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Nature is increasingly recognized for its potential to address societal challenges in cities, through the delivery of ecosystem services (ES). However, large-scale assessments quantifying this potential are rare. In this study, we modelled five ES (local temperature regulation, flood control, global climate regulation, habitat maintenance, and human interaction with nature) across 708 European urban areas. Using a supply-demand approach, we assessed ES delivery: the extent to which ES supply was sufficient to meet the corresponding societal demands. We found that ES delivery varied both spatially and between ES. On average, nearly 50% of the demand was fulfilled, with the highest values for habitat maintenance (81 ± 15%; mean ± SD), flood control (65 ± 13%), and human interaction with nature (59 ± 15%) and much lower values for local temperature regulation (23 ± 28%) and global climate regulation (16 ± 28%). We further found positive pairwise correlations between all ES (Spearman’s ρ from 0.15 to 0.65), with the strongest correlation between habitat maintenance and global climate regulation. Variation in ES delivery across the urban areas was mainly related to differences in the share of green space and the size of the urban areas, whereby ES delivery was positively related to both. Our broad-scale comparative assessment can serve as a starting point for more sophisticated model-based assessments quantifying the full potential of urban nature to meet societal demands across large areas, for example by including a broader set of ES and accounting for city-specific demands.

Background and Objectives: Drug resistant epilepsy (DRE) is a major hurdle in epilepsy, which hinders clinical care, patients’ management and treatment outcomes. DRE may partially result from genetic variants that alter proteins responsible for drug targets and drug transporters in the brain. We aimed to examine the relationship between SCN1A, GABRA1 and ABCB1 polymorphism and drug response in epilepsy children in Vietnam. Materials and Methods: In total, 213 children diagnosed with epilepsy were recruited in this study (101 were drug responsive and 112 were drug resistant). Sanger sequencing had been performed in order to detect six single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) belonging to SCN1A (rs2298771, rs3812718, rs10188577), GABRA1 (rs2279020) and ABCB1 (rs1128503, rs1045642) in study group. The link between SNPs and drug response status was examined by the Chi-squared test or the Fisher’s exact test. Results: Among six investigated SNPs, two SNPs showed significant difference between the responsive and the resistant group. Among those, heterozygous genotype of SCN1A rs2298771 (AG) were at higher frequency in the resistant patients compared with responsive patients, playing as risk factor of refractory epilepsy. Conversely, the heterozygous genotype of SCN1A rs3812718 (CT) was significantly lower in the resistant compared with the responsive group. No significant association was found between the remaining four SNPs and drug response. Conclusions: Our study demonstrated a significant association between the SCN1A genetic polymorphism which increased risk of drug-resistant epilepsy in Vietnamese epileptic children. This important finding further supports the underlying molecular mechanisms of SCN1A genetic variants in the pathogenesis of drug-resistant epilepsy in children.

The interaction of PD-L1 with PD-1 is a major immune checkpoint that limits effector T cell function against cancer cells; monoclonal antibodies that block this pathway have been approved in multiple tumor indications. As a next generation therapy, small molecule inhibitors of PD-L1 have inherent drug properties that may be advantageous for certain patient populations compared to antibody therapies. In this report we present the pharmacology of the orally-available, small molecule PD-L1 inhibitor CCX559 for cancer immunotherapy. CCX559 potently and selectively inhibited PD-L1 binding to PD-1 and CD80 in vitro, and increased activation of primary human T cells in a T cell receptor-dependent fashion. Oral administration of CCX559 demonstrated anti-tumor activity similar to an anti-human PD-L1 antibody in two murine tumor models. Treatment of cells with CCX559 induced PD-L1 dimer formation and internalization, which prevented interaction with PD-1. Cell surface PD-L1 expression recovered in MC38 tumors upon CCX559 clearance post dosing. In a cynomolgus monkey pharmacodynamic study, CCX559 increased plasma levels of soluble PD-L1. These results support the clinical development of CCX559 for solid tumors; CCX559 is currently in a Phase 1, first in patient, multicenter, open-label, dose-escalation study (ACTRN12621001342808).

