Systems Genome: Coordinated Gene Activity Networks, Recurring Coordination Modules, and Genome Homeostasis in Developing Neurons.

As human progenitor cells differentiate into neurons, the activities of many genes change; these changes are maintained within a narrow range, referred to as genome homeostasis. This process, which alters the synchronization of the entire expressed genome, is distorted in neurodevelopmental diseases such as schizophrenia. The coordinated gene activity networks formed by altering sets of genes comprise recurring coordination modules, governed by the entropy-controlling action of nuclear FGFR1, known to be associated with DNA topology.

Genes Involved in DNA Repair and Mitophagy Protect Embryoid Bodies from the Toxic Effect of Methylmercury Chloride under Physioxia Conditions.

The formation of embryoid bodies (EBs) from human pluripotent stem cells resembles the early stages of human embryo development, mimicking the organization of three germ layers. In our study, EBs were tested for their vulnerability to chronic exposure to low doses of MeHgCl (1 nM) under atmospheric (21%O) and physioxia (5%O) conditions. Significant differences were observed in the relative expression of genes associated with DNA repair and mitophagy between the tested oxygen conditions in nontreated EBs.

Model-based investigation of elasticity and spectral exponent from atomic force microscopy and electrophysiology in normal versus Schizophrenia human cerebral organoids.

The physiological origin of the aperiodic signal present in the electrophysiological recordings, called l/f neural noise, is unknown; nevertheless, it has been associated with health and disease. The power spectrum slope, -α in 1/f, has been postulated to be related to the dynamic balance between excitation (E) and inhibition (I). Our study found that human cerebral organoids grown from induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) from Schizophrenia patients (SCZ) showed structural changes associated with altered elasticity compared to that of the normal cerebral organoids.

Characterization of nanofluids using multifractal analysis of a liquid droplet trace.

The article presents an innovative approach to the analysis of nanofluids using a nonlinear multifractal algorithm. The conducted research concerned nanofluids prepared from SiO nanoparticles (~ 0.01 g) suspended in 100 ml of demineralized water and in 100 ml of 99.

Oxygen as an important factor modulating in vitro MeHgCl toxicity associated with mitochondrial genes in hiPSCs.

Mitochondria are energy factories of cells and important targets for methylmercury chloride (MgHgCl). Methylmercury (MeHg) is a well-known environmental toxicant that bioaccumulates in fish and shellfish. It readily crosses the placental barrier, making it a threat to correct fetal development.

Synthesis of Dolichols in Is Co-Regulated with Elongation of Fatty Acids.

Protein glycosylation requires dolichyl phosphate as a carbohydrate carrier. Dolichols are α-saturated polyprenols, and their saturation in is catalyzed by polyprenyl reductase Dfg10 together with some other unknown enzymes. The aim of this study was to identify such enzymes in .

Multigenerational selection towards longevity changes the protective role of vitamin C against graphene oxide-induced oxidative stress in house crickets.

This research was designed to investigate changes that can arise in an invertebrate organism due to stress caused by a strong prooxidant, graphene oxide (GO), and a potent antioxidant, vitamin C. The study aimed to investigate if vitamin C may support convalescence after chronic GO intoxication. We investigated the toxicity of chronic dietary graphene oxide administration in house cricket (Acheta domesticus) types: wild and selected for longevity (with a better developed antioxidant system, conducive to long life).

Zinc and Copper Brain Levels and Expression of Neurotransmitter Receptors in Two Rat ASD Models.

Zinc and copper are important trace elements necessary for the proper functioning of neurons. Impaired zinc and/or copper metabolism and signaling are implicated in many brain diseases, including autism (ASD). In our studies, autistic-like behavior in rat offsprings was induced by application to pregnant mothers valproic acid or thalidomide.

Ileal transposition helps to regulate plasma hepatokine levels in obese Zucker (Crl:ZUC(ORL)-Lepr) rats.

