Monoclonal antibodies that block Roundabout 1 and 2 signaling target pathological ocular neovascularization through myeloid cells.

Roundabout (ROBO) 1 and 2 are transmembrane receptors that bind secreted SLIT ligands through their extracellular domains (ECDs) and signal through their cytoplasmic domains to modulate the cytoskeleton and regulate cell migration, adhesion, and proliferation. SLIT-ROBO signaling regulates pathological ocular neovascularization, which is a major cause of vision loss worldwide, but pharmacological tools to prevent SLIT-ROBO signaling are lacking. Here, we developed human monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) against the ROBO1 and ROBO2 ECDs.

Optical sensor for fast and accurate lung cancer detection with tissue autofluorescence and diffuse reflectance spectroscopy.

Background: Cancer is a severe threat to human health, and surgery is a major method of cancer treatment. This study aimed to develop an optical sensor for fast cancer tissue.

Methods: The tissue autofluorescence spectrum and diffuse reflectance spectrum were obtained by using a laboratory-developed optical sensor system.

Phenolic Components and Biological Activity of Pomegranate.

Pomegranate (Punica granatum L.) have been subject of extensive studies for its abundance of phytochemicals and numerous biological and medicinal properties. It is a fruit-bearing tree, which is widely consumed as a nutraceutical source as well as functional food for putative health benefits.

ChatGPT for Addressing Patient-centered Frequently Asked Questions in Glaucoma Clinical Practice.

Purpose: Large language models such as ChatGPT-3.5 are often used by the public to answer questions related to daily life, including health advice. This study evaluated the responses of ChatGPT-3.

A Case of Rapidly Progressive De Novo Metastatic Small-Cell Neuroendocrine Prostate Cancer.

Neuroendocrine/small-cell prostate cancer (NEPC) is a rare and aggressive subtype of prostate cancer, which typically develops after prolonged treatment for metastatic castration-resistant disease, but can, less commonly, occur de novo. We describe a case of de novo NEPC in a tumor with mixed pathology including acinar adenocarcinoma and neuroendocrine/small-cell carcinoma with rapid progression of metastatic disease. Despite initiation of treatment with androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) and chemotherapy, the patient continued to exhibit progression leading to multiple complications including a large bowel obstruction and ultimately progressive hepatic metastases resulting in liver failure.

Incorporation of decellularized-ECM in graphene-based scaffolds enhances axonal outgrowth and branching in neuro-muscular co-cultures.

Peripheral nerve and large-scale muscle injuries result in significant disability, necessitating the development of biomaterials that can restore functional deficits by promoting tissue regrowth in an electroactive environment. Among these materials, graphene is favored for its high conductivity, but its low bioactivity requires enhancement through biomimetic components. In this study, we extrusion printed graphene-poly(lactide-co-glycolide) (graphene) lattice scaffolds, aiming to increase bioactivity by incorporating decellularized extracellular matrix (dECM) derived from mouse pup skeletal muscle.

Decellularized Biohybrid Nerve Promotes Motor Axon Projections.

Developing nerve grafts with intact mesostructures, superior conductivity, minimal immunogenicity, and improved tissue integration is essential for the treatment and restoration of neurological dysfunctions. A key factor is promoting directed axon growth into the grafts. To achieve this, biohybrid nerves are developed using decellularized rat sciatic nerve modified by in situ polymerization of poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) (PEDOT).

MAVS Cys508 palmitoylation promotes its aggregation on the mitochondrial outer membrane and antiviral innate immunity.

Cysteine palmitoylation or -palmitoylation catalyzed by the ZDHHC family of acyltransferases regulates the biological function of numerous mammalian proteins as well as viral proteins. However, understanding of the role of -palmitoylation in antiviral immunity against RNA viruses remains very limited. The adaptor protein MAVS forms functionally essential prion-like aggregates upon activation by viral RNA-sensing RIG-I-like receptors.

Determination of chloropropanol esters and glycidyl esters in nutritional foods by gas chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry based on acid hydrolysis and solid-phase extraction.

This study presents a method based on acid transesterification and the purification by solid-phase extraction (SPE) coupled with gas chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry for quantifying 3- and 2-monochloropropanediol esters (3-MCPDE, 2-MCPDE) and glycidyl esters (GE) in nutritional foods. The fat was extracted by liquid-liquid extraction with petroleum ether and diethyl ether after the sample was hydrolysed with ammonia. Then the extract was purified by a SPE cartridge filled with the aminopropyl sorbents.

Pilot and feasibility trials in surgery are incompletely reported according to the CONSORT checklist: a meta-research study.

Objectives: Given the key role that pilot and feasibility (PAF) trials play in addressing the challenges of surgical trials, adequate reporting completeness is essential. Our aim was to assess completeness of reporting and evaluate if the items of the Consolidated Standards of Reporting Trials (CONSORT) extension for PAF trials have been reported in surgical PAF trials.

Study Design: This is a metaresearch study reported according to Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines.

Compartmentalized ocular lymphatic system mediates eye-brain immunity.

The eye, an anatomical extension of the central nervous system (CNS), exhibits many molecular and cellular parallels to the brain. Emerging research demonstrates that changes in the brain are often reflected in the eye, particularly in the retina. Still, the possibility of an immunological nexus between the posterior eye and the rest of the CNS tissues remains unexplored.

Unlocking the Aromatic Potential of Native Coffee Yeasts: From Isolation to a Biovolatile Platform.

