Deep learning-based aberration compensation improves contrast and resolution in fluorescence microscopy.

Optical aberrations hinder fluorescence microscopy of thick samples, reducing image signal, contrast, and resolution. Here we introduce a deep learning-based strategy for aberration compensation, improving image quality without slowing image acquisition, applying additional dose, or introducing more optics. Our method (i) introduces synthetic aberrations to images acquired on the shallow side of image stacks, making them resemble those acquired deeper into the volume and (ii) trains neural networks to reverse the effect of these aberrations.

Paracrine role of endothelial IGF-1 receptor in depot-specific adipose tissue adaptation in male mice.

During recent decades, changes in lifestyle have led to widespread nutritional obesity and its related complications. Remodelling adipose tissue as a therapeutic goal for obesity and its complications has attracted much attention and continues to be actively explored. The endothelium lines all blood vessels and is close to all cells, including adipocytes.

Viral oncogene EBNALP regulates YY1 DNA binding and alters host 3D genome organization.

The Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) nuclear antigen leader protein (EBNALP) is essential for the immortalization of naive B lymphocytes (NBLs). However, the mechanisms remain elusive. To understand EBNALP's role in B-cell transformation, we compare NBLs infected with wild-type EBV and an EBNALP-null mutant EBV using multi-omics techniques.

Nuclear speckles regulate functional programs in cancer.

Nuclear speckles are dynamic nuclear bodies characterized by high concentrations of factors involved in RNA production. Although the contents of speckles suggest multifaceted roles in gene regulation, their biological functions are unclear. Here we investigate speckle variation in human cancer, finding two main signatures.

Biological, environmental, and psychological stress and the human gut microbiome in healthy adults.

Emerging research suggests that the gut microbiome plays a crucial role in stress. We assess stress-microbiome associations in two samples of healthy adults across three stress domains (perceived stress, stressful life events, and biological stress /Respiratory Sinus Arrhythmia; RSA). Study 1 (n = 62; mean-age = 37.

Functional protein mining with conformal guarantees.

Molecular structure prediction and homology detection offer promising paths to discovering protein function and evolutionary relationships. However, current approaches lack statistical reliability assurances, limiting their practical utility for selecting proteins for further experimental and in-silico characterization. To address this challenge, we introduce a statistically principled approach to protein search leveraging principles from conformal prediction, offering a framework that ensures statistical guarantees with user-specified risk and provides calibrated probabilities (rather than raw ML scores) for any protein search model.

Distorting crack-front geometry for enhanced toughness by manipulating bioinspired heterogeneity.

Control of crack propagation is crucial to make tougher heterogeneous materials. As a crack interacts with material heterogeneities, its front distorts and adopts complex tortuous configurations. While the behavior of smooth cracks with straight fronts in homogeneous materials is well understood, the toughening by rough cracks with tortuous fronts in heterogeneous materials remains unsolved.

Integrating electronic health records and GWAS summary statistics to predict the progression of autoimmune diseases from preclinical stages.

Autoimmune diseases often exhibit a preclinical stage before diagnosis. Electronic health record (EHR) based-biobanks contain genetic data and diagnostic information, which can identify preclinical individuals at risk for progression. Biobanks typically have small numbers of cases, which are not sufficient to construct accurate polygenic risk scores (PRS).

Whole exome sequencing identifies ABHD14A and MRNIP as novel candidate genes for developmental language disorder.

Developmental language disorder (DLD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder involving impaired language abilities. Its genetic etiology is heterogeneous, involving rare variations in multiple susceptibility loci. However, family-based studies on gene mutations are scarce.

A higher order PUF complex is central to regulation of C. elegans germline stem cells.

PUF RNA-binding proteins are broadly conserved stem cell regulators. Nematode PUF proteins maintain germline stem cells (GSCs) and, with key partner proteins, repress differentiation mRNAs, including gld-1. Here we report that PUF protein FBF-2 and its partner LST-1 form a ternary complex that represses gld-1 via a pair of adjacent FBF binding elements (FBEs) in its 3'UTR.

Generic residue numbering of the GAIN domain of adhesion GPCRs.

The GPCR autoproteolysis inducing (GAIN) domain is an ancient protein fold ubiquitous in adhesion G protein-coupled receptors (aGPCR). It contains a tethered agonist necessary and sufficient for receptor activation. The GAIN domain is a hotspot for pathological mutations.

Deciphering metabolic differentiation during Bacillus subtilis sporulation.

The bacterium Bacillus subtilis undergoes asymmetric cell division during sporulation, producing a mother cell and a smaller forespore connected by the SpoIIQ-SpoIIIA (or Q-A) channel. The two cells differentiate metabolically, and the forespore becomes dependent on the mother cell for essential building blocks. Here, we investigate the metabolic interactions between mother cell and forespore using genome-scale metabolic and expression models as well as experiments.

DSIF factor Spt5 coordinates transcription, maturation and exoribonucleolysis of RNA polymerase II transcripts.

