Probing DNA G-Quadruplex and I-Motif Structures Via a Fluorescent Nucleoside Analogue: 4-Cyanoindole-2'-Deoxyribonucleoside.

Since the building blocks of DNA are nonfluorescent, various external fluorescence reporters have been employed to investigate the structure, dynamics, and function of DNA G-quadruplexes (GQs) and i-motifs (iMs), which play an important role in gene regulation and expression. However, most of those fluorescence reporters lack the ability to provide site-specific structural information of interest. Therefore, it is necessary to develop fluorescent nucleoside analogues that can be covalently inserted into oligonucleotides, which not only serve this purpose, but minimize any potential perturbation towards the native structure of the DNA systems in question.

Innovative Therapeutic Strategies for Myocardial Infarction Across Various Stages: Non-Coding RNA and Stem Cells.

Myocardial infarction (MI) is a highly challenging and fatal disease, with diverse challenges arising at different stages of its progression. As such, non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs), which can broadly regulate cell fate, and stem cells with multi-differentiation potential are emerging as novel therapeutic approaches for treating MI across its various stages. NcRNAs, including microRNAs (miRNAs) and long non-coding RNAs (LncRNAs), can directly participate in regulating intracellular signaling pathways, influence cardiac angiogenesis, and promote the repair of infarcted myocardium.

Effects of stress factors on biogenic isoprene emissions and their contribution to ozone and secondary organic aerosols in China.

Isoprene serves an important part in plant defense against biotic and abiotic stresses, while also exerting a crucial influence on atmospheric photochemical processes and global climate change. The regional climate-chemistry-ecosystem model (RegCM-Chem-YIBs) was employed in the following study to estimate the biogenic isoprene emissions (BISP) in China during 2018-2020. The model explored the relative contributions of various stress factors such as drought, carbon dioxide (CO), and surface ozone (O) to isoprene emissions.

Intrinsic anti-inflammatory nanomedicines for enhanced pain management.

Introduction: Effective postoperative pain management remains a significant challenge due to the severe side effects of opioids and the limitations of existing analgesic delivery systems. Inflammation plays a critical role in pain exacerbation, highlighting the need for therapies that combine analgesic effects with intrinsic anti-inflammatory properties.

Methods: Herein, we develop an intrinsic anti-inflammatory nanomedicine designed to enhance pain management by integrating controlled anesthetic release with inherent anti-inflammatory activity.

Evolution of surgical treatment for hepatolithiasis.

Hepatolithiasis is a common disease where stones are located in the intrahepatic bile duct. Hepatolithiasis is a disease with regional characteristics. The complication and postoperative recurrence rates of the disease are high.

Oral colon-retentive inulin gels protect against radiation-induced hematopoietic and gastrointestinal injury by improving gut homeostasis.

Ionizing radiation-induced injury often occurs in nuclear accidents or large-dose radiotherapy, leading to acute radiation syndromes characterized by hematopoietic and gastrointestinal injuries even to death. However, current radioprotective drugs are only used in hospitals with unavoidable side effects. Here, we heated the aqueous solution of inulin, a polysaccharide dietary fiber, forming colon-retentive gel as a radiation protector in radiotherapy.

Interlaboratory Measurement of Adeno-Associated Virus: Comparative Quantification of Full and Empty Capsids.

Recombinant adeno-associated virus (AAV) is one of the main viral vector-based gene therapy platforms. AAV is a virus consisting of a ≈25 nm diameter capsid with a ≈4.7 kb cargo capacity.

SUSD2 cancer-associated fibroblasts in gastric cancer mediate the effect of immunosuppression and predict overall survival and the effectiveness of neoadjuvant immunotherapy.

Background: The expression patterns and functions of Sushi Domain Containing 2 (SUSD2) differ among various malignancies. This research aims to investigate the expression of SUSD2 and the role of the SUSD2 cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) for immunotherapy in gastric cancer.

Methods: The expression of SUSD2 and specific markers (CD4, CD8, PD-1, TIGIT, TIM-3 and CD163) was determined using immunohistochemistry and multiplex immunofluorescence (mIHC) on paraffin sections.

Mechanism of ultrafast flavin photoreduction in the active site of flavoenzyme LSD1 histone demethylase.

Photoreduction of oxidized flavins has a functional role in photocatalytic and photoreceptor flavoproteins. In flavoproteins without light-dependent physiological functions, ultrafast, reversible flavin photoreduction is supposedly photoprotective by nature, and holds potential for nonnatural photocatalytic applications. In this work, we combine protein mutagenesis, ultrafast spectroscopy, molecular dynamics simulations and quantum mechanics calculations to investigate the nonfunctional flavin photoreduction in a flavoenzyme, lysine-specific demethylase 1 (LSD1) which is pivotal in DNA transcription.

Contrast-enhanced US Bosniak Classification: intra- and inter-rater agreement, confounding features, and diagnostic performance.

Background: The contrast-enhanced US (CEUS) Bosniak classification, proposed by the European Federation for Ultrasound in Medicine and Biology (EFSUMB) in 2020, predicts malignancy in cystic renal masses (CRMs). However, intra- and inter-rater reproducibility for CEUS features has not been well investigated.

