Multispectral Imaging of Collagen, NAD(P)H and Flavin Autofluorescence in Mesenchymal Stem Cells Undergoing Trilineage Differentiation.

Understanding the molecular mechanisms of differentiation is important for regenerative medicine and developmental biology. This study aims to characterise the role of the glycolysis/oxidative phosphorylation balance as a driver of mesenchymal stem cell (MSC) differentiation. Cells were maintained in normal conditions or stimulated towards the MSC trilineage cell types over 21 days.

The renoprotective efficacy and safety of genetically-engineered human bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stromal cells expressing anti-fibrotic cargo.

Background: Kidney fibrosis is a hallmark of chronic kidney disease (CKD) and compromises the viability of transplanted human bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stromal cells (BM-MSCs). Hence, BM-MSCs were genetically-engineered to express the anti-fibrotic and renoprotective hormone, human relaxin-2 (RLX) and green fluorescent protein (BM-MSCs-eRLX + GFP), which enabled BM-MSCs-eRLX + GFP delivery via a single intravenous injection.

Methods: BM-MSCs were lentiviral-transduced with human relaxin-2 cDNA and GFP, under a eukaryotic translation elongation factor-1α promoter (BM-MSCs-eRLX + GFP) or GFP alone (BM-MSCs-eGFP).

Clomiphene citrate medication for infertility and risk of stillbirth or neonatal death: a population-based cohort study.

Context: Women achieving pregnancy with infertility treatment may be at increased risk of stillbirth and neonatal death.

Objective: To assess associations between clomiphene citrate (CC) use and perinatal death.

Design: Whole of population data linkage cohort.

Betamethasone improved near-term neonatal lamb lung maturation in experimental maternal asthma.

Maternal asthma is associated with increased rates of neonatal lung disease, and fetuses from asthmatic ewes have fewer surfactant-producing cells and lower surfactant-protein B gene (SFTPB) expression than controls. Antenatal betamethasone increases lung surfactant production in preterm babies, and we therefore tested this therapy in experimental maternal asthma. Ewes were sensitised to house dust mite allergen, and an asthmatic phenotype induced by fortnightly allergen lung challenges; controls received saline.

Engineering cell membrane-camouflaged COF-based nanosatellite for enhanced tumor-targeted photothermal chemoimmunotherapy.

Dendritic cells (DCs) activation is crucial for regulating the antitumor immune response. However, the tumor's immunosuppressive environment significantly impedes antigen presentation and DCs maturation, thereby limiting the effectiveness of cancer immunotherapy. To address this challenge, we developed tumor cell membrane-coated covalent organic framework (COF) nanoparticles, loaded with mannose-modified gold nanoparticles and doxorubicin (Dox).

Phenylalanine-embedded carbazole-based fluorescent 'turn-off' chemosensor for the detection of metal ions.

Fluorescent chemosensors are highly important for various applications including medical diagnostics, environmental monitoring, and industrial processing. Significant advancements have been made to produce sensors capable of detecting biologically and environmentally relevant ions. Specifically, carbazole-derived fluorophores are chemically stable agents with the ability to detect anions, cations, and small bioorganic molecules.

The gut-brain axis in appetite, satiety, food intake, and eating behavior: Insights from animal models and human studies.

The gut-brain axis plays a pivotal role in the finely tuned orchestration of food intake, where both homeostatic and hedonic processes collaboratively control our dietary decisions. This interplay involves the transmission of mechanical and chemical signals from the gastrointestinal tract to the appetite centers in the brain, conveying information on meal arrival, quantity, and chemical composition. These signals are processed in the brain eventually leading to the sensation of satiety and the termination of a meal.

Water-dispersible fluorescent COFs disturb lysosomal autophagy to boost cascading enzymatic chemodynamic-starvation therapy.

Cascading enzymatic therapy is a promising approach in cancer treatment. However, its effectiveness is often hindered by enzyme inactivation, limited exposure of active sites, cancer cell self-protection mechanisms such as autophagy, and non-specific toxicity, which can lead to treatment failure. To address these challenges, we used a low-temperature aqueous-phase synthesis method to create semi-crystalline, water-dispersible fluorescent COF nanospheres.

