Recommendations on treatment for IPF

Patient management in Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis (IPF) is largely based on societal guidelines and recommendations. A recent update by the American Thoracic Society (ATS), European Respiratory Society (ERS), Japanese Respiratory Society (JRS) and Latin American Thoracic Association (ALAT) provided updated guidance on the diagnosis and management of IPF, along with recommendations on pharmacologic and non-pharmacologic approaches to patient management. The treatment guidance is based on GRADE criteria, which rates the quality of evidence according to previously published methodology. Here we discuss how to interpret the recent guideline updates and the implications of this guidance for clinical practice. In addition we discuss the assessment and recommendations for a number of pharmacological agents that have been the focus of clinical trials over the past years. Although no single pharmacological agent was recommended by the guidelines committee, we discuss how since then, more recent data have resulted in the approval of pirfenidone in Europe, and preliminary negative findings regarding the safety of a triple therapy regimen consisting of prednisone, azathioprine and N-acetylcysteine have raised the question of whether it is no longer a treatment option. As clinicians, we must interpret the available guidance and recommendations as we consider each individual patient and as we discuss the available clinical data and the patient’s own preferences in our approach to the management of this disease.     

Understanding Miro GTPases: Implications in the Treatment of Neurodegenerative Disorders

The Miro GTPases represent an unusual subgroup of the Ras superfamily and have recently emerged as important mediators of mitochondrial dynamics and for maintaining neuronal health. It is now well-established that these enzymes act as essential components of a Ca²⁺-sensitive motor complex, facilitating the transport of mitochondria along microtubules in several cell types, including dopaminergic neurons. The Miros appear to be critical for both anterograde and retrograde mitochondrial transport in axons and dendrites, both of which are considered essential for neuronal health. Furthermore, the Miros may be significantly involved in the development of several serious pathological processes, including the development of neurodegenerative and psychiatric disorders. In this review, we discuss the molecular structure and known mitochondrial functions of the Miro GTPases in humans and other organisms, in the context of neurodegenerative disease. Finally, we consider the potential human Miros hold as novel therapeutic targets for the treatment of such disease.     

Surface enlargement in the rumen of free-ranging muskoxen (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Ovibos moschatus</Emphasis>)

The intraruminal papillation pattern indicates the degree of rumen contents stratification and is related to the feeding niche of a ruminant. Muskoxen (Ovibos moschatus) display a variety of morphophysiological adaptations typical for grazers. We investigated the intraruminal papillation of 22 free-ranging muskoxen from five different months by comparing the surface enlargement factor both between seasons and between individual rumen regions. The seasonal pattern of rumen papillation indicated a distinct seasonality in food quality. The intraruminal papillation indicated a moderate degree of rumen contents stratification typical for intermediate feeders. The nutritional ecology of muskoxen is characterised by specific morphophysiological adaptations to a grass-dominated diet that nevertheless allow extensive seasonal use of browse forage.     

Systems biology and its potential role in radiobiology

About a century ago, Conrad Röentgen discovered X-rays, and Henri Becquerel discovered a new phenomenon, which Marie and Pierre Curie later coined as radio-activity. Since their seminal work, we have learned much about the physical properties of radiation and its effects on living matter. Alas, the more we discover, the more we appreciate the complexity of the biological processes that are triggered by radiation exposure and eventually lead (or do not lead) to disease. Equipped with modern biological methods of high-throughput experimentation, imaging, and vastly increased computational prowess, we are now entering an era where we can piece some of the multifold aspects of radiation exposure and its sequelae together, and develop a more systemic understanding of radiogenic effects such as radio-carcinogenesis than has been possible in the past. It is evident from the complexity of even the known processes that such an understanding can only be gained if it is supported by mathematical models. At this point, the construction of comprehensive models is hampered both by technical inadequacies and a paucity of appropriate data. Nonetheless, some initial steps have been taken already and the generally increased interest in systems biology may be expected to speed up future progress. In this context, we discuss in this article examples of relatively small, yet very useful models that elucidate selected aspects of the effects of exposure to ionizing radiation and may shine a light on the path before us.     

Habitat-specific clutch size and cost of incubation in eiders reconsidered

The energetic incubation constraint hypothesis (EICH) for clutch size states that birds breeding in poor habitat may free up resources for future reproduction by laying a smaller clutch. The eider (Somateria mollissima) is considered a candidate for supporting this hypothesis. Clutch size is smaller in exposed nests, presumably because of faster heat loss and higher incubation cost, and, hence, smaller optimal clutch size. However, an alternative explanation is partial predation: the first egg(s) are left unattended and vulnerable to predation, which may disproportionately affect exposed nests, so clutch size may be underestimated. We experimentally investigated whether predation on first-laid eggs in eiders depends on nest cover. We then re-evaluated how nesting habitat affects clutch size and incubation costs based on long-term data, accounting for confounding effects between habitat and individual quality. We also experimentally assessed adult survival costs of nesting in sheltered nests. The risk of egg predation in experimental nests decreased with cover. Confounding between individual and habitat quality is unlikely, as clutch size was also smaller in open nests within individuals, and early and late breeders had similar nest cover characteristics. A trade-off between clutch and female safety may explain nest cover variation, as the risk of female capture by us, mimicking predation on adults, increased with nest cover. Nest habitat had no effect on female hatching weight or weight loss, while lower temperature during incubation had an unanticipated positive relationship with hatching weight. There were no indications of elevated costs of incubating larger clutches, while clutch size and colony size were positively correlated, a pattern not predicted by the ‘energetic incubation constraint’ hypothesis. Differential partial clutch predation thus offers the more parsimonious explanation for clutch size variation among habitats in eiders, highlighting the need for caution when analysing fecundity and associated life-history parameters when habitat-specific rates of clutch predation occur.     

A rare sugar xylitol. Part I: the biochemistry and biosynthesis of xylitol

The rare sugar xylitol is a five-carbon polyol (pentitol) that has beneficial health effects. Xylitol has global markets and, therefore, it represents an alternative to current dominant sweeteners. The research on microbial reduction of d-xylose to xylitol has been focused on metabolically engineered Saccharomycess cerevisiae and Candida strains. The Candida strains have an advantage over the metabolically engineered S. cerevisiae in terms of d-xylose uptake and maintenance of the intracellular redox balance. Due to the current industrial scale production of xylitol, it has become an inexpensive starting material for the production of other rare sugar. The first part of this mini-review concentrates on the biochemistry of xylitol biosynthesis and the problems related to intracellular redox balance.