Hydrogen and Methane Detection in Breath in Response to Two Different Types of Dietary Fiber and Its Relationship to Postprandial Glucose Concentration in Obese Patients with Type 2 Diabetes and Normoglycemic Subjects.

The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between postprandial glycemic levels based on flashmonitoring and the production of intestinal hydrogen (H) and methane (CH) gases based on the measurement of the amount of these gases in exhaled air. : We studied 14 subjects with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) and 14 individuals without diabetes (control) with two food load tests, including two types of dietary fiber (inulin and guar gum), with the simultaneous determination of gases in exhaled air and the assessment of glucose levels. : All subjects in the control group had a significant increase in exhaled H.

TGFβ links EBV to multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children.

In a subset of children and adolescents, SARS-CoV-2 infection induces a severe acute hyperinflammatory shock termed multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children (MIS-C) at four to eight weeks after infection. MIS-C is characterized by a specific T cell expansion and systemic hyperinflammation. The pathogenesis of MIS-C remains largely unknown.

Potassium channel-mediated NO-induced vasodilation during maturation: Dominance of Kv7 channels.

Maturation represents a process characterized by adaptive changes, particularly in the circulatory system. However, it is not known whether, in neonates, potassium channels contribute to NO-induced vasorelaxation at all and, if so, which potassium channels these are. Therefore, this study tested the hypothesis that potassium channels mediate NO-induced vasorelaxation in newborn rats.

The flexible chain: regulation of structure and activity of ETC complexes defines rate of ATP synthesis and sites of superoxide generation.

This review highlights current insights into the regulation of the mitochondrial respiratory chain (electron transport chain, ETC) activity. The regulation of ETC properties optimizes ATP synthesis and controls the generation of the superoxide anion radical (O ) which can be converted into other reactive oxygen species (ROS) playing a dual role by initiating signaling cascades or contributing to oxidative stress. We examine how ETC activity is influenced by the structure and conformation of its complexes, their allosteric or post-translational modifications, and their interactions with membrane lipids.

The Source of Some Empirical Density Functionals van der Waals Forces.

Density functional approximations became indispensable tools in many fields of chemistry due to their excellent cost-to-accuracy ratio. Still, consideration is required to select an appropriate approximation for each task. Highly parameterized Minnesota functionals are known for their excellent accuracy in reproducing thermochemical properties and, in particular, weak medium-range interactions.

Biochemical signatures strongly demarcate phylogenetic groups of plant 14-3-3 isoforms.

Interaction of dimeric 14-3-3 proteins with phosphotargets regulates various physiological processes in plants, from flowering to transpiration and salt tolerance. Several genes express distinct 14-3-3 "isoforms," particularly numerous in plants, but these are unevenly studied even in model species. Here we systematically investigated twelve 14-3-3 isoforms from Arabidopsis thaliana.

The surface-enhanced Raman scattering method for point-of-care atrial fibrillation diagnostics.

We suggest a new method for the detection of paroxysmal atrial fibrillation by analyzing surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) spectra of blood serum of patients in question in comparison with SERS spectra of the serum of healthy donors. Spectral measurements were carried out on compact SERS substrates in dried blood serum droplets with immediate subsequent processing. To process the spectra, machine learning methods were used, in particular, the logistic regression method and the principal component method.

The establishment of the 3D genome structure during zygotic genome activation.

During zygotic genome activation (ZGA) and early development, hierarchical levels of chromatin structure undergo remarkable perturbations: changes in the nuclear-to-cytoplasmic ratio of various components; changes in chromatin accessibility; histone exchange; and the formation of 3D structures such as loops, topologically associated domains, and compartments. Here, we review the peculiarities, variability, and emergence of the chromatin structural features during ZGA in different organisms. Focusing on newly found structures called fountains, we describe the prerequisites for cohesin loading on DNA and possible mechanisms of genome organization in early development.

Sensor platform for noninvasive evaluation of pulmonary oxidative status.

We report on sensor platform including both the advanced nanostructured Prussian Blue based hydrogen peroxide sensor and the cooling-free breath aerosol (BA) condenser. The latter provides an order of magnitude more concentrated BA samples as compared to breath condensate collected traditionally through cooling; the conclusion is based on both: specimen's conductivity, the generally accepted dilution marker, and the evaluated HO levels (2.2-3.

