Advancing surgical education: An evaluation of laparoscopic simulation training for medical students.

Objective: To examine the medical students' awareness of laparoscopic surgery as well as assess the perceived importance of laparoscopic simulation training, and its impact on students' confidence, career aspirations, proficiency, spatial skills, and physical tolerance.

Design: Descriptive and comparative study using pre- and post-training assessments.

Setting: Simulation training sessions centred on laparoscopic surgery techniques.

Engineering an optimized hypercompact CRISPR/Cas12j-8 system for efficient genome editing in plants.

The Cas12j-8 nuclease, derived from the type V CRISPR system, is approximately half the size of Cas9 and recognizes a 5'-TTN-3' protospacer adjacent motif sequence, thus potentially having broad application in genome editing for crop improvement. However, its editing efficiency remains low in plants. In this study, we rationally engineered both the crRNA and the Cas12j-8 nuclease.

Endothelial Cpt1a Inhibits Neonatal Hyperoxia-Induced Pulmonary Vascular Remodeling by Repressing Endothelial-Mesenchymal Transition.

Pulmonary hypertension (PH) increases the mortality of preterm infants with bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD). There are no curative therapies for this disease. Lung endothelial carnitine palmitoyltransferase 1a (Cpt1a), the rate-limiting enzyme of the carnitine shuttle system, is reduced in a rodent model of BPD.

Intrahepatic CD161CD8+T Cell Recruitment Has a Pathogenetic Potential in Chronic HBV Infection.

Backgrounds And Aims: CD8+T cells are crucially associated with the fight against hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection. CD161 has been shown to express remarkably on HCV-specific CD8+T cells. However, the accurate function of CD161+CD8+T cells in HBV immunity or pathogenesis remains undetermined.

Uncertainties around net-zero climate targets have major impact on greenhouse gas emissions projections.

Globally, more than 100 countries have adopted net-zero targets. Most studies agree on how this increases the chance of keeping end-of-century global warming below 2°C. However, they typically make assumptions about net-zero targets that do not capture uncertainties related to gas coverage, sector coverage, sinks, and removals.

Protocol for detecting eDNA in ecological rare fish using RPA-CRISPR-Cas12a technology.

The recombinase polymerase amplification (RPA)-CRISPR-Cas12a-FQ system enables sensitive detection of environmental DNA (eDNA) in rare fish species. Here, we present a protocol for eDNA amplification and Cas12a for target recognition using RPA. We describe steps for identifying a target site, synthesis and purification of CRISPR RNA (crRNA), and RPA isothermal amplification.

Protocol for the purification of the plastid-encoded RNA polymerase from transplastomic tobacco plants.

The plastid-encoded RNA polymerase (PEP) plays an essential role in the transcription of the chloroplast genome. Here, we present a strategy to purify the transcriptionally active protein complex from transplastomic tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum) lines in which one of the PEP core subunits is fused to an epitope tag. We describe experimental procedures for designing transformation constructs for PEP purification, selection, and analysis of transplastomic tobacco plants.

Protocol for differentiating hematopoietic progenitor cells from human pluripotent stem cells in chemically defined monolayer culture.

Human pluripotent stem cells (hPSCs) provide a powerful platform for generating hematopoietic progenitor cells (HPCs) and investigating hematopoietic development. Here, we present a protocol for maintaining hPSCs and inducing their differentiation into HPCs through the endothelial-to-hematopoietic transition (EHT) on vitronectin-coated plates. We outline steps for evaluating the efficiency of HPC generation and assessing their potential to differentiate into various hematopoietic lineages.

Ergosterol alleviates hepatic steatosis and insulin resistance via promoting fatty acid β-oxidation by activating mitochondrial ACSL1.

