An mRNA Display Approach for Covalent Targeting of a Virulence Factor.

Staphylococcus aureus () is an opportunistic human pathogen that causes over one million deaths around the world each year. We recently identified a family of serine hydrolases termed fluorophosphonate binding hydrolases (Fphs) that play important roles in lipid metabolism and colonization of a host. Because many of these enzymes are only expressed in bacteria, they are valuable targets for diagnostics and therapeutics.

A systematic review on polysaccharides from fermented Cordyceps sinensis: Advances in the preparation, structural characterization, bioactivities, structure-activity relationships.

Cordyceps sinensis (Berk.) Sacc. (Ophiocordyceps sinensis) is an edible and medicinal fungus used as a natural superior tonic.

Nanosized Porphyrin-Containing Covalent Organic Polymer to Enhance Ferroptosis in Photodynamic Treatment of Tumor Cells via Glutathione Depletion.

A porphyrin-containing nanoscale covalent organic polymer (COP) was fabricated from 5,10,15,20-tetra(4-carboxyphenyl)porphyrin (TCPP) and cystamine via an acylation reaction. On the one hand, TCPP can induce tumor cell death by laser irradiation. Due to the presence of disulfide bonds of cystamine which can react with glutathione, it exhibits depletion of glutathione and accumulation of peroxides in tumor cells.

Ectopic expression of HaPEPC1 from the desert shrub Haloxylon ammodendron confers drought stress tolerance in Arabidopsis thaliana.

Phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase (PEPC) plays a crucial role in the initial carbon fixation process in C plants. However, its nonphotosynthetic functions in Haloxylon ammodendron, a C perennial xerohalophytic shrub, are still poorly understood. Previous studies have reported the involvement of PEPC in plant responses to abiotic stresses such as drought and salt stress.

Type-II IFN inhibits SARS-CoV-2 replication in human lung epithelial cells and ex vivo human lung tissues through indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase-mediated pathways.

Interferons (IFNs) are critical for immune defense against pathogens. While type-I and -III IFNs have been reported to inhibit SARS-CoV-2 replication, the antiviral effect and mechanism of type-II IFN against SARS-CoV-2 remain largely unknown. Here, we evaluate the antiviral activity of type-II IFN (IFNγ) using human lung epithelial cells (Calu3) and ex vivo human lung tissues.

Causal relationships between delirium and Parkinson's disease: a bidirectional two-sample Mendelian randomization study.

Background: Previous observational studies have suggested a notably elevated prevalence of delirium in individuals diagnosed with Parkinson's disease (PD), thereby implying a potential increased susceptibility to delirium among PD patients. However, it is imperative to acknowledge that observational studies inherently possess limitations, rendering it arduous to establish a definitive causal or reverse causal association between delirium and PD.

Methods: To explore the relationship between delirium and PD, a bidirectional two-sample Mendelian randomization (MR) was conducted using summary statistics obtained from genome-wide association studies.

Morphological change and genome-wide transcript analysis of Haloxylon ammodendron leaf development reveals morphological characteristics and genes associated with the different C3 and C4 photosynthetic metabolic pathways.

C4 photosynthesis outperforms C3 photosynthesis in natural ecosystems by maintaining a high photosynthetic rate and affording higher water-use and nitrogen-use efficiencies. C4 plants can survive in environments with poor living conditions, such as high temperatures and arid regions, and will be crucial to ecological and agricultural security in the face of global climate change in the future. However, the genetic architecture of C4 photosynthesis remains largely unclear, especially the genetic regulation of C4 Kranz anatomy.

PSMA7 promotes the malignant proliferation of esophageal cancer.

Background: It is important to explore novel molecules that play a key role in esophageal cancer (ESCA) progression.

Methods: Two ESCA tissue expression profile microarrays (GSE92396 and GSE17351) data from GEO were downloaded, and differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were analyzed using GEO2R. The DEGs common to both microarrays were analyzed for protein-protein interactions, KEGG and GO.

Caregiving Strain Mediates the Relationship Between Terminally Ill Patient's Physical Symptoms and Their Family Caregivers' Wellbeing: A Multicentered Longitudinal Study.

