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Distal C(sp ³ )-H Amidation via Ind*Rh ^III Catalyzed Nitrene Transfer

Mechanistic insights into the anti-aging effects of Crocus sativus in a D-Gal-induced in vitro neural senescence model

Background The increasing number of elderly individuals has made age-related disorders a significant health concern. Aging is a natural, progressive and gradual phenomenon that leads to irreversible modifications in all molecules, cells, tissues and organs of an organism. Brain senescence is associated with increased risk of developing various neurological diseases, such as Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, and stroke. Therefore, finding effective strategies to counteract or delay brain senescence is of great importance for improving the quality of life and health span of the elderly population. Previous studies demonstrated that D-galactose is an appropriate agent to induce aging effects in in vivo and in vitro models. Purpose In the present study, we evaluated anti-aging effects of a local Saffron extract (SE from Central Italy) on D-GAL-induced aging model in vitro. Based on promising preliminary results, future studies will focus on testing this specific Crocus sativus stigma preparation in animal models of aging. Methods The potential anti-aging effect was evaluated using assessment of cell proliferation, live-cell cytotoxicity, Beta-Galactosidase (β-GAL), lipid peroxidation, intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS), advanced glycation end products (AGEs) and malondialdehyde (MDA) levels. Additionally, the effects of SE pretreatment were examined on cell cycle and endoplasmic reticulum stress. Additionally, we employed a novel approach to analyze deeper changes upon saffron extract treatment, which is label-free holotomography. Results Overall, our findings suggested that pretreatment with SE was protective against D-GAL-induced senescence, by counteracting oxidative and endoplasmic reticulum stress and proteins that regulate cell death. Conclusion We obtained interesting results since pre-treatment with SE ameliorated overall condition, and for the first time we observed the strong anti-aging effect of SE not only in term of morphology, but also dynamics and total dry mass of cells. Overall, our work introduces a novel and promising approach to counteract or delay brain senescence, potentially improving the quality of life and health span of the elderly population.

Serum melatonin as a potential biomarker for COVID-19 severity

Increased Neuronal Expression of the Early Endosomal Adaptor APPL1 Replicates Alzheimer’s Disease-Related Endosomal and Synaptic Dysfunction with Cholinergic Neurodegeneration

Endosomal system dysfunction within neurons is a prominent early feature of Alzheimer's disease (AD) pathology. Multiple AD risk factors are regulators of endocytosis and known to cause hyperactivity of the early endosome small GTPase rab5, resulting in neuronal endosomal pathway disruption and cholinergic neurodegeneration. Adaptor protein containing Pleckstrin homology domain, Phosphotyrosine binding domain, Leucine zipper motif (APPL1), an important rab5 effector protein and signaling molecule has been shown in vitro to interface between endosomal and neuronal dysfunction through a rab5-activating interaction with the BACE1-generated C-terminal fragment of amyloid precursor protein (APP-βCTF), a pathogenic APP fragment generated within endosomal compartments. To understand the contribution of APPL1 to AD-related endosomal dysfunction in vivo, we generated a transgenic mouse model overexpressing human APPL1 within neurons (Thy1-APPL1). Strongly supporting the important endosomal regulatory roles of APPL1 and their relevance to AD etiology, Thy1-APPL1 mice (both sexes) develop enlarged neuronal early endosomes and increased synaptic endocytosis due to increased rab5 activation. We demonstrated pathophysiological consequences of APPL1 overexpression, including functional changes in hippocampal long-term potentiation (LTP) and long-term depression (LTD), degeneration of large projection cholinergic neurons of the basal forebrain, and impaired hippocampal-dependent memory. Our evidence shows that neuronal APPL1 elevation modeling its functional increase in the AD brain induces a cascade of AD-related pathological effects within neurons, including early endosome anomalies, synaptic dysfunction, and selective neurodegeneration. Our in vivo model highlights the contributions of APPL1 to the pathobiology and neuronal consequences of early endosomal pathway disruption and its potential value as a therapeutic target.

Multireference Theory of Scanning Tunneling Spectroscopy Beyond One-Electron Molecular Orbitals: Can We Image Molecular Orbitals?

