Astrocyte neuronal metabolic coupling in the anterior cingulate cortex of mice with inflammatory pain.

Chronic pain is a major global concern, with at least 1 in 5 people suffering from chronic pain worldwide. Mounting evidence indicates that neuroplasticity of the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) is a critical step in the development of chronic pain. Previously, we found that chronic pain and fear learning are both associated with enhanced neuronal excitability and cause similar neuroplasticity-related gene expression changes in the ACC of male mice.

The WAVE regulatory complex interacts with Boc and is required for Shh-mediated axon guidance.

During development, Shh attracts axons of spinal cord commissural neurons to the floor plate. Shh-mediated attraction of commissural axons requires the receptor Boc. How Boc regulates cytoskeletal changes in growth cones in response to Shh is not fully understood.

Possible Missing Sources of Atmospheric Glyoxal Part II: Oxidation of Toluene Derived from the Primary Production of Marine Microorganisms.

Background: Glyoxal has been implicated as a significant contributor to the formation of secondary organic aerosols, which play a key role in our ability to estimate the impact of aerosols on climate. Elevated concentrations of glyoxal over open ocean waters suggest that there exists an additional source, different from urban and forest environments, which has yet to be identified.

Methods: Based on mass spectrometric analyses of nascent sea spray aerosols (SSAs) and gas-phase molecules generated during the course of a controlled algal bloom, the work herein suggests that marine microorganisms are capable of excreting toluene in response to environmental stimuli.

Loss of tissue-type plasminogen activator causes multiple developmental anomalies.

Hydrocephalus and Dandy-Walker malformation are amongst the most common congenital brain anomalies. We identified three consanguineous families with both obstructive hydrocephalus and Dandy-Walker malformation. To understand the molecular basis of these anomalies, we conducted genome-wide sequencing in these families.

Prenatal choline supplementation enhances metabolic outcomes with differential impact on DNA methylation in Wistar rat offspring and dams.

Choline is an essential nutrient required for proper functioning of organs and serves as a methyl donor. In liver where choline metabolism primarily occurs, glucose homeostasis is regulated through insulin receptor substrates (IRS) 1 and 2. The objective of this research was to determine the role of prenatal choline as a modulator of metabolic health and DNA methylation in liver of offspring and dams.

Nicotinamide and pyridoxine stimulate muscle stem cell expansion and enhance regenerative capacity during aging.

Skeletal muscle relies on resident muscle stem cells (MuSCs) for growth and repair. Aging and muscle diseases impair MuSC function, leading to stem cell exhaustion and regenerative decline that contribute to the progressive loss of skeletal muscle mass and strength. In the absence of clinically available nutritional solutions specifically targeting MuSCs, we used a human myogenic progenitor high-content imaging screen of natural molecules from food to identify nicotinamide (NAM) and pyridoxine (PN) as bioactive nutrients that stimulate MuSCs and have a history of safe human use.

Trehalose metabolism mediates trade-offs between reproduction and survival in beet webworm, Loxostege sticticalis, under heat stress.

Background: Temperature is an important determinant of developmental and reproductive rates in insects. Here, we investigated the physiological responses of adult beet webworm, Loxostege sticticalis L. (Lepidoptera: Crambidae), to three temperatures (16, 23 and 30 °C) focusing on trehalose metabolism.

Developmental Haploinsufficiency in Medial Ganglionic Eminence-Derived Interneurons Impairs Auditory Cortex Activity, Social Behavior, and Extinction of Fear Memory.

Mutations in SYNGAP1, a protein enriched at glutamatergic synapses, cause intellectual disability associated with epilepsy, autism spectrum disorder, and sensory dysfunctions. Several studies showed that Syngap1 regulates the time course of forebrain glutamatergic synapse maturation; however, the developmental role of Syngap1 in inhibitory GABAergic neurons is less clear. GABAergic neurons can be classified into different subtypes based on their morphology, connectivity, and physiological properties.

Sex-specific Concordance of Striatal Transcriptional Signatures of Opioid Addiction in Human and Rodent Brains.

Opioid use disorder (OUD) has emerged as a severe, ongoing public health emergency. Current, frontline addiction treatment strategies fail to produce lasting abstinence in most users. This underscores the lasting effects of chronic opioid exposure and emphasizes the need to understand the molecular mechanisms of drug seeking and taking, but also how those alterations persist through acute and protracted withdrawal.

Rating pome fruit quality traits using deep learning and image processing.

Quality assessment of pome fruits (i.e. apples and pears) is used not only for determining the optimal harvest time but also for the progression of fruit-quality attributes during storage.

A human DCC variant causing mirror movement disorder reveals that the WAVE regulatory complex mediates axon guidance by netrin-1-DCC.

The axon guidance cue netrin-1 signals through its receptor DCC (deleted in colorectal cancer) to attract commissural axons to the midline. Variants in DCC are frequently associated with congenital mirror movements (CMMs). A CMM-associated variant in the cytoplasmic tail of DCC is located in a conserved motif predicted to bind to a regulator of actin dynamics called the WAVE (Wiskott-Aldrich syndrome protein-family verprolin homologous protein) regulatory complex (WRC).

Conserved regulatory motifs in the juxtamembrane domain and kinase N-lobe revealed through deep mutational scanning of the MET receptor tyrosine kinase domain.

