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Recent findings in permanent cell lines suggested that SARS-CoV-2 Omicron BA.1 induces a stronger interferon response than Delta. Here, we show that BA.1 and BA.5 but not Delta induce an antiviral state in air-liquid interface (ALI) cultures of primary human bronchial epithelial (HBE) cells and primary human monocytes. Both Omicron subvariants caused the production of biologically active type I (α/β) and III (λ) interferons and protected cells from super-infection with influenza A viruses. Notably, abortive Omicron infection of monocytes was sufficient to protect monocytes from influenza A virus infection. Interestingly, while influenza-like illnesses surged during the Delta wave in England, their spread rapidly declined upon the emergence of Omicron. Mechanistically, Omicron-induced interferon signalling was mediated via double-stranded RNA recognition by MDA5, as MDA5 knock-out prevented it. The JAK/ STAT inhibitor baricitinib inhibited the Omicron-mediated antiviral response, suggesting it is caused by MDA5-mediated interferon production, which activates interferon receptors that then trigger JAK/ STAT signalling. In conclusion, our study 1) demonstrates that only Omicron but not Delta induces a substantial interferon response in physiologically relevant models, 2) shows that Omicron infection protects cells from influenza A virus super-infection, and 3) indicates that BA.1 and BA.5 induce comparable antiviral states.

ZUSAMMENFASSUNGDas wissenschaftliche Interesse am Endocannabinoidsystem hat in den vergangenen Jahren aufgrund der zunehmenden Legalisierung von medizinischem Cannabis und seiner anxiolytischen Wirkung eine breite Basis von Tierexperimenten und erste translationale Studien zu biologischen, genetischen und neurobiologischen Befunden generiert. Besonders die modulatorische Rolle von Endocannabinoiden im Rahmen von Stress- und Angsterkrankungen steht im Vordergrund und weist auf mögliche Interventionspunkte hin, um vorhandene Therapien zu verbessern. Es fehlen jedoch weiterhin Erkenntnisse und Studien zur Wirkweise am Menschen, um die Implementierung dieser therapeutischen Anknüpfungspunkte umzusetzen. Die folgende Arbeit stellt eine Übersicht mit Schwerpunkt auf der Grundlagenforschung zum Endocannabinoidsystem im Rahmen von stressbezogenen Prozessen dar.

Scientific concepts typically transcendent our sensory experiences. Traditional approaches to science education therefore assume a shift towards amodal or verbal knowledge representations during academic training. Grounded cognition approaches, in contrast, predict a maintenance of grounding of the concepts in experiential brain networks or even an increase. To test these competing approaches, the present study investigated the semantic content of scientific psychological concepts and identified the corresponding neural circuits using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) in undergraduate psychology students (beginners) and in graduated psychologists (advanced learners). During fMRI scanning, participants were presented with words denoting scientific psychological concepts within a lexical decision task (e.g. “conditioning”, “habituation”). The individual semantic property content of each concept was related to brain activity during abstract concept processing. In both beginners and advanced learners, visual and motor properties activated brain regions also involved in perception and action, while mental state properties increased activity in brain regions also recruited by emotional–social scene observation. Only in advanced learners, social constellation properties elicited brain activity overlapping with emotional–social scene observation. In line with grounded cognition approaches, the present results highlight the importance of experiential information for constituting the meaning of abstract scientific concepts during the course of academic training.

Objective: In the pediatric age group the evidence regarding decompressive craniectomy (DC) is weak. Literature on pediatric cranioplasty is even more limited. Concerns are resorption of autologous bone flaps, skin breakdown and growth-related problems associated with synthetic implants. The relevance [for full text, please go to the a.m. URL]

Objective: Vestibular schwannomas (VS) usually manifest between the 5th and 8th life decade and are rare tumor in children. Most pediatric cases are associated with Neurofibromatosis type 2, sporadic VS are even more rare in this age group. Few case series have been published with small patient numbers. [for full text, please go to the a.m. URL]

An important diversity of organisms lives in the depths of the oceans, including numerous species of sharks. The trophic ecology of these species is still poorly known due to the difficulties to access this remote environment and observing individuals directly. The use of indirect methods has proved useful in addressing this problem. The most common technique has been stomach content analysis. Despite presenting some bias, this method provides essential information, other approaches such as stable isotopes (SIA) or fatty acid profiling (FAP) are more and more recognized to achieve more comprehensive ecological data. Here, we used SIA to explore the trophic ecology of 13 deep-sea sharks species from New Zealand. δ13C, δ15N, and δ34S isotope ratios were measured on muscle and liver samples. Isotopic niches were then calculated using both two- and three-dimensional methods by comparing two isotopic ratios or the three of them at the same time. We highlighted differences and similitudes between species, separating them into four different trophic groups.

