A systematic review and meta-analysis of non-vitamin K antagonist oral anticoagulants vs vitamin K antagonists after transcatheter aortic valve replacement in patients with atrial fibrillation.

Purpose: Transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) is increasingly carried out in patients with aortic valvular conditions. Atrial fibrillation (AF) is a common comorbidity among patients undergoing TAVR. Despite this, there remains a paucity of data and established guidelines regarding anticoagulation use post-TAVR in patients with AF.

SARS-CoV-2 genomes from Saudi Arabia implicate nucleocapsid mutations in host response and increased viral load.

Monitoring SARS-CoV-2 spread and evolution through genome sequencing is essential in handling the COVID-19 pandemic. Here, we sequenced 892 SARS-CoV-2 genomes collected from patients in Saudi Arabia from March to August 2020. We show that two consecutive mutations (R203K/G204R) in the nucleocapsid (N) protein are associated with higher viral loads in COVID-19 patients.

Dual Mode Sensing of Binding and Blocking of Cancer Exosomes to Biomimetic Human Primary Stem Cell Surfaces.

Cancer-derived exosomes (cEXOs) facilitate transfer of information between tumor and human primary stromal cells, favoring cancer progression. Although the mechanisms used during this information exchange are still not completely understood, it is known that binding is the initial contact established between cEXOs and cells. Hence, studying binding and finding strategies to block it are of great therapeutic value.

Growth and development of Arabidopsis thaliana under single-wavelength red and blue laser light.

Indoor horticulture offers a sensible solution for sustainable food production and is becoming increasingly widespread. However, it incurs high energy and cost due to the use of artificial lighting such as high-pressure sodium lamps, fluorescent light or increasingly, the light-emitting diodes (LEDs). The energy efficiency and light quality of currently available horticultural lighting is suboptimal, and therefore less than ideal for sustainable and cost-effective large-scale plant production.

A Guide to Transient Expression of Membrane Proteins in HEK-293 Cells for Functional Characterization.

The human embryonic kidney 293 (HEK-293) cells are commonly used as host for the heterologous expression of membrane proteins not least because they have a high transfection efficiency and faithfully translate and process proteins. In addition, their cell size, morphology and division rate, and low expression of native channels are traits that are particularly attractive for current-voltage measurements. Nevertheless, the heterologous expression of complex membrane proteins such as receptors and ion channels for biological characterization and in particular for single-cell applications such as electrophysiology remains a challenge.

Detection of antibiotic resistance in probiotics of dietary supplements.

Background: Probiotics are live microorganisms that confer nutrition- and health-promoting benefits if consumed in adequate amounts. Concomitant with the demand for natural approaches to maintaining health is an increase in inclusion of probiotics in food and health products. Since probiotic bacteria act as reservoir for antibiotic resistant determinants, the transfer of these genes to pathogens sharing the same intestinal habitat is thus conceivable considering the fact that dietary supplements contain high amounts of often heterogeneous populations of probiotics.