Sterols target sterol-sensing domain (SSD) proteins to lower cholesterol and circulating and hepatic triglyceride levels, but the mechanism remains unclear. In this study, we identify acyl-coenzyme A (CoA) synthetase long-chain family member 1 (ACSL1) as a direct target of ergosterol (ES). The C-terminal domain of ACSL1 undergoes conformational changes from closed to open, and ES may target the drug-binding pocket in the acetyl-CoA synthetase-like domain 1 (ASLD1) of ACSL1 to stabilize the closed conformation and maintain its activity.

Cadmium Reduces VE-Cadherin Expression in Endothelial Cells Through Activation of the Notch Signaling Pathway.

Cadmium (Cd) is a toxic heavy metal which induces vascular disorders. Previous studies suggest that Cd in the bloodstream affects vascular endothelial cells (ECs), potentially contributing to vascular-related diseases. However, the molecular mechanisms of effects of Cd on ECs remain poorly understood.

Controlled Inflammation Drives Neutrophil-Mediated Precision Drug Delivery in Heterogeneous Tumors.

Tumor heterogeneity remains a formidable obstacle in targeted cancer therapy, often leading to suboptimal treatment outcomes. This study presents an innovative approach that harnesses controlled inflammation to guide neutrophil-mediated drug delivery, effectively overcoming the limitations imposed by tumor heterogeneity. By inducing localized inflammation within tumors using lipopolysaccharide, it significantly amplify the recruitment of drug-laden neutrophils to tumor sites, irrespective of specific tumor markers.

Naringenin Inhibits Ferroptosis in Renal Tubular Epithelial Cells of Diabetic Nephropathy Through SIRT1/FOXO3a Signaling Pathway.

Naringenin has the potential to regulate ferroptosis and mitigate renal damage in diabetic nephropathy (DN). However, it remains unclear whether the naringenin's effects in DN are linked to its ability to regulate ferroptosis. This study investigated the potential anti-ferroptosis properties of naringenin in high glucose (HG)-induced renal tubular epithelial cell models.

Inhibition of GPR4 Attenuates the Formation of Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm Through Inhibiting the SP-1/VEGF-A Signaling.

Abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) is a severe cardiovascular disease (CVD) that is partly attributable to endothelial dysfunction, inflammatory response, and angiogenesis. G protein-coupled receptor 4 (GPR4), a proton-sensitive G protein-coupled receptor that is abundantly expressed in vascular endothelial cells, has been associated with numerous physiological functions. Nevertheless, its potential involvement in the development of AAA remains unexplored.

Maternal Bisphenol A Exposure Induces Hippocampal-Dependent Learning and Memory Deficits Through the PI3K/Akt/mTOR Pathway in Male Offspring Rats.

Bisphenol A (BPA), an environmental endocrine disrupting chemical, is one of the most widely used chemicals in the world and is widely distributed in the external environment, specifically in food, water, dust, and soil. BPA exposure is associated with abnormal cognitive behaviors. However, the underlying mechanism remains unclear.

GWAS analysis revealed genomic loci and candidate genes associated with the 100-seed weight in high-latitude-adapted soybean germplasm.

In the present study, we identified 22 significant SNPs, eight stable QTLs and 17 potential candidate genes associated with 100-seed weight in soybean. Soybean is an economically important crop that is rich in seed oil and protein. The 100-seed weight (HSW) is a crucial yield contributing trait.

A novel MRI-based radiomics for preoperative prediction of lymphovascular invasion in rectal cancer.

Background: To develop and validate a clinical-radiomics model for preoperative prediction of lymphovascular invasion (LVI) in rectal cancer.

Methods: This retrospective study included data from 239 patients with pathologically confirmed rectal adenocarcinoma from two centers, all of whom underwent MRI examinations. Cases from the first center (n = 189) were randomly divided into a training set and an internal validation set at a 7:3 ratio, while cases from the second center (n = 50) constituted the external validation set.

BMP4 regulates differentiation of nestin-positive stem cells into melanocytes.

