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The complex influence of ferrous ions on the efficiency of aqueous photocatalytic oxidation (PCO) of 2-ethoxyethanol (2-EE) was examined. A drastic efficiency increase at lower concentrations of ferrous ions was observed to change to a sharp decrease at higher concentrations. An explanation was proposed for the observed phenomena based on the low sensitivity of the pollutant towards radical-oxidation reactions and the competitive adsorption of metallic ions and 2-EE on the TiO2 surface.

Experimental research of photocatalytical oxidation (PCO) of aqueous solutions of de-icing agents (ethylene glycol and ethylene glycol monoethyl ether) and methyl tert-butyl ether (MTBE) was undertaken. These chemicals are water-soluble components of jet and motor fuels accidentally disposed to the environment. Titanium dioxide (Degussa P25) under near-UV irradiation was selected as a photocatalyst. A slightly acidic medium was preferable for the process efficiency for MTBE, whereas a neutral medium was beneficial for de-icing agents and jet fuel aqueous extracts. TiO2 suspension fractional composition was found to be dependent on pH and the presence of organic admixtures: the minimum size of TiO2 particles at their maximum uniformity was established in an acidic medium, where the efficiency of PCO of de-icing agents was the poorest. On the other hand, neutral and slightly acidic media, beneficial for PCO efficiency, were favourable for particle agglomeration, which indicates a minimal role for photocatalyst particle size in PCO efficiency. PCO efficiency increased with increasing MTBE and icing inhibitor concentration. The biodegradability of aqueous solutions of oxygenated additives increased as PCO proceeded. The influence of mineral additives—sulphate, calcium, ferric and manganese ions—on the process efficiency was found to be complex. Special attention was paid to energy-saving PCO with a photocatalyst attached to buoyant glass micro-spheres and reduced intensity of stirring of the slurry.

An experimental research into aqueous photocatalytic oxidation (PCO) of the deicing compounds, 2-ethoxyethanol (2-EE), diethylene glycol monomethyl ether (DEGMME), and ethylene glycol (EG) was undertaken. The addition of iron ions to the acidic aqueous solutions to be treated displayed complex influence on the oxidation efficiency of the above mentioned substances, resulting in a sharp increase of the PCO efficiency at smaller concentrations of iron ions followed by a drastic decrease with the increasing iron ion concentrations. The phenomena observed can be explained by the electron scavenging effect of the iron ions and the competitive adsorption of iron ions and the oxidized substances on titanium dioxide surface. The carbonic acids determined as the PCO by-products allow outlining some reaction pathways for the substances under consideration.

Abstract The cultivation of grapevines has spanned millennia, leading to thousands of varieties through exchanges, mutations, and crosses between genotypes, as well probably as gene flow from wild populations. These varieties are typically categorized by regional origin and primary use, either for wine production or fruit consumption. France, within the Western European group, hosts many of the world’s renowned wine grape varieties. However, the historical development of cultivated grapevines in France and in the world remains poorly understood. This study applies morphometry on 19,377 charred and waterlogged archaeological grape pips to investigate the evolutionary history of grapevine in France over the last 10,000 years. The study compares seed outlines and lengths, corrected for taphonomic distortions, with a reference collection of 80 wild and 466 modern domestic grapevine accessions. Findings reveal a shift from wild grapevine exploitation to the expansion of domestic varieties around 600–500 BCE, coinciding with Mediterranean cultural influences and the introduction of eastern grape types. The identification of the East-Table group, a group of varieties of eastern origin for fruit consumption, indicates that grapes were also grown for food, especially in Mediterranean regions and near urban areas, alongside wine production. Early French viticulture featured a notable presence of Western European wine-type grapevines. The abundance of pips with wild-like morphology suggests early cultivation involved plants at an initial domestication stage and gene flow between introduced and wild grapevines. As viticulture spread northward, wild and Eastern morphotypes declined, leading to the dominance of Western European wine types in inner France during the Middle Ages.

Articular cartilage defects at the knee joint are being identified and treated with increasing frequency. Chondrocytes may have strongest potential to generate high-quality repair tissue within the defective region, in particular when large diameter defects are present. Autologous chondrocyte implantation is not available in every country. We present a case where we spontaneously covered an acute cartilage defect, which was significantly larger than expected and loose during initial arthroscopic inspection after reading preoperative MRI, by mincing the separated fragment and directly implanting the autologous cartilage chips into the defective region.