Research considered patient outcomes primarily over caregivers in end-of-life care settings. The importance of family caregivers (FCs) in end-of-life care draws growing awareness, evidenced by an increasing number of evaluations of caregiver-targeted interventions. Little is known of FCs' collateral benefits in patient-oriented home-based end-of-life care.

The viral fitness and intrinsic pathogenicity of dominant SARS-CoV-2 Omicron sublineages BA.1, BA.2, and BA.5.

Background: Among the Omicron sublineages that have emerged, BA.1, BA.2, BA.

Rosmarinic acid, the active component of Rubi Fructus, induces apoptosis of SGC-7901 and HepG2 cells through mitochondrial pathway and exerts anti-tumor effect.

Rosmarinic acid (RA) is a well-known phenolic acid widely present in over 160 species of herbal plants and known to exhibit anti-tumor effects on breast, prostate, and colon cancers in vitro. However, its effect and mechanism in gastric cancer and liver cancer are unclear. Moreover, there is no RA report yet in the chemical constituents of Rubi Fructus (RF).

Intranasal infection by SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variants can induce inflammatory brain damage in newly weaned hamsters.

Intranasal infection of newly-weaned Syrian hamsters by SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variants can lead to brain inflammation and neuron degeneration with detectable low level of viral load and sparse expression of viral nucleoprotein.

An intranasal influenza virus-vectored vaccine prevents SARS-CoV-2 replication in respiratory tissues of mice and hamsters.

Current available vaccines for COVID-19 are effective in reducing severe diseases and deaths caused by SARS-CoV-2 infection but less optimal in preventing infection. Next-generation vaccines which are able to induce mucosal immunity in the upper respiratory to prevent or reduce infections caused by highly transmissible variants of SARS-CoV-2 are urgently needed. We have developed an intranasal vaccine candidate based on a live attenuated influenza virus (LAIV) with a deleted NS1 gene that encodes cell surface expression of the receptor-binding-domain (RBD) of the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein, designated DelNS1-RBD4N-DAF.

Intranasal Boosting with Spike Fc-RBD of Wild-Type SARS-CoV-2 Induces Neutralizing Antibodies against Omicron Subvariants and Reduces Viral Load in the Nasal Turbinate of Mice.

The emergence of new immune-evasive severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) variants and subvariants outpaces the development of vaccines specific against the dominant circulating strains. In terms of the only accepted immune correlate of protection, the inactivated whole-virion vaccine using wild-type SARS-CoV-2 spike induces a much lower serum neutralizing antibody titre against the Omicron subvariants. Since the inactivated vaccine given intramuscularly is one of the most commonly used coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccines in developing regions, we tested the hypothesis that intranasal boosting after intramuscular priming would provide a broader level of protection.

COVID-19 mRNA vaccine protects against SARS-CoV-2 Omicron BA.1 infection in diet-induced obese mice through boosting host innate antiviral responses.

Background: Obesity is a worldwide epidemic and is considered a risk factor of severe manifestation of Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19). The pathogenicity of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) and host responses to infection, re-infection, and vaccination in individuals with obesity remain incompletely understood.

Methods: Using the diet-induced obese (DIO) mouse model, we studied SARS-CoV-2 Alpha- and Omicron BA.

The Physical and Psychosocial Outcomes of a Psychosocial Home-Based end-of-Life Care Intervention in Hong Kong.

Objective: Living the final days of life being cared for at home is a preference expressed by many. The data on the effectiveness of home-based end-of-life care (EoLC) intervention to improve the holistic conditions of terminally ill patients are scanty. This study sought to evaluate a psychosocial home-based EoLC intervention for terminally ill patients in Hong Kong.

Altered host protease determinants for SARS-CoV-2 Omicron.

Successful severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection requires proteolytic cleavage of the viral spike protein. While the role of the host transmembrane protease serine 2 in SARS-CoV-2 infection is widely recognized, the involvement of other proteases capable of facilitating SARS-CoV-2 entry remains incompletely explored. Here, we show that multiple members from the membrane-type matrix metalloproteinase (MT-MMP) and a disintegrin and metalloproteinase families can mediate SARS-CoV-2 entry.