Heavy metal pollution and evaluation of health risk of amaranth around Don Bosco wastewater treatment plant, Iringa, Tanzania.

One of the world's most significant sources of environmental pollution is heavy metals contamination of soil, water, and agricultural products. Liver cancer, kidney damage, anaemia, coma, hypertension and sporadic fever are among the illnesses that might result from consuming plants contaminated with heavy metals. This study assesses heavy metals (Cu, Mn, Cd, Cr, Ni and Pb) contamination and associated human health risks in amaranth () grown near Don Bosco wastewater treatment plant in Iringa municipal, Tanzania.

Overlooked Ionic Contribution of a Chiral Dopant in Cholesteric Liquid Crystals.

This study focuses on the ionic contribution by a chiral dopant added into a nematic host for preparing cholesteric liquid crystals (CLCs). Chiral structures were designated by individually incorporating two enantiomers, R5011 and S5011, into the nematic E44 to construct right- and left-handed CLCs, respectively. Characterized by the space-charge polarization, the dielectric spectra of the CLCs were investigated in the low-frequency regime, where   ≤  1 kHz.

Genome-wide analysis of the biophysical properties of chromatin and nuclear proteins in living cells with Hi-D.

To understand the dynamic nature of the genome, the localization and rearrangement of DNA and DNA-binding proteins must be analyzed across the entire nucleus of single living cells. Recently, we developed a computational light microscopy technique, called high-resolution diffusion (Hi-D) mapping, which can accurately detect, classify and map diffusion dynamics and biophysical parameters such as the diffusion constant, the anomalous exponent, drift velocity and model physical diffusion from the data at a high spatial resolution across the genome in living cells. Hi-D combines dense optical flow to detect and track local chromatin and nuclear protein motion genome-wide and Bayesian inference to characterize this local movement at nanoscale resolution.

Diffusion and Chemical Degradation of Vitamin B6 in Chickpeas ( L.) during Hydrothermal Treatments: A Kinetic Approach.

Chickpeas are more sustainable than other food systems and have high a nutritional value, especially regarding their vitamin composition. One of the main vitamins in chickpeas is vitamin B6, which is very important for several human metabolic functions. Since chickpeas are consumed after cooking, our goal was to better understand the role of leaching (diffusion) and thermal degradation of vitamin B6 in chickpeas during hydrothermal processing.

First FASEB conference in Africa-The 2023 FASEB conference on Imaging Cellular and Chromosome Dynamics held on August 27-30, 2023 in Accra, Ghana.

Access to scientific meetings and conferences is limited in low- and middle-income countries (LMIC). Efforts are being implemented to rectify this issue through short workshops, seminars, and conferences. Sena Institute of Technology (SIT), a nonprofit research institute based in Ghana, is one such organization championing this initiative.

Individual transcription factors modulate both the micromovement of chromatin and its long-range structure.

The control of eukaryotic gene expression is intimately connected to highly dynamic chromatin structures. Gene regulation relies on activator and repressor transcription factors (TFs) that induce local chromatin opening and closing. However, it is unclear how nucleus-wide chromatin organization responds dynamically to the activity of specific TFs.

Daith piercing: Revisited from the perspective of auricular acupuncture systems. A narrative review.

Background: Daith piercing is a special ear-piercing method that punctures the crus of the helix. The penetrated site at the ear's innermost point is assumed to stimulate a pressure point associated with the vagus nerve. It has been reported that the pierced spot relieves migraine and tension-type headaches by activating vagal afferents, leading to the inhibition of neurons in the caudal trigeminal nucleus via the nucleus tractus solitarii.

Gene selection and tumor identification based on a hybrid of the multi-filter embedded recursive mountain gazelle algorithm.

Microarray gene expression data are useful for identifying gene expression patterns associated with cancer outcomes; however, their high dimensionality make it difficult to extract meaningful information and accurately classify tumors. Hence, developing effective methods for reducing dimensionality while preserving relevant information is a crucial task. Hybrid-based gene selection methods are widely proposed in the gene expression analysis domain and can still be enhanced in terms of efficiency and reliability.

Clinical significance of vit D and AMH and its correlation with polycystic ovarian parameters in obese and non-obese Egyptian women.

Women of reproductive age are frequently affected by the heterogeneous endocrine-metabolic conditions recognized as polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS). Moreover, FSH (Follicle-stimulating hormone), steroidogenesis, and LH (Luteinizing Hormone) are suppressed by the anti-Mullerian hormone, a good indicator of ovarian reserve, that is generated from granulosa cells. In the past ten years, vitamin D (VD) has attracted and maintained great interest in human health and biomedical research, particularly those about female reproductive-metabolic problems.