MET is a receptor tyrosine kinase (RTK) responsible for initiating signaling pathways involved in development and wound repair. MET activation relies on ligand binding to the extracellular receptor, which prompts dimerization, intracellular phosphorylation, and recruitment of associated signaling proteins. Mutations, which are predominantly observed clinically in the intracellular juxtamembrane and kinase domains, can disrupt typical MET regulatory mechanisms.

IRF2BPL-Related Disorder, Causing Neurodevelopmental Disorder with Regression, Abnormal Movements, Loss of Speech and Seizures (NEDAMSS) Is Characterized by Pathology Consistent with DRPLA.

Background: Childhood neurodegenerative diseases often pose a challenge to clinicians to diagnose because of the degree of genetic heterogeneity and variable presentations. Here, we present a child with progressive neurodegeneration consisting of spasticity, dystonia, and ataxia in which postmortem pathological analysis led to the diagnosis of interferon regulatory factor 2 binding protein like (IRF2BPL)-related disorder.

Methods: Detailed postmortem gross and histological examination was conducted, and findings consistent with dentatorubral-pallidoluysian atrophy (DRPLA) and included polyglutamine (polyQ) inclusions.

Yellow Sticky Cards Reduce the Numbers of (Hymenoptera: Trichogrammatidae) Following Augmentative Releases against the Fruit Borers (Lepidoptera: Carposinidae) and (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae) in a Pear Orchard.

Integrated pest management relies upon mutual compatibility among pest control tactics. The fruit-boring moths and can be devastating pests of pome and stone fruit production. parasitizes the eggs of these pests, preventing their eclosion, but its efficacy can be reduced by other pest control tactics.

Differential susceptibility of Spodoptera frugiperda (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) to single versus pyramided Bt traits in Brazilian soybean: what doesn't kill you makes you stronger?

Background: Lepidopteran pest control in agriculture has become heavily dependent on cultivars that express Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) toxins as 'plant-incorporated protectants'. However, populations of Spodoptera frugiperda (Smith) in Brazil appear resistant to the Bt traits currently available in commercial soybean cultivars.

Results: This study evaluated S.

The life history consequences of host switching in Ooencyrtus egeria (Hymenoptera: Encyrtidae), a parasitoid of stink bug eggs.

The stink bugs Acrosternum arabicum Wagner and Brachynema germari Kolenati (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae) damage developing pistachio nuts in Iran. Ooencyrtus egeria Huang and Noyes (Hymenoptera: Encyrtidae) parasitizes eggs of both species, alternating between them seasonally. We compared the biological and life history attributes of O.

Positive pressure in bamboo is generated in stems and rhizomes, not in roots.

Bamboos stand out among other tall plants in being able to generate positive pressure in the xylem at night, pushing water up to the leaves and causing drops to fall from leaf tips as guttation that can amount to a steady nocturnal 'bamboo rain'. The location and mechanism of nocturnal pressure generation in bamboos are unknown, as are the benefits for the plants. We conducted a study on the tall tropical bamboo species (giant timber bamboo) growing outdoors in southern California under full irrigation to determine where in the plant the nocturnal pressure is generated, when it rises in the evening, and when it dissipates in the morning.

Integrated Dual Lag Screws Have Higher Reoperation Rates for Fixation Failure Than Single Lag Component Cephalomedullary Nails: A Retrospective Study of 2,130 Patients with Intertrochanteric Femoral Fractures.

Background: Previous studies comparing reoperation risk between integrated dual lag screw (IDL) and single lag component (SL) cephalomedullary nails (CMNs) in the treatment of intertrochanteric femoral fractures have demonstrated mixed results. The purpose of this study was to assess the rates of reoperation for fixation failure and all-cause reoperation in a large, multi-institutional cohort of patients with an intertrochanteric fracture treated with an IDL or SL CMN. We hypothesized that there would be no difference between the groups with respect to either of the reoperation rates.

Short Tandem Repeats in the era of next-generation sequencing: from historical loci to population databases.

In this study, we explore the landscape of short tandem repeats (STRs) within the human genome through the lens of evolving technologies to detect genomic variations. STRs, which encompass approximately 3% of our genomic DNA, are crucial for understanding human genetic diversity, disease mechanisms, and evolutionary biology. The advent of high-throughput sequencing methods has revolutionized our ability to accurately map and analyze STRs, highlighting their significance in genetic disorders, forensic science, and population genetics.

Sublethal effects of a spiromesifen and abamectin combination on Tetranychus urticae (Acari: Tetranychidae) and its predators Phytoseiulus persimilis and Amblyseius swirskii (Acari: Phytoseiiidae).

The two-spotted spider mite, Tetranychus urticae Koch (TSSM), is an important cosmopolitan pest of agricultural crops that is often managed in greenhouses by augmentation of predatory mites in combination with acaricides. Here we examined the transgenerational effects of low lethal concentrations of a widely-used acaricide, Oberon Speed® (a combination of spiromesifen and abamectin), on the life history traits and population growth of T. urticae and two of its predators, Phytoseiulus persimilis Athias-Henriot and Amblyseius swirskii Athias-Henriot (Acari: Phytoseiidae).