Localized release of muscle-generated BDNF regulates the initial formation of postsynaptic apparatus at neuromuscular synapses.

Growing evidence indicates that brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) is produced in contracting skeletal muscles and is secreted as a myokine that plays an important role in muscle metabolism. However, the involvement of muscle-generated BDNF and the regulation of its vesicular trafficking, localization, proteolytic processing, and spatially restricted release during the development of vertebrate neuromuscular junctions (NMJs) remain largely unknown. In this study, we first reported that BDNF is spatially associated with the actin-rich core domain of podosome-like structures (PLSs) at topologically complex acetylcholine receptor (AChR) clusters in cultured Xenopus muscle cells.

Occupational exposure to silica and risk of gastrointestinal cancers: a systematic review and meta-analysis of cohort studies.

Background: Although silica is a proven lung carcinogen, there is no convincing evidence linking crystalline silica to gastrointestinal malignancies.

Methods: We detailedly searched studies on the link between gastrointestinal malignancies and occupational silica exposure. Studies published between 1987 and 2023 were found by searching PubMed, Scopus, Cochrane Library, and Web of Science databases.

Polystyrene microplastics induce size-dependent multi-organ damage in mice: Insights into gut microbiota and fecal metabolites.

Particle size is one of the most important factors in determining the biological toxicity of microplastics (MPs). In this study, we attempted to examine the systemic toxicity of polystyrene MPs of different sizes (0.5 µm MP1 and 5 µm MP2) in C57BL/6 J mice.

Steroidal alkaloid solanidine impedes hypoxia-driven ATM phosphorylation to switch on anti-angiogenesis in lung adenocarcinoma.

Purpose: The declined oxygen tension in the cancer cell leads to the hypoxic adaptive response and favors establishment of tumor micro environment [TEM]. The complex TME consists of interwoven hypoxic HIF-1α and DNA damage repair ATM signaling. The ATM/HIF-1α phosphorylation switch on angiogenesis and abort apoptosis.

Nerve-independent formation of membrane infoldings at topologically complex postsynaptic apparatus by caveolin-3.

Junctional folds are unique membrane specializations developed progressively during the postnatal maturation of vertebrate neuromuscular junctions (NMJs), but how they are formed remains elusive. Previous studies suggested that topologically complex acetylcholine receptor (AChR) clusters in muscle cultures undergo a series of transformations, resembling the postnatal maturation of NMJs in vivo. We first demonstrated the presence of membrane infoldings at AChR clusters in cultured muscles.

Exploring the Effective Components and Mechanism of Action of Japanese in the Treatment of Autoimmune Hepatitis Based on Network Pharmacology and Experimental Verification.

Japanese is widely used as a hepatoprotective and anti-inflammatory agent in China. However, the active ingredients in Japanese and their potential mechanisms of action in the treatment of autoimmune hepatitis (AIH) are unknown. The pharmacodynamic substance and mechanism of action of Japanese in the treatment of AIH were investigated using network pharmacology and molecular docking technology in this study.

CCHCR1-astrin interaction promotes centriole duplication through recruitment of CEP72.

Background: The centrosome is one of the most important non-membranous organelles regulating microtubule organization and progression of cell mitosis. The coiled-coil alpha-helical rod protein 1 (CCHCR1, also known as HCR) gene is considered to be a psoriasis susceptibility gene, and the protein is suggested to be localized to the P-bodies and centrosomes in mammalian cells. However, the exact cellular function of HCR and its potential regulatory role in the centrosomes remain unexplored.

The human cathelicidin peptide LL-37 inhibits pancreatic cancer growth by suppressing autophagy and reprogramming of the tumor immune microenvironment.

Pancreatic cancer is amongst the most lethal malignancies, while its poor prognosis could be associated with promotion of autophagy and the tumor immune microenvironment. Studies have confirmed the pro-tumorigenic nature of the cathelicidin family of peptide LL-37 in several types of cancer. However, at higher doses, LL-37 exerts significant cytotoxicity against gastrointestinal cancer cells.

Therapeutic Intervention in Cancer by Isoliquiritigenin from Licorice: A Natural Antioxidant and Redox Regulator.

Oxidative stress could lead to a variety of body dysfunctions, including neurodegeneration and cancer, which are closely associated with intracellular signal transducers such as reactive oxygen species (ROS). It has been suggested that ROS is the upstream regulator of autophagy, and that it provides a negative feedback regulation to remove oxidative damage. Defects in the ROS-autophagic redox homeostasis could lead to the increased production of ROS and the accumulation of damaged organelles that in turn promote metabolic reprogramming and induce tumorigenesis.

Chiral Nanoparticles with Enhanced Thermal Stability of Chiral Structures through Alloying.

Metallic chiral nanoparticles (CNPs) promisingly function as asymmetric catalysts but lack an important study in thermal stability of optical activity that stems from metastable chiral lattices. In this work, annealing is applied to silver (Ag) CNPs, fabricated by glancing angle deposition (GLAD), and causes elimination of optical activity at 200 °C, mainly ascribed to chiral-to-achiral lattice transformation. The Ag CNPs are remarkedly enhanced in thermal stability through an alloying with aluminum (Al) via layer-by-layer GLAD to generate binary Ag Al CNPs composed of solid-state liquids, whose optical activity vanishes at 700 °C.

