Fibroblast Growth Factors in Lung Development and Regeneration: Mechanisms and Therapeutic Potential.

Fibroblast growth factors (FGFs) play a key role in lung development by mediating complex interactions between epithelial and mesenchymal cells, which are central to processes such as branching morphogenesis, epithelial differentiation, and alveolarization. The findings regarding this interplay highlight the complexity of FGF signaling, as different FGFs contribute to various aspects of lung formation and maturation. Understanding the role of FGF proteins in shaping the lung is crucial for gaining insight into the biology of its development.

Modulation of Amyloid-β Aggregation by Surface Proteins from Pathogens Associated with Alzheimer's Disease.

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a prevalent neurodegenerative disorder. Despite substantial research efforts, our understanding of its pathogenesis remains incomplete, limiting the development of effective treatments and preventive strategies. The potential role of microbial pathogens in AD etiology has gained increasing attention.

Tissue MicroRNA Expression Signatures as Diagnostic Biomarkers and Predictors of Residual Disease Activity and Relapse in Treatment-Naïve Pediatric Inflammatory Bowel Disease.

Background: Identifying novel diagnostic and prognostic biomarkers for pediatric inflammatory bowel diseases (PIBD), including Crohn's disease (pCD) and ulcerative colitis (pUC), is essential for enhancing treatment outcomes. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) have been recognized for their broader relevance in PIBD pathogenesis. This study investigates their diagnostic potential and clinical utility in PIBD.

Tracking microplastics and the associated ecological risk in the southwestern Pacific Ocean.

In this work, we assessed microplastics (MPs) along an ∼1000 km oceanographic transect of the Southwestern Pacific coast. This study records the environmental fingerprint of microplastics (MP) at six river mouths, from Puerto Mott in the south to the Biobío River in the central region of the Chilean coast. Superficial water was sampled in summer (2024) using a manta trawl, and the plastic particles obtained were quantified and characterized physically (size, color, shape) and chemically by Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR) and μFTIR.

Plant traits and associated ecological data from global change experiments and climate gradients in Norway.

Plant functional trait-based approaches are powerful tools to assess the consequences of global environmental changes for plant ecophysiology, population and community ecology, ecosystem functioning, and landscape ecology. Here, we present data capturing these ecological dimensions from grazing, nitrogen addition, and warming experiments conducted along a 821 m a.s.

Early functional changes in lewy body dementia: roles of dynamics, locus coeruleus, and compensation.

Dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB) is marked by multidomain cognitive impairments, with fluctuations in cognition and alertness being among the most common clinical features. Disruptions in functional connectivity are thought to underlie these fluctuations, but it remains unclear whether such patterns are already present at prodromal stages. We investigated the presence of static and dynamic functional connectivity alterations and their contribution to the clinical phenotype of prodromal DLB, and explored their association with declining locus coeruleus integrity, while considering premorbid intelligence (a proxy for cognitive reserve) as a moderating factor.

Assessing an eHealth Intervention on Quality of Life in Patients With Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia and Myelodysplastic Syndromes: The MyPal Randomized Controlled Trial.

Purpose: The MyPal study (ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT04370457) is a randomized controlled clinical trial assessing an eHealth intervention on the quality of life (QoL) of patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) and myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS).

Methods: Patients who were receiving or had previously received treatment for CLL or MDS were randomly assigned (1:1) to access the MyPal digital health platform versus standard of care.

Membrane Transport of Root-Borne trans-Zeatin Riboside Maintains the Cytokinin Homeostasis in Shoots.

Ribosylated forms of plant hormones cytokinins (CKs) are the dominant CK species translocated at long distances. The irreplaceable role of root-to-shoot translocated trans-zeatin riboside (tZR) in the mediation of shoot development implies the existence of a yet uncharacterized CK riboside-specific membrane transport system. In this work, we report significant differences in the kinetics of the membrane transport of CK nucleobases and ribosides and the overall affinity of membrane-bound carriers towards the two CK forms.

Undescribed prenylated anthraquinones from Asperula sintenisii Asch. Ex Bornm. with cytotoxic activities.

Two previously unreported anthraquinones, named sintenisiquinones A (1) and B (2), were isolated from the MeOH extract of Asperula sintenisii together with five iridoid glycosides, five flavonoids, as well as three phenolic acid derivatives. Their chemical structures were elucidated on the basis of extensive 1D (H and C) and 2D (COSY, HSQC, and HMBC) NMR spectroscopy and HRESIMS. Compounds 1 and 2 represent rare type of anthraquinone derivatives bearing a prenyl group cyclized to dihydrofuran ring.

A Generalized Risk Adjusted Cost Effectiveness (GRACE) Economic Model for Measuring the Value of Interventions that Delay Mobility Impairment Across Neurological Conditions.

Objectives: To quantify how incorporating patient risk preferences and severity adjustments impact the value of a hypothetical treatment for mobility impairments caused by neurological conditions.

Methods: A five-state Markov model was developed to measure the health economic value of a hypothetical treatment delaying the progression of mobility impairments by 30.7% vs standard of care (SoC) for 45-year-old, minimally impaired patients diagnosed with a neurological condition.

Quality of life, Psychosocial difficulties and Bullying in Pediatric Alopecia Areata Patients: A European Cross-Sectional Study.

Background: Alopecia areata (AA) is a chronic, immune-mediated condition leading to non-scarring hair loss. Its visible nature often leads to stigmatization and bullying, which can negatively affect the mental health and quality of life (QoL) of adolescents.

Objectives: Our aim was to investigate the experiences of bullying, psychosocial challenges, and QoL in adolescents with AA.

