Correlation Between Intravascular Platelet Aggregation in Tumors and Hypoxia-Inducible Factor 1 Alpha Expression in Epithelial Ovarian Cancer: Implications for Prognosis and Staging.

Background/objectives: This study aimed to evaluate the association between intravascular platelet aggregation in tumors and ovarian carcinoma prognosis and investigate underlying mechanisms.

Methods: A retrospective analysis was conducted on 144 patients with ovarian carcinoma. Immunohistochemical staining for CD42b, hypoxia-inducible factor-1α (HIF-1α), platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF), and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) was performed using tissue microarrays to assess intravascular platelet aggregation.

Efficacy of bentonite/iron-coated sand as a sediment stabilizer in controlling cadmium, lead, zinc, and arsenic release determined using the diffusive gradients in thin film technology.

In this study, we investigated the efficiency of a bentonite/iron-coated sand (B/ICS) stabilizer in reducing the mobility and accumulation of heavy metals (Pb, Cd, Zn, and As) in contaminated sediments. Bentonite is effective in the adsorption of heavy metals, while ICS is effective in the adsorption of As. When combined, the stabilizer can be applied to mixed-contaminated sediments containing both heavy metals and As.

A sexually transmitted sugar orchestrates reproductive responses to nutritional stress.

Seminal fluid is rich in sugars, but their role beyond supporting sperm motility is unknown. In this study, we found Drosophila melanogaster males transfer a substantial amount of a phospho-galactoside to females during mating, but only half as much when undernourished. This seminal substance, which we named venerose, induces an increase in germline stem cells (GSCs) and promotes sperm storage in females, especially undernourished ones.

Systems Biology of Human Microbiome for the Prediction of Personal Glycaemic Response.

The human gut microbiota is increasingly recognized as a pivotal factor in diabetes management, playing a significant role in the body's response to treatment. However, it is important to understand that long-term usage of medicines like metformin and other diabetic treatments can result in problems, gastrointestinal discomfort, and dysbiosis of the gut flora. Advanced sequencing technologies have improved our understanding of the gut microbiome's role in diabetes, uncovering complex interactions between microbial composition and metabolic health.

Transient colonizing microbes promote gut dysbiosis and functional impairment.

Species composition of the healthy adult gut microbiota tends to be stable over time. Destabilization of the gut microbiome under the influence of different factors is the main driver of the microbial dysbiosis and subsequent impacts on host physiology. Here, we used metagenomics data from a Swedish longitudinal cohort, to determine the stability of the gut microbiome and uncovered two distinct microbial species groups; persistent colonizing species (PCS) and transient colonizing species (TCS).

Enhancing RNA-lipid nanoparticle delivery: Organ- and cell-specificity and barcoding strategies.

Recent advancements in RNA therapeutics highlight the critical need for precision gene delivery systems that target specific organs and cells. Lipid nanoparticles (LNPs) have emerged as key vectors in delivering mRNA and siRNA, offering protection against enzymatic degradation, enabling targeted delivery and cellular uptake, and facilitating RNA cargo release into the cytosol. This review discusses the development and optimization of organ- and cell-specific LNPs, focusing on their design, mechanisms of action, and therapeutic applications.

Global compositional and functional states of the human gut microbiome in health and disease.

The human gut microbiota is of increasing interest, with metagenomics a key tool for analyzing bacterial diversity and functionality in health and disease. Despite increasing efforts to expand microbial gene catalogs and an increasing number of metagenome-assembled genomes, there have been few pan-metagenomic association studies and in-depth functional analyses across different geographies and diseases. Here, we explored 6014 human gut metagenome samples across 19 countries and 23 diseases by performing compositional, functional cluster, and integrative analyses.

Integrated geochemical and geophysical monitoring for the assessment of natural pollutant mitigation in heavy metal-contaminated areas of South Korea, Deagu.