Dynamic 3D genome reorganization during senescence: defining cell states through chromatin.

Cellular senescence, a cell state characterized by growth arrest and insensitivity to growth stimulatory hormones, is accompanied by a massive change in chromatin organization. Senescence can be induced by a range of physiological signals and pathological stresses and was originally thought to be an irreversible state, implicated in normal development, wound healing, tumor suppression and aging. Recently cellular senescence was shown to be reversible in some cases, with exit being triggered by the modulation of the cell's transcriptional program by the four Yamanaka factors, the suppression of p53 or H3K9me3, PDK1, and/or depletion of AP-1.

Geriatric Medicine Principles in Conservative Kidney Management: Frailty, Functional Assessments, and Selective Deprescribing.

Conservative kidney management is a nondialytic treatment option for advanced chronic kidney disease that involves interventions to delay kidney function loss, medications to treat symptoms, and psychosocial support for patients and their loved ones. Several geriatric medicine principles are applicable to patients who are considering or receiving conservative kidney management, including the integration of physical, psychological, and social factors into medical care and medical decisions; careful review of medication lists with selective deprescribing; and screening for geriatric syndromes such as frailty and functional impairment. In this review, we discuss how functional and frailty assessments as well as selective deprescribing can be useful for patients considering or receiving conservative kidney management.

Label-free optical and electrical immunoassays based on lyotropic chromonic liquid crystals: Implications of real-time detection and kinetic analysis.

Conventional liquid crystal (LC)-based biosensors utilize predominantly thermotropic LCs as the signal-transducing media, which are less environmentally sustainable compared with lyotropic counterparts. In this study, the nematic phase of the anionic azo dye sunset yellow (SSY), a type of lyotropic chromonic liquid crystals (LCLCs), was employed in the optical and electrical biosensing of bovine serum albumin (BSA) and the cancer biomarker CA125. The optical response observed under a polarizing optical microscope was quantified by image analysis, taking advantage of the specific absorption of SSY.

Nucleus-wide analysis of coherent RNA pol II movement in the context of chromatin dynamics in living cancer cells.

Activation of transcription results in coordinated movement of chromatin over a range of micrometers. To investigate how transcriptional regulation affects the mobility of RNA Pol II molecules and whether this movement response depends on the coordinated movement of chromatin, we used our Dense Flow reConstruction and Correlation (DFCC) method. Using DFCC, we studies the nucleus-wide coherent movements of RNA Pol II in the context of DNA in humancancer cells.

Immunosuppressant Responsive Neuropsychiatric Systemic Lupus Erythematosus Manifestations Initially Diagnosed As Schizophrenia and Bipolar Disorder.

Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is a well-documented multi-system autoimmune disease with increased frequency noted in younger females and among minority populations. Disease-defining signs and symptoms can vary widely and involve multiple organ systems including the nervous system. Involvement of the nervous system, known as neuropsychiatric SLE (NPSLE) can present as manifestations consistent with central nervous system or peripheral nervous system pathologies, with the former including presentations of psychiatric illnesses.

investigation of the antiviral activity of propolis and chitosan nanoparticles against the genotype VII Newcastle disease virus.

The Newcastle disease virus (NDV) is considered a serious threat to global poultry production. Despite the availability of vaccines, it remains a major devastating epidemic responsible for great economic losses. The development of novel virus-controlling strategies is therefore an urgent need.

Ashi Scalp Acupuncture in the Treatment of Secondary Trigeminal Neuralgia Induced by Multiple Sclerosis: A Case Report.

: Multiple sclerosis (MS) is an autoimmune, chronic, inflammatory, demyelinating, and axonal degeneration disease of the central nervous system. Trigeminal neuralgia (TN), a neuropathic facial paroxysmal pain, is prevalent among MS patients. Because of the inadequacy of the comprehension of MS-related TN pathophysiological mechanisms, TN remains arduous in its treatment approaches.

Spatially coherent diffusion of human RNA Pol II depends on transcriptional state rather than chromatin motion.

Gene transcription by RNA polymerase II (RNAPol II) is a tightly regulated process in the genomic, temporal, and spatial context. Recently, we have shown that chromatin exhibits spatially coherently moving regions over the entire nucleus, which is enhanced by transcription. Yet, it remains unclear how the mobility of RNA Pol II molecules is affected by transcription regulation and whether this response depends on the coordinated chromatin movement.

A Huge Subcapsular Splenic Cyst Like Hematoma in Sickle Cell Anemia.

