High-Affinity Lectin Ligands Enable the Detection of Pathogenic Biofilms: Implications for Diagnostics and Therapy.

is a critical priority pathogen and causes life-threatening acute and biofilm-associated chronic infections. The choice of suitable treatment for complicated infections requires lengthy culturing for species identification from swabs or an invasive biopsy. To date, no fast, pathogen-specific diagnostic tools for infections are available.

Role of NaCO as Nucleation Seeds to Accelerate the CO Uptake Kinetics of MgO-Based Sorbents.

There is an urgent need for inexpensive, functional materials that can capture and release CO under industrial conditions. In this context, MgO is a highly promising, earth-abundant CO sorbent. However, despite its favorable carbonation thermodynamics and potential for high gravimetric CO uptakes, MgO-based CO sorbents feature slow carbonation kinetics, limiting their CO uptake during typical industrial contact times.

Multifunctional Supramolecular Gels with Strong Mechanical Properties Formed by Self-Assembly of Polyoxometalate-Based Coordination Polymers.

Metallogels built in a bottom-up approach by metal coordination and supramolecular interactions have important potential for the elaboration of smart materials. In this context, we present here the formation of supramolecular coordination polymers driven by the complexation of cobalt(II) or zinc(II) ions with polyoxometalate-based hybrids displaying two terpyridine ligands in a linear arrangement. Thanks to the electrostatic interactions between the polyoxometalate cores and metal nodes, the polymer chains self-assemble into fibers that physically cross-link to form gels above a critical concentration.

Endocrine disruptor chemicals exposure and female fertility declining: from pathophysiology to epigenetic risks.

Over the last decades, human infertility has become a major concern in public health, with severe societal and health consequences. Growing evidence shows that endocrine disruptors chemicals (EDCs) have been considered as risk factors of infertility. Their presence in our everyday life has become ubiquitous because of their universal use in food and beverage containers, personal care products, cosmetics, phytosanitary products.

Advancing Regulatory Genomics With Machine Learning.

In recent years, several machine learning (ML) approaches have been proposed to predict gene expression signal and chromatin features from the DNA sequence alone. These models are often used to deduce and, to some extent, assess putative new biological insights about gene regulation, and they have led to very interesting advances in regulatory genomics. This article reviews a selection of these methods, ranging from linear models to random forests, kernel methods, and more advanced deep learning models.

Whole-genome sequencing revealed a novel structural variant in causing autosomal dominant Alport syndrome: A case report.

Next-generation sequencing has substantially transformed the genomic diagnosis of individuals affected by inherited renal disorders. Indeed, accurate and rapid diagnostic for patients with suspected genetic kidney diseases is not only important for prognosis and patient management but also for family counseling. Alport syndrome, a genetic disease primarily affecting the basement membrane, is characterized by hematuria, progressive kidney failure, hearing impairment, as well as ocular abnormalities and stems from mutations in genes encoding type IV collagen.

Ge Epitaxy at Ultralow Growth Temperatures Enabled by a Pristine Growth Environment.

Germanium (Ge), the next-in-line group-IV material, bears great potential to add functionality and performance to next-generation nanoelectronics and solid-state quantum transport based on silicon (Si) technology. Here, we investigate the direct epitaxial growth of two-dimensional high-quality crystalline Ge layers on Si deposited at ultralow growth temperatures ( = 100-350 °C) and pristine growth pressures (≲10 mbar). First, we show that a decreasing does not degrade the crystal quality of homoepitaxial Ge/Ge(001) by comparing the point defect density using positron annihilation lifetime spectroscopy.

Transcranial ultrasound stimulation effect in the redundant and synergistic networks consistent across macaques.

Low-intensity transcranial ultrasound stimulation (TUS) is a noninvasive technique that safely alters neural activity, reaching deep brain areas with good spatial accuracy. We investigated the effects of TUS in macaques using a recent metric, the synergy minus redundancy rank gradient, which quantifies different kinds of neural information processing. We analyzed this high-order quantity on the fMRI data after TUS in two targets: the supplementary motor area (SMA-TUS) and the frontal polar cortex (FPC-TUS).

Neural mass modeling for the masses: Democratizing access to whole-brain biophysical modeling with FastDMF.

Different whole-brain computational models have been recently developed to investigate hypotheses related to brain mechanisms. Among these, the Dynamic Mean Field (DMF) model is particularly attractive, combining a biophysically realistic model that is scaled up via a mean-field approach and multimodal imaging data. However, an important barrier to the widespread usage of the DMF model is that current implementations are computationally expensive, supporting only simulations on brain parcellations that consider less than 100 brain regions.

Isolation of Viral Biofilms From HTLV-1 Chronically Infected T Cells and Integrity Analysis.

The human T-lymphotropic virus type-1 (HTLV-1) is an oncogenic retrovirus that predominantly spreads through cell-to-cell contact due to the limited infectivity of cell-free viruses. Among various modes of intercellular transmission, HTLV-1 biofilms emerge as adhesive structures, polarized at the cell surface, which encapsulate virions within a protective matrix. This biofilm is supposed to facilitate simultaneous virion delivery during infection.

Transcriptomic profiling of "brain-eating amoeba" infection in mice: the host and the protozoa perspectives.

The free-living amoeba (NF) causes a rare but lethal parasitic meningoencephalitis (PAM) in humans. Currently, this disease lacks effective treatments and the specific molecular mechanisms that govern NF pathogenesis and host brain response remain unknown. To address some of these issues, we sought to explore naturally existing virulence diversity within environmental NF isolates.

