N-detected TROSY for H-N heteronuclear correlation to study intrinsically disordered proteins: strategies to increase spectral quality.

Intrinsically disordered proteins and protein regions are central to many biological processes but difficult to characterize at atomic resolution. Nuclear magnetic resonance is particularly well-suited for providing structural and dynamical information on intrinsically disordered proteins, but existing NMR methodologies need to be constantly refined to provide greater sensitivity and resolution, particularly to capitalise on the potential of high magnetic fields to investigate large proteins. In this paper, we describe how N-detected 2D NMR experiments can be optimised for better performance.

Is Drosophila Larval Competition Involved in Incipient Speciation?

Geographical, ethological, temporal and ecological barriers can affect interbreeding between populations deriving from an ancestral population, this progressively leading to speciation. A rare case of incipient speciation currently occurs between Drosophila melanogaster populations sampled in Zimbabwe (Z) and all other populations (M). This phenomenon was initially characterized by Z females refusing to mate with M males.

Blood Flow Velocity Analysis in Cerebral Perforating Arteries on 7T 2D Phase Contrast MRI with an Open-Source Software Tool (SELMA).

Blood flow velocity in the cerebral perforating arteries can be quantified in a two-dimensional plane with phase contrast magnetic imaging (2D PC-MRI). The velocity pulsatility index (PI) can inform on the stiffness of these perforating arteries, which is related to several cerebrovascular diseases. Currently, there is no open-source analysis tool for 2D PC-MRI data from these small vessels, impeding the usage of these measurements.

The publication fate of abstracts awarded prizes at European Society of Paediatric Radiology annual scientific meetings.

Background: The European Society of Paediatric Radiology (ESPR) awards prizes for outstanding work presented at their annual scientific meetings. The proportion of ESPR prize-winning abstracts to journal publications is not known. Contextualising abstract-to-publication proportions by evaluating publication experience can yield valuable insights and actionable outcomes to support researchers in overcoming barriers to journal publication.

Diagnostic imaging of Bacillus cereus brain infection in newborns.

Background: Cerebral infection with the opportunistic pathogen Bacillus cereus can lead to severe lesions, especially in premature newborns. Early diagnosis would be highly beneficial. The aim of this study was to describe the imaging findings associated with B.

Ravulizumab demonstrates long-term efficacy, safety and favorable patient survival in patients with paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinuria.

Ravulizumab is a second-generation complement component 5 (C5) inhibitor (C5i) approved for the treatment of paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinuria (PNH) following positive results from two pivotal trials in patients with PNH originally naive to C5i treatment and eculizumab-experienced patients with PNH. In both trials, after the 26week primary evaluation period, all patients received ravulizumab for up to 6 years. To report ravulizumab treatment outcomes in patients with PNH originally naive to C5i treatment and eculizumab-experienced patients with PNH treated for up to 6 years.

Bottlebrush Pastes as a Platform for Solvent-Free, Injectable, and Shape-Persistent Materials with Tissue-Mimetic Viscoelasticity.

Architecturally hindered crystallization of bottlebrush graft copolymers offers a reaction- and solvent-free pathway for creating injectable elastomers with tissue-mimetic softness. Currently, injectable materials involve solvents and chemical reactions, leading to uncontrolled swelling, leaching of unreacted moieties, and side reactions with tissue. To address this issue, bottlebrush copolymers with a poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) amorphous block and crystallizable poly(lactic acid) (PLA) grafted chains (A--B) were synthesized, with grafted chains of controlled length arranged along the backbone at controlled spacing.

On-the-fly resolution enhancement in X-ray protein crystallography using electric field.

X-ray crystallography has tremendously served structural biology by routinely providing high-resolution 3D structures of macromolecules. The extent of information encoded in the X-ray crystallography is proportional to which resolution the crystals diffract and the structure can be refined to. Therefore, there is a continuous effort to obtain high-quality crystals, especially for those proteins, which are considered difficult to crystallize into high-quality protein crystals of suitable sizes for X-ray crystallography.

Thioether-NHC bidentate manganese complexes as efficient phosphine-free catalysts for hydrogenation at room temperature.

A series of four original phosphine-free thioether-NHC manganese complexes have been synthesised and fully characterized. These complexes have been applied as efficient catalysts for the hydrogenation of alkenes and ketones at room temperature, with low catalyst loadings (TON up to 900).

Novel clinical trial designs emerging from the molecular reclassification of cancer.

Next-generation sequencing has revealed the disruptive reality that advanced/metastatic cancers have complex and individually distinct genomic landscapes, necessitating a rethinking of treatment strategies and clinical trial designs. Indeed, the molecular reclassification of cancer suggests that it is the molecular underpinnings of the disease, rather than the tissue of origin, that mostly drives outcomes. Consequently, oncology clinical trials have evolved from standard phase 1, 2, and 3 tissue-specific studies; to tissue-specific, biomarker-driven trials; to tissue-agnostic trials untethered from histology (all drug-centered designs); and, ultimately, to patient-centered, N-of-1 precision medicine studies in which each patient receives a personalized, biomarker-matched therapy/combination of drugs.