Background: Genetic polymorphism of CYP2C19 has been shown to affect enzyme activity and thereby contribute to inter-individual variability in drug metabolism and response. The complete genetic variation of CYP2C19 in Vietnam still remains obscure even though data of common alleles in Vietnamese Kinh have been reported. Aim: To establish the extent of CYP2C19 polymorphism in Vietnamese. Subjects and methods: The promoter and all nine exons of CYP2C19 in 100 healthy unrelated Vietnamese Kinh subjects were sequenced. Additionally, the CYP2C19 variants, *2, *3 and *17 were analysed by RFLP-PCR in 275 subjects of four minor ethnic groups in Vietnam (Tay, Muong, H’Mong and Nung). Results: In 100 Kinh subjects, the percentages of CYP2C19*1, CYP2C19*2, CYP2C19*3 and CYP2C19*17 alleles were 76%, 20.5%, 2.5% and 1%, respectively. Three novel variants in introns 2, 5 and 8 had no impact on mRNA splicing according to the Human Splicing Finder. The prevalence of CYP2C19*17 in Vietnamese Kinh was significantly lower compared with figures found in Western Asia and Europe, while CYP2C19*2 frequency was statistically higher than that in Western Asia and several countries in Europe. The frequency of CYP2C19*2 in Kinh was significantly lower than in the other four ethnic minorities. Conclusion: These results provide information on CYP2C19 polymorphism in the Vietnamese population, which could be useful for optimising drug therapies and precision medicine studies.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0164646.].

Ban Lim area, Caobang province has proposed high potential of lead-zinc resources, which have occurred in different geological formations. In this paper, based on the collecting, synthetics and processing geological data, especially applied mathematical methods to recognize studied objects of exploration process and quantitative description. The results show that the lead-zinc orebodies in Ban Lim area are mainly occurred in lens-shaped and distributed in layered surfaces of dolomitized limestone of Coc Xo formation. The average lead-zinc content of the orebodies is in a range from 3.27% to 8.33%, its coefficient of variation (Vc) is in a range from 13.71% (evenly) to 137.92% (very unevenly). On the whole, the lead-zinc contents of the orebodies in Ban Lim area mainly comply with the standard normal distribution. The average thicknesses of the orebodies are in a range from 0.92 m to 6.48 m, its coefficient of variation (Vm) is in the range from 8.7% (stable) to 132.95% (very unstable). Quantitative calculation results have shown that Ban Lim lead-zinc deposit belongs to group III of deposits. For the exploration of this type of minerals, it is recommended to use linear grid pattern. Appropriate exploration grid pattern for category 122 reserve is (60-80)×(30-40) m.

Focal segmental glomerulosclerosis (FSGS) comprises a group of uncommon disorders that present with marked proteinuria, nephrotic syndrome, progressive renal failure and characteristic glomerular lesions on histopathology. The current standard of care for patients with FSGS include immunosuppressive drugs such as glucocorticoids followed by calcineurin inhibitors, if needed for intolerance or inadequate response to glucocorticoids. Renin-angiotensin-aldosterone (RAAS) blockers are also used to control proteinuria, an important signature of FSGS. Existing treatments, however, achieved only limited success. Despite best care, treatment failure is common and FSGS is causal in a significant proportion of end stage renal disease. Thus, an unmet need exists for novel disease modifying treatments for FSGS. We employed two widely-used murine models of FSGS to test the hypothesis that systemic inhibition of chemokine receptor CCR2 would have therapeutic benefit. Here we report that administration CCX872, a potent and selective small molecule antagonist of CCR2, achieved rapid and sustained attenuation of renal damage as determined by urine albumin excretion and improved histopathological outcome. Therapeutic benefit was present when CCX872 was used as a single therapy, and moreover, the combination of CCX872 and RAAS blockade was statistically more effective than RAAS blockade alone. In addition, the combination of CCR2 and RAAS blockade was equally as effective as endothelin receptor inhibition. We conclude that specific inhibition of CCR2 is effective in the Adriamycin-induced and 5/6 nephrectomy murine models of FSGS, and thus holds promise as a mechanistically distinct therapeutic addition to the treatment of human FSGS.

In the last decade the European residential market has seen radical social and economic changes. The economic situation and heterogeneous housing demand has created the necessary conditions for the development of new housing models. This paper introduces the methods, procedures and tools of a process model for new construction or retrofitting of residential buildings called Collective Self-Organised (CSO) housing. The CSO process model is characterized by service sharing, reduction of construction costs and use of high energy performance technologies developed through the PROFICIENT research project financed by the European community’s 7th framework programme (GA N°312219). The paper also presents an example of a Dutch CSO housing project named ‘De Hallen’.

