Conserved dynamics of natal down-to-juvenile feather transition.

Despite the ecological importance of the feather cover during early avian life, the events controlling the transition from natal down to juvenile feathers are poorly understood. Chen et al. demonstrate that this transition is characterized by a series of morphological and molecular changes strikingly conserved between precocial and altricial species.

Gene therapy for β-thalassemia: current and future options.

Beta-thalassemia is a severe, hereditary blood disorder characterized by anemia, transfusion dependence, reduced life expectancy, and poor quality of life. Allogeneic transplantation of hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) is the only curative treatment for transfusion-dependent β-thalassemia, but a lack of compatible donors prevents the use of this approach for most patients. Over the past 20 years, the rise of gene therapy and the development of lentiviral vectors and genome-editing tools has extended curative options to a broader range of patients.

Mechanism of Amplified Photoacoustic Effect for Silica-Coated Spherical Gold Nanoparticles.

Plasmonic nanomaterials are effective photoacoustic (PA) contrast agents with diverse biomedical applications. While silica coatings on gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) have been demonstrated to increase PA efficiency, the underlying mechanism remains elusive. Here, we systematically investigated the impact of silica coatings on PA generation under picosecond and nanosecond laser pulses.

LINE-1, the NORth star of nucleolar organization.

Long interspersed element-1 (LINE-1) retrotransposons are abundant transposable elements in mammals and significantly influence chromosome structure, chromatin organization, and 3D genome architecture. In this issue of , Ataei et al. (doi:10.

Cathinone metabolism and biliary excretion in an ex-vivo pig liver model: example of 4-Cl-PVP and eutylone.

Objective: Recently, the pig liver model perfused ex vivo using a normothermic machine perfusion (NMP) has been proposed as a suitable model to study xenobiotic metabolism and biliary excretion. The aim of our study is to describe the metabolism of NPS such as cathinones (with a focus on 4-Cl-PVP and eutylone) in blood and bile, using a normothermic perfused pig liver model.

Methods: Livers (n=4) from male large white pigs, 3 - 4 months of age and weighing approximately 75-80 kg, were harvested and reperfused onto an NMP (LiverAssist®, XVIVO) using autologous whole blood at 38°C.

An integrative and translational PKPD modelling approach to explore the combined effect of polymyxin B and minocycline against Klebsiella pneumoniae.

Objectives: To expand a translational pharmacokinetic-pharmacodynamic (PKPD) modelling approach for assessing the combined effect of polymyxin B and minocycline against Klebsiella pneumoniae.

Methods: A PKPD model developed based on in vitro static time-kill experiments of one strain (ARU613) was first translated to characterize that of a more susceptible strain (ARU705), and thereafter to dynamic time-kill experiments (both strains) and to a murine thigh infection model (ARU705 only). The PKPD model was updated stepwise using accumulated data.

Betaine lipids: Biosynthesis, functional diversity and evolutionary perspectives.

Betaine lipids (BL) are relatively understudied non‑phosphorus glycerolipids. They are predominantly found in algae but have also been detected in other unicellular eukaryotes, fungi, bacteria, and some bryophytes and pteridophytes. These extraplastidial lipids are considered as substitute for phospholipids in organisms, particularly under phosphate (Pi) deficiency.

ECM stiffness regulates lung fibroblast survival through RasGRF1 dependent signaling.

Extracellular matrix stiffness is one of the multiple mechanical signals that alters cellular behavior. During studies exploring the effect of matrix rigidity on lung fibroblast survival we discovered that enhanced survival on stiff substrates is dependent on elevated Ras activity, owing to the activation of the GEF, RasGRF1. Mechanistically, we found that the increased Ras activity lead to the activation of both the AKT and ERK pathways.

Assessment of knee cartilage using accelerated 3 T MRI: Evaluation of an isotropic 3D fast spin-echo sequence (CUBE) with compressed sensing technique.

Purpose: Compressed Sensing (CS) is an emerging technique to accelerate MRI acquisitions. The aim of this study was to assess the reliability and accuracy of cartilage thickness measurements in the knee using a CS-enabled isotropic 3D Fast Spin-Echo (FSE) sequence on a 3-T MRI scanner.

Methods: Twenty-eight tibial condyle sections were collected from 14 adult patients who underwent total knee arthroplasty.

Identification of Bronchial Epithelial Genes Associated with Type-2 Eosinophilic Inflammation in Asthma.

