SARS-CoV-2 S-protein expression drives syncytia formation in endothelial cells.

SARS-CoV-2 is a viral infection, best studied in the context of epithelial cell infection. Epithelial cells, when infected with SARS-CoV-2 express the viral S-protein, which causes host cells to fuse together into large multi-nucleated cells known as syncytia. Because SARS-CoV-2 infections also frequently present with cardiovascular phenotypes, we sought to understand if S-protein expression would also result in syncytia formation in endothelial cells.

The link between sleep bruxism and oxidative stress based on a polysomnographic study.

Oxidative stress is proven to increase cardiovascular risk and to diminish healthy life expectancy. Sleep bruxism (SB) is a prevalent masticatory muscle activity during sleep characterized by heterogeneous etiology and inadequately recognized pathophysiology. Recent theories have proposed a potential association between SB and oxidative stress.

Evaluation of the genotoxic and transformation potential induced by asbestos compared to cleavage fragments.

The World Health Organization has confirmed that asbestos fibres are carcinogenic, claiming that asbestos-related diseases should be eradicated worldwide. Actinolite, amosite, anthophyllite, chrysotile, crocidolite, and tremolite are regulated asbestiform mineral phases. However, in nature, asbestos minerals occur either in a fibrous and asbestiform (original morphology characterized by high length-to-width ratio and provided of high tensile strength and flexibility) or fibrous but not asbestiform appearance.

Deepening water scarcity in breadbasket nations.

Water is crucial for meeting sustainability targets, but its unsustainable use threatens human wellbeing and the environment. Past assessments of water scarcity (i.e.

Greater residential greenness is associated with reduced epigenetic aging in adults.

Potential pathways linking urban green spaces to improved health include relaxation, stress alleviation, and improved immune system functioning. Epigenetic age acceleration (EAA) is a composite biomarker of biological aging based on DNA methylation measurements; it is predictive of morbidity and mortality. This cross-sectional study of 116 adult residents of a metropolitan area in central North Carolina investigated associations between exposure to residential green spaces and EAA using four previously developed epigenetic age formulas.

Assembly of Genetically Engineered Ionizable Protein Nanocage-based Nanozymes for Intracellular Superoxide Scavenging.

Nanozymes play a pivotal role in mitigating excessive oxidative stress, however, determining their specific enzyme-mimicking activities for intracellular free radical scavenging is challenging due to endo-lysosomal entrapment. In this study, we employ a genetic engineering strategy to generate ionizable ferritin nanocages (iFTn), enabling their escape from endo-lysosomes and entry into the cytoplasm. Specifically, ionizable repeated Histidine-Histidine-Glutamic acid (9HE) sequences are genetically incorporated into the outer surface of human heavy chain FTn, followed by the assembly of various chain-like nanostructures via a two-armed polyethylene glycol (PEG).

PARP inhibition-associated heterochromatin confers increased DNA replication stress and vulnerability to ATR inhibition in SMARCA4-deficient cells.

DNA replication stress (RS), a prevalent feature of various malignancies, arises from both genetic mutations and genotoxic exposure. Elevated RS levels increase the vulnerability of cancer cells to ataxia telangiectasia and Rad3-related kinase inhibitors (ATRis). Here, we screened for DNA damage response inhibitors that enhance ATRi-induced cytotoxicity using SWI/SNF complex-deficient cells and identified a potent synergy between ATRi and poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase inhibitor (PARPi), particularly in SMARCA4-deficient cells.

From fear to empowerment: the impact of employees AI awareness on workplace well-being - a new insight from the JD-R model.

Purpose: The primary purpose of the study was to explore the impact of health workers' awareness of artificial intelligence (AI) on their workplace well-being, addressing a critical gap in the literature. By examining this relationship through the lens of the Job demands-resources (JD-R) model, the study aimed to provide insights into how health workers' perceptions of AI integration in their jobs and careers could influence their informal learning behaviour and, consequently, their overall well-being in the workplace. The study's findings could inform strategies for supporting healthcare workers during technological transformations.