We studied the long-term effect of ileal transposition (IT) metabolic surgery on the hepatokines: retinol-binding protein-4 (RBP4), α-2-HS-glycoprotein (aHSG/fetuin-A), and fibroblast growth factor 21 (FGF21), C-reactive protein (CRP) plasma levels, glucose metabolism, body weight, liver histology, as well as total lipids concentration in muscle, liver, and fat tissue of obese Zucker (Crl:ZUC(ORL)-Lepr) rats. 14 adult males were randomly submitted either to IT or SHAM (control) surgery. Pre-operative hepatokines plasma levels were not significantly different in rats submitted to IT or SHAM protocol.

A rare diagnostic challenge in a female patient with a rapid recurrent pleural effusion: Autopsy revealed cardiac angiosarcoma with bilateral pleural and pulmonary metastases. A case report.

Introduction: We present a very rare case with diffuse cardiac angiosarcoma. Because all symptoms are often non-specific, this diagnosis is difficult to establish. To our knowledge this is the first clinical description of this rare disease.

A proof of concept 'phase zero' study of neurodevelopment using brain organoid models with Vis/near-infrared spectroscopy and electrophysiology.

Homeostatic control of neuronal excitability by modulation of synaptic inhibition (I) and excitation (E) of the principal neurons is important during brain maturation. The fundamental features of in-utero brain development, including local synaptic E-I ratio and bioenergetics, can be modeled by cerebral organoids (CO) that have exhibited highly regular nested oscillatory network events. Therefore, we evaluated a 'Phase Zero' clinical study platform combining broadband Vis/near-infrared(NIR) spectroscopy and electrophysiology with studying E-I ratio based on the spectral exponent of local field potentials and bioenergetics based on the activity of mitochondrial Cytochrome-C Oxidase (CCO).

ATM-deficient neural precursors develop senescence phenotype with disturbances in autophagy.

ATM is a kinase involved in DNA damage response (DDR), regulation of response to oxidative stress, autophagy and mitophagy. Mutations in the ATM gene in humans result in ataxi A-Telangiectasia disease (A-T) characterized by a variety of symptoms with neurodegeneration and premature ageing among them. Since brain is one of the most affected organs in A-T, we have focused on senescence of neural progenitor cells (NPCs) derived from A-T reprogrammed fibroblasts.

Altered expression of glutamatergic and GABAergic genes in the valproic acid-induced rat model of autism: A screening test.

Autism spectrum disorders (ASD) include neurodevelopmental disorders in which behavioral deficits can result from neuronal imbalance of excitation to inhibition (E/I) in the brain. Here we used RT-qPCR to screen for the expression of 99 genes associated with excitatory (glutamatergic) and inhibitory (GABAergic) neurotransmission in the cerebral cortex, hippocampus and cerebellum of rats in an established VPA model of ASD. The largest changes in the expression of glutamatergic genes were found in the cerebral cortex, where 12 genes including these encoding some of the subunits of the ionotropic glutamate receptors, were upregulated, while 2 genes were downregulated.

Clinical value of tissue DNA integrity index in pancreatic cancer.

Background: DNA integrity index as a blood biomarker is associated with the prognosis of cancer patients.

Aims: The primary goal of the study was to examine tissue DNA integrity index (DII) in a group of pancreatic cancer (PC) tumor tissues and control adjacent pancreatic tissues. We also aimed to test the relationship between the tumor tissue DII and the clinicopathological parameters and the overall survival.

Increased activity of the sterol branch of the mevalonate pathway elevates glycosylation of secretory proteins and improves antifungal properties of Trichoderma atroviride.

Some Trichoderma spp. have an ability to inhibit proliferation of fungal plant pathogens in the soil. Numerous compounds with a proven antifungal activity are synthesized via the terpene pathway.

[Right Atrial Thrombus Formation as Complications in the Presence of Hemodialysis Catheter and Central Venous Catheter].

History: Case 1: admission to hospital of a 65-year-old female patient with multiple cerebral infarctions after surgery due to a benign tumor for detection of cardiac source of embolism by echocardiography. During surgery a central venous catheter has been placed into the internal jugular vein.Case 2: admission to hospital of a 59-year-old female with urosepsis due to infectious urinary stasis due to dislocated double J-catheter and suspected endocarditis.

