Genome-wide identification and functional roles relating to anthocyanin biosynthesis analysis in maize.

Background: Anthocyanin is an important class of water-soluble pigments that are widely distributed in various tissues of plants, and it not only facilitates diverse color changes but also plays important roles in various biological processes. Maize silk, serving as an important reproductive organ and displaying a diverse range of colors, plays an indispensable role in biotic resistance through its possession of anthocyanin. However, the copy numbers, characteristics, and expression patterns of genes involved in maize anthocyanin biosynthesis are not fully understood.

Sibanin, a novel black fly-derived Kunitz protease inhibitor, prevents thrombus formation in mice by anticoagulation-antiplatelet duality.

Most Kunitz inhibitors exhibit serine protease inhibitory activity, but limited information is available on the regulation of platelet function. Herein, we report the purification and characterization of a novel single Kunitz domain inhibitor (Sibanin) from the salivary glands of the black fly Simulium bannaense. Recombinant Sibanin prolonged activated partial thromboplastin time and prothrombin time, and exhibited high-affinity binding to FXa and elastase with a KD of 5.

Insight into the effect of ZIF-8 on the interaction between drugs and protein/cell.

Understanding the impact of nanomaterials on drug-protein/cell interactions is crucial for comprehending their in vivo biological effects. We investigated the impact of zeolitic imidazolate framework (ZIF)-8 on the interaction between curcumin (Cur) and human serum albumin (HSA) using various spectroscopic techniques and molecular docking. Additionally, we examined its effect on drug-cell interaction using HepG2 cells and Escherichia coli (E.

Dual Inhibition of CDK4/6 and CDK7 Suppresses Triple-Negative Breast Cancer Progression via Epigenetic Modulation of SREBP1-Regulated Cholesterol Metabolism.

Inhibitors targeting cyclin-dependent kinases 4 and 6 (CDK4/6) to block cell cycle progression have been effective in treating hormone receptor-positive breast cancer, but triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) remains largely resistant, limiting their clinical applicability. The study reveals that transcription regulator cyclin-dependent kinase7 (CDK7) is a promising target to circumvent TNBC's inherent resistance to CDK4/6 inhibitors. Combining CDK4/6 and CDK7 inhibitors significantly enhances therapeutic effectiveness, leading to a marked decrease in cholesterol biosynthesis within cells.

ZSCAN16 expedites hepatocellular carcinoma progression via activating TBC1D31.

Objective: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is fatal and poses great challenges to early diagnosis and effective treatment. This paper sought to expound the function of Zinc finger and SCAN domain-containing protein 16 (ZSCAN16) and TBC1 domain family member 31 (TBC1D31) in HCC progression.

Methods: ZSCAN16 and TBC1D31 levels were detected by RT-qPCR, Western blot, and immunohistochemistry.

[Clinical features and prognosis of children with fungal bloodstream infection following chemotherapy for acute leukemia].

Objectives: To investigate the clinical features and prognosis of children with fungal bloodstream infection (BSI) following chemotherapy for acute leukemia (AL).

Methods: A retrospective analysis was performed on 23 children with fungal BSI following chemotherapy for AL in three hospitals in Fujian Province, China, from January 2015 to December 2023. Their clinical features and prognosis were analyzed.

Clinical outcomes after post-operative radiotherapy for breast cancer patients presenting with ipsilateral supraclavicular metastasis: considerations on the cranial border of irradiation field.

Background: Disease recurrence at lower neck adjacent to ipsilateral supraclavicular (SCV) region represents a concern in locally advanced breast cancer patients presenting with SCV metastasis at diagnosis. This study aims to report the outcomes following post-operative radical radiation therapy and discuss the reasonable cranial border of the irradiation field for N3c patients.

Methods: Between July 2016 and January 2022, a total of 268 patients were eligible for analysis.

Single-Dose Drug Development Candidate for Schistosomiasis.

Aryl hydantoins were identified in the early 1980s as a promising antischistosomal chemotype. However, as exemplified by Ro 13-3978, this compound series produced antiandrogenic side effects on the host, a not unexpected outcome given their structural similarity to the antiandrogenic drug nilutamide. The two key advances in our optimization of Ro 13-3978 were swapping the aryl trifluoromethyl substituent with a difluoroethyl to abolish antiandrogenic effects and replacing the hydrogen atoms of the -dimethyl substructure with deuterium atoms to increase metabolic stability.

Simultaneous determination of pesticides, mycotoxins and ferulic acid in Angelica sinensis by GC/LC-Q-TOF/MS.

