Gene Therapy Approach for Treatment of Obese Agouti Mice.

Obesity is a significant metabolic disorder associated with excessive fat accumulation and insulin resistance. In this study, we explored a gene therapy approach to treat obesity in agouti mice using adeno-associated viruses (AAVs) carrying PRDM16, FoxP4, or Follistatin (FST) genes, which are known to promote the browning of white adipose tissue. Mice treated with AAVs encoding PRDM16, FoxP4, or FST genes showed a reduction in body weight (10-14%) within the first three weeks after administration, compared to the control groups.

Unexpected nanoscale CeO structural transformations induced by ecologically relevant phosphate species.

In the present study, the dissolution and microstructural transformation of CeO nanoparticles (NPs) in a phosphate-containing milieu were investigated. The dissolution behaviour of 2 nm and 5 nm CeO NPs in phosphate buffer solutions was found to differ markedly from that observed in 0.01 M NaClO.

Assessment of Adipocyte Transduction Using Different AAV Capsid Variants.

Background/objectives: Adeno-associated viruses (AAVs) are widely used as viral vectors for gene delivery in mammalian cells. We focused on the efficacy of the transduction of AAV2/5, 2/6, 2/8 and 2/9 expressing GFP in preadipocyte cells by live imaging microscopy using IncuCyte S3 and flow cytometry.

Methods: Three transduction modes in 3T3-L1 preadipocyte cells assessed: AAV transduction in 3T3-L1 preadipocyte cells, transduction with further differentiation into mature adipocyte-like cells and the transduction of differentiated 3T3-L1 adipocytes.

White-to-Beige and Back: Adipocyte Conversion and Transcriptional Reprogramming.

Obesity has become a pandemic, as currently more than half a billion people worldwide are obese. The etiology of obesity is multifactorial, and combines a contribution of hereditary and behavioral factors, such as nutritional inadequacy, along with the influences of environment and reduced physical activity. Two types of adipose tissue widely known are white and brown.

Viral Vectors in Gene Replacement Therapy.

Throughout the years, several hundred million people with rare genetic disorders have been receiving only symptom management therapy. However, research and development efforts worldwide have led to the development of long-lasting, highly efficient, and safe gene therapy for a wide range of hereditary diseases. Improved viral vectors are now able to evade the preexisting immunity and more efficiently target and transduce therapeutically relevant cells, ensuring genome maintenance and expression of transgenes at the relevant levels.

Development of Recombinant Oncolytic rVSV-mIL12-mGMCSF for Cancer Immunotherapy.

Anti-cancer therapy based on oncolytic viruses (OVs) is a targeted approach that takes advantage of OVs' ability to selectively infect and replicate in tumor cells, activate the host immune response, and destroy malignant cells over healthy ones. Vesicular stomatitis virus (VSV) is known for its wide range of advantages: a lack of pre-existing immunity, a genome that is easily amenable to manipulation, and rapid growth to high titers in a broad range of cell lines, to name a few. VSV-induced tumor immunity can be enhanced by the delivery of immunostimulatory cytokines.

RNA-Seq Analysis of Trans-Differentiated ARPE-19 Cells Transduced by AAV9-AIPL1 Vectors.

Inherited retinal disorders (IRD) have become a primary focus of gene therapy research since the success of adeno-associated virus-based therapeutics (voretigene neparvovec-rzyl) for Leber congenital amaurosis type 2 (LCA2). Dozens of monogenic IRDs could be potentially treated with a similar approach using an adeno-associated virus (AAV) to transfer a functional gene into the retina. Here, we present the results of the design, production, and in vitro testing of the AAV serotype 9 (AAV9) vector carrying the codon-optimized (co) copy of aryl hydrocarbon receptor-interacting protein like-1 () as a possible treatment for LCA4.

Laser synthesis of iron nanoparticles as effective catalysts for the growth of vertically aligned MWCNTs with amorphous shell.

Vertically aligned multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) are attractive for use in nanoelectronics, nanosensors, electrodes for energy storage and harvesting devices, composites, weaving yarns and many other devices. However, in order to reach practical relevance in these applications, the vertically aligned MWCNTs must be dense and sufficient height. Fulfilling those requirements is often challenging.

Laser synthesis of iron nanoparticles as effective catalysts for the growth of vertically aligned MWCNTs with amorphous shell.

Vertically aligned multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) are attractive for use in nanoelectronics, nanosensors, electrodes for energy storage and harvesting devices, composites, weaving yarns and many other devices. However, in order to reach practical relevance in these applications, the vertically aligned MWCNTs must be dense and sufficient height. Fulfilling those requirements is often challenging.

Optogenetic technologies in translational cancer research.

Gene and cell therapies are widely recognized as future cancer therapeutics but poor controllability limits their clinical applications. Optogenetics, the use of light-controlled proteins to precisely spatiotemporally regulate the activity of genes and cells, opens up new possibilities for cancer treatment. Light of specific wavelength can activate the immune response, oncolytic activity and modulate cell signaling in tumor cells non-invasively, in dosed manner, with tissue confined action and without side effects of conventional therapies.

To form or not to form: PuO nanoparticles at acidic pH.

