Transgender scientists shed light on the hurdles they face in academia

In a first-of-its-kind commentary published March 14, 2024, in the journal Cell, 24 transgender scientists and their family members openly share their experiences in STEMM (science, technology, engineering, mathematics, and medicine) fields. The landmark commentary is featured in a sex- and gender-focused issue of Cell that covers a range of topics, including gender equity, the history of sex and gender research, and ways to improve the quality of research by incorporating more rigorous sex-related variables.

Quelle: IDW Informationsdienst Wissenschaft

Initiative promoting a new understanding of health

The ‘Lucerne Initiative for Functioning Health and Well-being’ (LIFE) is seeking to improve health and well-being in the face of disease, injury and ageing. To achieve this, it is raising awareness of the concept of ‘functioning’ developed by the World Health Organisation (WHO) as a new way of understanding health in society and rooting it as an indicator of health. A conference on this is taking place this week at the University of Lucerne.

Quelle: IDW Informationsdienst Wissenschaft

Advanced assisted reproduction in white rhinos is safe and reliable, shows BioRescue evaluation of 65 OPU-IVF procedures

The BioRescue project develops and pioneers advanced assisted reproduction technologies (aART) for conservation in the face of the imminent extinction of most rhino species and subspecies. In a new scientific analysis published in the journal “Reproduction”, the team evaluated 65 aART procedures conducted from 2015 to 2022. The evaluation showed that aART is safe for the donor females with no detrimental health effects, and successful in that it yielded 51 embryos. In fact, regular OPUs benefited the reproductive health of individual female rhinos.

Quelle: IDW Informationsdienst Wissenschaft

From shelf to bin: Representative study on causes of food waste

In view of a growing world population and the issue of global food security, the following number is staggering: According to the German Federal Ministry of Agriculture, 78 kilograms of food are thrown away per capita every year in Germany alone. Over 50 percent of global waste along the food value chain is generated in private households. People thus spend money on products that then end up in the garbage bin. But what is the background to this irrational behavior, which is more than a private decision in the face of resource scarcity?

Quelle: IDW Informationsdienst Wissenschaft

The dual face of photoreceptors during seed germination

Seed germination depends on light in many plants. But not always: Aethionema arabicum, a plant adapted to challenging environmental conditions, does it its own way. Here, the phytochromes, the receptors for red and far-red light, play an unexpected role in seed germination and time this process to the optimal season. These findings, now published in “Plant Physiology”, are a compelling example of the evolutionary rewiring of signaling modules that help plants adapt to their habitats. The study was led by researchers at the Gregor Mendel Institute of Molecular Plant Biology (GMI) of the Austrian Academy of Sciences.

Quelle: IDW Informationsdienst Wissenschaft

New findings on radon research: Face masks reduce radiation exposure

Anti-inflammatory, therapeutic effects, but also risks – the radioactive noble gas radon contains both at the same time. Radon and especially its short-living progeny are considered to be responsible for about half of the annual radiation exposure from natural sources and are classified as carcinogenic. Researchers from the GSI Helmholtzzentrum für Schwerionenforschung now have proven in a paper published in the “International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health” that face masks – both FFP2 and surgical masks – strongly reduce lung exposure and thus the dose.

Quelle: IDW Informationsdienst Wissenschaft

Watching viruses fail

Using a new analytical method, Empa researchers have tracked viruses as they pass through face masks and compared their failure on the filter layers of different types of masks. The new method should now accelerate the development of surfaces that can kill viruses, the team writes in the journal Scientific Reports.

Quelle: IDW Informationsdienst Wissenschaft

Why do blood and lymphatic vessels grow unchecked? ERC Starting Grant for René Hägerling

Anomalies in the formation of blood and lymphatic vessels are, thankfully, rare. Those who do have them face a lifetime of complications that can range from the mild to the life-threatening. To date, little is known about the causes, which means the diagnostic and treatment options are very limited. René Hägerling of the BIH Center for Regenerative Therapies (BCRT) has made it his mission to remedy this. His good ideas have won the regard of the European Research Council (ERC), which has awarded Hägerling, who leads a junior research group, an ERC Starting Grant of €1.5 million over five years.

