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Inhibiting myosin in glioblastoma

A molecular basis underpinning TRBV28+ T-cell receptor recognition of MR1–antigen

Non-exchangeable hydrogen (δ2H) stable isotope ratios in fauna provide enhanced dietary, isotopic niche and home range reconstruction at Aqaba Castle, Jordan

Bone collagen of terrestrial and marine animals (n = 218) recovered from Ottoman period contexts at Aqaba Castle, Jordan (16th–19th centuries CE), were analyzed for δ13C, δ15N, and δ2H isotope ratios. While δ13C and δ15N values showed considerable overlap among species in the hyperarid environment, δ2H values exhibited less overlap, enhancing stable isotopic niche differentiation. In domesticates, δ2H values show trophic enrichments of +18.4‰ from herbivores to omnivores (dogs), and +26‰ to cats which had the highest δ2H values. Fish δ2H values show a positive relationship with increasing trophic level but also moderately correlate with body size (r = 0.61, R2 = 0.37). The offset between collagen δ2H and rainfall (δ2Hmw) values is smaller for camels (−1.4‰), sheep (−4.5‰), and goats (+6.8%), than for chickens (−18.5‰) and cattle (−27.0‰) due to more frequent consumption of 2H-depleted groundwater by the latter species, because of their higher water requirements. Similarities between local precipitation and bone collagen δ2H values for most terrestrial herbivores suggest the utility of δ2H values for geographic provenancing. This is explored by overlapping gazelle and chukar collagen δ2H values over a regional δ2Hmw isoscape, tentatively suggesting these species inhabited the water-stressed highland environments surrounding Aqaba Castle. This study demonstrates the advantages of incorporating bone collagen δ2H values alongside δ13C and δ15N values as a useful environmental proxy, enhancing interpretations of animal dietary behaviour, trophic levels, water sources, and wild animal home ranges.

Base editing tackles trinucleotide repeat diseases

Repurposing clofazimine as an antibiotic to treat cholera: Identification of cellular and structural targets

Preparation of cardan joint by selective laser sintering and properties of polyamide-12 and portland cement powder mixture

A homogeneous mixture of polyamide-12 (PA-12) and Portland cement (PC) powder material was prepared using the Sinterit sifter. Many techniques were used to detect morphological and functional properties. The scanning electron microscope confirms the proper mixing of both components. Thermal testing indicates that at 453.15 K, the change in molecular weight occurred more rapidly. The results of differential scanning calorimetry confirm that as the molecular weight increases, the glass transition temperature and melting temperature increase while the crystallization temperature of the material decreases. According to the results, a mixture of PA-12 and PC powder exhibits excellent mechanical properties, making it suitable for various applications. Thermally, mechanically, and chemically, they are often the best choice in the most demanding applications that require both high mechanical strength and durability at high temperatures. Due to this, polyamide powders and cement mixtures with narrow particle sizes show promise for additive manufacturing and selective laser sintering. This study focuses on developing a new mixture material by combining cement additives with PA-12 to reduce costs and enhance the mechanical properties of sintered specimens (cardan joints). The blended material will cost less than pure PA-12 because cement is significantly cheaper than PA-12.

Neurotensin receptor modulator safely tackles pain

Transcriptional responses to nitric oxide are widescale and source-dependent

Global, regional, and national prevalence and trends of gynecological diseases among women of childbearing age from 1990 to 2021: An analysis of the global burden of disease study 2021

Purpose The global prevalence and trends of gynecological diseases (GDs) among women of childbearing age (WCBA) remain unclear and may be underestimated. This study aims to evaluate the prevalence of GDs at global, regional, and national levels and assess changes from 1990 to 2021. Methods Data on the annual prevalence of major GDs, including uterine fibroids, polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS), female infertility, endometriosis, genital prolapse, premenstrual syndrome (PMS), and other GDs, were obtained from the Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors Study (GBD) 2021. The study analyzed women aged 15–49 years across 204 countries and territories from 1990 to 2021. Estimated annual percentage changes (EAPC) in the age-standardized prevalence rate (ASPR) were calculated to quantify temporal trends, by age and socio-demographic index (SDI). Results In 2021, the global prevalence of GDs among WCBA was estimated at 1.21 billion cases, corresponding to a ASPR of 62,091.73 cases per 100,000 population (95% UI: 62,088.24 to 62,095.23). While the ASPR for GDs remained stable from 1990 to 2021 (EAPC = 0% [95% CI: –0.03 to 0.02]), the number of prevalent cases doubled over the same period. In 2021, the most prevalent GD globally was PMS, followed by uterine fibroids, PCOS, and female infertility. Conditions such as uterine fibroids, PCOS, and female infertility showed a significant upward trend in ASPR over time. Additionally, the ASPR of most GDs generally decreased with rising SDI, except for PCOS, which exhibited an increasing trend with higher SDI. The prevalence of GDs also increased with age, peaking in the 40–44 years age group. However, a shift in the burden of GDs toward younger women was observed, with significant increases in prevalence rates for uterine fibroids, PCOS, female infertility, and PMS in women aged 20–29 years. Conclusions GDs among WCBA remain a global concern, underscoring the urgent need for targeted interventions, especially for younger populations and in regions with limited healthcare infrastructure. Prioritizing early intervention, addressing environmental risk factors, and removing barriers to healthcare access will mitigate the long-term impact of these conditions on women’s health and overall well-being.

