Gaia Early Data Release 3: Structure and properties of the Magellanic Clouds

We compare the Gaia DR2 and Gaia EDR3 performances in the study of the Magellanic Clouds and show the clear improvements in precision and accuracy in the new release. We also show that the systematics still present in the data make the determination of the 3D geometry of the LMC a difficult endeavour; this is at the very limit of the usefulness of the Gaia EDR3 astrometry, but it may become feasible with the use of additional external data. We derive radial and tangential velocity maps and global profiles for the LMC for the several subsamples we defined. To our knowledge, this is the first time that the two planar components of the ordered and random motions are derived for multiple stellar evolutionary phases in a galactic disc outside the Milky Way, showing the differences between younger and older phases. We also analyse the spatial structure and motions in the central region, the bar, and the disc, providing new insights into features and kinematics. Finally, we show that the Gaia EDR3 data allows clearly resolving the Magellanic Bridge, and we trace the density and velocity flow of the stars from the SMC towards the LMC not only globally, but also separately for young and evolved populations. This allows us to confirm an evolved population in the Bridge that is slightly shift from the younger population. Additionally, we were able to study the outskirts of both Magellanic Clouds, in which we detected some well-known features and indications of new ones

Stimulating effect of tuftsin and its analogues on the defective monocyte chemotaxis in systemic lupus erythematosus

Monocytes and macrophages are engaged at various levels of cellular immune reactivity. In addition to their function in the defensive mechanism directed at infective agents, they also play a basic role in immune complex elimination and antigen handling. Previous experiments revealed that systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), the main representative of the autoimmune diseases, is associated with impaired monocyte chemotaxis. The endogenous basic tetrapeptide tuftsin and 6 of its analogues were examined in vitro for their stimulating capacity on the chemotactic responsiveness of monocytes derived from patients with SLE. The monocyte migration assay was carried out by a modified Boyden technique and quantified by the leading front distance method and by counting the total distance covered by the monocyte locomotion. Tuftsin and 3 of its analogues significantly increased the defective chemotaxis in SLE. The tetrapeptides effective on chemotaxis also stimulated random migration and phagocytosis of the monocytes, albeit to a lesser extent. Structure-activity relationships, as well as the influence of the clinical stage of the disease were also examined. Experimental evidence leads to a favourable prediction for the immunotherapeutic value of these oligopeptides for the control of infections and the progression of the disease in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus

HTS-Based Monitoring of the Efficiency of Somatic Embryogenesis and Meristem Cultures Used for Virus Elimination in Grapevine

Meristem culture and somatic embryogenesis are effective tools for virus elimination of vegetatively propagated crops including grapevine (Vitis vinifera L.). While both have been shown to be useful to eliminate the main grapevine viruses, their efficiency differs depending on the virus and grapevine variety. In our work, we investigated the efficiency of these two virus elimination methods using small RNA high-throughput sequencing (HTS) and RT-PCR as virus diagnostics. Field grown mother plants of four clones representing three cultivars, infected with different viruses and viroids, were selected for elimination via somatic embryogenesis (SE) and meristem culture (ME). Our results show for the first time that using SE, elimination in mother plants was effective for all viruses, i.e., grapevine rupestris vein feathering virus (GRVFV), grapevine Syrah virus 1 (GSyV-1), Grapevine virus T (GVT) and grapevine Pinot gris virus (GPGV). This study also confirms previous studies showing that SE is a possible strategy for the elimination of GFkV, GRSPaV, HSVd, and GYSVd-1. Our results demonstrate that the efficacy of virus elimination via SE is relatively high while the purging of viroids is lower. Our work provides evidence that the efficiency of SE is comparable to that of the technically difficult ME technique, and that SE will offer a more effective strategy for the production of virus-free grapevine in the future

The prevalence of obesity is increased in patients with late compared with early onset psoriasis.

PURPOSE We compared the clinical and epidemiologic characteristics of early and late onset psoriasis with an emphasis on potential differences in the comorbidities associated with each subtype. METHODS An observational, multicenter study was performed, and associations between the age at the time of diagnosis and binary comorbidity outcomes were evaluated using multiple logistic regression analysis adjusted for age and other relevant confounders. RESULTS An increased prevalence of positive family history, psoriatic arthritis, and depression was observed in patients with early onset psoriasis. On the other hand, late onset psoriasis was more frequently associated with obesity and elevated waist circumference compared with early onset form. Elderly psoriatic patients (at the age of 75 years) with late onset psoriasis are at an especially high risk for obesity compared with individuals at the same age with an early onset disease. CONCLUSIONS The increased frequency of psoriasis in the family of early onset patients may suggest that manifestation of psoriasis at younger age is driven by strong genetic influence. However, such a remarkable association of abdominal obesity with late onset psoriasis may suggest that obesity can be one of the acquired factors that may predispose for the development of psoriasis in the elderly

The atopic skin-like microenvironment modulates the T-cell-polarising cytokine production of myeloid dendritic cells, as determined by laser scanning cytometry.

