The extracellular matrix fibulin 7 maintains epidermal stem cell heterogeneity during skin aging.

Tissue stem cells (SCs) divide infrequently as a protective mechanism against internal and external stresses associated with aging. Here, we demonstrate that slow- and fast-cycling SCs in the mouse skin epidermis undergo distinct aging processes. Two years of lineage tracing reveals that Dlx1+ slow-cycling clones expand into the fast-cycling SC territory, while the number of Slc1a3+ fast-cycling clones gradually declines.

Validation of the Performance of A1HPV6, a Triage Blood Test for the Early Diagnosis and Prognosis of SARS-CoV-2 Infection.

Background And Aims: Apolipoprotein A1 (A1) and haptoglobin (HP) serum levels are associated with the spread and severity of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection. We have constructed and validated a multivariable risk calculator (A1HPV6) integrating A1, HP, alpha2-macroglobulin, and gamma glutamyl transferase to improve the performances of virological biomarkers.

Methods: In a prospective observational study of hospitalized patients with nonsevere SARS-CoV-2 infection, A1HPV6 was constructed in 127 patients and validated in 116.

Baveno VI criteria as a prognostic factor for clinical complications in patients with compensated cirrhosis.

Background: Combination of liver stiffness measurement and platelets count is a tool to safely rule out varices needing treatment (VNT) in patients with compensated advanced chronic liver disease (cACLD).

Aims: to evaluate 4-year liver-related complications and survival in low-risk patients according to Baveno VI criteria.

Methods: we conducted a monocentric retrospective analysis of prospectively collected data of all consecutive patients, with cirrhosis (LSM≥12.

Liquiritin from Protects Cardiac Mitochondria from Hypoxia/Reoxygenation Damage.

Aims: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the protective effect of liquiritin (LIQ) from on cardiac mitochondria against hypoxia/reoxygenation (HR) injury.

Methods: H9C2 cells were subject to the HR model. LIQ purified from (purity > 95%) was administrated to reoxygenation period.

The Application of Sample Pooling for Mass Screening of SARS-CoV-2 in an Outbreak of COVID-19 in Vietnam.

We sampled nasal-pharyngeal throat swabs from 96,123 asymptomatic individuals at risk of SARS-CoV-2 infection, and generated 22,290 pools at collection, each containing samples from two to seven individuals. We detected SARS-CoV-2 in 24 pools, and confirmed the infection in 32 individuals after resampling and testing of 104 samples from positive pools. We completed the testing within 14 days.

Majonoside-R2 extracted from Vietnamese ginseng protects H9C2 cells against hypoxia/reoxygenation injury via modulating mitochondrial function and biogenesis.

Vietnamese ginseng has a therapeutic effect on various diseases; however its bioactivity against cardiac hypoxia/reoxygenation (HR) injury remains unclear. In this study, we evaluated the protective roles of total saponin extract (TSE) and majonoside-R2 (MR2) targeting mitochondria in HR-induced rat cardiomyocyte H9C2 cells. The results showed that both TSE and MR2 effectively protected the cells from HR damage.

Performance of serum apolipoprotein-A1 as a sentinel of Covid-19.

Background: Since 1920, a decrease in serum cholesterol has been identified as a marker of severe pneumonia. We have assessed the performance of serum apolipoprotein-A1, the main transporter of HDL-cholesterol, to identify the early spread of coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) in the general population and its diagnostic performance for the Covid-19.

Methods: We compared the daily mean serum apolipoprotein-A1 during the first 34 weeks of 2020 in a population that is routinely followed for a risk of liver fibrosis risk in the USA (212,297 serum) and in France (20,652 serum) in relation to a local increase in confirmed cases, and in comparison to the same period in 2019 (266,976 and 28,452 serum, respectively).

Glycome profiling by lectin microarray reveals dynamic glycan alterations during epidermal stem cell aging.

Aging in the epidermis is marked by a gradual decline in barrier function, impaired wound healing, hair loss, and an increased risk of cancer. This could be due to age-related changes in the properties of epidermal stem cells and defective interactions with their microenvironment. Currently, no biochemical tools are available to detect and evaluate the aging of epidermal stem cells.