Purpose: To explore intra- and inter-rater agreement for US features, identify confounding features, and assess the diagnostic performance of CEUS Bosniak classification.

Solvent-mediated analgesia via the suppression of water permeation through TRPV1 ion channels.

Activation of the ion channel transient receptor potential vanilloid 1 (TRPV1), which is integral to pain perception, leads to an expansion of channel width, facilitating the passage of cations and large organic molecules. However, the permeability of TRPV1 channels to water remains uncertain, owing to a lack of suitable tools to study water dynamics. Here, using upconversion nanophosphors to discriminate between HO and DO, by monitoring water permeability across activated TRPV1 at the single-cell and single-molecule levels, and by combining single-channel current measurements with molecular dynamics simulations, we show that water molecules flow through TRPV1 and reveal a direct connection between water migration, cation flow and TRPV1 functionality.

Unusual Hydrophobic Property of Blue Fluorescent Amino Acid 4-Cyanotryptophan.

It is a common belief that the negative heat capacity change (Δ) associated with protein folding, which is a manifestation of the hydrophobic effect, results from a decrease in the solvent accessible hydrophobic surface area. Herein, we investigate the conformational energy landscape and dynamics of a tetrapeptide composed of two glycine and two 4-cyanotryptophan residues using time-resolved fluorescence spectroscopy, molecular dynamics simulations, and density functional theory calculations and find that, contrary to this expectation, the hydrophobic association of two 4-cyanotryptophan side chains leads to a positive Δ (approximately 543 J K mol). Furthermore, we find that promoting one of the 4-cyanotryptophans to its excited electronic state strengthens this self-association.

Ptychographic Mueller matrix imaging (PMMI): principle and proof-of-concept demonstration.

Quantitative characterization of optical anisotropies is extremely important for wide fields and applications. The Mueller matrix, providing all the polarization-related properties of a medium, is a powerful tool for the comprehensive evaluation of optical anisotropies. Here, we propose a ptychographic Mueller matrix imaging (PMMI) technique, which features the Mueller matrix polarization modulation being introduced into the ptychography.

Single-cell sequencing combined with transcriptomics and in vivo and in vitro analysis reveals the landscape of ferroptosis in myocardial ischemia-reperfusion injury.

Myocardial ischemia-reperfusion injury (MIRI) is a significant risk factor for acute myocardial infarction and is closely associated with ferroptosis. This study aimed to identify key ferroptosis-related genes as potential diagnostic markers for MIRI and to explore their roles in immune infiltration and therapeutic targeting in myocardial tissue. We obtained single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) and RNA-seq data on MIRI from the GEO database, applied Seurat and UMAP for data processing and clustering, and analyzed ligand-receptor interactions using CellPhoneDB.

Risk factors of complications after thermal ablation for hepatocellular carcinoma: the role of assessment of liver background.

Objective: To use an elastography technology and other clinical and radiological data for assessment of liver background and analyze risk factors of complications after thermal ablation in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma.

Methods: Demographics, laboratory analyses, and radiological characteristics were collected from all patients. Main elastography-related indicators included F index (fibrosis index), A index (inflammation index), ATT (attenuation coefficient), E (kPa), AREA (area of blue parts), and CORR (correlation).

On the thixotropy of cellulose nanofibril suspensions.

The thixotropic behavior of mechanically disk refined cellulose nanofibril (CNF) aqueous suspensions with 100% fines content at 1 and 3 wt% concentrations was investigated through creep, shear-recovery, multiple-step oscillation, startup, and flow loop experiments. The CNF suspensions exhibited the key thixotropic characteristics such as reduction in viscosity over time and structure recovery after cessation of flow. The results of shear recovery and multiple-step oscillation experiments suggested that regardless of the CNF concentration, lower extents of deformation impede the ability of the suspension to recover its structure at rest and higher levels of shear rates and strain amplitudes facilitate the structure recovery.

Machine Learning Model Based on Prognostic Nutritional Index for Predicting Long-Term Outcomes in Patients With HCC Undergoing Ablation.

Aims: To develop multiple machine learning (ML) models based on the prognostic nutritional index (PNI) and determine the optimal model for predicting long-term survival outcomes in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) patients after local ablation.

Methods: From January 2009 to December 2019, we analyzed data from 848 primary HCC patients who underwent local ablation. ML models were constructed and evaluated using the concordance index (C-index), concordance-discordance area under curve (C/D AUC), and Brier scores.

In situ photocrosslinkable hydrogel treats radiation-induced skin injury by ROS elimination and inflammation regulation.

The clinical management of radiation-induced skin injury (RSI) poses a significant challenge, primarily due to the acute damage caused by an overabundance of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and the ongoing inflammatory microenvironment. Here, we designed a dual-network hydrogel composed of 5 % (w/v) Pluronic F127 diacrylate and 2 % (w/v) hyaluronic acid methacryloyl, termed the FH hydrogel. To confer antioxidant and anti-inflammation properties to the hydrogel, we incorporated PVP-modified Prussian blue nanoparticles (PPBs) and resveratrol (Res) to form PHF@Res hydrogels.