Semirational Engineering of a Distal Loop Region to Enhance the Catalytic Activity and Stability of Leucine Dehydrogenase.

Enzymatic asymmetric synthesis of l-phenylglycine by amino acid dehydrogenases has potential for industrial applications; however, this is hindered by their low catalytic efficiency toward high-concentration substrates. We identified and characterized a novel leucine dehydrogenase (LeuDH) with a high catalytic efficiency for benzoylformic acid via directed metagenomic approaches. Further, we obtained a triple-point mutant LeuDH-EER (D332E/G333E/L334R) with improved stability and catalytic efficiency through the rational design of distal loop 13.

The complete mitochondrial genome of (Ihle, 1920).

In this study, the mitochondrial genome of (Ihle, 1920) was sequenced for the first time using next-generation sequencing technology, and its compositional characteristics, structure, and phylogenetic relationship with other strongylid nematodes were analyzed by biological software. The results showed that these sequences contained 12 protein-coding genes, 22 tRNA genes, 2 rRNA genes, and 2 non-coding regions, all exhibiting a significant AT bias. Phylogenetic studies showed that formed a distinct branch form other nematodes.

The Chinese version of Defensive Medicine Scale (DMS): reliability and validity test among physicians.

Background: Physicians are inclined to resort to defensive medicine (DM) for self-protection due to the increasing potential risk of medical litigation. DM is globally prevalent and has become an impediment to the development of healthcare. However, there is a lack of validated tools specifically designed to assess DM in China.

One-Pot Two-Stage Biocatalytic Cascade to Produce l-Phosphinothricin by Two Enantioselective Complementary Aminotransferases at High Substrate Loading via a Deracemization Process.

The bioderacemization of racemic phosphinothricin (D, L-PPT) is a promising route for the synthesis of l-phosphinothricin (L-PPT). However, the low activity and tolerance of wild-type enzymes restrict their industrial applications. Two stereocomplementary aminotransferases with high activity and substrate tolerance were identified in a metagenomic library, and a one-pot, two-stage artificial cascade biocatalytic system was developed to produce L-PPT through kinetic resolution and asymmetric amination.

Research Progress on Active Ingredients and Product Development of Murray.

Murray possesses significant applications in both food and medicine, including antioxidative, anti-tumor, anti-fatigue, anti-inflammatory, and various other effects. Consequently, there has been a surge in research endeavors dedicated to exploring its potential benefits, necessitating the organization and synthesis of these findings. This article systematically reviews the extraction and content determination methods of active substances such as polysaccharides, anthocyanins, flavonoids, and polyphenols in LRM in the past five years, as well as some active ingredient composition determination methods, biological activities, and product development.

Hibiscus manihot L. flower extract induces anticancer activity through modulation of apoptosis and autophagy in A549 cells.

Lung cancer is a major public health issue and heavy burden in China and worldwide due to its high incidence and mortality without effective treatment. It's imperative to develop new treatments to overcome drug resistance. Natural products from food source, given their wide-ranging and long-term benefits, have been increasingly used in tumor prevention and treatment.

ISR inhibition reverses pancreatic β-cell failure in Wolfram syndrome models.

Pancreatic β-cell failure by WFS1 deficiency is manifested in individuals with wolfram syndrome (WS). The lack of a suitable human model in WS has impeded progress in the development of new treatments. Here, human pluripotent stem cell derived pancreatic islets (SC-islets) harboring WFS1 deficiency and mouse model of β cell specific Wfs1 knockout were applied to model β-cell failure in WS.

The Nrf2 Pathway Alleviates Overloading Force-Induced TMJ Degeneration by Downregulating Oxidative Stress Reactions.

Objective: Oxidative stress is involved in the mechanisms associated with temporomandibular joint (TMJ) diseases. Nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 (Nrf2) is a crucial oxidative stress marker, but the specific mechanisms of its regulation in the early stages of mandibular condylar cartilage (MCC) degeneration remain unclear. This study aimed to explore the regulatory role of Nrf2 and its related oxidative stress signaling pathway in the early stage of MCC degeneration.

Charting a high-resolution roadmap for regeneration of pancreatic β cells by in vivo transdifferentiation from adult acinar cells.

Adult mammals have limited capacity to regenerate functional cells. Promisingly, in vivo transdifferentiation heralds the possibility of regeneration by lineage reprogramming from other fully differentiated cells. However, the process of regeneration by in vivo transdifferentiation in mammals is poorly understood.

Modeling disrupted synapse formation in wolfram syndrome using hESCs-derived neural cells and cerebral organoids identifies Riluzole as a therapeutic molecule.

Dysregulated neurite outgrowth and synapse formation underlie many psychiatric disorders, which are also manifested by wolfram syndrome (WS). Whether and how the causative gene WFS1 deficiency affects synapse formation remain elusive. By mirroring human brain development with cerebral organoids, WFS1-deficient cerebral organoids not only recapitulate the neuronal loss in WS patients, but also exhibit significantly impaired synapse formation and function associated with reduced astrocytes.

A modified method for constructing experimental rat periodontitis model.

Periodontitis is a prevalent disease caused teeth lost. The present rat models inducing periodontitis with thread ligature and metal steel ligature have some disadvantages. We modified the existing rat ligature periodontitis model by fixing the thread ligature on the metal steel ligature passed through the gap between the first and second molars of rats with detailed modeling steps and illustrations.

Regulating Spin-State Switching by Integrating Polyoxometalate Anion into Spin Crossover System.

Polyoxometalate (POM) anions were successfully integrated into Fe(II) spin crossover (SCO) system, which demonstrates an effective role in regulating spin-state switching properties. Specifically, three drastically different magnetic behaviors of Fe(II) ion in the identical cation [Fe(bpp)] were achieved by leveraging [MoO], [MoO], and [Na(MoO)], respectively.

