Global warming and land-use change are expected to be additive threats to global diversity, to which insects contribute the highest proportion. Insects are strongly influenced by temperature but also ...require specific habitat resources, and thus interaction between the two factors is likely. We selected saproxylic beetles as a model group because their life cycle depends on dead wood, which is highly threatened by land use. We tested the extent to which higher temperatures compensate for the negative effects of low amounts of dead wood on saproxylic beetle species richness (Temperature–Dead wood compensation hypothesis) on both a macroclimate and a topoclimate scale (north- and south-facing slopes). We analyzed 1404 flight-interception trap catches across Europe to test for interaction effects of temperature and dead-wood amount on species richness. To experimentally test our findings from the activity trap data, we additionally reared beetles from 80 bundles of dead wood initially exposed at high and low elevations. At the topoclimate scale, we analyzed trap catches and reared beetles from dead wood exposed in 20 forest stands on south-facing and north-facing slopes in one region. On the macroscale, both temperature and dead-wood amount positively affected total and threatened species richness independently, but their interaction was significantly negative, indicating compensation. On both scales and irrespective of the method, species richness decreased with temperature decline. Our observation that increasing temperature compensates for lower amounts of dead wood has two important implications. First, managers of production forests should adapt their dead-wood enrichment strategy to site-specific temperature conditions. Second, an increase in temperature will compensate at least partially for poor habitat conditions in production forests. Such a perspective contrasts the general assumption of reinforcing impacts of global warming and habitat loss on biodiversity, but it is corroborated by recent range expansions of threatened beetle species.
Detection of disease-related biomarkers in plasma provides a possibility for early clinical diagnosis. However, highly abundant proteins in plasma, such as human immunoglobulin (hIgG) are a main ...impediment to biomarker discovery and analysis. Therefore, rapid and easy depletion of hIgG in the plasma is beneficial for biomarker discovery. In this work, citrate-capped gold nanoparticles (GNPs) were synthesized and conjugated with cysteine-tagged recombinant Protein A (rProtA) and Protein G (ProtG), respectively. The resultant protein-GNP bioconjugates were thoroughly characterized by surface plasmon resonance spectroscopy, hydrodynamic light scattering (DLS), electrophoretic light scattering (ELS) and rotary metal shadowing transmission electron microscopy (TEM) measurements. In order to quantitatively control the amount of the rProt A and ProtG on the GNP surface, binding studies and isotherm measurements have been performed. rProtA-GNP conjugate exhibited better binding capacities towards hIgG. Its surface coverage with rProtA molecules was determined by protein quantification after hydrolysis of the rProtA-GNP conjugate, GNP removal and subsequent amino acid assay by HPLC with fluorescence detection. Binding isotherms acquired with hIgG revealed their maximal capacity for depletion experiments. Depletion efficiency of around 90% could be achieved in a standard solution. With optimized amount of rProtA-GNP and ProtG-GNP, respectively, hIgG could be efficiently extracted from real samples (human plasma and hIgG-spiked cell culture supernatant). A benchmarking study with ProteinA-modified magnetic particles (Dynabeads) was performed as well. The results document that these rProtA-GNP and ProtG-GNP affinity nanoparticles could be a promising alternative to magnetic bead based immunoaffinity trapping and constitutes a flexible platform for both depletion of hIgG from human plasma and antibody affinity capture from cell culture supernatants in process control of biopharmaceuticals by simple solution handling (via pipetting) and centrifugation steps.
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Precision oncology is a field of personalized medicine in which tumor biology forms the basis for tailored treatments. The preferred approach currently applied in clinical practice is based on the ...concept of malignant tumors as genetic diseases that are caused by mutations in oncogenes and tumor suppressors. On the one hand, these can be targeted by molecular drugs, while on the other hand, next-generation sequencing allows for comprehensive analysis of all relevant aberrations, thus enabling the matching of appropriate treatments across entities based on molecular information. Rational molecular therapies are developed and annotated with supporting evidence by molecular tumor boards, which have been established at various academic centers in recent years. Advancing precision oncology to a new standard of care requires improved applicability of personalized molecular therapies and thorough scientific evaluation of precision oncology programs.
The protist cultural renaissance del Campo, Javier; Carlos-Oliveira, Maria; Čepička, Ivan ...
Trends in microbiology (Regular ed.),
02/2024, Letnik:
32, Številka:
2
Journal Article
Recenzirano
Protists are key players in the biosphere. Here, we provide a perspective on integrating protist culturing with omics approaches, imaging, and high-throughput single-cell manipulation strategies, ...concluding with actions required for a successful return of the golden age of protist culturing.
Protists are key players in the biosphere. Here, we provide a perspective on integrating protist culturing with omics approaches, imaging, and high-throughput single-cell manipulation strategies, concluding with actions required for a successful return of the golden age of protist culturing.