Acute Schizophrenia-like Psychotic Disorder Against the Background of COVID-19.

: Research in this area focuses on acute schizophrenia-like psychotic disorder, as more than half of cases progress to a chronic course, manifesting as schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder. Research has shown a link between viral infection and the onset of psychosis, and the influence of viruses on the clinical course of the disease is also being studied. Consequently, in cases where this type of psychosis co-occurs with a viral illness, there is a compelling rationale for identifying commonalities in both treatment and outcome.

Stimuli-Responsive Multifunctional Iridium(III) Complex Exhibiting Thermo-, Vapochromism, and Double Catalytic Activity.

Multifunctional compounds with properties that may be triggered by different external stimuli are highly desirable yet challenging in their design and synthesis. Herein, we report a cyclometalated iridium(III) complex based on bulky 1,2-diphenylphenanthroimidazole (C^N) that can easily change its molecular geometry from trigonal-bipyramidal to octahedral or from a monomeric to dimeric state in response to external stimuli (temperature and solvent variations). The extensive characterization including variable-temperature H NMR, single-crystal and powder X-ray diffraction corroborated by density functional theory calculations strongly indicates that the thermochromic behavior of the complex is attributed to the dimer-monomer transformations both in solution and in the solid state.

Discovery of Novel 2-Oxindoles as Compounds with Antiglaucoma Activity.

Oxindole-based natural indoles analogues retain the rigidity and size of the original indole ring system whilst introducing more 3-dimensionality and potential increased water solubility. We report the first preparation of a diverse series of new melatonin analogues 4, 6, 11, 12 based on 3-hydroxy-2-oxindoles (11) and hydroxy-free 2-oxindoles (4, 6, 12) and evaluated their ability to reduce intraocular pressure as well as their neuroprotective and antioxidant properties. Reductive amination was used to obtain new 5-(benzylamino)-substituted (indolin-3-yl)acetonitriles 11 and (indolin-3-yl)acetic acids 12 with high yields.

Single-Molecule Nanopore Sequencing of the CpG Island from the Promoter of O6-Methylguanine-DNA Methyltransferase Provides Insights into the Mechanism of De Novo Methylation of G/C-Rich Regions.

Background: The methylation of cytosine residues at CpG sites within the O6-methylguanine-DNA methyltransferase () promoter is a key biomarker in glioblastoma therapy. The promoter (MGMTp) contains multiple guanine-rich sequences capable of folding into G-quadruplexes (G4s), but their relevance for MGMTp methylation is poorly understood.

Objectives: Our study explores the impact of potential G-quadruplex-forming sequences (PQS) in the promoter CpG island on the activity of de novo DNA methyltransferase Dnmt3a.

Engineering of thermal stability in the recombinant xanthorhodopsin from Salinibacter ruber.

Solubilization in detergents is a widely used technique for the isolation of membrane proteins and the study of their properties. Unfortunately, protein stability in detergent micelles can sometimes be compromised. We encountered this issue with xanthorhodopsin (XR) from Salinibacter ruber, which had been previously engineered for expression in Escherichia coli cells.

Liquid condensates: a new barrier to loop extrusion?

Liquid-liquid phase separation (LLPS), driven by dynamic, low-affinity multivalent interactions of proteins and RNA, results in the formation of macromolecular condensates on chromatin. These structures are likely to provide high local concentrations of effector factors responsible for various processes including transcriptional regulation and DNA repair. In particular, enhancers, super-enhancers, and promoters serve as platforms for condensate assembly.

Fluorescent protein with environmentally-sensitive fluorescence lifetime for quantitative pH measurement.

Intracellular pH is a key factor in cell homeostasis, regulated within specific compartments, and changes in pH can result from or affect biochemical pathways. This study explores a yellow fluorescent protein EYFP-G65T as a core for a time-resolved pH-indicator. Among the tested designs-a circular permutant, a chimeric SypHer3s-like construct, and an unmodified protein-the unmodified EYFP-G65T performed best for live-cell imaging.

Signal Transduction and Transformation by the Platelet Activation Cascade: Systems Biology Insights.

Binding of platelet activators to their receptors initiates a signal transduction network, where intracellular signal is filtered, amplified, and transformed. Computational systems biology methods could be a powerful tool to address and analyze dynamics and regulation of the crucial steps in this cascade. Here we review these approaches and show the logic of their use for a relatively simple case of SFLLRN-induced procoagulant activity.