The complement 5a receptor has been an attractive therapeutic target for many autoimmune and inflammatory disorders. However, development of a selective and potent C5aR antagonist has been challenging. Here we describe the characterization of CCX168 (avacopan), an orally administered selective and potent C5aR inhibitor. CCX168 blocked the C5a binding, C5a-mediated migration, calcium mobilization, and CD11b upregulation in U937 cells as well as in freshly isolated human neutrophils. CCX168 retains high potency when present in human blood. A transgenic human C5aR knock-in mouse model allowed comparison of the in vitro and in vivo efficacy of the molecule. CCX168 effectively blocked migration in in vitro and ex vivo chemotaxis assays, and it blocked the C5a-mediated neutrophil vascular endothelial margination. CCX168 was effective in migration and neutrophil margination assays in cynomolgus monkeys. This thorough in vitro and preclinical characterization enabled progression of CCX168 into the clinic and testing of its safety, tolerability, pharmacokinetic, and pharmacodynamic profiles in a Phase 1 clinical trial in 48 healthy volunteers. CCX168 was shown to be well tolerated across a broad dose range (1 to 100 mg) and it showed dose-dependent pharmacokinetics. An oral dose of 30 mg CCX168 given twice daily blocked the C5a-induced upregulation of CD11b in circulating neutrophils by 94% or greater throughout the entire day, demonstrating essentially complete target coverage. This dose regimen is being tested in clinical trials in patients with anti-neutrophil cytoplasmic antibody-associated vasculitis. Trial Registration ISRCTN registry with trial ID ISRCTN13564773.

Therapies that target leukocyte trafficking pathways can reduce disease activity and improve clinical outcomes in multiple sclerosis (MS). Experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE) is a widely studied animal model that shares many clinical and histological features with MS. Chemokine-like receptor-1 (CMKLR1) is a chemoattractant receptor that is expressed by key effector cells in EAE and MS, including macrophages, subsets of dendritic cells, natural killer cells and microglia. We previously showed that CMKLR1-deficient (CMKLR1 KO) mice develop less severe clinical and histological EAE than wild-type mice. In this study, we sought to identify CMKLR1 inhibitors that would pharmaceutically recapitulate the CMKLR1 KO phenotype in EAE. We identified 2-(α-naphthoyl) ethyltrimethylammonium iodide (α-NETA) as a CMKLR1 small molecule antagonist that inhibits chemerin-stimulated β-arrestin2 association with CMKLR1, as well as chemerin-triggered CMKLR1+ cell migration. α-NETA significantly delayed the onset of EAE induced in C57BL/6 mice by both active immunization with myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein peptide 35-55 and by adoptive transfer of encephalitogenic T cells. In addition, α-NETA treatment significantly reduced mononuclear cell infiltrates within the CNS. This study provides additional proof-of-concept data that targeting CMKLR1:chemerin interactions may be beneficial in preventing or treating MS.

Abstract Background La Crosse virus (LACV), family Bunyaviridae, is a mosquito-borne virus recognized as a major cause of pediatric encephalitis in North America with 70–130 symptomatic cases each year. The virus was first identified as a human pathogen in 1960 after its isolation from a 4 year-old girl who suffered encephalitis and died in La Crosse, Wisconsin. The majority of LACV infections are mild and never reported, however, serologic studies estimate infection rates of 10–30/100,000 in endemic areas. Results In the present study, sequence analysis of the complete LACV genomes of low-passage LACV/human/1960, LACV/mosquito/1978, and LACV/human/1978 strains and of biologically cloned derivatives of each strain, indicates that circulating LACVs are genetically stable over time and geographic distance with 99.6–100%, 98.9–100%, 97.8–99.6%, and 99.2–99.7% amino acid identity for N, NsS, M polyprotein, and L proteins respectively. We identified 5 amino acid differences in the RNA polymerase and 4 nucleotide differences in the non-coding region of the L segment specific to the human virus isolates, which may result in altered disease outcomes. Conclusion All three wild type viruses had similar in vitro growth kinetics and phenotypes in mosquito C6/36 and Vero cells, and similar levels of neurovirulence and neuroinvasiveness in Swiss Webster mice. The biologically cloned derivative of LACV/human/1960 was significantly less neuroinvasive than its uncloned parent and differed in sequence at one amino acid position in the GN glycoprotein, identifying this residue as an attenuating mutation.

