Anatomy, histology and ultrastructure of the adult human olfactory peduncle: Blood vessel and corpora amylacea assessment.

The mammalian olfactory system is responsible for processing environmental chemical stimuli and comprises several structures, including the olfactory epithelium, olfactory bulb, olfactory peduncle (OP), and olfactory cortices. Despite the critical role played by the OP in the conduction of olfactory information, it has remained understudied. In this work, optical, confocal, and electron microscopy were employed to examine the anatomy, histology, and ultrastructure of six human OP specimens (ages 37-84 years).

Urolithin A alleviates NLRP3 inflammasome activation and pyroptosis by promoting microglial mitophagy following spinal cord injury.

Spinal cord injury (SCI) is a potentially fatal condition that often results in loss of motor and sensory functions, thereby significantly burdening global health initiatives. Urolithin A (UA), an intestinal microbial metabolite of ellagic acid, is known for its potent anti-inflammatory properties in chronic inflammation contexts. UA treatment in humans induces a molecular signature of improved mitochondrial and cellular health.

Perfluorooctane sulfonate attenuates IgE/Ag-stimulated mast cell activation and anaphylactic responses via activating SHP-1 pathway.

Perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS), a widely distributed and persistent organic pollutant, is known to cause immune dysfunction. In a previous study, we reported that PFOS modestly increases mast cell activation. However, its effects on FcεRI (a high-affinity IgE receptor)-mediated mast cell activation, a pivotal process in inflammatory allergic reactions and innate immunity, have not been clearly demonstrated.

Impairment of the T cell memory response in chronic lymphocytic leukemia patients after SARS-CoV-2 vaccination.

CLL patients face increased vulnerability to COVID-19 because of weakened immune systems from comorbidities and treatments. Therefore, the need for these patients of vaccination is of outermost importance. In our study we have evaluated T cell-mediated responses to COVID19 vaccines by performing the activation-induced markers (AIM) assay which allows to determine spike-specific CD4+ and CD8+ T cell responses.

Nuclear envelope components in vascular mechanotransduction: emerging roles in vascular health and disease.

The vascular network, uniquely sensitive to mechanical changes, translates biophysical forces into biochemical signals for vessel function. This process relies on the cell's architectural integrity, enabling uniform responses to physical stimuli. Recently, the nuclear envelope (NE) has emerged as a key regulator of vascular cell function.

Interleukin-12 Inhibits Tumor Growth and Metastasis Promoted by Tumor-Associated Mesenchymal Stem Cells in Triple-Negative Breast Cancer.

Objective: The aim of this study was to understand the interactions between tumor-associated mesenchymal stem cells (TA-MSCs) and triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) cells, which appear to be necessary for developing effective therapies.

Materials And Methods: In this experimental study, MDA-MB-231 and 4T1 TNBC cells were co-cultured with bone marrow-derived MSCs, and TA-MSCs conditioned media (CM) were collected. TA-MSC CM-treated TNBC cells were subjected to migration and invasion assays.

Altered immune surveillance of B and T cells in patients with persistent residual lung abnormalities 12 months after severe COVID-19.

Background: Post-COVID-19 respiratory sequelae often involve lung damage, which is called residual lung abnormalities, and potentially lead to chronic respiratory issues. The adaptive immune response, involving T-cells and B-cells, plays a critical role in pathogen control, inflammation, and tissue repair. However, the link between immune dysregulation and the development of residual lung abnormalities remains unclear.

Repurposing of phosphodiesterase-5 inhibitor sildenafil as a therapeutic agent to prevent gastric cancer growth through suppressing c-MYC stability for IL-6 transcription.

Phosphodiesterase-5 (PDE5) inhibitors have shown promise as anti-cancer agents in malignancies. However, their specific effects on gastric cancer (GC) and the underlying mechanisms remain elusive. Our aim was to investigate this by combining evidence from population-based studies with data obtained from in vivo and in vitro experiments.

Cellular Senescence Contributes to Colonic Barrier Integrity Impairment Induced by Toxoplasma gondii Infection.

Toxoplasma gondii (T. gondii) induces gut barrier integrity impairment, which is crucial to the establishment of long-term infection in hosts. Cellular senescence is an imperative event that drives disease progression.

Sonic hedgehog and fibroblast growth factor 8 regulate the evolution of amniote facial proportions.

Amniote skulls are diverse in shape and skeletal composition, which is the basis of much adaptive diversification within this clade. Major differences in skull shape are established early in development, at a critical developmental interval spanning the initial outgrowth and fusion of the facial processes. In birds, this is orchestrated by domains of Shh and Fgf8 expression, known as the frontonasal ectodermal zone (FEZ).

Incomplete human reference genomes can drive false sex biases and expose patient-identifying information in metagenomic data.

As next-generation sequencing technologies produce deeper genome coverages at lower costs, there is a critical need for reliable computational host DNA removal in metagenomic data. We find that insufficient host filtration using prior human genome references can introduce false sex biases and inadvertently permit flow-through of host-specific DNA during bioinformatic analyses, which could be exploited for individual identification. To address these issues, we introduce and benchmark three host filtration methods of varying throughput, with concomitant applications across low biomass samples such as skin and high microbial biomass datasets including fecal samples.

Anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties of Camellia sinensis L. extract as a potential therapeutic for atopic dermatitis through NF-κB pathway inhibition.

Atopic dermatitis (AD) is a chronic inflammatory skin disease characterized by immune dysregulation and excessive cytokine production. This study aimed to explore the potential of Camellia sinensis L. water extract (CSE) as a treatment for AD by the impact of CSE on inflammatory responses in keratinocytes, particularly concerning the production of inflammatory cytokines and the modulation of signaling pathways relevant to AD pathogenesis.