Polystyrene nanoplastics enhance thrombosis through adsorption of plasma proteins.

Plastic products offer remarkable convenience for modern life. However, growing concerns are emerging regarding the potential health hazards posed by nanoplastics, which formed as plastics break down. Currently, the biological effects and mechanisms induced by nanoplastics are largely underexplored.

Functional Analysis of Human Missense Mutations in : Insights into Gaucher Disease Pathogenesis and Phenotypic Consequences.

The human gene encodes lysosomal acid β-glucocerebrosidase, whose activity is deficient in Gaucher disease (GD). In , there are two orthologs, and , and is the bona fide GCase encoding gene. Several fly lines with different deletions in the were studied in the past.

The future of genetic medicines delivered via targeted lipid nanoparticles to leukocytes.

Genetic medicines hold vast therapeutic potential, offering the ability to silence or induce gene expression, knock out genes, and even edit DNA fragments. Applying these therapeutic modalities to leukocytes offers a promising path for treating various conditions yet overcoming the obstacles of specific and efficient delivery to leukocytes remains a major bottleneck in their clinical translation. Lipid nanoparticles (LNPs) have emerged as the leading delivery system for nucleic acids due to their remarkable versatility and ability to improve their in vivo stability, pharmacokinetics, and therapeutic benefits.

Transcriptomic and histological characterization of telocytes in the human dorsal root ganglion.

Telocytes are interstitial cells with long processes that cover distances in tissues and likely coordinate interacts with other cell types. Though present in central and peripheral neuronal tissues, their role remains unclear. Dorsal root ganglia (DRG) house pseudounipolar afferent neurons responsible for signals such as temperature, proprioception and nociception.

Improving Cardiovascular Disease Prediction With Machine Learning Using Mental Health Data: A Prospective UK Biobank Study.

Background: Robust and accurate prediction of cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk facilitates early intervention to benefit patients. The intricate relationship between mental health disorders and CVD is widely recognized. However, existing models often overlook psychological factors, relying on a limited set of clinical and lifestyle parameters, or being developed on restricted population subsets.

The under-recognition and significance of frailty syndrome - a geriatric and forensic conundrum.

Frailty syndrome occurs in elderly individuals with declining muscle mass (sarcopenia), unintentional weight loss, decreasing physical strength and activity, exhaustion, and slow ambulation. It significantly increases morbidity and mortality with cardiovascular, renal disease and neurological disorders, osteoporosis and fractures, endocrine and immunological dysfunction and a variety of malignancies. It is increasing in incidence as the population ages.

Impact of psilocybin on cognitive function: A systematic review.

Psilocybin is a classic psychedelic with demonstrated preliminary clinical efficacy in a range of psychiatric disorders. Evaluating the impact of psilocybin on cognitive function is essential to unravel its potential benefits and risks. In this systematic review, we assessed psilocybin's effect on cognitive function through a comprehensive search of electronic databases from inception to January 2024, identifying 20 articles involving 2,959 participants.

Engineering quorum sensing-based genetic circuits enhances growth and productivity robustness of industrial E. coli at low pH.

Background: Microbial organisms hold significant potential for converting renewable substrates into valuable chemicals. Low pH fermentation in industrial settings offers key advantages, including reduced neutralizer usage and decreased wastewater generation, particularly in the production of amino acids and organic acids. Engineering acid-tolerant strains represents a viable strategy to enhance productivity in acidic environments.

A Haloarchaeal Transcriptional Regulator That Represses the Expression of CRISPR-Associated Genes.

Clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR)-Cas (CRISPR-associated proteins) systems provide acquired heritable protection to bacteria and archaea against selfish DNA elements, such as viruses. These systems must be tightly regulated because they can capture DNA fragments from foreign selfish elements, and also occasionally from self-chromosomes, resulting in autoimmunity. Most known species from the halophilic archaeal genus contain type I-B CRISPR-Cas systems, and the strongest hotspot for self-spacer acquisition by was a locus that contained a putative transposable element, as well as the gene , which was a very frequent target for self-targeting spacers.