FCA as a means for consolidation of clustering results derived from multiple experiments

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Changes in leaf morphology and composition with future increases in CO2 and temperature revisited. Wheat in field chambers

Whether leaf morphology is altered by future increases in atmospheric CO2 and temperature has been re-examined during three years in wheat grown in field chambers at two levels of nitrogen supply. Flag leaf fresh and dry mass, area, volume, and ratios of these parameters, as well as the contents of water, chlorophyll, non-structural carbohydrates and nitrogen compounds have been determined at anthesis and 14 days later. High CO2 decreased, rather than increased as reported in the literature, leaf mass per area and leaf density, and increased water content per area and volume and water percentage. Warmer temperatures also decreased leaf mass per area, but did not affect density or water per area or volume, while they increased water percentage. Nitrogen supply did not change CO2 and temperature effects on leaf morphology. Non-structural carbohydrates increased and nitrogen compounds decreased in elevated CO2, and the sum of these compounds decreased with warmer temperatures. These changes in composition did not account for modifications of leaf morphology. We conclude that increases in atmospheric CO2 and temperature after leaf initiation can decrease leaf mass per area, and elevated CO2 can also decrease leaf density, due to decreases in leaf structural compounds. The functional significance of these changes is probably a decrease in photosynthetic capacity per unit leaf area.E.G. and D.G. were the recipients of I3P-European Social Fund and Junta de Castilla y León fellowships, respectively. We thank the staff of this Institute’s experimental farm for technical assistance in crop husbandry. This work has been funded by the Spanish National Research and Development Programme- European Regional Development Fund, ERDF (Project BFI2003-01277).Peer reviewe

NLRP3 protects alveolar barrier integrity by an inflammasome-independent increase of epithelial cell adherence

Bacterial pneumonia is a major cause of acute lung injury and acute respiratory distress syndrome, characterized by alveolar barrier disruption. NLRP3 is best known for its ability to form inflammasomes and to regulate IL- 1β and IL-18 production in myeloid cells. Here we show that NLRP3 protects the integrity of the alveolar barrier in a mouse model of Streptococcus pneumoniae-induced pneumonia, and ex vivo upon treatment of isolated perfused and ventilated lungs with the purified bacterial toxin, pneumolysin. We reveal that the preserving effect of NLRP3 on the lung barrier is independent of inflammasomes, IL-1β and IL-18. NLRP3 improves the integrity of alveolar epithelial cell monolayers by enhancing cellular adherence. Collectively, our study uncovers a novel function of NLRP3 by demonstrating that it protects epithelial barrier function independently of inflammasomes

Intentions for mobility of the next health workforce generation (comparative study among Bulgarian and German students in the Medical university of Varna)

INTRODUCTION: The migration of young health professionals is an important issue for the European health systems. If it is only temporal or circular migration, it could be beneficial for both receiving and source countries; but in case of permanent emigration, it could be interpreted as loss of human capital and loss of investments in education and specialisation. The aim of this study is to investigate intentions for mobility of students in health sciences.MATERIALS AND METHODS: The study emphasises on the qualitative research - in-depth interviews with medical students. The interviews are conducted among Bulgarian and German students in Medicine, Dental Medicine, Nursing Care, Midwifery and Healthcare Management at the Medical University of Varna.RESULTS AND DISCUSSION: The results from the in-depth interviews indicate that almost half of the Bulgarian students prefer to specialise and work in other European countries (Germany, UK, etc.). The preferred destinations for the German students are Scandinavian countries, Switzerland, Austria and the USA. Regardless of nuances in the replies, all of the respondents state the better payment as a reason for mobility. Most of the students share a desire to return and practise their profession in their country of origin.CONCLUSION: The results from our study show that the motivation for migration is similar both for Bulgarian and for German students. The intentions of the students indicate high migration potential in the future. However, the results predict also increased trends towards return or circular migration

Impact of COVID-19 on cardiovascular testing in the United States versus the rest of the world

