Mechanically robust, mouldable, dynamically crosslinked hydrogel flap with multiple functionalities for accelerated deep skin wound healing.

Deep cutaneous wounds, which are difficult to heal and specifically occur on dynamic body surfaces, remain a substantial healthcare challenge in clinical practice because of multiple underlying factors, including excessive reactive oxygen species, potential bacterial infection, and extensive degradation of the extracellular matrix (ECM) which further leads to the progressive deterioration of the wound microenvironment. Any available individual wound therapy, such as antibiotic-loaded cotton gauze, cannot address all these issues. Engineering an advanced multifunctional wound dressing is the current need to promote the overall healing process of such wounds.

Evaluation of SB-83, a 2-amino-thiophene derivative, against Leishmania species that cause visceral leishmaniasis.

Visceral leishmaniasis is a systemic disease that affects various internal organs and represents the most severe and fatal form of leishmaniasis. Conventional treatment presents significant challenges, such as prolonged management in hospital settings, high toxicity, and an increasing growing number of cases of resistance. In previous studies, our research group demonstrated the effective and selective activity of the 2-amino-thiophene derivative SB-83 in preclinical models of cutaneous leishmaniasis.

Mapping conformational landscape in protein folding: Benchmarking dimensionality reduction and clustering techniques on the Trp-Cage mini-protein.

Quantitative characterization of protein conformational landscapes is a computationally challenging task due to their high dimensionality and inherent complexity. In this study, we systematically benchmark several widely used dimensionality reduction and clustering methods to analyze the conformational states of the Trp-Cage mini-protein, a model system with well-documented folding dynamics. Dimensionality reduction techniques, including Principal Component Analysis (PCA), Time-lagged Independent Component Analysis (TICA), and Variational Autoencoders (VAE), were employed to project the high-dimensional free energy landscape onto 2D spaces for visualization.

Assessing learning, behaviour, and stress level in goats while testing a virtual fencing training protocol.

Virtual fencing (VF) is a modern fencing technology using Global Positioning System-enabled collars which emit acoustic signals and, if the animal does not respond, electric pulses. Studies with cattle indicate successful learning and no distinct negative impact on the animals' behaviours and stress level. However, the number of studies testing VF with goats is relatively small.

Supporting rotational grazing systems with virtual fencing: paddock transitions, beef heifer performance, and stress response.

Animal welfare is integral to sustainable livestock production, and pasture access for cattle is known to enhance welfare. Despite positive welfare impacts, high labour requirements hinder the adoption of sustainable grazing practices such as rotational stocking management. Virtual fencing (VF) is an innovative technology for simplified, less laborious grazing management and remote animal monitoring, potentially facilitating the expansion of sustainable livestock production.

Revisiting the electrophysiological correlates of valence and expectancy in reward processing - A multi-lab replication.

Two event-related brain potential (ERP) components, the frontocentral feedback-related negativity (FRN) and the posterior P300, are key in feedback processing. The FRN typically exhibits greater amplitude in response to negative and unexpected outcomes, whereas the P300 is generally more pronounced for positive outcomes. In an influential ERP study, Hajcak et al.

Synthesis of a di-O-acylated deoxynojirimycin (DNJ) derivative and evaluation of its antibacterial and antibiofilm activity against Staphylococcus aureus and Stenotrophomonas maltophilia.

Herein we report the synthesis of a novel di-O-acylated DNJ derivative, conceived to study whether iminosugar derivatization with a lipophilic acyl moiety could positively affect its antibacterial properties. The well-known PS-TPP/I/ImH activating system was used to readily install the acyl chains on the iminosugar, leading to the desired compound in high yield. Biological assays revealed that a di-O-lauroyl DNJ derivative enhanced the antibacterial effect of gentamicin and amikacin against S.

An unconventional separation method of α-Terpineol from its isomer 1,8-Cineole via in situ-association formation of deep eutectic solvent and machine learning.

α-Terpineol and 1,8-cineole are two important compounds in essential oils. This study developed an efficient method to recover α-terpineol from model oil (MO) based on association extraction by in situ formations of deep eutectic solvent (DES) between α-terpineol and some quaternary ammonium salts (QASs) by hydrogen-bond (HB) interaction. Such interaction could be broken almost completely by the introduction of water, due to the stronger HB interaction between water and QASs, which could release α-terpineol by liquid-liquid separation and save the organic solvents consumption.

