CD16 illustrates a mechanism for regulating PIG reanchoring in which a single amino acid substitution near or at the predicted site of PIG anchor attachment plays the most critical role.
Fußball könnte eine Arena für queere Vielfalt werden, welche die errungene gesellschaftliche Akzeptanz von LSBTIQ* widerspiegelt. Sein öffentlicher Stellenwert prädestiniert ihn dafür. Der ...vorliegende Sammelband möchte dazu beitragen, die Akzeptanz für sexuelle und geschlechtliche Diversität zu verbessern. Die wissenschaftlichen Beiträge diskutieren aus unterschiedlichen Perspektiven Schritte zu ihrer nachhaltigen Verwirklichung.
Systemic juvenile idiopathic arthritis (sJIA) is a complex disease with dysregulation of the innate immune system driven by cytokines. A major role is ascribed to interleukin-1β (IL-1β), supporting ...the autoinflammatory character of the disease and offering an effective blocking mechanism for treatment. Here we present clinical practice data from the German AID-registry for patients treated with IL-1 inhibition (IL-1i).
In 2009 a clinical and research consortium (AID-Net) was established, including an online AID-registry. Patients with documented sJIA diagnosis were identified. Data for this retrospective IL-1i study were recorded by 17 centers. Response to treatment was evaluated according to Wallace criteria and additionally by an own classifying clinical response system.
In 6 years, 202 patients with confirmed sJIA were recorded in the AID-registry. Out of these, 111 children received therapy with Anakinra (ANA) (n = 84, 39 f) and/or Canakinumab (CANA) (n = 27, 15 f) at a median age of 8.7 y (range 0.6-19.1). During the first 12 months 75/111 (ANA 55, CANA 20) patients were evaluated according to Wallace criteria (achievement of inactive disease 28/55 and 17/20, remission over 6 months under medication 13/55 and 7/20 cases). Over the whole period of time, clinical response was preserved in the majority of patients (ANA 54/80, CANA 20/27). Arthritis mostly persisted in polyarticular (PA) courses. During treatment with IL-1i concomitant medication could be tapered in about 15%. IL-1i was discontinued in 59/111 patients. 45 (15) adverse events (AE)s in ANA (CANA) treated patients (19.7 (26.6) AE/100 ANA (CANA) exposure years, 95%CI: 14.4-26.4 (14.9-43.9)) were reported.
In a large cohort of sJIA patients from Germany, we can confirm an overall favorable clinical response to both available IL-1 blocking agents. IL-1i was well tolerated with acceptable safety and effectiveness in a real-life clinical setting.
Glutathione is the major antioxidant in the extracellular lining fluid of the lungs and depleted in patients with cystic fibrosis (CF).
We aimed to assess glutathione delivered by inhalation as a ...potential treatment for CF lung disease.
This randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial evaluated inhaled glutathione in subjects with CF 8 years of age and older and FEV1 of 40-90% of predicted. Subjects were randomized to receive 646 mg glutathione in 4 ml (n = 73) or placebo (n = 80) via an investigational eFlow nebulizer every 12 hours for 6 months.
FEV1 (absolute values), both as pre-post differences (P = 0.180) and as area under the curves (P = 0.205), were the primary efficacy endpoints, and were not different between the glutathione group and the placebo group over the 6-month treatment period. Exploratory analysis showed an increase of FEV1 from baseline over placebo of 100 ml or 2.2% predicted; this was significant at 3 months, but not later. Subjects receiving glutathione had neither fewer pulmonary exacerbations, nor better scores for quality of life. Whereas increased glutathione and metabolites in sputum demonstrated significant delivery to the lungs, there was no indication of diminished oxidative stress to proteins or lipids, and no evidence for anti-inflammatory or antiproteolytic actions of glutathione supplemented to the airways. The adverse event incidence was similar between glutathione and placebo.
Inhaled glutathione in the dose administered did not demonstrate clinically relevant improvements in lung function, pulmonary exacerbation frequency, or patient-reported outcomes. Glutathione delivery to the airways was not associated with changes in markers of oxidation, proteolysis, or inflammation. Clinical trial registered with www.clinicaltrials.gov (NCT00506688) and https://eudract.ema.europa.eu/index.html (EudraCT 2005-003870-88).