Because it is not known exactly when or where myeloid dendritic cells (mDCs) acquire their atopic dermatitis (AD)-specific T-cell-polarising ability in patients with this condition, we used laser scanning cytometry (LSC) to determine whether isolated peripheral blood mDCs from AD patients differed from cells from controls in their cytokine expression profiles de novo and after stimulation with Staphylococcus enterotoxin B (SEB) and thymic stromal lymphopoietin (TSLP), which represents an AD-like microenvironment. Unstimulated mDCs from AD patients showed pluripotent T-cell-polarising capacity, and the surrounding skin microenvironment was essential for the distinctive, disease-specific activity of mDCs (Th2-Th22 bias). We also emphasise that LSC is an attractive technique to study the effect of new DC-targeted therapeutic modalities in AD

Preventing Plasmon Coupling between Gold Nanorods Improves the Sensitivity of Photoacoustic Detection of Labeled Stem Cells <i>in Vivo</i>

Gold nanorods are excellent contrast agents for imaging technologies which rely on near-infrared absorption such as photoacoustic imaging. For cell tracking applications, the cells of interest are labeled with the contrast agent prior to injection. However, after uptake into cells by endocytosis, the confinement and high concentration in endosomes leads to plasmon band broadening and reduced absorbance. This would limit the potential of multispectral optoacoustic tomography in terms of spectral processing and, consequently, sensitivity. Here, we show that steric hindrance provided by silica coating of the nanorods leads to the preservation of their spectral properties and improved photoacoustic sensitivity. This strategy allowed the detection and monitoring of as few as 2 × 10⁴ mesenchymal stem cells in mice over a period of 15 days with a high spatial resolution. Importantly, the silica-coated nanorods did not affect the viability or differentiation potential of the transplanted mesenchymal stem cells

Dopamine D(3) receptor gene variation: impact on electroconvulsive therapy response and ventral striatum responsiveness in depression

Dysfunction of dopamine D₃ receptors, particularly in the mesocorticolimbic system, has been linked to the pathogenesis of major depression. Preclinical data show enhanced D₃ receptor binding in the striatum upon antidepressant medication and electroconvulsive therapy (ECT). Thus, the potential impact of dopamine D₃ receptor gene (DRD3) variation on ECT outcome in treatment-resistant major depression was evaluated by applying a combined molecular and imaging genetic approach. Altogether, 10 representative variants covering 95.4% of DRD3 gene variation were investigated for association with response to ECT in a sample of 104 (71 female, 33 male) Caucasian patients with pharmacorefractory major depression. Additionally, ventral striatum responsiveness to happy faces was assessed in two independent samples of depressed patients (total N=54) by means of functional magnetic resonance imaging at 3 T. Significant association of DRD3 rs3732790, rs3773679 and rs9817063 variants with response (uncorrected p=0.02-0.03) and remission (uncorrected p=0.01) after ECT was discerned. Logistic regression analyses revealed association of rs3732790 (uncorrected p=0.009; corrected p=0.045) and rs3773679 (uncorrected p=0.009; corrected p=0.045) with remission when applying a recessive model of inheritance. The rs3732790T allele conferring a more favourable treatment response was furthermore found to be associated with stronger striatal responsiveness to happy facial expressions (sample 1: cluster-corrected p=0.002; sample 2: p=0.023). In summary, the present study suggests some impact of DRD3 gene variation on ECT response, potentially mediated by alteration of striatal engagement during the processing of emotionally rewarding stimuli.Udo Dannlowski, Katharina Domschke, Eva Birosova, Bruce Lawford, Ross Young, Joanne Voisey, C. Phillip Morris, Thomas Suslow, Carsten Konrad, Harald Kugel, Patricia Ohrmann, Jochen Bauer, Sonja Schöning, Maxim Zavorotnyy, Julia Diemer, Volker Arolt, Bernhard T. Baune and Peter Zwanzge