Quelle: IDW Informationsdienst Wissenschaft

Keep calm and trade on: China’s decisive role in agricultural markets under turmoil

IAMO Policy Brief 45 looks at how China is ensuring its domestic food security in the face of recent crises

Quelle: IDW Informationsdienst Wissenschaft

Blood type may offer insights into risk of blood clot in people with cancer

A new study suggests that people with cancer and non-O blood types, such as types A, B, and AB, face an increased risk of developing venous thromboembolism (VTE), or blood clots in the veins, three months after their initial diagnosis. Scientists have long strived to understand the risk factors for VTE, the leading cause of preventable hospital deaths in the United States. Existing assessments use factors like tumor or cancer type to detect those at high risk of VTE. Yet, many patients without these diagnoses still develop life-threatening blood clots but go unidentified.

Quelle: Sciencedaily

Study suggests why most smokers don’t get lung cancer

Cigarette smoking is overwhelmingly the main cause of lung cancer, yet only a minority of smokers develop the disease. A study suggests that some smokers may have robust mechanisms that protect them from lung cancer by limiting mutations. The findings could help identify those smokers who face an increased risk for the disease and therefore warrant especially close monitoring.

Quelle: Sciencedaily

Sperm or eggs? How hermaphroditic worms distribute their resources

Hermaphroditic species face a fundamental question: how much energy should they expend on their male and female sides? Flatworms have found various answers to this question over the course of evolution – and the solutions are directly correlated with their mating behavior.

Quelle: IDW Informationsdienst Wissenschaft

New treatment target ID’d for radiation-resistant cervical cancer

Understanding how cells die is key to developing new treatments for many diseases, whether the goal is to make cancer cells die or keep healthy cells alive in the face of other illnesses, such as massive infections or strokes. Two new studies have identified a previously unrecognized pathway of cell death — named lysoptosis — and demonstrate how it could lead to new therapies for cervical cancer.

Quelle: Sciencedaily

Outcomes for hospitalized COVID-19 patients taking immunosuppressive medications similar to non-immunosuppressed patients, study finds

A study of more than 200,000 U.S adults hospitalized with COVID-19 finds that, overall, patients taking immunosuppressive drugs do not face increased risk of being put on a ventilator or death.

Quelle: Sciencedaily

Lost in face – Wie ist es, wenn man keine Gesichter erkennen kann?

Hat der Kollege Sie schon wieder nicht gegrüßt? Das muss nicht zwingend ein Zeichen von Arroganz oder Unhöflichkeit sein. Es gibt tatsächlich Personen, die keine Gesichter erkennen können – eigene Familienmitglieder eingeschlossen. Diese sogenannte Gesichtsblindheit bringt die Betroffenen oft in soziale Schwierigkeiten. So geht es auch Carlotta, deren Geschichte in dem Film „Lost in face – Die Welt mit Carlottas Augen“ gezeigt wird. Am 4. Oktober sind der Regisseur Valentin Riedl und Protagonistin Carlotta im Rahmen einer Kinotour in Magdeburg zu Gast. Gemeinsam mit Prof. Ariel Schoenfeld vom Leibniz-Institut für Neurobiologie (LIN) stehen sie dem Publikum nach dem Film Rede und Antwort.

Quelle: IDW Informationsdienst Wissenschaft

Binyam Mogessie: The innovator in infertility research had his start at Jacobs University

From Addis Ababa to New Haven, Binyam Mogessie has scaled through many different stages to reach the pinnacle of his career. For the Ethiopian, it all began with his studies at a renowned University in northern Bremen, which paved the way for many research opportunities all over Europe, and now the United States. His research passion lies within understanding the complexities of egg fertilization, in order to tackle the challenges families face with infertility.

Quelle: IDW Informationsdienst Wissenschaft

Face to face

The human brain remembers faces better after a personal meeting than by looking at photos or videos, according to findings by neuroscientists at Friedrich Schiller University Jena. In the current issue of the “Journal of Neuroscience”, the research team led by Prof. Gyula Kovács and Dr Géza Gergely Ambrus have published EEG data which show that the familiarity of a face is anchored measurably more strongly in the brain of the observer if the face is seen in person.

Quelle: IDW Informationsdienst Wissenschaft

Cancer survivors face elevated heart disease risk

A new study has found that about that 35% of Americans with a cancer history had an elevated risk of cardiovascular disease in the next decade, compared with about 23% of those who didn’t have cancer.