Objectives: This study sought to quantify and compare the decline in volumes of cardiovascular procedures between the United States and non-US institutions during the early phase of the coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted the care of many non-COVID-19 illnesses. Reductions in diagnostic cardiovascular testing around the world have led to concerns over the implications of reduced testing for cardiovascular disease (CVD) morbidity and mortality. Methods: Data were submitted to the INCAPS-COVID (International Atomic Energy Agency Non-Invasive Cardiology Protocols Study of COVID-19), a multinational registry comprising 909 institutions in 108 countries (including 155 facilities in 40 U.S. states), assessing the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on volumes of diagnostic cardiovascular procedures. Data were obtained for April 2020 and compared with volumes of baseline procedures from March 2019. We compared laboratory characteristics, practices, and procedure volumes between U.S. and non-U.S. facilities and between U.S. geographic regions and identified factors associated with volume reduction in the United States. Results: Reductions in the volumes of procedures in the United States were similar to those in non-U.S. facilities (68% vs. 63%, respectively; p = 0.237), although U.S. facilities reported greater reductions in invasive coronary angiography (69% vs. 53%, respectively; p < 0.001). Significantly more U.S. facilities reported increased use of telehealth and patient screening measures than non-U.S. facilities, such as temperature checks, symptom screenings, and COVID-19 testing. Reductions in volumes of procedures differed between U.S. regions, with larger declines observed in the Northeast (76%) and Midwest (74%) than in the South (62%) and West (44%). Prevalence of COVID-19, staff redeployments, outpatient centers, and urban centers were associated with greater reductions in volume in U.S. facilities in a multivariable analysis. Conclusions: We observed marked reductions in U.S. cardiovascular testing in the early phase of the pandemic and significant variability between U.S. regions. The association between reductions of volumes and COVID-19 prevalence in the United States highlighted the need for proactive efforts to maintain access to cardiovascular testing in areas most affected by outbreaks of COVID-19 infection

NLRP3 schützt die alveolare Barriere durch eine Steigerung der epithelialen Zell-Adhärenz

The sensing of pathogens via the innate immune system is carried out by a plethora of pattern recognition receptors (PRRs). Their proper activation and signaling plays a vital role for the protection of the lung against invading microorganisms. The bacterium Streptococcus pneumoniae is the main causative agent of community-acquired pneumonia throughout the world. The condition often progresses to more serious lung injury characterized by life-threatening alveolar leakage due to barrier dysfunction. In the current study, we set out to study the potential involvement of the innate immune sensor NLRP3 for the alveolar barrier function maintenance. Best known for its ability to form inflammasomes and to regulate the production of Il-1β and IL-18, the role of NLRP3 has been widely studied in cells of myeloid origin. Our data demonstrate that in a model of S.pneumoniae-induced pneumonia, NLRP3 facilitates the integrity of the alveolar barrier. Moreover, NLRP3 was shown to play a protective function ex vivo experiments with isolated, perfused and ventilated murine lungs as well as in vitro studies with primary lung cells treated with the purified bacterial toxin pneumolysin (PLY). Interestingly, we reveal that the beneficial effect of NLRP3 on the lung barrier is independent of the classical inflammasome function and of the inflammasome-dependent cytokines IL-1β and IL-18. We show that NLRP3 improves the integrity of alveolar epithelial cell (AEC) monolayers in vitro by promoting cellular adherence to the extracellular matrix. In summary, this work uncovers a hitherto unknown function of the NLRP3 protein which is involved in epithelial barrier function and is independent of the inflammasome.Pathogene werden vom angeborenen Immunsystem über eine Vielzahl an „pattern recognition“-Rezeptoren (PRRs) erkannt. Deren angemessene Aktivierung und Signalweiterleitung sind essentiell, um die Lunge vor eindringenden Mikroorganismen zu schützen. Das Bakterium Streptococcus pneumoniae ist weltweit der Hauptverursacher von ambulant erworbener Pneumonie. Der Verlauf einer solchen Lungenentzündung geht oft mit der Entstehung von schweren Schädigungen der Lunge einher, die durch lebensbedrohliche alveolare Durchlässigkeit, aufgrund von Barriere-Dysfunktion gekennzeichnet ist. Das Ziel der vorliegenden Arbeit war es, die potentielle Beteiligung des angeborenen Immun-Sensors NLRP3 an der Erhaltung der alveolaren Barriere- Funktion zu untersuchen. Die Rolle von NLRP3, welches bekannt ist durch seine Fähigkeit, Inflammasome zu bilden und die Produktion von Il-1β und IL-18 zu regulieren, wurde weitgehend in Zellen mit myeloider Herkunft untersucht. Unsere Daten zeigen, dass NLRP3 in einem Modell der S. pneumoniae-induzierten Pneumonie die Integrität der alveolaren Barriere unterstützt. Außerdem konnte gezeigt werden, dass NLRP3 sowohl in ex vivo Experimenten mit isolierten, perfundierten und ventilierten murinen Lungen, als auch in in vitro Experimenten mit primären, Pneumolysin (PLY)-behandelten Lungenzellen eine protektive Funktion hat. Interessanterweise stellte sich heraus, dass der vorteilhafte Effekt von NLRP3 auf die Lungenbarriere unabhängig von der klassischen Inflammasom-Aktivität und der Inflammasom-abhängigen Zytokine IL- 1β und IL-18 ist. Wir konnten zeigen, dass NLRP3 die Integrität der alveolaren Epithelzell (AEC)-Schicht in vitro durch die Unterstützung der zellulären Adhärenz an die extrazelluläre Matrix verbessert. Zusammenfassend deckt diese Arbeit eine bisher unbekannte Funktion des NLRP3 Proteins auf, welche an der epithelialen Barriere-Funktion beteiligt ist, unabhängig vom Inflammasom