Summary
The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic is currently a challenge worldwide. In Austria, a crisis within the healthcare system has so far been prevented. The treatment of patients ...with community-acquired pneumonia (CAP), including SARS-CoV‑2 infections, should continue to be based on evidence-based CAP guidelines during the pandemic; however, COVID-19 specific adjustments are useful. The treatment of patients with chronic lung diseases has to be adapted during the pandemic but must still be guaranteed.
In 2008 the Austrian Task Force for Neuromyelitis Optica (NMO) started a nation-wide network for information exchange and multi-centre collaboration. Their aim was to detect all patients with NMO or ...NMO spectrum disorders (NMO-SD) in Austria and to analyse their disease courses and response to treatment.
(1) As of March 2008, 1957 serum samples (of 1557 patients) have been tested with an established cell based immunofluorescence aquaporin-4 antibody (AQP4-ab) assay with a high sensitivity and specificity (both >95%). All tests were performed in a single reference laboratory (Clinical Dept. of Neurology of the Innsbruck Medical University). (2) A nation-wide survey with several calls for participation (via email newsletters, articles in the official journal of the Austrian Society of Neurology, and workshops) was initiated in 2008. All collected data will be presented in a way that allows that every individual patient can be traced back in order to ensure transparency and to avoid any data distortion in future meta-analyses. The careful and detailed presentation allows the visualization and comparison of the different disease courses in real time span. Failure and response to treatment are made visible at one glance. Database closure was 31 December 2011. All co-operators were offered co-authorship.
All 71 NMO- or NMO-SD patients with AQP4-ab positivity (age range 12.3 to 79.6 years) were analysed in detail. Sex ratio (m:f = 1:7) and the proportion of patients without oligoclonal bands in cerebrospinal fluid (86.6%) were in line with previously published results. All identified patients were Caucasians.
A nationwide collaboration amongst Austrian neurologists with good network communications made it possible to establish a database of 71 AQP4-ab positive patients with NMO/NMO-SD. This database is presented in detail and provides the basis for further studies and international cooperation in order to investigate this rare disease.
Celotno besedilo
Dostopno za:
DOBA, IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, SIK, UILJ, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK
Summary
The Austrian Society of Pneumology (ASP) launched a first statement on severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection in May 2020, at a time when in Austria 285 people ...had died from this disease and vaccinations were not available. Lockdown and social distancing were the only available measures to prevent more infections and the breakdown of the health system. Meanwhile, in Austria over 13,000 patients have died in association with a SARS-CoV‑2 infection and coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) was among the most common causes of death; however, SARS-CoV‑2 has been mutating all the time and currently, most patients have been affected by the delta variant where the vaccination is very effective but the omicron variant is rapidly rising and becoming predominant. Particularly in children and young adults, where the vaccination rate is low, the omicron variant is expected to spread very fast. This poses a particular threat to unvaccinated people who are at elevated risk of severe COVID-19 disease but also to people with an active vaccination. There are few publications that comprehensively addressed the special issues with SARS-CoV‑2 infection in patients with chronic lung diseases. These were the reasons for this updated statement. Pulmonologists care for many patients with an elevated risk of death in case of COVID-19 but also for patients that might be at an elevated risk of vaccination reactions or vaccination failure. In addition, lung function tests, bronchoscopy, respiratory physiotherapy and training therapy may put both patients and health professionals at an increased risk of infection. The working circles of the ASP have provided statements concerning these risks and how to avoid risks for the patients.
Previously, we have constructed recombinant derivatives of the major birch pollen allergen, Bet v 1, with a more than 100-fold reduced ability to induce IgE-mediated allergic reactions. These ...derivatives differed from each other because the two recombinant Bet v 1 fragments represented unfolded molecules whereas the recombinant trimer resembled most of the structural fold of the Bet v 1 allergen. In this study, we analyzed the Ab (IgE, IgG subclass, IgA, IgM) response to Bet v 1, recombinant and synthetic Bet v 1-derived peptides in birch pollen allergic patients who had been vaccinated with the derivatives or adjuvant alone. Furthermore, we studied the induction of IgE-mediated skin responses in these patients using Bet v 1 and Bet v 1 fragments. Both types of vaccines induced a comparable IgG1 and IgG4 response against new sequential epitopes which overlap with the conformational IgE epitopes of Bet v 1. This response was 4- to 5-fold higher than that induced by immunotherapy with birch pollen extract. Trimer more than fragments induced also IgE responses against new epitopes and a transient increase in skin sensitivity to the fragments at the beginning of therapy. However, skin reactions to Bet v 1 tended to decrease one year after treatment in both actively treated groups. We demonstrate that vaccination with folded and unfolded recombinant allergen derivatives induces IgG Abs against new epitopes. These data may be important for the development of therapeutic as well as prophylactic vaccines based on recombinant allergens.
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