Guiding Competitive Binding Assays Using Protein-Protein Interaction Prediction: The HER2-Affitin Use Case.

Affitins are a class of small artificial proteins, designed as alternatives to antibodies for therapeutic, diagnostic, and biotechnological applications. Recent patents by Bracco Imaging S.p.

Hypothermia During Microsurgical Head and Neck Reconstruction and Incidence of Venous Thromboembolism.

Importance: Venous thromboembolism (VTE) is a severe complication after microsurgical free tissue transfer (FTT) to the head and neck. Hypothermia during surgery is a modifiable risk factor, and avoiding it may reduce the postoperative VTE rate.

Objective: To assess the association between hypothermia (temperature <36 °C) and postoperative VTE and free flap pedicle thrombosis rates after head and neck reconstruction with FTT.

One Size Does Not Fit All: Prediction of Nerve Length in Implant-based Nipple-Areola Complex Neurotization.

Background:  Breast reconstruction with sensory restoration is gaining recognition as an important goal. Successful reinnervation has been shown in autologous reconstruction but not widely studied in implant-based reconstruction (IBR). This article describes our technique for nipple-areola complex (NAC) neurotization to predict maximal nerve length.

Design and Test of Molecules that Interfere with the Recognition Mechanisms between the SARS-CoV-2 Spike Protein and Its Host Cell Receptors.

The disruptive impact of the COVID-19 pandemic has led the scientific community to undertake an unprecedented effort to characterize viral infection mechanisms. Among these, interactions between the viral glycosylated Spike and the human receptors ACE2 and TMPRSS2 are key to allowing virus invasion. Here, we report and test a fully rational methodology to design molecules that are capable of perturbing the interactions between these critical players in SARS-CoV-2 pathogenicity.

Computer-Aided Design and Manufacturing in Free Fibula Reconstruction of the Mandible: Comparison of Long-Term Outcomes with the Conventional Technique.

Background: Pre-operative computer-aided design and manufacturing (CAD/CAM) revolutionized head and neck reconstruction after extirpative surgery. However, studies performing head-to-head comparison to the conventional technique have limited long-term follow-up. We aimed to compare short and long-term outcomes between conventional and CAD/CAM approaches for mandibular reconstruction with free fibula flaps.

Cracking the chaperone code through the computational microscope.

The heat shock protein 90 kDa (Hsp90) chaperone machinery plays a crucial role in maintaining cellular homeostasis. Beyond its traditional role in protein folding, Hsp90 is integral to key pathways influencing cellular function in health and disease. Hsp90 operates through the modular assembly of large multiprotein complexes, with their composition, stability, and localization adapting to the cell's needs.

Structures, dynamics, complexes, and functions: From classic computation to artificial intelligence.

Computational approaches can provide highly detailed insight into the molecular recognition processes that underlie drug binding, the assembly of protein complexes, and the regulation of biological functional processes. Classical simulation methods can bridge a wide range of length- and time-scales typically involved in such processes. Lately, automated learning and artificial intelligence methods have shown the potential to expand the reach of physics-based approaches, ushering in the possibility to model and even design complex protein architectures.

Alternative Lymphatic Drainage Pathways in the Trunk Following Oncologic Therapy.

Background: Anatomic and functional descriptions of trunk and breast lymphedema following breast cancer treatment are emerging as indicators of lymphatic dysfunction. Indocyanine green-lymphangiography has been instrumental in characterizing this dysfunction in the extremity and can be applied to other regions. Previous work has established a validated Pittsburgh Trunk Lymphedema Staging System to characterize such affected areas.

Are We Speaking the Same "Language" Regarding Underrepresented Groups in Plastic Surgery and Increasing Diversity Within Our Field?

Background: Plastic Surgery is one of the fields that lags behind the rest when it comes to surgeons from backgrounds underrepresented in medicine (URiM). Extensive research has shown that diversity in health care not only fosters inclusivity but also saves lives. The study aim is to quantify how many integrated plastic surgery residency programs have outlined criteria defining diversity goals and/or groups of people they consider to be URiM.

N-Glycosylation as a Modulator of Protein Conformation and Assembly in Disease.

Glycosylation, a prevalent post-translational modification, plays a pivotal role in regulating intricate cellular processes by covalently attaching glycans to macromolecules. Dysregulated glycosylation is linked to a spectrum of diseases, encompassing cancer, neurodegenerative disorders, congenital disorders, infections, and inflammation. This review delves into the intricate interplay between glycosylation and protein conformation, with a specific focus on the profound impact of N-glycans on the selection of distinct protein conformations characterized by distinct interactomes-namely, protein assemblies-under normal and pathological conditions across various diseases.