Germline Jak2-R1063H mutation interferes with normal hematopoietic development and increases risk of thrombosis and leukemic transformation.

The acquired JAK2-V617F mutation plays a causal role in myeloproliferative neoplasms (MPN). Weakly activating JAK2 germline variants have been associated with MPN risk, but the underlying mechanisms remain unclear. We previously identified the JAK2-R1063H germline variant, which contributes to hereditary MPN and increased disease severity in essential thrombocythemia.

Dynamic and Static Resting-State Functional Connectivity of Canonical Networks in Military and Civilian Populations with Posttraumatic Stress Disorder and/or Mild Traumatic Brain Injury.

Background: Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) are associated with alterations in the functional connectome, specifically in canonical resting state networks including the default mode (DMN), central executive (CEN), and salience networks (SN). Comorbid PTSD+mTBI is linked to worse functional outcomes, but little is known about effects on the functional connectome.

Methods: We investigated brain phenotypes from resting-state fMRI associated with PTSD (n=326), mTBI (n=448), and comorbid PTSD+mTBI (n=289) in military veterans and civilians (n=1526) from ENIGMA-TBI and -PTSD.

The necessity of geneticist and pulmonologist collaboration in the treatment of monogenic interstitial lung diseases in adults.

Interstitial lung diseases (ILDs) are a very heterogeneous group of diseases. Although the aetiology of many of these diseases is not fully understood, an association with specific pathogenic gene variants has been demonstrated for some of the diseases. The aim of this review is to provide genotype-phenotype correlation information on monogenic ILDs to provide guidance to pulmonologists on when to refer ILD patients for genetic testing.

Silent struggles: help-seeking barriers for sexual difficulties among adults 50+ in Czechia.

Although sexual problems become more common with age, older adults rarely seek professional help. Understanding why is key to supporting sexual health in aging populations. This study assessed the prevalence of sexual difficulties, help-seeking behavior, and reasons for not seeking help among Czech adults aged 50-75, using nationally representative data from the 2023/2024 CzechSex survey ( = 2,927; 53% men).

Enhanced toxicity of bisphenol F compared to its predecessor bisphenol A in rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) during a six-week feeding trial.

This study aimed to assess the toxicity of bisphenol A (BPA) and bisphenol F (BPF) in rainbow trout following six weeks of dietary exposure. Fish were exposed to BPA, BPF, or their combination at nominal concentrations of 10 and 1000 µg/kg (i.e.

Non-dietary personal pesticide exposure using silicone wristbands across 10 European countries.

Individuals are exposed to pesticides via dietary and non-dietary exposure routes. There is a growing need for aggregated exposure estimates across occupationally and non-occupationally exposed populations. Exposure to current-use and legacy pesticides was studied using silicone wristbands worn by farmers, residents living close to treated fields (neighbors), and the general population (consumers), in total, 641 participants across 10 European countries.

The Role of Neopterin and Interleukin-6 Detection in Saliva and Plasma in Oral and Oropharyngeal Cancer Patients: A Prospective Study.

Objectives: The incidence of oral and oropharyngeal cancer is continually rising and affects increasingly younger patients. Consequently, many studies focus on early diagnosis using appropriate biomarkers. Neopterin and interleukin-6 (IL-6) are promising predictive and prognostic markers of immune response activation, both systemic and local, due to the anatomical proximity of malignancies to the salivary glands.

In-frame germline TP53 variant impairs p53 oligomerization and predisposes to cancer.

Germline loss-of-function variants in TP53 cause Li-Fraumeni syndrome (LFS) characterized by an early onset of various cancer types including sarcomas, adrenocortical carcinoma, and breast cancer. The most common are mutations in the DNA binding domain of p53, but alterations in the oligomerization domain also cause LFS with variable level of penetrance. Here we report identification of a novel germline in-frame deletion TP53 variant c.

Angiogenesis in the ovary - Proangiogenic factors and their clinical applications.

Angiogenesis is the process by which new blood vessels are formed through the migration and proliferation of endothelial cells from existing vessels. A balance between pro- and anti-angiogenic factors is essential for the process to occur. In adults, the most common causes are inflammation, wound healing, and neoplastic processes.

Influence of the pre-membrane and envelope proteins on structure, pathogenicity, and tropism of tick-borne encephalitis virus.

Unlabelled: Tick-borne encephalitis virus (TBEV) is a neurotropic flavivirus that causes thousands of human infections annually. Viral tropism in the brain is determined by the presence of necessary receptors, entry factors, and the ability of the virus to overcome host defenses. The viral structural proteins, pre-membrane (prM), and envelope (E) play an important role in receptor binding, membrane fusion, particle maturation, and antibody neutralization.

De-escalated Teclistamab dosing in relapsed/refractory multiple myeloma: Czech myeloma group real-world evidence analysis.

Teclistamab, a BCMA×CD3 bispecific antibody, demonstrates high efficacy in relapsed/refractory multiple myeloma (RRMM). However, optimal dosing strategies outside clinical trials remain undefined. Thus, we performed a retrospective, multicentre analysis of 73 RRMM patients treated with teclistamab monotherapy at Czech Myeloma Group centres between 2023 and 2025.

Arthroscopic Transosseous Rotator Cuff Repair Using Bone Tunneling Device.

Rotator cuff injuries are a common cause of shoulder pain, primarily affecting individuals older than 40 years, with the incidence increasing progressively with age. Advancements in surgical techniques have led to the development of arthroscopic techniques. This evolution has transitioned through various arthroscopic suture anchor rotator cuff repair configurations, including single-row, double-row, and transosseous-equivalent constructs.