RESUMO: O objetivo deste trabalho foi verificar a presença de Brucella abortus e as lesões causadas por esse agente nos anexos fetais e nos fetos de búfalas. Para isso, 20 búfalas em diversos meses de gestação, sorologicamente positivas para brucelose, foram submetidas ao abate sanitário. A idade fetal foi determinada através de exames ultrassonográficos associados à mensuração dos fetos durante a necropsia. Do útero fechado desses animais foram coletadas amostras para histopatologia e qPCR. A partir do segundo mês de gestação foi possível detectar a presença de DNA de B. abortus em líquido amniótico, líquido alantoide e em útero e, a partir do quinto mês, na placenta, coração, baço, rim, pulmão, intestino, fígado e linfonodos dos fetos. Os principais achados anatomopatológicos foram placentite fibrinopurulenta necrótica e endometrite supurativa crônica.

A recent (November 2010) outbreak of infectious laryngotracheitis (ILT) in a multi-age laying hen facility in Minas Gerais state, Brazil, is described. Previous ILT outbreak in laying hens was only notified in São Paulo state, Brazil, in 2002. In the outbreak described here, the affected population was approximately eight million hens, with flock sizes ranging from 100,000 to 2,900,000 chickens. The average mortality ranged from 1 to 6%, and morbidity was around 90% (most of the twenty seven farms of the area were positive for ILT virus). Three multi-age laying farms from one company were selected for this report. Clinical signs included prostration, dyspnea, conjunctivitis, occasional swelling of the paranasal sinuses and bloody mucous nasal discharge. Severely affected chickens presented with dyspnea, gasping and became cyanotic before death. At necropsy, these chickens had fibrinous exudate blocking the larynx and the lumen of cranial part of the trachea. In addition, conjunctivitis with intense hyperemia, edema and sinuses with caseous exudate were present. On histopathology, there were marked necrosis and desquamation of respiratory ephitelium and conjunctiva with numerous syncytial cells formation and fibrinous exudate. Moderate to marked non suppurative (especially lymphocytes and plasma cells) infiltration in the lamina propria also was observed. Sixteen out of 20 examined chickens, eosinophilic intranuclear inclusion bodies were observed in the syncytial cells. The DNA extracted from larynx and trachea produced positive PCR results for ILT virus (ILTV) DNA using formalin-fixed, paraffin embedded (FFPE) samples. Amplicons from a small region of ICP4 gene were submitted to sequencing and showed 100% identity with ILTV EU104910.1 (USA strain), 99% with ILTV JN596963.1 (Australian strain) and 91% with ILTV JN580316.1 (Gallid herpesvirus 1 CEO vaccine strain) and JN580315.1 (Gallid herpesvirus 1 TCO vaccine strain).

Seasonal dynamics of bacterial composition and functions were demonstrated for the biological fluidized-bed bioreactors combined in the anoxic/aerobic1/aerobic2 (AOO) coking wastewater (CWW) treatment sequences. The bacterial composition and functions in the CWW activated sludge samples were revealed by 16S rRNA genes amplicon sequencing. Thiobacillus, Cloacibacterium, Alkaliphilus and Pseudomonas were determined as core genera with seasonal changes. Mutable microbial community composition fluctuated in different seasons in same bioreactor. Distributions of predicted KEGG pathways along four seasons consistently demonstrated enrichment in biodegradation of carbon- and nitrogen-containing compounds. The major contaminants were removed from CWW by biochemical pathway of xenobiotics biodegradation and metabolism. This Level 2 pathway mainly owned the Level 3 pathways of benzoate degradation, drug metabolism-other enzymes, drug metabolism-cytochrome P450, metabolism of xenobiotics by cytochrome P450, and aminobenzoate degradation. The RDA results showed that dissolved oxygen with seasonal fluctuation was the main parameter shaping the microbial community. The observed dynamics within the microbial community composition, coupled with the maintained stability of CWW treatment efficiencies and a consistent profile of microbial functional pathways, underscore the presence of functional redundancy in the AOO bioreactors. The study underscored stable and effective operational performances of bioreactors in the AOO sequences, contributing the knowledge of microbiological basics to the advancement of CWW biological treatment. KEY POINTS: • Seasonal fluctuations of bacterial composition described for the AOO system. • Seasonal distributions of metabolic functions focused on carbon and nitrogen removal. • Functional redundancy was revealed in the AOO microbial community., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Background: There are a variety of possible contraceptives available. While medical advice is an important resource for selecting the individual contraceptive, previous research has shown that the Internet has become an increasingly important source of health care information., Objectives: This study aims to identify key trends in contraception-related web searches in Germany and thus allows conclusions about preferences and unmet needs with regard to pregnancy prevention., Design: Longitudinal retrospective study., Methods: Google Ads Keyword Planner was used to identify contraception-related keywords and their search volume in Germany and all federal states between 2018 and 2021. The keywords were categorized based on gender, hormonal/non-hormonal, and different contraceptive methods. Search volume and categories were analyzed for temporal trends, regional differences, and underlying socioeconomic variables., Results: The 1481 contraception-related keywords corresponded to 15,081,760 searches. In total, a 56% increase in searches/100,000 inhabitants was observed. Highest mean search volume was observed in categories "woman," "woman/non-hormonal" and "woman/non-hormonal/barrier," respectively, and in the federal state Hamburg, while the lowest was seen in North Rhine-Westphalia., Conclusion: The increase in search volume reflects a high interest in contraception, particularly in non-hormonal female methods. This stands in contrast to the limited number of effective non-hormonal contraceptives available and points to an unmet need. In addition, the low search volume for male contraceptives demonstrates gender-specific responsibilities regarding family planning in German society.

Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) is an aggressive breast cancer subtype with poor patient prognosis and limited therapeutic options. A lack of prognostic biomarkers and therapeutic targets fuels the need for new approaches to tackle this severe disease. Extracellular matrix degradation, release, and modulation of the activity of growth factors/cytokines/chemokines, and the initiation of signaling pathways by extracellular proteolytic networks, have been identified as major processes in the carcinogenesis of breast cancer. Members of the kallikrein-related peptidase (KLK) family contribute to these tumor-relevant processes, and are associated with breast cancer progression and metastasis. In this study, the clinical relevance of mRNA expression of two members of this family, KLK10 and KLK11, has been evaluated in TNBC. For this, their expression levels were quantified in tumor tissue of a large, well-characterized patient cohort ( n = 123) via qPCR. Although, in general, the overall expression of both factors are lower in tumor tissue of breast cancer patients (encompassing all subtypes) compared to normal tissue of healthy donors, in the TNBC subtype, expression is even increased. In our cohort, a significant, positive correlation between the expression levels of both KLKs was detected, indicating a coordinate expression mode of these proteases. Elevated KLK10 and KLK11 mRNA levels were associated with poor patient prognosis. Moreover, both factors were found to be independent of other established clinical factors such as age, lymph node status, or residual tumor mass, as determined by multivariable Cox regression analysis. Thus, both proteases, KLK10 and KLK11, may represent unfavorable prognostic factors for TNBC patients and, furthermore, appear as promising potential targets for therapy in TNBC.

Introduction: The pathogenesis of atopic diseases is highly complex, and the exact mechanisms leading to atopic dermatitis (AD) onset in infants remain mostly enigmatic. In addition to an interdependent network of components of skin development in young age and skin barrier dysfunction underlying AD development that is only partially understood, a complex interplay between environmental factors and lifestyle habits with skin barrier and immune dysregulation is suspected to contribute to AD onset. This study aims to comprehensively evaluate individual microbiome and immune responses in the context of environmental determinants related the risk of developing AD in the first 4 years of a child's life., Methods and Analyses: The 'Munich Atopic Prediction Study' is a comprehensive clinical and biological investigation of a prospective birth cohort from Munich, Germany. Information on pregnancy, child development, environmental factors, parental exposures to potential allergens and acute or chronic diseases of children and parents are collected by questionnaires together with a meticulous clinical examination by trained dermatologists focusing on allergies, skin health, and in particular signs of AD at 2 months after birth and then every 6 months. In addition, skin barrier functions are assessed through cutometry, corneometry and transepidermal water loss at every visit. These measurements are completed with allergy diagnostics and extensive microbiome analyses from stool and skin swabs as well as transcriptome analyses using skin microbiopsies.The aim is to assess the relevance of different known and yet unknown risk factors of AD onset and exacerbations in infants and to identify possible accessible and robust biomarkers., Ethics and Dissemination: The study is approved by the Ethical Committee of the Medical Faculty of the Technical University of Munich (reference 334/16S). All relevant study results will be presented at national and international conferences and in peer-reviewed journals., Competing Interests: Competing interests: TB gave advice to or received an honorarium for talks or research grants from the following companies: ALK-Abelló, Janssen, Meda, Novartis, Phadia Thermo Fisher, Sanofi and Celgene. AZ gave advice to or received an honorarium for talks or research grants from the following companies: ALK-Abelló, Janssen, Novartis, Phadia Thermo Fisher, Sanofi and Leo Pharma. BK gave advise and received an honorarium for talks from ITF-company. LT received an honorarium for talks on research grants from the following companies: Janssen, Novartis and Beiersdorf Dermo Medical., (© Author(s) (or their employer(s)) 2022. Re-use permitted under CC BY-NC. No commercial re-use. See rights and permissions. Published by BMJ.)