Quelle: Sciencedaily

Study links exposure to nighttime artificial lights with elevated thyroid cancer risk

People living in regions with high levels of outdoor artificial light at night may face a higher risk of developing thyroid cancer.

Quelle: Sciencedaily

The new face of the Antarctic

In the future, the Antarctic could become a greener place and be colonised by new species. At the same time, some species will likely disappear.

Quelle: IDW Informationsdienst Wissenschaft

Breast cancer survivors are less likely to get pregnant, but often have healthy babies and good long-term health

A large meta-analysis of breast cancer survivors of childbearing age indicated that they are less likely than the general public to get pregnant, and they face higher risk of certain complications such as preterm labor. However, most survivors who do get pregnant deliver healthy babies and have no adverse effects on their long-term survival, according to new data.

Quelle: Sciencedaily

A global assessment of cancer genomic alterations in epigenetic mechanisms

Muhammad A Shah, Emily L Denton, Cheryl H Arrowsmith, Mathieu Lupien and Matthieu Schapira

Abstract

Background

The notion that epigenetic mechanisms may be central to cancer initiation and progression is supported by recent next-generation sequencing efforts revealing that genes involved in chromatin-mediated signaling are recurrently mutated in cancer patients.

Results

Here, we analyze mutational and transcriptional profiles from TCGA and the ICGC across a collection 441 chromatin factors and histones. Chromatin factors essential for rapid replication are frequently overexpressed, and those that maintain genome stability frequently mutated. We identify novel mutation hotspots such as K36M in histone H3.1, and uncover a general trend in which transcriptional profiles and somatic mutations in tumor samples favor increased transcriptionally repressive histone methylation, and defective chromatin remodeling.

Conclusions

This unbiased approach confirms previously published data, uncovers novel cancer-associated aberrations targeting epigenetic mechanisms, and justifies continued monitoring of chromatin-related alterations as a class, as more cancer types and distinct cancer stages are represented in cancer genomics data repositories.

Continue reading „A global assessment of cancer genomic alterations in epigenetic mechanisms“

Three-dimensional super-resolution microscopy of the inactive X chromosome territory reveals a collapse of its active nuclear compartment harboring distinct Xist RNA foci