Evidence against efficient spontaneous disassembly of prions into small oligomers

Incidence and predictors of preterm neonatal mortality at public hospitals in Eastern Ethiopia: A prospective follow-up study

Introduction Preterm birth is a major clinical problem, affecting 15 million births every year worldwide. It is the largest cause of death in children under the age of five. Even though different studies have been done regarding the incidence of preterm neonatal death in some parts of Ethiopia, there is a paucity of evidence, especially in the eastern part. Therefore, this study aimed to assess the incidence and predictors of preterm neonatal mortality at public hospitals in eastern Ethiopia from May 1, 2022, to March 30, 2023. Methods An institution-based prospective follow-up study was conducted at public health institutions from May 1, 2022, to March 30, 2023. A structured, pretested, and interviewer-administered questionnaire and checklist were used to collect the data. The data were entered into EpiData version 4.6 and then exported to STATA version 14 for analysis. Kaplan-Meier was used to estimate survival time. A log-rank test was used to compare survival curves between different categories of the explanatory variables. Descriptive analysis, bivariable, and multivariable Cox Proportional Hazards regression analysis were performed. The level of significance was declared at a p-value of <0.05. Results The overall incidence rate of death was 17.03 (14.3, 20.28) per 1000 person-day observations. Mothers’ obstetric complications (AHR: 2.27, 95% CI: (1.46, 3.54)), not crying at birth (AHR: 1.83, 95% CI: (1.09, 2.31)), not immediately initiating breastfeeding (HR: 1.59, 95% CI: (1.10, 2.31)), having sepsis (HR: 1.85, 95% CI: (1.26, 2.72)), having respiratory distress syndrome (HR: 1.98, 95% CI: (1.36, 2.90)), having perinatal asphyxia (HR: 3.1, 95% CI: (2.13, 4.51)), and an APGAR score of less than seven (HR: 2.16, 95% CI: (1.47, 3.16)) were significant predictors of preterm neonatal death. Conclusion This study found the high incidence rate of preterm neonatal mortality, primarily driven by preventable and manageable conditions. Strengthening early identification and timely intervention for the risk factors is critical to improving survival outcomes among preterm neonates.

Lipid asymmetry and membrane trafficking: Transbilayer distribution of structural phospholipids as regulators of exocytosis and endocytosis

Mapping strategies, components, and theories used in health education and physical activity interventions to prevent cardiovascular diseases in adults living with HIV: A scoping review protocol

Introduction Cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) have become the most significant contributor to non-HIV/AIDS-related deaths in people living with HIV (PLWH). The increased risk for CVDs in PLWH is attributed to a combination of traditional risk factors, the effects of chronic inflammation, and antiretroviral therapy-related metabolic changes. Objective The main objective of this scoping review is to systematically map and summarize evidence on the strategies, components, and theories used in health education and physical activity interventions to prevent cardiovascular diseases in PLWH. Inclusion criteria Peer-reviewed publications including relevant grey literature published in English will be included. The literature will focus on health education and physical activity interventions for people living with HIV, at risk of CVDs, aged between 18 years to 65 years. The literature publication will range between 2000 and June, 30th 2025, and intervention studies will include diverse research designs and literature sources from a broad array of settings including healthcare and community settings. Methods Electronic databases to be searched will include PubMed, Scopus, CINAHL, and Embase, as well as grey literature such as Google Scholar, WHO Digital Publications (IRIS), and Proquest Thesis and Dissertation Global. A three-step process of screening consisting of titles/abstracts screening, full article screening, and manual search for references from identified articles will be conducted by two independent reviewers. In case of any discrepancies or disagreements, a third reviewer will be called upon to address the controversy. A data extraction form will be adapted from the Joanne Briggs Institute (JBI) standardized data extraction tool and key findings will be presented in tabular or diagram format followed by a narrative summary. Reporting of the scoping review will follow the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses extension for Scoping Reviews (PRISMA-ScR) checklist. Review protocol registration The scoping review protocol is registered with Open Science Framework (https://osf.io/4wfkh/).

