Catch Bonds in Immunology.

Catch bonds are molecular bonds that last longer under force than slip bonds, which become shorter-lived under force. Although catch bonds were initially discovered in studies of leukocyte and bacterial adhesions two decades ago, they have since been found in many other contexts, including platelet binding to blood vessel walls during clotting, structural support within the cell and between cells, force transmission in the cell's machineries for motility and mechanotransduction, viral infection of host cells, and immunoreceptor mechanosensing. Catch bonds are strengthened by increasing force, which induces structural changes in one or both interacting molecules either locally or allosterically to enable additional contacts at their binding interface, thus lengthening bond lifetimes.

Health-related quality of life in adolescents with myocarditis and pericarditis after BNT162b2 COVID-19 vaccination: Korean national surveillance.

Aims: Concerns have been raised regarding the potential causal relationship between myocarditis and mRNA COVID-19 vaccines. In response, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency actively monitored myocarditis and pericarditis in adolescents who received mRNA COVID-19 vaccines in South Korea. Understanding the long-term health outcomes of these cases is essential for developing evidence-based national health policies.

Scaffold implantation intravenous delivery: a comparative preclinical animal study evaluating peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma coactivator 1-alpha adipose-derived stem cells in liver fibrosis treatment.

Purpose: Regenerative medicine is expected to offer an alternative to liver transplantation for treating liver diseases in the future, with one significant challenge being the establishment of an effective stem cell administration route. This study assessed the antifibrogenic effects of adipose-derived stem cells (ASCs) in a liver fibrosis mouse model, focusing on 2 methods of delivery: intravenous injection and scaffold implantation.

Methods: An extracellular matrix mimic scaffold was utilized for culturing peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma coactivator 1-alpha-overexpressing ASCs (tASCs).

Fructose-responsive regulation by FruR in Faecalibacterium prausnitzii for its intestinal colonization.

Faecalibacterium prausnitzii, a dominant member of healthy human gut microbiota, exhibits a strong positive correlation with fecal fructose levels, suggesting fructose as a key energy source for its colonization and persistence. This study explores the regulatory mechanisms governing the fru operon in F. prausnitzii, responsible for fructose uptake and metabolism.

A novel strategy for sorafenib-resistant hepatocellular carcinoma: autotaxin Inhibition by PF-8380.

By inhibiting the conversion of lysophosphatidylcholine into lysophosphatidic acid, a process pivotal to tumor progression, the autotaxin (ATX) inhibitor PF-8380 offers a new anticancer therapeutic strategy, distinct from the action mechanism of sorafenib. This study explored the potential anticancer effects of the PF-8380 on hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) cells, especially sorafenib-resistant strains. The investigation included both in vitro and in vivo experiments to evaluate the impact of PF-8380 treatment on epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) and autophagy markers.