The protein kinase C modulator bryostatin-1 therapeutically targets microglia to attenuate neuroinflammation and promote remyelination.

In multiple sclerosis (MS), microglia and macrophages within the central nervous system (CNS) play an important role in determining the balance among demyelination, neurodegeneration, and myelin repair. Phagocytic and regenerative functions of these CNS innate immune cells support remyelination, whereas chronic and maladaptive inflammatory activation promotes lesion expansion and disability, particularly in the progressive forms of MS. No currently approved drugs convincingly target microglia and macrophages within the CNS, contributing to the lack of therapies aimed at promoting remyelination and slowing disease progression for individuals with MS.

Escalation of genome defense capacity enables control of an expanding meiotic driver.

From RNA interference to chromatin silencing, diverse genome defense pathways silence selfish genetic elements to safeguard genome integrity. Despite their diversity, different defense pathways share a modular organization, where numerous specificity factors identify diverse targets and common effectors silence them. In the PIWI-interacting RNA (piRNA) pathway, target RNAs are first identified by complementary base pairing with piRNAs and then silenced by PIWI-clade nucleases.

Selective Mu-Opioid Receptor Imaging Using F-Labeled Carfentanils.

Carfentanil, a highly potent synthetic opioid, paradoxically serves as a crucial positron emission tomography (PET) imaging tool in neurobiological studies of the mu-opioid receptor (MOR) system when labeled with carbon-11 ([C]CFN). However, its clinical research use is hindered by extreme potency and the limited availability of short-lived carbon-11 ( = 20.4 min).

Role of MRI in Assessing the Feasibility of Fertility-Sparing Treatments for Early-Stage Endometrial and Cervical Cancers.

Fertility-sparing treatment (FST) has become a key aspect of managing gynecologic cancers in reproductive-age patients who wish to preserve fertility. Several leading clinical societies, including the European Society of Gynecological Oncology, the European Society for Radiotherapy and Oncology, the European Society of Pathology, and the European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology, have recently published evidence-based guidelines on fertility-sparing strategies and posttreatment surveillance of patients with early-stage gynecologic cancers, in particular endometrial and cervical cancers. These guidelines highlight MRI as essential to initial patient selection and follow-up.

CT-Based Body Composition Measures and Systemic Disease: A Population-Level Analysis Using Artificial Intelligence Tools in Over 100,000 Patients.

CT-based abdominal body composition measures have shown associations with important health outcomes. Artificial intelligence (AI) advances now allow deployment of tools that measure body composition in large patient populations. To assess associations of age, sex, and common systemic diseases on CT-based body composition measurements derived using a panel of fully automated AI tools in a population-level adult patient sample.

Temperature Induced Unfolding and Compaction of Cytochrome in the Same Aqueous Solutions.

Most conventional methods used to measure protein melting temperatures reflect changes in structure between different conformational states and are typically fit to a two-state model. Population abundances of distinct conformations were measured using variable-temperature electrospray ionization ion mobility mass spectrometry to investigate the thermally induced unfolding of the model protein cytochrome . Nineteen conformers formed at high temperature have elongated structures, consistent with unfolded forms of this protein.

No Bridge between Us: EXAFS and Computations Confirm Two Distant Iron Ions Comprise the Active Site of Alkane Monooxygenase (AlkB).

Alkane monooxygenase (AlkB) is the dominant enzyme that catalyzes the oxidation of liquid alkanes in the environment. Two recent structural models derived from cryo-electron microscopy (cryo-EM) reveal an unusual active site: a histidine-rich center that binds two iron ions without a bridging ligand. To ensure that potential photoreduction and radiation damage are not responsible for the absence of a bridging ligand in the cryo-EM structures, spectroscopic methods are needed.

Bio-Orchestration of Cellular Organization and Human-Preferred Sensory Texture in Cultured Meat.

For cultured meat to effectively replace traditional meat, it is essential to develop scaffolds that replicate key attributes of real meat, such as taste, nutrition, flavor, and texture. However, one of the significant challenges in replicating meat characteristics with scaffolds lies in the considerable gap between the stiffness preferred by cells and the textural properties desired by humans. To address this issue, we focused on the microscale environment conducive to cell growth and the macro-scale properties favored by humans.

