Widespread service fragmentation for patients and families with tuberous sclerosis complex (TSC) in the Republic of Ireland.

Background: Tuberous sclerosis complex (TSC) is a rare approximate 1:6000 birth incidence, a genetic disease with a wide variability of physical and neuropsychiatric symptoms. Patients require lifelong care from multiple healthcare specialities, for which International and United Kingdom (UK) TSC consensus recommendations exist. Personalised care delivered by a centralised coordinated team of TSC experts is recommended.

In silico modeling the potential clinical effect of growth factor treatment on the metabolism of human nucleus pulposus cells.

Background: While growth factors have the potential to halt degeneration and decrease inflammation in animal models, the literature investigating the effect of dosage on human cells is lacking. Moreover, despite the completion of clinical trials using growth differentiation factor-5 (GDF-5), no results have been publicly released.

Aims: The overall objective was to quantitatively assess the effect of three clinically relevant concentrations of GDF-5 (0.

Preclinical to clinical translation for intervertebral disc repair: Effects of species-specific scale, metabolism, and matrix synthesis rates on cell-based regeneration.

Background: A significant hurdle for potential cell-based therapies is the subsequent survival and regenerative capacity of implanted cells. While many exciting developments have demonstrated promise preclinically, cell-based therapies for intervertebral disc (IVD) degeneration fail to translate equivalent clinical efficacy.

Aims: This work aims to ascertain the clinical relevance of both a small and large animal model by experimentally investigating and comparing these animal models to human from the perspective of anatomical scale and their cellular metabolic and regenerative potential.

Harmonization and standardization of nucleus pulposus cell extraction and culture methods.

Background: In vitro studies using nucleus pulposus (NP) cells are commonly used to investigate disc cell biology and pathogenesis, or to aid in the development of new therapies. However, lab-to-lab variability jeopardizes the much-needed progress in the field. Here, an international group of spine scientists collaborated to standardize extraction and expansion techniques for NP cells to reduce variability, improve comparability between labs and improve utilization of funding and resources.

Two- and three-dimensional in vitro nucleus pulposus cultures: An in silico analysis of local nutrient microenvironments.

Background: It is well established that the unique biochemical microenvironment of the intervertebral disc plays a predominant role in cell viability and biosynthesis. However, unless the effect of microenvironmental conditions is primary to a study objective, in vitro culture parameters that are critical for reproducibility are both varied and not routinely reported.

Aims: This work aims to investigate the local microenvironments of commonly used culture configurations, highlighting physiological relevance, potential discrepancies, and elucidating possible heterogeneity across the research field.

Rat tail models for the assessment of injectable nucleus pulposus regeneration strategies.

Back pain is a global epidemiological and socioeconomic problem often associated with intervertebral disc degeneration; a condition believed to initiate in the nucleus pulposus (NP). There is considerable interest in developing early therapeutic interventions to target the NP and halt degeneration. Rat caudal models of disc degeneration have demonstrated significant utility in the study of disease progression and its impact on tissue structure, composition, and mechanical performance.

Creating careful circularities: Community composting in New York City.

While matters of food waste and soil have become vital research arenas, compost remains the Cinderella of human geographical enquiry. In response, this paper brings compost to the centre of debates at the intersection of diverse economies and circular economy. In particular, the concept of community composting and the care involved in such practices is used to offset and problematise the technoscientific bias in circular economy discourses.

Impact of roadside burning on genetic diversity in a high-biomass invasive grass.

The invasive grass-fire cycle is a widely documented feedback phenomenon in which invasive grasses increase vegetation flammability and fire frequency, resulting in further invasion and compounded effects on fire regimes. Few studies have examined the role of short-term adaptation in driving the invasive grass-fire cycle, despite invasive species often thriving after introduction to new environments. We used a replicated (nine locations), paired sampling design (burn vs unburnt sites) to test the hypothesis that roadside burning increases genetic diversity and thus adaptive potential in the invasive, high-biomass grass .

Consolidating and re-evaluating the human disc nutrient microenvironment.

Background: Despite exciting advances in regenerative medicine, cell-based strategies for treating degenerative disc disease remain in their infancy. To maximize the potential for successful clinical translation, a more thorough understanding of the in vivo microenvironment is needed to better determine and predict how cell therapies will respond when administered in vivo.

