Recent Advances in Co-Condensation and Co-Aggregation of Amyloid Proteins Linked to Neurodegenerative Diseases.

The misfolding and aggregation of amyloid proteins are closely associated with a range of neurodegenerative diseases. Liquid-liquid phase separation (LLPS) can initiate the aggregation of proteins, indicating that LLPS may serve as an alternative pathway for the pathological aggregation of amyloid proteins. The co-occurrence of two or more amyloid pathologies has been observed in extensive pathophysiological studies and is linked to faster disease progression.

Chickpea-resistant starch exhibits bioactive function for alleviating atopic dermatitis via regulating butyrate production.

Resistant starch (RS) is one of the bioactive polysaccharides to produce Short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) in the colon and contributes to allergic diseases including atopic dermatitis (AD). However, the bioactive mechanism of RS relieving AD needs to be elucidated. In this study, RS was prepared using chickpeas.

Dietary cinnamon promotes longevity and extends healthspan via mTORC1 and autophagy signaling.

Cinnamon, renowned for its aromatic flavor, represents one of the most widely used spices worldwide. Cinnamon is also considered beneficial to human health with therapeutic potential for treating various diseases, ranging from diabetes and cancer to neurodegenerative diseases. However, the mechanisms underlying cinnamon's health benefits remain elusive.

SCREEN: A Graph-based Contrastive Learning Tool to Infer Catalytic Residues and Assess Enzyme Mutations.

Unlabelled: The accurate identification of catalytic residues contributes to our understanding of enzyme functions in biological processes and pathways. The increasing number of protein sequences necessitates computational tools for the automated prediction of catalytic residues in enzymes. Here, we introduce SCREEN, a graph neural network for the high-throughput prediction of catalytic residues via the integration of enzyme functional and structural information.

A universe of human gut-derived bacterial prophages: unveiling the hidden viral players in intestinal microecology.

Prophages, which are an existing form of temperate phages that integrate into host genomes, have been found extensively present in diverse bacterial species. The human gut microbiome, characterized by its complexity, dynamism, and interconnectivity among multiple species, remains inadequately understood in terms of the global landscape of bacterial prophages. Here, we analyzed 43,942 human gut-derived bacterial genomes (439 species of 12 phyla) and identified 105,613 prophage regions in ~ 92% of them.

Pathogenic Mutation ΔK280 Promotes Hydrophobic Interactions Involving Microtubule-Binding Domain and Enhances Liquid-Liquid Phase Separation of Tau.

Liquid-liquid phase separation (LLPS) of tau protein can initiate its aggregation which is associated with Alzheimer's disease. The pathogenic mutation ΔK280 can enhance the aggregation of K18, a truncated tau variant comprising the microtubule-binding domain. However, the impact of ΔK280 on K18 LLPS and underlying mechanisms are largely unexplored.

Gut microbiota determines the fate of dietary fiber-targeted interventions in host health.

Epidemiological investigation confirmed that the intake of dietary fiber (DF) is closely related to human health, and the most important factor affecting the physiological function of DF, besides its physicochemical properties, is the gut microbiota. This paper mainly summarizes the interaction between DF and gut microbiota, including the influence of DF on the colonization of gut microbiota based on its different physicochemical properties, and the physiological role of gut microbiota in destroying the complex molecular structure of DF by encoding carbohydrate-active enzymes, thus producing small molecular products that affect the metabolism of the host. Taking cardiovascular disease (Atherosclerosis and hypertension), liver disease, and immune diseases as examples, it is confirmed that some DF, such as fructo-oligosaccharide, galactooligosaccharide, xylo-oligosaccharide, and inulin, have prebiotic-like physiological effects.

Engineered CRISPR RNA improves the RNA cleavage efficiency of hfCas13X.

As the most compact variant in the Cas13 family, CRISPR-Cas13X holds considerable promise for gene therapy applications. The development of high-fidelity Cas13X (hfCas13X) mutants has enhanced the safety profile for in vivo applications. However, a notable reduction in on-target cleavage efficiency accompanies the diminished collateral cleavage activity in hfCas13X.

Advancing microRNA target site prediction with transformer and base-pairing patterns.

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are short non-coding RNAs involved in various cellular processes, playing a crucial role in gene regulation. Identifying miRNA targets remains a central challenge and is pivotal for elucidating the complex gene regulatory networks. Traditional computational approaches have predominantly focused on identifying miRNA targets through perfect Watson-Crick base pairings within the seed region, referred to as canonical sites.

Apelin (APLN) is a biomarker contributing to the diagnosis and prognosis of hepatocellular carcinoma.

Liver cancer, classified as a malignant hepatic tumor, can be divided into two categories: primary, originating within the liver, and secondary, resulting from metastasis to the liver from other organs. Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the main form of primary liver cancer and the third leading cause of cancer-related deaths. The diagnosis and prognosis of HCC using current methods still face numerous challenges.

Design, synthesis, and biological activity evaluation of dihydromyricetin derivatives against SARS-CoV-2-Omicron virus.

An oxidising and substituting one-pot reaction strategy has been developed to synthesise dihydromyricetin derivatives with the aim of enhancing the inhibitory activity of dihydromyricetin against SARS-CoV-2. Different -methoxy--oxeylkyl was introduced in C-OH site and yielded eight analogs, all of them showed good inhibitory activity against SARS-CoV-2 3CL with IC values ranging from 0.72 to 2.

Dynamic measurement for the impact of project portfolio synergy.