The effects of annual cycle stages and life-history traits on feather abrasion

Antimicrobial activity of Origanum vulgare L. essential oil and its effects on fungal gene expression

Origanum vulgare L. (oregano) essential oil showed strong antimicrobial potential, effectively inhibiting the growth of various microorganisms. In our study, oregano essential oil inhibited the growth of Staphylococcus aureus with a minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of 3.13 µL/mL and Bacillus cereus at 6.25 µL/mL. Peronophythora litchii growth was completely suppressed by oregano essential oil at a concentration of 12.5 µL/mL over a period of 7 days. GC-MS analysis identified carvacrol as the dominant component of the oregano essential oil. Transcriptomic analysis revealed that treatment of P. litchii with oregano essential oil resulted in 9,710 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) compared to the control. GO analysis indicated that these DEGs were primarily associated with glutathione metabolic processes, cytosolic ribosome function, and ubiquitin-like protein peptidase activity. Additionally, KEGG pathway analysis showed significant enrichment in proteasome, ribosome, and oxidative phosphorylation pathways. These findings demonstrate the potent antimicrobial efficacy of oregano essential oil against both bacterial pathogens and P. litchii, highlighting its promise as a natural antimicrobial agent.

Contribution of displacement, duration, and velocity on auditory motion direction perception in macaque monkeys

Non-linear association of cardiometabolic index with gallstone disease in US adults: A cross-sectional study

Objective Obesity and disorders of lipid metabolism are key factors in gallstone formation. The cardiometabolic index (CMI) is a new marker combining obesity indicators (WHtR) and lipid levels (TG/HDL-C). The aim of this study was to investigate whether CMI is associated with the prevalence of gallstone disease (GSD) in adults. Methods This study was a cross-sectional study by cohort data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) January 2017-March 2020 cycle. Using sample-weighted multivariate logistic regression analysis, sample weighted restricted cubic spline (RCS), the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) and subgroup analysis to assist us with gaining insight into the association between CMI and GSD. Results Among the 2825 included participants, 307 of them were patients with GSD. In a model adjusting for multiple covariates, each unit increase in CMI increased the odds of GSD by 16% (OR = 1.16; 95% CI = 1.04-1.30; P = 0.015). Compared to participants with the lowest CMI, those with the highest index had a significantly increased risk of GSD (OR = 2.52; 95% CI = 1.45-4.36; P = 0.006). The sample-weighted multivariable adjusted RCS revealed a nonlinear relationship between CMI and GSD. ROC analysis revealed that CMI had a high predictive effect on the diagnosis of GSD (AUC = 0.680). Subgroup analysis suggested the influence of gender differences on the relationship between CMI and GSD. Conclusions The present study found that elevated CMI significantly increased the risk of GSD and emphasized the non-linear relationship between both. These results suggest that CMI could be a potential marker for early screening and intervention of GSD, thus providing guidance for future clinical management of GSD.

The association between the duration of surgery and risks of mortality and unplanned reoperation is modulated by the surgical start time

OpDetect: A convolutional and recurrent neural network classifier for precise and sensitive operon detection from RNA-seq data

An operon refers to a group of neighbouring genes belonging to one or more overlapping transcription units that are transcribed in the same direction and have at least one gene in common. Operons are a characteristic of prokaryotic genomes. Identifying which genes belong to the same operon facilitates understanding of gene function and regulation. There are several computational approaches for operon detection; however, many of these computational approaches have been developed for a specific target bacterium or require information only available for a restricted number of bacterial species. Here, we introduce a general method, OpDetect, that directly utilizes RNA-sequencing (RNA-seq) reads as a signal over nucleotide bases in the genome. This representation enabled us to employ a convolutional and recurrent deep neural network architecture which demonstrated superior performance in terms of recall, F1-score and Area under the Receiver-Operating characteristic Curve (AUROC) compared to previous approaches. Additionally, OpDetect showcases species-agnostic capabilities, successfully detecting operons in a wide range of bacterial species and even in Caenorhabditis elegans , one of few eukaryotic organisms known to have operons. OpDetect is available at https://github.com/BioinformaticsLabAtMUN/OpDetect .

High-selective HDAC6 inhibitor alleviates bone marrow fibrosis through inhibiting collagen formation and extracellular matrix deposition

Abstract Bone marrow fibrosis (BMF) impairs normal hematopoietic functions in patients. The overactivation of the TGF-β signaling pathway is regarded as one of the offenders causing disease progression. Thus, factors capable of regulating TGF-β secretion hold great potential in reversing fibrotic diseases. One such factor is histone deacetylase inhibitors (HDACis), which can modulate the expression of TGF-β. Our previous study successfully synthesized a selective HDAC6 inhibitor, J22352, for pulmonary fibrosis; however, the treatment efficacies on BMF remain unclear. Therefore, in this study, we treated bone marrow-derived myofibroblasts with J22352. The results showed that J22352 significantly reduced cell viability, induced apoptosis, and inhibited extracellular matrix (ECM) accumulation. Liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) analysis was employed to disclose potential mechanisms, identifying 334 differentially expressed proteins (DEPs). The DEPs were involved in cell apoptosis, programmed cell death, ECM deposition, and collagen formation. These results suggest that J22352 efficiently alleviated BMF by inducing cell apoptosis and inhibiting ECM deposition. This study introduces a novel selective HDAC6 inhibitor as a potential option for slowing down the progression of BMF. We aim to provide a promising selective HDACi for clinical medicine through a detailed analysis of its mechanisms and efficacy, offering new prospects in the field.