Spatial transcriptomics and single-cell RNA-sequencing revealed dendritic cell-mediated inflammation in keratoconus.

Keratoconus (KC) is a corneal disorder characterized by central corneal protrusion and thinning. In this study, spatial transcriptomics was employed to investigate molecular and cellular variations in KC, revealing a distinct pattern of inflammatory responses across the cornea. Upregulation of inflammatory processes was observed in the central cornea, while downregulation was noted in the periphery, indicating complex regional inflammatory changes in the KC cornea.

Construction of Escherichia coli cell factory for efficient synthesis of indigo.

Indigo is widely used in dyes, medicines and semiconductors materials due to its excellent dyeing efficiency, antibacterial, antiviral, anticancer, anti-corrosion, and thermostability properties. Here, a biosynthetic pathway for indigo was designed, integrating two enzymes (EcTnaA, MaFMO) into a higher L-tryptophan-producing the strain Escherichia coli TRP. However, the lower catalytic activity of MaFMO was a bottleneck for increasing indigo titers.

Larval Feeding Habits of Five Firefly Species Across Aquatic, Semi-Aquatic, and Terrestrial Lineages.

While adult fireflies are terrestrial, their larvae inhabit various habitat types, and a lack of comprehensive research on the feeding habits of these larvae across different habitats has greatly impeded the development of artificial diets. Here, we tested 14 types of foods, primarily covering gastropods, vertebrates, and fruit, to survey feed for aquatic ( and ), semi-aquatic ( and sp.), and terrestrial () fireflies.

Post-transcriptional regulation of behavior plasticity in social insects.

Social insects often show remarkable behavioral plasticity, which is closely associated with their respective castes. The underpinnings of this plasticity are complex, involving genetic differences among individuals within a colony and regulation of gene expression at multiple levels. Post-transcriptional regulation, which increases the complexity of the transcriptome, plays a crucial role in the multilayer regulatory network that influences social insect behavior.

Dietary patterns of Chinese children and adolescents and their associations with family characteristics and functioning: a multicenter cross-sectional study.

Background: Dietary patterns influence children and adolescents' health not only in the present but also in their adulthood. Family characteristics and functioning play a crucial role in food choices and are important modifiable factors for early interventions aimed at preventing unhealthy diets.

Objective: The study aimed to analyze the dietary patterns of Chinese children and adolescents and explore their associations with family characteristics and functioning.

Differential Roles of Astrocytic CSF1 in Alzheimer's Disease and Cerebral Amyloid Angiopathy: Insights from Transcriptomic Analysis.

Alzheimer's disease (AD) and cerebral amyloid angiopathy (CAA) are neurodegenerative disorders characterized by the pathological deposition of amyloid-beta (Aβ) in the brain. Although both conditions share common pathogenic pathways, they exhibit distinct cellular manifestations and disease progression. This study focused on the differential expression and role of astrocytic colony-stimulating factor 1 (CSF1) in these diseases.

GNG5 is a novel regulator of Aβ42 production in Alzheimer's disease.

The therapeutic options for Alzheimer's disease (AD) are limited, underscoring the critical need for finding an effective regulator of Aβ42 production. In this study, with 489 human postmortem brains, we revealed that homotrimer G protein subunit gamma 5 (GNG5) expression is upregulated in the hippocampal-entorhinal region of pathological AD compared with normal controls, and is positively correlated with Aβ pathology. In vivo and in vitro experiments confirm that increased GNG5 significantly promotes Aβ pathology and Aβ42 production.

[A dual-enzyme cascade for production of indigo from L-tryptophan].

Indigo, as a water-soluble non-azo colorant, is widely used in textile, food, pharmaceutical and other industrial fields. Currently, indigo is primarily synthesized by chemical methods, which causes environmental pollution, potential safety hazards, and other issues. Therefore, there is an urgent need to find a safer and greener synthetic method.

Temporospatial dynamics and host specificity of honeybee gut bacteria.

Honeybees are important pollinators worldwide, with their gut microbiota playing a crucial role in maintaining their health. The gut bacteria of honeybees consist of primarily five core lineages that are spread through social interactions. Previous studies have provided a basic understanding of the composition and function of the honeybee gut microbiota, with recent advancements focusing on analyzing diversity at the strain level and changes in bacterial functional genes.

Profiling of long non-coding RNAs in hippocampal-entorhinal system subfields: impact of RN7SL1 on neuroimmune response modulation in Alzheimer's disease.

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is recognized as the predominant cause of dementia, and neuroimmune processes play a pivotal role in its pathological progression. The involvement of long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) in AD has attracted widespread attention. Herein, transcriptomic analysis of 262 unique samples extracted from five hippocampal-entorhinal system subfields of individuals with AD pathology and without AD pathology revealed distinctive lncRNA expression profiles.

Transcutaneous Auricular Vagus Nerve Stimulation Alleviates Monobenzone-Induced Vitiligo in Mice.

Vitiligo is a complex skin disorder that involves oxidative stress and inflammatory responses and currently lacks a definitive cure. Transcutaneous auricular vagus nerve stimulation (taVNS) is a noninvasive method for targeting the auricular branch of the vagus nerve and has gained widespread attention for potential intervention in the autonomic nervous system. Although previous research has suggested that vagus nerve stimulation can potentially inhibit inflammatory responses, its specific role and mechanisms in vitiligo treatment remain unknown.