Air and Thermally Stable Cyclic (Alkyl)(amino)carbene Ruthenium Complexes for Efficient Ring Expansion Metathesis Polymerization.

Ring expansion metathesis polymerization (REMP) has emerged as a potent strategy for obtaining cyclic polymers over the past two decades. The scope of monomers, however, remains limited due to the poor functional group tolerance and stability of the catalyst, necessitating a rational catalyst design to address this constraint. Here, we present ruthenium complexes featuring tethered cyclic (alkyl)(amino)carbene ligands for REMP, aiming to deepen our understanding of the structure-property relationship in newly designed catalysts.

Anion-Rich Interface via a Self-Assembled Monolayer toward a Long-Lifespan Li Metal Battery.

Due to the extremely high energy density of Li metal, Li metal batteries are regarded as one of the most promising candidates for next-generation energy storage systems. However, interfacial issues, particularly the unstable solid electrolyte interphase (SEI) and lithium dendritic growth, hinder practical application. Herein, we induce an anion-rich interface near the Li metal by introducing positively charged self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) on ceramic-coated separators to simultaneously stabilize the SEI and homogenize the Li deposition.

Cost-Effective Electrode Fabrication Method Using Hydroxypropyl Methylcellulose Binder for Proton Exchange Membrane Water Electrolysis.

This study explores improving proton exchange membrane water electrolysis (PEMWE) by achieving both cost-effectiveness and enhanced efficiency through the replacement of the costly and environmentally challenging Nafion ionomer with hydroxypropyl methylcellulose (HPMC) as an anode binder. HPMC, an eco-friendly and cost-effective material, was cross-linked with citric acid to form a durable hydrogel that enhances water and proton transport within the catalyst layer. Using the cross-linked HPMC binder allowed a reduction in cost to 1/54 compared to Nafion ionomer, while the performance of the cross-linked HPMC electrodes remained comparable to Nafion electrodes.

Post-Treatment of Monolayer MoS Field-Effect Transistors with HO Vapor: Alleviation of Remote Channel Doping.

Atomic layer deposition (ALD) of high-k dielectric films on MoS channels can lead to inadvertent remote electron doping of channels owing to nonequilibrium ALD conditions, such as the low temperatures and short purge times required for pinhole-free coating, as well as the weak physical adsorption of ALD precursors on MoS. In this study, we propose the application of a simple and effective HO vapor post-treatment (HO PT) at 100 °C immediately after complete integration of bottom- and top-gate monolayer MoS field-effect transistors (FETs), to address the inadvertent channel doping effect. When HO PT was applied to bottom-gate monolayer MoS FETs with an ALD-AlO passivation layer, the mitigation of channel doping was confirmed through electrical and optical measurements.

Effect of quality of radiographs taken during root canal treatment on technical quality of root canal fillings and endodontic outcome.

Objectives: This study evaluated the number and quality of working length (WL) and master cone (MC) radiographs taken during root canal treatment by dental undergraduates, and their associations with the technical quality of root canal fillings (TQRCF) and endodontic outcomes (EO).

Methods: A retrospective evaluation of radiographs from 303 root canal-treated teeth in 231 patients was conducted, with 72 patients attending recall visits to assess EO. The chi-square and one-way analysis of variance tests were performed.

Soybean2035: A decadal vision for soybean functional genomics and breeding.

Soybean, the fourth most important crop in the world, uniquely serves as a source of both plant oil and plant protein for the world's food and animal feed. Although soybean production has increased approximately 13-fold over the past 60 years, the continually growing global population necessitates further increases in soybean production. In the past, especially in the last decade, significant progress has been made in both functional genomics and molecular breeding.

A Randomized, Blinded, Vehicle-Controlled Dose-Ranging Study to Evaluate and Characterize Remdesivir Efficacy Against Ebola Virus in Rhesus Macaques.

Ebola virus (EBOV) causes severe disease in humans, with mortality as high as 90%. The small-molecule antiviral drug remdesivir (RDV) has demonstrated a survival benefit in EBOV-exposed rhesus macaques. Here, we characterize the efficacy of multiple intravenous RDV dosing regimens on survival of rhesus macaques 42 days after intramuscular EBOV exposure.

