Blasko,I.; Defrancesco,M.; Oberacher,H.; Loacker,L.; Kemmler,G.; Marksteiner,J.; Humpel,C.; OBJECTIVES: In clinical practice it is important to identify patients suffering from mild cognitive impairment (MCI) who will progress to Alzheimer’s disease (AD). The purpose of this study is to investigate whether lipid metabolites and vitamin B12 and folate levels are effective biomarker for an accurate prediction of MCI-to-AD conversion. METHODS: During the standard diagnostic assessment at our memory clinic 48 cognitively healthy subjects and MCI patients were recruited. [Read More]

Hoang,Q.T.M.; Nguyen,V.K.; Oberacher,H.; Fuchs,D.; Hernandez-Vargas,E.A.; Borucki,K.; Waldburg,N.; Wippermann,J.; Schreiber,J.; Bruder,D.; Veluswamy,P.; COPD and asthma are two distinct but sometimes overlapping diseases exhibiting varying degrees and types of inflammation on different stages of the disease. Although several biomarkers are defined to estimate the inflammatory endotype and stages in these diseases, there is still a need for new markers and potential therapeutic targets. We investigated the levels of a phytohormone, abscisic acid (ABA) and its receptor, LANCL2, in COPD patients and asthmatics. [Read More]

Simao,F.; Ribeiro,J.; Vullo,C.; Catelli,L.; Gomes,V.; Xavier,C.; Huber,G.; Bodner,M.; Quiroz,A.; Ferreira,A.P.; Carvalho,E.F.; Parson,W.; Gusmao,L.; Immigrants from diverse origins have arrived in Paraguay and produced important demographic changes in a territory initially inhabited by indigenous Guarani. Few studies have been performed to estimate the proportion of Native ancestry that is still preserved in Paraguay and the role of females and males in admixture processes. Therefore, 548 individuals from eastern Paraguay were genotyped for three marker sets: mtDNA, Y-SNPs and autosomal AIM-InDels. [Read More]

Karbon,G.; Haschka,M.D.; Hackl,H.; Soratroi,C.; Rocamora-Reverte,L.; Parson,W.; Fiegl,H.; Villunger,A.; Breast cancer (BC) treatment frequently involves microtubule-targeting agents (MTAs), such as paclitaxel, that arrest cells in mitosis. Sensitivity to MTAs is defined by a subset of pro- and anti-apoptotic BCL2 family proteins controlling mitochondrial apoptosis. Here, we aimed to determine their prognostic value in primary tumour samples from 92 BC patients. Our analysis identified high NOXA/PMAIP mRNA expression levels as an independent prognostic marker for improved relapse-free survival (RFS) and overall survival (OS) in multivariate analysis in BC patients, independent of their molecular subtype. [Read More]

Bodner,M.; Perego,U.A.; Gomez,J.E.; Cerda-Flores,R.M.; RambaldiMigliore,N.; Woodward,S.R.; Parson,W.; Achilli,A.; Mexico is a rich source for anthropological and population genetic studies with high diversity in ethnic and linguistic groups. The country witnessed the rise and fall of major civilizations, including the Maya and Aztec, but resulting from European colonization, the population landscape has dramatically changed. Today, the majority of Mexicans do not identify themselves as Indigenous but as admixed, and appear to have very little in common with their pre-Columbian predecessors. [Read More]