Background: Airway inflammation has a critical role in asthma pathogenesis and pathophysiology. Yet, the molecular pathways contributing to airway inflammation are not fully known, particularly Type-2 (T2) inflammation characterized by both eosinophilia and higher FeNO levels.

Objective: To identify genes whose level of expression in epithelial brushing samples were associated with both bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) eosinophilia and generation of FeNO.

Developmental pathways underlying sexual differentiation in the U/V sex chromosome system of giant kelp.

In many multicellular organisms, sexual development is not determined by XX/XY or ZW/ZZ systems but by U/V sex chromosomes. In U/V systems, sex determination occurs in the haploid phase, with U chromosomes in females and V chromosomes in males. Here, we explore several male, female, and partially sex-reversed male lines of giant kelp to decipher how U/V sex chromosomes and autosomes initiate male versus female development.

Balancing limited resources in actin network competition.

In cells, multiple actin networks coexist in a dynamic manner. These networks compete for a common pool of actin monomers and actin-binding proteins. Interestingly, all of these networks manage to coexist despite the strong competition for resources.

Government carbon reduction policies and the shift to green lifestyles: The role of innovation, incentive, driving and economic effect.

This paper evaluates the impact of government efforts on the promotion of green lifestyles in realizing carbon emission reduction, a critical issue for achieving sustainable development. From the perspective of government policy, it examines the theoretical mechanisms through which government's attention to carbon reduction influences and catalyzes shifts in residents' adoption of green lifestyles. Employing an individual fixed-effects model, it conducts an empirical analysis to evaluate the influence of government's carbon reduction attention on the transformation of residents' environmental behaviors.

Nanostructured lipid carriers based mRNA vaccine leads to a T cell-inflamed tumour microenvironment favourable for improving PD-1/PD-L1 blocking therapy and long-term immunity in a cold tumour model.

Background: mRNA-based cancer vaccines show promise in triggering antitumour immune responses. To combine them with existing immunotherapies, the intratumoral immune microenvironment needs to be deeply characterised. Here, we test nanostructured lipid carriers (NLCs), the so-called Lipidots®, for delivering unmodified mRNA encoding Ovalbumin (OVA) antigen to elicit specific antitumour responses.

Biliary diffusion and antifungal activity of caspofungin and fluconazole in liver transplant recipients: A pilot study.

Invasive candidiasis, including intra-abdominal candidiasis (IAC), is a common complication after liver transplantation. Antifungal drugs such as echinocandins and fluconazole (FCZ) are frequently used to prevent or treat such fungal infections. The diffusion of these antifungals within abdominal body sites has been rarely reported, in particular, in liver transplant recipients.

Upconverting/magnetic Janus-like nanoparticles integrated into spiropyran micelle-like nanocarriers for NIR light- and pH- responsive drug delivery, photothermal therapy and biomedical imaging.

The integration of multiple functionalities into single theranostic platforms offers new opportunities for personalized and minimally invasive clinical interventions, positioning these materials as highly promising tools in modern medicine. Thereby, magneto-luminescent Janus-like nanoparticles (JNPs) were developed herein, and encapsulated into near-infrared (NIR) light- and pH- responsive micelle-like aggregates (Mic) for simultaneous magnetic targeting, biomedical imaging, photothermal therapy, and pH- NIR-light activated drug delivery. The JNPs consisted of NaYF:Yb,Tm upconverting nanoparticles (UCNPs) on which a well-differentiated magnetite structure (MNPs) grew epitaxially.

Emergence and tunability of Fermi-pocket and electronic instabilities in layered Nickelates.

Layered Nickelates have gained intensive attention as potential high-temperature superconductors, showing similarities and subtle differences to well-known Cuprates. This study introduces a modelling framework to analyze the tunability of electronic structures by focusing on effective orbitals and additional Fermi pockets, mimicking doping or external pressure qualitatively. It investigates the role of the $3d_{z^2}$ orbital in interlayer hybridization, which leads to the formation of a second pocket in the Fermi surface.

Sr and Cs distribution in Chornobyl forests: 30 years after the nuclear accident.

The primary aim of this study was to quantify patterns in the distribution of Sr and Cs activity in pine (Pinus sylvestris L.: 18 sites) and birch (Betula pendula Roth.: 2 sites) forests within the Chornobyl exclusion zone, 30 years after the Chornobyl nuclear power plant (NPP) accident (1986).