Aims: This work aims to reflect on the in vivo nutrient microenvironment of the degenerating IVD through consolidating what has already been measured together with investigative in silico models.

Preservatives from food-For food: Pea protein hydrolysate as a novel bio-preservative against O157:H7 on a lettuce leaf.

Fresh-cut fruits and vegetables are becoming particularly popular as healthy fast-food options; however, they present challenges such as accelerated rates of decay and increased risk for contamination when compared to whole produce. Given that food safety must remain paramount for producers and manufacturers, research into novel, natural food preservation solutions which can help to ensure food safety and protect against spoilage is on the rise. In this work, we investigated the potential of using a novel protein hydrolysate, produced by the enzymatic hydrolysis of (PSH), as a novel bio-preservative and its abilities to reduce populations of O157:H7 after inoculation on a lettuce leaf.

Synthesis and Properties of BODIPY Appended Tetraphenylethylene Scaffolds as Photoactive Arrays.

Tetraphenylethylene (TPE) and its derivatives exhibit excellent aggregation-induced emission (AIE) properties. The TPE unit is easily accessible, and many functional groups can be introduced in a facile manner to yield effective luminescent materials in both solution and the solid-state. It is because of this, several TPE-based compounds have been developed and applied in many areas, such as OLEDs and chemical sensors.

Investigating the physiological relevance of ex vivo disc organ culture nutrient microenvironments using in silico modeling and experimental validation.

Background: Ex vivo disc organ culture systems have become a valuable tool for the development and pre-clinical testing of potential intervertebral disc (IVD) regeneration strategies. Bovine caudal discs have been widely selected due to their large availability and comparability to human IVDs in terms of size and biochemical composition. However, despite their extensive use, it remains to be elucidated whether their nutrient microenvironment is comparable to human degeneration.

Strategic Synthesis of 'Picket Fence' Porphyrins Based on Nonplanar Macrocycles.

Traditional 'picket fence' porphyrin systems have been a topic of interest for their capacity to direct steric shielding effects selectively to one side of the macrocycle. Sterically overcrowded porphyrin systems that adopt macrocycle deformations have recently drawn attention for their applications in organocatalysis and sensing. Here we explore the combined benefits of nonplanar porphyrins and the old molecular design to bring new concepts to the playing field.

Quantitative Structure-Property Relationship Modelling for the Prediction of Singlet Oxygen Generation by Heavy-Atom-Free BODIPY Photosensitizers*.

Heavy-atom-free sensitizers forming long-living triplet excited states via the spin-orbit charge transfer intersystem crossing (SOCT-ISC) process have recently attracted attention due to their potential to replace costly transition metal complexes in photonic applications. The efficiency of SOCT-ISC in BODIPY donor-acceptor dyads, so far the most thoroughly investigated class of such sensitizers, can be finely tuned by structural modification. However, predicting the triplet state yields and reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation quantum yields for such compounds in a particular solvent is still very challenging due to a lack of established quantitative structure-property relationship (QSPR) models.

An Insight into Non-Covalent Interactions on the Bicyclo[1.1.1]pentane Scaffold.

Bicyclo[1.1.1]pentane (BCP) is studied extensively as a bioisosteric component of drugs.

Impact of trimethylaminuria on daily psychosocial functioning.

Background: Trimethylaminuria (TMAU) (OMIM #602079) is a rare inherited metabolic condition. TMAU is associated with decreased hepatic trimethylamine N-oxidation, which leads to an excess of the volatile trimethylamine (TMA) instead of substrate conversion to trimethylamine N-oxide (TMAO). TMA is a tertiary amine derived from the enterobacterial metabolism of precursors such as choline and phosphatidylcholine present in the diet, and is also a bacterial metabolite of TMAO, a normal constituent of saltwater fish.

Substance Use, Family Functionality, and Mental Health among College Students in Spain.

Mental health symptoms are overrepresented among college students worldwide. The current research investigates the associations among substance use, family functionality, and mental health (depression, anxiety, and stress) among college students in Spain. A total of 828 (59.

Impacts of multiple anthropogenic stressors on stream macroinvertebrate community composition and functional diversity.