Hair follicle (HF) development and pigmentation are complex processes governed by various signaling pathways, such as TGF-β and FGF signaling pathways. Nestin + (neural crest like) stem cells are also expressed in HF stem cells, particularly in the bulge and dermal papilla region. However, the specific role and differentiation potential of these Nestin-positive cells within the HF remain unclear, especially regarding their contribution to melanocyte formation and hair pigmentation.

Migrasome-related prognostic signature TSPAN4 correlates with immune infiltrates and metabolic disturbances in hepatocellular carcinoma.

Background: We aim to comprehensively analyze and validate the prognostic efficacy of tetraspanin 4 (TSPAN4) and several other migrasome-related markers in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC).

Methods: The expression, diagnostic, and prognostic efficacy of five migrasome-related genes in HCC were analyzed using several databases. Five pairs of adjacent non-tumor tissues and HCC tissues were used to validate the expression.

Funmap: integrating high-dimensional functional annotations to improve fine-mapping.

Motivation: Fine-mapping aims to prioritize causal variants underlying complex traits by accounting for the linkage disequilibrium of GWAS risk locus. The expanding resources of functional annotations serve as auxiliary evidence to improve the power of fine-mapping. However, existing fine-mapping methods tend to generate many false positive results when integrating a large number of annotations.

A Semi-Supervised Fracture-Attention Model for Segmenting Tubular Objects with Improved Topological Connectivity.

Motivation: Ensuring connectivity and preventing fractures in tubular object segmentation are critical for downstream analyses. Despite advancements in deep neural networks (DNNs) that have significantly improved tubular object segmentation, existing methods still face limitations. They often rely heavily on precise annotations, hindering their scalability to large-scale unlabeled image datasets.

Functional analysis of the PIP5K1A gene in Liaoning Cashmere goats: an investigation based on bioinformatics, tissue localization, and biological functions.

Liaoning cashmere goat is an outstanding breed in China primarily for cashmere production, with strict controls against genetic outflow. Melatonin(MT) is a key factor affecting cashmere growth, and preliminary transcriptome sequencing indicated that melatonin upregulates the expression of the PIP5K1A gene in skin fibroblasts. To predict the physicochemical properties of PIP5K1A in Liaoning cashmere goats, ascertain the tissue localization of PIP5K1A in their skin, and explore the role and mechanism of PIP5K1A in the proliferation of skin fibroblasts.

Elevated MRPS23 expression facilitates aggressive phenotypes in breast cancer cells.

Mitochondrial ribosomal protein S23 (MRPS23), encoded by a nuclear gene, is a well-known driver of proliferation in cancer. It participates in mitochondrial protein translation, and its expression association has been explored in many types of cancer. However, MRPS23 expression associations are rarely reported in breast cancer (BC).

Clinical and molecular analysis of ESBL, carbapenemase, and colistin-resistant bacteria in UTI patients.

Uropathogens, particularly bacteria, can infect any part of the urinary tract and cause bacteriuria. Our study aimed to examine the antibiotic-resistant profile, associated risk factors, and phenotypic and genotypic features of ESBL, carbapenemase, and mcr resistance genes in multidrug-resistant bacteria. Samples were inoculated on culture media, identified using standard biochemical tests, and species confirmation was performed via 16S rRNA gene amplification.

Crosslinked Versus Non-Crosslinked Resorbable Collagen Membranes for Periodontal Regeneration: A Multicenter, Randomized, Double-Blind, Non-Inferiority Clinical Trial.

Aim: This study aimed to evaluate and compare the results of combination therapy involving bone grafting and two different resorbable collagen membranes in 1-, 2- and 3-wall infrabony defects.

Methods: A total of 174 patients with infrabony defects (≥ 7 mm periodontal probing depth) were randomized to receive deproteinized bovine bone mineral (DBBM) with either a native porcine non-crosslinked collagen membrane (N-CM, control, n = 87) or a novel porcine crosslinked collagen membrane (C-CM, test, n = 87). Clinical parameters, including periodontal probing depth (PPD), clinical attachment level (CAL), and gingival recession (GR), were recorded at baseline, 12 weeks, and 24 weeks.