Data gathering, surveillance and human rights: recasting the debate

The nature and depth of internet surveillance has been revealed to be very different from what had previously been publically acknowledged or politically debated. There are critical ways in which the current debate is miscast, misleading and confused. Privacy is portrayed as an individual right, in opposition to a collective need for security. Data gathering and surveillance are portrayed as having an impact only on this individual right to privacy, rather than on a broad spectrum of rights, including freedom of expression, of assembly and association, the prohibition of discrimination and more. The gathering and surveillance of ‘content’ is intrinsically more intrusive than that of ‘communications’ data or ‘metadata’. The impact of data gathering and surveillance is often portrayed as happening only at when data are examined by humans rather than when gathered, or when examined algorithmically. Commercial and governmental data gathering and surveillance are treated as separate and different, rather than intrinsically and inextricably linked. This miscasting has critical implications. When the debate is recast taking into account these misunderstandings, the bar for the justification of surveillance is raised and a new balance needs to be found, in political debate, in law, and in decision-making on the ground

Functional interdependence of BRD4 and DOT1L in MLL leukemia.

Targeted therapies against disruptor of telomeric silencing 1-like (DOT1L) and bromodomain-containing protein 4 (BRD4) are currently being evaluated in clinical trials. However, the mechanisms by which BRD4 and DOT1L regulate leukemogenic transcription programs remain unclear. Using quantitative proteomics, chemoproteomics and biochemical fractionation, we found that native BRD4 and DOT1L exist in separate protein complexes. Genetic disruption or small-molecule inhibition of BRD4 and DOT1L showed marked synergistic activity against MLL leukemia cell lines, primary human leukemia cells and mouse leukemia models. Mechanistically, we found a previously unrecognized functional collaboration between DOT1L and BRD4 that is especially important at highly transcribed genes in proximity to superenhancers. DOT1L, via dimethylated histone H3 K79, facilitates histone H4 acetylation, which in turn regulates the binding of BRD4 to chromatin. These data provide new insights into the regulation of transcription and specify a molecular framework for therapeutic intervention in this disease with poor prognosis

Effect of angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor and angiotensin receptor blocker initiation on organ support-free days in patients hospitalized with COVID-19

IMPORTANCE Overactivation of the renin-angiotensin system (RAS) may contribute to poor clinical outcomes in patients with COVID-19. Objective To determine whether angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitor or angiotensin receptor blocker (ARB) initiation improves outcomes in patients hospitalized for COVID-19. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS In an ongoing, adaptive platform randomized clinical trial, 721 critically ill and 58 non–critically ill hospitalized adults were randomized to receive an RAS inhibitor or control between March 16, 2021, and February 25, 2022, at 69 sites in 7 countries (final follow-up on June 1, 2022). INTERVENTIONS Patients were randomized to receive open-label initiation of an ACE inhibitor (n = 257), ARB (n = 248), ARB in combination with DMX-200 (a chemokine receptor-2 inhibitor; n = 10), or no RAS inhibitor (control; n = 264) for up to 10 days. MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES The primary outcome was organ support–free days, a composite of hospital survival and days alive without cardiovascular or respiratory organ support through 21 days. The primary analysis was a bayesian cumulative logistic model. Odds ratios (ORs) greater than 1 represent improved outcomes. RESULTS On February 25, 2022, enrollment was discontinued due to safety concerns. Among 679 critically ill patients with available primary outcome data, the median age was 56 years and 239 participants (35.2%) were women. Median (IQR) organ support–free days among critically ill patients was 10 (–1 to 16) in the ACE inhibitor group (n = 231), 8 (–1 to 17) in the ARB group (n = 217), and 12 (0 to 17) in the control group (n = 231) (median adjusted odds ratios of 0.77 [95% bayesian credible interval, 0.58-1.06] for improvement for ACE inhibitor and 0.76 [95% credible interval, 0.56-1.05] for ARB compared with control). The posterior probabilities that ACE inhibitors and ARBs worsened organ support–free days compared with control were 94.9% and 95.4%, respectively. Hospital survival occurred in 166 of 231 critically ill participants (71.9%) in the ACE inhibitor group, 152 of 217 (70.0%) in the ARB group, and 182 of 231 (78.8%) in the control group (posterior probabilities that ACE inhibitor and ARB worsened hospital survival compared with control were 95.3% and 98.1%, respectively). CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE In this trial, among critically ill adults with COVID-19, initiation of an ACE inhibitor or ARB did not improve, and likely worsened, clinical outcomes. TRIAL REGISTRATION ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT0273570

Lipid composition and transcriptional response of Mycobacterium tuberculosis grown under iron-limitation in continuous culture: identification of a novel wax ester

The low level of available iron in vivo is a major obstacle for microbial pathogens and is a stimulus for the expression of virulence genes. In this study, Mycobacterium tuberculosis H37Rv was grown aerobically in the presence of limited iron availability in chemostat culture to determine the physiological response of the organism to iron-limitation. A previously unidentified wax ester accumulated under iron-limited growth, and changes in the abundance of triacylglycerol and menaquinone were also observed between iron-replete and iron-limited chemostat cultures. DNA microarray analysis revealed differential expression of genes involved in glycerolipid metabolism and isoprenoid quinone biosynthesis, providing some insight into the underlying genetic changes that correlate with cell-wall lipid profiles of M. tuberculosis growing in an iron-limited environment

Cell penetrant inhibitors of the KDM4 and KDM5 families of histone lysine demethylases. 2. Pyrido[3,4-d]pyrimidin-4(3H)-one derivatives

Following the discovery of cell penetrant pyridine-4-carboxylate inhibitors of the KDM4 (JMJD2) and KDM5 (JARID1) families of histone lysine demethylases (e.g., 1), further optimization led to the identification of non-carboxylate inhibitors derived from pyrido[3,4-d]pyrimidin-4(3H)-one. A number of exemplars such as compound 41 possess interesting activity profiles in KDM4C and KDM5C biochemical and target-specific, cellular mechanistic assays

Interrogating the Druggability of the 2‑Oxoglutarate-Dependent Dioxygenase Target Class by Chemical Proteomics

The 2-oxoglutarate-dependent dioxygenase target class comprises around 60 enzymes including several subfamilies with relevance to human disease, such as the prolyl hydroxylases and the Jumonji-type lysine demethylases. Current drug discovery approaches are largely based on small molecule inhibitors targeting the iron/2-oxoglutarate cofactor binding site. We have devised a chemoproteomics approach based on a combination of unselective active-site ligands tethered to beads, enabling affinity capturing of around 40 different dioxygenase enzymes from human cells. Mass-spectrometry-based quantification of bead-bound enzymes using a free-ligand competition-binding format enabled the comprehensive determination of affinities for the cosubstrate 2-oxoglutarate and for oncometabolites such as 2-hydroxyglutarate. We also profiled a set of representative drug-like inhibitor compounds. The results indicate that intracellular competition by endogenous cofactors and high active site similarity present substantial challenges for drug discovery for this target class