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Hexagonal Zn1-xMgxS sheds light on the lattice dynamics of atomic alloys
Championing maternal health and reducing maternal mortality: a global multidisciplinary imperative
Structural integrity of additively manufactured materials
Impact of atmospheric rivers on coastal oceanographic conditions off central-southern Chile
Intelligence modeling of solubility of raloxifene and density of solvent for green supercritical processing of medicines for enhanced solubility
Strong tracking dimensionality-reduction CKF algorithm for SINS initial alignment under large misalignment angle
Impact of hcp and vgrG on Acinetobacter baumannii biofilm formation during infection of human pulmonary alveolar epithelial cells
Emerging plasticizer induced lipid metabolism disorders revealed by network toxicology molecular docking and dynamics simulation
Innovative memory-type calibration estimators for better survey accuracy in stratified sampling
TNF-α x FcαRI bi-specific antibody potentiates neutrophil-mediated anti-tumor effects
Novel readiness index for climate change adaptation in Québec
Integrative taxonomy elucidates phylogenetic position of a clawless African eutardigrade (Tardigrada) supporting the erection of a new genus
Abstract In the presented study, we re-investigated the soil-dwelling clawless tardigrade species Apodibius nuntius (Binda, 1984) using an integrative taxonomic approach. Our analysis is based on detailed morphological comparisons between three populations from three different countries: Mozambique (type population), Australia and Uganda. The first two populations comprise historical specimens deposited in museum collections, whereas the third one is newly found and reported for the first time in this study. In addition to morphological analysis, we constructed a phylogenetic tree of Isohypsibioidea using two ribosomal gene fragments (18S rRNA and 28S rRNA). The obtained results enabled us to establish a new genus, Sinunguibius gen. nov., which is assigned to the family Hexapodibiidae. The new genus constitutes the second known genus within Eutardigrada characterized by a complete absence of claws. The main morphological chacter that differentiates the new genus from the also clawless genus Apodibius is the number of placoids in the pharynx. Our results suggest that the complete loss of claws is a convergent trait that occurs in at least two families: Doryphoribiidae and Hexapodibiidae. The inclusion of the new genus within the family Hexapodibiidae required a corresponding amendment to its family diagnosis.
Discovery of new pyridine 3-carboxylic acid-based pharmacophores as dual anti-inflammatory and anti-hyperglycemic agents
Abstract Novel nicotinic acid derivatives were synthesized as potent anti-diabetic agents. The developed inhibitors were investigated for their pharmacological in vitro screening, such as anti-diabetic, anti-inflammation, and in silico analysis. It has good interactions with α-amylase protein, with a range of -7.18 to -5.55 kcal/mol. The inhibitors were synthesized by employing the Steglich-type reaction to couple alcohol and amine derivatives. These molecules were characterized using NMR, FT-IR, and Mass spectrometry techniques. Anti-hyperglycemic activity has been screened using α-amylase protein, and the half-maximal inhibition efficiency (IC50) value was evaluated, ranging from 1.324 ± 0.17 to 1.516 ± 0.14 µg. The positive control (acarbose) range is 1.273 ± 0.12 µg. Induced human RBC hemolysis assay was utilized for anti-inflammatory activity, and the cumulative observation results were compared with the reference drug (ketorolac- IC50 = 11.79 ± 0.17 µM), with IC50 values between 14.06 ± 0.15 to 85.56 ± 0.25 µM. Moreover, the antioxidant ability of synthesized inhibitor compounds was evaluated by radical scavenging methods. The efficacy of inhibitors 2b and 2 h (IC50 = 15.63 ± 0.13 µM and 12.88 ± 0.19 µM (DPPH), IC50 = 19.89 ± 0.25 µM and 16.35 ± 0.25 µM (ABTS)) exhibited good results against DPPH and ABTS radicals with ascorbic acid(standard) (DPPH: IC50 = 11.81 ± 0.04 µM and ABTS: 11.90 ± 0.01 µM). The synthesized derivatives show promising results of anti-inflammatory and anti-hyperglycemic properties. This provides a path to developing the new therapeutic agents for inflammation.
Widely-distributed freshwater microorganisms with streamlined genomes co-occur in cohorts with high abundance
Abstract Genome size is known to reflect the eco-evolutionary history of prokaryotic species, including their lifestyle, environmental preferences, and habitat breadth. However, it remains uncertain how strongly genome size is linked to prokaryotic prevalence, relative abundance and co-occurrence. To address this gap, we present a systematic and global-scale evaluation of the relationship between genome size, relative abundance and prevalence in freshwater ecosystems. Our study includes 80,561 medium-to-high quality genomes, from which we identified 9,028 species (ANI > 95%) present in a manually curated dataset of 636 freshwater metagenomes. Our results show that prokaryotes with reduced genomes exhibited higher prevalence and relative abundance, suggesting that genome streamlining may promote cosmopolitanism. Furthermore, network analyses revealed that the most prevalent prokaryotes have streamlined genomes that are found in co-occurrent cohorts potentially sustained by metabolic dependencies. Overall, species in these groups possess a diminished capacity for synthesizing different essential metabolites such as vitamins, amino acids and nucleotides, potentially fostering metabolic complementarities within the community. Moreover, we found the presence of the essential biosynthetic functions to be usage-dependent: nucleotide and amino acids biosynthesis are the most complete, whereas vitamin biosynthesis is most incomplete. Our results underscore genome streamlining as a central eco-evolutionary strategy that both shapes and is shaped by community dynamics, ultimately fostering interdependences among prokaryotes.
