Establishing bio-logging data collections as dynamic archives of animal life on Earth.

Rapid growth in bio-logging-the use of animal-borne electronic tags to document the movements, behaviour, physiology and environments of wildlife-offers opportunities to mitigate biodiversity threats and expand digital natural history archives. Here we present a vision to achieve such benefits by accounting for the heterogeneity inherent to bio-logging data and the concerns of those who collect and use them. First, we can enable data integration through standard vocabularies, transfer protocols and aggregation protocols, and drive their wide adoption.

Building a growing genomic repository for maternal and fetal health through the PING Consortium.

Background: Prenatally transmitted viruses can cause severe damage to the developing brain. There is unexplained variability in prenatal brain injury and postnatal neurodevelopmental outcomes, suggesting disease modifiers. Of note, prenatal Zika infection can cause a spectrum of neurodevelopmental disorders, including congenital Zika syndrome.

CIROZ is dispensable in ancestral vertebrates but essential for left-right patterning in humans.

Four genes-DAND5, PKD1L1, MMP21, and CIROP-form a genetic module that has specifically evolved in vertebrate species that harbor motile cilia in their left-right organizer (LRO). We find here that CIROZ (previously known as C1orf127) is also specifically expressed in the LRO of mice, frogs, and fish, where it encodes a protein with a signal peptide followed by 3 zona pellucida N domains, consistent with extracellular localization. We report 16 individuals from 10 families with bi-allelic CIROZ inactivation variants, which cause heterotaxy with congenital heart defects.

Vascular endothelial growth factor receptor-1 (FLT1) interactions with amyloid-beta in Alzheimer's disease: A putative biomarker of amyloid-induced vascular damage.

We have identified FLT1 as a protein that changes during Alzheimer's disease (AD) whereby higher brain protein levels are associated with more amyloid, more tau, and faster longitudinal cognitive decline. Given FLT1's role in angiogenesis and immune activation, we hypothesized that FLT1 is upregulated in response to amyloid pathology, driving a vascular-immune cascade resulting in neurodegeneration and cognitive decline. We sought to determine (1) if in vivo FLT1 levels (CSF and plasma) associate with biomarkers of AD neuropathology or differ between diagnostic staging in an aged cohort enriched for early disease, and (2) whether FLT1 expression interacts with amyloid on downstream outcomes, such as phosphorylated tau levels and cognitive performance.

Spatially ordered recruitment of fast muscles in accordance with movement strengths in larval zebrafish.

In vertebrates, skeletal muscle comprises fast and slow fibers. Slow and fast muscle cells in fish are spatially segregated; slow muscle cells are located only in a superficial region, and comprise a small fraction of the total muscle cell mass. Slow muscles support low-speed, low-force movements, while fast muscles are responsible for high-speed, high-force movements.

Chaperone-mediated insertion of mitochondrial import receptor TOM70 protects against diet-induced obesity.

Outer mitochondrial membrane (OMM) proteins communicate with the cytosol and other organelles, including the endoplasmic reticulum. This communication is important in thermogenic adipocytes to increase the energy expenditure that controls body temperature and weight. However, the regulatory mechanisms of OMM protein insertion are poorly understood.

Unravelling viral ecology and evolution over 20 years in a freshwater lake.

As freshwater lakes undergo rapid anthropogenic change, long-term studies reveal key microbial dynamics, evolutionary shifts and biogeochemical interactions, yet the vital role of viruses remains overlooked. Here, leveraging a 20 year time series from Lake Mendota, WI, USA, we characterized 1.3 million viral genomes across time, seasonality and environmental factors.

Genomic language models: opportunities and challenges.

Large language models (LLMs) are having transformative impacts across a wide range of scientific fields, particularly in the biomedical sciences. Just as the goal of natural language processing is to understand sequences of words, a major objective in biology is to understand biological sequences. Genomic language models (gLMs), which are LLMs trained on DNA sequences, have the potential to significantly advance our understanding of genomes and how DNA elements at various scales interact to give rise to complex functions.

Perfecting prime editing: achieving precise edits in dicots.

