A crucial active site network of titratable residues guides catalysis and NAD binding in human succinic semialdehyde dehydrogenase.

Human succinic semialdehyde dehydrogenase is a mitochondrial enzyme fundamental in the neurotransmitter γ-aminobutyric acid catabolism. It catalyzes the NAD-dependent oxidative degradation of its derivative, succinic semialdehyde, to succinic acid. Mutations in its gene lead to an inherited neurometabolic rare disease, succinic semialdehyde dehydrogenase deficiency, characterized by mental and developmental delay.

Plastic-Degrading Microbial Consortia from a Wastewater Treatment Plant.

Plastic waste pollution has become a global crisis, with millions of tons of plastic expected to accumulate in landfills and in natural environments, posing a serious threat to wildlife and human health. As current recycling methods remain inefficient, there is an urgent need for innovative enzymatic solutions to break down plastics and enable a circular economy approach. In this study, we explore the plastic-degrading potential of microorganisms enriched from activated sludge (AS) sourced from a municipal wastewater treatment plant (WWTP)-a known microplastic-contaminated industrial niche.

Valorization of organic waste through black soldier fly: On the way of a real circular bioeconomy process.

The transition from a linear to a circular production system involves transforming waste into valuable resources. Insect-mediated bioconversion, particularly using black soldier fly (BSF) larvae, can offer a promising opportunity to convert the organic fraction of municipal solid waste (OFMSW) into protein-rich biomass. However, current regulatory restrictions do not allow the use of this substrate to obtain insect proteins for animal feed, prompting the exploration of other applications, such as the production of bioplastics.

A mathematical model to simulate the dynamics of photosynthetic light reactions under harmonically oscillating light.

Alternating electric current and alternating electromagnetic fields revolutionized physics and engineering and led to many technologies that shape modern life. Despite these undisputable achievements that have been reached using stimulation by harmonic oscillations over centuries, applications in biology remain rare. Photosynthesis research is uniquely suited to unleash this potential because light can be modulated as a harmonic function, here sinus.

Diagnostic Utility of Deeper Level Tissue Sections of Negative Peritoneal Biopsies for Clinically Suspected Endometriosis.

Definitive diagnosis of endometriosis is established by histologic confirmation in tissue from surgically visualized lesions; however, the diagnostic sensitivity of this approach varies widely. We hypothesized that incomplete tissue block sampling may contribute to false-negative diagnosis, particularly if the focus of endometriosis in the tissue section is scant. This study defined the diagnostic value of deeper level tissue sections in cases in which none of the specimen parts contained endometriosis on the initial tissue sections, using the World Health Organization essential criteria for diagnosis of endometriosis (presence of endometrial glands and endometrial stroma).

Substrate engagement by the intramembrane metalloprotease SpoIVFB.

S2P intramembrane metalloproteases regulate diverse signaling pathways across all three domains of life. However, the mechanism by which S2P metalloproteases engage substrates and catalyze peptide hydrolysis within lipid membranes has remained elusive. Here we determine the cryo-EM structure of the S2P family intramembrane metalloprotease SpoIVFB from Bacillus subtilis bound to its native substrate Pro-σ.

Prediction of puncturing events through LSTM for multilayer tissue.

Recognizing penetration events in multilayer tissue is critical for many biomedical engineering applications, including surgical procedures and medical diagnostics. This paper presents a unique method for detecting penetration events in multilayer tissue using Long Short-Term Memory (LSTM) networks. LSTM networks, a form of recurrent neural network (RNN), excel at analyzing sequential data because of their ability to hold long-term dependencies.

Thermophilic Hemicellulases Secreted by Microbial Consortia Selected from an Anaerobic Digester.

The rise of agro-industrial activities over recent decades has exponentially increased lignocellulose biomasses (LCB) production. LCB serves as a cost-effective source for fermentable sugars and other renewable chemicals. This study explores the use of microbial consortia, particularly thermophilic consortia, for LCB deconstruction.

Otoacoustic Estimate of Astronauts' Intracranial Pressure Changes During Spaceflight.

Purpose: To investigate the potential correlation between prolonged exposure to microgravity on the International Space Station and increased intracranial fluid pressure, which is considered a risk factor for the astronauts' vision, and to explore the feasibility of using distortion product otoacoustic emissions as a non-invasive in-flight monitor for intracranial pressure changes.

Methods: Distortion product otoacoustic emission phase measurements were taken from both ears of five astronauts pre-flight, in-flight, and post-flight. These measurements served as indirect indicators of intracranial pressure changes, given their high sensitivity to middle ear transmission alterations.

Clinical Trial Protocol for ROSELLA: a phase 3 study of relacorilant in combination with nab-paclitaxel versus nab-paclitaxel monotherapy in advanced platinum-resistant ovarian cancer.

Background: Ovarian cancer has the highest mortality among gynecologic cancers, primarily because it typically is diagnosed at a late stage and because of the development of chemoresistance in recurrent disease. Improving outcomes in women with platinum-resistant ovarian cancer is a substantial unmet need. Activation of the glucocorticoid receptor (GR) by cortisol has been shown to suppress the apoptotic pathways used by cytotoxic agents, limiting their efficacy.

Morphological and morphometric study of the hominin dental casts from Grotta-Riparo di Uluzzo C (Apulia, southern Italy).