A double dissociation between semantic and spatial cognition in visual to default network pathways.

Processing pathways between sensory and default mode network (DMN) regions support recognition, navigation, and memory but their organisation is not well understood. We show that functional subdivisions of visual cortex and DMN sit at opposing ends of parallel streams of information processing that support visually mediated semantic and spatial cognition, providing convergent evidence from univariate and multivariate task responses, intrinsic functional and structural connectivity. Participants learned virtual environments consisting of buildings populated with objects, drawn from either a single semantic category or multiple categories.

Effect of repeated sprint training in hypoxia on acute and chronic redox balance modulation.

Little is known regarding the effects high-intensity training performed in hypoxia on the oxidative stress and antioxidant systems. The aim of this study was to assess the potential effect of 4 weeks of repeated sprint training in hypoxia (RSH) on the redox balance. Forty male well-trained cyclists were matched into two different interventions (RSH,  = 20) or in normoxia, RSN,  = 20) and tested twice (before (Pre-) and after (Post-) a 4-week of training) for performance (repeated sprint ability (RSA) test), oxidative stress, and antioxidant status.

Time-Dependent Growth of ZnO Nanowires: Unveiling Antibacterial and Photocatalytic Properties.

This study investigates the synthesis, characterization, and functional properties of well-aligned zinc oxide (ZnO) nanowires (NWs) obtained by a two-step hydrothermal method. ZnO NWs were grown on silicon substrates precoated with a ZnO seed layer. The growth process was conducted at 90 °C for different durations (2, 3, and 4 h) to examine the time-dependent evolution of the nanowire properties.

Effective bulk and mass densities of randomly distributed coated cylinders in fluid.

Inhomogeneous media made of random configurations of coated circular cylinders are considered. The effective properties-wave number, mass density, bulk modulus-are discussed and illustrated. The effects of the volume fraction of the scatterers and surrounding fluid are also examined.

Development of the Incompatible Insect Technique targeting : introgression of a wild nuclear background restores the performance of males artificially infected with .

The bacterium is increasingly studied for its potential use in controlling insect vectors or pests due to its ability to induce Cytoplasmic Incompatibility (CI). CI can be exploited by establishing an opportunistic infection in a targeted insect species through trans-infection and then releasing the infected males into the environment as sterilizing agents. Several host life history traits (LHT) have been reported to be negatively affected by artificial infection.

High astrovirus diversity in an endemic bat species suggests multiple spillovers from synanthropic rodents and birds.

Beyond the role of bats as natural host reservoirs of infectious agents, the impact of viral spillover from other animal species to bats has been neglected. Given the limited virus-host specificity of astroviruses (AstVs) and their propensity for cross-species transmission, we hypothesized that AstVs could be transmitted within animal communities (rodents, birds, and bats) and that native endemic bats may be exposed to viruses hosted by other species. We investigated the presence of AstV RNA in 3,796 biological samples collected in Reunion Island from ( = 3421), an endemic free-tailed bat species, and also from small terrestrial mammals and birds: ( = 146), ( = 74), ( = 36), ( = 99), and ( = 20).

Suspected Stonefish Envenomation in Reunion Island: 15 Years Later.

Introduction: Although marine envenomations are a reason for consultation in tropical emergency departments, stonefish stings are particularly feared. Immediate management focuses on pain control, whereas late management addresses cutaneous complications. This study presents a new series and compares the management of these patients and their outcomes at our center over the past 20 years.

Uncovering a new family of conserved virulence factors that promote the production of host-damaging outer membrane vesicles in gram-negative bacteria.

CprA is a short-chain dehydrogenase/reductase (SDR) that contributes to resistance against colistin and antimicrobial peptides. The cprA gene is conserved across Pseudomonas aeruginosa clades and its expression is directly regulated by the two-component system PmrAB. We have shown that cprA expression leads to the production of outer membrane vesicles (OMVs) that block autophagic flux and have a greater capacity to activate the non-canonical inflammasome pathway.

Simultaneous Activation of Beta-Oxidation and De Novo Lipogenesis in MASLD-HCC: A New Paradigm.

Background And Aims: Metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD) is the most common cause of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). In this study, we combine metabolomic and gene expression analysis to compare HCC tissues with non-tumoural tissues (NTT).

Methods: A non-targeted metabolomic strategy LC-MS was applied to 52 pairs of human MASLD-HCC and NTT separated into 2 groups according to fibrosis severity F0F1-F2 versus F3F4.

Translation of the downstream ORF from bicistronic mRNAs by human cells: Impact of codon usage and splicing in the upstream ORF.

Biochemistry textbooks describe eukaryotic mRNAs as monocistronic. However, increasing evidence reveals the widespread presence and translation of upstream open reading frames preceding the "main" ORF. DNA and RNA viruses infecting eukaryotes often produce polycistronic mRNAs and viruses have evolved multiple ways of manipulating the host's translation machinery.