In this study, a strong applicable method that could determine a total of 33 pesticides (54 compounds), 11 mycotoxins and functional components (ferulic acid) simultaneously in Angelica sinensis was developed. The compatibility of the sample pretreatment method for pesticides, mycotoxins, and functional components was improved by optimizing the acidity of extraction solvents, the sequence of ice bath and oscillation, the volumetric solution, and so on. The PRiME HLB SPE pretreatment method was chosen as the optimal one when comparing four pretreatment methods.

Electrolyte Design Enables Stable and Energy-Dense Potassium-Ion Batteries.

Free from strategically important elements such as lithium, nickel, cobalt, and copper, potassium-ion batteries (PIBs) are heralded as promising low-cost and sustainable electrochemical energy storage systems that complement the existing lithium-ion batteries (LIBs). However, the reported electrochemical performance of PIBs is still suboptimal, especially under practically relevant battery manufacturing conditions. The primary challenge stems from the lack of electrolytes capable of concurrently supporting both the low-voltage anode and high-voltage cathode with satisfactory Coulombic efficiency (CE) and cycling stability.

Exploration of protein and genetic targets causing atrioventricular block: mendelian-randomization analyses based on eQTL data and pQTL data.

Background: Atrioventricular block (AVB) is a heterogeneous group of arrhythmias. AVB can lead to sudden arrest of the heart and subsequent syncope or sudden cardiac death. Few scholars have investigated the underlying molecular mechanisms of AVB.

Short-term Outcomes in Infants after General Anesthesia with Low-dose Sevoflurane/Dexmedetomidine/Remifentanil versus Standard-dose Sevoflurane (the TREX Trial).

Background: The Trial Remifentanil DEXmedetomidine (TREX) trial aimed to determine whether, in children less than 2 yr old, low-dose sevoflurane/dexmedetomidine/remifentanil anesthesia is superior to standard-dose sevoflurane anesthesia in terms of global cognitive function at 3 yr of age. The aim of the current secondary analyses was to compare incidence of intraoperative hypotension and bradycardia, postoperative pain, time to recovery, need for treatment of intraoperative hypotension and bradycardia, incidence of light anesthesia and need for treatment, need for postoperative pain medications, and morbidity and mortality outcomes at 5 days between the two arms.

Methods: This phase III randomized active controlled, parallel group, assessor blinded, multicenter, superiority trial was performed in 20 centers in Australia, Italy, and the United States.

Comparative study of synergistic antibacterial activity of ciprofloxacin-capped gold nanoparticles under different ultrasound frequency.

Sonodynamic antimicrobial chemotherapy (SACT), as a novel anti-infective program, has received tremendous attention due to its good tissue penetration depth and low invasion. Ultrasound (US) frequency was one of the important parameters for SACT. To investigate the influence of different US frequencies on sonodynamic antimicrobial activity of ciprofloxacin-capped gold nanoparticles (CIP:GNPs).

Prognostic significance and treatment strategies for IKZF1 deletion in pediatric B-cell precursor acute lymphoblastic leukemia.

Background: The predictive importance of IKZF1 in pediatric B-cell precursor acute lymphoblastic leukemia (BCP-ALL) has shown variability across different studies. Thus, the optimal treatment approach for children with IKZF1 BCP-ALL remains contentious, with the ongoing debate surrounding the use of IKZF1-based high-risk stratification versus a minimal residual disease (MRD)-guided protocol.

Methods: IKZF1 status was reliably determined in 804 patients using multiplex ligation-dependent probe amplification (MLPA) data obtained from four hospitals in Fujian, a province of China.

Investigation into the Sonodynamic Activity of Three Newly Synthesized Derivatives of Ciprofloxacin.

Sonosensitizers play a crucial role in the efficacy of sonodynamic antitumor therapy (SDT) and sonodynamic antimicrobial chemotherapy (SACT), highlighting the necessity for the development of new compounds with good sonodynamic activity. In this study, three novel 3-substituted ciprofloxacin derivatives (CIPD1, CIPD2, and CIPD3) were designed and synthesized. Their sonodynamic activities were evaluated by assessing the damage to bovine serum albumin (BSA) and ().

Exploring the antibiotic resistance genes removal dynamics in chicken manure by composting.

Prolonged antibiotic usage in livestock farming leads to the accumulation of antibiotic resistance genes in animal manure. Composting has been shown as an effective way of removing antibiotic resistance from manures, but the specific mechanisms remain unclear. This study used time-series sampling and metagenomics to analyse the resistome types and their bacterial hosts in chicken manures.