Unraveling the molecular mechanism underlying the anticancer activity of CISD2/NAF-1 .

We recently reported on the development of a unique cancer-targeting peptide called NAF-1 (derived from CISD2/NAF-1). NAF-1 selectively permeates the plasma membrane (PM) of cancer cells, but not healthy cells, causing the activation of apoptotic and ferroptotic cell death pathways specifically in cancer cells. NAF-1 also targets and shrinks human breast and ovarian cancer tumors in a xenograft mice model system without any apparent side effects.

Functional resting state connectivity is differentially associated with IL-6 and TNF-α in depression and in healthy controls.

Inflammatory processes have been implicated in the pathophysiology of depression. In human studies, inflammation has been shown to act as a critical disease modifier, promoting susceptibility to depression and modulating specific endophenotypes of depression. However, there is scant documentation of how inflammatory processes are associated with neural activity in patients with depression.

The Emerging Role of Oyster Mushrooms as a Functional Food for Complementary Cancer Therapy.

The importance of functional food's role in human nutrition as well as in the prevention of diseases, especially the treatment of chronic diseases like cancer, is an innovative field of research. Based on the studies regarding the antioxidant potential of oyster mushroom extract, it is evident that it has anticancer properties. The current article reviews the health benefits of edible oyster-mushroom-derived bioactive compounds, and how they specifically activate or regulate the immune system by affecting the maturation, differentiation, and proliferation of immune cells, thereby inhibiting cancer cell metastasis and growth.

Ultrasound Assessment of Pleural Effusions After Orthotopic Pig-to-Baboon Cardiac Xenotransplantation.

Background: Pleural effusions develop frequently after cardiac surgery in humans. Lung ultrasound is an essential non-invasive tool in the diagnosis and treatment of these effusions. Pleural effusions also develop regularly after preclinical cardiac xenotransplantation experiments.

Combination of Anti-CD40 and Anti-CD40L Antibodies as Co-Stimulation Blockade in Preclinical Cardiac Xenotransplantation.

The blockade of the CD40/CD40L immune checkpoint is considered essential for cardiac xenotransplantation. However, it is still unclear which single antibody directed against CD40 or CD40L (CD154), or which combination of antibodies, is better at preventing organ rejection. For example, the high doses of antibody administered in previous experiments might not be feasible for the treatment of humans, while thrombotic side effects were described for first-generation anti-CD40L antibodies.

γ1 GABA Receptors in Spinal Nociceptive Circuits.

GABAergic neurons and GABA receptors (GABARs) are critical elements of almost all neuronal circuits. Most GABARs of the CNS are heteropentameric ion channels composed of two α, two β, and one γ subunits. These receptors serve as important drug targets for benzodiazepine (BDZ) site agonists, which potentiate the action of GABA at GABARs.

An Approach to Controlling Inflammation and Coagulation in Pig-to-Baboon Cardiac Xenotransplantation.

Introduction: Inflammatory responses and coagulation disorders are a relevant challenge for successful cardiac xenotransplantation on its way to the clinic. To cope with this, an effective and clinically practicable anti-inflammatory and anti-coagulatory regimen is needed. The inflammatory and coagulatory response can be reduced by genetic engineering of the organ-source pigs.

Resolving multi-image spatial lipidomic responses to inhaled toxicants by machine learning.

Regional responses to inhaled toxicants are essential to understand the pathogenesis of lung disease under exposure to air pollution. We evaluated the effect of combined allergen sensitization and ozone exposure on eliciting spatial differences in lipid distribution in the mouse lung that may contribute to ozone-induced exacerbations in asthma. Lung lobes from male and female BALB/c mice were cryosectioned and acquired by high resolution mass spectrometry imaging (MSI).

The Endothelial Glycocalyx in Pig-to-Baboon Cardiac Xenotransplantation-First Insights.

Cardiac xenotransplantation has seen remarkable success in recent years and is emerging as the most promising alternative to human cardiac allotransplantation. Despite these achievements, acute vascular rejection still presents a challenge for long-term xenograft acceptance and new insights into innate and adaptive immune responses as well as detailed characterizations of signaling pathways are necessary. In allotransplantation, endothelial cells and their sugar-rich surface-the endothelial glycocalyx-are known to influence organ rejection.

Hemodynamics in pig-to-baboon heterotopic thoracic cardiac xenotransplantation: Recovery from perioperative cardiac xenograft dysfunction and impairment by cardiac overgrowth.

Introduction: Orthotopic cardiac xenotransplantation has seen notable improvement, leading to the first compassionate use in 2022. However, it remains challenging to define the clinical application of cardiac xenotransplantation, including the back-up strategy in case of xenograft failure. In this regard, the heterotopic thoracic technique could be an alternative to the orthotopic procedure.

Transthoracic echocardiography is a simple tool for size matching in cardiac xenotransplantation.

Background: Preoperative size matching is essential for both allogeneic and xenogeneic heart transplantation. In preclinical pig-to-baboon xenotransplantation experiments, porcine donor organs are usually matched to recipients by using indirect parameters, such as age and total body weight. For clinical use of xenotransplantation, a more precise method of size measurement would be desirable to guarantee a "perfect match.