Cashew nut consumption reduces waist circumference and oxidative stress in adolescents with obesity: A randomized clinical trial.

Previous evidence suggests that certain types of nuts, when included in a healthy diet pattern, may provide health benefits. Therefore, we hypothesize that the consumption of cashew nuts associated with a healthy diet may enhance antioxidant defenses and improve anthropometric and body composition parameters in individuals with obesity. We conducted a 12-week randomized clinical trial, divided into 4 sessions, involving adolescents randomly assigned to receive either 30 g of roasted cashew nuts together with nutrition education (cashew nut group-CNG) or only nutrition education (control group-CG).

Molecular dynamics and factors governing recalcitrance of dissolved organic matter: Insights from laboratory incubation and ultra-high resolution mass spectrometry.

The oceanic dissolved organic matter (DOM) reservoir is one of Earth's largest carbon pools, yet the factors contributing to its recalcitrance and persistence remain poorly understood. Here, we employed ultra-high resolution mass spectrometry (UHRMS) to examine the molecular dynamics of DOM from terrestrial, marine and mixed sources during bio-incubation over weekly, monthly, and one year time spans. Using Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry (FT-ICR MS), we classified DOM into three distinct categories (Consumed, Resistant and Product) based on their presence or absence at the start and end of the incubation.

The combination of hyperspectral imaging, untargeted metabolomics and lipidomics highlights a coordinated stress-related biochemical reprogramming triggered by polyethylene nanoparticles in lettuce.

Polyethylene nanoplastics (NPs) are widely diffused in terrestrial environments, including soil ecosystems, but the stress mechanisms in plants are not well understood. This study aimed to investigate the effects of two increasing concentrations of NPs (20 and 200 mg kg of soil) in lettuce. To this aim, high-throughput hyperspectral imaging was combined with metabolomics, covering both primary (using NMR) and secondary metabolism (using LC-HRMS), along with lipidomics profiling (using ion-mobility-LC-HRMS) and plant performance.

A new vaccination approach for Salmonellosis employing a multi-epitope vaccine based on live microbial cell factory from Lactococcus lactis.

A major health and financial burden in the chicken sector is salmonella infection. It is difficult to create an oral vaccination that can provide strong intestinal mucosal immunity in birds, particularly cross-protection against several Salmonella serotypes. As a result, the poultry industry needs a powerful oral vaccination platform that uses live bacterial vectors to prevent various Salmonella serotypes.

SEPO-FI: Deep-learning based software to calculate fusion index of muscle cells.

The fusion index is a critical metric for quantitatively assessing the transformation of in vitro muscle cells into myotubes in the biological and medical fields. Traditional methods for calculating this index manually involve the labor-intensive counting of numerous muscle cell nuclei in images, which necessitates determining whether each nucleus is located inside or outside the myotubes, leading to significant inter-observer variation. To address these challenges, this study proposes a three-stage process that integrates the strengths of pattern recognition and deep-learning to automatically calculate the fusion index.

HemaScope: A Tool for Analyzing Single-cell and Spatial Transcriptomics Data of Hematopoietic Cells.

Single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) and spatial transcriptomics (ST) techniques hold great value in evaluating the heterogeneity and spatial characteristics of hematopoietic cells within tissues. These two techniques are highly complementary, with scRNA-seq offering single-cell resolution and ST retaining spatial information. However, there is an urgent demand for well-organized and user-friendly toolkits capable of handling single-cell and spatial information.

Energy-exergy and enviro-economic analysis of water-cooled brazed plate building-integrated condenser for cooling appliances in dwellings.

Globally, domestic refrigerators account for over 13% of the total energy consumption in residential buildings. The brazed plate water-cooled condenser (BPWCC) is compact in size and an attractive option to reduce the energy consumption of refrigerators using domestic water tanks. This study evaluated the performance of a household refrigerator with a secondary refrigerant calorimeter and BPWCC, using an appropriate experimental setup.

Pilot work of the 10K Chinese People Genomic Diversity Project along the Silk Road suggests a complex east-west admixture landscape and biological adaptations.