Precursor messenger RNA (pre-mRNA) is processed into its functional form during RNA polymerase II (Pol II) transcription. Although functional coupling between transcription and pre-mRNA processing is established, the underlying mechanisms are not fully understood. We show that the key transcription termination factor, RNA exonuclease Xrn2 engages with Pol II forming a stable complex.

Estimated exposure to endotoxin and circulating immunological markers among male farmers in the Biomarkers of Exposure and Effect in Agriculture study.

Background: Occupational exposure to endotoxin has been associated with reduced lung cancer risk. The mechanisms underlying this association are unclear, though immunological alterations likely play a role. Farmers who perform certain tasks (eg, raising hogs) can be highly exposed to endotoxin.

Ethanolic extract of Akhuni induces ROS-mediated apoptosis through ERK and AKT signalling pathways: Insights from metabolic profiling and molecular docking studies.

Akhuni, an ethnic food of northeast India, induces ROS-mediated apoptosis in cancer cells. This is the first report on the anticancer potential of Akhuni. Akhuni is a traditional fermented soybean product known for its umami taste and delicacy, commonly used in Northeast India's cuisine.

Molecular Display of the Animal Meta-Venome for Discovery of Novel Therapeutic Peptides.

Animal venoms, distinguished by their unique structural features and potent bioactivities, represent a vast and relatively untapped reservoir of therapeutic molecules. However, limitations associated with comprehensively constructing and expressing highly complex venom and venom-like molecule libraries have precluded their therapeutic evaluation via high throughput screening. Here, we developed an innovative computational approach to design a highly diverse library of animal venoms and "metavenoms".

Inflammatory and Oxidative Patterns Regulated by Theracurmin Intake in an Experimental Model of Hypertrophic Training and Detraining.

Dietary supplements have improved performance and muscle hypertrophy in athletes and nonathletes in the past few decades. Theracurmin, a nutraceutical supplement based on curcumin, has been highlighted by its anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties in physiological and pathological conditions. This study aimed to investigate the effects of theracurmin intake (300 mg/kg), containing 30 mg/kg of curcumin, in male Swiss mice (n = 66) under distinct protocols of climbing stairs (strength exercise) and their respective detraining period.

Modifies Chronic Airway Infection Risk in Cystic Fibrosis.

Rationale: Chronic () airway infection is common and a key contributor to diminished lung function and early mortality in persons with cystic fibrosis (PwCF). Risk factors for chronic among PwCF include cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator genotype, genetic modifiers, and environmental factors. Intensive antibiotic therapy and highly effective modulators do not eradicate in most adolescents and adults with cystic fibrosis.

Collaborative activities in a biological dosimetry network for radiation emergencies in South Korea.

Purpose: Biological dosimetry is an essential analytic method to estimate the absorbed radiation dose in the human body by measuring changes in biomolecules after radiation exposure. Joint response in a network to mass-casualty radiation incidents is one way to overcome the limitations of biological dosimetry, sharing the workload among laboratories. This study aimed to investigate the current performance, collaborative activities and technical advances of the Korea biodosimetry network (K-BioDos), and suggest the future directions toward successful joint response.

A generalised catalytic model to assess changes in risk for multiple reinfections with SARS-CoV-2.

Background: Monitoring trends in multiple infections with SARS-CoV-2, following several pandemic waves, provides insight into the biological characteristics of new variants, but also necessitates methods to understand the risk of multiple reinfections.

Objectives: We generalised a catalytic model designed to detect increases in the risk of SARS-CoV-2 reinfection, to assess the population-level risk of multiple reinfections.

Methods: The catalytic model assumes the risk of reinfection is proportional to observed infections and uses a Bayesian approach to fit model parameters to the number of nth infections among individuals that occur at least 90 days after a previous infection.

Beyond despair: Leveraging ecosystem restoration for psychosocial resilience.

Ecosystem restoration has historically been viewed as an ecological endeavor, but restoration possesses significant, yet largely untapped, potential as a catalyst for personal and social transformation. We highlight the opportunity for restoration to enhance community resilience by increasing agency and collective action and countering the pervasive perception that we are powerless witnesses to environmental decline. In this perspective, we take a "bright spots" approach and highlight successful examples of ecosystem restoration that have helped to nurture a sense of place, foster optimism, and cultivate stronger and more diverse social networks.

Direct photoreception by pituitary endocrine cells regulates hormone release and pigmentation.

The recent discovery of nonvisual photoreceptors in various organs has raised expectations for uncovering their roles and underlying mechanisms. In this work, we identified a previously unrecognized hormone-releasing mechanism in the pituitary of the Japanese rice fish (medaka) induced by light. Ca imaging analysis revealed that melanotrophs, a type of pituitary endocrine cell that secretes melanocyte-stimulating hormone, robustly increase the concentration of intracellular Ca during short-wavelength light exposure.

GEMLI: Gene Expression Memory-Based Lineage Inference from Single-Cell RNA-Sequencing Datasets.

Gene expression memory-based lineage inference (GEMLI) is a computational tool allowing to predict cell lineages solely from single-cell RNA-sequencing (scRNA-seq) datasets and is publicly available as an R package on GitHub. GEMLI is based on the occurrence of gene expression memory, i.e.