Structural determinants of cold activity and glucose tolerance of a family 1 glycoside hydrolase (GH1) from Antarctic Marinomonas sp. ef1.

Cold-active enzymes support life at low temperatures due to their ability to maintain high activity in the cold and can be useful in several biotechnological applications. Although information on the mechanisms of enzyme cold adaptation is still too limited to devise general rules, it appears that very diverse structural and functional changes are exploited in different protein families and within the same family. In this context, we studied the cold adaptation mechanism and the functional properties of a member of the glycoside hydrolase family 1 (GH1) from the Antarctic bacterium Marinomonas sp.

Neighborhood Deprivation and Symptoms, Psychological Distress, and Quality of Life Among Head and Neck Cancer Survivors.

Importance: Socioeconomic deprivation is associated with increased risk of poor health and quality-of-life (QOL) outcomes in head and neck cancer (HNC) survivors. However, there are few data on how neighborhood deprivation affects patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs) in HNC survivors.

Objective: To investigate whether neighborhood socioeconomic deprivation is associated with symptom burden, psychological distress, and QOL among HNC survivors.

Frontiers and Challenges of Computing ncRNAs Biogenesis, Function and Modulation.

Non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs), generated from nonprotein coding DNA sequences, constitute 98-99% of the human genome. Non-coding RNAs encompass diverse functional classes, including microRNAs, small interfering RNAs, PIWI-interacting RNAs, small nuclear RNAs, small nucleolar RNAs, and long non-coding RNAs. With critical involvement in gene expression and regulation across various biological and physiopathological contexts, such as neuronal disorders, immune responses, cardiovascular diseases, and cancer, non-coding RNAs are emerging as disease biomarkers and therapeutic targets.

Upper Extremity Functional Outcomes After Breast Cancer Treatment: An Analysis of DASH Score in Breast Reconstruction Patients.

Background: Patients undergoing postoncologic breast reconstruction can experience upper extremity (UE) functional deficits.

Objectives: In this study, we utilized the disabilities of the arm, shoulder, and hand (DASH) questionnaire to identify patient factors that impacted UE functional recovery.

Methods: Patients who underwent oncologic followed by reconstructive surgery by a single surgeon from 2014 to 2019 and completed the DASH survey were included.

Perioperative Nutritional Management in Enhanced Recovery after Bariatric Surgery.

Obesity is a crucial health problem because it leads to several chronic diseases with an increased risk of mortality and it is very hard to reverse with conventional treatment including changes in lifestyle and pharmacotherapy. Bariatric surgery (BS), comprising a range of various surgical procedures that modify the digestive tract favouring weight loss, is considered the most effective medical intervention to counteract severe obesity, especially in the presence of metabolic comorbidities. The Enhanced Recovery After Bariatric Surgery (ERABS) protocols include a set of recommendations that can be applied before and after BS.

Evaluation of Perioperative Versus Extended Courses of Antibiotic Prophylaxis After Immediate Implant-Based Breast Reconstruction.

Background: Immediate implant-based breast reconstruction (IIBR) is the most commonly used method in breast reconstruction in the United States. However, postoperative surgical site infections (SSIs) can cause devastating reconstructive failure. This study evaluates the use of perioperative versus extended courses of antibiotic prophylaxis after IIBR for the prevention of SSI.

How aberrant N-glycosylation can alter protein functionality and ligand binding: An atomistic view.

Protein-assembly defects due to an enrichment of aberrant conformational protein variants are emerging as a new frontier in therapeutics design. Understanding the structural elements that rewire the conformational dynamics of proteins and pathologically perturb functionally oriented ensembles is important for inhibitor development. Chaperones are hub proteins for the assembly of multiprotein complexes and an enrichment of aberrant conformers can affect the cellular proteome, and in turn, phenotypes.

Conformational Behavior of SARS-Cov-2 Spike Protein Variants: Evolutionary Jumps in Sequence Reverberate in Structural Dynamic Differences.

SARS-CoV-2 has evolved rapidly in the first 3 years of pandemic diffusion. The initial evolution of the virus appeared to proceed through big jumps in sequence changes rather than through the stepwise accumulation of point mutations on already established variants. Here, we examine whether this nonlinear mutational process reverberates in variations of the conformational dynamics of the SARS-CoV-2 Spike protein (S-protein), the first point of contact between the virus and the human host.

Venous Thromboembolism Rates After Free Flap Reconstruction of the Head and Neck Region.

Background: Venous thromboembolism (VTE) is a major concern for the postoperative hospitalized patient, especially after long and complex procedures. Cancer itself also contributes to the hypercoagulable state, further complicating the management of patients. Despite prophylaxis, breakthrough events can occur.