Objectives: Grotta-Riparo di Uluzzo C (Apulia, southern Italy) is a pivotal site for investigating the evolution of the Middle Paleolithic and the earliest phases of the Upper Paleolithic in southern Italy, as the extensive stratigraphic record of this site includes a thick Mousterian sequence followed by the Uluzzian. Here, we investigate the taxonomic affinity of seven unpublished deciduous human teeth retrieved from the site of Uluzzo C in 1960.

Materials And Methods: The teeth are represented by seven plaster dental casts, which are housed at the Museo Civico di Paleontologia e Paletnologia in Maglie (Lecce, Apulia).

On the quaternary structure of human D-3-phosphoglycerate dehydrogenase.

D-3-phosphoglycerate dehydrogenase (PHGDH) catalyzes the NAD-dependent conversion of D-3-phospho-glycerate to 3-phosphohydroxypyruvate, the first step in the phosphorylated pathway for L-serine (L-Ser) biosynthesis. L-Ser plays different relevant metabolic roles in eukaryotic cells: alterations in L-Ser metabolism have been linked to serious neurological disorders. The human PHGDH (hPHGDH), showing a homotetrameric state in solution, is made of four domains, among which there are two regulatory domains at the C-terminus: the aspartate kinase-chorismate mutase-tyrA prephenate dehydrogenase (ACT) and allosteric substrate-binding (ASB) domains.

Evolutionary history and activity towards oligosaccharides and polysaccharides of GH3 glycosidases from an Antarctic marine bacterium.

Glycoside hydrolases (GHs) are pivotal in the hydrolysis of the glycosidic bonds of sugars, which are the main carbon and energy sources. The genome of Marinomonas sp. ef1, an Antarctic bacterium, contains three GHs belonging to family 3.

The Lack of Synapsin Alters Presynaptic Plasticity at Hippocampal Mossy Fibers in Male Mice.

Synapsins are highly abundant presynaptic proteins that play a crucial role in neurotransmission and plasticity via the clustering of synaptic vesicles. The synapsin III isoform is usually downregulated after development, but in hippocampal mossy fiber boutons, it persists in adulthood. Mossy fiber boutons express presynaptic forms of short- and long-term plasticity, which are thought to underlie different forms of learning.

Endobronchial angioleiomyoma: Diagnostic difficulties of a rare lung neoplasm.

Angioleiomyoma is a benign soft-tissue tumor that rarely develops in the respiratory tract. Here, we report a case of a 51-year-old female with an angioleiomyoma developed in the left lobar bronchial branch and extended to the left principal bronchus, causing nonspecific symptoms, and not visible on the chest X-ray examination. The suspected diagnosis was established by high-resolution computed tomography and confirmed by the histological evaluation of the endoscopically removed lesion.

Biomimetic nanodrug targets inflammation and suppresses YAP/TAZ to ameliorate atherosclerosis.

Atherosclerosis, a chronic inflammatory disease, is the primary cause of myocardial infarction and ischemic stroke. Recent studies have demonstrated that dysregulation of yes-associated protein (YAP) and transcriptional coactivator with PDZ-binding domain (TAZ) contributes to plaque development, making YAP/TAZ potential therapeutic targets. However, systemic modulation of YAP/TAZ expression or activities risks serious off-target effects, limiting clinical applicability.

Structure and function of the hippocampal CA3 module.

The hippocampal formation is crucial for learning and memory, with submodule CA3 thought to be the substrate of pattern completion. However, the underlying synaptic and computational mechanisms of this network are not well understood. Here, we perform circuit reconstruction of a CA3 module using three dimensional (3D) electron microscopy data and combine this with functional connectivity recordings and computational simulations to determine possible CA3 network mechanisms.

Patient-Reported Outcome Measures Used in Randomized Controlled Trials Following Surgical Intervention for Endometriosis: A Structured Review from the AAGL Practice Guidelines Group.

Objective: No consensus currently exists regarding patient-reported outcome measure (PROM) instruments. This structured review was conducted to identify the PROMs used by randomized controlled trials (RCTs) that evaluated surgical treatment in patients with endometriosis.

Data Sources: Two parallel searches were conducted by a medical librarian using Ovid MEDLINE, Ovid Embase, and Cochrane Library for RCTs published from 2000 to July 2022.

Biochemical and cellular studies of three human 3-phosphoglycerate dehydrogenase variants responsible for pathological reduced L-serine levels.

In the brain, the non-essential amino acid L-serine is produced through the phosphorylated pathway (PP) starting from the glycolytic intermediate 3-phosphoglycerate: among the different roles played by this amino acid, it can be converted into D-serine and glycine, the two main co-agonists of NMDA receptors. In humans, the enzymes of the PP, namely phosphoglycerate dehydrogenase (hPHGDH, which catalyzes the first and rate-limiting step of this pathway), 3-phosphoserine aminotransferase, and 3-phosphoserine phosphatase are likely organized in the cytosol as a metabolic assembly (a "serinosome"). The hPHGDH deficiency is a pathological condition biochemically characterized by reduced levels of L-serine in plasma and cerebrospinal fluid and clinically identified by severe neurological impairment.

Microglia actively remove NR1 autoantibody-bound NMDA receptors and associated post-synaptic proteins in neuron microglia co-cultures.

Autoantibodies against the NR1 subunit of NMDA receptors (NMDARs) have been shown to promote crosslinking and internalization of bound receptors in NMDAR encephalitis (NMDARE). This internalization-mediated loss of NMDARs is thought to be the major mechanism leading to pathogenic outcomes in patients. However, the role of bound autoantibody in engaging the resident immune cells, microglia, remains poorly understood.