3D-SIM-based DAPI intensity classification in the Barr body versus the entire nucleus of C2C12 cells. (A) Mid z-section of a DAPI-stained nucleus. The area below the dashed line illustrates the resolution level obtained by wide-field deconvolution microscopy, for comparison. Inset magnifications show the non-uniformly compacted structure of the Barr body resolvable with 3D-SIM (1) and an arbitrary autosomal region with CDCs (2). Scale bars: 5 μm, insets 1 μm. (B) X chromosome-specific painting (green) of Xi (left) and Xa territories (right) of the same nucleus in different z-sections. Note the high convergence between the painted Xi and the DAPI visualized Barr body (arrowheads). Scale bars: 2 μm, insets 1 μm. (C) 3D DAPI intensity classification exemplified for the nucleus shown in (A). Seven DAPI intensity classes displayed in false-color code ranging from class 1 (blue) representing pixels close to background intensity, largely representing the IC, up to class 7 (white) representing pixels with highest density, mainly associated with chromocenters. Framed areas of the Barr body (inset 1) and a representative autosomal region (inset 2) are shown on the right at resolution levels of 3D-SIM, deconvolution and conventional wide-field microscopy. The Xi territory pervaded by lower DAPI intensities becomes evident only at 3D-SIM resolution, whereas both wide-field and deconvolution microscopy imply a concentric increase of density in the Barr body. In the autosomal region, chromatin assigned to classes 2 to 3 lines compacted CDCs, represented by classes 4 to 6. (D) Left: average DAPI intensity classification profiles with standard deviations evaluated for entire nuclear volumes or the Barr body region only (dark grey bars). Right: over/underrepresentation of the average DAPI intensity class fraction sizes in the Barr body versus entire nuclear volumes (n = 12). Distribution differences on classes between Xi and entire nucleus P <0.001. 3D-SIM, three-dimensional structured illumination microscopy; CDC, chromatin domain cluster; DAPI, 4',6-diamidino-2-phenylindole; FISH, fluorescence in situ hybridization; IC, interchromatin compartment; Xa, active X chromosome; Xi, inactive X chromosome. Smeets et al. Epigenetics & Chromatin 2014 7:8   doi:10.1186/1756-8935-7-8
3D-SIM-based DAPI intensity classification in the Barr body versus the entire nucleus of C2C12 cells. (A) Mid z-section of a DAPI-stained nucleus. The area below the dashed line illustrates the resolution level obtained by wide-field deconvolution microscopy, for comparison. Inset magnifications show the non-uniformly compacted structure of the Barr body resolvable with 3D-SIM (1) and an arbitrary autosomal region with CDCs (2). Scale bars: 5 μm, insets 1 μm. (B) X chromosome-specific painting (green) of Xi (left) and Xa territories (right) of the same nucleus in different z-sections. Note the high convergence between the painted Xi and the DAPI visualized Barr body (arrowheads). Scale bars: 2 μm, insets 1 μm. (C) 3D DAPI intensity classification exemplified for the nucleus shown in (A). Seven DAPI intensity classes displayed in false-color code ranging from class 1 (blue) representing pixels close to background intensity, largely representing the IC, up to class 7 (white) representing pixels with highest density, mainly associated with chromocenters. Framed areas of the Barr body (inset 1) and a representative autosomal region (inset 2) are shown on the right at resolution levels of 3D-SIM, deconvolution and conventional wide-field microscopy. The Xi territory pervaded by lower DAPI intensities becomes evident only at 3D-SIM resolution, whereas both wide-field and deconvolution microscopy imply a concentric increase of density in the Barr body. In the autosomal region, chromatin assigned to classes 2 to 3 lines compacted CDCs, represented by classes 4 to 6. (D) Left: average DAPI intensity classification profiles with standard deviations evaluated for entire nuclear volumes or the Barr body region only (dark grey bars). Right: over/underrepresentation of the average DAPI intensity class fraction sizes in the Barr body versus entire nuclear volumes (n = 12). Distribution differences on classes between Xi and entire nucleus P Smeets et al. Epigenetics & Chromatin 2014 7:8 doi:10.1186/1756-8935-7-8

Daniel Smeets, Yolanda Markaki, Volker J Schmid, Felix Kraus, Anna Tattermusch, Andrea Cerase, Michael Sterr, Susanne Fiedler, Justin Demmerle, Jens Popken, Heinrich Leonhardt, Neil Brockdorff, Thomas Cremer1, Lothar Schermelleh and Marion Cremer

Abstract

Background

A Xist RNA decorated Barr body is the structural hallmark of the compacted inactive X territory in female mammals. Using super-resolution three-dimensional structured illumination microscopy (3D-SIM) and quantitative image analysis, we compared its ultrastructure with active chromosome territories (CTs) in human and mouse somatic cells, and explored the spatio-temporal process of Barr body formation at onset of inactivation in early differentiating mouse embryonic stem cells (ESCs).

Results

We demonstrate that all CTs are composed of structurally linked chromatin domain clusters (CDCs). In active CTs the periphery of CDCs harbors low-density chromatin enriched with transcriptionally competent markers, called the perichromatin region (PR). The PR borders on a contiguous channel system, the interchromatin compartment (IC), which starts at nuclear pores and pervades CTs. We propose that the PR and macromolecular complexes in IC channels together form the transcriptionally permissive active nuclear compartment (ANC). The Barr body differs from active CTs by a partially collapsed ANC with CDCs coming significantly closer together, although a rudimentary IC channel system connected to nuclear pores is maintained. Distinct Xist RNA foci, closely adjacent to the nuclear matrix scaffold attachment factor-A (SAF-A) localize throughout Xi along the rudimentary ANC. In early differentiating ESCs initial Xist RNA spreading precedes Barr body formation, which occurs concurrent with the subsequent exclusion of RNA polymerase II (RNAP II). Induction of a transgenic autosomal Xist RNA in a male ESC triggers the formation of an ‘autosomal Barr body’ with less compacted chromatin and incomplete RNAP II exclusion.