Expression of Concern: Adipose-derived stromal cell therapy affects lung inflammation and tracheal responsiveness in Guinea Pig model of COPD

Prevalence of occupational respiratory disease and its determinants among workers in major industrial sectors in Malaysia in 2023

Abstract In Malaysia, rapid industrial growth has increased workers’ exposure to occupational respiratory hazards which consequently leads to an increase in the prevalence of occupational respiratory disease (ORD) among workers. Therefore, this study aims to fill this gap by investigating the prevalence of ORD and its determinants among workers. This is a cross-sectional study utilizing secondary data from the National Occupational Disease and Prevention 2023 (NODIP) database involving a total of 111,028 participants. Suspected ORD was defined by the British Medical Research Council (BMRC) questionnaire criteria. Both descriptive and inferential statistics were utilized in this study. Multivariable logistic regression analysis was used to find the determinants of ORD. The overall prevalence of ORD was found to be 8.7%. Most of studied factors were significant determinants of ORD. However, the factors of highest odds ratio (OR) were working in the mining and quarrying (AOR: 14.81; 95% CI: 11.74–18.68; p < 0.001), being of Malaysian nationality (AOR: 4.48; 95% CI: 3.78–5.32; p < 0.001) and working more than 12 hours per day (AOR: 2.18; 95% CI: 1.94–2.45, p < 0.001). The findings of this study highlight the importance of regular assessment of the risk of exposure to noxious agents in the workplace and to develop measures for preventing potential adverse effects.

Change of Spiny Neuron Structure in the Basal Ganglia Song Circuit and Its Regulation by miR-9 during Song Development

Juvenile zebra finches learn to sing by imitating conspecific songs of adults during a sensitive period early in life. Area X is a basal ganglia nucleus of the song control circuit specialized for song-related sensory–motor learning during song development. The structural plasticity and the molecular mechanisms regulating neuronal structure in Area X during song development and maturation are unclear. In this study, we examined the structure of spiny neurons, the main neuron type in Area X, at key stages of song development in male zebra finches. We report that dendritic arbor of spiny neurons expands during the sensitive period for song learning, and this initial growth is followed by pruning of dendrites and spines accompanied by changes in spine morphology as the song circuit matures. Previously, we showed that overexpression of miR-9 in Area X impairs song learning and performance and alters the expression of many genes that have important roles in neuronal structure and function (Shi et al., 2018). As an extension of that study, we report here that overexpression of miR-9 in spiny neurons in juvenile zebra finches reduces dendritic arbor complexity and spine density in a developmental stage-specific manner. We also show that miR-9 regulates the structural maintenance of spiny neurons in adulthood. Together, these findings reveal dynamic microstructural changes in the song circuit during the sensitive period of song development and provide evidence that miR-9 regulates neuronal structure during song development and maintenance.

Programmable Liposome Organization via DNA Origami Templates

The relationship between maternal COVID-19 with fetal and neonatal complications and intrauterine vertical transmission: A cohort study on pregnant women

Background The clinical features, maternal and fetal complications, and the potential for vertical transmission of SARS-CoV-2 infection in pregnant women are still unknown. This cohort study aimed to determine the relation of coronavirus infection to the incidence of fetal and neonatal complications by comparing outcomes in pregnant women with COVID-19 to those in non-infected pregnant women. Method This prospective cohort study was conducted on all pregnant women who gave birth between September 2020 to September 2021 at Rouhani Hospital, Iran. The case group included pregnant women infected with SARS-CoV-2, confirmed by clinical signs, symptoms and positive result of Real-time polymerase chain reaction (real-time PCR), who were followed up until 72 hours after birth. All fetal and neonatal complications, such as premature birth, oligohydramnios, fetal growth restriction, perinatal death and vertical transmission were recorded. Risk ratios for adverse pregnancy outcomes were analyzed by a modified Poisson regression model adjusted for relevant variables. Results The final sample included 234 pregnant women (100 COVID-19 infected and 134 non-infected). The mean age was 29.42 ± 6.16 years (p = 0.12), and the mean BMI (body mass index) was 26.51 ± 4.16) Kg/m2 (p = 0.30). Cesarean delivery was more common among women with COVID −19 [adjusted risk ratio (aRR): 1.12, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.09–1.25, p = 0.03]. A significant increase was observed in neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) admission in SARS-CoV-2 infected pregnant women compared to non-infected pregnant women [adjusted risk ratio (aRR):2.46, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.06–5.42, P = 0.034]. Neonate born to women with COVID-19 had significantly higher rate of preterm birth (22% versus 11.2%) and low 5 minutes APGAR score (2% versus 0%) significantly (P < 0.05). Nearly all newborns tested negative for SARS-CoV-2 infection after birth (97.94%). Of 76 cord blood samples tested, 16 (21.05%) and 4 (5.26%) cases of infants born to mothers infected with COVID-19 had positive IgG and IgM antibodies, respectively. Conclusions Neonates born to mothers with COVID-19 faced a significantly higher risk of cesarean delivery and NICU admission, but no significant differences in other pregnancy complications were observed between COVID-19 and non-infected groups, highlighting the complex effects of the virus on pregnancy outcomes.

