Characterization of the Molecular Signature of Human Monocytes in Aging and Myelodysplastic Neoplasms.

• Aging leads to chronic inflammation and immune dysfunction, heightening the risk of myeloid malignancies like MDS and CMML. • Both aging and MDS show alterations in monocyte subtypes and function. Aging boosts inflammatory genes upregulation, whereas MDS favors antigen presentation, reflecting distinct immune and disease-specific adaptations.

PD-L1 blockade immunotherapy rewires cancer-induced emergency myelopoiesis.

Introduction: Immune checkpoint blockade (ICB) immunotherapy has revolutionized cancer treatment, demonstrating exceptional clinical responses in a wide range of cancers. Despite the success, a significant proportion of patients still fail to respond, highlighting the existence of unappreciated mechanisms of immunotherapy resistance. Delineating such mechanisms is paramount to minimize immunotherapy failures and optimize the clinical benefit.

Mesenchymal Stem Cell and Hematopoietic Stem and Progenitor Cell Co-Culture in a Bone-Marrow-on-a-Chip Device toward the Generation and Maintenance of the Hematopoietic Niche.

Bone marrow has raised a great deal of scientific interest, since it is responsible for the vital process of hematopoiesis and is affiliated with many normal and pathological conditions of the human body. In recent years, organs-on-chips (OoCs) have emerged as the epitome of biomimetic systems, combining the advantages of microfluidic technology with cellular biology to surpass conventional 2D/3D cell culture techniques and animal testing. Bone-marrow-on-a-chip (BMoC) devices are usually focused only on the maintenance of the hematopoietic niche; otherwise, they incorporate at least three types of cells for on-chip generation.

Atmospheric Pressure Plasma Functionalization of Sealed PDMS Microfluidics: Application to Capillary Pumping and Enhanced Cell Growth.

Microfluidic devices serve as essential tools across diverse fields like medicine, biotechnology, and chemistry, enabling advancements in analytical techniques, point-of-care diagnostics, microfluidic cell cultures, and organ-on-chip models. While polymeric microfluidics are favoured for their cost-effectiveness and ease of fabrication, their inherent hydrophobic properties necessitate surface functionalization, often post-sealing. Here, we introduce a versatile apparatus for functionalizing sealed microfluidic devices using atmospheric plasma processing, with a focus on PDMS (polydimethylsiloxane) microfluidics.

Single-cell transcriptomic analysis of hematopoietic progenitor cells from patients with systemic lupus erythematosus reveals interferon-inducible reprogramming in early progenitors.

Introduction: Immune cells that contribute to the pathogenesis of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) derive from adult hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells (HSPCs) within the bone marrow (BM). For this reason, we reasoned that fundamental abnormalities in SLE can be traced to a BM-derived HSPC inflammatory signature.

Methods: BM samples from four SLE patients, six healthy controls, and two umbilical cord blood (CB) samples were used.

Spatiotemporal Dynamics of Assyrtiko Grape Microbiota.

, an economically significant grapevine species, is known for wine, juice, and table grape production. The berries of wine grapes host a diverse range of microorganisms influencing both grapevine health and the winemaking process. Indigenous to Greece, the emblematic variety Assyrtiko, renowned for high-quality white wines, originated from Santorini and spread to various Greek regions.

Enhanced medullary and extramedullary granulopoiesis sustain the inflammatory response in lupus nephritis.

Objectives: In SLE, deregulation of haematopoiesis is characterised by inflammatory priming and myeloid skewing of haematopoietic stem and progenitor cells (HSPCs). We sought to investigate the role of extramedullary haematopoiesis (EMH) as a key player for tissue injury in systemic autoimmune disorders.

Methods: Transcriptomic analysis of bone marrow (BM)-derived HSPCs from patients with SLE and NZBW/F1 lupus-prone mice was performed in combination with DNA methylation profile.

Novel Wild-Type and Strains as Probiotic Candidates to Manage Obesity-Associated Insulin Resistance.

As the food and pharmaceutical industry is continuously seeking new probiotic strains with unique health properties, the aim of the present study was to determine the impact of short-term dietary intervention with novel wild-type strains, isolated from various sources, on high-fat diet (HFD)-induced insulin resistance. Initially, the strains were evaluated in vitro for their ability to survive in simulated gastrointestinal (GI) conditions, for adhesion to Caco-2 cells, for bile salt hydrolase secretion, for cholesterol-lowering and cellular cholesterol-binding ability, and for growth inhibition of food-borne pathogens. In addition, safety criteria were assessed, including hemolytic activity and susceptibility to antibiotics.