Input of serum haptoglobin fucosylation profile in the diagnosis of hepatocellular carcinoma in patients with non-cirrhotic liver disease.

Background: Haptoglobin bifucosylated tetra-antennary glycan have been identified in patients with early stage hepatocellular carcinoma, but its specificity according to the presence or not of cirrhosis has never been assessed. The aims of this study were to determine if haptoglobin bifucosylated tetra-antennary glycan (1) could be a marker of HCC in patients without cirrhosis; (2) could increase the performance of standard alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) or recent blood tests for HCC detection, i.e.

Performance of liver biomarkers, in patients at risk of nonalcoholic steato-hepatitis, according to presence of type-2 diabetes.

Objective: There is a controversy about the performance of blood tests for the diagnostic of metabolic liver disease in patients with type-2-diabetes in comparison with patients without type-2-diabetes. These indirect comparisons assumed that the gold-standard is binary, whereas fibrosis stages, steatosis and nonalcoholic-steato-hepatitis (NASH) grades use an ordinal scale. The primary aim was to compare the diagnostic performances of FibroTest in type-2-diabetes vs.

In Operando Observation of Neuropeptide Capture and Release on Graphene Field-Effect Transistor Biosensors with Picomolar Sensitivity.

Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) is being pushed to new capabilities which enable studies on systems that were previously out of reach. Among recent innovations, TEM through liquid cells (LC-TEM) enables in operando observation of biological phenomena. This work applies LC-TEM to the study of biological components as they interact on an abiotic surface.

LCR1 and LCR2, two multi-analyte blood tests to assess liver cancer risk in patients without or with cirrhosis.

Background: No blood test has been shown to be effective in the prediction of primary liver cancer in patients without cirrhosis.

Aim: To construct and internally validate two sequential tests for early prediction of liver cancer. These tests enable an algorithm which could improve the performance of the standard surveillance protocol recommended (imaging with or without AFP), limited to patients with cirrhosis.

The diagnostic performance of a simplified blood test (SteatoTest-2) for the prediction of liver steatosis.

Background: Serum biomarkers of steatosis such as the SteatoTest are recommended for large-scale screening studies, because imaging is less accessible and more expensive.

Aims: The primary aim of this retrospective analysis of prospective studies was to construct a new SteatoTest-2 that was not inferior to the reference first-generation SteatoTest, but that did not include BMI or bilirubin, as these two components can increase test variability because of the assessment of weight and height and in case of Gilbert syndrome or hemolysis, respectively.

Patients And Methods: Five different subsets of 2997 patients with biopsies were evaluated for test construction and validation, and four to assess the prevalence of steatosis in target populations with increasing risks of steatosis.

Long-term prognostic value of the FibroTest in patients with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, compared to chronic hepatitis C, B, and alcoholic liver disease.

Background: Although the FibroTest has been validated as a biomarker to determine the stage of fibrosis in non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) with results similar to those in chronic hepatitis C (CHC), B (CHB), and alcoholic liver disease (ALD), it has not yet been confirmed for the prediction of liver-related death.

Aim: To validate the 10-year prognostic value of FibroTest in NAFLD for the prediction of liver-related death.

Method: Patients in the prospective FibroFrance cohort who underwent a FibroTest between 1997 and 2012 were pre-included.

Chemically Enhanced Polymer-Coated Carbon Nanotube Electronic Gas Sensor for Isopropyl Alcohol Detection.

Breathing-air quality within commercial airline cabins has come under increased scrutiny because of the identification of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) from the engine bleed air used to provide oxygen to cabins. Ideally, a sensor would be placed within the bleed air pipe itself, enabling detection before it permeated through and contaminated the entire cabin. Current gas-phase sensors suffer from issues with selectivity, do not have the appropriate form factor, or are too complex for commercial deployment.

Diagnostic performance of a new noninvasive test for nonalcoholic steatohepatitis using a simplified histological reference.

Background: One of the unmet needs in patients with metabolic risks is the prediction of metabolic liver disease (MLD) by noninvasive tests (NITs).

