Dengue Infection and Miscarriage: A Prospective Case Control Study

Dengue is the most prevalent mosquito-borne infection with two billion of the world's population at risk and 100 million infections every year. Dengue is increasingly important due to expansion in the vector's range, increased population density in endemic areas from urbanisation, social and environment change. Miscarriage and stillbirth is associated with dengue when the illness is severe. Dengue can also be transmitted directly from the ill mother through the placenta to the fetus in later pregnancy with variable effect to the fetus. However, dengue infection is asymptomatic to mild only in almost 90% of cases and up to 20% of pregnancies miscarry. Little is known if dengue infection in early pregnancy particularly when it is asymptomatic or mild has an effect on miscarriage. Our study explored the relationship between dengue and miscarriage by looking at recent infection rates amongst women who had miscarried and those whose pregnancies were healthy in an area were dengue is common. Our study finds a positive association between recent dengue infection and miscarriage. This finding may be important in explaining some of the miscarriages in areas where dengue is common. It is also relevant to newly pregnant women from non-dengue travelling to dengue endemic areas

Identification and structural characterization of FYVE domain-containing proteins of Arabidopsis thaliana

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>FYVE domains have emerged as membrane-targeting domains highly specific for phosphatidylinositol 3-phosphate (PtdIns(3)<it>P</it>). They are predominantly found in proteins involved in various trafficking pathways. Although FYVE domains may function as individual modules, dimers or in partnership with other proteins, structurally, all FYVE domains share a fold comprising two small characteristic double-stranded β-sheets, and a C-terminal α-helix, which houses eight conserved Zn²⁺ion-binding cysteines. To date, the structural, biochemical, and biophysical mechanisms for subcellular targeting of FYVE domains for proteins from various model organisms have been worked out but plant FYVE domains remain noticeably under-investigated.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>We carried out an extensive examination of all <it>Arabidopsis </it>FYVE domains, including their identification, classification, molecular modeling and biophysical characterization using computational approaches. Our classification of fifteen <it>Arabidopsis </it>FYVE proteins at the outset reveals unique domain architectures for FYVE containing proteins, which are not paralleled in other organisms. Detailed sequence analysis and biophysical characterization of the structural models are used to predict membrane interaction mechanisms previously described for other FYVE domains and their subtle variations as well as novel mechanisms that seem to be specific to plants.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Our study contributes to the understanding of the molecular basis of FYVE-based membrane targeting in plants on a genomic scale. The results show that FYVE domain containing proteins in plants have evolved to incorporate significant differences from those in other organisms implying that they play a unique role in plant signaling pathways and/or play similar/parallel roles in signaling to other organisms but use different protein players/signaling mechanisms.</p

Loss of C2orf69 defines a fatal autoinflammatory syndrome in humans and zebrafish that evokes a glycogen-storage-associated mitochondriopathy

Summary Human C2orf69 is an evolutionarily conserved gene whose function is unknown. Here, we report eight unrelated families from which 20 children presented with a fatal syndrome consisting of severe autoinflammation and progredient leukoencephalopathy with recurrent seizures; 12 of these subjects, whose DNA was available, segregated homozygous loss-of-function C2orf69 variants. C2ORF69 bears homology to esterase enzymes, and orthologs can be found in most eukaryotic genomes, including that of unicellular phytoplankton. We found that endogenous C2ORF69 (1) is loosely bound to mitochondria, (2) affects mitochondrial membrane potential and oxidative respiration in cultured neurons, and (3) controls the levels of the glycogen branching enzyme 1 (GBE1) consistent with a glycogen-storage-associated mitochondriopathy. We show that CRISPR-Cas9-mediated inactivation of zebrafish C2orf69 results in lethality by 8 months of age due to spontaneous epileptic seizures, which is preceded by persistent brain inflammation. Collectively, our results delineate an autoinflammatory Mendelian disorder of C2orf69 deficiency that disrupts the development/homeostasis of the immune and central nervous systems

Antibody Inhibition of a Viral Type 1 Interferon Decoy Receptor Cures a Viral Disease by Restoring Interferon Signaling in the Liver

Type 1 interferons (T1-IFNs) play a major role in antiviral defense, but when or how they protect during infections that spread through the lympho-hematogenous route is not known. Orthopoxviruses, including those that produce smallpox and mousepox, spread lympho-hematogenously. They also encode a decoy receptor for T1-IFN, the T1-IFN binding protein (T1-IFNbp), which is essential for virulence. We demonstrate that during mousepox, T1-IFNs protect the liver locally rather than systemically, and that the T1-IFNbp attaches to uninfected cells surrounding infected foci in the liver and the spleen to impair their ability to receive T1-IFN signaling, thus facilitating virus spread. Remarkably, this process can be reversed and mousepox cured late in infection by treating with antibodies that block the biological function of the T1-IFNbp. Thus, our findings provide insights on how T1-IFNs function and are evaded during a viral infection in vivo, and unveil a novel mechanism for antibody-mediated antiviral therapy

A922 Sequential measurement of 1 hour creatinine clearance (1-CRCL) in critically ill patients at risk of acute kidney injury (AKI)

