Innovative antifungal strategies: enhanced biofilm inhibition of by a modified tea tree oil formulation.

Introduction: is a significant human pathogen with the ability to form biofilms, a critical factor in its resistance to antifungal treatments. This study aims to evaluate the antifungal activity and biofilm inhibition potential of Tea Tree Oil (TTO) derived from cultivated in Vietnam.

Methods: The antifungal activity of TTO was assessed by determining the Minimum Inhibitory Concentration (MIC), Minimum Fungicidal Concentration (MFC), Minimum Biofilm Inhibitory Concentration (MBIC), and Minimum Biofilm Eradication Concentration (MBEC) using broth dilution methods.

Advances in aggregation-induced emission luminogens for biomedicine: From luminescence mechanisms to diagnostic applications.

Advancements in early detection have demonstrated the significance of biomarkers as indicators of health and disease. Traditional detection methods often face limitations, such as low sensitivity and time consumption. Fluorescence-based techniques are considered promising approaches because of their noninvasiveness and rapid response.

Kidney hyperfiltration and mitochondrial changes are associated with eGFR decline in young people with type 1 diabetes.

Objectives: To examine the relationship between kidney hyperfiltration during adolescence and subsequent changes in estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) and urinary albumin creatinine ratio (UACR) in a young cohort of participants with type 1 diabetes. Additionally, to explore urinary mitochondrial DNA:nuclear DNA ratio (mtDNA:nDNA) as a marker of metabolic stress and its association with early changes in kidney function.

Methods: Eighty adolescents were studied at baseline [mean (SD) age 14.

Location-biased β-arrestin conformations direct GPCR signaling.

β-arrestins are multifunctional intracellular proteins that regulate the desensitization, internalization and signaling of over 800 different G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) and interact with a diverse array of cellular partners. Beyond the plasma membrane, GPCRs can initiate unique signaling cascades from various subcellular locations, a phenomenon known as "location bias". Here, we investigate how β-arrestins direct location-biased signaling of the angiotensin II type I receptor (AT1R).

Phosphorylation patterns in the AT1R C-terminal tail specify distinct downstream signaling pathways.

Different ligands stabilize specific conformations of the angiotensin II type 1 receptor (AT1R) that direct distinct signaling cascades mediated by heterotrimeric G proteins or β-arrestin. These different active conformations are thought to engage distinct intracellular transducers because of differential phosphorylation patterns in the receptor C-terminal tail (the "barcode" hypothesis). Here, we identified the AT1R barcodes for the endogenous agonist AngII, which stimulates both G protein activation and β-arrestin recruitment, and for a synthetic biased agonist that only stimulates β-arrestin recruitment.

Simple and Rapid Method of Microwell Array Fabrication for Drug Testing on 3D Cancer Spheroids.

Three-dimensional (3D) cell culture systems are becoming increasingly popular due to their ability to mimic the complex process of angiogenesis in cancer, providing more accurate and physiologically relevant data than traditional two-dimensional (2D) cell culture systems. Microwell systems are particularly useful in this context as they provide a microenvironment that more closely resembles the in vivo environment than traditional microwells. Poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) microwells are particularly advantageous due to their bio-inertness and the ability to tailor their material characteristics depending on the PEG molecular weight.

ACKR3 Proximity Labeling Identifies Novel G protein- and β-arrestin-independent GPCR Interacting Proteins.

The canonical paradigm of GPCR signaling recognizes G proteins and β-arrestins as the two primary transducers that promote GPCR signaling. Recent evidence suggests the atypical chemokine receptor 3 (ACKR3) does not couple to G proteins, and β-arrestins are dispensable for some of its functions. Here, we employed proximity labeling to identify proteins that interact with ACKR3 in cells devoid of β-arrestin.

GPCR kinases differentially modulate biased signaling downstream of CXCR3 depending on their subcellular localization.

Some G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) demonstrate biased signaling such that ligands of the same receptor exclusively or preferentially activate certain downstream signaling pathways over others. This phenomenon may result from ligand-specific receptor phosphorylation by GPCR kinases (GRKs). GPCR signaling can also exhibit location bias because GPCRs traffic to and signal from subcellular compartments in addition to the plasma membrane.

From brown to green: are Asian economies on the right path? Assessing the role of green innovations and geopolitical risk on environmental quality.

Preserving the sustainability of the natural environment has emerged as a critical focus on policy agendas worldwide. Therefore, this study examines the relationship between environmental quality and key determinants, focusing on geopolitical risk (GPR), green innovations (GI), economic growth, FDI, renewable energy consumption, and urbanization. Dataset is used for the time period of 1990-2020 across selected Asian economies including China, India, Japan, Malaysia, and South Korea.

Environmental impact of endocrine-disrupting chemicals and heavy metals in biological samples of petrochemical industry workers with perspective management.