Analysis of Changes in Viral Load and Inflammatory Cytokines, as Well as the Occurrence of Secondary Infections, in SFTS Patients Treated with Specific Treatments: A Prospective Multicenter Cohort Study.

Severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome (SFTS) is an acute febrile illness caused by the SFTS virus (SFTSV). We conducted this study to propose a scientific evidence-based treatment that can improve prognosis through changes in viral load and inflammatory cytokines according to the specific treatment of SFTS patients. This prospective and observational study was conducted at 14 tertiary referral hospitals, which are located in SFTS endemic areas in Korea, from 1 May 2018 to 31 October 2020.

Surveillance of Norovirus in Nationwide Groundwater Sources in South Korea: A Comprehensive Five-Year Study.

Groundwater is an essential drinking water source for humans. However, improper groundwater management leads to fecal contamination and waterborne diseases caused by viral pathogens. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate norovirus (NoV) contamination by conducting nationwide monitoring over five years (2019-2023).

Comparison of ELISA Versus FAMA Titers in Children After Chemotherapy and Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation Who Received the Live Attenuated MAV/06 Strain Varicella Vaccine.

Background: Varicella can lead to severe complications in immunocompromised children, including those undergoing hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) or chemotherapy. Preventing primary varicella zoster virus (VZV) infection is crucial in these populations to mitigate morbidity and mortality. This study aimed to evaluate the immunogenicity and safety of the live attenuated MAV/06 varicella vaccine in pediatric patients post-HSCT and post-chemotherapy.

RSV Vaccine with Nanoparticle-Based Poly-Sorbitol Transporter (PST) Adjuvant Improves Respiratory Protection Against RSV Through Inducing Both Systemic and Mucosal Humoral Immunity.

Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) causes symptoms similar to a mild cold for adults, but in case of infants, it causes bronchitis and/or pneumonia, and in some cases, mortality. Mucosal immunity within the respiratory tract includes tissue-resident memory T (T) cells and tissue-resident memory B (B) cells, which provides rapid and efficient protection against RSV re-infection. Therefore, vaccine strategies should aim to generate mucosal immune responses.

Longitudinal Comparison of Three T-Cell Assays and Three Antibody Assays Against SARS-CoV-2 Following Homologous mRNA-1273/mRNA-1273/mRNA-1273 and Heterologous ChAdOx1/ChAdOx1/BNT162b2 Vaccination: A Prospective Cohort in Naïve Healthcare Workers.

: Cellular and humoral immunity are key to the immune response against SARS-CoV-2, but the comparability and correlation across different assays remain underexplored. This study compares three T-cell and three antibody assays in two vaccine groups. : This prospective longitudinal cohort study involved 46 naïve healthcare workers: a total of 11 in the homologous mRNA-1273 group (three doses) and 35 in the heterologous ChAd group (two ChAd doses followed by a BNT booster).

Disturbance Robust Attitude Stabilization of Multirotors with Control Moment Gyros.

This paper presents a novel control framework for enhancing the attitude stabilization of multirotor UAVs using Control Moment Gyros (CMGs) and a Disturbance Robust Drive Law (DRDL). Due to their lightweight and compact structure, multirotor UAVs are highly susceptible to disturbances such as wind, making it challenging to achieve stable attitude control using rotor thrust alone. To address this issue, we employ CMGs to provide robust attitude control and apply Fast Terminal Sliding Mode Control (FTSMC) to ensure fast and accurate convergence within a finite time.

Point Cloud Wall Projection for Realistic Road Data Augmentation.

Several approaches have been developed to generate synthetic object points using real LiDAR point cloud data for advanced driver-assistance system (ADAS) applications. The synthetic object points generated from a scene (both the near and distant objects) are essential for several ADAS tasks. However, generating points from distant objects using sparse LiDAR data with precision is still a challenging task.

Sybil Attack-Resistant Blockchain-Based Proof-of-Location Mechanism with Privacy Protection in VANET.

In this paper, we propose a Proof-of-Location (PoL)-based location verification scheme for mitigating Sybil attacks in vehicular ad hoc networks (VANETs). For this purpose, we employ smart contracts for storing the location information of the vehicles. This smart contract is maintained by Road Side Units (RSUs) and acts as a ground truth for verifying the position information of the neighboring vehicles.