• Baldwin Mouritsen posted an update 2 days, 10 hours ago

    Importantly, the changes in intra- and interhemispheric connectivity induced by TACS were correlated with changes in perceptual integration. Our results indicate that γ-band synchronization between the two auditory cortices plays a functional role in binaural integration, supporting the proposed role of interregional oscillatory synchrony in perceptual integration.Biomolecular condensates concentrate molecules to facilitate basic biochemical processes, including transcription and DNA replication. While liquid-like condensates have been ascribed various functions, solid-like condensates are generally thought of as amorphous sites of protein storage. Here, we show that solid-like amyloid bodies coordinate local nuclear protein synthesis (LNPS) during stress. On stimulus, translationally active ribosomes accumulate along fiber-like assemblies that characterize amyloid bodies. Mass spectrometry analysis identified regulatory ribosomal proteins and translation factors that relocalize from the cytoplasm to amyloid bodies to sustain LNPS. These amyloidogenic compartments are enriched in newly transcribed messenger RNA by Heat Shock Factor 1 (HSF1). Depletion of stress-induced ribosomal intergenic spacer noncoding RNA (rIGSRNA) that constructs amyloid bodies prevents recruitment of the nuclear protein synthesis machinery, abolishes LNPS, and impairs the nuclear HSF1 response. We propose that amyloid bodies support local nuclear translation during stress and that solid-like condensates can facilitate complex biochemical reactions as their liquid counterparts can.

    Corticosteroids have been considered in medicine for a long time, and they are broadly prescribed. In infectious diseases, corticosteroids have been regarded as a thread due to their immunosuppressive effects and therefore their anti-inflammatory properties. MAIN In recent years, there have been several studies published that aimed to determine the role of corticosteroids in patients with community-acquired pneumonia (CAP), because, despite significant advances in new antibiotics and supportive care, deaths of patients with CAP remain unacceptably high. While the 2007 Infectious Disease Society of America (IDSA)/American Thoracic Society (ATS) CAP guidelines did not mention the use of corticosteroids in the management of CAP, the recently published 2019 IDSA/ATS guidelines recommended their use in patients with septic shock refractory to vasopressors and fluid resuscitation. Regarding viral infection, the use of corticosteroids in patients with influenza has shown to be associated with significantly higher mortality and higher incidence of nosocomial infection, while in patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) there is a good body of evidence of the benefit of corticosteroids in terms of mortality.

    The use of corticosteroids has been considered as a potential alternative co-adjuvant treatment in patients with pneumonia. In patients with COVID-19, the evidence is quite strong and there is a clear benefit of the use of corticosteroids in those patients presenting severe forms of disease.

    The use of corticosteroids has been considered as a potential alternative co-adjuvant treatment in patients with pneumonia. In patients with COVID-19, the evidence is quite strong and there is a clear benefit of the use of corticosteroids in those patients presenting severe forms of disease.Studies have pointed out that air pollution may be a contributing factor to the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. However, the specific links between air pollution and severe acute respiratory syndrome-coronavirus-2 infection remain unclear. Here we provide evidence from in vitro, animal and human studies from the existing literature. Epidemiological investigations have related various air pollutants to COVID-19 morbidity and mortality at the population level, however, those studies suffer from several limitations. Air pollution may be linked to an increase in COVID-19 severity and lethality through its impact on chronic diseases, such as cardiopulmonary diseases and diabetes. Experimental studies have shown that exposure to air pollution leads to a decreased immune response, thus facilitating viral penetration and replication. Viruses may persist in air through complex interactions with particles and gases depending on 1) chemical composition; 2) electric charges of particles; and 3) meteorological conditions such as relative humidity, ultraviolet (UV) radiation and temperature. In addition, by reducing UV radiation, air pollutants may promote viral persistence in air and reduce vitamin D synthesis. Further epidemiological studies are needed to better estimate the impact of air pollution on COVID-19. In vitro and in vivo studies are also strongly needed, in particular to more precisely explore the particle-virus interaction in air.Osteoarthritis (OA) is a debilitating joint disease characterized by progressive cartilage degeneration, with no available disease-modifying therapy. OA is driven by pathological chondrocyte hypertrophy (CH), the cellular regulators of which are unknown. We have recently reported the therapeutic efficacy of G protein-coupled receptor kinase 2 (GRK2) inhibition in other diseases by recovering protective G protein-coupled receptor (GPCR) signaling. However, the role of GPCR-GRK2 pathway in OA is unknown. Piperaquine cost Thus, in a surgical OA mouse model, we performed genetic GRK2 deletion in chondrocytes or pharmacological inhibition with the repurposed U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved antidepressant paroxetine. Both GRK2 deletion and inhibition prevented CH, abated OA progression, and promoted cartilage regeneration. Supporting experiments with cultured human OA cartilage confirmed the ability of paroxetine to mitigate CH and cartilage degradation. Our findings present elevated GRK2 signaling in chondrocytes as a driver of CH in OA and identify paroxetine as a disease-modifying drug for OA treatment.Heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF) is a highly prevalent and intractable form of cardiac decompensation commonly associated with diastolic dysfunction. Here, we show that diastolic dysfunction in patients with HFpEF is associated with a cardiac deficit in nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD+). Elevating NAD+ by oral supplementation of its precursor, nicotinamide, improved diastolic dysfunction induced by aging (in 2-year-old C57BL/6J mice), hypertension (in Dahl salt-sensitive rats), or cardiometabolic syndrome (in ZSF1 obese rats). This effect was mediated partly through alleviated systemic comorbidities and enhanced myocardial bioenergetics. Simultaneously, nicotinamide directly improved cardiomyocyte passive stiffness and calcium-dependent active relaxation through increased deacetylation of titin and the sarcoplasmic reticulum calcium adenosine triphosphatase 2a, respectively. In a long-term human cohort study, high dietary intake of naturally occurring NAD+ precursors was associated with lower blood pressure and reduced risk of cardiac mortality.