Τρίτη 21 Ιουνίου 2022

First episodes of norovirus and sapovirus gastroenteritis protect against subsequent episodes in a Nicaraguan birth cohort

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Background: Norovirus and sapovirus cause a large burden of acute gastroenteritis (AGE) in young children. We assessed protection conferred by norovirus and sapovirus AGE episodes against future episodes. Methods: Between June 2017-July 2018 we recruited 444 newborns in León, Nicaragua. Weekly household surveys identified AGE episodes over 36 months, and AGE stools were tested by reverse transcriptase-quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) for norovirus GI/GII and sapovirus. We used recurrent-event Cox models and negative control methods to estimate protection conferred by first episodes, controlling for observed and unobserved risk factors, respectively. Results: Sapovirus episodes conferred a 69% reduced hazard of subsequent episodes using the negative control method. Norovirus GI (HR: 0.67, 95% CI: 0.31, 1.3) and GII (HR: 0.20, 95% CI: 0.04, 0.44) episodes also appeared highly protective. Protection against norovirus GII was enhanced following two episodes. Conclusions: Evidence of natural immunity in early childhood provides optimism for the future success of pediatric norovirus and sapovirus vaccines. Copyright © 2022 Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc. All rights reserved.
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Prognostic Nutrıtıonal Index: Is It Assocıated wıth The Prognosıs of Crımean Congo Hemorrhagıc Fever?

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Abstract

Introduction

The prognostic nutritional index (PNI) is calculated using total serum lymphocyte counts and albumin levels. We aimed to analyze the role of PNI in predicting intensive care unit (ICU) referral and mortality in patients with Crimean Congo Hemorrhagic Fever (CCHF).

Materials and Methods

Our target population was adult (age>18) patients who presented between March 2015 and October 2021 within five days of symptom emergence and were diagnosed with CCHF. The predictive value of PNI was analyzed by the ROC analysis. The patients were categorized based on the severity grading scores (SGS) as mild, moderate, and severe. The relationship between PNI and ICU referral and mortality was analyzed by logistic regression analysis.

Results

Overall, 115 patients with the diagnosis of CCHF were included. 13,9% (n=16) of the patients were referred to ICU while 11,3% (n=13) died. A comparison of the patients with different SGS grades revealed that they were significantly different regarding PNI (p<0,001). There was a significant negative correlation between PNI and SGS (r=-0,662; p<0,001). PNI had a PV regarding ICU referral and mortality ((AUC=0,723 95% CI: 0,609-0,836, p=0,004, (AUC=0,738 95% CI: 0,613-0,863, p=0,005)). The PNI threshold was 36,1 for ICU referral and mortality. The rates of female patients, hospitalization periods longer than one week, platelet apheresis replacement, diabetes mellitus, bleeding history, ICU admission, and mortality were significantly higher in patients with a PNI of lower than 36,1 (p<0,05).

Conclusion

PNI can predict ICU referral and mortality in patients admitted due to CCHF.

This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

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The relationship between posttherapeutic Cognitive Behavior Therapy skills usage and follow‐up outcomes of internet‐delivered Cognitive Behavior Therapy

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Abstract

Background

Clients independently applying Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT) skills is an important outcome of CBT-based treatments. The relationship between posttherapeutic CBT skills usage and clinical outcomes remains under-researched—especially after internet-delivered CBT (iCBT).

Objective

Explore contemporaneous and lagged effects of posttherapeutic CBT skills usage frequency on iCBT follow-up outcomes.

Method

Nested within a randomized controlled trial, 241 participants received 8-week supported iCBT for anxiety and/or depression, completing measures of anxiety, depression, functional impairment, and CBT skills usage frequency at 3-, 6-, 9-, and 12-month follow-up. Cross-lagged panel models evaluated primary aims.

Results

While analyses support a contemporaneous relationship between anxiety, depression, functional impairment, and CBT skills usage frequency, no consistent lagged effects were observed.

Conclusion

Findings align with qualitative research but the role of CBT skills usage in the maintenance of iCBT effects remains unclear. Innovative research modeling temporal and possibly circular relationships between CBT skill usage and clinical outcomes is needed to inform iCBT optimization.

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Benzimidazole derivatives: A versatile scaffold for drug development against Helicobacter pylori‐related diseases

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Abstract

Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) is a microaerophilic gastric pathogen and a major contributor to chronic atrophic gastritis, peptic ulcer, and gastric malignancies. The increasing prevalence of H. pylori infection and its related diseases, such as gastric cancer (GC), motivates medicinal chemists to seek for more effective multi-targeting drugs to prevent and treat H. pylori-related clinical complications. Benzimidazole, a hetero-aromatic bicyclic ring compound, has claimed a prominent role in medicinal chemistry owing to its broad range of biological activities, including, anti-bacterial, anti-viral, anti-diabetic, and anti-cancer activities. Studies highlight the promising therapeutic potential of benzimidazole derivatives in the treatment of H. pylori-related clinical complications such as gastric infection, gastritis, peptic ulcer, and GC. Accordingly, we here aimed to scrutinize the role of active molecules of benzimidazole derivatives as po tential anti-bacterial, anti-urease, anti-inflammatory, anti-ulcerative, and anti-cancer agents, which are expected to find their ways to the clinical setting sooner or later. Due to the role of structural moieties in determining the biological behaviors of benzimidazole derivatives, we explored the structure-activity relationship (SAR) of these compounds to further expand the scope of design of and research on new drugs against H. pylori-related diseases.

