Phase Characterization and Bioactivity Evaluation of Nucleic Acid-Encapsulated Biomimetically Mineralized ZIF-8.

Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) provide diverse applications across a wide range of scientific disciplines, including drug/nucleic acid (NA) delivery. In the subclass of MOFs, zeolitic imidazolate framework-8 (ZIF-8) is well regarded due to its exceptional physicochemical properties. Biomolecules can be encapsulated and released under precise conditions within ZIF, making it an important material for materials science and biomedical applications.

Dynamic interplay of autophagy and membrane repair during Mycobacterium tuberculosis Infection.

Autophagy plays a crucial role in the host response to Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) infection, yet the dynamics and regulation of autophagy induction on Mtb-containing vacuoles (MCVs) remain only partially understood. We employed time-lapse confocal microscopy to investigate the recruitment of LC3B (LC3), a key autophagy marker, to MCVs at the single cell level with our newly developed workflow for single cell and single MCV tracking and fluorescence quantification. We show that approximately 70% of MCVs exhibited LC3 recruitment but that was lost in about 40% of those MCVs.

Advancing CRISPR-Based Solutions for COVID-19 Diagnosis and Therapeutics.

Since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, a variety of diagnostic approaches, including RT-qPCR, RAPID, and LFA, have been adopted, with RT-qPCR emerging as the gold standard. However, a significant challenge in COVID-19 diagnostics is the wide range of symptoms presented by patients, necessitating early and accurate diagnosis for effective management. Although RT-qPCR is a precise molecular technique, it is not immune to false-negative results.

Reduced T and NK Cell Activity in Glioblastoma Patients Correlates with TIM-3 and BAT3 Dysregulation.

Inhibitory receptors are critical for regulating immune cell function. In cancer, these receptors are often over-expressed on the cell surface of T and NK cells, leading to reduced anti-tumor activity. Here, through the analysis of 11 commonly studied checkpoint and inhibitory receptors, we discern that only (TIM3) and (CD39) display significantly greater gene expression in glioblastoma compared to normal brain and lower grade glioma.

Impact of Ligand Concentration on the Properties of Nucleic-Acid-Encapsulated MOFs and Inflammation Modulation in Prostate Cancer Cells.

The zeolitic imidazolate framework (ZIF) is one of the most explored metal-organic-framework-based systems for nucleic acid delivery to cancer cells. Current nucleic acid delivery tools exhibit several drawbacks, such as high manufacturing costs, endosomal entrapment, toxicity, and immunogenicity. However, the biomimetic mineralization of Zn-based ZIFs offers a low-cost and facile encapsulation of nucleic acids at room temperature in aqueous conditions.

evaluations of phytochemicals from exhibiting anticancer activity against NAD[P]H-quinone oxidoreductase.

Background: Cancer is a leading cause of death globally and in the US, prompting research into medicinal plants with anticancer properties. , or Ashwagandha, is one such plants, known for its diverse pharmacological effects. Withaferin A and Viscosalactone B are two compounds found in Ashwagandha with known anticancer activity.

Unraveling the complex interplay between abnormal hemorheology and shape asymmetry in flow through stenotic arteries.

Background And Objective: Stenosis or narrowing of arteries due to the buildup of plaque is a common occurrence in atherosclerosis and coronary artery disease (CAD), limiting blood flow to the heart and posing substantial cardiovascular risk. While the role of geometric irregularities in arterial stenosis is well-documented, the complex interplay between the abnormal hemorheology and asymmetric shape in flow characteristics remains unexplored.

Methods: This study investigates the influence of varying hematocrit (Hct) levels, often caused by conditions such as diabetes and anemia, on flow patterns in an idealized eccentric stenotic artery using computational fluid dynamics simulations.

Evolving intellectual property landscape for AI-driven innovations in the biomedical sector: opportunities in stable IP regime for shared success.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) has revolutionized the biomedical sector in advanced diagnosis, treatment, and personalized medicine. While these AI-driven innovations promise vast benefits for patients and service providers, they also raise complex intellectual property (IP) challenges due to the inherent nature of AI technology. In this review, we discussed the multifaceted impact of AI on IP within the biomedical sector, exploring implications in areas like drug research and discovery, personalized medicine, and medical diagnostics.

da_Tracker: Automated workflow for high throughput single cell and single phagosome tracking in infected cells.

Time-lapse microscopy has emerged as a crucial tool in cell biology, facilitating a deeper understanding of dynamic cellular processes. While existing tracking tools have proven effective in detecting and monitoring objects over time, the quantification of signals within these tracked objects often faces implementation constraints. In the context of infectious diseases, the quantification of signals at localized compartments within the cell and around intracellular pathogens can provide even deeper insight into the interactions between the pathogen and host cell organelles.

Unravelling heparin's enhancement of amyloid aggregation in a model peptide system.

