FpnA, the Aspergillus fumigatus homolog of human ferroportin, mediates resistance to nickel, cobalt and gallium but does not function in iron homeostasis.

Iron homeostasis is key to both the survival of virtually all organisms and the virulence of fungi including Aspergillus fumigatus, a human fungal pathogen causing life-threatening invasive infections. Unlike the extensively studied fungal species Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Schizosaccharomyces pombe, A. fumigatus encodes an uncharacterized homolog of vertebrate ferroportin (Fpn1), termed FpnA.

Botulinum toxin type A inhibits hyperalgesia in the rat masseter muscle in a carrageenan model of myofascial pain.

Objective: Previous studies have shown that botulinum toxin type A (BoNT-A) attenuates nociception, but the underlying mechanisms remain unclear. Studies of experimental pain in humans have also shown conflicting results. Carrageenan is commonly used to produce short-term acute inflammation and hyperalgesia in animal models, and the effect of BoNT-A on carrageenan-induced pain in the masseter muscle has not been studied.

An Improved Approach for Semantic Segmentation of Fundus Lesions using R2U-Net.

Diabetic Retinopathy (DR) is a microvascular complication related to diabetes that affects approximately 33% of individuals with this condition and, if not detected and treated early, can lead to irreversible vision loss. Fundus lesions such as Hard and Soft Exudates, Hemorrhages, and Microaneurysms typically identify DR. The development of computational methods to segment these lesions plays a fundamental role in the early diagnosis of the disease.

Spectroscopic, electrical, and cytocompatibility properties of luminescent (metal nanoparticle/polyaniline) composites.

In recent years, the integration of metallic nanoparticles with conductive polymers has gained significant attention for biomedical applications, including biosensors and therapeutic agents. Here, we synthesized hybrid nanocomposites of polyaniline (PANI) with copper (Cu) and silver (Ag) nanoparticles using a straightforward and scalable one-pot synthesis method. These composites were characterized by a range of techniques, including UV-vis, Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, Zeta Potential measurements, Dynamic Light Scattering (DLS), and photoluminescence (PL).

Immunogenicity of SARS-CoV-2 Vaccination Schedules Including a Booster Dose in Patients with Systemic Lupus Erythematosus: Data from a Prospective Multicenter Study.

Objective: To evaluate the humoral response to and impact of SARS-CoV-2 vaccination in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus in a multicenter cohort design.

Methods: Data for this analysis were obtained from the Study of Safety, Effectiveness and Duration of Immunity after Vaccination against SARS-CoV-2 in Patients with Immune-Mediated Inflammatory Diseases (SAFER), a prospective, multicenter, phase IV, real-world study conducted across different regions of Brazil from June/2021 to March/2024. Patients aged >18 years with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) who received any one of the SARS-CoV-2 vaccines approved by the Brazilian health regulatory agency (CoronaVac [inactivated SARS-CoV-2 vaccine], ChAdOx-1 [AstraZeneca], or BNT162b2 [Pfizer-BioNTech]) were included.