Protective role of zinc in Spodoptera exigua larvae under 135-generational cadmium exposure.

The aim of this study was to investigate whether zinc supplementation modulates cadmium toxicity in the beet armyworm Spodoptera exigua selected for 135 generations towards cadmium tolerance. To achieve this, larvae originating from three laboratory populations of S. exigua (control strain - C; cadmium-intoxicated for 135 generations strain - Cd, and control strain intoxicated with Cd for 1 generation - CCd) were additionally exposed to zinc in three concentrations (Zn1, 400 μg Zn·g dry mass of food; Zn2; 200 μg Zn·g dry mass of food; Zn3, 100 μg Zn·g dry mass of food).

Species-specific models in toxicology: in vitro epithelial barriers.

Species-specific in vitro epithelial barriers represent interesting predictive tools for risk assessment evaluation in toxicological studies. Moreover, these models could be applied either as stand-alone methods for the study of absorption, bioavailability, excretion, transport, effects of xenobiotics, or through an Integrated Testing Strategy. The aim of this review is to give a comprehensive overview of in vitro species-specific epithelial barrier models from bovine, dog and swine.

Organoids are promising tools for species-specific in vitro toxicological studies.

Organoids are three-dimensional self-aggregating structures generated from stem cells (SCs) or progenitor cells in a process that recapitulates molecular and cellular stages of early organ development. The differentiation process leads to the appearance of specialized mature cells and is connected with changes in the organoid internal structure rearrangement and self-organization. The formation of organ-specific structures in vitro with highly ordered architecture is also strongly influenced by the extracellular matrix.

Reference Gene Validation via RT-qPCR for Human iPSC-Derived Neural Stem Cells and Neural Progenitors.

Correct selection of the reference gene(s) is the most important step in gene expression analysis. The aims of this study were to identify and evaluate the panel of possible reference genes in neural stem cells (NSC), early neural progenitors (eNP) and neural progenitors (NP) obtained from human-induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSC). The stability of expression of genes commonly used as the reference in cells during neural differentiation is variable and does not meet the criteria for reference genes.

The collagen scaffold supports hiPSC-derived NSC growth and restricts hiPSC.

The human induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSC) are one of the promising candidates as patient specific cell source for autologous transplantation or modeling of diseases. The collagen (Col) scaffolds have been shown suitable to create biomimetic microenvironment for human neural stem cells, but their ability to accommodate stem cells at different stages of neural differentiation has not been verified yet. In this paper we compare lineage related hiPSC during neural differentiation for their ability to colonize Col scaffold.

Is mitochondrial DNA copy number a good prognostic marker in resectable pancreatic cancer?

Background: The aim of this prospective study was to investigate mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) copy number in a group of resectable pancreatic cancer (PC) tumor tissues and adjacent normal pancreatic tissues, and to explore the correlation between the mtDNA content in tissues and the clinicopathological parameters and the overall survival.

Methods: Relative mtDNA copy number was measured by the quantitative PCR-based assay. The tumors specimens (n = 43) originated from the patients with pathologically confirmed pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma who did not receive any neoadjuvant systemic therapy.

Bezafibrate Upregulates Mitochondrial Biogenesis and Influence Neural Differentiation of Human-Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells.

Bezafibrate (BZ) regulates mitochondrial biogenesis by activation of PPAR's receptors and enhancing the level of PGC-1α coactivator. In this report, we investigated the effect of BZ on the expression of genes (1) that are linked to different pathways involved in mitochondrial biogenesis, e.g.

Mitochondrial biogenesis and neural differentiation of human iPSC is modulated by idebenone in a developmental stage-dependent manner.

Idebenone, the synthetic analog of coenzyme Q10 can improve electron transport in mitochondria. Therefore, it is used in the treatment of Alzheimer's disease and other cognitive impairments. However, the mechanism of its action on neurodevelopment is still to be elucidated.