Measuring the impact of project portfolio synergy (PPSI) is crucial for making informed decisions to improve the strategic realization of a project portfolio. However, the literature has failed to measure PPSI effectively from the perspective of project element flow and to explore the differences in synergy relationships between homogeneous and heterogeneous projects. Consequently, this study proposes a framework for measuring PPSI from the perspective of project element flow.

Glioma-Stem-Cell-Derived Exosomes Remodeled Glioma-Associated Macrophage via NEAT1/miR-125a/STAT3 Pathway.

Glioblastoma (GBM), as the most common primary brain tumor, usually results in an extremely poor prognosis, in which glioma stem cells (GSCs) and their immunosuppressive microenvironment prominently intervene in the resistance to radiotherapy and chemotherapy that directly leads to tumor recurrence and shortened survival time. The specific mechanism through which exosomes generated from GSCs support the creation of an immunosuppressive microenvironment remains unknown, while it is acknowledged to be engaged in intercellular communication and the regulation of the glioma immunosuppressive microenvironment. The elevated expression of LncRNA-NEAT1 was found in glioma cells after radiotherapy, chemotherapy, and DNA damage stimulation, and NEAT1 could promote the malignant biological activities of GSCs.

The value of ripple mapping in the age of coherent mapping in scar-related atrial tachycardia.

Background: An accurate display of scar-related atrial tachycardia (ATs) is a key determinant of ablation success. The efficacy of ripple mapping (RM) in identifying the mechanism and critical isthmus of scar-related ATs during coherent mapping is unknown.

Methods: A total of 97 patients with complex ATs who underwent radiofrequency catheter ablation at our center between October 2018 and September 2022 were included.

Alpha-Lipoic Acid Induces Adipose Tissue Browning through AMP-Activated Protein Kinase Signaling and .

Background: AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) is a key enzyme for cellular energy homeostasis and improves metabolic disorders. Brown and beige adipose tissues exert thermogenesis capacities to dissipate energy in the form of heat. Here, we investigated the beneficial effects of the antioxidant alpha-lipoic acid (ALA) in menopausal obesity and the underlying mechanisms.

Hepatic danger signaling triggers TREM2 macrophage induction and drives steatohepatitis via MS4A7-dependent inflammasome activation.

Metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis (MASH), formerly known as nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), is an advanced stage of metabolic fatty liver disease. The pathogenic mechanisms of MASH center on hepatocyte injury and the ensuing immune response within the liver microenvironment. Recent work has implicated TREM2 macrophages in various disease conditions, and substantial induction of TREM2 NASH-associated macrophages (NAMs) serves as a hallmark of metabolic liver disease.

Quantitative analysis of the relationship between the myocardial bridge and the FAI of pericoronal fat on computed tomography.

We performed this cohort study to investigate whether the myocardial bridge (MB) affects the fat attenuation index (FAI) and to determine the optimal cardiac phase to measure the volume and the FAI of pericoronary adipose tissue (PCAT). The data of 300 patients who were diagnosed with MB of the left anterior descending (LAD) coronary artery were retrospectively analyzed. All of patients were divided into the MB group and the MB with atherosclerosis group.

The kainate receptor GluK2 mediates cold sensing in mice.

Thermosensors expressed in peripheral somatosensory neurons sense a wide range of environmental temperatures. While thermosensors detecting cool, warm and hot temperatures have all been extensively characterized, little is known about those sensing cold temperatures. Though several candidate cold sensors have been proposed, none has been demonstrated to mediate cold sensing in somatosensory neurons in vivo, leaving a knowledge gap in thermosensation.

Quantitative computed tomography angiography evaluation of the coronary fractional flow reserve in patients with left anterior descending artery myocardial bridging.

Purpose: To quantitatively investigate the effect of myocardial bridge (MB) in the left anterior descending artery (LAD) on the fractional flow reserve (FFR).

Materials And Methods: Three-hundred patients with LAD MB who had undergone coronary artery CT angiography (CCTA) were retrospectively enroled, and 104 normal patients were enroled as the control. The CCTA-derived fractional flow reserve (FFRCT) was measured at the LAD 10 mm proximal (FFR1) and 20-40 mm distal (FFR3) to the MB and at the MB location (FFR2).

The therapeutic potential of dietary intervention: based on the mechanism of a tryptophan derivative-indole propionic acid on metabolic disorders.

Tryptophan (TRP) contributes to individual immune homeostasis and good condition three complex metabolism pathways (5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT), kynurenine (KP), and gut microbiota pathway). Indole propionic acid (IPA), one of the TRP derivatives of the microbiota pathway, has raised more attention because of its impact on metabolic disorders. Here, we retrospect increasing evidence that TRP metabolites/IPA derived from its proteolysis impact host health and disease.

Prognostic value of CT-derived fractional flow reserve and fat attenuation index in patients with suspected coronary artery disease: a sex-disaggregated analyses.

Background: There are sex differences in many risk factors associated with coronary artery disease (CAD). CT-derived fractional flow reserve (CT-FFR) and fat attenuation index (FAI) have been shown to independently predict cardiovascular events. We aimed to examine the impact of sex on the prognostic value of CT-FFR and FAI in suspected CAD patients, and to examine the incremental prognostic value of FAI over CT-FFR in both sex.

Five similar anthocyanidin molecules display distinct disruptive effects and mechanisms of action on Aβ protofibril: A molecular dynamic simulation study.

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is associated with the deposition of amyloid-β (Aβ) fibrillary aggregates. Disaggregation of Aβ fibrils is considered as one of the promising AD treatments. Recent experimental studies showed that anthocyanidins, one type of flavonoids abundant in fruits/vegetables, can disaggregate Aβ fibrillary aggregates.