Ensuring the provision of essential ecosystem services in systems affected by multiple stressors is a key challenge for theoretical and applied ecology. Trait-based approaches have increasingly been used in multiple-stressor research in freshwaters because they potentially provide a powerful method to explore the mechanisms underlying changes in populations and communities. Individual benthic macroinvertebrate traits associated with mobility, life history, morphology, and feeding habits are often used to determine how environmental drivers structure stream communities.

Synthesis and Structure of -Substituted Dibenzihomoporphyrins.

Bench-stable meso-substituted di(-benzi)homoporphyrins were synthesized through acid-catalyzed condensation of dipyrrole derivatives with aryl aldehydes. The insertion of a 1,1,2,2-tetraphenylethene (TPE) or but-2-ene-2,3-diyldibenzene unit in the porphyrin framework results in the formation of dibenzihomoporphyrins, merging the features of hydrocarbons and porphyrins. Single crystal X-ray analyses established the non-planar structure of these molecules, with the phenylene rings out of the mean plane, as defined by the dipyrromethene moiety and the two meso-carbon atoms.

The Red Color of Life Transformed - Synthetic Advances and Emerging Applications of Protoporphyrin IX in Chemical Biology.

Protoporphyrin IX (PPIX) is the porphyrin scaffold of heme b, a ubiquitous prosthetic group of proteins responsible for oxygen binding (hemoglobin, myoglobin), electron transfer (cytochrome c) and catalysis (cytochrome P450, catalases, peroxidases). PPIX and its metallated derivatives frequently find application as therapeutic agents, imaging tools, catalysts, sensors and in light harvesting. The vast toolkit of accessible porphyrin functionalization reactions enables easy synthetic modification of PPIX to meet the requirements for its multiple uses.

Short-Chained Anthracene Strapped Porphyrins and their Endoperoxides.

The syntheses of short-chained anthracene-strapped porphyrins and their Zn(II)complexes are reported. The key synthetic step is a [2+2] condensation between a dipyrromethane and an anthracene bisaldehyde, 2,2'-((anthracene-9,10-diylbis(methylene))bis(oxy))dibenzaldehyde. Following exposure to white light, self-sensitized singlet oxygen and the anthracene moieties underwent [4+2] cycloaddition reactions to yield the corresponding endoperoxides.

Porphyrins as Colorimetric and Photometric Biosensors in Modern Bioanalytical Systems.

Advances in porphyrin chemistry have provided novel materials and exciting technologies for bioanalysis such as colorimetric sensor array (CSA), photo-electrochemical (PEC) biosensing, and nanocomposites as peroxidase mimetics for glucose detection. This review highlights selected recent advances in the construction of supramolecular assemblies based on the porphyrin macrocycle that provide recognition of various biologically important entities through the unique porphyrin properties associated with colorimetry, spectrophotometry, and photo-electrochemistry.

In vitro characterisation of the erosion of soft tissues by surgical mesh.

Surgical mesh is used widely in operations to treat hernias, prolapsed organs, urinary incontinence, etc. A major complication following surgery is so-called "mesh erosion", in which the mesh material rubs on adjacent soft tissue, causing it to wear away. Mesh erosion is the subject of a large body of clinical case histories, but there is no literature reporting in vitro laboratory experiments to investigate this phenomenon.

Managing uncertainty in movement knowledge for environmental decisions.

Species' movements affect their response to environmental change but movement knowledge is often highly uncertain. We now have well-established methods to integrate movement knowledge into conservation practice but still lack a framework to deal with uncertainty in movement knowledge for environmental decisions. We provide a framework that distinguishes two dimensions of species' movement that are heavily influenced by uncertainty: about movement and of movement to environmental decisions.

Critical aspects and challenges for intervertebral disc repair and regeneration-Harnessing advances in tissue engineering.

Low back pain represents the highest burden of musculoskeletal diseases worldwide and intervertebral disc degeneration is frequently associated with this painful condition. Even though it remains challenging to clearly recognize generators of discogenic pain, tissue regeneration has been accepted as an effective treatment option with significant potential. Tissue engineering and regenerative medicine offer a plethora of exploratory pathways for functional repair or prevention of tissue breakdown.