Cultivating the future leaders of chemical biology.

The inaugural RSC Chemistry Biology Interface Community Leadership Retreat for Early Career Researchers aimed to provide a unique combination of research leadership training, discussion and collaboration opportunities to emerging chemical biologists from the UK and Europe. This article outlines the ethos and reports the outcomes from this new event for the Royal Society of Chemistry and future plans to establish this event as an ongoing feature in the chemical biology conference landscape.

A New PETase from the Human Saliva Metagenome and Its Functional Modification via Genetic Code Expansion in Bacteria.

The discovery and engineering of new plastic degrading enzymes is an important challenge in chemical biotechnology to enable transition to a more sustainable and circular plastics economy. This field has so far yielded a range of enzymes and microbial pathways for the recycling and valorization of plastic waste. New research from Uttamapinant et al.

Microbial Upcycling of Waste PET to Adipic Acid.

Microorganisms can be genetically engineered to transform abundant waste feedstocks into value-added small molecules that would otherwise be manufactured from diminishing fossil resources. Herein, we report the first one-pot bio-upcycling of PET plastic waste into the prolific platform petrochemical and nylon precursor adipic acid in the bacterium . Optimizing heterologous gene expression and enzyme activity enabled increased flux through the pathway, and immobilization of whole cells in alginate hydrogels increased the stability of the rate-limiting enoate reductase BcER.

Staged Extra-Articular Deformity Correction in the Setting of Total Knee Arthroplasty.

Background: Extra-articular lower-leg deformities mandate unique considerations when planning total knee arthroplasty (TKA). Poor limb alignment may increase perioperative complications and cause early implant failure. This study reports on the safety and efficacy of staged, extra-articular deformity correction about the knee in the setting of osteoarthritis and TKA.

Biocompatible α-Methylenation of Metabolic Butyraldehyde in Living Bacteria.

Small molecule organocatalysts are abundant in all living organisms. However, their use as organocatalysts in cells has been underexplored. Herein, we report that organocatalytic aldol chemistry can be interfaced with living Escherichia coli to enable the α-methylenation of cellular aldehydes using biogenic amines such as L-Pro or phosphate.

How to avoid intraoperative and postoperative complications in maxillary sinus elevation.

Maxillary sinus floor elevation, via the lateral approach, is one of the most predictable bone augmentation procedures performed in implant dentistry. but both intra- and postoperative complications can occur, and some of them are severe. Our aim is as follows: To review the pertinent literature on the topic, especially assessing the risk factors related to complications.

Overproduction of Native and Click-able Colanic Acid Slime from Engineered .

The fundamental biology and application of bacterial exopolysaccharides is gaining increasing attention. However, current synthetic biology efforts to produce the major component of slime, colanic acid, and functional derivatives thereof have been limited. Herein, we report the overproduction of colanic acid (up to 1.

Induced Membrane Technique Is Effective for the Management of Acute Traumatic Bone Loss in Both Diaphyseal and Metaphyseal Lower Extremity Fractures.

Objective: To compare outcomes of Masquelet-induced membrane technique (IMT) in metaphyseal and diaphyseal fractures with acute bone loss.

Design: Retrospective cohort study.

Setting: Four Level 1 Academic Trauma Centers.

Engineering biology for sustainable 1,4-butanediol synthesis.

Over the past decade, numerous approaches have been taken to replace unsustainable chemical syntheses with green biosynthetic alternatives. In a landmark paper, Yim et al. utilised an in silico-to-in vivo workflow to enable the high-level bioproduction of the unnatural small molecule 1,4-butanediol in the bacterium Escherichia coli.

A New PETase from the Human Saliva Metagenome and Its Functional Modification via Genetic Code Expansion in Bacteria.

The discovery and engineering of new plastic degrading enzymes is an important challenge in chemical biotechnology to enable transition to a more sustainable and circular plastics economy. This field has so far yielded a range of enzymes and microbial pathways for the recycling and valorization of plastic waste. New research from Uttamapinant et al.

Explaining the black-box smoothly-A counterfactual approach.

We propose a BlackBox Counterfactual Explainer, designed to explain image classification models for medical applications. Classical approaches (e.g.

Bread waste - A potential feedstock for sustainable circular biorefineries.

The management of staggering volume of food waste generated (∼1.3 billion tons) is a serious challenge. The readily available untapped food waste can be promising feedstock for setting up biorefineries and one good example is bread waste (BW).

Palladium Nanoparticles from G20 Catalyze Biocompatible Sonogashira and Biohydrogenation Cascades.