Exposure to endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs) or heavy metals are synthetic compounds that can lead to negative effect on health, including immune and endocrine system disruption, respiratory problems, metabolic issues, diabetes, obesity, cardiovascular problems, growth impairment, neurological and learning disabilities, and cancer. Petrochemical industry drilling wastes, which contain varying levels of EDCs, are known to pose a significant risk to human health. This study aimed to investigate the levels of toxic elements in biological samples of individuals working in the petrochemical drilling sites.

High-Intensity Interval Training is Safe, Feasible and Efficacious in Nonalcoholic Steatohepatitis: A Randomized Controlled Trial.

Background: High-Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) involves bursts of high-intensity exercise interspersed with lower-intensity exercise recovery. HIIT may benefit cardiometabolic health in people with nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH).

Aims: We aimed to examine the safety, feasibility, and efficacy of 12-weeks of supervised HIIT compared with a sham-exercise control (CON) for improving aerobic fitness and peripheral insulin sensitivity in biopsy-proven NASH.

Location bias contributes to functionally selective responses of biased CXCR3 agonists.

Some G protein-coupled receptor (GPCR) ligands act as "biased agonists" that preferentially activate specific signaling transducers over others. Although GPCRs are primarily found at the plasma membrane, GPCRs can traffic to and signal from many subcellular compartments. Here, we determine that differential subcellular signaling contributes to the biased signaling generated by three endogenous ligands of the GPCR CXC chemokine receptor 3 (CXCR3).

Clinical Characteristics and Implications of Bradycardia in COVID-19 Patients Treated with Remdesivir: A Single-Center Retrospective Cohort Study.

Background And Objectives: Remdesivir is an antiviral drug used to treat coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) with a relatively obscure cardiac effect profile. Previous studies have reported bradycardia associated with remdesivir, but few have examined its clinical characteristics. The objective of this study was to investigate remdesivir associated bradycardia and its associated clinical characteristics and outcomes.

Spatiotemporal Analysis and Assessment of Risk Factors in Transmission of African Swine Fever Along the Major Pig Value Chain in Lao Cai Province, Vietnam.

African swine fever (ASF) is a contagious and lethal hemorrhagic disease with a case fatality rate approaching 100% in domestic pigs. The main objectives of this study were to describe the spatiotemporal analysis as well as to assess the potential risk factors along the pig value chain in Lao Cai province, Vietnam. A total of 925 outbreaks were reported from 2019 to 2020.

Computational investigation into intramolecular hydrogen bonding controlling the isomer formation and p of octahedral nickel(II) proton reduction catalysts.

This work demonstrates the impact of intramolecular hydrogen bonding (H-bonding) on the calculated p of octahedral tris-(pyridinethiolato)nickel(II), [Ni(PyS)3]-, proton reduction catalysts. Density Functional Theory (DFT) calculations on a [Ni(PyS)3]- catalyst, and eleven derivatives, demonstrate geometric isomer formation in the protonation step of the catalytic cycle. Through Quantum Theory of Atoms in Molecules (QTAIM), we show that the p of each isomer is driven by intramolecular H-bonding of the proton on the pyridyl nitrogen to a sulfur on a neighboring ligand.

Revealing A-T and G-C Hoogsteen base pairs in stressed protein-bound duplex DNA.

Watson-Crick base pairs (bps) are the fundamental unit of genetic information and the building blocks of the DNA double helix. However, A-T and G-C can also form alternative 'Hoogsteen' bps, expanding the functional complexity of DNA. We developed 'Hoog-finder', which uses structural fingerprints to rapidly screen Hoogsteen bps, which may have been mismodeled as Watson-Crick in crystal structures of protein-DNA complexes.

Separation of short and medium-chain fatty acids using capillary electrophoresis with indirect photometric detection: Part I: Identification of fatty acids in rat feces.

Short and medium-chain fatty acids (SMCFAs) are known as essential metabolites found in gut microbiota that function as modulators in the development and progression of many inflammatory conditions as well as in the regulation of cell metabolism. Currently, there are few simple and low-cost analytical methods available for the determination of SMCFA. This report focuses on SMCFA analysis utilizing CE with indirect photometric detection (CE-IPD).

Cell morphology-based machine learning models for human cell state classification.

Herein, we implement and access machine learning architectures to ascertain models that differentiate healthy from apoptotic cells using exclusively forward (FSC) and side (SSC) scatter flow cytometry information. To generate training data, colorectal cancer HCT116 cells were subjected to miR-34a treatment and then classified using a conventional Annexin V/propidium iodide (PI)-staining assay. The apoptotic cells were defined as Annexin V-positive cells, which include early and late apoptotic cells, necrotic cells, as well as other dying or dead cells.

Multi-agent reinforcement learning approach for hedging portfolio problem.

Developing a hedging strategy to reduce risk of losses for a given set of stocks in a portfolio is a difficult task due to cost of the hedge. In Vietnam stock market, cross-hedge is involved hedging a long position of a stock because there is no put option for the stock. In addition, only VN30 stock index futures contracts are traded on Hanoi Stock Exchange.