University of Vienna

About: University of Vienna is a education organization based out in Vienna, Austria. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Population & Context (language use). The organization has 44686 authors who have published 95840 publications receiving 2907492 citations.

Activation of Interferon Regulatory Factor 3 Is Inhibited by the Influenza A Virus NS1 Protein

Abstract: We present a novel mechanism by which viruses may inhibit the alpha/beta interferon (IFN-alpha/beta) cascade. The double-stranded RNA (dsRNA) binding protein NS1 of influenza virus is shown to prevent the potent antiviral interferon response by inhibiting the activation of interferon regulatory factor 3 (IRF-3), a key regulator of IFN-alpha/beta gene expression. IRF-3 activation and, as a consequence, IFN-beta mRNA induction are inhibited in wild-type (PR8) influenza virus-infected cells but not in cells infected with an isogenic virus lacking the NS1 gene (delNS1 virus). Furthermore, NS1 is shown to be a general inhibitor of the interferon signaling pathway. Inhibition of IRF-3 activation can be achieved by the expression of wild-type NS1 in trans, not only in delNS1 virus-infected cells but also in cells infected with a heterologous RNA virus (Newcastle disease virus). We propose that inhibition of IRF-3 activation by a dsRNA binding protein significantly contributes to the virulence of influenza A viruses and possibly to that of other viruses.

Guidelines for treatment of atopic eczema (atopic dermatitis) part I.

Abstract: The existing evidence for treatment of atopic eczema (atopic dermatitis, AE) is evaluated using the national standard Appraisal of Guidelines Research and Evaluation. The consensus process consisted of a nominal group process and a DELPHI procedure. Management of AE must consider the individual symptomatic variability of the disease. Basic therapy is focused on hydrating topical treatment, and avoidance of specific and unspecific provocation factors. Anti-inflammatory treatment based on topical glucocorticosteroids and topical calcineurin inhibitors (TCI) is used for exacerbation management and more recently for proactive therapy in selected cases. Topical corticosteroids remain the mainstay of therapy, but the TCI tacrolimus and pimecrolimus are preferred in certain locations. Systemic immune-suppressive treatment is an option for severe refractory cases. Microbial colonization and superinfection may induce disease exacerbation and can justify additional antimicrobial treatment. Adjuvant therapy includes UV irradiation preferably with UVA1 wavelength or UVB 311 nm. Dietary recommendations should be specific and given only in diagnosed individual food allergy. Allergen-specific immunotherapy to aeroallergens may be useful in selected cases. Stress-induced exacerbations may make psychosomatic counselling recommendable. 'Eczema school' educational programs have been proven to be helpful. Pruritus is targeted with the majority of the recommended therapies, but some patients need additional antipruritic therapies.

Nanoparticles: structure, properties, preparation and behaviour in environmental media

Abstract: There is increasing interest and need to develop a deeper understanding of the nature, fate and behaviour of nanoparticles in the environment. This is driven by the increased use of engineered nanoparticles and the increased pressure to commercialise this growing technology. In this review we discuss the key properties of nanoparticles and their preparation and then discuss how these factors can play a role in determining their fate and behaviour in the natural environment. Key focus of the discussion will relate to the surface chemistry of the nanoparticle, which may interact with a range of molecules naturally present in surface waters and sediments. Understanding these factors is a core goal required for understanding the final fate of nanomaterials and predicting which organisms are likely to be exposed to these materials.

Extinction debt of high-mountain plants under twenty-first-century climate change

Abstract: Quantitative estimates of the range loss of mountain plants under climate change have so far mostly relied on static geographical projections of species’ habitat shifts 1‐3 . Here, we use a hybrid model 4 that combines such projections with simulations of demography and seed dispersal to forecast the climate-driven spatio-temporal dynamics of 150 highmountain plant species across the European Alps. This model predicts average range size reductions of 44‐50% by the end of the twenty-first century, which is similar to projections from the most ‘optimistic’ static model (49%). However, the hybrid model also indicates that population dynamics will lag behind climatic trends and that an average of 40% of the range still occupied at the end of the twenty-first century will have become climatically unsuitable for the respective species, creating an extinction debt 5,6 . Alarmingly, species endemic to the Alps seem to face the highest range losses. These results caution against optimistic conclusions from moderate range size reductions observed during the twenty-first century as they are likely to belie more severe longer-term effects of climate warming on mountain plants. Many plant and animal species have already been shifting their ranges in response to the past century’s climatic trends 79 . In mountains, owing to the altitudinal temperature gradient, species should primarily move upslope under warming, as has indeed been frequently documented during the recent decades 10,11 as well as in the palaeorecord 12,13 . As mountains usually have conical shapes, upslope movement inevitably results in range loss and may even lead to ‘mountain-top extinctions’ 14 in extreme cases. However, previous predictions of the magnitude of such range and biodiversity losses during the twenty-first century have been criticized 4,15 for relying on static ‘niche-based’ modelling approaches 16 , which disregard several processes crucial to range

Hydrous mantle transition zone indicated by ringwoodite included within diamond

Abstract: X-ray diffraction, Raman and infrared spectroscopic evidence for the inclusion of water-rich ringwoodite in diamond from Juina, Brazil, indicates that, at least locally, the Earth’s transition zone is hydrous to about 1 weight per cent. It is not clear just how much water resides within the solid Earth, and where it is to be found, with many indirect measurements yielding conflicting results. Here Graham Pearson and co-authors present evidence from a diamond inclusion from Juina, Brazil, for the first known terrestrial occurrence of ringwoodite — a high-pressure polymorph of olivine first identified in meteorites and thought to be a major constituent of the Earth's mantle transition zone. The water-rich nature of this inclusion provides direct evidence that, at least locally, the transition zone is hydrous, to about 1 weight per cent. The ultimate origin of water in the Earth’s hydrosphere is in the deep Earth—the mantle. Theory1 and experiments2,3,4 have shown that although the water storage capacity of olivine-dominated shallow mantle is limited, the Earth’s transition zone, at depths between 410 and 660 kilometres, could be a major repository for water, owing to the ability of the higher-pressure polymorphs of olivine—wadsleyite and ringwoodite—to host enough water to comprise up to around 2.5 per cent of their weight. A hydrous transition zone may have a key role in terrestrial magmatism and plate tectonics5,6,7, yet despite experimental demonstration of the water-bearing capacity of these phases, geophysical probes such as electrical conductivity have provided conflicting results8,9,10, and the issue of whether the transition zone contains abundant water remains highly controversial11. Here we report X-ray diffraction, Raman and infrared spectroscopic data that provide, to our knowledge, the first evidence for the terrestrial occurrence of any higher-pressure polymorph of olivine: we find ringwoodite included in a diamond from Juina, Brazil. The water-rich nature of this inclusion, indicated by infrared absorption, along with the preservation of the ringwoodite, is direct evidence that, at least locally, the transition zone is hydrous, to about 1 weight per cent. The finding also indicates that some kimberlites must have their primary sources in this deep mantle region.