Bone Marrow Stromal Cells Generate a Pro-Healing Inflammasome When Cultured on Titanium-Aluminum-Vanadium Surfaces with Microscale/Nanoscale Structural Features.

The surface topography and chemistry of titanium-aluminum-vanadium (Ti6Al4V) implants play critical roles in the osteoblast differentiation of human bone marrow stromal cells (MSCs) and the creation of an osteogenic microenvironment. To assess the effects of a microscale/nanoscale (MN) topography, this study compared the effects of MN-modified, anodized, and smooth Ti6Al4V surfaces on MSC response, and for the first time, directly contrasted MN-induced osteoblast differentiation with culture on tissue culture polystyrene (TCPS) in osteogenic medium (OM). Surface characterization revealed distinct differences in microroughness, composition, and topography among the Ti6Al4V substrates.

A Potent Bis-Heteroleptic Ruthenium(II) Complex-Based Chalcogen Bonding Receptor for Selective Sensing of Phosphates.

The incorporation of a selenoimidazolium-based chalcogen bond (ChB) donor into a bis-heteroleptic Ru(II) complex (Ru-Se) has been designed for the first time to explore its anion-sensing properties and understand its selectivity to specific classes of anions. Photophysical studies demonstrate the receptor's selectivity toward phosphates, while H NMR displays its ability to recognize both I and HPO among the different halides and oxoanions through ChB interaction in CHCN and dimethyl sulfoxide- solvents, respectively. Additionally, microscopic studies such as DLS and TEM reveal that the selective turn-on sensing of HPO and HPO compared to I is driven by supramolecular aggregation behavior.

Human microRNA miR-197-3p positively regulates HIV-1 virion infectivity through its target DDX52 by stabilizing Vif protein expression.

MicroRNAs are a part of the integral regulatory mechanisms found in eukaryotic cells that help in maintaining cellular homeostasis by modulating the expression of target genes. However, during stress conditions like viral infection, the expression profile of the microRNAs change, thereby directly modulating the expression of viral genes and/or indirectly targeting the virus by regulating the host genes. The present study intends to identify previously uncharacterized cellular microRNAs, which are significantly modulated upon HIV-1 infection.

Effects of HMG CoA reductase (HMGCR) deficiency on skeletal muscle development.

Pathogenic variants in HMGCR were recently linked to a limb-girdle muscular dystrophy (LGMD) phenotype. The protein product HMG CoA reductase (HMGCR) catalyzes a key component of the cholesterol synthesis pathway. The two other muscle diseases associated with HMGCR, statin-associated myopathy (SAM) and autoimmune anti-HMGCR myopathy, are not inherited in a Mendelian pattern.

Peptide-Bismuth Tricycles: Maximizing Stability by Constraint.

Constrained peptides possess excellent properties for identifying lead compounds in drug discovery. While it has become increasingly straightforward to discover selective high-affinity peptide ligands, especially through genetically encoded libraries, their stability and bioavailability remain significant challenges. By integrating macrocyclization chemistry with bismuth binding, we generated series of linear, cyclic, bicyclic, and tricyclic peptides with identical sequences.