Application of fertilizers improves cadmium phytoextraction efficiency of Nasturtium officinale R.Br. grown in cadmium-contaminated water.

Increasing toxic metal pollution in the aquatic ecosystem since the industrial revolution produces serious environmental challenges and has raised critical questions of ecological and human health implications. As a typical aquatic plant, Nasturtium officinale (N. officinale) has drawn significant attention due to its remarkable accumulation of heavy metals and other harmful substances from polluted water.

Assessment of the Chemical Diversity and Functional Properties of Secondary Metabolites from the Marine Fungus .

Natural compounds derived from microorganisms, especially those with antioxidant and anticancer properties, are gaining attention for their potential applications in biomedical, cosmetic, and food industries. Marine fungi, such as , are particularly promising due to their ability to produce bioactive metabolites through the degradation of marine algal polysaccharides. This study investigates the metabolic diversity of grown on different carbon sources: glucose, spp.

Ribosome Biogenesis, Altered Metabolism and Ribotoxic Stress Response in Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma Tumor Microenvironment.

Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is a lethal malignancy with a poor overall survival rate. Cellular stress response pathways promoting cancer cell fitness in harsh tumor microenvironment (TME) play a critical role in cancer growth and survival. The influence of oncogenic Kras, multi-functional heterogeneous cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs), and immunosuppressive TME on cancer cells makes the disease more complex and difficult to treat.

An ensemble machine learning-based performance evaluation identifies top In-Silico pathogenicity prediction methods that best classify driver mutations in cancer.

Background And Objective: Accurate identification and prioritization of driver-mutations in cancer is critical for effective patient management. Despite the presence of numerous bioinformatic algorithms for estimating mutation pathogenicity, there is significant variation in their assessments. This inconsistency is evident even for well-established cancer driver mutations.

Chemically reduced graphene oxide based assembly of Aptasensor for sensitive and probe-free detection of penicillin-G.

The widespread use of antibiotics in livestock and poultry leads to antibiotic residues in food, posing public health risks. To ensure food safety, monitoring antibiotic levels in dairy and poultry is essential, especially for Penicillin-G (Pen-G), a frequently used β-lactam antibiotic. This study presents an electrochemical aptasensor for detecting Pen-G in food samples, using chemically reduced graphene oxide (crGO) conjugated with Pen-G-specific aptamer on electrode.

Investigation of the physicochemical factors affecting the in vitro digestion and glycemic indices of indigenous indica rice cultivars.

Rice (Oryza sativa) is a vital food crop and staple diet for most of the world's population. Poor dietary choices have had a significant role in the development of type-2 diabetes in the population that relies on rice and rice-starch-based foods. Hence, our study investigated the in vitro digestion and glycemic indices of certain indigenous rice cultivars and the factors influencing these indices.

Integrating Network Pharmacology and In Silico Analysis to Explore the Bioactive Compounds Against Gastric Cancer Treatment.

Gastric cancer (GC) has become a major challenge in oncology research, primarily due to its detection at advanced stages. In this study, we identified and validated the pharmacological mechanisms involved in treating gastric cancer using an integrated approach combining network pharmacology, molecular docking, and a dynamic approach. Gastric cancer-related genes were obtained from DisGeNET, Genecard, and Malacard databases, while potential targets of bioactive compounds were predicted using SwissTargetPrediction.

Estimating SARS-CoV-2 Omicron XBB.1.5 Spike-Directed Functional Antibody Levels From an Anti-Receptor Binding Domain Wuhan-Hu-1-Based Commercial Immunoassay Results.

We investigated whether antibody concentrations measured in plasma using the Roche Elecsys® Anti-SARS-CoV-2 S assay (targeting the receptor binding domain, RBD) could estimate levels of Wuhan-Hu-1 and Omicron XBB.1.5 spike-directed antibodies with neutralizing ability (NtAb) or those mediating NK-cell activity.

Desalting of oligonucleotides through precipitation for mass spectrometric analysis.