Conclusions

3D-SIM provides experimental evidence for profound differences between the functional architecture of transcriptionally active CTs and the Barr body. Basic structural features of CT organization such as CDCs and IC channels are however still recognized, arguing against a uniform compaction of the Barr body at the nucleosome level. The localization of distinct Xist RNA foci at boundaries of the rudimentary ANC may be considered as snap-shots of a dynamic interaction with silenced genes. Enrichment of SAF-A within Xi territories and its close spatial association with Xist RNA suggests their cooperative function for structural organization of Xi.

Continue reading „Three-dimensional super-resolution microscopy of the inactive X chromosome territory reveals a collapse of its active nuclear compartment harboring distinct Xist RNA foci“

The carcinogenic effect of various multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) after intraperitoneal injection in rats

Non-neoplastic histopathological findings in the abdominal cavity. A: High-power view of anti-podoplanin immunohistochemistry showing single MWCNT A (high dose) nanotubes in the tissue (arrows). B: High-power view of anti-podoplanin immunohistochemistry showing single asbestos fibers in the tissue (arrows). C: H & E, high-power view of granuloma induced by MWCNT A (low dose) nanotubes including single nanotube (arrow, 25×). D: H & E, high-power view of granuloma induced by asbestos including single fiber (arrow, 40×). Rittinghausen et al. Particle and Fibre Toxicology 2014 11:59   doi:10.1186/s12989-014-0059-z
Non-neoplastic histopathological findings in the abdominal cavity. A: High-power view of anti-podoplanin immunohistochemistry showing single MWCNT A (high dose) nanotubes in the tissue (arrows). B: High-power view of anti-podoplanin immunohistochemistry showing single asbestos fibers in the tissue (arrows). C: H & E, high-power view of granuloma induced by MWCNT A (low dose) nanotubes including single nanotube (arrow, 25×). D: H & E, high-power view of granuloma induced by asbestos including single fiber (arrow, 40×).
Rittinghausen et al. Particle and Fibre Toxicology 2014 11:59 doi:10.1186/s12989-014-0059-z

Susanne Rittinghausen, Anja Hackbarth, Otto Creutzenberg, Heinrich Ernst, Uwe Heinrich, Albrecht Leonhardt and Dirk Schaudien

Abstract

Background

Biological effects of tailor-made multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) without functionalization were investigated in vivo in a two-year carcinogenicity study. In the past, intraperitoneal carcinogenicity studies in rats using biopersistent granular dusts had always been negative, whereas a number of such studies with different asbestos fibers had shown tumor induction. The aim of this study was to identify possible carcinogenic effects of MWCNTs. We compared induced tumors with asbestos-induced mesotheliomas and evaluated their relevance for humans by immunohistochemical methods.

Methods

A total of 500 male Wistar rats (50 per group) were treated once by intraperitoneal injection with 109 or 5 × 109 WHO carbon nanotubes of one of four different MWCNTs suspended in artificial lung medium, which was also used as negative control. Amosite asbestos (108 WHO fibers) served as positive control. Morbid rats were sacrificed and necropsy comprising all organs was performed. Histopathological classification of tumors and, additionally, immunohistochemistry were conducted for podoplanin, pan-cytokeratin, and vimentin to compare induced tumors with malignant mesotheliomas occurring in humans.

Results

Treatments induced tumors in all dose groups, but incidences and times to tumor differed between groups. Most tumors were histologically and immunohistochemically classified as malignant mesotheliomas, revealing a predominantly superficial spread on the serosal surface of the abdominal cavity. Furthermore, most tumors showed invasion of peritoneal organs, especially the diaphragm. All tested MWCNT types caused mesotheliomas. We observed highest frequencies and earliest appearances after treatment with the rather straight MWCNT types A and B. In the MWCNT C groups, first appearances of morbid mesothelioma-bearing rats were only slightly later. Later during the two-year study, we found mesotheliomas also in rats treated with MWCNT D – the most curved type of nanotubes. Malignant mesotheliomas induced by intraperitoneal injection of different MWCNTs and of asbestos were histopathologically and immunohistochemically similar, also compared with mesotheliomas in man, suggesting similar pathogenesis.

Conclusion

We showed a carcinogenic effect for all tested MWCNTs. Besides aspect ratio, curvature seems to be an important parameter influencing the carcinogenicity of MWCNTs.

Continue reading „The carcinogenic effect of various multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) after intraperitoneal injection in rats“