Bioprospecting of culturable marine biofilm bacteria for novel antimicrobial peptides.

Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) have become a viable source of novel antibiotics that are effective against human pathogenic bacteria. In this study, we construct a bank of culturable marine biofilm bacteria constituting 713 strains and their nearly complete genomes and predict AMPs using ribosome profiling and deep learning. Compared with previous approaches, ribosome profiling has improved the identification and validation of small open reading frames (sORFs) for AMP prediction.

Drug-induced hepatic sinusoidal obstruction syndrome: current advances and future perspectives.

Hepatic sinusoidal obstruction syndrome (HSOS) has gained recognition as a rare form of drug-induced liver injury (DILI) in recent years. Although extensively studied in the context of hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT), the applicability of this knowledge to drug-induced HSOS remains limited due to distinct etiological factors. The primary causes of drug-induced HSOS include the ingestion of pyrrolizidine alkaloid (PA)-containing plants, as well as the use of chemotherapeutic agents and immunosuppressive drugs.

Cardiomyocyte proliferation and heart regeneration in adult Xenopus tropicalis evidenced by a transgenic reporter line.

Cardiomyocyte proliferation in adult Xenopus tropicalis during heart regeneration has remained largely contentious due to the absence of genetic evidence. Here, we generated a transgenic reporter line Tg(mlc2:H2C) expressing mCherry specifically in cardiomyocyte nuclei driven by the promoter of myosin light chain 2 (mlc2). Using the reporter line, we found that traditional whole-cell staining is not a rigorous way to identify cardiomyocytes in adult Xenopus tropicalis when using a cryosection with common thickness (5 μm) which leading to a high error, but this deviation could be reduced by increasing section thickness.

Health Disparities in Hospice-Home Health Transitions in Hispanic Older Adults With Co-occurring Dementia and Cardiovascular Disease.

Purpose: In the US, nearly one-third of skilled home health (HH) patients and nearly one-half of hospice patients live with Alzheimer's disease and related dementias (ADRD). Hispanic older adults are more likely to live with ADRD than white non-Hispanic older adults. Persons with ADRD, compared to their counterparts without ADRD, have a prolonged trajectory of decline and experience multiple care transitions between health care settings, bringing risks for poor outcomes.

Novel drug delivery systems for hirudin-based product development and clinical applications.

Hirudin, a natural biological polypeptide macromolecule secreted by the salivary glands of medicinal leech, is a specific thrombin inhibitor with multiple favourable bioactivities, including anti-coagulation, anti-fibrotic, and anti-tumour. Despite several anticoagulants have been widely applied in clinic, hirudin shows advantages in reducing the incidence of bleeding side effects by virtue of its high specificity in binding to thrombin. As a result, hirudin has been tested in clinical practice to prevent and treat several complex diseases.

[Carbon Emission Trajectory and Eco-environment Effects in the Aksu River Basin Based on Agriculture-town-ecological Space Changes].

Due to the expansion of artificial oases in these areas, scientific assessment of the carbon emission and eco-environment effects caused by changes in agriculture, towns, and ecological space is of great significance in grasping the carbon emission characteristics of various land use types, formulating land use emission reduction strategies, promoting the construction of ecological civilization, and optimizing the spatial pattern of the national territory. Based on land use data and socio-economic data, taking the inland river basin of the arid zone of the Xinjiang-Aksu River Basin as the research object, the carbon emission coefficient method was used to measure land-use carbon emissions, and spatial autocorrelation analysis and standard deviation ellipse were used to analyze the spatial evolution characteristics of carbon emissions from agriculture-town-ecological space in the Aksu River Basin. Based on the eco-environment quality index and ecological contribution rate, the impact of the agriculture-town-ecological space transformation on the eco-environment effects in the Aksu River Basin was explored.

Current status and hotspots in breast cancer patient self-management research: A bibliometric and visual analysis via CiteSpace.

Background: Breast cancer remains a leading cause of cancer-related mortality worldwide. Patient self-management plays a pivotal role in enhancing outcomes and quality of life for individuals affected by this disease. This study employed bibliometric and visual analysis techniques utilizing CiteSpace to elucidate the current status and research hotspots in breast cancer patient self-management from January 1, 2005, to August 31, 2023.

FetusMapV2: Enhanced fetal pose estimation in 3D ultrasound.

Fetal pose estimation in 3D ultrasound (US) involves identifying a set of associated fetal anatomical landmarks. Its primary objective is to provide comprehensive information about the fetus through landmark connections, thus benefiting various critical applications, such as biometric measurements, plane localization, and fetal movement monitoring. However, accurately estimating the 3D fetal pose in US volume has several challenges, including poor image quality, limited GPU memory for tackling high dimensional data, symmetrical or ambiguous anatomical structures, and considerable variations in fetal poses.

Efficient synthesis of polycarbonate ether polyol copolymerization of CO and 1,2-butylene oxide over a layered Zn-Co double metal cyanide catalyst.

Polycarbonate ether polyol synthesized by the copolymerization of carbon dioxide (CO) and epoxides is a promising technology for chemically fixing CO and manufacturing degradable polymeric materials. However, research on the copolymerization of CO and 1,2-butylene oxide (BO) to produce polycarbonate ether polyol is relatively scarce. Herein, we employed layered Zn-Co double metal cyanide (L-DMC) as a catalyst for the copolymerization of CO and BO to obtain polycarbonate ether polyol.

