A genome-wide cytotoxicity screen of cluster F1 mycobacteriophage Girr reveals novel inhibitors of Mycobacterium smegmatis growth.

Over the past decade, thousands of bacteriophage genomes have been sequenced and annotated. A striking observation from this work is that known structural features and functions cannot be assigned for >65% of the encoded proteins. One approach to begin experimentally elucidating the function of these uncharacterized gene products is genome-wide screening to identify phage genes that confer phenotypes of interest like inhibition of host growth.

Updates on Aβ Processing by Hsp90, BRICHOS, and Newly Reported Distinctive Chaperones.

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is an extremely devastating neurodegenerative disease, and there is no cure for it. AD is specified as the misfolding and aggregation of amyloid-β protein (Aβ) and abnormalities in hyperphosphorylated tau protein. Current approaches to treat Alzheimer's disease have had some success in slowing down the disease's progression.

Acryl-3,5-bis(2,4-difluorobenzylidene)-4-piperidone targeting cellular JUN proto-oncogene, AP-1 transcription factor subunit inhibits head and neck squamous cell carcinoma progression.

Aim: Head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) is the seventh most common cancer worldwide with a survival rate below fifty percent. Addressing meager therapeutic options, a series of small molecule inhibitors were screened for antitumor efficacy. The most potent analog, acryl-3,5-bis(2,4-difluorobenzylidene)-4-piperidone (DiFiD; A-DiFiD), demonstrated strong cellular JUN proto-oncogene, activator protein 1 (AP-1) transcription factor subunit (JUN, c-Jun) antagonism.

A Pediatric Upper Airway Library to Evaluate Interpatient Variability of In Silico Aerosol Deposition.

The airway of pediatric patients' changes through development, presenting a challenge in developing pediatric-specific aerosol therapeutics. Our work aims to quantify geometric variations and aerosol deposition patterns during upper airway development in subjects between 3.5 months-6.

Assigning the Australian clam shrimp Eoleptestheria (Branchiopoda: Spinicaudata: Leptestheriidae) to a new species status.

We assign the only Australian leptestherid clam shrimp, Eoleptestheria ticinensis (Balsamo-Crivelli, 1859) to a new species status, Leptestheria timmsi sp. nov., based on the latest molecular phylogeny of spinicaudatan clam shrimps from a previous study.

New leptestherid clam shrimps (Pancrustacea: Branchiopoda: Spinicaudata: Leptestheriidae) from peninsular India.

Spinicaudatan clam shrimps are an evolutionarily ancient lineage restricted to temporary freshwater pools. Use of classical morpho-taxonomic approaches alone have led to some issues in the taxonomy of this group, which are now being resolved through integrative taxonomy. Here, we describe two new leptestherid spiny clam shrimps Leptestheria chalukyae sp.

A Novel Class of Ribosome Modulating Agents Exploits Cancer Ribosome Heterogeneity to Selectively Target the CMS2 Subtype of Colorectal Cancer.

Unlabelled: Ribosomes in cancer cells accumulate numerous patient-specific structural and functional modifications that facilitate tumor progression by modifying protein translation. We have taken a unique synthetic chemistry approach to generate novel macrolides, Ribosome modulating agents (RMA), that are proposed to act distal to catalytic sites and exploit cancer ribosome heterogeneity. The RMA ZKN-157 shows two levels of selectivity: (i) selective translation inhibition of a subset of proteins enriched for components of the ribosome and protein translation machinery that are upregulated by MYC; and (ii) selective inhibition of proliferation of a subset of colorectal cancer cell lines.

Anticancer Activity of Novel Difluorinated Curcumin Analog and Its Inclusion Complex with 2-Hydroxypropyl-β-Cyclodextrin against Pancreatic Cancer.

Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is the primary reason for cancer-related deaths in the US. Genetic mutations, drug resistance, the involvement of multiple signaling pathways, cancer stem cells (CSCs), and desmoplastic stroma, which hinders drug penetrance, contribute to poor chemotherapeutic efficacy. Hence, there is a need to identify novel drugs with improved delivery to improve treatment outcomes.

Design, Synthesis, and Biological Evaluation of Novel Quercetin Derivatives as PPAR-γ Partial Agonists by Modulating Epithelial-Mesenchymal Transition in Lung Cancer Metastasis.

Epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) is responsible for driving metastasis of multiple cancer types including lung cancer. Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor (PPAR)-γ, a ligand-activated transcription factor, controls expression of variety of genes involved in EMT. Although several synthetic compounds act as potent full agonists for PPAR-γ, their long term application is restricted due to serious adverse effects.

Novel read through agent: ZKN-0013 demonstrates efficacy in APC model of familial adenomatous polyposis.

Familial adenomatous polyposis (FAP) is a precancerous, colorectal disease characterized by hundreds to thousands of adenomatous polyps caused by mutations in the tumor suppressor gene adenomatous polyposis coli (APC). Approximately 30% of these mutations are premature termination codons (PTC), resulting in the production of a truncated, dysfunctional APC protein. Consequently, the β-catenin degradation complex fails to form in the cytoplasm, leading to elevated nuclear levels of β-catenin and unregulated β-catenin/wnt-pathway signaling.

