Higher COVID-19 pneumonia risk associated with anti-IFN-α than with anti-IFN-ω auto-Abs in children

We found that 19 (10.4%) of 183 unvaccinated children hospitalized for COVID-19 pneumonia had autoantibodies (auto-Abs) neutralizing type I IFNs (IFN-alpha 2 in 10 patients: IFN-alpha 2 only in three, IFN-alpha 2 plus IFN-omega in five, and IFN-alpha 2, IFN-omega plus IFN-beta in two; IFN-omega only in nine patients). Seven children (3.8%) had Abs neutralizing at least 10 ng/ml of one IFN, whereas the other 12 (6.6%) had Abs neutralizing only 100 pg/ml. The auto-Abs neutralized both unglycosylated and glycosylated IFNs. We also detected auto-Abs neutralizing 100 pg/ml IFN-alpha 2 in 4 of 2,267 uninfected children (0.2%) and auto-Abs neutralizing IFN-omega in 45 children (2%). The odds ratios (ORs) for life-threatening COVID-19 pneumonia were, therefore, higher for auto-Abs neutralizing IFN-alpha 2 only (OR [95% CI] = 67.6 [5.7-9,196.6]) than for auto-Abs neutralizing IFN-. only (OR [95% CI] = 2.6 [1.2-5.3]). ORs were also higher for auto-Abs neutralizing high concentrations (OR [95% CI] = 12.9 [4.6-35.9]) than for those neutralizing low concentrations (OR [95% CI] = 5.5 [3.1-9.6]) of IFN-omega and/or IFN-alpha 2

The Indoor Climate Modelling and the Economic Analysis Regarding the Energetic Rehabilitation of Church

The paper describes the behaviour of a heating system with radiators in a cult building. There has commonly used in many churches with many shortcomings. The temperature distribution in the analysed space is simulated in 2D. The simulation is based on an example, the Cathedral of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary in Jassy. The heating system with radiators simulated with the FLUENT program, the results being edifying for the factual state of the building. An important aspect is the impact of these heating systems on the works of art, the church being the 18th — century edifice. Current environmental issues lead to the continuous development of technologies used to reduce primary energy consumption. Churches are an invaluable wealth, sheltering heritage elements preserved in museums and historic buildings. Unheated churches have been used for centuries. Then, after installing one or more different heating systems, signs of rapid degradation appeared

Genetically encodable bioluminescent system from fungi

Bioluminescence is found across the entire tree of life, conferring a spectacular set of visually oriented functions from attracting mates to scaring off predators. Half a dozen different luciferins, molecules that emit light when enzymatically oxidized, are known. However, just one biochemical pathway for luciferin biosynthesis has been described in full, which is found only in bacteria. Here, we report identification of the fungal luciferase and three other key enzymes that together form the biosynthetic cycle of the fungal luciferin from caffeic acid, a simple and widespread metabolite. Introduction of the identified genes into the genome of the yeast Pichia pastoris along with caffeic acid biosynthesis genes resulted in a strain that is autoluminescent in standard media. We analyzed evolution of the enzymes of the luciferin biosynthesis cycle and found that fungal bioluminescence emerged through a series of events that included two independent gene duplications. The retention of the duplicated enzymes of the luciferin pathway in nonluminescent fungi shows that the gene duplication was followed by functional sequence divergence of enzymes of at least one gene in the biosynthetic pathway and suggests that the evolution of fungal bioluminescence proceeded through several closely related stepping stone nonluminescent biochemical reactions with adaptive roles. The availability of a complete eukaryotic luciferin biosynthesis pathway provides several applications in biomedicine and bioengineering.This research was supported by Planta LLC and Evrogen JSC. IVIS imaging and animal experiments were carried out using the equipment of the Center for Collective Usage “Medical Nanobiotechologies” located in the Russian National Research Medical University. Experiments were partially carried out using the equipment provided by the Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry of the Russian Academy of Sciences Сore Facility (CKP IBCH; supported by Russian Ministry of Education and Science Grant RFMEFI62117X0018). T.G. and M.M.-H. acknowledge support from Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness Grant BFU2015-67107 cofounded by the European Regional Development Fund, European Research Council (ERC) Grant ERC-2012-StG-310325 under the European Union’s Seventh Framework Programme FP7/2007-2013, and the European Union’s Horizon 2020 Research and Innovation Programme under Marie Sklodowska-Curie Grant H2020-MSCA-ITN-2014-642095. F.A.K. acknowledges the support of HHMI International Early Career Scientist Program 55007424, the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness (MINECO) Grants BFU2012-31329 and BFU2015-68723-P, MINECO Centro de Excelencia Severo Ochoa 2013-2017 Grant SEV-2012-0208, Secretaria d’Universitats i Recerca del Departament d’Economia i Coneixement de la Generalitat’s Agency for Management of University and Research Grants Program 2014 SGR 0974, the Centres de Recerca de Catalunya Programme of the Generalitat de Catalunya, and ERC Grant 335980_EinME under the European Union’s Seventh Framework Programme FP7/2007-2013. H.E.W., A.G.O., and C.V.S. acknowledge support from São Paulo Research Foundation Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo Grants 11/10507-0 (to H.E.W.), 10/11578-5 (to A.G.O.), and 13/16885-1 (to C.V.S.)