Random-Sequence DNA Oligomers Make Liquid Crystals: A Case of Collective Ordering in a Superdiverse Environment.

The availability of synthetic, analytical, and predictive tools makes DNA an ideal platform, not yet considered, to investigate statistical and soft matter physics. Here we report and interpret the equilibrium collective ordering in solutions of random-sequence DNA (rsDNA) oligomers of lengths = 8 and = 12. Despite the extreme molecular diversity inherent in rsDNA solutions, which for = 12 are composed of 20 million distinct molecular species, these systems develop long-range columnar liquid crystal (LC) ordering when equilibrated at high osmotic pressure.

Combination of ionizing radiation and 2-thio-6-azauridine induces cell death in radioresistant triple negative breast cancer cells by downregulating CD151 expression.

Background: Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) represents the most aggressive subtype of breast cancer and is frequently resistant to therapy, ultimately resulting in treatment failure. Clinical trials have demonstrated the potential of sensitizing radiation therapy (RT)-resistant TNBC through the combination of chemotherapy and RT. This study sought to explore the potential of CD151 as a therapy response marker in the co-treatment strategy involving ionizing radiation (IR) and the repurposed antiviral drug 2-Thio-6-azauridine (TAU) for sensitizing RT-resistant TNBC (TNBC/RR).

Fluid jets and polar domains, on the relationship between electromechanical instability and topology in ferroelectric nematic liquid crystal droplets.

Ferroelectric nematic liquid crystals are a class of recently discovered fluid materials formed by highly polar molecules that spontaneously align along a common direction, giving rise to a macroscopic polarization . Since the polarization vector is locally collinear to the optical axis , the study of the spatial patterns of enables deducing the structure of . We have carried on such topological study on ferroelectric nematic droplets confined between two solid ferroelectric substrates both when the droplet is in equilibrium and during a jet-emission phase that takes place when the solid surfaces become sufficiently charged.

Determinants of child stunting in the dryland area of East Nusa Tenggara Province, Indonesia: insights from a national-level survey.

Stunting remains a critical public health issue in Indonesia, particularly in the province of East Nusa Tenggara. This region, characterized by its archipelagic dryland geography, has reported the highest prevalence of stunting among children under five from 2007 to 2021. The study aimed to examine the relationship between various characteristics of children under five and household factors with the occurrence of stunting.

Utilization of local therapeutic food in preventing and treating nutrition problems in the dry land area of the islands of east nusa tenggara province.

The research aims to produce a local Pemberian makanan tambahan (PMT) biscuit formula that is nutritious, acceptable and has a good shelf life. Experimental research with RAL design used two factors and two treatments, namely the addition of anchovy flour (20% and 30%) and moringa leaf flour (20% and 30%) to 100 g of corn flour. The research was conducted in April-November 2022 with an analysis of nutritional content, and acceptability.

Exploring the role of CD151 in the tumor immune microenvironment: Therapeutic and clinical perspectives.

CD151 is a transmembrane protein implicated in tumor progression and has been shown to regulate various cellular and molecular mechanisms contributing to malignancy. More recently, the role of CD151 in the tumor immune microenvironment (TIME) has gained attention as a potential target for cancer therapy. This review aims to explore the role of CD151 in the TIME, focusing on the therapeutic and clinical perspectives.

Proteomic profiling and ROC analysis identify CD151 and ELAVL1 as potential therapy response markers for the antiviral drug in resistant TNBC.

Triple-negative breast cancer is high heterogeneous, aggressive, and metastatic with poor prognosis. Despite of advances in targeted therapies, TNBC has been reported to cause high morbidity and mortality. A rare subpopulation within the tumor microenvironment organized into a hierarchy of cancer stem cells is responsible for therapy resistance and tumor recurrence.

Walking Ferroelectric Liquid Droplets with Light.