Competing Interests: Tilo Biedermann gave advice to or received an honorarium for talks or research grants from the following companies: Alk-Abelló, Celgene-BMS, Galderma, GlaxoSmithKline, Leo Pharma, Lilly Deutschland GmbH, Mylan, Novartis, Phadia-Thermo Fisher, Sanofi-Genzyme, Regeneron, and Viatris. T. Volz gave advice to or received an honorarium for talks or research grants from Abbvie, Allmiral, La Roche Posay, Hipp, and Novartis. S. Preis received an honorarium for talks from Janssen.

Competing Interests: None disclosed.

Objectives: The purpose of the prospective clinical and pharmacoeconomic outcomes study of different first-line antiretroviral treatment strategies (PROPHET) was to examine the healthcare costs of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-infected persons in Germany treated with different antiretroviral therapy (ART) strategies and to identify variables associated with high costs., Methods: The setting was a 24-month prospective multicenter observational cohort study in a German HIV-specialized care setting from 2014 to 2017. A microcosting approach was used for the estimation of healthcare costs. Data were obtained via electronic case report forms. The costs were calculated from both the societal and the statutory health insurance perspective. Regression models were performed that took into consideration the impact of several independent variables., Results: Four hundred thirty-four patients from 24 centers throughout Germany were included. Average annual healthcare costs were €20 118 (standard deviation [SD] €6451) per patient from the societal perspective (n = 336) and €17 306 (SD €4106) from the statutory health insurance perspective (n = 292). Expenditures for the ART medication had the highest impact. Total costs declined in the second year of therapy. There was a significant association between the amount of total cost and clinical or therapeutic variables from both perspectives; a diagnosis of acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) led to higher costs as well as the chosen ART strategy. Age also increased cost from the statutory health insurance perspective., Conclusions: The main cost driver of the healthcare costs for HIV-positive patients was antiretroviral drug expenses. Further variables that influenced the costs were identified. The results provide a detailed overview of the resource use of patients in the PROPHET cohort., (Copyright © 2020 ISPOR–The Professional Society for Health Economics and Outcomes Research. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Herein, the potential of bimetallic MOFs in catalytic ozonation was investigated for the first time. Three novel ozonation catalysts, i.e. cobalt-based, nickel-based and cobalt/nickel-based metal-organic frameworks (Co-MOF, Ni-MOF and Co/Ni-MOF), were synthesized, characterized by XRD, SEM, N 2 sorption-desorption isotherms, FTIR and XPS, and applied in catalytic ozonation for atrazine removal. It was found that the catalysts showed outstanding performance in the catalytic ozonation, especially Co/Ni-MOF which was attributed to multiple metal sites, higher coordination unsaturation, metal centers with larger electron density, and better efficiency in electron transfer than its single-metal counterparts. Under specific experimental conditions, 47.8%, 67.0%, 75.5%, and 93.9% of atrazine were removed after adsorption and degradation in the ozonation system without catalyst, and the catalytic ozonation systems with Co-MOF, Ni-MOF and Co/Ni-MOF, respectively. Higher removal rates could be achieved by growing initial pH, increasing oxidant dosage and reducing pollutant concentration, while an excess of Co/Ni-MOF was not favorable for the catalytic ozonation. Surface hydroxyl groups and acid sites were considered as the critical catalytic sites on Co/Ni-MOF. From the results of EPR tests, O 2 · - , 1 O 2 and ·OH were ascertained as the main reactive species in the degradation. It was suspected that O 2 · - and H 2 O 2 played important roles in the formation of ·OH and the cycle of Co(II)/Co(III) and Ni(II)/Ni(III). Additionally, Co/Ni-MOF displayed good stability and reusability in cycling experiments, ascribed to the enhancement of the porosity and pore hydrophobicity. Finally, based on MS/MS analysis at different reaction times, major degradation pathways for atrazine were proposed., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2020 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Background: The serine protease KLK12 belongs to the human fifteen-member family of kallikrein-related peptidases. Differential expression accompanied by either increased or decreased enzymatic activity has been linked to several diseases including cancer. Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) represents a very aggressive subgroup of breast cancer with high tumor recurrence rates and poor patient prognosis. Here, we quantified the KLK12 mRNA expression levels in tumor tissue of TNBC patients and analyzed their prognostic value., Methods: In the present study, KLK12 mRNA expression in tumor tissue of TNBC patients (n = 116) was determined by quantitative real-time PCR assay. The association of KLK12 mRNA levels with clinical parameters, and patients' outcome was analyzed using Chi-square tests, Cox regression models and Kaplan-Meier survival analysis., Results: Positive, but low KLK12 mRNA levels were detected in about half of the cases (54 out of 116; 47%), the other samples were negative for KLK12 mRNA expression. No significant association was observed between KLK12 mRNA levels and clinicopathological variables (age, lymph node status, tumor size, and histological grade). In univariate Cox analyses, positive KLK12 mRNA expression was significantly associated with shortened disease-free survival (DFS; hazard ratio [HR] = 2.12, 95% CI = 1.19-3.78, p = 0.010) as well as overall survival (OS; HR = 1.91, 95% CI = 1.04-3.50, p = 0.037). In multivariable Cox analysis, including all clinical parameters plus KLK12 mRNA, the latter - together with age - remained an independent unfavorable predictive marker for DFS (HR = 2.33, 95% CI = 1.28-4.24, p = 0.006) and showed a trend towards significance in case of OS (HR = 1.80, 95% CI = 0.96-3.38, p = 0.066)., Conclusions: Positive KLK12 expression is remarkably associated with shortened DFS and OS, suggesting that KLK12 plays a tumor-supporting role in TNBC.

