MEG8 as an antagonistic pleiotropic mechanism in breast cancer.

Cellular senescence connects aging and cancer. Cellular senescence is a common program activated by cells in response to various types of stress. During this process, cells lose their proliferative capacity and undergo distinct morphological and metabolic changes.

Structure and rheology of the polysaccharides from Schizymenia dubyi: Isolation of an unusual glucurono-carrageenan.

The system of polysaccharides from Schizymenia dubyi (Nemastomatales) was investigated. It contains a mixture of hybrid dl galactans (SH-S) and carrageenan-like polysaccharides, which were separated by means of precipitation with KCl at high concentrations. The structural features of the carrageenan-like fraction (SH-I) were investigated by methylation analysis, desulfation, uronic acid reduction, and NMR spectroscopy.

Single-dose high-dose-rate brachytherapy versus two and three fractions for locally advanced prostate cancer.

Background: Single-dose high-dose-rate brachytherapy (SD-HDR-BT) was compared to two or three fraction HDR BT in intermediate and high-risk localized prostate cancer with median follow-up of 10 years.

Materials And Methods: 293 patients received 1 × 19Gy or 1 × 20Gy (Group A = 49), 2 × 13Gy (Group B = 138), or 3 × 10.5 Gy (Group C = 106) HDR BT.

Amidation of arabinoglucuronoxylans to modulate their flow behavior.

Arabinoglucuronoxylans obtained from the exudate of Cercidium praecox (Brea gum) were subjected to an amidation reaction to modulate their flow behavior to obtain a product with similar behavior to gum Arabic. The amidation reaction of the uronic acids present in this exudate was studied using the 1-ethyl-3-(3-dimethylaminopropyl)carbodiimide (EDC) and N-hydroxysuccinimide (NHS) system with the aim of maximizing product yield and minimizing by-product. An analysis of the significant factors involved in the reaction was carried out and a response surface methodology was conducted to optimize the stoichiometry of the reagents used.

Environmental surface monitoring as a noninvasive method for SARS-CoV-2 surveillance in community settings: Lessons from a university campus study.

Environmental testing of high-touch objects is a potential noninvasive approach for monitoring population-level trends of SARS-CoV-2 and other respiratory viruses within a defined setting. We aimed to determine the association between SARS-CoV-2 contamination on high-touch environmental surfaces, community level case incidence, and university student health data. Environmental swabs were collected from January 2022 to November 2022 from high-touch objects and surfaces from five locations on a large university campus in Florida, USA.

Free Energy Perturbation Approach for Accurate Crystalline Aqueous Solubility Predictions.

Early assessment of crystalline thermodynamic solubility continues to be elusive for drug discovery and development despite its critical importance, especially for the ever-increasing fraction of poorly soluble drug candidates. Here we present a detailed evaluation of a physics-based free energy perturbation (FEP+) approach for computing the thermodynamic aqueous solubility. The predictive power of this approach is assessed across diverse chemical spaces, spanning pharmaceutically relevant literature compounds and more complex AbbVie compounds.

Expression of ERG11, ERG3, MDR1 and CDR1 genes in Candida tropicalis.

Introduction: Drug resistance to azoles is a growing problem in the Candida genus.

Objective: To analyze molecularly the genes responsible for fluconazole resistance in Candida tropicalis strains.

Materials And Methods: Nineteen strains, with and without exposure to fluconazole, were selected for this study.

Chemoinformatic modelling of the antioxidant activity of phenolic compounds.

Background: Antioxidants are chemicals used to protect foods from deterioration by neutralizing free radicals and inhibiting the oxidative process. One approach to investigate the antioxidant activity is to develop quantitative structure-activity relationships (QSARs).

Results: A curated database of 165 structurally heterogeneous phenolic compounds with the Trolox equivalent antioxidant capacity (TEAC) was developed.

Structure-Based Design of Potent Iminosugar Inhibitors of Endoplasmic Reticulum α-Glucosidase I with Anti-SARS-CoV-2 Activity.

Enveloped viruses depend on the host endoplasmic reticulum (ER) quality control (QC) machinery for proper glycoprotein folding. The endoplasmic reticulum quality control (ERQC) enzyme α-glucosidase I (α-GluI) is an attractive target for developing broad-spectrum antivirals. We synthesized 28 inhibitors designed to interact with all four subsites of the α-GluI active site.

Antioxidant pectins from eggplant (Solanum melongena) fruit exocarp, calyx and flesh isolated through high-power ultrasound and sodium carbonate.

Dried and milled eggplant fruit peel and calyces (PC) and mesocarp, placenta and core (Mes) were utilized as natural sources of valuable chemicals. Pectins were extracted with 0.1 M NaCO (1 h; 23 °C).