Suitability prediction of potential arable land in southeast coastal area of China

Proline-Mediated Enhancement in Evolvability of Disulfide-Rich Peptides for Discovering Protein Binders

A method for English paragraph grammar correction based on differential fusion of syntactic features

The new progress of deep learning and natural language processing technology has strongly promoted the development of English grammar error correction. However, the existing methods mostly rely on large-scale corpus, and often ignore the fine syntactic correlation in paragraphs, which limits the efficiency in complex grammar error correction scenarios. In order to break through this bottleneck, this study proposes an innovative method to effectively use syntactic features to improve the quality and accuracy of paragraph-level grammar correction. Firstly, the sentence vector representation is constructed by BERT, and then the syntactic structure is extracted by dependency parsing. Then carry out difference fusion analysis, measure the syntactic differences of adjacent sentences by cosine similarity, identify the significant differences caused by grammatical errors according to the preset threshold, lock the position and type of errors, and input the original sentence vector into the Seq2Seq model based on Transformer. The model focuses on the wrong area by attention mechanism to generate correction suggestions. The preliminary results show that this method is significantly better than the existing grammar error correction system. In CoLA dataset, the accuracy is 0.88, which is three percentage points higher than that of BERT-GC. The accuracy of LCoLE dataset is 0.86, which is ahead of the baseline model. The accuracy of FCE data set is 0.89, which has obvious advantages. The accuracy is improved by 3% to a higher level. It shows the excellent effect of this method in grammar error recognition and correction, and has far-reaching significance in providing accurate error correction suggestions, helping English learners improve their writing ability and ensuring the quality of English writing. This study not only presents a powerful approach to English grammar error correction, but also highlights the key value of syntactic features in optimizing natural language processing applications.

Severe en route tropical weather is a predictor of morphological variation and body condition of a Nearctic-Neotropical migratory songbird

V2b Neurons Act via Multiple Targets to Produce in Phase Inhibition during Locomotion

Spinal interneurons shape motor neuron activity. Gata3+ V2b neurons are a major inhibitory spinal population. These neurons are present at multiple spinal levels in mice, suggesting an important function in motor control. In zebrafish, our previous work showed that V2b neurons are evenly distributed along the spinal cord, where they act to slow down locomotion. However, the timing of V2b activity during locomotion, their postsynaptic targets other than motor neurons, and their recruitment across different behaviors remain unknown. In this study, we address these questions using larval zebrafish. First, via optogenetic mapping of output in the rostrocaudal axis, we demonstrate that V2b neurons robustly inhibit motor neurons and other major spinal populations, including V2a, V1, commissural neurons, and other V2b neurons. V2b inhibition is patterned along the rostrocaudal axis, providing long-range inhibition to motor and V2a neurons but more localized inhibition of V1 neurons. Next, by recording V2b activity during different visually and electrically evoked movements, we show that V2b neurons are specifically recruited for forward swims and turns, but not for fast escape movements. Furthermore, a subset of V2b neurons also exhibited short-latency sensory-evoked activity preceding motor initiation. Finally, we show that V2b inhibition occurs in phase with the leading edge of the motor burst, in contrast to V1 inhibition which occurs in phase with the falling edge of the motor burst. Taken together, these data show that in axial motor networks, V2b neurons act via multiple targets to produce in phase, leading inhibition during locomotion.