Coking wastewater (CWW) contains high contents of phenols and other toxic and refractory compounds including polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) with the most carcinogenic benzo[a]pyrene (BaP) among them. The mechanism of PAHs/BaP degradation in activated sludge of CWW treatment with phenol as co-substrate was studied. For characterizing the structure and functions of microbial community associated with BaP degradation with phenol as co-substrate, high-throughput MiSeq sequencing was used to examine the 16S rRNA genes of microbiology, revealing noticeable shifts in CWW activated sludge bacterial populations. Major genera involved in anaerobic degradation were Tissierella_Soehngenia, Diaphorobacter and Geobacter, whereas in aerobic degradation Rhodanobacter, Dyella and Thauera prevailed. BaP degradation with phenol as co-substrate induced bacterial diversification in CWW activated sludge in opposite trends when anaerobic and aerobic conditions were applied. In order to predict the microbial community functional profiling, a bioinformatics software package of phylogenetic investigation of communities by reconstruction of unobserved states (PICRUSt) was run to find that some dominant genera enriched in the BaP pathway may own the ability to degrade PAHs/BaP. Further experiments should focus on testing the dominant genera in BaP degradation at different oxygen levels., (Copyright © 2019. Published by Elsevier Ltd.)

The simultaneous presence of heavy metals and organic acids in nature and wastewaters and their competition for adsorption sites determine the migration, transformation and fate of pollutants in the environment. A Cd 2+ -ion-imprinted polymer (Cd 2+ -IIP) with a thiol-functional group was hydrothermally synthesized by a surface imprinting technique combined with ultrasonic heating for selective adsorption of Cd 2+ from wastewaters. The adsorbent was characterized by SEM, EDS, XPS, BET and FT-IR measurements. The experimental results concerning Cd 2+ adsorption from single-, binary-, ternary- and quaternary-metal aqueous solutions containing Cu 2+ , Ni 2+ and Zn 2+ revealed high selectivity. In binary-metal solutions, relative selectivity coefficients for Cd 2+ in respect to Cd 2+ /Cu 2+ , Cd 2+ /Ni 2+ , and Cd 2+ /Zn 2+ were as high as 3.74, 5.73 and 4.15, respectively. In multi-metal solutions, competing heavy metal ions had little effect on the adsorption of Cd 2+ attributed to the high selectivity of Cd 2+ -IIP towards Cd 2+ determined by its coordination geometry. The effect of low-molecular weight organic acids on the Cd 2+ adsorption was also studied and the results showed that the presence of tartaric, citric and oxalic acids as admixtures in Cd 2+ aqueous solutions noticeably reduced the cation adsorption in a wide range of concentrations with the minor exception of low contents of citric and tartaric acids slightly improving adsorption., Competing Interests: There are no conflicts to declare., (This journal is © The Royal Society of Chemistry.)