Interest of neurofeedback training for cognitive performance and risk of brain disorders in the military context.

Operational environments are characterized by a range of psycho-physiological constraints that can degrade combatants' performance and impact on their long-term health. Neurofeedback training (NFT), a non-invasive, safe and effective means of regulating brain activity, has been shown to be effective for mental disorders, as well as for cognitive and motor capacities and aiding sports performance in healthy individuals. Its value in helping soldiers in operational condition or suffering from post-traumatic stress (PTSD) is undeniable, but relatively unexplored.

Theory of mind in schizophrenia through a clinical liability approach: a sib-pair study.

Background: Consistent findings indicate that Theory of Mind (ToM) is impaired in schizophrenia (SZ). To investigate whether such deficits are trait- or state-dependent, we investigated if ToM is modified by clinical liability markers (such as basic symptoms and psychotic-like experiences), focusing on the analysis of unaffected siblings of individuals diagnosed with SZ.

Methods: The study included a total of 65 participants: 38 patients diagnosed with a schizophrenia-spectrum disorder and 27 healthy siblings.

Ultrasound diagnosis of cystic cystitis with von Brunn's nest in two cats.

Case Series Summary: Two cats were initially evaluated for recurrent dysuria and haematuria, which were unresponsive to antibiotic and anti-inflammatory treatments. An abdominal ultrasound revealed focal wall thickening with a severe hypoechoic multicystic parietal lesion at the bladder apex. Surgical excision of the lesion (apical cystectomy) led to complete resolution of the clinical signs in both cases.

Survival after surgery for acute type A aortic dissection in octogenarians.

Objective: To evaluate the benefits of surgical repair acute type A aortic dissection (ATAAD) on survival of octogenarians.

Methods: Patients who underwent surgery for acute ATAAD from the multicenter European Registry of Type A Aortic Dissection (ERTAAD) were the subjects of the present analysis.

Results: 326 (8.

Fluid flow and amyloid transport and aggregation in the brain interstitial space.

The driving mechanisms at the base of the clearance of biological wastes in the brain interstitial space (ISS) are still poorly understood and an actively debated subject. A complete comprehension of the processes that lead to the aggregation of amyloid proteins in such environment, hallmark of the onset and progression of Alzheimer's disease, is of crucial relevance. Here we employ combined computational fluid dynamics and molecular dynamics techniques to uncover the role of fluid flow and proteins transport in the brain ISS.

Comparative analysis of creative problem solving tasks across age groups using modular cube robotics.

Creative Problem Solving (CPS) is an important competency when using digital artifacts for educational purposes. Using a dual-process approach, this study examines the divergent thinking scores (fluidity, flexibility, and originality) and problem-solving speed in CPS of different age groups. Participants engaged in CreaCube CPS tasks with educational robotics for two consecutive instances, with performance analyzed to explore the influence of prior experience and creative intentions.

An Abrupt Decline in Global Terrestrial Water Storage and Its Relationship with Sea Level Change.

Unlabelled: As observed by the Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE) and GRACE Follow On (GRACE-FO) missions, global terrestrial water storage (TWS), excluding ice sheets and glaciers, declined rapidly between May 2014 and March 2016. By 2023, it had not yet recovered, with the upper end of its range remaining 1 cm equivalent height of water below the upper end of the earlier range. Beginning with a record-setting drought in northeastern South America, a series of droughts on five continents helped to prevent global TWS from rebounding.

Observational Assessment of Changes in Earth's Energy Imbalance Since 2000.

Satellite observations from the Clouds and the Earth's Radiant Energy System show that Earth's energy imbalance has doubled from 0.5 ± 0.2 Wm during the first 10 years of this century to 1.

North Atlantic Heat Transport Convergence Derived from a Regional Energy Budget Using Different Ocean Heat Content Estimates.

This study uses an oceanic energy budget to estimate the ocean heat transport convergence in the North Atlantic during 2005-2018. The horizontal convergence of the ocean heat transport is estimated using ocean heat content tendency primarily derived from satellite altimetry combined with space gravimetry. The net surface energy fluxes are inferred from mass-corrected divergence of atmospheric energy transport and tendency of the ECMWF ERA5 reanalysis combined with top-of-the-atmosphere radiative fluxes from the clouds and the Earth's radiant energy system project.

Polygenic score distribution differences across European ancestry populations: implications for breast cancer risk prediction.

Background: The 313-variant polygenic risk score (PRS) provides a promising tool for clinical breast cancer risk prediction. However, evaluation of the PRS across different European populations which could influence risk estimation has not been performed.

Methods: We explored the distribution of PRS across European populations using genotype data from 94,072 females without breast cancer diagnosis, of European-ancestry from 21 countries participating in the Breast Cancer Association Consortium (BCAC) and 223,316 females without breast cancer diagnosis from the UK Biobank.

Comparison of ELISA and IFAT for Leishmania infantum by European and Middle Eastern diagnostic laboratories.

Background: Visceral leishmaniosis (VL) is the most severe form of human leishmaniosis, with an estimated 95% case fatality if left untreated. Dogs act as peridomestic reservoir hosts for the protozoan parasite Leishmania infantum, a causative agent for human leishmaniosis, endemic throughout the Mediterranean basin. To assure consistent and accurate surveillance of canine infection and prevent transmission to people, consistent diagnosis of canine L.