Prime editing (PE), a precise CRISPR-based method, has worked well in some plants but faces challenges in dicots. Vu and colleagues developed new PE tools that greatly improve PE efficiency in dicots, enabling accurate, heritable genome edits. This advance marks a breakthrough that could revolutionize crop improvement and plant biotechnology.

The American Clinical Neurophysiology Society Guideline on Indications for Continuous Electroencephalography Monitoring in Neonates.

Purpose: Continuous EEG (cEEG) monitoring is increasingly used in the management of neonates with seizures. There remains debate on what clinically relevant information can be gained from cEEG in neonates with suspected seizures, at high risk for seizures, or with definite seizures, as well as the use of cEEG for prognosis in a variety of conditions. In this guideline, we address these questions using American Clinical Neurophysiology Society structured methodology for clinical guideline development.

Mitochondrial DNA lineages determine tumor progression through T cell reactive oxygen signaling.

Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) is highly polymorphic, and host mtDNA variation has been associated with altered cancer severity. To determine the basis of this mtDNA-cancer association, we analyzed conplastic mice with the C57BL/6J (B6) nucleus but two naturally occurring mtDNA lineages, and , where mitochondria generate more oxidative phosphorylation (OXPHOS)-derived reactive oxygen species (mROS). In a cardiac transplant model, Foxp3+ T regulatory (Treg) cells supported long-term allograft survival, whereas Treg cells failed to suppress host T effector (Teff) cells, leading to acute rejection.

The proteome is a terminal electron acceptor.

Microbial metabolism is impressively flexible, enabling growth even when available nutrients differ greatly from biomass in redox state. , for example, rearranges its physiology to grow on reduced and oxidized carbon sources through several forms of fermentation and respiration. To understand the limits on and evolutionary consequences of this metabolic flexibility, we developed a coarse-grained mathematical framework coupling redox chemistry with principles of cellular resource allocation.

Quantitative expression of estrogen, progesterone and human epidermal growth factor receptor-2 and their correlation with immunohistochemistry in breast cancer at Uganda Cancer Institute.

The detection of Estrogen Receptor (ER), Progesterone Receptor (PR), and Human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER-2) is important for the stratification of breast cancer and the selection of therapeutic modalities. This study aimed to determine the quantitative expression of ER, PR and HER-2 using Immunohistochemistry and their correlation with quantitative baseline Ct values measured using Quantitative Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR). This study also assessed the use of fresh breast tissue biopsies preserved in RNAlater solution in the quantitative detection of these receptors using PCR technique.

Synthesis and Evaluation of a Bifunctional Chelator for Thorium-227 Targeted Radiotherapy.

Thorium-227 (Th) is an α-emitting radionuclide currently under investigation for targeted alpha therapy. Available chelators used for this isotope suffer from challenging multistep syntheses. Here, we present the synthesis and preclinical evaluation of a novel bifunctional chelator, SCN-Bn-DOTHOPO, which contains an isothiocyanate group that is suitable for conjugation to biological molecules.

The Role of Cytonemes and Diffusive Transport in the Establishment of Morphogen Gradients.

Spatial distributions of morphogens provide positional information in developing systems, but how the distributions are established and maintained remains an open problem. Transport by diffusion has been the traditional mechanism, but recent experimental work has shown that cells can also communicate by filopodia-like structures called cytonemes that make direct cell-to-cell contacts. Here we investigate the roles each may play individually in a complex tissue and how they can jointly establish a reliable spatial distribution of a morphogen.

Identification, Biocontrol and Plant Growth Promotion Potential of Endophytic Streptomyces sp. a13.

Medicinal plants often harbour various endophytic actinomycetia, which are well known for their potent antimicrobial properties and plant growth-promoting traits. In this study, we isolated an endophytic actinomycetia, A13, from the leaves of tea clone P312 from the MEG Tea Estate, Meghalaya, India. The isolate A13 was identified as Streptomyces sp.

Basic Science and Pathogenesis.

