deficiency reshapes the gut microbiota of lupus mice towards an anti-inflammatory composition.

The B-cell scaffold protein with ankyrin repeats (BANK1) regulates Toll-like receptor-7 (TLR7) signaling in B cells and its absence ameliorates lupus. Here, we investigated the involvement of in the gut mucosal B cell response to commensals in a murine model of lupus. In health and disease, deficiency resulted in changes in the intestinal IgA production levels that showed differential bacterial binding associated with a re-organization on the composition and structure of the gut microbiota.

Bank1 modulates the differentiation and molecular profile of key B cell populations in autoimmunity.

This study aimed at defining the role of the B cell adaptor protein BANK1 in the appearance of age-associated B cells (ABCs) in 2 SLE mouse models (TLR7.tg6 and imiquimod-induced mice), crossed with Bank1-/- mice. The absence of Bank1 led to a significant reduction in ABC levels, also affecting other B cell populations.

Neuroanatomy of the Cetacean Sensory Systems.

Cetaceans have undergone profound sensory adaptations in response to their aquatic environment during evolution. These adaptations are characterised by anatomo-functional changes in the classically defined sensory systems, shaping their neuroanatomy accordingly. This review offers a concise and up-to-date overview of our current understanding of the neuroanatomy associated with cetacean sensory systems.

Gut epithelial barrier dysfunction in lupus triggers a differential humoral response against gut commensals.

Introduction: Systemic lupus erythematosus is an autoimmune disease with multisystemic involvement including intestinal inflammation. Lupus-associated intestinal inflammation may alter the mucosal barrier where millions of commensals have a dynamic and selective interaction with the host immune system. Here, we investigated the consequences of the intestinal inflammation in a TLR7-mediated lupus model.

SIDT1 plays a key role in type I IFN responses to nucleic acids in plasmacytoid dendritic cells and mediates the pathogenesis of an imiquimod-induced psoriasis model.

Background: Type I IFN (IFN-I) is a family of cytokines involved in the pathogenesis of autoimmune and autoinflammatory diseases such as psoriasis. SIDT1 is an ER-resident protein expressed in the lymphoid lineage, and involved in anti-viral IFN-I responses in vivo, through an unclear mechanism. Herein we have dissected the role of SIDT1 in the natural IFN-producing cells, the plasmacytoid dendritic cells (pDC).

Selective Inner Hair Cell Loss in a Neonate Harbor Seal ().

Congenital hearing loss is recognized in humans and other terrestrial species. However, there is a lack of information on its prevalence or pathophysiology in pinnipeds. It is important to have baseline knowledge on marine mammal malformations in the inner ear, to differentiate between congenital and acquired abnormalities, which may be caused by infectious pathogens, age, or anthropogenic interactions, such as noise exposure.

Blast injury on harbour porpoises (Phocoena phocoena) from the Baltic Sea after explosions of deposits of World War II ammunition.

Harbour porpoises are under pressure from increasing human activities. This includes the detonation of ammunition that was dumped in large amounts into the sea during and after World War II. In this context, forty-two British ground mines from World War II were cleared by means of blasting in the period from 28 to 31 August 2019 by a NATO unit in the German Exclusive Economic Zone within the marine protected area of Fehmarn Belt in the Baltic Sea, Germany.

Evidence of Hearing Loss and Unrelated Toxoplasmosis in a Free-Ranging Harbour Porpoise ().

Evidence of hearing impairment was identified in a harbour porpoise () on the basis of scanning electron microscopy. In addition, based on histopathology and immunohistochemistry, there were signs of unrelated cerebral toxoplasmosis. The six-year old individual live stranded on the Dutch coast at Domburg in 2016 and died a few hours later.

Immune-Related Urine Biomarkers for the Diagnosis of Lupus Nephritis.

The kidney is one of the main organs affected by the autoimmune disease systemic lupus erythematosus. Lupus nephritis (LN) concerns 30-60% of adult SLE patients and it is significantly associated with an increase in the morbidity and mortality. The definitive diagnosis of LN can only be achieved by histological analysis of renal biopsies, but the invasiveness of this technique is an obstacle for early diagnosis of renal involvement and a proper follow-up of LN patients under treatment.

Cochlear apical morphology in toothed whales: Using the pairing hair cell-Deiters' cell as a marker to detect lesions.

The apex or apical region of the cochlear spiral within the inner ear encodes for low-frequency sounds. The disposition of sensory hair cells on the organ of Corti is largely variable in the apical region of mammals, and it does not necessarily follow the typical three-row pattern of outer hair cells (OHCs). As most underwater noise sources contain low-frequency components, we expect to find most lesions in the apical region of the cochlea of toothed whales, in cases of permanent noise-induced hearing loss.

The Role of BANK1 in B Cell Signaling and Disease.

The B cell scaffold protein with ankyrin repeats (BANK1) is expressed primarily in B cells and with multiple but discrete roles in B cell signaling, including B cell receptor signaling, CD40-related signaling, and Toll-like receptor (TLR) signaling. The gene for BANK1, located in chromosome 4, has been found to contain genetic variants that are associated with several autoimmune diseases and also other complex phenotypes, in particular, with systemic lupus erythematosus. Common genetic variants are associated with changes in BANK1 expression in B cells, while rare variants modify their capacity to bind efferent effectors during signaling.