Doublecortin-like kinase 1 is a therapeutic target in squamous cell carcinoma.

Doublecortin like kinase 1 (DCLK1) plays a crucial role in several cancers including colon and pancreatic adenocarcinomas. However, its role in squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) remains unknown. To this end, we examined DCLK1 expression in head and neck SCC (HNSCC) and anal SCC (ASCC).

Spatial aerosol deposition correlated to anatomic feature development in 6-year-old upper airway computational models.

The upper airways of children undergo developmental changes around age 6, yielding differences between adult and pediatric anatomies. These differences include the cricoid ring area shape, the location of narrowest constriction, and the angle of the epiglottis, all of which are expected to alter local fluid dynamic profiles and subsequent upper airway deposition and downstream aerosol delivery of inhaled therapeutics. In this work, we quantify "pediatric"-like and "adult"-like geometric and fluid dynamic features of two computed tomography (CT)-scan derived models of 6-year-old upper airways in healthy subjects and compare to an idealized model.

Mutant p53 Depletion by Novel Inhibitors for HSP40/J-Domain Proteins Derived from the Natural Compound Plumbagin.

Accumulation of missense mutant p53 (mutp53) in cancers promotes malignant progression. DNAJA1, a member of HSP40 (also known as J-domain proteins: JDPs), is shown to prevent misfolded or conformational mutp53 from proteasomal degradation. Given frequent addiction of cancers to oncogenic mutp53, depleting mutp53 by DNAJA1 inhibition is a promising approach for cancer therapy.

Site-Specific Binding of Anti-Cancer Drugs to Human Serum Albumin.

The interaction of drugs with proteins plays a very important role in the distribution of the drug. Human serum albumin (HSA) is the most abundant protein in the human body, showing great binding characteristics, and has gained a lot of importance pharmaceutically. It plays an essential role in the pharmacokinetics of a number of drugs; hence, several reports are available on the interaction of drugs with HSA.

Genome Sequence of VanLee, a Singleton Actinobacteriophage That Infects Multiple Strains.

VanLee is a singleton phage that was isolated from soil in Florida using Gordonia rubripertincta NRRL B-16540 as the host. The genome is 84,560 bp and has a GC content of 67.8%.

Review of the (Branchiopoda: Spinicaudata: Limnadiidae) of Tropical Asia, with the Description of a New Species.

We describe a new species of from the Oriental region using museum specimens collected from India and fresh material from Thailand. This species has egg morphology resembling s. lat.

Targeting Major Signaling Pathways of Bladder Cancer with Phytochemicals: A Review.

Bladder cancer is the 9 most prevalent cancer worldwide and carries a protracted treatment course with significant patient expense, morbidity, and mortality. Over 95% of bladder cancers arise from the urothelium and invade into the underlying muscle layer before metastasizing. Trans-urethral resection and BCG therapy is the current first-line treatment for non-muscle invasive bladder cancer but carries a high rate of tumor recurrence and progression.

Prevalence of Repeat Cesarean Section in a Tertiary Care Hospital.

Introduction: Cesarean section is the surgical delivery of a baby through an incision made in the mother's abdomen and uterus. Repeat cesarean section has recently increased, partly because of concern about increased risk of uterine rupture in women attempting vaginal birth after cesarean delivery. Among the women who underwent cesarean section in their first delivery, 80-96% had a second surgical delivery.

Taxonomical account of the Indian spiny clam shrimps (Crustacea: Branchiopoda: Spinicaudata) from the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History, USA.

I present taxonomical re-descriptions of two Indian spinicaudatan species deposited at the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History, USA, emphasizing on a few characters not highlighted in the original descriptions. Specimens collected from South India and deposited in the museum forty years ago were assessed and re-described. The study shows that the Cyzicidae species deposited as Caenestheriella sp.

First record of Magnospina Sousa, Elmoor-Loureiro amp; Santos, 2016 (Cladocera: Chydoridae: Aloninae) from tropical India.

David Frey raised the hypothesis of non-cosmopolitanism in Cladocera in a series of his publications (Frey 1982, 1987). Since then, researchers have taken the effort to revise species groups with wide geographic distribution around the world (e.g.

Taxonomical account of the Indian Cyzicid Ozestheria annandalei (Daday, 1913) (Branchiopoda: Spinicaudata) from peninsular India.

The spinicaudatan family Cyzicidae represents a group of morphologically variable species whose taxonomy is still being updated (Schwentner et al. 2009, 2015, 2020; Rogers et al. 2017).

Taxonomical account of the Indian Cyzicid Ozestheria annandalei (Daday, 1913) (Branchiopoda: Spinicaudata) from peninsular India.

The spinicaudatan family Cyzicidae represents a group of morphologically variable species whose taxonomy is still being updated (Schwentner et al. 2009, 2015, 2020; Rogers et al. 2017).

Anticancer Active Heterocyclic Chalcones: Recent Developments.

Background: Chalcones are structurally simple compounds that are easily accessible by synthetic methods. Heterocyclic chalcones have gained the interest of scientists due to their diverse biological activities. The anti-tumor activities of heterocyclic chalcones are especially remarkable and the growing number of publications dealing with this topic warrants an up-to-date compilation.