Association between enteral carboxymethyllysine intake and daily glycemic variability in critically ill adults: A retrospective cohort study.

Background: Advanced glycation end-products (AGEs) can enter patients' circulation through exogenous sources, such as enteral nutrition formulae. Circulating AGEs, specifically carboxymethyllysine, can promote insulin resistance and activation of pro-inflammatory pathways leading to oxidative stress, cell death, and organ failure. Suboptimal kidney function increases the risk of elevated circulating AGEs because levels are controlled through urinary excretion.

Regulating Nrf2 activity: ubiquitin ligases and signaling molecules in redox homeostasis.

Transcription factor NF-E2 p45-related factor 2 (Nrf2) orchestrates defenses against oxidants and thiol-reactive electrophiles. It is controlled at the protein stability level by several E3 ubiquitin ligases (CRL3, CRL4, SCF, and Hrd1). CRL3 is of the greatest importance because it constitutively targets Nrf2 for proteasomal degradation under homeostatic conditions but is prevented from doing so by oxidative stressors.

Physiological and cerebral hemodynamic changes during routine nursing procedures for very preterm infants.

Background: Care procedures for preterm infants can induce stress that may disrupt homeostasis, possibly altering cerebral perfusion or oxygenation. We evaluated the physiological and cerebral oxygenation changes during the routine care of very preterm infants.

Methods: We analyzed the changes in heart and respiratory rates and in systemic and regional cerebral oxygen saturation of 27 very preterm infants, defining three care periods of 5 min each: 30 min before care, 30 min during care, and 30 min after care.

Humic substances modulate bacterial communities and mitigate adverse effects of temperature stress in coral reef organisms.

Aims: In the present study, we tested if terrestrially-derived humic substances (HS) could mitigate the adverse effects of elevated temperature and UVB radiation on the bacterial communities of two hard corals (Montipora digitata and Montipora capricornis), one soft coral (Sarcophyton glaucum), sediment and water. We also examined the impact of temperature, UVB radiation and HS supplementation on coral photosynthetic activity, a proxy for coral bleaching.

Methods And Results: We performed a multifactorial experiment using a randomized-controlled microcosm setup.

'I wish I had been better prepared': a mixed-methods study of psychological reactions, perceptions and opinions of cardiovascular preparticipation screening among young competitive athletes.

Objective: To evaluate the psychological reactions, perceptions and opinions of cardiovascular preparticipation screening (PPS) among young competitive athletes.

Methods: This convergent parallel mixed-methods study recruited 222 athletes (mean age: 18.7 years) who underwent PPS at a Canadian university.

Understanding patient safety during earthquakes: a phenomenological study of disaster response.

Background: Natural hazards, such as earthquakes, pose a significant risk to both the public and healthcare professionals, jeopardising patient safety due to the disruption of healthcare systems and services. This study aimed to explore the lived experiences of healthcare professionals concerning patient safety during natural hazards, specifically earthquakes.

Methods: Employing a descriptive phenomenological approach, the study followed the Consolidated Criteria for Reporting Qualitative Research guidelines.

Perinatal Mental Health Disorders and Resilience in Patients with Fetal Anomalies.

Objective:  Pregnant women face heightened vulnerability to mental health disorders (MHDs). There remains a lack of data during the antenatal period, particularly for high-risk subpopulations such as those with fetal anomalies. Understanding the psychological impact of women receiving a fetal anomaly diagnosis is crucial, as it can lead to MHDs.

Destined for destruction: The role of methionine aminopeptidases and plant cysteine oxidases in N-degron formation.

The cysteine/arginine (Cys/Arg) branch of the N-degron pathway controls the stability of certain proteins with methionine (Met)-Cys N-termini, initiated by Met cleavage and Cys oxidation. In seeding plants, target proteins include the Group VII Ethylene Response Factors, which initiate adaptive responses to low oxygen (hypoxic) stress, as well as Vernalization 2 (VRN2) and Little Zipper 2 (ZPR2), which are involved in responses to endogenous developmental hypoxia. It is essential that these target proteins are only degraded by the N-degron pathway under the appropriate physiological conditions.