Anti-neoplastic pharmacophore benzophenone-1 coumarin (BP-1C) targets JAK2 to induce apoptosis in lung cancer.

Reigning of the abnormal gene activation associated with survival signalling in lung cancer leads to the anomalous growth and therapeutic failure. Targeting specific cell survival signalling like JAK2/STAT3 nexus has become a major focus of investigation to establish a target specific treatment. The 2-bromobenzoyl-4-methylphenoxy-acetyl hydra acetyl Coumarin (BP-1C), is new anti-neoplastic agent with apoptosis inducing capacity.

Sensitive, High-Speed, and Broadband Perovskite Photodetectors with Built-In TiO Metalenses.

Monolithic integration of nanostructured metalenses with broadband light transmission and good charge transport can simultaneously enhance the sensitivity, speed, and efficiency of photodetectors. The realization of built-in broadband metalenses in perovskite photodetectors, however, has been largely challenged by the limited choice of materials and the difficulty in nanofabrication. Here a new type of broadband-transmitting built-in TiO metalens (meta-TiO ) is devised, which is readily fabricated by one-step and lithograph-free glancing angle deposition.

Pouteria sapota (Red Mamey Fruit): Chemistry and Biological Activity of Carotenoids.

Background: Red mamey is the fruit of P. sapota, a tree found in Mesoamerica and Asia. This fruit is considered a nutraceutical due to its multiple beneficial health including antiamyloidogenic activity and potential anti-tumorigenic property.

Recent Advances in Inorganic Chiral Nanomaterials.

Inorganic nanoparticles offer a multifunctional platform for biomedical applications in drug delivery, biosensing, bioimaging, disease diagnosis, screening, and therapies. Homochirality prevalently exists in biological systems composed of asymmetric biochemical activities and processes, so biomedical applications essentially favor the usage of inorganic chiral nanomaterials, which have been widely studied in the past two decades. Here, the latest investigations are summarized including the characterization of 3D stereochirality, the bionic fabrication of hierarchical chirality, extension of the compositional space to poly-elements, studying optical activities with the (sub-)single-particle resolution, and the experimental demonstration in biomedical applications.

One-Fold Anisotropy of Silver Chiral Nanoparticles Studied by Second-Harmonic Generation.

Second-harmonic generation (SHG) integrated with diverse nonlinear optical activity characterization has high sensitivity to detect the symmetry of materials at an interface, but the study is in its infancy. Here, we employ SHG with linear dichroism (or SHG-LD) to study the chiroptical origin of silver (Ag) chiral nanoparticles (CNPs) deposited by glancing angle deposition (GLAD). It is found that Ag CNPs show the chiroptical activity ascribed to not only the structural chirality (i.

Titanium Nanopillar Arrays Functioning as Electron Transporting Layers for Efficient, Anti-Aging Perovskite Solar Cells.

Electron transporting layers (ETLs), required to be optically transparent in perovskite solar cells (PSCs) having regular structures, possess a determinant effect on electron extraction and collection. Metal oxides (e.g.

Extension of Compositional Space to the Ternary in Alloy Chiral Nanoparticles through Galvanic Replacement Reactions.

Metal chiral nanoparticles (CNPs), composed of atomically chiral lattices, are an emerging chiral nanomaterial showing unique asymmetric properties. Chirality transmission from the host CNPs mediated with galvanic replacement reactions (GRRs) has been carried out to extend their compositional space from the unary to binary. Further compositional extension to, e.

Chiral Ligand-Free, Optically Active Nanoparticles Inherently Composed of Chiral Lattices at the Atomic Scale.

Bulk metals lack chirality. Recently, metals have been sculptured with metastable chirality varying from the micro- to nano-scale. The manipulation of molecular chirality could be novelly performed using metals composed of chiral lattices at atomic scales (i.

Immature Dentate Granule Cells Require Ntrk2/Trkb for the Formation of Functional Hippocampal Circuitry.

Early in brain development, impaired neuronal signaling during time-sensitive windows triggers the onset of neurodevelopmental disorders. GABA, through its depolarizing and excitatory actions, drives early developmental events including neuronal circuit formation and refinement. BDNF/TrkB signaling cooperates with GABA actions.

Binary Chiral Nanoparticles Exhibit Amplified Optical Activity and Enhanced Refractive Index Sensitivity.

Metallic chiral nanoparticles (CNPs) with a nominal helical pitch (P) of sub-10 nm contain inherent chirality and are promisingly applied to diverse prominent enantiomer-related applications. However, the sub-wavelength P physically results in weak optical activity (OA) to prohibit the development of these applications. Herein, a facile method to amplify the CNPs' OA by alloying the host CNPs with metals through a three-step layer-by-layer glancing angle deposition (GLAD) method is devised.