Enteropathogenic Escherichia coli modulates the virulence and pathogenicity of Entamoeba dispar.

Amoebiasis is a disease caused by Entamoeba histolytica, affecting the large intestine of humans and occasionally leading to extra-intestinal lesions. Entamoeba dispar is another amoeba species considered commensal, although it has been identified in patients presenting with dysenteric and nondysenteric colitis, as well as amoebic liver abscess. Amoebic virulence factors are essential for the invasion and development of lesions.

Effects of Sex and Western Diet on Spatial Lipidomic Profiles for the Hippocampus, Cortex, and Corpus Callosum in Mice Using MALDI MSI.

Diet is inextricably linked to human health and biological functionality. Reduced cognitive function among other health issues has been correlated with a western diet (WD) in mouse models, indicating that increases in neurodegeneration could be fueled in part by a poor diet. In this study, we use matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization mass spectrometry imaging (MALDI MSI) to spatially map the lipidomic profiles of male and female mice that were fed a high-fat, high-sucrose WD for a period of 7 weeks.

Validation of a Combined In Vivo/In Vitro Ileal Fermentation Assay in the Growing Pig to be Used as a Model for Adult Humans.

Background: An in vivo/in vitro ileal fermentation assay using growing pigs has been developed but not yet formally validated.

Objectives: This study aimed to validate the in vivo/in vitro ileal fermentation assay by comparing in vitro fermentation values with those obtained in vivo in growing pigs. The effect of raising pigs under different environmental conditions was also investigated.

Optimized combination of MALDI MSI and immunofluorescence for neuroimaging of lipids within cellular microenvironments.

Proper neurological function relies on the cellular and molecular microenvironment of the brain, with perturbations of this environment leading to neurological disorders. However, studying the microenvironments of neurological tissue has proven difficult because of its inherent complexity. Both the cell type and metabolomic underpinnings of the cell have crucial functional roles, thus making multimodal characterization methods key to acquiring a holistic view of the brain's microenvironment.

Harmonizing the Generation and Pre-publication Stewardship of FAIR bioimage data.

Together with the molecular knowledge of genes and proteins, biological images promise to significantly enhance the scientific understanding of complex cellular systems and to advance predictive and personalized therapeutic products for human health. For this potential to be realized, quality-assured bioimage data must be shared among labs at a global scale to be compared, pooled, and reanalyzed, thus unleashing untold potential beyond the original purpose for which the data was generated. There are two broad sets of requirements to enable bioimage data sharing in the life sciences.

Creating a Medication Therapy Observational Research Database from an Electronic Medical Record: Challenges and Data Curation.

Background: Observational research has shown its potential to complement experimental research and clinical trials by secondary use of treatment data from hospital care processes. It can also be applied to better understand pediatric drug utilization for establishing safer drug therapy. Clinical documentation processes often limit data quality in pediatric medical records requiring data curation steps, which are mostly underestimated.

Contribution of Food to the Human Health Burden of Antimicrobial Resistance.

The impact of foodborne antimicrobial resistance (AMR) on the human health burden of AMR infections is unknown. The aim of this review was to evaluate and summarize the scientific literature investigating all potential sources of human AMR infections related to food. A literature search was conducted in Embase (Ovid) and MEDLINE (Ovid) databases to identify appropriate studies published between 2010 and 2023.

The 10-Item Short Form of the German Experiences in Close Relationships Scale (ECR-G-10)-Model Fit, Reliability, and Validity.

The aim of the present work was the development and validation of a short form of the Experiences in Close Relationship Scale (ECR) in German. Three studies were conducted. In study 1, the best items for the short form were selected from the item pool of the original version based on ant colony optimization (ACO), a recently developed probabilistic approach.

DOT1L interaction partner AF10 controls patterning of H3K79 methylation and RNA polymerase II to maintain cell identity.

Histone 3 lysine 79 methylation (H3K79me) is enriched on gene bodies proportional to gene expression levels and serves as a strong barrier for the reprogramming of somatic cells to induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs). DOT1L is the sole histone methyltransferase that deposits all three orders-mono (me1), di (me2), and tri (me3) methylation-at H3K79. Here, we leverage genetic and chemical approaches to parse the specific functions of orders of H3K79me in maintaining cell identity.

Sample Preparation Method for MALDI Mass Spectrometry Imaging of Fresh-Frozen Spines.

Technologies assessing the lipidomics, genomics, epigenomics, transcriptomics, and proteomics of tissue samples at single-cell resolution have deepened our understanding of physiology and pathophysiology at an unprecedented level of detail. However, the study of single-cell spatial metabolomics in undecalcified bones faces several significant challenges, such as the fragility of bone, which often requires decalcification or fixation leading to the degradation or removal of lipids and other molecules. As such, we describe a method for performing mass spectrometry imaging on undecalcified spine that is compatible with other spatial omics measurements.