Mechanics of cell sheets: plectin as an integrator of cytoskeletal networks.

Epithelia are multicellular sheets that form barriers defining the internal and external environments. The constant stresses acting at this interface require that epithelial sheets are mechanically robust and provide a selective barrier to the hostile exterior. These properties are mediated by cellular junctions which are physically linked with heavily crosslinked cytoskeletal networks.

Can spatial self-organization inhibit evolutionary adaptation?

Plants often respond to drier climates by slow evolutionary adaptations from fast-growing to stress-tolerant species. These evolutionary adaptations increase the plants' resilience to droughts but involve productivity losses that bear on agriculture and food security. Plants also respond by spatial self-organization, through fast vegetation patterning involving differential plant mortality and increased water availability to the surviving plants.

Olfactory testing in infants with perinatal asphyxia: enhancing encephalopathy risk stratification for future health outcomes.

Perinatal asphyxia (PA) is a leading cause of neonatal morbidity and mortality, often resulting in long-term neurodevelopmental challenges. Despite advancements in perinatal care, predicting long-term outcomes remains difficult. Early diagnosis is essential for timely interventions to reduce brain injury, with tools such as Magnetic Resonance Imaging, brain ultrasound, and emerging biomarkers playing a possible key role.

A Behavioral Screening Method for Predicting PTSD-like Phenotypes: Novel Application to Female Rats.

Background: Only a small percentage of trauma-exposed subjects develop PTSD, with females being twice as likely. Most rodent models focus on males and fail to account for inter-individual variability in females.

New Method: We tested a behavioral PTSD model in female rats to distinguish between susceptible and resilient individuals.

Diverse pathways for the treatment of Parkinson's disease: Integration and development of traditional and emerging therapies.

Parkinson's disease (PD) is the second most common central neurodegenerative disease in the world after Alzheimer's disease (AD), which mainly occurs in middle-aged and elderly people, and is increasing with the aging of the population. With the increasing incidence of PD, it is particularly important to explore its pathology and provide effective interventions and treatments. The pathogenesis of PD involves a variety of factors such as genetics, environment, and age, and is not yet fully understood.

Valeriana jatamansi Jones improves depressive behavior in CUMS mice by modulating vitamin B12-related ileal homeostasis.

Ethnopharmacological Relevance: Valeriana jatamansi Jones (V. jatamansi) is a traditional Chinese medicine (TCM). It was recorded in Diannan Bencao, Compendium of Materia Medica and some local medical books and was described as useful in treating insomnia, distraction, poor mental health, vomiting and diarrhea.

Metallofullerenol Gd@C(OH) preserves human erythrocyte plasma membrane integrity from AAPH-induced oxidative stress: molecular mechanisms and antioxidant activity.

Metallofullerenols and fullerenols have attracted attention due to their remarkable ability to interact with various biologically relevant molecules, paving the way for biomedical applications, ranging from medical imaging techniques to drug carriers, acting with increased efficiency and reduced side effects. In this work, we investigated the effects of two fullerene derivatives, Gd@C(OH) and C(OH), on erythrocyte membrane components under oxidative stress conditions induced by 2,2'-azobis(2-amidinopropane) dihydrochloride (AAPH) as a source of peroxyl radicals. The results demonstrated that gadolinium encapsulation within the fullerene cage enhanced the electron affinity of Gd@C(OH), resulting in stronger antioxidant activity.

Actl6a regulates autophagy via Sox2-dependent Atg5 and Atg7 expression to inhibit apoptosis in spinal cord injury.

Introduction: Spinal cord injury (SCI) is a severe central nervous system disorder with limited treatment options. While autophagy plays a protective role in neural repair, its regulatory mechanisms in SCI remain unclear. Actin-like protein 6A (Actl6a) influences cell fate and neural development, yet its specific role in SCI repair is not well understood.