The motion of ferroelectric liquid sessile droplets deposited on a ferroelectric lithium niobate substrate can be controlled by a light beam of moderate intensity irradiating the substrate at a distance of several droplet diameters from the droplet itself. The ferroelectric liquid is a nematic liquid crystal, in which almost complete polar ordering of the molecular dipoles generates an internal macroscopic polarization locally collinear to the mean molecular long axis. Upon entering the ferroelectric phase, droplets are either attracted toward the center of the beam or repelled, depending on the side of the lithium niobate exposed to light irradiation.

Liquid Biopsy Detecting Circulating Tumor Cells in Patients with Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer: Preliminary Results of a Pilot Study.

Lung cancer is still the leading cause of cancer-related death worldwide. Interest is growing towards early detection and advances in liquid biopsy to isolate circulating tumor cells (CTCs). This pilot study aimed to detect epithelial CTCs in the peripheral blood of early-stage non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients.

Explosive electrostatic instability of ferroelectric liquid droplets on ferroelectric solid surfaces.

We investigated the electrostatic behavior of ferroelectric liquid droplets exposed to the pyroelectric field of a lithium niobate ferroelectric crystal substrate. The ferroelectric liquid is a nematic liquid crystal, in which almost complete polar ordering of the molecular dipoles generates an internal macroscopic polarization locally collinear to the mean molecular long axis. Upon entering the ferroelectric phase by reducing the temperature from the nematic phase, the liquid crystal droplets become electromechanically unstable and disintegrate by the explosive emission of fluid jets.

Insight into drug sensitizing effect of diallyl disulfide and diallyl trisulfide from Allium sativum L. on paclitaxel-resistant triple-negative breast cancer cells.

Ethnopharmacological Relevance: Ayurvedic practitioners and herbal healers in India and China have extensively used garlic (Allium sativum L.) to treat cancers. Diallyl disulfide (DADS) and diallyl trisulfide (DATS) are major volatile organosulfur phytochemical constituents found in garlic.

Cancer Stem Cells and Circulatory Tumor Cells Promote Breast Cancer Metastasis.

Breast cancer (BC) is a highly metastatic, pathological cancer that significantly affects women worldwide. The mortality rate of BC is related to its heterogeneity, aggressive phenotype, and metastasis. Recent studies have highlighted that the tumor microenvironment (TME) is critical for the interplay between metastasis mediators in BC.

Diallyl disulfide and diallyl trisulfide in garlic as novel therapeutic agents to overcome drug resistance in breast cancer.

Breast cancer is one of the leading causes of cancer-related deaths in women worldwide. It is a cancer that originates from the mammary ducts and involves mutations in multiple genes. Recently, the treatment of breast cancer has become increasingly challenging owing to the increase in tumor heterogeneity and aggressiveness, which gives rise to therapeutic resistance.

Pairing statistics and melting of random DNA oligomers: Finding your partner in superdiverse environments.

Understanding of the pairing statistics in solutions populated by a large number of distinct solute species with mutual interactions is a challenging topic, relevant in modeling the complexity of real biological systems. Here we describe, both experimentally and theoretically, the formation of duplexes in a solution of random-sequence DNA (rsDNA) oligomers of length L = 8, 12, 20 nucleotides. rsDNA solutions are formed by 4L distinct molecular species, leading to a variety of pairing motifs that depend on sequence complementarity and range from strongly bound, fully paired defectless helices to weakly interacting mismatched duplexes.

Needles in Haystacks: Understanding the Success of Selective Pairing of Nucleic Acids.

The effectiveness of several biological and biotechnological processes relies on the remarkably selective pairing of nucleic acids in contexts of molecular complexity. Relevant examples are the on-target binding of primers in genomic PCR and the regulatory efficacy of microRNA via binding on the transcriptome. Here, we propose a statistical framework that enables us to describe and understand such selectivity by means of a model that is extremely cheap from a computational point of view.

Xeroderma Pigmentosum: General Aspects and Management.