Combining Cochlear Analysis and Auditory Evoked Potentials in a Beluga Whale With High-Frequency Hearing Loss.

Correlations between inner ear morphology and auditory sensitivity in the same individual are extremely difficult to obtain for stranded cetaceans. Animals in captivity and rehabilitation offer the opportunity to combine several techniques to study the auditory system and cases of hearing impairment in a controlled environment. Morphologic and auditory findings from two beluga whales () in managed care are presented.

Challenges in the Assessment of Bycatch: Postmortem Findings in Harbor Porpoises () Retrieved From Gillnets.

Bycatch is considered one of the most significant threats affecting cetaceans worldwide. In the North Sea, bottom-set gillnets are a specific risk for harbor porpoises (). Methods to estimate bycatch rates include on-board observers, remote electronic monitoring, and fishermen voluntarily reporting; none of these are systematically conducted.

Effectiveness of a Group-Based Progressive Strength Training in Primary Care to Improve the Recurrence of Low Back Pain Exacerbations and Function: A Randomised Trial.

Low back pain (LBP) is the leading cause of disability and one of the most common reasons for physician visits in primary care, with a 33% rate of recurrence during the first year. However, the most optimal exercise program in this context remains unknown. The objective was to evaluate the effectiveness of a group-based progressive strength training program in non-specific chronic LBP (CLBP) patients in primary care on pain recurrence and physical function.

Correlating Cochlear Morphometrics from Parnell's Mustached Bat (Pteronotus parnellii) with Hearing.

Morphometric analysis of the inner ear of mammals can provide information for cochlear frequency mapping, a species-specific designation of locations in the cochlea at which different sound frequencies are encoded. Morphometric variation occurs in the hair cells of the organ of Corti along the cochlea, with the base encoding the highest frequency sounds and the apex encoding the lowest frequencies. Changes in cell shape and spacing can yield additional information about the biophysical basis of cochlear tuning mechanisms.

Echolocating Whales and Bats Express the Motor Protein Prestin in the Inner Ear: A Potential Marker for Hearing Loss.

Prestin is an integral membrane motor protein located in outer hair cells of the mammalian cochlea. It is responsible for electromotility and required for cochlear amplification. Although prestin works in a cycle-by-cycle mode up to frequencies of at least 79 kHz, it is not known whether or not prestin is required for the extreme high frequencies used by echolocating species.

Proteomic analysis in lupus mice identifies Coronin-1A as a potential biomarker for lupus nephritis.

Background: Approximately 50% of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) patients develop nephritis, which is among the most severe and frequent complications of the disease and a leading cause of morbidity and mortality. Despite intensive research, there are still no reliable lupus nephritis (LN) markers in clinical use that can assess renal damage and activity with a high sensitivity and specificity. To this end, the aim of this study was to identify new clinically relevant tissue-specific protein biomarkers and possible underlying molecular mechanisms associated with renal involvement in SLE, using mass spectrometry (MS)-based proteomics.

De novo design approaches targeting an envelope protein pocket to identify small molecules against dengue virus.

Dengue fever is a mosquito-borne viral disease that has become a major public health concern worldwide. This disease presents with a wide range of clinical manifestations, from a mild cold-like illness to the more serious hemorrhagic dengue fever and dengue shock syndrome. Currently, neither an approved drug nor an effective vaccine for the treatment are available to fight the disease.

BANK1 interacts with TRAF6 and MyD88 in innate immune signaling in B cells.

Evidence supports a possible role of BANK1 in innate immune signaling in B cells. In the present study, we investigated the interaction of BANK1 with two key mediators in interferon and inflammatory cytokine production, TRAF6 and MyD88. We revealed by coimmunoprecipitation (CoIP) analyses the binding of BANK1 with TRAF6 and MyD88, which were mediated by the BANK1 Toll/interleukin-1 receptor (TIR) domain.

An Overview of the Polymorphisms of Circadian Genes Associated With Endocrine Cancer.

A major consequence of the world industrialized lifestyle is the increasing period of unnatural light in environments during the day and artificial lighting at night. This major change disrupts endogenous homeostasis with external circadian cues, which has been associated to higher risk of diseases affecting human health, mainly cancer among others. Circadian disruption promotes tumor development and accelerate its fast progression.

PAROTID CARCINOMA IN A FREE-RANGING CALIFORNIA SEA LION ( ZALOPHUS CALIFORNIANUS).

A free-ranging juvenile California sea lion ( Zalophus californianus) stranded on the coast of Vancouver, British Columbia, with signs of lethargy and emaciation in April 2016. An asymmetrical skull with a prominent superficial cervical lymph node was found on initial assessment. Fine-needle aspirates and biopsies of the lymph node were consistent with neoplasia and the animal was humanely euthanized and presented for necropsy.

Multidisciplinary studies on a sick-leader syndrome-associated mass stranding of sperm whales (Physeter macrocephalus) along the Adriatic coast of Italy.

Mass strandings of sperm whales (Physeter macrocephalus) are rare in the Mediterranean Sea. Nevertheless, in 2014 a pod of 7 specimens stranded alive along the Italian coast of the Central Adriatic Sea: 3 individuals died on the beach after a few hours due to internal damages induced by prolonged recumbency; the remaining 4 whales were refloated after great efforts. All the dead animals were genetically related females; one was pregnant.