Assessment of the Anti-Amyloidogenic Properties of Essential Oils and Their Constituents in Cells Using a Whole-Cell Recombinant Biosensor.

Essential oils exhibit numerous medicinal properties, including antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects. Recent studies also indicate that certain essential oils demonstrate anti-amyloidogenic activity against β-amyloid, the protein implicated in Alzheimer's disease. To investigate whether the anti-aggregating properties of essential oils extend to α-synuclein, the protein involved in Parkinson's disease, we constructed and employed a whole-cell biosensor based on the split-luciferase complementation assay.

A PCR-Induced Mutagenesis-Restriction Fragment Length Polymorphism Method for the Detection of CRISPR-Induced Indels.

As CRISPR-based technologies are widely used for knocking out genes in cell lines and organisms, there is a need for the development of reliable, cost-effective, and fast methods that identify fully mutated clones. In this context, we present a novel strategy named PCR-induced mutagenesis-restriction fragment length polymorphism (PIM-RFLP), which is based on the well-documented robustness and simplicity of the classical PCR-RFLP approach. PIM-RFLP allows the assessment of the editing efficiency in pools of edited cells and the effective identification of fully mutated single-cell clones.

Characterization of the Abracl-Expressing Cell Populations in the Embryonic Mammalian Telencephalon.

Abracl (ABRA C-terminal-like protein) is a small, non-typical winged-helix protein that shares similarity with the C-terminal domain of the protein ABRA (Actin-Binding Rho-Activating protein). The role of Abracl in the cell remains elusive, although in cancer cells, it has been implicated in proliferation, migration and actin dynamics. Our previous study showed that mRNA was expressed in the dividing cells of the subpallial subventricular zone (SVZ), in the developing cortical plate (CP), and in the diencephalic SVZ; however, the molecular identities of the Abracl-expressing cell populations were not defined in that work.

Investigating the role of "Immature Myeloid Cells" as Drivers of Inflammation and Disease Persistence in Psoriatic Arthritis.

Background: Despite the development of treatments targeting T cell co-stimulation and cytokines TNF, IL-12/23, and IL-17, less than half of patients within clinical trials achieve high levels of clinical response. This fact, as well as the absence of prognostic biomarkers represents major unmet clinical needs that necessitate further investigation of the disease pathophysiology. Myeloid cells are critical components of PsA inflammatory mechanisms, being a highly prevalent immune population in biopsies of PsA target tissues, such as the skin and the synovium.

A network-based approach reveals long non-coding RNAs associated with disease activity in lupus nephritis: key pathways for flare and potential biomarkers to be used as liquid biopsies.

Objective: A blood-based biomarker is needed to assess lupus nephritis (LN) disease activity, minimizing the need for invasive kidney biopsies. Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) are known to regulate gene expression, appear to be stable in human plasma, and can serve as non-invasive biomarkers.

Methods: Transcriptomic data of whole blood samples from 74 LN patients and 20 healthy subjects (HC) were analyzed to identify differentially expressed (DE) lncRNAs associated with quiescent disease and flares.

Location-Based Augmented Reality for Cultural Heritage Communication and Education: The Doltso District Application.

Location-based Augmented Reality applications are increasingly used in many research and commercial fields. Some of the fields that these applications are used are recreational digital games, tourism, education, and marketing. This study aims to present a location-based augmented reality (AR) application for cultural heritage communication and education.

Effect of Free or Immobilized T571 on Feta-Type Cheese Microbiome.

Background: Cheese microbiome plays a key role in determining the organoleptic and physico-chemical properties and may be also used as an authenticity tool for distinguishing probiotic cultures. Due to significant reduction of cell viability often witnessed during food production processes and storage, immobilization is proposed to ascertain high probiotic cell loads required to confer the potential health benefits. Hence, the aim of the present study was to investigate the effect of free or immobilized T571 on whey protein on feta cheese microbiome.

Combined - whole blood and skin fibroblasts- transcriptomic analysis in Psoriatic Arthritis reveals molecular signatures of activity, resistance and early response to treatment.

Background: An interplay between immune cells and resident skin and joint stromal cells is implicated in psoriatic arthritis (PsA), yet the mechanisms remain elusive with a paucity of molecular biomarkers for activity and response. Combined transcriptomic and immunophenotypic analysis of whole blood and skin fibroblasts could provide further insights.