Tissue-specific chemical expression and quantitative analysis of bioactive components of Moutan Cortex by laser-microdissection combined with UPLC-Q-Orbitrap-MS technique.

Moutan Cortex, is the root bark of Paeonia suffruticosa Andrews, which is classified into three specifications according to whether or not it is peeled and cored: Liandanpi, Guadanpi and whole root. In this study, the cork layer, cortex, phloem and xylem of P. suffruticosa fresh root were precisely separated by laser microdissection technique.

Dissecting Causal Relationships Between Dietary Habits and Diverse Subtypes of Stroke: Mendelian Randomization Study.

Background: Understanding the causal relations between dietary habits and stroke is crucial for prioritizing public health interventions and developing effective health strategies. This study utilized Mendelian randomization (MR) analysis to examine the causal associations between 20 dietary habits and various stroke subtypes, aiming to identify potential mediators and evaluate the proportions of mediation.

Methods: A two-sample MR analysis was conducted to examine the causal relationships between dietary habits and stroke incidence.

TLR2/NF-κB signaling in macrophage/microglia mediated COVID-pain induced by SARS-CoV-2 envelope protein.

Pain has become a major symptom of long COVID-19 without effective therapy. Apart from viral infection pathological process, SARS-CoV-2 membranal proteins (envelope [S2E], spike [S2S] and membrane [S2M]) also present pro-inflammatory feature independently. Here, we aim to uncover the neuroinflammatory mechanism of COVID-pain induced by SARS-CoV-2 membranal proteins.

Insufficient S-sulfhydration of serum and glucocorticoid-regulated kinase 1 participates in hyperhomocysteinemia-induced liver injury.

Background & Aims: Previous studies have established that hyperhomocysteinemia (HHcy) significantly contributes to the development of non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH). Conversely, hydrogen sulfide (HS) has shown potential in mitigating NASH. Despite these findings, it remains uncertain whether HS can serve as a therapeutic agent against HHcy-induced liver damage.

Synthesis of Dimethyl Hexane-1,6-dicarbamate with Methyl Carbamate as Carbonyl Source over MCM-41 Catalyst.

Dimethyl hexane-1,6-dicarbamate (HDC), the vital intermediate for nonphosgene production of hexamethylene-diisocyanate (HDI), was effectively synthesized via carbonylation of 1,6-hexanediamine (HDA) using methyl carbamate (MC) as a carbonyl source over a silanol-rich MCM-41 catalyst. The effects of reaction conditions, including the reaction temperature, molar ratio of raw materials, methanol dosage, catalyst dosage, and reaction time, on the HDC yield were evaluated. Under the reaction conditions with a reaction temperature of 190 °C, a molar ratio of HDA, MC, and methanol of 1:6:50, a catalyst dosage of 10 wt %, and a reaction time of 3 h, the yield of HDC can reach as high as 92.

Synergistic Degradation of Methylene Blue by Hydrodynamic Cavitation Combined with Hydrogen Peroxide/Vitamin C System.

In this study, a new combined process of hydrodynamic cavitation (HC) and a hydrogen peroxide/vitamin C (HO/Vc) system was proposed for the degradation of methylene blue (MB) in wastewater. An impact-jet hydraulic cavitator was used as the cavitation generation equipment, and HO/Vc was selected as a homogeneous oxidation system. The degradation characteristics of MB were investigated.

Nursing Work Engagement, Professional Quality of Life, and Intent to Leave: A Structural Equation Modeling Pathway Analysis.

Background: Work engagement, professional quality of life (ProQOL), and intent to leave (ITL) significantly impact organizational behaviors and outcomes. Understanding the complex interrelationships among nurse work engagement, ProQOL, and ITL is essential for improving nurse retention, job satisfaction, and patient outcomes. In previous investigations, work engagement, ProQOL, and ITL relationships have primarily been analyzed individually.

Interaction of diesel exhaust particulate matter with mucins in simulated saliva fluids: Bioaccessibility of heavy metals and potential health risks.

Air pollution is one of the major environmental risks threatening human health, diesel exhaust particulate matter (DEPM) is an important source of urban air pollution, and oral ingestion is the primary route of exposure to atmospheric particulate matter. This study examined the bioaccessibility of Cr, Fe, and Zn in DEPM within simulated saliva fluids through in vitro experiments, interactions between the particles and mucins, and the mechanisms underlying the oxidative damage they cause. The results indicated that the interaction between DEPM and mucins altered the dispersibility, surface charge, and wettability of the particles, leading to increased release of heavy metals.

Human β-casein-derived peptide BCCY-1 improved the intestinal barrier integrity by regulating the TLR4/eNOS/3-Nitrotyrosine axis.

Necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC) is a lethal gastrointestinal disease affecting premature infants. Although earlier studies have highlighted protective effects of milk-derived peptides against NEC, the role of the human β-casein-derived peptide BCCY-1 in intestinal barrier protection has never been investigated. Here, we showed that BCCY-1 alleviated the phenotype of NEC, reduced intestinal expression of Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) and interleukin-6, and improved the intestinal barrier integrity.