The aldehyde dehydrogenase 2 rs671 variant enhances amyloid β pathology.

In the ALDH2 rs671 variant, a guanine changes to an adenine, resulting in a dramatic decrease in the catalytic activity of the enzyme. Population-based data are contradictory about whether this variant increases the risk of Alzheimer's disease. In East Asian populations, the prevalence of the ALDH2 rs671 variant is 30-50%, making the National Human Brain Bank for Development and Function (the largest brain bank in East Asia) an important resource to explore the link between the ALDH2 rs671 polymorphism and Alzheimer's disease pathology.

Lamin A/C mediates microglial activation by modulating cell proliferation and immune response.

Lamin A/C is involved in macrophage activation and premature aging, also known as progeria. As the resident macrophage in brain, overactivation of microglia causes brain inflammation, promoting aging and brain disease. In this study, we investigated the role of Lamin A/C in microglial activation and its impact on progeria using Lmna mice, primary microglia, Lmna knockout (Lmna-KO) and Lmna-knockdown (Lmna-KD) BV2 cell lines.

Journey mapping long COVID: Agency and social support for long-hauling.

Long COVID, also known as Post COVID-19 condition, is defined by the WHO as the continuation or development of new symptoms three months after the initial SARS-CoV-2 infection, with these symptoms lasting for at least two months with no other explanation. Despite many studies examining the causes and mechanisms of this disease, fewer studies have sought to understand the experience of those suffering from long COVID, or "long-haulers," This study contributes to the understanding of long-haulers (N = 14) by examining the role of agency and social support in shaping their journeys with long COVID. Drawing on a combination of interviews, questionnaires, and video diaries over a three-month period, journey mapping was used to document the participants' experiences, including symptoms, coping strategies, and lifestyle changes.

Screening and Functional Analyses of Novel Cecropins from Insect Transcriptome.

Antibiotic resistance is a significant and growing threat to global public health. However, antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) have shown promise as they exhibit a broad spectrum of antibacterial activities with low potential for resistance development. Insects, which inhabit a wide range of environments and are incredibly diverse, remain largely unexplored as a source of novel AMPs.

An Overview of Long COVID Support Services in Australia and International Clinical Guidelines, With a Proposed Care Model in a Global Context.

To identify gaps among Australian Long COVID support services and guidelines alongside recommendations for future health programs. Electronic databases and seven government health websites were searched for Long COVID-specific programs or clinics available in Australia as well as international and Australian management guidelines. Five Long COVID specific guidelines and sixteen Australian services were reviewed.

Gut virome profiling identifies an association between temperate phages and colorectal cancer promoted by infection.

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is one of the most commonly diagnosed cancers worldwide. While a close correlation between chronic infection and CRC has been reported, the role of the virome has been overlooked. Here, we infected -mutant mouse models and C57BL/6 mice with and conducted a comprehensive metagenomics analysis of -induced changes in lower gastrointestinal tract bacterial and viral communities.

Effectiveness and safety of tuberculosis preventive treatment for contacts of patients with multidrug-resistant tuberculosis: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background: Contacts of patients with multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB) are at risk of developing TB disease. Tuberculosis preventive treatment (TPT) is an intervention that can potentially reduce this risk.

Objectives: To evaluate the effectiveness and safety of TPT for contacts of patients with MDR-TB.

Reactive oxygen species are regulated by immune deficiency and Toll pathways in determining the host specificity of honeybee gut bacteria.

Host specificity is observed in gut symbionts of diverse animal lineages. But how hosts maintain symbionts while rejecting their close relatives remains elusive. We use eusocial bees and their codiversified gut bacteria to understand host regulation driving symbiotic specificity.

Associations between problematic internet use, life satisfaction, and deliberate self-harm among Chinese adolescents: A multi-centered longitudinal study.

Introduction: Problematic Internet use (PIU), which is associated with deliberate self-harm (DSH), has become a common problem among adolescents. Life satisfaction (LS) may be able to mitigate the negative influences of PIU and DSH. But the longitudinal associations among them are yet to be well-researched.

Risk of progression to active tuberculosis for indeterminate interferon-gamma release assay in immunocompromised individuals: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background: Limited data exist on assessing the risk of active tuberculosis (TB) in immunocompromised individuals during screening for latent tuberculosis infection (LTBI).

Objectives: To assess the risk of progression to active TB for indeterminate interferon-γ release assays (IGRA) results in immunocompromised individuals during screening for LTBI.

Data Sources: PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, and the Cochrane Library were searched without start date or language restrictions on 18 April 2023.

Indeterminate results of interferon gamma release assays in the screening of latent tuberculosis infection: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Objectives: We aimed to evaluate the indeterminate rate of interferon gamma release assays (IGRAs) in the detection of latent tuberculosis infection (LTBI).

Methods: On 15 November 2022, we searched the PubMed® (National Library of Medicine, Bethesda, MD, USA), Embase® (Elsevier, Amsterdam, the Netherlands), and Cochrane Library databases in accordance with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines. Two investigators independently extracted the study data and assessed their quality using a modified quality assessment of diagnostic accuracy studies (i.