Decompression-Induced Chemical Reaction in CL-20

Estimating the effect of hormonal contraceptive use on anemia: A cross-sectional comparative analysis of 46 Demographic and Health Surveys

Background Anemia is a significant health concern for women in low- and middle-income countries. Hormonal contraceptives, which can reduce heavy menstrual bleeding and prevent pregnancy and its resulting blood loss, are an underexplored opportunity for anemia reduction. Methods Using Demographic and Health Survey data from 46 countries across four global regions, we examined country prevalence of anemia (i.e., hemoglobin below 12 g/dl via HemoCue testing) among women aged 15–49 years who were not pregnant. For each country, we used multivariable logistic regression to compare odds of anemia between women using hormonal contraceptive (users) to women using non-hormonal contraception or not using any contraception (nonusers). We merged data across countries to examine this effect stratified by contraceptive method and length of use and conducted a quantitative bias analysis of the anemia test. Results Anemia prevalence ranged from 12% in Rwanda to 63% in Gabon. In the merged sample, the crude odds ratio comparing anemia in users of hormonal contraception to nonusers was 0.57 (95% confidence interval: 0.56–0.58); the adjusted odds ratio was 0.55 (0.39–0.79) when controlling for age, education, wealth, and rurality. In the stratified analysis of merged data, we found that users of all hormonal contraception had lower adjusted odds of anemia compared to nonusers (AOR: 0.51, 95% CI: 0.46–0.57), and that the protective effect was strongest among users of contraceptive injections (AOR:0.37, 95% CI 0.30–0.45). In our bias analysis, the crude odds of anemia for users ranged from 0.29 to 0.57 when varying anemia test sensitivity and specificity between 75% and 100%. Conclusions Future research should directly examine the causal link between hormonal contraceptive use and anemia as a high impact non-contraceptive benefit of hormonal contraception, especially with understudied methods such as injectable contraception and contraceptive implants.

Preoperative insulin resistance and stress response increase the risk of anastomotic leakage after colorectal cancer resection

Covalent Organic Framework Membranes for Enhanced Gas Dissolution in Oxygenation

The effects of 8 weeks of sprint interval training on repeated sprinting and specialized ability in college volleyball players

Objective This study aimed to investigate the effects of 8 weeks of sprint interval training (SIT) on repeated sprinting ability and specialized performance in collegiate volleyball players. Methods Twenty-eight male collegiate volleyball players were randomly assigned to sprint interval training (SIT, n = 14) or high-intensity interval training (HIIT, n = 14) groups. The SIT group performed all-out sprints (6 × 30m with 30s rest) twice weekly in addition to regular volleyball training, while the HIIT group underwent high-intensity interval training alongside identical regular volleyball training. Repeated sprint ability (ideal sprint time IS, total sprint time TS, and performance decrement PD), aerobic capacity (VO₂max, velocity at VO₂max [vVO₂max], ventilatory thresholds VT1 and VT2), and volleyball-specific abilities (modified agility T-test, countermovement vertical jump [CMVJ], and spike jump [SPJ]) were assessed before and after the intervention. Results Following the intervention, the SIT group showed significantly greater improvements than the HIIT group in VO₂max (46.93 ± 4.25 vs 50.90 ± 4.17 ml/min/kg, p < 0.001), vVO₂max (14.53 ± 1.61 vs 17.03 ± 1.15 km/h, p < 0.001), VT1 (69.61 ± 4.22% vs 74.43 ± 5.25%, p < 0.001), modified agility T-test (7.85 ± 1.04 vs 6.87 ± 0.71s, p < 0.001), CMVJ (35.77 ± 3.91 vs 40.14 ± 2.82 cm, p < 0.001), and SPJ (61.20 ± 3.92 vs 65.57 ± 2.64 cm, p < 0.001). Both groups demonstrated significant improvements in IS and TS (p < 0.05), with larger effect sizes observed in the SIT group (IS: 1.060 vs 0.581; TS: 1.164 vs 0.678). No significant between-group differences were found in PD and VT2. Conclusion Eight weeks of sprint interval training effectively enhances repeated sprinting ability, aerobic capacity, and specialized skills in collegiate volleyball players, with particularly notable improvements in vertical jumping ability and agility. These findings suggest that SIT represents an effective and time-efficient training method for improving volleyball performance.