GC–MS/MS analysis of seminal plasma PUFAs in distinct subgroups of infertile men: diagnostic potential and insight into mechanisms of male infertility
Abstract Infertility affects approximately 17.5% of the adult population, with the male factor contributing to nearly half of the cases. Seminal plasma has emerged as a potential source of biomarkers and insights into the mechanisms of male infertility; however, the significance of polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) in this body fluid remains insufficiently explored. The main objectives of the present observational study were to compare selected PUFA (linoleic acid (LA), α-linolenic acid (ALA), γ-linolenic acid (GLA), arachidonic acid (AA), eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA), and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA)) concentrations and ratios in seminal plasma between fertile (n = 22, aged 21–47) and infertile (n = 250, aged 24–45) men, as well as within infertile subgroups, including idiopathic, to investigate their clinical utility and correlations with semen parameters. An optimized extraction procedure and a validated gas chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry (GC–MS/MS) method were employed to determine the concentrations of PUFAs in seminal plasma. Nonparametric tests, including Mann–Whitney U test, ANOVA rank test followed by Tukey’s post hoc test, Spearman’s rank test, and ROC curves were used for analyses. Among the twenty-one examined parameters, nine (LA, GLA, EPA, DHA, ALA/LA, LA/AA, EPA/ALA, EPA/GLA, EPA/AA) exhibited significant differences between fertile control group and infertile patients (0.493 vs. 0.762 μg/mL, p = 0.007; 0.029 vs. 0.035 μg/mL, p = 0.005; 0.007 vs. 0.009 μg/mL, p < 0.001; 1.519 vs. 2.174 μg/mL, p = 0.029; 0.066 vs. 0.053, p = 0.042; 0.248 vs. 0.305, p = 0.002; 0.168 vs. 0.216, p = 0.010; 0.230 vs. 0.283, p = 0.013; 0.003 vs. 0.004 p = 0.045, respectively), with LA, GLA, LA/AA, EPA/ALA, and EPA/GLA demonstrating limited (AUC < 0.650), and EPA exhibiting moderate diagnostic value (AUC = 0.709). Among the subgroups of infertile patients, the teratozoospermic group displayed the most pronounced alterations in both individual PUFA concentrations and PUFA ratios compared to other groups (p < 0.05). Notably, DHA, LA/DHA, ALA/DHA, GLA/DHA, AA/DHA, EPA/DHA exhibited at least one moderate correlation with semen parameters (0.4 <|R|, p < 0.05). Despite its exploratory nature, the present study provides insights into the mechanisms underlying male infertility and their reflection in seminal plasma composition while simultaneously outlining new directions in identifying/excluding PUFA concentrations or ratios (especially LA, GLA, EPA, DHA, ALA/LA, LA/AA, EPA/ALA, EPA/GLA, EPA/AA) as potential biomarkers. Moreover, the use of GC–MS/MS method offers a novel approach for potential future diagnostic applications.
Quantitative analysis of the comprehensiveness and granularity of biomedical terminology systems
Automated assessment and detection of third molar and inferior alveolar nerve relations using UNet and transfer learning models
Ultrasound-guided femoral venous access decreases vascular complications in catheter ablation procedures
Abstract Ultrasound (US) guidance is increasingly used in invasive cardiac electrophysiology (EP) procedures for femoral vascular access. In this study, we assessed the occurrence of vascular access-related complications in EP procedures which were performed with the routine use of anatomical landmark (LM) versus US-guided vascular access. A total of 1119 consecutive EP procedures in 1012 patients performed in a two-year period from September 10, 2020 to September 10, 2022 were included. The endpoint of the present study consisted of any vascular access-related complication, classified as hematoma, aneurysm, or AV-fistula. Different risk factors for increased bleeding risk were analyzed. During the evaluation period, 777 procedures were performed using LM-guiding and 342 procedures using US-guided access. Overall, 19 (1.7%) relevant vascular complications occurred including: 15 (1.3%) hematoma, 2 (0.18%) aneurysm and 2 (0.18%) AV-fistula. 17 (2.2%) complications occurred in the LM-guided group and 2 (0.6%) in the US-guided group. A significant reduction of femoral complications by 89% was observed with introduction of routine US-guided access. 3.8% in the LM-group vs. 0.4% in the US-group (OR 0.1, 95% CI 0.0135–0.8515, p = 0.034). Intraprocedural ACT and the HASBLED score [range 0–4; mean = 1.47; maximum = 4) were shown to be independent predictors for vascular complications (OR 2.826, 95% CI 1.631–4.895, p < 0.001). The use of US-guided vascular access significantly decreased the access-related complication rate in EP procedures. Higher procedural ACT and HASBLED score independently predicted a higher risk of vascular access complications.