A coarse-grained (CG) model for heparin, an anionic polysaccharide, was developed to investigate the mechanisms of heparin's enhancement of fibrillation in many amyloidogenic peptides. CG molecular dynamics simulations revealed that heparin, by forming contacts with the model amyloidogenic peptide, amyloid-β's KLVFFAE fragment (Aβ), promoted long-lived and highly beta-sheet-like domains in the peptide oligomers. Concomitantly, heparin-Aβ contacts suppressed the entropy of mixing of the oligomers' beta-domains.

Conservation, alteration, and redistribution of mammalian striatal interneurons.

Mammalian brains vary in size, structure, and function, but the extent to which evolutionarily novel cell types contribute to this variation remains unresolved. Recent studies suggest there is a primate-specific population of striatal inhibitory interneurons, the TAC3 interneurons. However, there has not yet been a detailed analysis of the spatial and phylogenetic distribution of this population.

The Mechanosensitive Pkd2 Channel Modulates the Recruitment of Myosin II and Actin to the Cytokinetic Contractile Ring.

Cytokinesis, the last step in cell division, separates daughter cells through mechanical force. This is often through the force produced by an actomyosin contractile ring. In fission yeast cells, the ring helps recruit a mechanosensitive ion channel, Pkd2, to the cleavage furrow, whose activation by membrane tension promotes calcium influx and daughter cell separation.

Reactions Driven by Primitive Nonbiological Polyesters.

ConspectusAll life on Earth is composed of cells, which are built from and run by biological reactions and structures. These reactions and structures are generally the result of action by cellular biomolecules, which are indispensable for the function and survival of all living organisms. Specifically, biological catalysis, namely by protein enzymes, but also by other biomolecules including nucleic acids, is an essential component of life.

Detection and disclosure of workplace mental health challenges: an exploratory study from India.

Workplace mental health challenges have emerged as a significant concern post-pandemic. Despite this, the pervasive stigma surrounding mental illness leads to the concealment of symptoms and reluctance to seek professional help among employees. This study aims to explore the perception of different stakeholders towards the 'Detection and disclosure' of workplace mental health challenges in the Indian context.

A commentary on the development and use of smartphone imaging devices.

Current-age smartphones are known for their wide array of functionality and are now being utilized in the field of healthcare and medicine due to their proven capabilities as smartphone imaging devices (SIDs). Recent technical advancements enabled the integration of special add-on lenses with smartphones to transform them into SIDs. With the rising demand for efficient point-of-care (PoC) devices for better diagnostic applications, SIDs will be a one-stop solution.

Race/Ethnicity Analysis of Vascular Alterations in Optical Coherence Tomography Angiography in Diabetic Patients.

Purpose: Racial and ethnic minorities have a higher prevalence of diabetic retinopathy (DR) and present at advanced stages of disease. In an urban hospital population, we investigated microvascular differences in optical coherence tomography angiography (OCTA) between racial/ethnic groups while adjusting for socioeconomic status (SES).

Methods: 3 × 3 mm macular OCTA scans were obtained for analysis of foveal avascular zone (FAZ) area, FAZ perimeter as well as superficial (SCP) and deep capillary plexus (DCP) vessel density (VD), vessel length density (VLD), and adjusted flow index (AFI).

da_Tracker: Automated workflow for high throughput single cell and single phagosome tracking in infected cells.

Time-lapse microscopy has emerged as a crucial tool in cell biology, facilitating a deeper understanding of dynamic cellular processes. While existing tracking tools have proven effective in detecting and monitoring objects over time, the quantification of signals within these tracked objects often faces implementation constraints. In the context of infectious diseases, the quantification of signals at localized compartments within the cell and around intracellular pathogens can provide even deeper insight into the interactions between the pathogen and host cell organelles.

Intersectional Male-Centric and White-Centric Biases in Collective Concepts.

In principle, the fundamental concepts person, woman, and man should apply equally to people of different genders and races/ethnicities. In reality, these concepts might prioritize certain groups over others. Based on interdisciplinary theories of , we hypothesized that (a) person is more associated with men than women (person = man) and (b) woman is more associated with women than man is with men (i.

Artificial intelligence in parasitic disease control: A paradigm shift in health care.

Parasitic diseases, including malaria, leishmaniasis, and trypanosomiasis, continue to plague populations worldwide, particularly in resource-limited settings and disproportionately affecting vulnerable populations. It has limited the use of conventional health-care delivery and disease control approaches and necessitated exploring innovative strategies. In this direction, artificial intelligence (AI) has emerged as a transformative tool with immense promise in parasitic disease control, offering the potential for enhanced diagnostics, precision drug discovery, predictive modeling, and personalized treatment.

The role of pregnancy associated plasma protein-A in triple negative breast cancer: a promising target for achieving clinical benefits.

Pregnancy associated plasma protein-A (PAPP-A) plays an integral role in breast cancer (BC), especially triple negative breast cancer (TNBC). This subtype accounts for the most aggressive BC, possesses high tumor heterogeneity, is least responsive to standard treatments and has the poorest clinical outcomes. There is a critical need to address the lack of effective targeted therapeutic options available.