The multivalency of the glucocorticoid receptor ligand-binding domain explains its manifold physiological activities.

The glucocorticoid receptor (GR) is a ubiquitously expressed transcription factor that controls metabolic and homeostatic processes essential for life. Although numerous crystal structures of the GR ligand-binding domain (GR-LBD) have been reported, the functional oligomeric state of the full-length receptor, which is essential for its transcriptional activity, remains disputed. Here we present five new crystal structures of agonist-bound GR-LBD, along with a thorough analysis of previous structural work.

Wild-Type -Synuclein and Variants Occur in Different Disordered Dimers and Pre-Fibrillar Conformations in Early Stage of Aggregation.

-Synuclein is a 140 amino-acid intrinsically disordered protein mainly found in the brain. Toxic -synuclein aggregates are the molecular hallmarks of Parkinson's disease. studies showed that -synuclein aggregates in oligomeric structures of several 10th of monomers and into cylindrical structures (fibrils), comprising hundred to thousands of proteins, with polymorphic cross--sheet conformations.

Mechanistic Kinetic Model Reveals How Amyloidogenic Hydrophobic Patches Facilitate the Amyloid-β Fibril Elongation.

Abnormal aggregation of amyloid β (Aβ) peptides into fibrils plays a critical role in the development of Alzheimer's disease. A two-stage "dock-lock" model has been proposed for the Aβ fibril elongation process. However, the mechanisms of the Aβ monomer-fibril binding process have not been elucidated with the necessary molecular-level precision, so it remains unclear how the lock phase dynamics leads to the overall in-register binding of the Aβ monomer onto the fibril.

Probing Protein Aggregation Using the Coarse-Grained UNRES Force Field.

Protein aggregation is the cause of many, often lethal, diseases, including the Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, and Huntington's diseases, and familial amyloidosis. Theoretical investigation of the mechanism of this process, including the structures of the oligomeric intermediates which are the most toxic, is difficult because of long time scale of aggregation. Coarse-grained models, which enable us to extend the simulation time scale by three or more orders of magnitude, are, therefore, of great advantage in such studies.

Sunflower ( L.) Seed Hull Waste: Composition, Antioxidant Activity, and Filler Performance in Pectin-Based Film Composites.

L. seed hull is an abundant waste of the edible oil industry. To envisage potential applications of this waste, here, we aimed to analyze the chemical composition of milled sunflower hulls (SP), constituted mainly by 210 μm (51.

Missense Mutations Modify the Conformational Ensemble of the -Synuclein Monomer Which Exhibits a Two-Phase Characteristic.

-Synuclein is an intrinsically disordered protein occurring in different conformations and prone to aggregate in -sheet structures, which are the hallmark of the Parkinson disease. Missense mutations are associated with familial forms of this neuropathy. How these single amino-acid substitutions modify the conformations of wild-type -synuclein is unclear.

Do you have COVID-19? How to increase the use of diagnostic and contact tracing apps.

Diagnostic and contact tracing apps are a needed weapon to contain contagion during a pandemic. We study how the content of the messages used to promote the apps influence adoption by running a survey experiment on approximately 23,000 Mexican adults. Respondents were randomly assigned to one of three different prompts, or a control condition, before stating their willingness to adopt a diagnostic app and contact tracing app.

Genotoxic risk in humans and acute toxicity in rats of a novel oral high-dose coenzyme Q10 oleogel.

Coenzyme Q (CoQ) supplementation has demonstrated to be safe and effective in primary and secondary CoQ deficiencies. Previously, we have designed a high-dose CoQ oleogel (1 g/disk) with excipients used in quantities that do not represent any toxic risk. However, it was necessary to demonstrate their safety in the final formulation.

Mutation of SPINOPHILIN (PPP1R9B) found in human tumors promotes the tumorigenic and stemness properties of cells.

SPINOPHILIN (SPN, PPP1R9B) is an important tumor suppressor involved in the progression and malignancy of different tumors depending on its association with protein phosphatase 1 (PP1) and the ability of the PP1-SPN holoenzyme to dephosphorylate retinoblastoma (pRB). We performed a mutational analysis of SPN in human tumors, focusing on the region of interaction with PP1 and pRB. We explored the effect of the SPN-A566V mutation in an immortalized non-tumorigenic cell line of epithelial breast tissue, MCF10A, and in two different p53-mutated breast cancer cells lines, T47D and MDA-MB-468.

Perennial halophyte Salicornia neei Lag.: Cell wall composition and functional properties of its biopolymers.

Salicornia neei halophyte extends in Argentina seashores. To envisage potential applications, cell wall sequential extraction performed on dry plant yielded 1.1, 2.