Contamination of sodium ions in oligonucleotides often causes issues in mass spectrometric analysis. This study investigated the efficiency of the combination of ammonium acetate and alcohol in desalting oligonucleotides. It was found that oligonucleotide samples containing up to 4 M NaCl can be effectively desalted through precipitation with ethanol or isopropanol in the presence of 1 or 5 M ammonium acetate.

A Novel and Robust Method for Investigating Fungal Biofilm.

, labeled an urgent threat by the CDC, shows significant resilience to treatments and disinfectants via biofilm formation, complicating treatment/disease management. The inconsistencies in biofilm architecture observed across studies hinder the understanding of its role in pathogenesis. Our novel in vitro technique cultivates biofilms on gelatin-coated coverslips, reliably producing multilayer biofilms with extracellular polymeric substances (EPS).

Multidrug resistant : A study on its pathogenesis and therapeutics.

The overuse of antibiotics has led to the global dissemination of , an increasingly challenging nosocomial pathogen. This review explores the medical significance along with the diverse resistance ability of . Intensive care units (ICUs) serve as a breeding ground for , as these settings harbour vulnerable patients and facilitate the spread of opportunistic microorganisms.

Malaria prevalence, transmission potential and efficacy of artemisinin-based combination therapy in the Kenyan Central highlands: a zone previously characterized as malaria-free.

Background: The current study sought to re-evaluate malaria prevalence, susceptibility to artemisinin-based combination therapy (ACT), transmission patterns and the presence of malaria vectors in the Kikuyu area of the Kenyan Central highlands, a non-traditional/low risk malaria transmission zone where there have been anecdotal reports of emerging malaria infections.

Methods: Sampling of adult mosquitoes was done indoors, while larvae were sampled outdoors in June 2019. The malaria clinical study was an open label non-randomized clinical trial where the efficacy of one ACT drug, was evaluated in two health facilities.

In Vitro Bioaccessibility of Edible Seaweed Proteins from the Chilean Coast and Proteins from the Novel Seaweed-Derived Mycoprotein.

Seaweed biomass is globally underutilized as a source of proteins despite its nutritional potential, with much of its use focused on hydrocolloid extraction. This study evaluated the nutritional quality and digestibility of protein and amino acids from two brown seaweeds ( spp. and ), one green seaweed ( spp.

Advancing neurological disorders therapies: Organic nanoparticles as a key to blood-brain barrier penetration.

The blood-brain barrier (BBB) plays a vital role in protecting the central nervous system (CNS) by preventing the entry of harmful pathogens from the bloodstream. However, this barrier also presents a significant obstacle when it comes to delivering drugs for the treatment of neurodegenerative diseases and brain cancer. Recent breakthroughs in nanotechnology have paved the way for the creation of a wide range of nanoparticles (NPs) that can serve as carriers for diagnosis and therapy.

Neuroimmunometabolism: How Metabolism Orchestrates Immune Response in Healthy and Diseased Brain.

Neuroimmunometabolism describes how neuroimmune cells, such as microglia, adapt their intracellular metabolic pathways to alter their immune functions in the CNS. Emerging evidence indicates that neurons also orchestrate the microglia mediated immune response through neuro-immune crosstalk perhaps through metabolic signalling. However, little is known about how the brain's metabolic microenvironment and microglial intracellular metabolism orchestrate the neuroimmune response in healthy and diseased brains.

Comparison of the role of vitamin D in normal organs and those affected by COVID-19.

The outbreak of COVID-19 has opened up new avenues for exploring the importance of vitamin D in immunity, in addition to its role in calcium absorption. Recently, vitamin D supplementation has been found to enhance T regulatory lymphocytes, which are reduced in individuals with COVID-19. Increased risk of pneumonia and increases in inflammatory cytokines have been reported to be major threats associated with vitamin-D deficiency.

Mitochondrial phosphatase PPTC7 promotes EGFR recycling by facilitating VPS4A endosomal localization.

