Synergistic Anti-Cancer Effects of Curcumin and Thymoquinone Against Melanoma.

Combining anti-cancer agents in cancer therapies is becoming increasingly common because of their improved efficacy, reduced toxicity, and decreased risk of resistance development. Melanoma, a highly aggressive form of skin cancer characterized by limited treatment options due to chemoresistance, poses a considerable challenge for effective management. Here, we test the hypothesis that dietary supplements such as thymoquinone (TQ) and curcumin (CU) cooperatively modulate cancer-associated cellular mechanisms to inhibit melanoma progression.

Starch-rich plant foods 780,000 y ago: Evidence from Acheulian percussive stone tools.

In contrast to animal foods, wild plants often require long, multistep processing techniques that involve significant cognitive skills and advanced toolkits to perform. These costs are thought to have hindered how hominins used these foods and delayed their adoption into our diets. Through the analysis of starch grains preserved on basalt anvils and percussors, we demonstrate that a wide variety of plants were processed by Middle Pleistocene hominins at the site of Gesher Benot Ya'aqov in Israel, at least 780,000 y ago.

Efficient Method for Imaging Murine Lungs that Preserves Spatial Dynamics of Fungal Spores in the Airways.

Fungi infect humans when environmental spores are inhaled into the lungs. The lung is a heterogeneous organ. Conducting airways, including bronchi and bronchioles, branch until terminating in the alveolar airspace where gas exchange occurs.

Two H3K23 histone methyltransferases, SET-32 and SET-21, function synergistically to promote nuclear RNAi-mediated transgenerational epigenetic inheritance in Caenorhabditis elegans.

Nuclear RNAi in C. elegans induces a set of transgenerationally heritable marks of H3K9me3, H3K23me3, and H3K27me3 at the target genes. The function of H3K23me3 in the nuclear RNAi pathway is largely unknown due to the limited knowledge of H3K23 histone methyltransferase (HMT).

Multilevel associations of peer cognitive factors and adolescent cannabis use in a legal recreational cannabis region.

Background: Cannabis use can have unintended, harmful consequences for adolescents, a developmental group that struggles with heightened pressure to align with peer attitudes and behaviors. The role of social-cognitive factors in shifting cannabis use dynamics remains under explored, particularly in states where recreational cannabis use is legal.

Objectives: The present study examined multilevel longitudinal associations between resistance to peer influence, peer norms, and adolescent cannabis use over the course of 12 months.

Assessment of Linear and Cyclic Peptides' Immobilization onto Cross-Linked, Poly(vinyl alcohol)/Cellulose Nanocrystal Nanofibers Electrospun over Quartz Crystal Microbalances with Dissipation Sensors.

Immobilization of peptides onto nanofiber dressings holds significant potential for chronic wound treatment. However, it is necessary to understand the adsorptive capacity of the produced substrates and the binding affinity of the peptides to determine the interface success. This study aims at exploring for the first time the influence of electrospun poly(vinyl alcohol)-based nanofibers on the adsorption of a cyclic peptide, Tiger 17, and of a linear peptide, Pexiganan, using quartz crystal microbalance with dissipation monitoring (QCM-D).

Serious Game-Based Balance Training with Augmented Kinesthetic Feedback Enhances Aspects of Postural Control in Poststroke Patients: A Randomized Clinical Trial.

Poststroke hemiparesis presents with motor asymmetry and decreased postural control leading to functional limitations. Serious games (SG) for balance rehabilitation of people with stroke may improve motor recovery, and the visual and auditory feedback provided by the SGs helps to explain the therapeutic benefits. However, the contribution of SG combined with kinesthetic and verbal cues during balance training has not been investigated.

BindingDB in 2024: a FAIR knowledgebase of protein-small molecule binding data.

BindingDB (bindingdb.org) is a public, web-accessible database of experimentally measured binding affinities between small molecules and proteins, which supports diverse applications including medicinal chemistry, biochemical pathway annotation, training of artificial intelligence models and computational chemistry methods development. This update reports significant growth and enhancements since our last review in 2016.