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A novel homozygous missense mutation in the FASTKD2 gene leads to Lennox-Gastaut syndrome

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Journal of Human Genetics, Published online: 21 June 2022; doi:10.1038/s10038-022-01056-7

A novel homozygous missense mutation in the FASTKD2 gene leads to Lennox-Gastaut syndrome
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FRK inhibits glioblastoma progression via phosphorylating YAP and inducing its ubiquitylation and degradation by Siah1

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Abstract
Background
We previously report that yes-associated protein (YAP), the core downstream effector of Hippo pathway, promotes the malignant progression of glioblastoma (GBM). However, although classical regulatory mechanisms of YAP are well explored, how YAP is modulated by the Hippo-independent manner remains poorly understood. Meanwhile, the non-receptor tyrosine kinase Fyn-related kinase (FRK), which exhibits low expression and possesses tumor suppressor effects in GBM, is reported to be involved in regulation of protein phosphorylation. Here, we examined whether FRK could impede tumor progression by modulating YAP activities.
Methods
Human GBM cells and intracranial GBM model were used to assess the effects of FRK and YAP on the malignant biological behaviors of GBM. Immunoblotting and immunohistochemistry were used to detect the expression of core proteins in GBM tissues. Co-immunoprecipitation, proximity ligation assay, luci ferase assay and ubiquitination assay were utilized to determine the protein-protein interactions and related molecular mechanisms.
Results
The expression levels of FRK and YAP were inversely correlated with each other in glioma tissues. In addition, FRK promoted the ubiquitination and degradation of YAP, leading to tumor suppression in vitro and in vivo. Mechanistically, FRK interacted with and phosphorylated YAP on Tyr391/407/444, which recruited the classical E3 ubiquitin ligase Siah1 to catalyze ubiquitination and eventually degradation of YAP. Siah1 is required for YAP destabilization initiated by FRK.
Conclusions
We identify a novel mechanism by which FRK orchestrates tumor-suppression effect through phosphorylating YAP and inducing its ubiquitination by Siah1. FRK-Siah1-YAP signaling axis may serve as a potential therapeutic target for GBM treatment.
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Oct4A palmitoylation modulates tumorigenicity and stemness in human glioblastoma cells

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Abstract
Background
Glioblastoma multiforme and other solid malignancies are heterogeneous, containing subpopulations of tumor cells that exhibit stem characteristics. Oct4, also known as POU5F1, is a key transcription factor in the self-renewal, proliferation, and differentiation of stem cells. Although it has been detected in advanced gliomas, the biological function of Oct4, and transcriptional machinery maintained by the stemness of Oct4 protein-mediated glioma stem cells (GSC), has not been fully determined.
Methods
The expression of Oct4 variants was evaluated in brain-cancer cell lines, and in brain-tumor tissues, by quantitative real-time PCR, western blotting, and immunohistochemical analysis. The palmitoylation level of Oct4A was determined by the acyl-biotin exchange method, and the effects of palmitoylation Oct4A on GSCs were investigated by a series of in vitro (neuro-sphere formation assay, double immunofluorescence, pharmacological treatment, luciferase assay, and coimmunoprecipitation) and in vivo (xenograft model) experiments.
Results
Here, we report that all three variants of Oct4 are expressed in different types of cerebral cancer, while Oct4A is important for maintaining tumorigenicity in GSCs. Palmitoylation mediated by ZDHHC17 was indispensable for preserving Oct4A from lysosome degradation to maintain its protein stability. Oct4A palmitoylation also helped to integrate Sox4 and Oct4A in the SOX2 enhancement subregion to maintain the stem performance of GSCs. We also designed Oct4A palmitoylation competitive inhibitors, inhibiting the self-renewal ability and tumorigenicity of GSCs.
Conclusions
These findings indicate that Oct4A acts on the tumorigenic activity of glioblastoma, and Oct4A palmitoylation is a candidate therapeutic target.
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Combination of fluorescence visualization and iodine solution-guided surgery for local control of early tongue cancer

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The control of enclosed oral epithelial dysplasia is important for the control of oral cancer. Fluorescence visualization and iodine solution are able to detect oral epithelial dysplasia and surrounding oral cancer. The purpose of this study was to clarify the effectiveness of combining fluorescence visualization and iodine solution-guided surgery for early tongue cancer. Participants comprised 264 patients with primary early tongue cancer who underwent surgery. The surgical margin was set at 10  mm outside the clinical tumour, and 5 mm outside the area of fluorescence visualization loss, and 5mm outside the iodine unstained area. (Source: International Journal of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery)
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