Toll-like receptors (TLRs) and mannan-binding lectin (MBL): On constant alert in a hostile environment

In the beginning were neither B cells nor T cells nor antibodies, but innate immune defense alone. The primary functional theme of innate immunity is the distinction between self and non-self, which is maintained by a vast number of cellular and subcellular components. In this context, the immense importance of the Toll-like receptors (TLRs) is well established. Positive (Darwinian) selection seems to be acting on the ligand-binding domains of these molecules, suggesting a selection pattern similar to that previously observed in the MHC proteins. In sharp contrast to TLRs, the biological significance of mannan-binding lectin (MBL) is controversial, and, concerning humans, it has been suggested that low concentration of MBL in serum represents a selective advantage. In this mini-review, based on a doctoral thesis, evolutionary aspects of TLRs and MBL are discussed

FAVE: Forced alignment and vowel extraction

<h2>What's Changed</h2> <ul> <li>README updates by @DerMoehre and @chrisbrickhouse in https://github.com/JoFrhwld/FAVE/pull/71, https://github.com/JoFrhwld/FAVE/pull/80 https://github.com/JoFrhwld/FAVE/pull/97</li> <li>Remove unneccessary logging causing crash by @cgross95 in https://github.com/JoFrhwld/FAVE/pull/94</li> <li>Bug fixes for custom dictionaries by @chrisbrickhouse in https://github.com/JoFrhwld/FAVE/pull/60</li> <li>Bug report form added by @DerMoehre in https://github.com/JoFrhwld/FAVE/pull/72</li> <li>Avoid crash when input has a header row by @DerMoehre in https://github.com/JoFrhwld/FAVE/pull/73</li> <li>Refactor mean_stdv in extractFormants by @DerMoehre in https://github.com/JoFrhwld/FAVE/pull/81, https://github.com/JoFrhwld/FAVE/pull/84</li> <li>Workflows install and cache dependencies, use poetry by @chrisbrickhouse in https://github.com/JoFrhwld/FAVE/pull/83, https://github.com/JoFrhwld/FAVE/pull/90, https://github.com/JoFrhwld/FAVE/pull/91</li> </ul> <h2>New Contributors</h2> <ul> <li>@DerMoehre made their first contribution in https://github.com/JoFrhwld/FAVE/pull/71</li> <li>@cgross95 made their first contribution in https://github.com/JoFrhwld/FAVE/pull/94</li> </ul> <p><strong>Full Changelog</strong>: https://github.com/JoFrhwld/FAVE/compare/v2.0.2...v2.0.3</p>Please cite this software using these metadata

FAVE: FAVE v1.2

<p>This release includes a number of internal improvements, and a few changes to the user interface, hence the minor update bump. More information included in NEWS.md.</p> <ul> <li>Formatting of FAVE-extract config files has changed, see the FAVE-extract readme.</li> <li>Two new FAVE-extract options: tracks and pickle</li> <li>Improved Windows support</li> <li>New text output format, including more contextual information, and better labelling of columns.</li> </ul

FAVE: v1.2.1

Forced Alignment and Vowel Extraction</p

FAVE: Speaker fix

When initiating a Speaker class, default for speaker.year is now an empty string instead of None. Fixes issue #38.</p

Position paper on the importance of psychosocial factors in cardiology: Update 2013

[english] Background: The rapid progress of psychosomatic research in cardiology and also the increasing impact of psychosocial issues in the clinical daily routine have prompted the Clinical Commission of the German Heart Society (DGK) to agree to an update of the first state of the art paper on this issue which was originally released in 2008.Methods: The circle of experts was increased, general aspects were implemented and the state of the art was updated. Particular emphasis was dedicated to coronary heart diseases (CHD), heart rhythm diseases and heart failure because to date the evidence-based clinical knowledge is most advanced in these particular areas. Differences between men and women and over the life span were considered in the recommendations as were influences of cognitive capability and the interactive and synergistic impact of classical somatic risk factors on the affective comorbidity in heart disease patients.Results: A IA recommendation (recommendation grade I and evidence grade A) was given for the need to consider psychosocial risk factors in the estimation of coronary risks as etiological and prognostic risk factors. Furthermore, for the recommendation to routinely integrate psychosocial patient management into the care of heart surgery patients because in these patients, comorbid affective disorders (e.g. depression, anxiety and post-traumatic stress disorder) are highly prevalent and often have a malignant prognosis. A IB recommendation was given for the treatment of psychosocial risk factors aiming to prevent the onset of CHD, particularly if the psychosocial risk factor is harmful in itself (e.g. depression) or constrains the treatment of the somatic risk factors. Patients with acute and chronic CHD should be offered anti-depressive medication if these patients suffer from medium to severe states of depression and in this case medication with selective reuptake inhibitors should be given. In the long-term course of treatment with implanted cardioverter defibrillators (ICDs) a subjective health technology assessment is warranted. In particular, the likelihood of affective comorbidities and the onset of psychological crises should be carefully considered.Conclusions: The present state of the art paper presents an update of current empirical evidence in psychocardiology. The paper provides evidence-based recommendations for the integration of psychosocial factors into cardiological practice and highlights areas of high priority. The evidence for estimating the efficiency for psychotherapeutic and psychopharmacological interventions has increased substantially since the first release of the policy document but is, however, still weak. There remains an urgent need to establish curricula for physician competence in psychodiagnosis, communication and referral to ensure that current psychocardiac knowledge is translated into the daily routine

ARIA guideline 2019 : treatment of allergic rhinitis in the German health system

Peer reviewe

Development and validation of a multi-locus DNA metabarcoding method to identify endangered species in complex samples

DNA metabarcoding provides great potential for species identification in complex samples such as food supplements and traditional medicines. Such a method would aid Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) enforcement officers to combat wildlife crime by preventing illegal trade of endangered plant and animal species. The objective of this research was to develop a multi-locus DNA metabarcoding method for forensic wildlife species identification and to evaluate the applicability and reproducibility of this approach across different laboratories. A DNA metabarcoding method was developed that makes use of 12 DNA barcode markers that have demonstrated universal applicability across a wide range of plant and animal taxa and that facilitate the identification of species in samples containing degraded DNA. The DNA metabarcoding method was developed based on Illumina MiSeq amplicon sequencing of well-defined experimental mixtures, for which a bioinformatics pipeline with user-friendly web-interface was developed. The performance of the DNA metabarcoding method was assessed in an international validation trial by 16 laboratories, in which the method was found to be highly reproducible and sensitive enough to identify species present in a mixture at 1% dry weight content. The advanced multi-locus DNA metabarcoding method assessed in this study provides reliable and detailed data on the composition of complex food products, including information on the presence of CITES-listed species. The method can provide improved resolution for species identification, while verifying species with multiple DNA barcodes contributes to an enhanced quality assurance