PPTC7 is a mitochondrial phosphatase that is essential for mitochondrial biogenesis, metabolism, protein content maintenance and transport. While the mitochondrial roles of PPTC7 are well-characterized, its roles outside the mitochondria are unclear. Here we identified a non-mitochondrial role for PPTC7 in regulating epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) trafficking.

Deep metabolomics revealed trajectories of jasmonate signaling-mediated primary metabolism in Arabidopsis upon Spodoptera litura herbivory.

Plants defend against chewing herbivores by up-regulating jasmonic acid (JA) signaling, which activates downstream signaling cascades and produces numerous secondary metabolites that act as defense molecules against the herbivores. Although secondary metabolism always remains a focus of research, primary metabolism is also reported to be realigned upon herbivory. However, JA signaling-mediated modulation of primary metabolites and their metabolic pathways in plants are mostly unexplored.

Withaferin A inhibits Chikungunya virus nsP2 protease and shows antiviral activity in the cell culture and mouse model of virus infection.

Chikungunya virus (CHIKV) is a mosquito-transmitted alphavirus causing fever, myalgia, and debilitating joint swelling and pain, which in many patients becomes chronic. The frequent epidemics of CHIKV across the world pose a significant public health burden necessitating the development of effective antiviral therapeutics. A cellular imaging-based high-content screening of natural compounds identified withaferin A (WFA), a steroidal lactone isolated from the plant Withania somnifera, as a potent antiviral against CHIKV.

Assessment of Humoral Response at SARS-CoV-2 Infection by Multipronged Functional Proteomics Approaches.

In the past decade, a major goal in biomedical research has been to understand why individuals differ in disease susceptibility, disease dynamics, and progression. In many pathologies, this variability stems from evolved immune mechanisms that resist inflammatory stress from various diseases that have been encountered throughout life. These may provide advantages against other diseases, reduce comorbidities, and enhance longevity.

Placental Proteomics Reveals an Elevated Level of Aldo-Keto Reductase 1-B1, Highlighting Its Potential Role in Spontaneous Preterm Birth.

Preterm birth (PTB) refers to the delivery of a baby before the completion of 37 weeks of gestation. It is a significant global health issue with implications for both mothers and neonates. The placenta is a transient organ crucial in the sustenance of pregnancy until parturition; its dysfunction is associated with different adverse pregnancy outcomes, including PTB.

Mucin5AC promotes breast cancer brain metastasis through cMET/CD44v6.

Purpose: Breast cancer (BC) brain metastasis (BrM) remains a significant clinical problem. Mucins have been implicated in metastasis; however, if they are also involved in BCBrM remains unknown. We queried BrM patient databases and found Mucin 5AC (MUC5AC) to be upregulated and therefore sought to define the role of MUC5AC in BCBrM.

Psoralidin acts as a dual protease inhibitor against PL and M of SARS-CoV-2.

The emergence of new coronavirus variants and concerns about vaccine effectiveness against these novel variants emphasize the need for broad-spectrum therapeutics targeting conserved coronaviral non-structural proteins. Accordingly, a virtual library of 178 putative inhibitors targeting SARS-CoV-2 Papain-like protease (PL) was compiled through a systematic review of published literature and subsequently screened using molecular docking. Selected hits were analyzed for protease inhibitory activities, binding strength, and antiviral activities against HCoV229E-based surrogate system and subsequently against SARS-CoV-2 for validation.

Induction of PD-1 and CD44 in CD4 T cells by circulatory extracellular vesicles from severe dengue patients drives endothelial damage via the NF-kB signaling pathway.

Extracellular vesicles (EVs) emerged as critical contributors to the pathogenesis of vascular endothelial barrier dysfunction during the inflammatory response to infection. However, the contribution of circulating EVs to modifying endothelial function during dengue virus infection remains unclear. In this study, we showed that severe dengue patients' plasma-derived EV (SD-EV) were found to carry elevated levels of different protein cargos, e.