The evaluation and monitoring of sites contaminated with heavy metals are essential for pollution remediation and prevention. In this study, we conducted geophysical and geochemical investigations at a site exhibiting heavy metal contamination downstream from an abandoned mine, with the aim of analyzing the extent of contamination and its temporal variation. We employed geophysical survey methods including electrical resistivity and induced polarization surveys of areas contaminated with heavy metals.

Predicting herb-disease associations using network-based measures in human protein interactome.

Background: Natural herbs are frequently used to treat diseases or to relieve symptoms in many countries. Moreover, as their safety has been proven for a long time, they are considered as main sources of new drug development. However, in many cases, the herbs are still prescribed relying on ancient records and/or traditional practices without scientific evidences.

Normalization of RNA-Seq data using adaptive trimmed mean with multi-reference.

The normalization of RNA sequencing data is a primary step for downstream analysis. The most popular method used for the normalization is the trimmed mean of M values (TMM) and DESeq. The TMM tries to trim away extreme log fold changes of the data to normalize the raw read counts based on the remaining non-deferentially expressed genes.

The dysadherin/FAK axis promotes individual cell migration in colon cancer.

Dysregulation of cancer cell motility is a key driver of invasion and metastasis. High dysadherin expression in cancer cells is correlated with invasion and metastasis. Here, we found the molecular mechanism by which dysadherin regulates the migration and invasion of colon cancer (CC).

STAT3 Decoy Oligodeoxynucleotides Suppress Liver Inflammation and Fibrosis in Liver Cancer Cells and a DDC-Induced Liver Injury Mouse Model.

Liver damage caused by various factors results in fibrosis and inflammation, leading to cirrhosis and cancer. Fibrosis results in the accumulation of extracellular matrix components. The role of STAT proteins in mediating liver inflammation and fibrosis has been well documented; however, approved therapies targeting STAT3 inhibition against liver disease are lacking.

Slow gut transit increases the risk of Alzheimer's disease: An integrated study of the bi-national cohort in South Korea and Japan and Alzheimer's disease model mice.

Introduction: Although the association between Alzheimer's disease (AD) and constipation is controversial, its causality and underlying mechanisms remain unknown.

Objectives: To investigate the potential association between slow gut transit and AD using epidemiological data and a murine model.

Methods: We conducted a bi-national cohort study in South Korea (discovery cohort, N=3,130,193) and Japan (validation cohort, N=4,379,285) during the pre-observation period to determine the previous diagnostic history (2009-2010) and the follow-up period (2011-2021).

Assessment of effectiveness in stabilization/solidification of arsenic-contaminated soil: long-term leaching test and geophysical measurement.

This study focused on evaluating the effectiveness of stabilizer/binding agents in immobilizing arsenic (As) in contaminated soil using both geochemical and geophysical monitoring methods. The effluent from the stabilizer/binding agent's application and control columns was analyzed, and the status of the columns was monitored using electrical resistivity (ER) and induced polarization (IP) methods. As stabilizers/binder, acid mine drainage sludge (AMDS) and steel slag (SS) were used, which delayed As and Ca leaching time and significantly reduced As leaching amount.

Integrative analysis of mitochondrial metabolic reprogramming in early-stage colon and liver cancer.

Gastrointestinal malignancies, including colon adenocarcinoma (COAD) and liver hepatocellular carcinoma (LIHC), remain leading causes of cancer-related deaths worldwide. To better understand the underlying mechanisms of these cancers and identify potential therapeutic targets, we analyzed publicly accessible Cancer Genome Atlas datasets of COAD and LIHC. Our analysis revealed that differentially expressed genes (DEGs) during early tumorigenesis were associated with cell cycle regulation.

Current therapeutic targets and multifaceted physiological impacts of caffeine.

Caffeine, which shares consubstantial structural similarity with purine adenosine, has been demonstrated as a nonselective adenosine receptor antagonist for eliciting most of the biological functions at physiologically relevant dosages. Accumulating evidence supports caffeine's beneficial effects against different disorders, such as total cardiovascular diseases and type 2 diabetes. Conversely, paradoxical effects are also linked to caffeine ingestion in humans including hypertension-hypotension and tachycardia-bradycardia.