Methods: Whole blood RNA-seq was performed longitudinally in 30 subjects with PsA at the beginning, one and six months after treatment, with response defined at six months.

Ablation of NLRP3 inflammasome rewires MDSC function and promotes tumor regression.

Myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSCs) are myeloid precursors that exert potent immunosuppressive properties in cancer. Despite the extensive knowledge on mechanisms implicated in mobilization, recruitment, and function of MDSCs, their therapeutic targeting remains an unmet need in cancer immunotherapy, suggesting that unappreciated mechanisms of MDSC-mediated suppression exist. Herein, we demonstrate an important role of NLRP3 inflammasome in the functional properties of MDSCs in tumor-bearing hosts.

Cross-species transcriptome analysis for early detection and specific therapeutic targeting of human lupus nephritis.

Objectives: Patients with lupus nephritis (LN) are in urgent need for early diagnosis and therapeutic interventions targeting aberrant molecular pathways enriched in affected kidneys.

Methods: We used mRNA-sequencing in effector (spleen) and target (kidneys, brain) tissues from lupus and control mice at sequential time points, and in the blood from 367 individuals (261 systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) patients and 106 healthy individuals). Comparative cross-tissue and cross-species analyses were performed.

Genoarchitectonic Compartmentalization of the Embryonic Telencephalon: Insights From the Domestic Cat.

The telencephalon develops from the alar plate of the secondary prosencephalon and is subdivided into two distinct divisions, the pallium, which derives solely from prosomere hp1, and the subpallium which derives from both hp1 and hp2 prosomeres. In this first systematic analysis of the feline telencephalon genoarchitecture, we apply the prosomeric model to compare the expression of a battery of genes, including , and , the orthologs of which alone or in combination, demarcate molecularly distinct territories in other species. We characterize, within the pallium and the subpallium, domains and subdomains topologically equivalent to those previously described in other vertebrate species and we show that the overall genoarchitectural map of the E26/27 feline brain is highly similar to that of the E13.

Interplay Between mTOR and Hippo Signaling in the Ovary: Clinical Choice Guidance Between Different Gonadotropin Preparations for Better IVF.

One of the most widely used types of assisted reproduction technology is the fertilization (IVF), in which women undergo controlled ovarian stimulation through the administration of the appropriate hormones to produce as many mature follicles, as possible. The most common hormone combination is the co-administration of gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) analogues with recombinant or urinary-derived follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH). In the last few years, scientists have begun to explore the effect that different gonadotropin preparations have on granulosa cells' maturation and apoptosis, aiming to identify new predictive markers of oocyte quality and successful fertilization.

Patrolling human SLE haematopoietic progenitors demonstrate enhanced extramedullary colonisation; implications for peripheral tissue injury.

Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is an autoimmune disease where bone-marrow-derived haematopoietic cells have a key role in its pathogenesis with accumulating evidence suggesting an aberrant function of haematopoietic stem/progenitor cells (HSPCs). We examined whether patrolling HSPCs differ from bone-marrow HSPCs both in SLE and healthy individuals, and how they participate in peripheral tissue injury. By employing next-generation RNA sequencing, the transcriptomes of CD34 HSPCs deriving from the bone marrow and those patrolling the bloodstream of both healthy and individuals with SLE were compared.

Molecular Genetics of Microcephaly Primary Hereditary: An Overview.

MicroCephaly Primary Hereditary (MCPH) is a rare congenital neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by a significant reduction of the occipitofrontal head circumference and mild to moderate mental disability. Patients have small brains, though with overall normal architecture; therefore, studying MCPH can reveal not only the pathological mechanisms leading to this condition, but also the mechanisms operating during normal development. MCPH is genetically heterogeneous, with 27 genes listed so far in the Online Mendelian Inheritance in Man (OMIM) database.

Regulatory T-cell Transcriptomic Reprogramming Characterizes Adverse Events by Checkpoint Inhibitors in Solid Tumors.

Immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICI), which target immune regulatory pathways to unleash antitumor responses, have revolutionized cancer immunotherapy. Despite the remarkable success of ICI immunotherapy, a significant proportion of patients whose tumors respond to these treatments develop immune-related adverse events (irAE) resembling autoimmune diseases. Although the clinical spectrum of irAEs is well characterized, their successful management remains empiric.