Conformation-dependent anti-Aβ monoclonal antibody signatures of disease status and severity in urine of women with preeclampsia.

Prior research has shown that urine of women with preeclampsia (PE) contains amyloid-like aggregates that are congophilic (exhibit affinity for the amyloidophilic dye Congo red) and immunoreactive with A11, a polyclonal serum against prefibrillar β-amyloid oligomers, thereby supporting pathogenic similarity between PE and protein conformational disorders such as Alzheimer's and prion disease. The objective of this study was to interrogate PE urine using monoclonal antibodies with previously characterized A11-like epitopes. Over 100 conformation-dependent monoclonals were screened and three (mA11-09, mA11-89, and mA11-205) selected for further confirmation in 196 urine samples grouped as follows: severe features PE (sPE, n = 114), PE without severe features (mPE, n = 30), chronic hypertension (crHTN, n = 14) and normotensive pregnant control (P-CRL, n = 38).

Hydrogels derived from acellular porcine corneal stroma enhance corneal wound healing.

Acellular cornea derived hydrogels provide significant advantages in preserving native corneal stromal keratocyte cells and endothelial cells. However, for clinical application, hydrogel physical properties need to be improved, and their role in corneal epithelial wound healing requires further investigation. In this study, an acellular porcine corneal stroma (APCS) hydrogel (APCS-gel) was successfully prepared from 20 mg/ml APCS, demonstrated optimal light transmittance and gelation kinetic properties and retained critical corneal ECM of collagens and growth factors.

Connecting the dots on vertical transmission of SARS-CoV-2 using protein-protein interaction network analysis - Potential roles of placental ACE2 and ENDOU.

We conducted a protein-protein interaction (PPI) network study searching for proteins relevant to pregnancy-associated COVID-19 in pregnancy complicated with severe preeclampsia (sPE) and intra-amniotic infection and/or inflammation (Triple-I). PPI networks from sPE and Triple-I were intersected with the PPI network from coronavirus infection. Common proteins included the SARS-CoV-2 entry receptor ACE2 and ENDOU, a placental endoribonuclease homologous to Nsp15, a protein produced by the virus to escape host immunity.

Psoralen Derivatives with Enhanced Potency.

Psoralen is a furocoumarin natural product that intercalates within DNA and forms covalent adducts when activated by ultraviolet radiation. It is well known that this property contributes to psoralen's clinical efficacy in several disease contexts, which include vitiligo, psoriasis, graft-versus-host disease and cutaneous T-cell lymphoma. Given the therapeutic relevance of psoralen and its derivatives, we attempted to synthesize psoralens with even greater potency.

Integrated microRNA and mRNA network analysis of the human myometrial transcriptome in the transition from quiescence to labor.

We conducted integrated transcriptomics network analyses of miRNA and mRNA interactions in human myometrium to identify novel molecular candidates potentially involved in human parturition. Myometrial biopsies were collected from women undergoing primary Cesarean deliveries in well-characterized clinical scenarios: (1) spontaneous term labor (TL, n = 5); (2) term nonlabor (TNL, n = 5); (3) spontaneous preterm birth (PTB) with histologic chorioamnionitis (PTB-HCA, n = 5); and (4) indicated PTB nonlabor (PTB-NL, n = 5). RNAs were profiled using RNA sequencing, and miRNA-target interaction networks were mined for key discriminatory subnetworks.

AKR1B10 induces cell resistance to daunorubicin and idarubicin by reducing C13 ketonic group.

Daunorubicin, idarubicin, doxorubicin and epirubicin are anthracyclines widely used for the treatment of lymphoma, leukemia, and breast, lung, and liver cancers, but tumor resistance limits their clinical success. Aldo-keto reductase family 1 B10 (AKR1B10) is an NADPH-dependent enzyme overexpressed in liver and lung carcinomas. This study was aimed to determine the role of AKR1B10 in tumor resistance to anthracyclines.

Male marmoset monkeys express an adrenal fetal zone at birth, but not a zona reticularis in adulthood.

Neonatal human males produce high levels of dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) and its sulfo-conjugated form (DS) that decline within a few months of birth, due to regression of the adrenal fetal zone (FZ). Adult male humans and rhesus monkeys produce C19 steroids in abundance from the adrenal zona reticularis (ZR). Male marmoset monkeys produce DS at birth, but unlike humans and rhesus monkeys, do not produce comparable amounts of DHEA and DS in adulthood.

Determination of phthalate ester congeners and mixtures by LC/ESI-MS in sediments and biota of an urbanized marine inlet.

Phthalate esters (PEs) are a group of widely used commercial chemicals consisting of many different congeners. Concentrations of di(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate ester in the parts per million range have been observed in sediments from locations in North America and Europe. However, sediment and biota concentrations of other widely used PEs (i.