Biology subjects

Kiss, O.

Publications and source records attributed to Kiss, O..

3 recordsLinked to original sources

bioRxiv2025

Sleep duration and efficiency moderate the effects of prenatal and childhood ambient pollutant exposure on global white matter microstructural integrity in adolescence

BackgroundAir pollution is a ubiquitous neurotoxicant associated with alterations in structural connectivity. Good habitual sleep may be an important protective lifestyle factor due to its involvement in the brain waste clearance and its bidirectional relationship with immune function. Wearable multisensory devices may provide more objective measures of sleep quantity and quality. We investigated whether sleep duration and efficiency moderated the relationship between prenatal and childhood pollutant exposure and whole-brain white matter microstructural integrity at ages 10-13 years. MethodsWe used multi-shell diffusion-weighted imaging data collected on 3T MRI scanners and objective sleep data collected with Fitbit Charge 2 from the 2-year follow-up visit for 2178 subjects in the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development Study(R). White matter tracts were identified using a probabilistic atlas. Restriction spectrum imaging was performed to extract restricted normalized isotropic (RNI) and directional (RND) signal fraction parameters for all white matter tracts, then averaged to calculate global measures. Sleep duration was calculated by summing the time spent in each sleep stage; sleep efficiency was calculated by dividing sleep duration by time spent in bed. Using an ensemble-based modeling approach, air pollution concentrations of PM2.5, NO2, and O3 were assigned to each childs residential addresses during the prenatal period (9-month average before birthdate) as well as at ages 9- 10 years. Multi-pollutant linear mixed effects models assessed the associations between global RNI and RND and sleep-by-pollutant interactions, adjusting for appropriate covariates. ResultsSleep duration interacted with childhood NO2 exposure and sleep efficiency interacted with prenatal O3 exposure to affect RND at ages 10-13 years. Longer sleep duration and higher sleep efficiency in the context of higher pollutant exposure was associated with lower RND compared to those with similar pollutant exposure but shorter sleep duration and lower sleep efficiency. ConclusionsLow-level air pollution poses a risk to brain health in youth, and healthy sleep duration and efficiency may increase resilience to its harmful effects on white matter microstructural integrity. Future studies should evaluate the generalizability of these results in more diverse cohorts as well as utilize longitudinal data to understand how sleep may impact brain health trajectories in the context of pollution over time.

neuroscience↗

bioRxiv2023

Ornithological and molecular evidence of a reproducing Hyalomma rufipes population under continental climate in Europe

BackgroundReports on adult Hyalomma ticks in certain regions of the Carpathian Basin date back to the 19th century. These ticks were thought to emerge from nymphs dropping from birds, then molting to adults. Although the role of migratory birds in carrying ticks of this genus is known from all parts of Europe, in most countries no contemporaneous multiregional surveillance of bird-associated ticks was reported which could allow the recognition of hotspots in this context. MethodsIxodid ticks were collected from birds at seven ringing stations in Hungary, including both the spring and autumn migration period in 2022. Ixodes and Haemaphysalis species were identified morphologically, whereas Hyalomma species molecularly. ResultsFrom 38 passeriform bird species 957 ixodid ticks were collected. The majority of developmental stages were nymphs (n=588), but 353 larvae and 16 females were also present. On most birds (n=381) only a single tick was found and the maximum number of ticks removed from the same bird was 30. Tick species were identified as Ixodes ricinus (n=598), Ixodes frontalis (n=18), Ixodes lividus (n=6), Haemaphysalis concinna (n=322), and D. reticulatus (n=1). All twelve Hyalomma sp. ticks (11 engorged nymphs and an unengorged larva) were identified as Hyalomma rufipes based on three mitochondrial markers. This species was only found in the Transdanubian region and along its southeastern border. The Common Blackbird (Turdus merula) and the European Robin (Erithacus rubecula) were the two main hosts of I. ricinus and I. frontalis, whereas H. concinna was almost exclusively collected form long-distance migrants. The predominant hosts of H. rufipes were reed-associated bird species, the Sedge Warbler (Acrocephalus schoenobaenus) and the Bearded Reedling (Panurus biarmicus), both harboring these ticks at the end of June (i.e., the nesting period) in southwestern Hungary. ConclusionsThis study provides ornithological explanation for the regional, century-long presence of adult Hyalomma ticks under continental climate in the Transdanubian Region of the Carpathian Basin. More importantly, the autochthonous occurrence of a H. rufipes population was revealed for the first time in Europe, based on the following observations: (1) the bird species infested with H. rufipes are not known to migrate during their nesting period; (2) one larva was not yet engorged; (3) the larva and the nymphs must have belonged to different local generations; and (4) all H. rufipes found in the relevant location were identical in their haplotypes based on three maternally inherited mitochondrial markers, probably reflecting founder effect. This study also demonstrated that the species of ticks carried by birds were significantly different between collection sites even within a geographically short distance (200 km). Therefore, within a country multiregional monitoring is inevitable to assess the overall epidemiological significance of migratory birds in importing exotic ticks, and also in maintaining newly established tick species.

zoology↗

bioRxiv2018

Breast cancer brain metastases show increased levels of genomic aberration based homologous recombination deficiency scores relative to their corresponding primary tumors

Due to its mechanism of action, PARP inhibitor therapy is expected to benefit mainly tumor cases with homologous recombination deficiency (HRD). Various measures of genomic scarring based HRD scores were developed as a companion diagnostic in order to correlate it with PARP inhibitor sensitivity. We compared a variety of HRD scores in primary tumors and their corresponding brain metastases and found a significant increase in this measure in brain metastases for all measures of HRD that were tested. This discrepancy warrants further investigation to assess whether this observation is common to other metastatic sites, and potentially a significant adjustment of strategy in the application of HRD measures in clinical trials for the prioritization of patients for PARP inhibitor therapy.\n\nKey messageWe quantified homologous recombination deficiency (HRD) in paired primary breast cancer and brain metastases samples based on a previously published data set. We showed that HRD significantly increases in the brain metastases relative to its paired primary tumor. An independent validation was also performed on another set of primary breast cancer and brain metastasis pairs using the \"my choice\" HRD score in collaboration with Myriad Genetics.\n\nThese confirmatory results suggest that brain metastases of breast cancer tend to have significantly higher HRD scores, which would prioritize those patients for PARP inhibitor therapy with those agents that cross the blood brain barrier such as veliparib and niraparib.

cancer biology↗