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Myrtus communis is a Mediterranean shrub cultivated in Israel for traditional, ceremonial use only, with more than 98 % of the crop biomass, equivalent to 26–27 tons per ha per annum, considered agricultural waste. Therefore, potentially profitable use for this excess is being highly sought. As Myrtus is also known for its unique terpene and terpenoid content, this work evaluated the impact of essential oil (EO) extracted from several M. communis cultivars on storage insects, nematodes, fungi, and pathogens. In addition, the allelopathic effect of M. communis litter on the germination success of wheat seeds was evaluated. The EO extracts demonstrated an insecticidal effect on several storage insects in fumigation experiment and a potentially inhibiting effect on wheat development in allelopathy experiments. No significant impact of M. communis EOs on the examined fungi, pathogens, and nematodes was recorded. Additional uses of the M. communis biomass suggest supplying additional income to the farmer through the circular agriculture approach. In addition, the use of this local crop can contribute to sustainable intensification by increasing farming efficiency, providing nature-based substitutes for chemical pesticides, and possibly, improving the future design of agriculture through the integration of Myrtus in monoculture crops.

Background: Infectious mononucleosis (IM) caused by Epstein-Barr virus typically presents with fever, pharyngitis, and lymphadenopathy, and most patients recover within a few weeks. However, bilateral peritonsillar abscess is a rare but serious complication of IM that can lead to airway compromise and descending mediastinitis. Due to its rarity and similarity in clinical presentation of IM, it may be challenging to diagnose bilateral peritonsillar abscess during the course of IM. Case report: A 21-year-old healthy male who initially presented with fever, sore throat, and abdominal discomfort for ten days was diagnosed with IM based on clinical and laboratory findings. Despite initial treatment, the patient returned to the emergency department three times within one week due to persistent symptoms, and on the third visit, he had difficulty opening his mouth and had worsening odynophagia. Contrast-enhanced computed tomography revealed bilateral peritonsillar abscess, and an emergent incision of the right tonsil was performed. Bacterial culture revealed multiple oral organisms. He was diagnosed with bilateral peritonsillar abscess associated with IM and was discharged without complications. Why should an emergency physician be aware of this?: This case highlights two important clinical issues: the potential for patients with IM to develop bilateral peritonsillar abscess and the significance of trismus and exacerbation of odynophagia as a clue for identifying this complication. The rarity of this complication may result in delayed diagnosis and treatment, leading to serious complications. Prompt diagnosis and treatment are crucial for preventing potentially life-threatening consequences.

Summary: The emergence of single-cell RNA sequencing (RNA-seq) has radically changed the observation of cellular diversity. Although annotations of RNA-seq data require preserved properties among cells of an identity, annotations using conventional methods have not been able to capture universal characters of a cell type. Analysis of expression levels cannot be accurately annotated for cells because differences in transcription do not necessarily explain biological characteristics in terms of cellular functions and because the data themselves do not inform about the correct mapping between cell types and genes. Hence, in this study, we developed a new representation of cellular identities that can be compared over different datasets while preserving nontrivial biological semantics. To generalize the notion of cell types, we developed a new framework to manage cellular identities in terms of set theory. We provided further insights into cells by installing mathematical descriptions of cell biology. We also performed experiments that could correspond to practical applications in annotations of RNA-seq data.

Background: Extralobar pulmonary sequestration (EPS) is often diagnosed in neonates due to accompanying congenital anomalies. However, even in adulthood, this condition can, in rare cases, be complicated with torsion and may present with pleuritic chest pain at an emergency department in an undiagnosed state. We describe a case with torsion of ELS in a healthy adult female. Case report: A 21-year-old woman presented with acute-onset back pain and pleuritic chest pain at our emergency department and was initially diagnosed with pleurisy based on normal results of investigations. However, she revisited our department due to flare-ups of pain, and a subsequent CT scan revealed an expanding homogeneous opacity in the left lower lobe of the lung. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) confirmed the presence of an encapsulated mass with a hypointense signal on T2-weighted imaging and a feeding artery from the aorta to the mass, leading to a preoperative diagnosis of EPS with hemorrhagic infarction. Video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery was performed, and the cause of hemorrhagic infarction was found to be a torsion. The diagnosis was confirmed histologically. Why should an emergency physician be aware of this?: This case highlights the importance of recognizing torsion of EPS as an unusual cause of pleuritic chest pain and emphasizes the need for early diagnosis in order to perform surgery as soon as possible. Changes in CT findings of torsion of EPS over time can help physicians understand this rare condition. MRI may also be useful for the perioperative diagnosis.

Purpose: Wolfram syndrome is a rare genetic disorder characterized by juvenile onset of diabetes mellitus with bilateral optic atrophy. We report a case of adult onset Wolfram syndrome with diabetes mellitus at age 22 and optic atrophy after age 40. The WFS1 gene sequence was analyzed in the patient and her father. Observations: A 46-year-old woman presented with bilateral vision loss. She had developed diabetes mellitus at age 22 and underwent bilateral cataract surgery at age 37. Visual acuity was 20/50 in the right eye and 20/200 in the left eye. The pupillary light reflex was sluggish in both eyes. Fundus examination showed bilateral optic atrophy, but there was no diabetic retinopathy. Cecocentral scotoma of both eyes was observed in Goldmann perimetry. There were no intracranial lesions on magnetic resonance imaging. Audiometry demonstrated high-frequency sensorineural hearing loss. Sequence analysis of the WFS1 gene revealed compound heterozygous mutation: c.908T>C p.L303P and c.1232_1233del, p.S411Cfs*131 in the patient and heterozygous mutation c. 908 T>C, p. L303P in her father. Conclusions and importance: The patient was diagnosed with adult-onset Wolfram syndrome with compound heterozygous mutations of the WFS1 alleles. Wolfram syndrome must be ruled out even in adult-onset diabetic patients with optic atrophy.