Postharvest processing of coffee has been shown to impact cup quality. Yeasts are known to modulate the sensory traits of the final cup of coffee after controlled fermentation at the farm. Here, we enumerated native coffee yeasts in a Nicaraguan farm during dry and semidry postharvest processing of Arabica and Robusta beans.

Modeling angiogenesis in the human brain in a tissue-engineered post-capillary venule.

Angiogenesis plays an essential role in embryonic development, organ remodeling, wound healing, and is also associated with many human diseases. The process of angiogenesis in the brain during development is well characterized in animal models, but little is known about the process in the mature brain. Here, we use a tissue-engineered post-capillary venule (PCV) model incorporating stem cell derived induced brain microvascular endothelial-like cells (iBMECs) and pericyte-like cells (iPCs) to visualize the dynamics of angiogenesis.

Engineering the human blood-brain barrier at the capillary scale using a double-templating technique.

blood-brain barrier (BBB) models have played an important role in studying processes such as immune cell trafficking and drug delivery, as well as contributing to the understanding of mechanisms of disease progression. Many biological and pathological processes in the cerebrovasculature occur in capillaries and hence the lack of robust hierarchical models at the capillary scale is a major roadblock in BBB research. Here we report on a double-templating technique for engineering hierarchical BBB models with physiological barrier function at the capillary scale.

A Novel multi-fruit acids formula design on molecular basis for skin brightening via a system biology approach.

Background: Fruit acids have long been recognized as highly effective actives with world-wide popularity, covering skin peeling, anti-acne, anti-wrinkle applications, and skin depigmentation.

Aims: There are complicated interconnections between the fruit acid formula and skin pigmentation behaviors. However, the lack of systematic researches on multi-ingredient formula restricted our understanding on its mechanism.

Severe Cardiovascular Complications Following Liver Transplantation in Patients With Iron Overload.

We report 4 cases of our institutional experience with liver transplantation that illustrate the high risk of heart failure and cardiogenic shock in the setting of cardiac iron overload. We then discuss a pragmatic approach to assess the cardiovascular risk in liver transplantation candidates with cardiac iron overload. ().

SynLethDB 2.0: a web-based knowledge graph database on synthetic lethality for novel anticancer drug discovery.

Two genes are synthetic lethal if mutations in both genes result in impaired cell viability, while mutation of either gene does not affect the cell survival. The potential usage of synthetic lethality (SL) in anticancer therapeutics has attracted many researchers to identify synthetic lethal gene pairs. To include newly identified SLs and more related knowledge, we present a new version of the SynLethDB database to facilitate the discovery of clinically relevant SLs.

Acute mushroom poisoning of Amanita pseudosychnopyramis: A case report from Fujian, China with exact species identification and descriptive study.

Mushroom poisoning is a deeply concerning food safety problem that affects the public in China every year. Although there are statistics on the number of poisonings and incidents, there is a lack of data on the types of toxic mushrooms, clinical manifestations and toxins. A case of wild mushroom poisoning occurred in Xiamen.

Intranasal priming induces local lung-resident B cell populations that secrete protective mucosal antiviral IgA.

Antibodies secreted at the mucosal surface play an integral role in immune defense by serving to neutralize the pathogen and promote its elimination at the site of entry. Secretory immunoglobulin A (IgA) is a predominant Ig isotype at mucosal surfaces whose epithelial cells express polymeric Ig receptor capable of transporting dimeric IgA to the lumen. Although the role of IgA in intestinal mucosa has been extensively studied, the cell types responsible for secreting the IgA that protects the host against pathogens in the lower respiratory tract are less clear.

Small molecule inhibition of ATM kinase increases CRISPR-Cas9 1-bp insertion frequency.

Mutational outcomes following CRISPR-Cas9-nuclease cutting in mammalian cells have recently been shown to be predictable and, in certain cases, skewed toward single genotypes. However, the ability to control these outcomes remains limited, especially for 1-bp insertions, a common and therapeutically relevant class of repair outcomes. Here, through a small molecule screen, we identify the ATM kinase inhibitor KU-60019 as a compound capable of reproducibly increasing the fraction of 1-bp insertions relative to other Cas9 repair outcomes.

Thymosin β4 increases cardiac cell proliferation, cell engraftment, and the reparative potency of human induced-pluripotent stem cell-derived cardiomyocytes in a porcine model of acute myocardial infarction.

Previous studies have shown that human embryonic stem cell-derived cardiomyocytes improved myocardial recovery when administered to infarcted pig and non-human primate hearts. However, the engraftment of intramyocardially delivered cells is poor and the effectiveness of clinically relevant doses of human induced pluripotent stem cell-derived cardiomyocytes (hiPSC-CMs) in large animal models of myocardial injury remains unknown. Here, we determined whether thymosin β4 (Tb4) could improve the engraftment and reparative potency of transplanted hiPSC-CMs in a porcine model of myocardial infarction (MI).

The performance and confidence of clinicians in training in the analysis of ophthalmic images within a work-integrated teaching model.

Purpose: A fundamental clinical skill is the recognition of artefacts within the outputs of advanced imaging modalities. However, current teaching programmes of healthcare practitioners are becoming increasingly challenged to provide practical exposure within an already crowded curriculum. This study evaluates the impact of a novel work-integrated teaching model on the confidence and competence of clinicians in the use of optical coherence tomography (OCT) and the recognition of its artefacts.