Coping and emotions of global higher education students to the Ukraine war worldwide.

Trauma scientists have raised the alarm about the devastating consequences of the Ukraine war on mental health. We examined how higher education students-as indirect victims-coped with this conflict and how they emotionally reacted during 2022. We involved 2314 students from 16 countries through an online survey.

Multisystemic Disease in a Child and Successful Recovery With Antiviral Treatment.

Cytomegalovirus (CMV), a member of the family, typically causes asymptomatic infections or mild mononucleosis-like syndromes in immunocompetent individuals. However, severe manifestations are well-documented in immunocompromised populations. This case report presents a previously healthy seven-year-old girl with a rare and complex presentation of primary CMV infection leading to severe multiorgan involvement, hepatosplenomegaly, cholestasis, bicytopenia, and a prolonged disease course.

Epiphitic Microbiome of Alvarinho Wine Grapes from Different Geographic Regions in Portugal.

Geographic location and, particularly, soil and climate exert influence on the typicality of a wine from a specific region, which is often justified by the , and these factors also influence the epiphytic flora associated with the surface of the grape berries. In the present study, the microbiome associated with the surface of berries obtained from ten vineyards of the variety located in different geographical locations in mainland Portugal was determined and analyzed. The removal of microbial flora from the surface of the berries was carried out by washing and sonication, after which the extraction and purification of the respective DNA was carried out.

A Community-Based Participatory Framework to Co-Develop Patient Education Materials (PEMs) for Rare Diseases: A Model Transferable across Diseases.

At least 50% of chronic disease patients don't follow their care plans, leading to lower health outcomes and higher medical costs. Providing Patient Education Materials (PEMs) to individuals living with a disease can help to overcome these problems. PEMs are especially beneficial for people suffering from multisystemic and underrecognized diseases, such as rare diseases.

Leucine and Arginine Availability Modulate Mouse Embryonic Stem Cell Proliferation and Metabolism.

Amino acids are crucial nutrients involved in several cellular and physiological processes, including fertilization and early embryo development. In particular, Leucine and Arginine have been shown to stimulate implantation, as lack of both in a blastocyst culture system is able to induce a dormant state in embryos. The aim of this work was to evaluate the effects of Leucine and Arginine withdrawal on pluripotent mouse embryonic stem cell status, notably, their growth, self-renewal, as well as glycolytic and oxidative metabolism.

Sunlight-Driven AO7 Degradation with Perovskites (La,Ba)(Fe,Ti)O as Heterogeneous Photocatalysts.

Perovskites of the (La,Ba)(Fe,Ti)O family were prepared, characterized, and utilized as heterogeneous photocatalysts, activated by natural sunlight, for environmental remediation of Acid Orange 7 (AO7) aqueous solutions. Catalysts were prepared by the ceramic (CM) and the complex polymerization (CP) methods and characterized by XRD, SEM, EDS, and band gap energy. It was found that catalytic properties depend on the synthesis method and annealing conditions.

Electro-Persulfate Processes for the Treatment of Complex Wastewater Matrices: Present and Future.

Complex wastewater matrices present a major environmental concern. Besides the biodegradable organics, they may contain a great variety of toxic chemicals, heavy metals, and other xenobiotics. The electrochemically activated persulfate process, an efficient way to generate sulfate radicals, has been widely applied to the degradation of such complex effluents with very good results.

Methiocarb Degradation by Electro-Fenton: Ecotoxicological Evaluation.

This paper studies the degradation of methiocarb, a highly hazardous pesticide found in waters and wastewaters, through an electro-Fenton process, using a boron-doped diamond anode and a carbon felt cathode; and evaluates its potential to reduce toxicity towards the model organism . The influence of applied current density and type and concentration of added iron source, Fe(SO)·5HO or FeCl·6HO, is assessed in the degradation experiments of methiocarb aqueous solutions. The experimental results show that electro-Fenton can be successfully used to degrade methiocarb and to reduce its high toxicity towards .

Diclofenac photodegradation with the Perovskites BaFeTiO as catalysts.

Perovskite oxides BaFeTiO, with y = 0, 0.6, 0.8 and 1, were prepared by ceramic (CM) and complex polymerization methods (CPM) and utilized in UV-LED (365 nm) photocatalytic degradation assays of 25 mg L diclofenac (DIC) model solutions.

Effects of DMSO on the Pluripotency of Cultured Mouse Embryonic Stem Cells (mESCs).

DMSO is a commonly used solvent in biological studies, as it is an amphipathic molecule soluble in both aqueous and organic media. For that reason, it is the vehicle of choice for several water-insoluble substances used in research. At the molecular and cellular level, DMSO is a hydrogen-bound disrupter, an intercellular electrical uncoupler, and a cryoprotectant, among other properties.

Metabolic characterization of a paused-like pluripotent state.

Embryonic diapause is a conserved reproductive strategy in which development arrests at the blastocyst phase. Recently mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) inhibition was shown to induce diapause on mouse blastocysts and a paused-like state on mouse embryonic stem cells (mESCs). In this work, we aimed to further characterize this new paused-pluripotent state, focusing on its glycolytic and oxidative metabolic function.

Stem metabolism: Insights from oncometabolism and vice versa.

Metabolism, is a transversal hot research topic in different areas, resulting in the integration of cellular needs with external cues, involving a highly coordinated set of activities in which nutrients are converted into building blocks for macromolecules, energy currencies and biomass. Importantly, cells can adjust different metabolic pathways defining its cellular identity. Both cancer cell and embryonic stem cells share the common hallmark of high proliferative ability but while the first represent a huge social-economic burden the second symbolize a huge promise.

Silica nanocarriers with user-defined precise diameters by controlled template self-assembly.