Objective: In order to provide regenerative therapy for millions of patients suffering from corneal blindness globally, we derived corneal endothelial cell substitute (CECSi) cells from induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) to treat corneal edema due to endothelial dysfunction (bullous keratopathy). Methods and results: We developed an efficient xeno-free protocol to produce CECSi cells from both research grade (Ff-MH09s01 and Ff-I01s04) and clinical grade (QHJI01s04) iPSCs. CECSi cells formed a hexagonal confluent monolayer with Na, K-ATPase alpha 1 subunit expression (ATP1A1), tight junctions, N-cadherin adherence junction formation, and nuclear PITX2 expression, which are all characteristics of corneal endothelial cells. CECSi cells can be cryopreserved, and thawed CECSi cell suspensions also expressed N-cadherin and ATP1A1. Residual undifferentiated iPSCs in QHJI01s04-derived CECSi cells was below 0.01%. Frozen stocks of Ff-I01s04- and QHJI01s04-derived CECSi cells were transported, thawed and transplanted into a monkey corneal edema model. CECSi-transplanted eyes significantly reduced corneal edema compared to control group. Conclusion: Our results show a promising approach to provide bullous keratopathy patients with an iPS-cell-based cell therapy to recover useful vision.

Back ground: Theoretical investigations predicting the epidemic curves of seasonal influenza have been demonstrated so far; however, there is little empirical research using ever accumulated epidemic curves. The effects of vaccine coverage and information distribution on influenza epidemics were evaluated. Materials and Methods: Four indices for epidemics (i.e., onset-peak duration, onset-end duration, ratio of the onset-peak duration to onset-end duration and steepness of epidemic curves) were defined, and the correlations between these indices and anti-flu drug prescription dose, vaccine coverage, the volume of media and search trend on influenza through internet were analyzed. Epidemiological data on seasonal influenza epidemics from 2002/2003 to 2013/2014 excluding 2009/2010 season were collected from National Institute of Infectious Diseases of Japan. Results: The onset-peak duration and its ratio to onset-end duration correlated inversely with the volume of anti-flu drug prescription. Onset-peak duration correlated positively with media information volume on influenza. The steepness of the epidemic curve, and anti-flu drug prescription dose inversely correlated with the volume of media information. Pre-epidemic search trend and media volume on influenza correlated with the vaccine coverage in the season. Vaccine coverage had no strong effect on epidemic curve. Conclusion: Education through media has an effect on the epidemic curve of seasonal influenza.

Charcot-Marie-Tooth (CMT) disease is a clinically and genetically heterogeneous distal symmetric polyneuropathy. Whole-exome sequencing (WES) of 40 individuals from 37 unrelated families with CMT-like peripheral neuropathy refractory to molecular diagnosis identified apparent causal mutations in ∼45% (17/37) of families. Three candidate disease genes are proposed, supported by a combination of genetic and in vivo studies. Aggregate analysis of mutation data revealed a significantly increased number of rare variants across 58 neuropathy-associated genes in subjects versus controls, confirmed in a second ethnically discrete neuropathy cohort, suggesting that mutation burden potentially contributes to phenotypic variability. Neuropathy genes shown to have highly penetrant Mendelizing variants (HPMVs) and implicated by burden in families were shown to interact genetically in a zebrafish assay exacerbating the phenotype established by the suppression of single genes. Our findings suggest that the combinatorial effect of rare variants contributes to disease burden and variable expressivity.

Social anxiety disorder (SAD) is characterized by strong fear and anxiety during social interactions. Although ventrolateral prefrontal cortex (VLPFC) activity in response to emotional stimuli is related to pathological anxiety, little is known about the relationship between VLPFC activity and social anxiety. This study aimed to investigate whether VLPFC activity was involved in SAD and whether VLPFC activity was related to the level of social anxiety. Twenty-four drug-naïve patients with SAD and 35 healthy controls underwent near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) scanning while performing a verbal fluency task (VFT). Results indicated that, compared to the healthy controls, the SAD patients exhibited smaller changes of oxygenated hemoglobin (oxy-Hb) concentrations in the VLPFC during the VFT. Furthermore, the right VLPFC activation was negatively correlated with social avoidance. In contrast to the latter, the healthy controls exhibited a positive correlation between changes of oxy-Hb concentrations in the bilateral VLPFC and social fear. Our findings provide evidence for VLPFC dysfunction in SAD, and indicate that the VLPFC dysfunction may contribute to the difference between normal and abnormal social anxiety.

Eosinophils are the key effector cells for allergic inflammation. In order to clarify drugs which can regulate eosinophil function, we investigated the direct effect of pemirolast potassium (anti-allergic drug) and FK506 (immunosupressant) on eosinophil degranulation and cytokine production. Eosinophil degranulation induced by granulocyte-macrophage colony stimulating factor and/or platelet activating factor was inhibited from 10-4 to 10-6 mol/L pemirolast (inhibitory effect 66 and 33%, respectively) and 10-8 mol/L FK506 (inhibitory effect 45%). Pemirolast and FK506 also inhibit interleukin (IL)-8 production by eosinophil. Our data suggest that both pemirolast potassium and FK506 possess direct regulatory effects on human eosinophils and a potential to suppress allergic inflammation.