Browse Articles

Frequency-comb-steered ultrawideband quasi-true-time-delay beamformer for integrated sensing and communication

Machine learning model to predicting synergy of ultrasonication and solvation impacts on crude oil viscosity

How animal paw pads got their toughness

Chromatin retained MUSHER lncRNA integrates ABA and DOG1 signalling pathways to enhance Arabidopsis seeds dormancy

Abstract Many plant lncRNAs regulate gene expression by binding to chromatin, but how they are retained at the target loci is unclear. We identify a chromatin-localized lncRNA - MUSHER , which activates two parallel regulatory pathways to increase Arabidopsis seed dormancy. MUSHER is upregulated in response to high temperatures, contributing to the induction of secondary dormancy. It promotes DOG1 expression by recruitment of the CPSF complex to enhance the proximal cleavage and polyadenylation at the DOG1 transcript. It also increases ABA sensitivity in seeds by activating PIR1 gene transcription. These genes, located on different chromosomes, are both bound by MUSHER , despite lacking sequence homology. The chromatin association of MUSHER enables the integration of the DOG1- and ABA pathways to adjust seed germination timing. Additionally, MUSHER and other lncRNAs interact with U1 snRNP, which is required for their chromatin localisation, revealing a role for U1 snRNP in plants.

FGF21 is a novel biomarker to predict fragility fractures in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus

Large-scale CRISPR screening in primary human 3D gastric organoids enables comprehensive dissection of gene-drug interactions

Health-related quality of life related to diabetes multisensory deficits and derealization

Dynamical behavior of analytical solutions and bifurcation analysis for a novel structured (2+1)-dimensional Kadomtsev-Petviashvili equation via analytic approach

Monoclonal antibodies revolutionized biomedical science and health care

Extracellular bioelectrical lexicon: detecting rhythmic patterns within dermal fibroblast populations

Abstract This study uses a bioelectronic-based method to establish how non-electrogenic cells, like dermal fibroblast, employ bioelectrical signals to convey information. Electrophysiology using large-area Multielectrode Arrays (MEAs) devices revealed how populations of non-electrogenic cells in vitro generate patterns of bioelectrical signals. The period of the bioelectrical patterns depends on cell population activity. In a fully formed, healthy monolayer, bioelectrical activity is minimal. But during the formation of a monolayer, signals appear randomly, with a dominant period of 4.2 min. Occasionally, quasi-periodic bursts occur with a period between 1.6 and 2 min. When a mechanical wound is inflicted and during subsequent monolayer repair, quasi-periodic signal bursts occur, with an average period ranging from 60 to 110 min. The study uncovers a short-range non humoral communication system and a lexicon of bioelectrical signals linked to cell states.

Usefulness of intravascular pressure ratio measurement for cerebral hemodynamics in carotid artery stenting patients

‘A biographer’s dream’: this physicist investigated UFOs and flew over Hiroshima

Description of the structural and optical properties of Ag-doped In2S3 thin films fabricated via vacuum thermal evaporation

Exploring the role of intrinsic and extrinsic factors on the associations between sarcopenia and falls in older adults

Globally recognized island is losing its trademark glaciers

Revealing the complex dynamics of monkeypox epidemics in heterogeneous networks by the evolutionary game theory

Pathology-oriented multiplexing enables integrative disease mapping

Abstract The expression and location of proteins in tissues represent key determinants of health and disease. Although recent advances in multiplexed imaging have expanded the number of spatially accessible proteins1–3, the integration of biological layers (that is, cell structure, subcellular domains and signalling activity) remains challenging. This is due to limitations in the compositions of antibody panels and image resolution, which together restrict the scope of image analysis. Here we present pathology-oriented multiplexing (PathoPlex), a scalable, quality-controlled and interpretable framework. It combines highly multiplexed imaging at subcellular resolution with a software package to extract and interpret protein co-expression patterns (clusters) across biological layers. PathoPlex was optimized to map more than 140 commercial antibodies at 80 nm per pixel across 95 iterative imaging cycles and provides pragmatic solutions to enable the simultaneous processing of at least 40 archival biopsy specimens. In a proof-of-concept experiment, we identified epithelial JUN activity as a key switch in immune-mediated kidney disease, thereby demonstrating that clusters can capture relevant pathological features. PathoPlex was then used to analyse human diabetic kidney disease. The framework linked patient-level clusters to organ disfunction and identified disease traits with therapeutic potential (that is, calcium-mediated tubular stress). Finally, PathoPlex was used to reveal renal stress-related clusters in individuals with type 2 diabetes without histological kidney disease. Moreover, tissue-based readouts were generated to assess responses to inhibitors of the glucose cotransporter SGLT2. In summary, PathoPlex paves the way towards democratizing multiplexed imaging and establishing integrative image analysis tools in complex tissues to support the development of next-generation pathology atlases.

Small intestinal bacterial overgrowth as one of the diagnostic markers of hypertension

George E. Smith obituary: co-inventor of the charge coupled device, which ushered in an era of digital images

Rhamnolipid from Pseudomonas sp. as a green surfactant for enhanced phytoremediation

Abstract Microbial biosurfactants are valued for their surface activity and emulsifying properties; among them, rhamnolipids—primarily produced by Pseudomonas species—are the most prominent. Pseudomonas sp., a plant growth-promoting rhizobacterium, is also known to enhance heavy metal (HM) uptake in Helianthus annuus L. In this study, we produced biosurfactants from Pseudomonas aeruginosa strain ZF2MGHSO (Rha1) and Pseudomonas sp. strain AHE16 (Rha2). Gas chromatography−mass spectrometry (GC–MS) analysis confirmed that the purified biosurfactant was composed of rhamnolipids. We evaluated the effects of Rha1 and Rha2 on Cd and Zn uptake and HaZIP1 gene expression in sunflower plants grown in contaminated soil. Both rhamnolipids significantly increased Zn and Cd accumulation in roots and shoots, with the highest root Zn (724 ± 3 mg g⁻1 DW) and Cd (173 ± 2 mg g⁻1 DW) levels recorded in Rha1-treated plants. In shoots, Zn concentrations reached 460 ± 4 mg g⁻1 DW with Rha1 and 426 ± 3 mg g⁻1 DW with Rha2, compared to 405 ± 3 mg g⁻1 DW in control. The relative expression of HaZIP1 was significantly upregulated in both roots and shoots under rhamnolipid treatments. In Rha1-treated plants, expression levels increased ~ 6.9-fold in roots and ~ 4.8-fold in shoots compared to control. Rha2 treatment led to ~ 6.0-fold and ~ 4.1-fold increases in roots and shoots, respectively. Our findings suggest that HaZIP1 plays a pivotal role in the uptake and accumulation of zinc and cadmium in sunflower plants grown in contaminated soil. Overall, our study highlights the potential of biosurfactant-enhanced phytoremediation using sunflower plants as an efficient, environmentally sustainable strategy for remediating heavy metal-contaminated soils.