Xeroderma Pigmentosum (XP) is a rare genetic syndrome with a defective DNA nucleotide excision repair. It is characterized by (i) an extreme sensitivity to ultraviolet (UV)-induced damages in the skin and eyes; (ii) high risk to develop multiple skin tumours; and (iii) neurologic alterations in the most severe form. To date, the management of XP patients consists of (i) early diagnosis; (ii) a long-life protection from ultraviolet radiation, including avoidance of unnecessary UV exposure, wearing UV blocking clothing, and use of topical sunscreens; and (iii) surgical resections of skin cancers.

Natural products: Potential targets of TME related long non-coding RNAs in lung cancer.

Background: Lung cancer is a significant health concern worldwide due to high mortality and morbidity, despite the advances in diagnosis, treatment, and management. Recent experimental evidence from different models suggested long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) as major modulators of cancer stem cells (CSCs) in the tumor microenvironment (TME) to support metastasis and drug resistance in lung cancer. Evidence-based studies demonstrated that natural products interfere with TME functions.

Microbiome Assisted Tumor Microenvironment: Emerging Target of Breast Cancer.

The microbiome assisted tumor microenvironment (TME) supports the tumors by modulating multiple mechanisms. Recent studies reported that microbiome dysbiosis is the main culprit of immune suppressive phenotypes of TME. Further, it has been documented that immune suppressive stimulate metastatic phenotype in TME via modulating signaling pathways, cell differentiation, and innate immune response.

Statistical physics of DNA hybridization.

Deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) hybridization is at the heart of countless biological and biotechnological processes. Its theoretical modeling played a crucial role, since it has enabled extracting the relevant thermodynamic parameters from systematic measurements of DNA melting curves. In this article, we propose a framework based on statistical physics to describe DNA hybridization and melting in an arbitrary mixture of DNA strands.

Angiogenesis: Promising Therapeutic Target of Metastatic Colon Cancer.

Colon cancer (CC) is the third most diagnosed cancers globally and second most lethal malignancy in both men and women due to aggressive metastatic ability. Genetic or somatic mutations causes the transformation of normal epithelium of colon into precancerous stage and eventually to metastatic phenotype in nearly 10 to 15 years. This progression is depending heavily on the tumor induced angiogenesis, which significantly impact the survival of the patients.

Quality of Life People Living with HIV/AIDS and Its Characteristic from a VCT Centre in Indonesia.

Background: The quality of life (QoL) construct has also contributed to understanding the comprehension of factors involved in the existence of people infected by the HIV/AIDS. The objective of this study is to assess the quality of life (QoL) of people with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA) in Wonogiri District, Indonesia.

Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted from September to November 2017.

The Difference of Fasting Blood Sugar of Male Patients with Schizophrenia Treated with Flexible Dose between Aripiprazole and Risperidone in Medan, Indonesia.

Background: Life expectancy among schizophrenic patients is 20% shorter than the general population. Currently, long-term use of antipsychotic drugs can induce metabolic symptoms, including weight gain, glucose intolerance, high blood glucose.

Aim: This research aimed to investigate the fasting blood sugar level of a male patient with schizophrenia treated with flexible dose.

Blood meal analysis of tabanid fly after it biting the rare Sumatran rhinoceros.

Objective: To demonstrate a noninvasive large mammalian genetic sampling method using blood meal obtained from a tabanid fly.

Methods: Blood meal was recovered from the abdomen of an engorged tabanid fly (Haematopota sp.) which was captured immediately after biting a Sumatran rhino in captivity.

Local and global interpretations of a disease-causing mutation near the ligand entry path in hyperpolarization-activated cAMP-gated channel.

Hyperpolarization-activated, cAMP-gated (HCN) channels sense membrane potential and intracellular cAMP levels. A mutation identified in the cAMP binding domain (CNBD) of the human HCN4 channel, S672R, severely reduces the heart rate, but the molecular mechanism has been unclear. Our biochemical binding assays on isolated CNBD and patch-clamp recordings on the functional channel show that S672R reduces cAMP binding.