Objective: MRI of the hands is valuable for risk-stratification in patients with arthralgia at-risk for developing rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Contrast-enhanced MRI is considered standard for assessment of RA, but has practical disadvantages. It also shows inflammation-like features in the general population, especially at older age, which should be considered in image interpretation. The modified-Dixon (mDixon) technique is reliable compared to contrast-enhanced sequences. Moreover, this short protocol without contrast-enhancement is patient-friendly. Whether it also shows inflammation-like features in the general population is unknown. We studied this to support accurate use in the clinic., Methods: Two hundred twenty symptom-free volunteers from different age-categories were recruited from the general population and underwent mDixon MRI of both hands. Two readers independently scored MRIs for synovitis, tenosynovitis, and bone marrow edema (BME) in the metacarpophalangeal-joints (MCP) and wrists according to the RAMRIS. Features were considered present if scored by both readers; frequencies > 5% were considered relevant in terms of specificity and determined per age-category (< 40/40- < 60/ ≥ 60-years)., Results: Higher age correlated with higher BME-scores (p-value < 0.005), but not with synovitis and tenosynovitis-scores. BME (grade 1) occurred in some bones in people aged ≥ 60, 14% had BME in the lunate, 7% in metacarpal-1, and 6% in the trapezium. Synovitis and tenosynovitis did not occur in > 5%, except for grade-1 synovitis in the right distal radio-ulnar-joint in people aged ≥ 60 (11%)., Conclusion: On mDixon MRI, inflammatory features in the hands of the general population are rare. This facilitates image interpretation. To prevent overinterpretation, only several locations should be considered when evaluating people aged ≥ 60-years., Competing Interests: Declarations. Ethics approval: The study was conducted in compliance with the Helsinki Declaration. Written informed consent was obtained from all participants included in the study. The research protocol for the Rotterdam CSA-cohort (MEC-2017–028) was approved by the local Medical Ethical Committee of the Erasmus Medical Center (EMC). Competing interests: The authors declare no competing interests., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Objectives: Although joint swelling is traditionally interpreted as synovitis, recent imaging studies showed that there is also inflammation of tenosynovium and intermetatarsal bursae in the forefoot. We aimed to increase our understanding of differences and similarities regarding forefoot involvement between ACPA-positive and ACPA-negative rheumatoid arthritis (RA) at diagnosis. Therefore, we (1) compared metatarsophalangeal (MTP) joint counts, walking disabilities and inflamed tissues between ACPA groups and (2) studied associations of joint swelling/tenderness and walking disabilities with underlying inflamed tissues within ACPA groups., Methods: 171 ACPA-positive and 203 ACPA-negative consecutively diagnosed patients with RA had a physical joint examination (swollen joint count-66/tender joint count-68), filled a Health Assessment Questionnaire including the domain walking and underwent MRI of the MTP joints at diagnosis. Synovitis, tenosynovitis, osteitis and intermetatarsal bursitis (IMB) were assessed. Findings in age-matched healthy controls were applied to define abnormalities on MRI., Results: While ACPA-negative RA patients had more swollen joints (mean SJC 8 vs 6 in ACPA-positives, p=0.003), the number of swollen MTP joints was similar (mean 1 in both groups); walking disabilities were also equally common (49% vs 53%). In contrast, inflamed tissues were all more prevalent in ACPA-positive compared with ACPA-negative RA. Within ACPA-positive RA, IMB was associated independently with MTP-joint swelling (OR 2.6, 95% CI 1.4 to 5.0) and tenderness (OR 3.0, 95% CI 1.8 to 5.0). While in ACPA-negatives, synovitis was associated independently with MTP-joint swelling (OR 2.8, 95% CI 1.4 to 5.8) and tenderness (OR 2.5, 95% CI 1.3 to 4.8). Tenosynovitis contributed most to walking disabilities., Conclusions: Although the forefoot of ACPA-positives and ACPA-negatives share clinical similarities at diagnosis, there are differences in underlying inflamed tissues. This reinforces that ACPA-positive and ACPA-negative RA are different entities., Competing Interests: Competing interests: None declared., (© Author(s) (or their employer(s)) 2024. Re-use permitted under CC BY-NC. No commercial re-use. See rights and permissions. Published by BMJ.)