Genomic sources from China are underrepresented in the population-specific reference database. We performed whole-genome sequencing or genome-wide genotyping on 1,207 individuals from four linguistically diverse groups (1,081 Sinitic, 56 Mongolic, 40 Turkic, and 30 Tibeto-Burman people) living in North China included in the 10K Chinese People Genomic Diversity Project (10K_CPGDP) to characterize the genetic architecture and adaptative history of ethnic groups in the Silk Road Region of China. We observed a population split between Northwest Chinese minorities (NWCMs) and Han Chinese since the Upper Paleolithic and later Neolithic genetic differentiation within NWCMs.

Genomic highlights of the phylogenetically unique halophilic purple nonsulfur bacterium, Rhodothalassium salexigens.

Rhodothalassium (Rts.) salexigens is a halophilic purple nonsulfur bacterium and the sole species in the genus Rhodothalassium, which is itself the sole genus in the family Rhodothalassiaceae and sole family in the order Rhodothalassiales (class Alphaproteobacteria). The genome of this phylogenetically unique phototroph comprises 3.

Extreme heat risk and the potential implications for the scheduling of football matches at the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

Climate change is making extreme heat events more frequent and intense. This negatively impacts many aspects of society, including organised sport. As the world's most watched sporting event, the FIFA World Cup commands particular attention around the threat of extreme heat.

RNAi-based biocontrol for crops: a revised expectation for a non-recent technology.

The exogenous application of RNAi technology offers new promises for crops improvement. Cell-based or synthetically produced strands are economical, non-transgenic and could induce the same responses. The substantial population growth demands novel strategies to produce crops without further damaging the environment.

Biological therapy in Chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyps.

Introduction: Chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyps (CRSwNP) is a heterogeneous disease. High proportions of patients with CRSwNP characterized by type 2 inflammation fail to gain adequate control with conventional medical and surgical approaches. The application of biologics in clinical practice and assessments of novel biologics in clinical trials are blooming in expectations to fulfill the unmet medical needs of patients with CRSwNP with type 2 inflammation.

Binding of Homeodomain Proteins to DNA with Hoogsteen Base Pair.

In DNA double helices, Hoogsteen (HG) base pairing is an alternative mode of Watson-Crick (WC) base pairing. HG bp has a different hydrogen bonding pattern than WC bp. We investigate here the binding energy of homeodomain proteins with a HG-DNA duplex, where DNA adopts a HG bp in its sequence.

Coarse-Graining Chemical Networks by Trimming to Preserve Energy Dissipation.

Continuous production of entropy and the corresponding energy dissipation is a defining characteristic of nonequilibrium systems. When a system's full chemical kinetic description is known, its entropy production rate can be computed from the microscopic rate constants. However, such a calculation typically underestimates energy dissipation when the states of the underlying system are mesoscopic, i.

A Noncatalytic Cysteine Residue Modulates Cobalamin Reactivity in the Human B Processing Enzyme CblC.

Human CblC catalyzes the indispensable processing of dietary vitamin B by the removal of its β-axial ligand and an either one- or two-electron reduction of its cobalt center to yield cob(II)alamin and cob(I)alamin, respectively. Human CblC possesses five cysteine residues of an unknown function. We hypothesized that Cys149, conserved in mammals, tunes the CblC reactivity.

Evaluation of the evidence-based practices for the management of PCOS in the Latin America context: the consensus of the Latin American Association of Gynecological Endocrinology (ALEG).

Objectives: Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS) is a complex condition affecting approximately 1 in 10 women of reproductive age. However, limited data are available regarding the specific characteristics and needs of women with PCOS in Latin America. This consensus sought to evaluate the evidence-based practices for the management of PCOS for Latin American populations, consolidate regional insights, identify eventual gaps in implementation and identify key research opportunities.

Winery By-Products and Effects on Atherothrombotic Markers: Focus on Platelet-Activating Factor.

Platelet aggregation and inflammation play a crucial role in atherothrombosis. Wine contains micro-constituents of proper quality and quantity that exert cardioprotective actions, partly through inhibiting platelet-activating factor (PAF), a potent inflammatory and thrombotic lipid mediator. However, wine cannot be consumed extensively due to the presence of ethanol.