The tetraspanin and tumor suppressor KAI1 is downregulated or lost in many cancers which correlates with poor prognosis. KAI1 acts via physical/functional crosstalk with other membrane receptors. Also, a splice variant of KAI1 (KAI1-SP) has been identified indicative of poor prognosis. We here characterized differential effects of the two KAI1 variants on tumor biological events involving integrin (αvß3) and/or epidermal growth factor receptor (EGF-R). In MDA-MB-231 and -435 breast cancer cells, differential effects were documented on the expression levels of the tumor biologically relevant integrin αvß3 which colocalized with KAI1-WT but not with KAI1-SP. Cellular motility was assessed by video image processing, including motion detection and vector analysis for the quantification and visualization of cell motion parameters. In MDA-MB-231 cells, KAI1-SP provoked a quicker wound gap closure and higher closure rates than KAI1-WT, also reflected by different velocities and average motion amplitudes of singular cells. KAI1-SP induced highest cell motion adjacent to the wound gap borders, whereas in MDA-MB-435 cells a comparable induction of both KAI1 variants was noticed. Moreover, while KAI1-WT reduced cell growth, KAI1-SP significantly increased it going along with a pronounced EGF-R upregulation. KAI1-SP-induced cell migration and proliferation was accompanied by the activation of the focal adhesion and Src kinase. Our findings suggest that splicing of KAI1 does not only abrogate its tumor suppressive functions, but even more, promotes tumor biological effects in favor of cancer progression and metastasis., Competing Interests: CONFLICTS OF INTEREST None of the other authors has declared any conflicts of interest.

The highly energetic electrons in non-thermal plasma generated by gas phase pulsed corona discharge (PCD) produce hydroxyl (OH) radicals via collision reactions with water molecules. Previous work has established that OH radicals are formed at the plasma-liquid interface, making it an important location for the oxidation of aqueous pollutants. Here, by contacting water as aerosol with PCD plasma, it is shown that OH radicals are produced on the gas side of the interface, and not in the liquid phase. It is also demonstrated that the gas-liquid interfacial boundary poses a barrier for the OH radicals, one they need to cross for reactive affinity with dissolved components, and that this process requires a gaseous atomic H scavenger. For gaseous oxidation, a scavenger, oxygen in common cases, is an advantage but not a requirement. OH radical efficiency in liquid phase reactions is strongly temperature dependent as radical termination reaction rates increase with temperature.

Excessive alcohol consumption is a major public health problem worldwide. Although drinking habits are known to be inherited, few genes have been identified that are robustly linked to alcohol drinking. We conducted a genome-wide association metaanalysis and replication study among >105,000 individuals of European ancestry and identified β-Klotho (KLB) as a locus associated with alcohol consumption (rs11940694; P = 9.2 × 10 -12 ). β-Klotho is an obligate coreceptor for the hormone FGF21, which is secreted from the liver and implicated in macronutrient preference in humans. We show that brain-specific β-Klotho KO mice have an increased alcohol preference and that FGF21 inhibits alcohol drinking by acting on the brain. These data suggest that a liver-brain endocrine axis may play an important role in the regulation of alcohol drinking behavior and provide a unique pharmacologic target for reducing alcohol consumption., Competing Interests: B. Psaty serves on the Data and Safety Monitoring Board for a clinical trial funded by the manufacturer (Zoll LifeCor) and the Steering Committee of the Yale Open Data Access project funded by Johnson & Johnson. D.J.M. serves on the scientific advisory board of Metacrine. The other authors report no competing financial interests.