Abstract
ProteomicsDB (https://www.ProteomicsDB.org) is a protein-centric in-memory database for the exploration of large collections of quantitative mass spectrometry-based proteomics data. ...ProteomicsDB was first released in 2014 to enable the interactive exploration of the first draft of the human proteome. To date, it contains quantitative data from 78 projects totalling over 19k LC-MS/MS experiments. A standardized analysis pipeline enables comparisons between multiple datasets to facilitate the exploration of protein expression across hundreds of tissues, body fluids and cell lines. We recently extended the data model to enable the storage and integrated visualization of other quantitative omics data. This includes transcriptomics data from e.g. NCBI GEO, protein-protein interaction information from STRING, functional annotations from KEGG, drug-sensitivity/selectivity data from several public sources and reference mass spectra from the ProteomeTools project. The extended functionality transforms ProteomicsDB into a multi-purpose resource connecting quantification and meta-data for each protein. The rich user interface helps researchers to navigate all data sources in either a protein-centric or multi-protein-centric manner. Several options are available to download data manually, while our application programming interface enables accessing quantitative data systematically.
Systemic juvenile idiopathic arthritis (SJIA) is an autoinflammatory disease associated with chronic arthritis. Early diagnosis and effective therapy of SJIA is desirable, so that complications are ...avoided. The PRO-KIND initiative of the German Society for Pediatric Rheumatology (GKJR) aims to define consensus-based strategies to harmonize diagnostic and therapeutic approaches in Germany.
We analyzed data on patients diagnosed with SJIA from 3 national registries in Germany. Subsequently, via online surveys and teleconferences among pediatric rheumatologists with a special expertise in the treatment of SJIA, we identified current diagnostic and treatment approaches in Germany. Those were harmonized via the formulation of statements and, supported by findings from a literature search. Finally, an in-person consensus conference using nominal group technique was held to further modify and consent the statements.
Up to 50% of patients diagnosed with SJIA in Germany do not fulfill the International League of Associations for Rheumatology (ILAR) classification criteria, mostly due to the absence of chronic arthritis. Our findings suggest that chronic arthritis is not obligatory for the diagnosis and treatment of SJIA, allowing a diagnosis of probable SJIA. Malignant, infectious and hereditary autoinflammatory diseases should be considered before rendering a diagnosis of probable SJIA. There is substantial variability in the initial treatment of SJIA. Based on registry data, most patients initially receive systemic glucocorticoids, however, increasingly substituted or accompanied by biological agents, i.e. interleukin (IL)-1 and IL-6 blockade (up to 27.2% of patients). We identified preferred initial therapies for probable and definitive SJIA, including step-up patterns and treatment targets for the short-term (resolution of fever, decrease in C-reactive protein by 50% within 7 days), the mid-term (improvement in physician global and active joint count by at least 50% or a JADAS-10 score of maximally 5.4 within 4 weeks) and the long-term (glucocorticoid-free clinically inactive disease within 6 to 12 months), and an explicit treat-to-target strategy.
We developed consensus-based strategies regarding the diagnosis and treatment of probable or definitive SJIA in Germany.
Abstract
ProteomicsDB (https://www.ProteomicsDB.org) is a multi-omics and multi-organism resource for life science research. In this update, we present our efforts to continuously develop and expand ...ProteomicsDB. The major focus over the last two years was improving the findability, accessibility, interoperability and reusability (FAIR) of the data as well as its implementation. For this purpose, we release a new application programming interface (API) that provides systematic access to essentially all data in ProteomicsDB. Second, we release a new open-source user interface (UI) and show the advantages the scientific community gains from such software. With the new interface, two new visualizations of protein primary, secondary and tertiary structure as well an updated spectrum viewer were added. Furthermore, we integrated ProteomicsDB with our deep-neural-network Prosit that can predict the fragmentation characteristics and retention time of peptides. The result is an automatic processing pipeline that can be used to reevaluate database search engine results stored in ProteomicsDB. In addition, we extended the data content with experiments investigating different human biology as well as a newly supported organism.