Electro-driven direct lithium extraction from geothermal brines to generate battery-grade lithium hydroxide.

As Li-ion batteries are increasingly being deployed in electric vehicles and grid-level energy storage, the demand for Li is growing rapidly. Extracting lithium from alternative aqueous sources such as geothermal brines plays an important role in meeting this demand. Electrochemical intercalation emerges as a promising Li extraction technology due to its ability to offer high selectivity for Li and its avoidance of harsh chemical regenerants.

Structural studies of the IFNλ4 receptor complex using cryoEM enabled by protein engineering.

IFNλ4 has posed a conundrum in human immunology since its discovery in 2013, with its expression linked to complications with viral clearance. While genetic and cellular studies revealed the detrimental effects of IFNλ4 expression, extensive structural and functional characterization has been limited by the inability to express and purify the protein, complicating explanations of its paradoxical behavior. In this work, we report a method for robust production of IFNλ4.

Predicting metabolite response to dietary intervention using deep learning.

Due to highly personalized biological and lifestyle characteristics, different individuals may have different metabolite responses to specific foods and nutrients. In particular, the gut microbiota, a collection of trillions of microorganisms living in the gastrointestinal tract, is highly personalized and plays a key role in the metabolite responses to foods and nutrients. Accurately predicting metabolite responses to dietary interventions based on individuals' gut microbial compositions holds great promise for precision nutrition.

Enhancing growing rabbit heat stress resilience through dietary supplementation with natural antioxidants.

Animal husbandry development is influenced by various factors, with heat stress (HS) being a significant factor. The aim of this experiment was to explore the potential of natural antioxidants such as vitamin C (VITC), vitamin E (VITE), lycopene (LYC), and allicin (AL) in enhancing growth, immune function and maintaining the redox status of fattening rabbits under HS. Male weaning rabbits (n = 150, 5 weeks of age) were randomly assigned to 5 groups.

Reliably quantifying the severity of social symptoms in children with autism using ASDSpeech.

Several studies have demonstrated that the severity of social communication problems, a core symptom of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), is correlated with specific speech characteristics of ASD individuals. This suggests that it may be possible to develop speech analysis algorithms that can quantify ASD symptom severity from speech recordings in a direct and objective manner. Here we demonstrate the utility of a new open-source AI algorithm, ASDSpeech, which can analyze speech recordings of ASD children and reliably quantify their social communication difficulties across multiple developmental timepoints.

Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the experiences of underrepresented-in-medicine women applicants to surgical residency.

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic brought additional challenges to the 2020-2021 application cycle. The objective of this study was to explore how such challenges altered the perceptions/motivations/concerns of applicants to surgical fields, particularly those self-identifying as women underrepresented-in-medicine (UiM).

Methods: An anonymous mixed-methods survey was electronically distributed to all medical student members of the Association of Women Surgeons between 10/1/2020-12/31/2020.

The Impact of a Human Bone Morphogenetic Protein-infused Nano-Bone Material Combined With Traditional Chinese Medicine Carthamus tinctorius on the Repair of Oral Bone Defects.

Background: The role of human bone morphogenetic protein-infused in combination with traditional Chinese medicine Carthamus tinctorius in repairing oral bone defects (OBD) was evaluated in this work.

Methods: An experiment was conducted on a rat OBD model, where rats were randomly rolled into Groups A, B, and C based on their different treatments. Micro-CT was utilized to measure jaw bone volume fraction (BV/TV) and bone mineral density (BMD) in rats, while a biomechanical testing machine assessed compressive strength of the jaw bone.

β1 Integrin/FAK signaling regulates interleukin-8 production in human gingival epithelial Ca9-22 cells.

Objectives: Interleukin-8 (IL-8), a proinflammatory factor in human tissues, plays an important role in inflammation. Type IV collagen, a key component of the basement membrane, interacts with integrins, which are primary receptors in the extracellular matrix (ECM). Integrins are essential for the regulation of various cellular behaviors and signal transduction pathways.

Reduced food cravings correlated with a 24-month period of weight loss and weight maintenance.

Food cravings increase calorie-dense food intake, contributing to weight gain. Although reductions in food cravings are frequently reported during weight loss, it remains unclear whether these changes are sustained during weight maintenance. The study objective was to investigate associations between food cravings and weight changes in a 12-month weight loss trial followed by 12 months of maintenance.

International Expert-Based Consensus Definition, Classification Criteria, and Minimum Data Elements for Osteoradionecrosis of the Jaw: An Inter-Disciplinary Modified Delphi Study.

Purpose: Osteoradionecrosis of the jaw (ORNJ) is a severe iatrogenic disease characterized by bone death after radiation therapy (RT) to the head and neck. With over 9 published definitions and at least 16 classification systems, the true incidence and severity of ORNJ are obscured by lack of a standard for disease definition and severity assessment, leading to inaccurate estimation of incidence, reporting ambiguity, and likely under-diagnosis worldwide. This study aimed to achieve consensus on an explicit definition and phenotype of ORNJ and related precursor states through data standardization to facilitate effective diagnosis, monitoring, and multidisciplinary management of ORNJ.

Phoenixin's Influence on HPG Axis and Inflammation in Elite Ice Hockey Athletes: A Cross-Sectional Analysis.

The neuropeptide phoenixin (PNX) may be involved in regulating the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal (HPG) axis and inflammatory responses. This study aims to investigate the role of PNX in the regulation of HPG axis function in ice hockey players and its impact on body composition. This cross-sectional study included 65 male ice hockey players aged 18-22, divided into untrained, non-elite athlete, and elite athlete groups.