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Parkinson's Disease: Basic Pathomechanisms and a Clinical Overview

PD is a common and a debilitating degenerative movement disorder. The number of patients is increasing worldwide and as yet there is no cure for the disease. The majority of existing treatments target motor symptom control. Over the last two decades the impact of the genetic contribution to PD has been appreciated. Significant discoveries have been made, which have advanced our understanding of the pathophysiological and molecular basis of PD. In this chapter we outline current knowledge of the clinical aspects of PD and the basic mechanistic understanding

Motif co-regulation and co-operativity are common mechanisms in transcriptional, post-transcriptional and post-translational regulation

A substantial portion of the regulatory interactions in the higher eukaryotic cell are mediated by simple sequence motifs in the regulatory segments of genes and (pre-)mRNAs, and in the intrinsically disordered regions of proteins. Although these regulatory modules are physicochemically distinct, they share an evolutionary plasticity that has facilitated a rapid growth of their use and resulted in their ubiquity in complex organisms. The ease of motif acquisition simplifies access to basal housekeeping functions, facilitates the co-regulation of multiple biomolecules allowing them to respond in a coordinated manner to changes in the cell state, and supports the integration of multiple signals for combinatorial decision-making. Consequently, motifs are indispensable for temporal, spatial, conditional and basal regulation at the transcriptional, post-transcriptional and post-translational level. In this review, we highlight that many of the key regulatory pathways of the cell are recruited by motifs and that the ease of motif acquisition has resulted in large networks of co-regulated biomolecules. We discuss how co-operativity allows simple static motifs to perform the conditional regulation that underlies decision-making in higher eukaryotic biological systems. We observe that each gene and its products have a unique set of DNA, RNA or protein motifs that encode a regulatory program to define the logical circuitry that guides the life cycle of these biomolecules, from transcription to degradation. Finally, we contrast the regulatory properties of protein motifs and the regulatory elements of DNA and (pre-)mRNAs, advocating that co-regulation, co-operativity, and motif-driven regulatory programs are common mechanisms that emerge from the use of simple, evolutionarily plastic regulatory modules

Oral zinc supplementation does not improve oxidative stress or vascular function in patients with type 2 diabetes with normal zinc levels

Objective: There is considerable controversy about what constitutes optimal zinc intakes in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus. Several studies suggest that higher zinc intakes improve vascular function and decrease oxidative damage. We aimed to assess the effects of zinc supplementation using a range of reliable biomarkers of oxidative damage and vascular function in patients with type 2 diabetes. Methods: Forty male type 2 diabetic patients were supplemented either with 240mg/day of zinc as zinc gluconate (n=20) or with placebo (n=20) for 3 months. Blood and spot urine samples were taken at baseline, days 3 and 7, months 1, 2 and 3 during supplementation and 1 month after cessation. Serum zinc, reliable biomarkers of oxidative damage (F 2-isoprostanes, neuroprostanes, cholesterol oxidation products, allantoin) as well as hydroxyeicosatetraenoic acid products and vascular-related indices (augmentation index, pulse wave velocity and aortic pressure) were measured. Results: Despite significantly higher levels of serum zinc in the treatment group, markers of oxidative damage, levels of hydroxyeicosatetraenoic acid products and vascular indices were unchanged by zinc supplementation during the four-month study period. Conclusion: Improving the zinc status in patients with type 2 diabetes with normal zinc levels did not have any impact on oxidative damage and vascular function, and such supplementation may not be generally beneficial in these individuals. © 2011 Elsevier Ireland Ltd.link_to_subscribed_fulltex

Biomarkers of oxidative damage in cigarette smokers: Which biomarkers might reflect acute versus chronic oxidative stress?

Cigarette smoking predisposes to the development of multiple diseases involving oxidative damage. We measured a range of oxidative damage biomarkers to understand which differ between smokers and nonsmokers and if the levels of these biomarkers change further during the act of smoking itself. Despite overnight abstinence from smoking, smokers had higher levels of plasma total and esterified F 2-isoprostanes, hydroxyeicosatetraenoic acid products (HETEs), F 4-neuroprostanes, 7-ketocholesterol, and 24- and 27-hydroxycholesterol. Levels of urinary F 2-isoprostanes, HETEs, and 8-hydroxy-2′-deoxyguanosine were also increased compared with age-matched nonsmokers. Several biomarkers (plasma free F 2-isoprostanes, allantoin, and 7β-hydroxycholesterol and urinary F 2-isoprostane metabolites) were not elevated. The smokers were then asked to smoke a cigarette; this acute smoking elevated plasma and urinary F 2- isoprostanes, plasma allantoin, and certain cholesterol oxidation products compared to presmoking levels, but not plasma HETEs or urinary 8-hydroxy-2′-deoxyguanosine. Smokers showed differences in plasma fatty acid composition. Our findings confirm that certain oxidative damage biomarkers are elevated in smokers even after a period of abstinence from smoking, whereas these plus some others are elevated after acute smoking. Thus, different biomarkers do not measure identical aspects of oxidative stress. © 2011 Elsevier Inc.link_to_subscribed_fulltex