific immunity after end of treatment for a first cytomegalovirus reactivation to predict recurrent reactivation. 40/101 (39.6%) patients with a first cytomegalovirus reactivation experienced recurrent reactivations, mainly in the high-risk group (cytomegalovirus-seronegative donor/cytomegalovirus-seropositive recipient). The positive predictive value of T-Track® CMV (patients with a negative test after the first reactivation experienced at least one recurrent reactivation) was 84.2% in high-risk patients. Kaplan-Meier analysis revealed a higher probability of recurrent cytomegalovirus reactivation in high-risk patients with a negative test after the first reactivation (hazard ratio 2.73; p=0.007). Interestingly, a post-hoc analysis considering T-Track® CMV measurements at day 100 post-transplantation, a time point highly relevant for outpatient care, showed a positive predictive value of 90.0% in high-risk patients. Our results indicate that standardized cytomegalovirus-specific cellular immunity monitoring may allow improved risk stratification and management of recurrent cytomegalovirus reactivation after hematopoietic stem cell transplantation. This study was registered at www.clinicaltrials.gov as #NCT02156479

Novel pro-oxidant activity assay for polyphenols, vitamins C and E using a modified CUPRAC method

In this study, a direct assay, a modified CUPRAC (Cupric Ion Reducing Antioxidant Capacity) method, is developed to determine transition metal ion (Cu(II))-catalyzed pro-oxidant activity of polyphenolic compounds, vitamins C and E, and herbal samples in the presence of proteins containing thiol groups. Since transition metal ion-catalyzed pro-oxidant activity of phenolics is usually initiated with the reduction of the metal to lower oxidation states (as a prerequisite of Fenton-type reactions), this method involves the reduction of copper(II) ions to copper(I) by polyphenolic compounds (simultaneously giving rise to reactive species), binding of the formed Cu(I) to egg white protein -SH groups, and liberation of copper(I)-neocuproine (Cu(I)-Nc) chelate (showing maximum absorbance at 450 nm) by treating the incubation product with a neocuproine ammonium acetate mixture. The proposed method is validated against atomic absorption spectrometric (AAS) determination of protein-bound copper and protein carbonyl assay of oxidative stress. The proposed assay is faster and more specific than the carbonyl assay, and uses low-cost reagents and equipment. Pro-oxidant activity (i.e. proportional to absorbance) varies linearly over a relatively wide range with concentration, as opposed to the reciprocal correlations (i.e. linear regression of 1/(pro-oxidant activity) versus 1/concentration) of other similar assays. The prooxidant activity order of the tested antioxidant compounds in terms of 'Quercetin Equivalent Pro-oxidant Activity' (QREPA) coefficients is: gallic acid > epicatechin > quercetin approximate to catechin > alpha-tocopherol > rosmarinic acid > trolox > caffeic acid > ascorbic acid. (C) 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved

CT and MRI findings of sarcomatoid cholangiocarcinoma

WOS: 000321002900002PubMed ID: 23092855Computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) findings for a case of intrahepatic sarcomatoid cholangiocarcinoma is presented. A 48-year-old man with upper abdominal pain underwent contrast-enhanced CT and MRI. A 13 x 10 x 7 cm mass was seen in the left liver lobe, which had hypodense internal architecture on CT and mixed signal intensities on both T1- and T2-weighted images with an overwhelmingly hypointense signal on T1-weighted images and a hyperintense signal on T2-weighted images. The lesion had heterogeneous enhancement on both CT and MRI. A satellite nodule with the same imaging features was distinctive for the lesion

Synthesis, antioxidant activities of the nickel(II), iron(III) and oxovanadium(IV) complexes with N2O2 chelating thiosemicarbazones

The nickel(II), iron(III) and oxovanadium(IV) complexes of the N2O2 chelating thiosemicarbazones were synthesized using 4-hydroxysalicyladehyde-S-methylthiosemicarbazone and R-1-substitute-salicylaldehyde (R-1: 4-OH, H) in the presence of Ni(II), Fe(III), VO(IV) ions by the template reaction. The structures of the thiosemicarbazone complexes were characterized by FT-IR, H-1 NMR, elemental, ESI-MS and APCI-MS analysis. The synthesized compounds were screened for their antioxidant capacity by using the cupric reducing antioxidant capacity (CUPRAC) method. Trolox equivalent antioxidant capacity (TEAC) of iron(III) complex, 1c, was measured to be higher than that of the other complexes. Other parameters of antioxidant activity (scavenging effects on OH, O-2(-) and H2O2) of these compounds were also determined. All the compounds have shown encouraging ROS scavenging activities. (c) 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved

Synthesis and antioxidant activities of transition metal complexes based 3-hydroxysalicylaldehyde-S-methylthiosemicarbazone

The nickel(II), iron(III), oxovanadium(IV) complexes of the 3-hydroxysalicylidene-S-methyl-thiosemicarbazone (L) were obtained from the 3-hydroxysalicyldehyde-S-methylthiosemicarbazone with the R-1-substituted-salicylaldehyde (R-1: H, 3-OH) in the presence of Ni(II), Fe(III), VO(IV) as template ion. The ligand and its complexes were characterized by elemental analysis, electronic, UV/Vis., H-1 NMR, EPR and IR studies. The free ligand and its metal complexes have been tested for in vitro antioxidant capacity by reduction of copper(II) neocuproine (Cu(II)-Nc) using the CUPRAC method. The ligand exhibited more potent in vitro antioxidant capacity than its complexes. The obtained trolox equivalent antioxidant capacity (TEAC) value of the iron(III) complex (TEAC(CUPRAC) = 3.27) was higher than those of other complexes. Furthermore, the antioxidant activity of the free ligand and its complexes were determined by in vitro methods measuring the scavenging activity of reactive oxygen species (ROS) including hydroxyl radical ((OH)-O-center dot), superoxide anion radical (O-2(center dot-)), and hydrogen peroxide (H2O2), showing that especially the V(IV) and Fe(III) complexes had significant scavenging activity for ROS. (C) 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved

Pre-service chemistry teachers' pedagogical content knowledge of the nature of science in the particle nature of matter

This study investigated pre-service chemistry teachers' pedagogical content knowledge of the nature of science (NOS) in the content of the particle nature of matter. Qualitative research design was utilized. Data were collected from seven pre-service chemistry teachers (PCTs) by using open-ended questions, interviews, observations, lesson plans, and reflection papers. The results indicated that while most of the PCTs showed improvement in terms of understanding of the target aspects of NOS, knowledge of learners and instructional strategies, the majority of PCTs did not make progress regarding knowledge of assessment during the study. Implications for science teacher education are also presented. This study investigated pre-service chemistry teachers&rsquo; pedagogical content knowledge of the nature of science (NOS) in the content of the particle nature of matter. Qualitative research design was utilized. Data were collected from seven pre-service chemistry teachers (PCTs) by using open-ended questions, interviews, observations, lesson plans, and reflection papers. The results indicated that while most of the PCTs showed improvement in terms of understanding of the target aspects of NOS, knowledge of learners and instructional strategies, the majority of PCTs did not make progress regarding knowledge of assessment during the study. Implications for science teacher education are also presented.</p