Increased volatile organic compounds emissions and commensurate tightening of applicable legislation mean that the development and application of effective, cost-efficient abatement methods are areas of growing concern. This paper reviews the last two decades' publications on organic vapour emissions from food processing, their sources, impacts and treatment methods. An overview of the latest developments in conventional air treatment methods is presented, followed by the main focus of the paper, non-thermal plasma technology. The results of the review suggest that non-thermal plasma technology, in its pulsed corona discharge configuration, is an emerging treatment method with potential for low-cost, effective abatement of a wide spectrum of organic air pollutants. It is found that the combination of plasma treatment with catalysis is a development trend that demonstrates considerable potential. The as yet relatively small number of plasma treatment applications is considered to be due to the novelty of pulsed electric discharge techniques and a lack of reliable pulse generators and reactors. Other issues acting as barriers to widespread adoption of the technique include the possible formation of stable oxidation by-products, residual ozone and nitrogen oxides, and sensitivity towards air humidity., (Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

For Bovine viral diarrhea virus (BVDV), the type species of the genus Pestivirus in the family Flaviviridae, cytopathogenic (cp) and noncytopathogenic (ncp) viruses are distinguished according to their effect on cultured cells. It has been established that cytopathogenicity of BVDV correlates with efficient production of viral nonstructural protein NS3 and with enhanced viral RNA synthesis. Here, we describe generation and characterization of a temperature-sensitive (ts) mutant of cp BVDV strain CP7, termed TS2.7. Infection of bovine cells with TS2.7 and the parent CP7 at 33 degrees C resulted in efficient viral replication and a cytopathic effect. In contrast, the ability of TS2.7 to cause cytopathogenicity at 39.5 degrees C was drastically reduced despite production of high titers of infectious virus. Further experiments, including nucleotide sequencing of the TS2.7 genome and reverse genetics, showed that a Y1338H substitution at residue 193 of NS2 resulted in the temperature-dependent attenuation of cytopathogenicity despite high levels of infectious virus production. Interestingly, TS2.7 and the reconstructed mutant CP7-Y1338H produced NS3 in addition to NS2-3 throughout infection. Compared to the parent CP7, NS2-3 processing was slightly decreased at both temperatures. Quantification of viral RNAs that were accumulated at 10 h postinfection demonstrated that attenuation of the cytopathogenicity of the ts mutants at 39.5 degrees C correlated with reduced amounts of viral RNA, while the efficiency of viral RNA synthesis at 33 degrees C was not affected. Taken together, the results of this study show that a mutation in BVDV NS2 attenuates viral RNA replication and suppresses viral cytopathogenicity at high temperature without altering NS3 expression and infectious virus production in a temperature-dependent manner.

Antisense-RNAs have been investigated in detail over the past 20 years as the principal regulators in accessory DNA elements such as plasmids, phages and transposons. However, only a few examples of chromosomally encoded bacterial antisense RNAs were known. Meanwhile, approximately 70 small non-coding RNAs from the Escherichia coli genome have been found, the functions of the majority of which remain to be elucidated. Only one systematic search has been performed for Gram-positive bacteria, so far. Here, we report the identification of a novel small (205 nt) non-translated RNA--SR1--encoded in the Bacillus subtilis genome. SR1 was predicted by a computational approach and verified by Northern blotting. Knockout or overexpression of SR1 did not affect growth. SR1 was derepressed under conditions of gluconeogenesis, but repressed under glycolytic conditions. Two regulatory levels could be identified, one involving CcpA, the second, more important, involving the recently identified regulator CcpN.

Papillon-Lefèvre syndrome is an autosomal recessively inherited palmoplantar keratoderma of unknown aetiology associated with severe periodontitis leading to premature loss of dentition. Three consanguineous families, two of Turkish and one of German origin, and three multiplex families, one of Ethiopian and two of German origin, with 11 affected and 6 unaffected siblings in all were studied. A targeted genome search was initially attempted to several candidate gene regions but failed to demonstrate linkage. Therefore a genome-wide linkage scan using a combination of homozygosity mapping and traditional linkage analysis was undertaken. Linkage was obtained with marker D11S937 with a maximum two-point lod score of Zmax = 6.1 at recombination fraction theta = 0.00 on chromosome 11q14-q21 near the metalloproteinase gene cluster. Multipoint likelihood calculations gave a maximum lod score of 7.35 between D11S901 and D11S1358. A 9.2-cM region homozygous by descent in the affected members of the three consanguineous families lies between markers D11S1989 and D11S4176 harbouring the as yet unknown Papillon-Lefèvre syndrome gene. Haplotype analyses in all the families studied support this localisation. This study has identified a further locus harbouring a gene for palmoplantar keratoderma and one possibly involved in periodontitis.

We describe monozygotic twin sisters concordant for Rubinstein-Taybi syndrome diagnosed at the age of 10 weeks. The typical features of Rubinstein-Taybi syndrome in early infancy increasingly developed towards the total "Gestalt" at the age of 2 years and 10 months.