Mesoporous silica nanoparticles (MSNs) feature ideal structural properties and surface chemistry for use as nanocarriers of molecules, polymers and biomolecules in cutting-edge applications. One important challenge remaining in their preparation is the ability to tune their diameter in the range of a few tens of nanometers, with narrow size dispersity, preferably using a simple, sustainable and scalable synthetic process. This work presents a fully controllable low-temperature and purely aqueous sol-gel method to prepare MSNs with user-defined diameters from 15 nm to 80 nm and narrow size dispersity.

Ecotoxicological evaluation of electrochemical oxidation for the treatment of sanitary landfill leachates.

In this study, the efficiency of electrochemical oxidation to treat a sanitary landfill leachate was evaluated by the reduction in physico-chemical parameters and in ecotoxicity. The acute toxicity of the sanitary landfill leachates, before and after treatment, was assessed with the model organism Daphnia magna. Electrochemical oxidation treatment was effective in the removal of organic load and ammonium nitrogen and in the reduction of metal ions concentrations.

Differentiate or Die: 3-Bromopyruvate and Pluripotency in Mouse Embryonic Stem Cells.

Background: Pluripotent embryonic stem cells grown under standard conditions (ESC) have a markedly glycolytic profile, which is shared with many different types of cancer cells. Thus, some therapeutic strategies suggest that pharmacologically shifting cancer cells towards an oxidative phenotype, using glycolysis inhibitors, may reduce cancer aggressiveness. Given the metabolic parallels between cancer and stemness would chemotherapeutical agents have an effect on pluripotency, and could a strategy involving these agents be envisioned to modulate stem cell fate in an accessible manner? In this manuscript we attempted to determine the effects of 3-bromopyruvate (3BrP) in pluripotency.

Dichloroacetate, the Pyruvate Dehydrogenase Complex and the Modulation of mESC Pluripotency.

Introduction: The pyruvate dehydrogenase (PDH) complex is localized in the mitochondrial matrix catalyzing the irreversible decarboxylation of pyruvate to acetyl-CoA and NADH. For proper complex regulation the E1-α subunit functions as an on/off switch regulated by phosphorylation/dephosphorylation. In different cell types one of the four-pyruvate dehydrogenase kinase isoforms (PDHK1-4) can phosphorylate this subunit leading to PDH inactivation.

Mitochondrial Mechanisms of Metabolic Reprogramming in Proliferating Cells.

Mitochondria are responsible for coordinating cellular energy production in the vast majority of somatic cells, and every cell type in a specific state can have a distinct metabolic signature. The metabolic requirements of cells from different tissues changes as they proliferate/differentiate, and cellular metabolism must match these demands. Proliferating cells, namely cancer cells and stem cells, tend to prefer glycolysis rather than a more oxidative metabolism.

From gametogenesis and stem cells to cancer: common metabolic themes.

Background: Both pluripotent stem cells (PSCs) and cancer cells have been described as having similar metabolic pathways, most notably a penchant for favoring glycolysis even under aerobiosis, suggesting common themes that might be explored for both stem cell differentiation and anti-oncogenic purposes.

Methods: A search of the scientific literature available in the PubMed/Medline was conducted for studies on metabolism and mitochondrial function related to gametogenesis, early development, stem cells and cancers in the reproductive system, notably breast, prostate, ovarian and testicular cancers.

Results: Both PSCs and some types of cancer cells, particularly reproductive cancers, were found to obtain energy mostly by glycolysis, often reducing mitochondrial activity and oxidative phosphorylation.

Inhibition of mitochondrial complex III blocks neuronal differentiation and maintains embryonic stem cell pluripotency.

The mitochondrion is emerging as a key organelle in stem cell biology, acting as a regulator of stem cell pluripotency and differentiation. In this study we sought to understand the effect of mitochondrial complex III inhibition during neuronal differentiation of mouse embryonic stem cells. When exposed to antimycin A, a specific complex III inhibitor, embryonic stem cells failed to differentiate into dopaminergic neurons, maintaining high Oct4 levels even when subjected to a specific differentiation protocol.

Development of an analytical methodology for simultaneous determination of vincristine and doxorubicin in pharmaceutical preparations for oncology by HPLC-UV.

A high-performance liquid chromatography-UV methodology (lambda=230 nm) was developed and validated for the simultaneous determination of vincristine and doxorubicin in pharmaceutical preparations used in oncology. The chromatography was carried out on a C18 column using acetonitrile 90% in water-potassium hydrogenphosphate buffer 50 mM, pH 3.2+/-0.

Testicular aging involves mitochondrial dysfunction as well as an increase in UCP2 levels and proton leak.

To address the possibility that mitochondria are involved in the age-related loss of testicular function, we characterized mitochondrial bioenergetics in rat testis. A peak of mitochondrial functionality was detected in adult animals, with a decrease in both young and older animals. In the latter group a decrease in mitochondrial function was matched with an increase in proton leak and expression and activity of uncoupling protein 2 (UCP2), suggesting that proton leak may be involved in managing age-dependent mitochondrial dysfunction.

The quantification of lipid and protein oxidation in stallion spermatozoa and seminal plasma: seasonal distinctions and correlations with DNA strand breaks, classical seminal parameters and stallion fertility.

The goal of this work was to correlate oxidative stress caused by reactive oxygen species (ROS) and DNA damage with classic semen parameters in spermatozoa and seminal plasma of fertile and subfertile stallions. Oxidation was measured in both lipids and proteins, using the thiobarbituric acid reactive species (TBARS) assay and the DNPH carbonyl groups assay, respectively. Sperm DNA damage was monitored using the TUNEL assay.