Trogocytic molting of T cell microvilli upregulates T cell receptor surface expression and promotes clonal expansion.

Although T cell activation is known to involve the internalization of the T cell antigen receptor (TCR), much less is known regarding the release of TCRs following T cell interaction with cognate antigen-presenting cells. In this study, we examine the physiological mechanisms underlying TCR release following T cell activation. We show that T cell activation results in the shedding of TCRs in T cell microvilli, which involves a combined process of trogocytosis and enzymatic vesiculation, leading to the loss of membrane TCRs and microvilli-associated proteins and lipids.

Magnetic delivery and ultrasound-responsive release of chelating microcapsules for selective removal of urolithiasis.

A novel urolithiasis treatment in which a chelating solution encapsulated in poly(lactic--glycolic acid); PLGA-based microcapsules was delivered magnetically to specific urolithiasis sites and then subjected to ultrasound (US) to release the chelating solution and dissolve the stones. Using a double-droplet microfluidics method, a hexametaphosphate (HMP) chelating solution was encapsulated in an FeO nanoparticle (FeO NP)-loaded PLGA polymer shell with a thickness of <15 μm, forming homogenous microcapsules of 319 ± 14 μm in size. The obtained microcapsules (HMP/FeO@PLGA) exhibited efficient magnetic mobility and US-responsive solution release.

Association between Preoperative 18-FDG PET-CT SUVmax and Next-Generation Sequencing Results in Postoperative Ovarian Malignant Tissue in Patients with Advanced Ovarian Cancer.

This study investigated the association between maximum standardized uptake values (SUVmax) on preoperative 18-FDG PET-CT and next-generation sequencing (NGS) results in post-surgical ovarian malignant tissue in patients with advanced ovarian cancer. Twenty-five patients with stage IIIC or IV ovarian cancer who underwent both preoperative 18-FDG PET-CT and postoperative NGS for ovarian malignancies were retrospectively enrolled. Two patients had no detected variants, 21 of the 23 patients with any somatic variant had at least one single nucleotide variant (SNV) or insertion/deletion (indel), 10 patients showed copy number variation (CNV), and two patients had a fusion variant.

Integrated analysis of the microbiota-gut-brain axis in response to sleep deprivation and diet-induced obesity.

Introduction: Sleep deprivation (SD) and obesity are common in modern societies. SD and obesity frequently coexist, but research on the combined consequences of SD and obesity has been limited. In this study, we investigated the gut microbiota and host responses to SD and high-fat diet (HFD)-induced obesity.

Metabolic modelling of the human gut microbiome in type 2 diabetes patients in response to metformin treatment.

The human gut microbiome has been associated with several metabolic disorders including type 2 diabetes mellitus. Understanding metabolic changes in the gut microbiome is important to elucidate the role of gut bacteria in regulating host metabolism. Here, we used available metagenomics data from a metformin study, together with genome-scale metabolic modelling of the key bacteria in individual and community-level to investigate the mechanistic role of the gut microbiome in response to metformin.

Protective Effects of Carnosol on Renal Interstitial Fibrosis in a Murine Model of Unilateral Ureteral Obstruction.

Renal fibrosis is a common feature of chronic kidney disease and is a promising therapeutic target. However, there is still limited treatment for renal fibrosis, so the development of new anti-fibrotic agents is urgently needed. Accumulating evidence suggest that oxidative stress and endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress play a critical role in renal fibrosis.

Efficient Anti-Tumor Immunotherapy Using Tumor Epitope-Coated Biodegradable Nanoparticles Combined With Polyinosinic-Polycytidylic Acid and an Anti-PD1 Monoclonal Antibody.

Vaccination with tumor peptide epitopes associated with MHC class I molecules is an attractive approach directed at inducing tumor-specific CTLs. However, challenges remain in improving the therapeutic efficacy of peptide epitope vaccines, including the low immunogenicity of peptide epitopes and insufficient stimulation of innate immune components . To overcome this, we aimed to develop and test an innovative strategy that elicits potent CTL responses against tumor epitopes.