Objective: The primary aim of this study was to construct a new quantitative test for the diagnosis of nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) using a simplified histological definition.

Patients And Methods: As a reference, we used a simplified histological definition of NASH derived from the FLIP-CRN-definition that does not require the presence of steatosis and the presence of both lobular inflammation and ballooning.

Serum apolipoprotein A1 and haptoglobin, in patients with suspected drug-induced liver injury (DILI) as biomarkers of recovery.

Background: There is a clear need for better biomarkers of drug-induced-liver-injury (DILI).

Aims: We aimed to evaluate the possible prognostic value of ActiTest and FibroTest proteins apoliprotein-A1, haptoglobin and alpha-2-macroglobulin, in patients with DILI.

Methods: We analyzed cases and controls included in the IMI-SAFE-T-DILI European project, from which serum samples had been stored in a dedicated biobank.

Impact of steatosis and inflammation definitions on the performance of NASH tests.

Background And Aim: One of the unmet needs in subjects with metabolic risks is the prediction of metabolic liver disease by noninvasive tests. The construction of performant tests is dependent on the appropriateness of the histological reference definition. The aim of this study was to analyze the limitations of similar European (Fatty Liver Inhibition of Progression) and USA (Clinical-Research-Network) standard definitions and their impact on the construction of tests.

Insight on Structure of Water and Ice Next to Graphene Using Surface-Sensitive Spectroscopy.

The water/graphene interface has received considerable attention in the past decade due to its relevance in various potential applications including energy storage, sensing, desalination, and catalysis. Most of our knowledge about the interfacial water structure next to graphene stems from simulations, which use experimentally measured water contact angles (WCAs) on graphene (or graphite) to estimate the water-graphene interaction strength. However, the existence of a wide spectrum of reported WCAs on supported graphene and graphitic surfaces makes it difficult to interpret the water-graphene interactions.

Peptide interactions with zigzag edges in graphene.

Recognition and manipulation of graphene edges enable the control of physical properties of graphene-based devices. Recently, the authors have identified a peptide that preferentially binds to graphene edges from a combinatorial peptide library. In this study, the authors examine the functional basis for the edge binding peptide using experimental and computational methods.

Real-Time Shear Wave versus Transient Elastography for Predicting Fibrosis: Applicability, and Impact of Inflammation and Steatosis. A Non-Invasive Comparison.

Background And Aims: Real-time shear wave elastography (2D-SWE) is a two-dimensional transient elastography and a competitor as a biomarker of liver fibrosis in comparison with the standard reference transient elastography by M probe (TE-M). The aims were to compare several criteria of applicability, and to assess inflammation and steatosis impact on elasticity values, two unmet needs.

Methods: We took FibroTest as the fibrosis reference and ActiTest and SteatoTest as quantitative estimates of inflammation and steatosis.

Awareness of the severity of liver disease re-examined using software-combined biomarkers of liver fibrosis and necroinflammatory activity.

Background: Effective antiviral treatment (direct-acting antiviral agents (DAAs)), the requirement for a fibrosis score to support DDA reimbursement and a screening strategy, such as the USA baby boomer campaign, should lead to an increased awareness of liver disease severity.

Objective: To compare the awareness of liver disease severity between the USA and France, two countries with similar access to hepatitis C virus (HCV) and hepatitis B virus (HBV) treatments, similar rules for treatment reimbursement and similar availability of validated fibrosis tests, but with different policies, as France has no screening.

Method: The global database of the FibroTest-ActiTest, including 1,085,657 subjects between 2002 and 2014, was retrospectively analysed.

Biotic-Abiotic Interactions: Factors that Influence Peptide-Graphene Interactions.

Understanding the factors that influence the interaction between biomolecules and abiotic surfaces is of utmost interest in biosensing and biomedical research. Through phage display technology, several peptides have been identified as specific binders to abiotic material surfaces, such as gold, graphene, silver, and so forth. Using graphene-peptide as our model abiotic-biotic pair, we investigate the effect of graphene quality, number of layers, and the underlying support substrate effect on graphene-peptide interactions using both experiments and computation.