Association of Gene Variants with Severe COVID-19 Among Fully Vaccinated vs. Non-Vaccinated Individuals.

The STING protein is activated by the second messenger cGAMP to promote the innate immune response against infections. Beyond this role, a chronically overactive STING signaling has been described in several disorders. Patients with severe COVID-19 exhibit a hyper-inflammatory response (the cytokine storm) that is in part mediated by the cGAS-STING pathway.

Cocaine chemogenetics blunts drug-seeking by synthetic physiology.

Chemical feedback is ubiquitous in physiology but is challenging to study without perturbing basal functions. One example is addictive drugs, which elicit a positive-feedback cycle of drug-seeking and ingestion by acting on the brain to increase dopamine signalling. However, interfering with this process by altering basal dopamine also adversely affects learning, movement, attention and wakefulness.

Computational modeling of post-myocardial infarction arrhythmias: Insights and predictions.

Background: Ventricular arrhythmias are a significant risk for patients who have suffered a myocardial infarction, with cardiac scar remodeling playing a critical role in arrhythmia development. Understanding the structural and electrical properties of the scar and its surrounding tissue is essential for assessing arrhythmia risk.

Objective: This study aimed to investigate the role of scar anatomy and border zone properties in predicting ventricular arrhythmias, using patient-specific three-dimensional models derived from medical imaging.

Soluble Oncoimmunome Signatures Predict Muscle Mass Response to Enriched Immunonutrition in Cancer Patients: Subanalysis of a Multicenter Randomized Clinical Trial.

Background/objectives: Enriched oral nutritional supplementation (ONS) has been shown to increase muscle mass in cancer patients. This study aims to identify the immunomodulatory effects and predictive biomarkers associated with this intervention.

Methods: The soluble levels of 92 immune- and oncology-related mediators were determined before and after an intervention (8 weeks) in 28 patients with cancer receiving either a standard (n = 14) or an enriched ONS (n = 14) using the Olink proteomics analysis pipeline (Olink Target 96 Immuno-Oncology panel (Uppsala, Sweden)) Results: Patients receiving enriched ONS experienced an average weight gain of 1.

Impact of soil salinity on structural attributes and above ground biomass carbon in a mangrove community of a Colombian Caribbean Coast.

Mangrove forests are known for their exceptional carbon storage capacity, but the influence of environmental factors on this service remains understudied. This study examines how environmental conditions shape tree community composition and carbon storage in Mallorquin Swamp, an urban mangrove ecosystem in Barranquilla, Colombia. We assessed tree composition, vegetation structure, soil pH, and salinity across 18 circular plots in areas of Low, Medium, and High salinity.

Sigma-1 Receptor Promotes Glycolysis in Neuronal Systems by Suppressing GRIM19.

Sigma-1 receptor (S1R) is a Ca sensitive, ligand-operated receptor chaperone protein present on the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) membrane and more specifically at the mitochondria-associated ER membrane (MAM). Upon activation by ER calcium depletion or ligand binding, S1R can increase calcium efflux from the ER into the mitochondria by chaperoning IP3 receptor type3 (Ip3R3). Mitochondrial metabolism has an intricate relationship with glycolysis.

Immunization and cardiovascular disease in Latin America. The CorVacc study: rationale and design.

Objectives: To determine the rates of vaccination against influenza and pneumococcal disease in the general population of the Americas, both healthy and sick, and to analyze the factors influencing these rates.

Methods: The Inter-American Vaccination Registry of Influenza and Pneumococcus, (CorVacc Study) is a cross-sectional survey of the general population that will be enacted in 19 Latin American countries. A total of 34 questions will be given to consecutive patients aged 18 years or older through an online survey.

Serum Neurofilament Light Chain in Multiple Sclerosis: Superiority of Age- and BMI-Corrected Z Scores/Percentiles Over Absolute Cutoff Values for Prediction of Treatment Response.

Objective: Prognostication of disease course and prediction of treatment response in multiple sclerosis is an unmet need. We compared the performance of serum neurofilament light chain Z scores (age- and BMI-adjusted) with absolute concentrations for the prediction of response to disease-modifying therapy.

Methods: Observational cohort study including the first serum sample of participants after the start of fingolimod therapy.

An Evaluation of Quality of Life During Participation in Early-Phase Clinical Trials in Paediatric Oncology.

Background: Given the poor prognoses and potential treatment toxicities faced by paediatric patients in early-phase oncology trials, evaluating quality of life (QoL) is crucial for both families and physicians when considering patient recruitment. This prospective, longitudinal study evaluates the impact of trial participation on QoL in children, agreement between self-reports, proxy-reports and physician assessments, and associations with demographic and clinical factors.

Procedure: Patients aged 5-18 years enrolled in Phase I/II clinical trials at Hospital Niño Jesus from 2019 to 2023, and their caregiver proxies were eligible.

Highly dynamic mechanical transitions in embryonic cell populations during Drosophila gastrulation.

During development, three-dimensional morphology arises from the balance of forces acting on cells and tissues, and their material properties. Cellular forces have been investigated, however the characterisation and specification of cell material properties remains poorly understood. Here, we characterise and spatially map in three dimensions the dynamics of the longitudinal modulus at GHz frequencies to characterise the evolving blastoderm material properties during Drosophila gastrulation utilising line-scan Brillouin microscopy.

A New High Penetrant Intronic Pathogenic Variant Related to Long QT Syndrome Type 2.