Transition-metal nanoparticles produced by living bacteria are emerging as novel catalysts for sustainable synthesis. However, the scope of their catalytic activity and their ability to be integrated within metabolic pathways for the bioproduction of non-natural small molecules has been underexplored. Herein we report that Pd nanoparticles synthesized by the sulfate-reducing bacterium G20 (PdNPs) catalyze the Sonogashira coupling of phenyl acetylenes and aryl iodides, and the subsequent one-pot hydrogenation to bibenzyl derivatives using hydrogen gas generated from d-glucose by engineered DD-2.

Noninvasive Soft Tissue Expansion Strips and Wound Complications After Total Ankle Arthroplasty.

Background: Total ankle arthroplasty through the anterior approach (TAR-AA) is an increasingly popular treatment for ankle arthritis, but it carries a known risk for wound complications. Several products have been investigated to mitigate this risk; however, most are either costly or invasive. Noninvasive skin expansion strips (NSESs) were designed to transfer tension away from the incision and induce new skin growth at the edges of the strips.

Triceps Surae Lengthening in Foot and Ankle Trauma: A Survey of OTA and AOFAS Members.

Background: The prevalence, indications, and preferred methods for gastrocnemius recession and tendo-Achilles lengthening-grouped as triceps surae lengthening (TSL) procedures-in foot and ankle trauma are supported by a scarcity of clinical evidence. We hypothesize that injury, practice environment, and training heritage are significantly associated with probability of performing adjunctive TSL in the operative management of foot and ankle trauma.

Methods: A survey was distributed to members of the American Orthopaedic Foot & Ankle Society and the Orthopaedic Trauma Association.

Mathematically Directed Single-Cut Osteotomy.

A mathematically directed osteotomy (MDO) is a surgical planning technique for correcting long bone deformities. Using a mathematically derived osteotomy plane, the single-cut correction simultaneously addresses angular deformity, axial malrotation, and minor shortening. This review describes an MDO's indications for use, defines its input and output variables, includes the required graphs for osteotomy planning, and provides intraoperative tips and tricks for successful execution.

Low Window Sinus Elevation Technique: Bone Gain and Postsurgical Discomfort. A Retrospective Case Series.

Recently, the Low Window technique was proposed to facilitate sinus augmentation and reduce postsurgical patient discomfort. It was shown to be both safe and effective. This case series evaluates the postsurgical discomfort of patients undergoing Low Window sinus augmentation, the bone gain achieved, and whether these factors correlate with the osteotomy area.

Tyramine Derivatives Catalyze the Aldol Dimerization of Butyraldehyde in the Presence of Escherichia coli.

Biogenic amine organocatalysts have transformed the field of synthetic organic chemistry. Yet despite their use in synthesis and to label biomolecules in vitro, amine organocatalysis in vivo has received comparatively little attention - despite the potential of such reactions to be interfaced with living cells and to modify cellular metabolites. Herein we report that biogenic amines derived from L-tyrosine catalyze the self-aldol condensation of butanal to 2-ethylhexenal - a key intermediate in the production of the bulk chemical 2-ethylhexanol - in the presence of living Escherichia coli and outperform many amine organocatalysts currently used in synthetic organic chemistry.

Remediation of a Failed Lateral Window Sinus Augmentation via a Palatal Approach: Rationale and Case Report.

Maxillary sinus elevation by the lateral window approach has been shown to be a highly predictable surgical procedure for increasing bone volume in the posterior maxilla. There are occasions, however, where this procedure may be difficult or impossible to perform in a highly predictable manner. There are many presurgical conditions and anatomical features that can make lateral window access difficult, leading to an increase in intraoperative complications and procedural failures.

Micellar catalysis of the Suzuki Miyaura reaction using biogenic Pd nanoparticles from .

Microorganisms produce metal nanoparticles (MNPs) upon exposure to toxic metal ions. However, the catalytic activity of biosynthesised MNPs remains underexplored, despite the potential of these biological processes to be used for the sustainable recovery of critical metals, including palladium. Herein we report that biogenic palladium nanoparticles generated by the sulfate-reducing bacterium G20 catalyse the ligand-free Suzuki Miyaura reaction of abiotic substrates.

Deep Learning Prediction of Voxel-Level Liver Stiffness in Patients with Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease.

Purpose: To reconstruct virtual MR elastography (MRE) images based on traditional MRI inputs with a machine learning algorithm.

Materials And Methods: In this single-institution, retrospective study, 149 patients (mean age, 58 years ± 12 [standard deviation]; 71 men) with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease who underwent MRI and MRE between January 2016 and January 2019 were evaluated. Nine conventional MRI sequences and clinical data were used to train a convolutional neural network to reconstruct MRE images at the per-voxel level.