Environmental contamination with dioxins: experience of ecotoxicity survey and assessment using wild mammalian model (bank vole C. glareolus) inhabiting forests outside sanitary zones of municipal waste landfills.

Dioxins are known to be toxic for biota at every dose and their long-term effects are reported for almost 50 years of investigations. Our researches of dioxin accumulation by bank voles living in the vicinity of several landfills near Moscow (landfills "Lesnaya" and "Kouchino") demonstrated the similarity of dioxin profiles in soil and animal samples, and an increase of highly toxic congeners' concentrations in the bank voles' bodies. We investigated also the probable public cancer risk resulting from the comparable lifetime exposure of the voles' population with dioxins' low doses, and our evaluation verified the hazard of cancer development supported by alterations in the ahr gene expression in the liver cells.

Potent painkiller from spider venom antagonizes P2X3 receptors without dysgeusia.

P2X3 receptors are a validated molecular target in pain syndromes and chronic cough. Known P2X3 inhibitors generally suffer from poor selectivity and efficacy. Taking advantage of peptide combinatorial libraries found in venoms, we describe a P2X3 antagonist from the crab spider Thomisus onustus.

Mixing of real and quantum gases.

Through the consistent application of quantum statistical thermodynamics, functions of isothermal mixing of real rarefied gases and quantum gases in states of varying degrees of degeneracy are obtained. The reasons for the emergence and resolution of the "Gibbs paradox" and other "paradoxes" are analyzed. Numerical calculations of entropy and pressure jumps were performed using the example of a pair of Bose gases (neon and argon) and a pair of Fermi gases (electron and muon).

Tat-fimbriae ("tafi"): An unusual type of haloarchaeal surface structure depending on the twin-arginine translocation pathway.

The surface structures of archaeal cells, many of which exist at high temperatures, high salinity, and non-physiological pH, are key factors for their adaptation to extreme living conditions. In the haloarchaeon , we have discovered a thin filamentous surface appendage called tat-fimbriae ("tafi"), which were identified to be composed of three protein subunits, TafA, TafC, and TafE, among which TafA is the major fimbrial subunit. Molecular genetic evidence demonstrates TafA was transported through the twin-arginine translocation pathway (Tat-pathway).

MicroRNAs in Plant Genetic Regulation of Drought Tolerance and Their Function in Enhancing Stress Adaptation.

Adverse environmental conditions, including drought stress, pose a significant threat to plant survival and agricultural productivity, necessitating innovative and efficient approaches to enhance their resilience. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are recognized as key elements in regulating plant adaptation to drought stress, with a notable ability to modulate various physiological and molecular mechanisms. This review provides an in-depth analysis of the role of miRNAs in drought response mechanisms, including abscisic acid (ABA) signaling, reactive oxygen species (ROS) detoxification, and the optimization of root system architecture.

Improvement of the Impact Resistance of Epoxy Prepregs Through the Incorporation of Polyamide Nonwoven Fabric.

The impact of introducing a nonwoven polyamide PA 12-E material on the mechanical properties of polymer composite materials based on epoxy autoclave prepreg T107 has been investigated. This study demonstrates that the incorporation of nonwoven fabric does not lead to a decrease in the mechanical properties of the composites. A significant advantage of composites reinforced with nonwoven fabric is their enhanced impact resistance.

Three-component reactions of conjugated dienes, CH acids and formaldehyde under diffusion mixing conditions.

A diffusion mixing technique with a volatile reagent was successfully used to generate crotonic condensation adducts of active methylene compounds and formaldehyde at room temperature in the absence of strong acids and bases. The formed adducts were highly reactive intermediates capable of reacting with dienes in a three-component reaction, leading to the formation of Diels-Alder main reaction products.

Highly-sensitive quantification of carbamazepine and identification of its degradation and metabolism products in human liver by high performance liquid chromatography - High resolution mass spectrometry.

A method for the qualitative and quantitative determination of carbamazepine in human liver tissues using high-performance liquid chromatography coupled with high-resolution mass spectrometry has been developed. Validation has been carried out and the main analytical characteristics of the developed method have been determined. The limit of detection (LOD) is 1 ng/g, and the lower limit of quantification (LLOQ) is 5 ng/g.