ZnT8 loss-of-function accelerates functional maturation of hESC-derived β cells and resists metabolic stress in diabetes.

Human embryonic stem cell-derived β cells (SC-β cells) hold great promise for treatment of diabetes, yet how to achieve functional maturation and protect them against metabolic stresses such as glucotoxicity and lipotoxicity remains elusive. Our single-cell RNA-seq analysis reveals that ZnT8 loss of function (LOF) accelerates the functional maturation of SC-β cells. As a result, ZnT8 LOF improves glucose-stimulated insulin secretion (GSIS) by releasing the negative feedback of zinc inhibition on insulin secretion.

An Updated View on Temporomandibular Joint Degeneration: Insights from the Cell Subsets of Mandibular Condylar Cartilage.

The high prevalence of temporomandibular joint osteoarthritis (TMJOA), which causes joint dysfunction, indicates the need for more effective methods for treatment and repair. Mandibular condylar cartilage (MCC), a typical fibrocartilage that experiences degenerative changes during the development of TMJOA, has become a research focus and therapeutic target in recent years. MCC is composed of four zones of cells at various stages of differentiation.

Single-cell RNA Sequencing Reveals Sexually Dimorphic Transcriptome and Type 2 Diabetes Genes in Mouse Islet β Cells.

Type 2 diabetes (T2D) is characterized by the malfunction of pancreatic β cells. Susceptibility and pathogenesis of T2D can be affected by multiple factors, including sex differences. However, the mechanisms underlying sex differences in T2D susceptibility and pathogenesis remain unclear.

Serum lncRNAs in early pregnancy as potential biomarkers for the prediction of pregnancy-induced hypertension, including preeclampsia.

Long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) are key mediators of biological regulation with diagnostic value as disease biomarkers. We explored serum lncRNA levels in early pregnancy as potential biomarkers of pregnancy-induced hypertension (PIH), including gestational hypertension (GH) and preeclampsia (PE). We performed a two-phase nested case-control study in pregnant women before 20 weeks' gestation (before clinical diagnosis).

Mendelian randomization integrating GWAS and eQTL data revealed genes pleiotropically associated with major depressive disorder.

Previous genome-wide association studies (GWAS) have identified potential genetic variants associated with the risk of major depressive disorder (MDD), but the underlying biological interpretation remains largely unknown. We aimed to prioritize genes that were pleiotropically or potentially causally associated with MDD. We applied the summary data-based Mendelian randomization (SMR) method integrating GWAS and gene expression quantitative trait loci (eQTL) data in 13 brain regions to identify genes that were pleiotropically associated with MDD.

Mechanistic Investigation of a Self-Assembling Peptide against .

Because of their distinctive mode of action in targeting bacterial cell membranes, antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) are increasingly regarded as a potential candidate for the development of novel antibiotics to combat the wide spread of bacterial resistance. To date, understanding of the exact molecular process by which AMPs act on the real bacterial envelope remains challenging. Simultaneously, the aggregated state of AMPs upon interaction with bacterial envelopes is still elusive.

Dual Mode of Anti-Biofilm Action of G3 against .

Oral biofilms, formed by multiple microorganisms and their extracellular polymeric substances, seriously affect people's life. The emergence of the resistance of biofilms to conventional antibiotics and their side effects on the oral cavity have posed a great challenge in the treatment of dental diseases. Recently, antimicrobial peptides have been recognized as promising alternatives to conventional antibiotics due to their broad antibacterial spectrum, high antibacterial activity, and specific mechanism.

Efficacy and safety of different ticagrelor regimens versus clopidogrel in patients with coronary artery disease: a retrospective multicenter study (SUPERIOR).

Current guidelines favor dual anti-platelet therapy with ticagrelor 90 mg BID (T90BID) over clopidogrel 75 mg QD (C75QD) in addition to aspirin for acute coronary syndrome. However, an increased risk of ticagrelor-related adverse events prompted the evaluation of low-dose regimens. This study (NCT03381742) retrospectively analyzed the data from 11 hospitals on 3,043 patients with coronary artery disease, who received C75QD, T90BID, ticagrelor 45 mg BID (T45BID), or ticagrelor 90 mg QD (T90QD).

Stable gold graphitic nanocapsule doped hydrogels for efficient photothermal antibacterial applications.

Herein, we have fabricated gold nanorod graphitic nanocapsule (AuNR@G) doped poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA)/chitosan (CS) hydrogels, which possessed highly efficient and stable photothermal antibacterial properties for both Gram-negative E. coli and Gram-positive S. aureus under the irradiation of a near-infrared laser.

Simultaneous Application of Photothermal Therapy and an Anti-inflammatory Prodrug using Pyrene-Aspirin-Loaded Gold Nanorod Graphitic Nanocapsules.

Photothermal therapy (PTT) has been extensively developed as an effective approach against cancer. However, PTT can trigger inflammatory responses, in turn simulating tumor regeneration and hindering subsequent therapy. A therapeutic strategy was developed to deliver enhanced PTT and simultaneously inhibit PTT-induced inflammatory response.

Pollution distribution and health risk assessment of heavy metals in indoor dust in Anhui rural, China.

Zn, Pb, Cu, Cr, V, Ni, Co, and As concentrations of indoor dust in Anhui rural were determined by inductively coupled plasma-optical emission spectroscopy (ICP-OES). The degrees of metal pollution in indoor dust ranked as follows: Zn > Pb > Cr > Cu > V > Ni > Co > As, on average. The arithmetic means of Zn, Pb, Cu, Cr, V, Ni, Co, and As were 427.