Stress underlies the development of various psychiatric disorders. Rodent studies suggest an involvement of the endocannabinoid system in the modulation of the stress response, which needs to be translated to humans. In this study, 22 healthy males (mean age: M = 22.7 years) were exposed to a thermal heat stressor in a fear conditioning paradigm and blood samples of the circulating endocannabinoids anandamide and 2-arachidonoylglycerol (2-AG) were assessed. Additionally, electrodermal activity (EDA), task-related anxiety ratings and data on critical life experiences (CLE) were recorded. Interestingly, increases in 2-AG from pre-to-post stress correlated with: smaller stress responses (EDA), by trend more CLE, and greater conditioned anxiety. Smaller stress responses correlated with more CLE. We demonstrate a relation between endocannabinoid level changes from pre-to-post acute stress and the stress response. Our results suggest that investigating the role of 2-AG in the response to stress could be promising in finding treatments in the immediate aftermath of traumatic events.

Intraindividual intertrial variability has been suggested as an endophenotype of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). It is usually evaluated as response time variability (RTV) in reaction time tasks, and RTV has emerged as a robust and stable feature of ADHD. Among attempts to elucidate the neurobiological underpinnings of RTV, it has been suggested that alterations in white matter microstructure may explain RTV.We used diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) in a group of 53 adults with ADHD and 50 healthy controls. We obtained RTV parameters from a simple reaction-time task, in which participants were asked to respond to the appearance of white crosses on a screen using button presses.We observed significant between-group differences for the ex-Gaussian parameter τ, indicating that the mean of extremely slow responses was greater for adults with ADHD than controls. Fractional anisotropy (FA) derived from DTI was significantly different between groups in 2 clusters of the corticothalamic tract. In the ADHD group, relatively decreased FA values were significantly associated with the parameter τ, such that lower FA values in the corticothalamic tract predicted greater τ as an index of RTV. We did not observe this association in healthy controls.For comparison with previous studies, we used FA as a dependent variable of interest. However, although this metric is sensitive to white matter structural properties, there are ambiguities in its interpretation.Even in a simple reaction-time task, RTV proved again to be a stable feature of ADHD. It was associated with altered white matter structural properties of the corticothalamic tract in adults with ADHD.

Gold standard treatments for anxiety- and trauma-related disorders focus on exposure therapy promoting extinction learning and extinction retention. However, its efficacy is limited. Preclinical and particularly animal research has been able to demonstrate that homozygosity for the fatty acid amide hydrolase (FAAH) C385A allele, similar to FAAH inhibition, is associated with elevated concentrations of anandamide (AEA) and facilitates extinction learning and extinction recall. However, in humans, the underlying neurobiological processes are less well understood, and further knowledge might enhance the development of more effective therapies. In this functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) study, a fear conditioning, fear extinction and extinction recall paradigm was conducted with 55 healthy male adults. They were genotyped for the FAAH single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) rs324420 to investigate differences related to extinction recall in neural activation and State–Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI) ratings between AC heterozygotes and CC homozygotes (FAAH C385A SNP). Differential brain activation upon an unextinguished relative to an extinguished stimulus, was greater in AC heterozygotes as compared to CC homozygotes in core neural structures previously related to extinction recall, such as the medial superior frontal gyrus, the dorsal anterior cingulate and the anterior and middle insular cortex. Furthermore, AC heterozygotes displayed higher AEA levels and lower STAI-state ratings. Our data can be interpreted in line with previous suggestions of more successful extinction recall in A-allele carriers with elevated AEA levels. Data corroborate the hypothesis that the endocannabinoid system, particularly AEA, plays a modulatory role in the extinction of aversive memory.