Abstract
ProteomicsDB (https://www.ProteomicsDB.org) started as a protein-centric in-memory database for the exploration of large collections of quantitative mass spectrometry-based proteomics data. ...The data types and contents grew over time to include RNA-Seq expression data, drug-target interactions and cell line viability data. In this manuscript, we summarize new developments since the previous update that was published in Nucleic Acids Research in 2017. Over the past two years, we have enriched the data content by additional datasets and extended the platform to support protein turnover data. Another important new addition is that ProteomicsDB now supports the storage and visualization of data collected from other organisms, exemplified by Arabidopsis thaliana. Due to the generic design of ProteomicsDB, all analytical features available for the original human resource seamlessly transfer to other organisms. Furthermore, we introduce a new service in ProteomicsDB which allows users to upload their own expression datasets and analyze them alongside with data stored in ProteomicsDB. Initially, users will be able to make use of this feature in the interactive heat map functionality as well as the drug sensitivity prediction, but ultimately will be able to use all analytical features of ProteomicsDB in this way.
The diagnosis of eosinophilic esophagitis (EoE) and differentiation from gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) is potentially challenging and is based upon clinical signs and endoscopic and ...histological features. In order to alert the endoscopist to consider EoE in patients with esophageal symptoms before performing esophagogastroduodenoscopy, we aimed to identify a set of clinical and laboratory markers for predicting EoE.
The study included 43 patients with either EoE (n = 23) or GERD (n = 20). The diagnosis of EoE was based on International Consensus Criteria. Age, gender, weight loss, history of atopy, dysphagia, history of food impaction, proton pump inhibitor (PPI) refractory heartburn, odynophagia, peripheral eosinophilia, and serum IgE were analyzed. Each symptom or sign was classified as '0' (absent, normal) or '1' (present, elevated), individually analyzed and statistically evaluated among the two groups of patients. Logistic regression analysis was carried out to identify a clinically applicable marker constellation to differentiate EoE from GERD.
Univariate analysis identified 6 out of the 10 variables to be significant between both groups. A stepwise procedure of logistic regression led to a model in which 3 out of the initial 10 items were found to be relevant for differentiating GERD and EoE. Derived from this model, an optimal differentiation was achieved by using the following simplified equation: peripheral eosinophilia + history of food impaction + PPI refractory heartburn leading to a maximal value of 3 (1 + 1 + 1). Based on a cut-off value of ≥2, sensitivity and specificity for diagnosing EoE were 91 and 100%, respectively.
A defined set of markers including two clinical features and one laboratory parameter is highly predictive of EoE and thus allows physicians to distinguish EoE from GERD even before upper gastrointestinal endoscopy is performed.
is one of the most isolated pathogens from the airways of cystic fibrosis (CF) patients. There is a lack of information about the clonal nature of
cultured from CF patients and their impact on ...disease. We hypothesized that patients would differ in their clinical status depending on
clonal carriage profiles during persistence.
During a 21-months prospective observational multicenter study (Junge et al., 2016), 3893
isolates (nose, oropharynx, and sputa) were cultured from 183 CF patients (16 German centers, 1 Austrian center) and subjected to
-sequence typing to assess clonality. Data were associated to lung function, age, gender, and antibiotic treatment by multivariate regression analysis.
Two hundred and sixty-five different
-types were determined with eight prevalent
-types (isolated from more than 10 patients): t084, t091, t008, t015, t002 t012, t364, and t056. We observed different carriage profiles of
-types during the study period: patients being positive with a prevalent
-type, only one, a dominant or related
-type/s. Patients with more antibiotic cycles were more likely to be positive for only one
-type (
= 0.005), while older patients were more likely to have related (
= 0.006), or dominant
-types (
= 0.026). Two percent of isolates were identified as methicillin-resistant
(MRSA) and evidence of transmission of clones within centers was low.
There was a significant association of antibiotic therapy and age on
carriage profiles in CF patients indicating that antibiotic therapy prevents acquisition of new clones, while during aging of patients with persisting
, dominant clones were selected and mutations in the
repeat region accumulated.