WOOD DECAY MACROFUNGI: STRAIN COLLECTION AND STUDIES ABOUT ANTIOXIDANT PROPERTIES

The study of wood decay macrofungi that naturally biodegrade lignocellulosic polymers has been steadily increasing due to their numerous and innovative applications. In the last decade, the researchers of Mycological Laboratory of Pavia University (Italy) isolated in pure culture wood decay macrofungi collected in their own country. A few species have been investigated as regards different aspects: the growth profile at different temperature and the capacity to secrete cell wall degrading enzymes growing on poplar wood chips and sawdust. The aim of the present study was to test four lignicolous species (Daedalea quercina, Fistulina hepatica, Lenzites warnieri, Schizophyllum commune) as regards their antioxidant activity. The two species poorly or not investigated till now for this activity, D. quercina and L. warnieri, revealed the most interesting results

Magnetic resonance imaging of MINOCA in underlying non-ischemic dilated cardiomyopathy: a case report

Миокардният инфаркт без обструктивна коронарна болест (MINOCA) е синдром с разнообразна етиология и непълно изяснена патогенеза, с честота на възникване 5-15% и варираща прогноза. Магнитно-резонансната томография (МРТ) на сърце намира все по-голяма роля в диагностиката на MINOCA и в разграничаването на причините, които са довели до него, като същевременно е и важен предиктор по отношение на прогнозата при тези пациенти. Представяме 40-годишен мъж с клинични, лабораторни и инструментални данни за остър коронарен синдром, усложнен с остра сърдечна недостатъчност. Проведената инвазивна оценка отхвърли обструктивна коронарна болест, както и Takotsubo кардиопатия. В диференциално-диагностичен план се обсъдиха MINOCA и миокардит. За разграничаването им се осъществи МРТ на сърце, което потвърди диагнозата „миокарден инфаркт без обструктивна коронарна болест“. Myocardial infarction with non-obstructive coronary arteries (MINOCA) is a syndrome of diverse etiology and unclear pathogenesis, with an incidence of 5-15% and varying prognosis. Cardiac magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is playing an increasing role in the diagnosis of MINOCA and in distinguishing the causes that led to it, while being at the same time an important predictor of prognosis in these patients. We present a 40-year-old man with clinical, laboratory and instrumental data for acute coronary syndrome complicated by acute heart failure. The invasive assessment ruled out obstructive coronary heart disease as well as Takotsubo cardiomyopathy. MINOCA and myocarditis were discussed in the differential diagnostic plan. To differentiate them, cardiac MRI was performed, which confi rmed the diagnosis of „myocardial infarction with non-obstructive coronary arteries“