: Long QT Syndrome type 2 (LQT2) is a cardiac channelopathy linked to pathogenic variants in the gene, which encodes the Kv11.1 potassium channel, essential for cardiac repolarization. Variants affecting splice sites disrupt potassium ion flow, prolong QT interval, and increase the risk of arrhythmias and sudden cardiac death (SCD).

ABC transporters knockout in Aedes aegypti induces upregulation of paralogous genes, avoiding resistance development to Bacillus thuringiensis Cry toxins.

ABC transporters are membrane proteins that modulate the insecticidal activity of Bacillus thuringiensis Cry toxins by acting as receptors in the gut epithelium of insect larvae. However, their role as Cry receptors in dipteran species remains unknown. Here, we identified the ABC transporter orthologs in the Aedes aegypti genome corresponding to the Cry toxin receptors described in lepidopteran and coleopteran species.

Prediction of lung overdistension during mechanical ventilation using micro-RNA and gene expression.

Background: Overstretching of lung parenchyma may lead to injury, especially during mechanical ventilation. To date, there are no specific biomarkers of lung stretch, but transcriptomic signatures have not been explored. Our objective was to identify stretch-specific signatures using micro-RNA and gene expression.

Association between muscle mass assessed by an artificial intelligence-based ultrasound imaging system and quality of life in patients with cancer-related malnutrition.

Introduction: Emerging evidence suggests that diminished skeletal muscle mass is associated with lower health-related quality of life (HRQOL) in individuals with cancer. There are no studies that we know of in the literature that use ultrasound system to evaluate muscle mass and its relationship with HRQOL.

Objective: The aim of our study was to evaluate the relationship between HRQOL determined by the EuroQol-5D tool and muscle mass determined by an artificial intelligence-based ultrasound system at the rectus femoris (RF) level in outpatients with cancer.

(Batrachoididae: Thalassophryninae) as a Bioindicator of Mercury-Induced Genotoxicity.

Environmental monitoring requires reliable bioindicators to assess the genotoxic effects of pollutants in aquatic ecosystems. In this study, the marine fish was evaluated as a bioindicator of genotoxicity through the application of the micronucleus test. Fish were exposed to varying concentrations of mercuric chloride (HgCl) (0.

DCLK1-mediated regulation of invadopodia dynamics and matrix metalloproteinase trafficking drives invasive progression in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma.

Background: HNSCC presents a significant health challenge due to its high mortality resulting from treatment resistance and locoregional invasion into critical structures in the head and neck region. Understanding the invasion mechanisms of HNSCC has the potential to guide targeted therapies, improving patient survival. Previously, we demonstrated the involvement of doublecortin like kinase 1 (DCLK1) in regulating HNSCC cell invasion.

p.Arg636Cys: A Pathogenic Variant Identified in a Family with Several Cases of Unexpected Sudden Deaths.

: Dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) can be an inherited condition related to premature sudden cardiac death (SCD). Pathogenic variants in some genes, like , , or , have been linked to an increased risk of SCD. Although genetic study can help to stratify the arrhythmic risk, there are no specific guidelines for carriers' management.

A precision agriculture solution for water stress estimation in Hass avocado farms in Colombia.

Agriculture 4.0 technologies continue to see low adoption among small and medium-sized farmers, primarily because these solutions often fail to account for the specific challenges of rural areas. In this work, we propose and implement a design methodology to develop a Precision Agriculture solution aimed at assisting farmers in managing water stress in Hass avocado crops.

Inferring stability and persistence in the vaginal microbiome: A stochastic model of ecological dynamics.

The interplay of stochastic and ecological processes that govern the establishment and persistence of host-associated microbial communities is not well understood. Here we illustrate the conceptual and practical advantages of fitting stochastic population dynamics models to multi-species bacterial time series data. We show how the stability properties, fluctuation regimes and persistence probabilities of human vaginal microbial communities can be better understood by explicitly accommodating three sources of variability in ecological stochastic models of multi-species abundances: 1) stochastic biotic and abiotic forces, 2) ecological feedback and 3) sampling error.

MIBiG 4.0: advancing biosynthetic gene cluster curation through global collaboration.

Specialized or secondary metabolites are small molecules of biological origin, often showing potent biological activities with applications in agriculture, engineering and medicine. Usually, the biosynthesis of these natural products is governed by sets of co-regulated and physically clustered genes known as biosynthetic gene clusters (BGCs). To share information about BGCs in a standardized and machine-readable way, the Minimum Information about a Biosynthetic Gene cluster (MIBiG) data standard and repository was initiated in 2015.

Epigenetic Study of Cohort of Monozygotic Twins With Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy Due to MYBPC3 (Cardiac Myosin-Binding Protein C).

Background: Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy is an autosomal dominant cardiac disease. The mechanisms that determine its variable expressivity are poorly understood. Epigenetics could play a crucial role in bridging the gap between genotype and phenotype by orchestrating the interplay between the environment and the genome regulation.

Identification of host endotypes using peripheral blood transcriptomics in a prospective cohort of patients with endocarditis.

Objectives: Host responses to infection are a major determinant of outcome. However, the existence of different response profiles in patients with endocarditis has not been addressed. Our objective was to apply transcriptomics to identify endotypes in patients with infective endocarditis.

Inflammatory response to SARS-CoV 2 and other respiratory viruses.

Introduction: Lower respiratory tract infections (LRTI) remain a significant global cause of mortality and disability. Viruses constitute a substantial proportion of LRTI cases, with their pandemic potential posing a latent threat. After the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic, the resurgence of other respiratory viruses, including Influenza and Respiratory Syncytial Virus responsible for LRTI has been observed especially in susceptible populations.