Nontraumatic splenic rupture and hematoma are rare in sickle cell disease. We present a case of a 22-year-old Saudi male with sickle cell disease. He presented to our hospital with a history of nontraumatic abdominal pain, hemodynamic instability, and abdominal tenderness, with a large mass extending to the umbilicus.

Wen Dan Tang: A Potential Jing Fang Decoction for Headache Disorders?

Background: Chinese herbal medicine is considered relatively safe, inexpensive, and easily accessible. Wen Dan Tang (WDT), a Jing Fang ancient classical Chinese herbal formula with a broad indication profile has been used for several centuries in China to treat various illnesses.

Question: Are there evidence-based clinical trials that show that WDT has a significant impact on the treatment of various diseases, especially in patients with migraine and tension-type headaches (TTH)?

Methods: This study is based on an online database search using PubMed, Medline, Cochrane Library, AcuTrials, Embase, Semantic Scholar, Jstor, internet research, and review of ancient and modern Chinese medical textbooks regarding WDT and its compounds.

Label-Free Detection and Spectrometrically Quantitative Analysis of the Cancer Biomarker CA125 Based on Lyotropic Chromonic Liquid Crystal.

Compared with thermotropic liquid crystals (LCs), the biosensing potential of lyotropic chromonic liquid crystals (LCLCs), which are more biocompatible because of their hydrophilic nature, has scarcely been investigated. In this study, the nematic phase, a mesophase shared by both thermotropic LCs and LCLCs, of disodium cromoglycate (DSCG) was employed as the sensing mesogen in the LCLC-based biosensor. The biosensing platform was constructed so that the LCLC was homogeneously aligned by the planar anchoring strength of polyimide, but was disrupted in the presence of proteins such as bovine serum albumin (BSA) or the cancer biomarker CA125 captured by the anti-CA125 antibody, with the level of disturbance (and the optical signal thus produced) predominated by the amount of the analyte.

Signal Amplification in an Optical and Dielectric Biosensor Employing Liquid Crystal-Photopolymer Composite as the Sensing Medium.

An optical and dielectric biosensor based on a liquid crystal (LC)-photopolymer composite was established in this study for the detection and quantitation of bovine serum albumin (BSA). When the nematic LC E7 was doped with 4-wt.% NOA65, a photo-curable prepolymer, and photopolymerized by UV irradiation at 20 mW/cm for 300 s, the limit of detection determined by image analysis of the LC optical texture and dielectric spectroscopic measurements was 3400 and 88 pg/mL for BSA, respectively, which were lower than those detected with E7 alone (10 μg/mL BSA).

Rare Variants in the DNA Repair Pathway and the Risk of Colorectal Cancer.

Background: Inherited susceptibility is an important contributor to colorectal cancer risk, and rare variants in key genes or pathways could account in part for the missing proportion of colorectal cancer heritability.

Methods: We conducted an exome-wide association study including 2,327 cases and 2,966 controls of European ancestry from three large epidemiologic studies. Single variant associations were tested using logistic regression models, adjusting for appropriate study-specific covariates.

Navigating the crowd: visualizing coordination between genome dynamics, structure, and transcription.

The eukaryotic genome is hierarchically structured yet highly dynamic. Regulating transcription in this environment demands a high level of coordination to permit many proteins to interact with chromatin fiber at appropriate sites in a timely manner. We describe how recent advances in quantitative imaging techniques overcome caveats of sequencing-based methods (Hi-C and related) by enabling direct visualization of transcription factors and chromatin at high resolution, from single genes to the whole nucleus.

Chromatin arranges in chains of mesoscale domains with nanoscale functional topography independent of cohesin.

Three-dimensional (3D) chromatin organization plays a key role in regulating mammalian genome function; however, many of its physical features at the single-cell level remain underexplored. Here, we use live- and fixed-cell 3D super-resolution and scanning electron microscopy to analyze structural and functional nuclear organization in somatic cells. We identify chains of interlinked ~200- to 300-nm-wide chromatin domains (CDs) composed of aggregated nucleosomes that can overlap with individual topologically associating domains and are distinct from a surrounding RNA-populated interchromatin compartment.

Coupling chromatin structure and dynamics by live super-resolution imaging.

Chromatin conformation regulates gene expression and thus, constant remodeling of chromatin structure is essential to guarantee proper cell function. To gain insight into the spatiotemporal organization of the genome, we use high-density photoactivated localization microscopy and deep learning to obtain temporally resolved super-resolution images of chromatin in living cells. In combination with high-resolution dense motion reconstruction, we find elongated ~45- to 90-nm-wide chromatin "blobs.