Use of SMART objectives in an interprofessional training event: screening for fall and osteoporosis risk.

Introduction: SMART objectives are a major component of health coaching and lifestyle medicine, however, there are limited studies describing their use in current health care curriculums. This study incorporated SMART objectives within an Interprofessional Education (IPE) event offered to students who were screening community-dwelling adults within their community for falls and osteoporosis risk. The purpose was to evaluate if students could confidently develop a SMART objective with their client that was relevant to the screening results.

Characterizing the role of PP2A B'' family subunits in mechanical stress response and plant development through calcium and ABA signaling in Arabidopsis thaliana.

Protein phosphatase 2AB'' (PP2A B'') family subunits have calcium-binding EF-hand motifs, facilitating interaction with PP2A substrates. In Arabidopsis thaliana, the PP2A B'' family subunits consist of six members, AtB''α-ε and FASS. These subunits can interact with a basic leucine zipper transcription factor, VIP1, and its close homologs.

VRAC Complex Modulates Mechano-Electrical Signal Responses in Human Airway Smooth Muscle Shortening.

Leucine-rich repeat containing 8A (LRRC8A) is an obligatory constituent of the volume-regulated anion channel (VRAC) that is fundamental to a wide range of biological processes, including regulating cell size, proliferation, and migration. Here we explored the physiological role for VRAC in excitation-contraction (E-C) coupling and shortening of human airway smooth muscle (HASM). In HASM cells, pharmacological inhibition of VRAC with DCPIB (0.

IL-33 Increases the Magnitude of the Tissue-Resident Memory T Cell Response in Intestinal Tissues during Local Infection.

IL-33 plays an important role in the early programming of CD8 T cells; however, its contribution to the differentiation of tissue-resident memory T cells in vivo remains poorly defined. After infection of mice with Yersinia pseudotuberculosis, IL-33 expression was increased in the intestinal tissue, and this coincided with the expression of ST2 on T cells infiltrating the intestinal epithelium and lamina propria. Blocking IL-33 signaling after T cell infiltration of the intestinal tissue did not significantly impact the number or phenotype of tissue-resident memory T cells generated.

Cellular senescence, p21, and the path to fibrosis.

Senescent cells secrete bioreactive molecules that promote disease, fibrosis, and aging, yet the molecular mechanisms driving the production of these secreted factors remain incompletely understood. In this issue, Papismadov et al (2024) report that p21 (CDKN1A), known to activate the senescence growth arrest, also regulates expression of extracellular matrix components that promote fibrosis, thereby revealing new therapeutic inroads to target fibrosis and age-related pathologies.

From microbes to mind: germ-free models in neuropsychiatric research.

The gut-microbiota-brain axis refers to the bidirectional communication system between the gut, its microbial community, and the brain. This interaction involves a complex interplay of neural pathways, chemical transmitters, and immunological mechanisms. Germ-free animal models have been extensively employed to investigate gut-microbiota-brain interactions, significantly contributing to our current understanding of the role of intestinal microbes in brain function.

Generative AI Analysis of Topics from IMIA Historical Narratives in Medical Informatics.

This describes a project that analyzes and compares the research topics in medical and health informatics emphasized by authors of autobiographical narratives contained in the online IMIA History eBook published in 2021, as the field advanced over the past half century in its international and interdisciplinary dimensions from its early days until the present.

TRIM21-mediated ubiquitination of SQSTM1/p62 abolishes its Ser403 phosphorylation and enhances palmitic acid cytotoxicity.

Long-chain free fatty acids (FFAs) accumulation and oxidative toxicity is a major cause for several pathological conditions. The mechanisms underlying FFA cytotoxicity remain elusive. Here we show that palmitic acid (PA), the most abundant FFA in the circulation, induces S403 phosphorylation of SQSTM1/p62 (sequestosome 1) and its aggregation, which sequesters KEAP1 and activates the non-canonical SQSTM1-KEAP1-NFE2L2 antioxidant pathway.