The aim of this study is to synthesize PuO nanoparticles (NPs) at low pH values and characterize the materials using laboratory and synchrotron-based methods. Properties of the PuO NPs formed under acidic conditions (pH 1-4) are explored here at the atomic scale. High-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM) is applied to characterize the crystallinity, morphology and size of the particles.

(Gesneriaceae), a new species from limestone areas of northern Vietnam.

, a new species of Gesneriaceae from Ha Giang Province, northern Vietnam, is here described and illustrated. It has many branched stems, diamond-shaped involucre with two cirrose opposite apices, a pink corolla, red spotted inside, and a flowering time in January-February. Among congeners with an externally hairy corolla, this new species is morphologically close to and .

Combinatorial Approaches for Cancer Treatment Using Oncolytic Viruses: Projecting the Perspectives through Clinical Trials Outcomes.

Recent cancer immunotherapy breakthroughs have fundamentally changed oncology and revived the fading hope for a cancer cure. The immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICI) became an indispensable tool for the treatment of many malignant tumors. Alongside ICI, the application of oncolytic viruses in clinical trials is demonstrating encouraging outcomes.

Coupling Analytical Models and Machine Learning Methods for Fast and Reliable Resolution of Effects in Multifrequency Eddy-Current Sensors.

Eddy current (EC) measurements, widely used for diagnostics of conductive materials, are highly dependent on physical properties and geometry of a sample as well as on a design of an EC-sensor. For a sensor of a given design, the conductivity and thickness of a sample as well as the gap between the sample and the sensor (lift-off) are the most influencing parameters. Estimation of these parameters, based on signals acquired from the sensor, is quite complicated in case when all three parameters are unknown and may vary.

Enhanced Sorption of Radionuclides by Defect-Rich Graphene Oxide.

Extremely defect graphene oxide (dGO) is proposed as an advanced sorbent for treatment of radioactive waste and contaminated natural waters. dGO prepared using a modified Hummers oxidation procedure, starting from reduced graphene oxide (rGO) as a precursor, shows significantly higher sorption of U(VI), Am(III), and Eu(III) than standard graphene oxides (GOs). Earlier studies revealed the mechanism of radionuclide sorption related to defects in GO sheets.

Biases in estimation of insect herbivory from herbarium specimens.

Information regarding plant damage by insects in the past is essential to explore impacts of climate change on herbivory. We asked whether insect herbivory measured from herbarium specimens reflects the levels of herbivory occurring in nature at the time of herbarium sampling. We compared herbivory measurements between herbarium specimens collected by botany students and ecological samples collected simultaneously by the authors by a method that minimized unconscious biases, and asked herbarium curators to select one of two plant specimens, which differed in leaf damage, for their collections.

Association of uncoupling protein (Ucp) gene polymorphisms with cardiometabolic diseases.

The hereditary aspect of obesity is a major focus of modern medical genetics. The genetic background is known to determine a higher-than-average prevalence of obesity in certain regions, like Oceania. There is evidence that dysfunction of brown adipose tissue (BAT) may be a risk factor for obesity and type 2 diabetes (T2D).

Towards the surface hydroxyl species in CeO nanoparticles.

Understanding the complex chemistry of functional nanomaterials is of fundamental importance. Controlled synthesis and characterization at the atomic level is essential to gain deeper insight into the unique chemical reactivity exhibited by many nanomaterials. Cerium oxide nanoparticles have many industrial and commercial applications, resulting from very strong catalytic, pro- and anti-oxidant activity.

Redox-mediated formation of plutonium oxide nanoparticles.

Precipitates formed by the neutralisation of Pu(iii), Pu(iv), Pu(v), and Pu(vi) solutions were characterised by HRTEM, SAXS, and XRD in the suspensions. PuO2 nanoparticles uniform in size (typical diameter around 2.5 nm) and phase composition were observed in all cases under equilibrium conditions.

Prep1 prevents premature adipogenesis of mesenchymal progenitors.

Transcriptional regulators are crucial in adipocyte differentiation. We now show that the homeodomain-containing transcription factor Prep1 is a repressor of adipogenic differentiation since its down-regulation (DR) in both ex vivo bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stromal cells (MSC) and in vitro 3T3-L1 preadipocytes significantly increases their adipogenic differentiation ability. Prep1 acts at a stage preceding the activation of the differentiation machinery because its DR makes cells more prone to adipogenic differentiation even in the absence of the adipogenic inducers.

Oxidation, defunctionalization and catalyst life cycle of carbon nanotubes: a Raman spectroscopy view.

Pristine, oxidized and defunctionalized carbon nanotubes (CNTs) were studied by Raman spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, transmission electron microscopy and low temperature nitrogen adsorption. The Raman spectra of the studied samples in the range of 900-1800 cm were deconvoluted into five components to reveal the CNT oxidation mechanism. It was found that the oxidation resulted in the reduction of graphite components and ordering of both the structured and defect part of CNTs.

The protective effect of ursodeoxycholic acid in alloxan-induced diabetes.

The purpose of this work was to study the effect of ursodeoxycholic acid (UDCA) on the morphological and functional alterations in pancreatic islet beta-cells in rats with diabetes induced by alloxan (150 mg kg(-1), i.p.).