Bovine testicular heat stress: From climate change to effects on microRNA profile.

Heat stress is caused by exposure of animals to high temperatures and humidity, outside their thermal comfort zone. This can have negative outcomes, including adversely affecting general well-being and reducing productive and reproductive performance. In males, heat stress can disrupt testicular thermoregulation, with deleterious effects on spermatogenesis and consequently, decreases in sperm quality and fertility potential.

Photophysics and Excited State Reactions of [Ru(bpy)dppn]: A Computational Study.

In this work, we used DFT and TD-DFT in the investigation of the structural parameters and photophysics of the complex [Ru(bpy)dppn] (dppn=benzo[i]-dipyrido[3,2-a:2',3'-c]phenazine) in water, and its suitability as a photosensitizer (PS) in photodynamic therapy (PDT). For that, the thermodynamics of electron transfer (ET) and energy transfer (ENT) reactions in the excited state with molecular oxygen and guanosine-5'-monophosphate (GMP) were investigated. The overall intersystem crossing (ISC) rate constant was approximately 10 s, indicating that this process is highly favorable, and the triplet excited states are populated.

Understanding the Enzyme ()-Norcoclaurine Synthase Promiscuity to Aldehydes and Ketones.

The ()-norcoclaurine synthase from (NCS) stereoselectively catalyzes the Pictet-Spengler reaction between dopamine and 4-hydroxyphenylacetaldehyde to give ()-norcoclaurine. NCS can catalyze the Pictet-Spengler reaction with various aldehydes and ketones, leading to diverse tetrahydroisoquinolines. This substrate promiscuity positions NCS as a highly promising enzyme for synthesizing fine chemicals.

WNT5B drives osteosarcoma stemness, chemoresistance and metastasis.

Background: Treatment for osteosarcoma, a paediatric bone cancer with no therapeutic advances in over three decades, is limited by a lack of targeted therapies. Osteosarcoma frequently metastasises to the lungs, and only 20% of patients survive 5 years after the diagnosis of metastatic disease. We found that WNT5B is the most abundant WNT expressed in osteosarcoma tumours and its expression correlates with metastasis, histologic subtype and reduced survival.

Isolation, In Vitro Expansion, and Characterization of Mesenchymal Stem Cells from Mouse Epididymal Adipose Tissue.

Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) have been extensively studied as a new therapeutic approach, mainly to stop exacerbated inflammation due to their potential to modulate the immune response. The MSCs are immune-privileged cells capable of surviving in immunologically incompatible allogeneic transplant recipients based on low expression of class I major histocompatibility complex (MHC) molecules and in the use of cell-based therapy for allogeneic transplant. These cells can be isolated from several tissues, the most commonly used being the bone marrow and adipose tissues.