Background: Excessive daytime sleepiness is a common and early symptom of Alzheimer's disease (AD). The subcortical wake-promoting neurons in the lateral hypothalamic area, tuberomammillary nucleus (TMN), and locus coeruleus synchronize to maintain wakefulness/arousal. Although significant neuronal decline occurs in wake-promoting regions, the TMN histaminergic neurons remain relatively more intact than orexinergic and nor-adrenergic neurons.

Basic Science and Pathogenesis.

Background: High age is the biggest risk factor for Alzheimer's disease (AD). Approved drugs that slow down the aging process have the potential to be repurposed for the primary prevention of AD. The aim of our project was to use a reverse translational approach to identify such drug candidates in epidemiological data followed by validation in cell-based models and animal models of aging and AD.

Basic Science and Pathogenesis.

Background: Alzheimer's disease (AD) is the foremost cause of global dementia, also characterized by retinal changes involving Aβ, hyperphosphorylated-tau (p-tau), neuronal degeneration, and tissue atrophy. Mitochondrial-driven reactive oxygen species (ROS) production, linked to synaptic dysfunction, is common to various neurodegenerative conditions, including AD. Despite synaptic dysfunction being an early predictor of cognitive decline in AD, its occurrence in the AD retina is unexplored.

Basic Science and Pathogenesis.

Background: Alzheimer's Disease(AD) patients experience circadian rhythm disorder. The circadian rhythm is synchronized by a master clock, the suprachiasmatic nucleus(SCN), which is spatially well-conserved but a tiny nucleus in the hypothalamus. Little is known about the molecular and pathological changes that occur in the SCN during AD progression.

Basic Science and Pathogenesis.

Background: Understanding the molecular mechanisms underlying selective neuronal vulnerability is crucial for developing effective treatments for Alzheimer's disease (AD). Our group has shown that RORB/CDH9-positive excitatory neurons in the entorhinal cortex (EC) display selective vulnerability as early as Braak stage (BB) 2. However, not all RORB/CDH9-positive neurons are vulnerable.

Basic Science and Pathogenesis.

Background: Bile acids (BA) are steroids regulating nutrient absorption, energy metabolism, and mitochondrial function, and serve as important signaling molecules with a role in the gut-brain axis. The composition of BAs in humans changes with diet type and health status, which is well documented with a few known bile acids. In this study, we leveraged a new BA-specific spectral library curated in the Dorrestein lab at UCSD to expand the pool of detected BAs in Alzheimer-related LC-MS/MS datasets and provide links to dietary profiles and AD markers.

Recent Advancements and Applications of Nanosensors in Oral Health: Revolutionizing Diagnosis and Treatment.

Advances in the field of nanomaterials are laying the foundation for the fabrication of nanosensors that are sensitive, selective, specific, cost-effective, biocompatible, and versatile. Being highly sensitive and selective, nanosensors are crucial in detecting small quantities of analytes and early diagnosis of diseases. These devices, operating on the nanoscale, detect signals, such as physical, chemical, optical, electrochemical, or biological, and then transduce them into a readable form.

The impact of n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids in patients with cancer: emerging themes.

Purpose Of Review: This review summarizes recent literature falling broadly under the topic of n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) in the oncology setting, highlighting emerging themes and emphasizing novel explorations.

Recent Findings: Meta-analyses continue to confirm safety and efficacy of n-3 PUFA supplementation on reducing inflammation and improving survival in people with cancer. Common themes in recent studies emphasize improving tumor-directed efficacy and reducing toxicities of common cancer therapies.

Global, regional, and national burden of primary liver cancer attributable to metabolic risks: an analysis of the Global Burden of Disease Study 1990-2021.

Background: The global burden of metabolic diseases is increasing, but estimates of their impact on primary liver cancer are uncertain. We aimed to assess the global burden of primary liver cancer attributable to metabolic risk factors, including high body mass index (BMI) and high fasting plasma glucose (FPG) levels, between 1990 and 2021.

Methods: The total number and age-standardized rates of deaths and disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) from primary liver cancer attributable to each metabolic risk factor were extracted from the Global Burden of Disease Study 1990-2021.