Drosophila Model of HPV18-Induced Pathogenesis Reveals a Role for E6 Oncogene in Regulation of NF-κB and Wnt to Inhibit Apoptosis.

Cancers caused by high-risk human papillomavirus (HPV) remain a significant health threat resulting in more than 300,000 deaths, annually. Persistent expression of two HPV oncogenes, E6 and E7, are necessary for cancer development and progression. E6 has several functions contributing to tumorigenesis one of which is blocking programmed cell death, apoptosis.

Anatomo-functional organization of insular networks:From sensory integration to behavioral control.

Classically, the insula is considered an associative multisensory cortex where emotional awareness emerges through the integration of interoceptive and exteroceptive information, along with autonomic regulation. However, since early intracortical microstimulation (ICMS) studies, the insular cortex has also been conceived as a mosaic of anatomo-functional sectors processing various types of sensory information to generate specific overt behaviors. Based on this, the insula has been subdivided into distinct functional fields: an anterior field associated with oroalimentary behaviors, a middle field involved dorsally in hand movements and ventrally in emotional reactions, and a posterior field engaged in axial and proximal movements.

[Gender Disparities in Urolithiasis with a Special Focus on Oxalate Metabolism in the Liver].

The incidence and prevalence of urolithiasis are increasing in industrialized countries. In particular, an increase has been observed among young adults and women. The gender gap is closing, and gender equality (1:1) with regard to urolithiasis has already been documented for the USA.

The Impact of Denying Abortion Access to Patients with Chronic Kidney Disease: a cost-effectiveness analysis.

Objectives: The current study focuses on how abortion access affects people who are pregnant, have chronic kidney disease (CKD), and desire an abortion. From the perspective of the pregnant patient, we will examine the outcomes and costs associated with providing or refusing in-state access to abortion for this population.

Study Design: A decision-analytic model was built to compare the outcomes and costs associated with providing abortions in-state compared to those associated with a complete statewide abortion ban.

Oncologic outcomes of retroperitoneal lymph node dissection following first-line chemotherapy for metastatic non-seminomatous germ cell tumors.

Background: Post-chemotherapy retroperitoneal lymph node dissection (pcRPLND) is integral to multimodal treatment of patients with metastatic non-seminomatous germ cell tumors (NSGCT). We review pathologic and long-term outcomes of pcRPLND following first-line chemotherapy with a focus on residual mass size and primary tumor histology. Our goal was to identify new predictive approaches that can refine surgical indications.

Pre-Clinical Model of Dysregulated FicD AMPylation causes diabetes by disrupting pancreatic endocrine homeostasis.

The bi-functional enzyme FicD catalyzes AMPylation and deAMPylation of the endoplasmic reticulum chaperone BiP to modulate ER homeostasis and the unfolded protein response (UPR). Human hFicD with an arginine-to-serine mutation disrupts FicD deAMPylation activity resulting in severe neonatal diabetes. We generated the mFicD mutation in mice to create a pre-clinical murine model for neonatal diabetes.

Myosin-actin crossbridge independent sarcomere length induced Ca sensitivity changes in skinned myocardial fibers: Role of myosin heads.

Sarcomere length-dependent activation (LDA) is essential to engaging the Frank-Starling mechanism in the beat-to-beat regulation of cardiac output. Through LDA, the heart increases the Ca sensitivity of myocardial contraction at a longer sarcomere length, leading to an enhanced maximal force at the same level of Ca. Despite its importance in both normal and pathological states, the molecular mechanism underlying LDA, especially the origin of the sarcomere length (SL) induced increase in myofilament Casensitivity, remains elusive.

Psychostimulant and opioid abuse: A perspective from Uruguay.

The number of people suffering from Substance Use Disorder (SUD) worldwide has increased 45 % compared to the last decade according to the latest United Nations World Drug Report. This staggering increase, partly due to the recent COVID-19 pandemic, further raises the social and economic burden for nations. Prevention and treatment, two of the main strategies employed to curb the increase in SUD, have shown limited success despite our increasing understanding of the underlying processes of SUD.

Plant-Derived Phenolic Antioxidants Inhibit Degradation of Petroleum Hydrocarbons via Denitrification in Coastal Wetlands Soils.

Plant-derived phenolic compounds could regulate redox reactions due to their antioxidative properties. In this study, soils from coastal wetlands including bare flat (BF), cyperus(Cyperus malaccensis) (CY), reed (Phragmites australis) (RE), and mangrove(Kandelia obovata) (MA) in Minjiang estuary region were selected. Anaerobic microcosm incubation experiments were conducted to investigate the petroleum hydrocarbon (PH) degradation process through denitrification.

A Systematic Review of Air Pollution Exposure and Brain Structure and Function during Development.

Objectives: Air pollutants are known neurotoxicants. In this updated systematic review, we evaluate new evidence since our 2019 systematic review on the effect of outdoor air pollution exposure on childhood and adolescent brain structure and function as measured by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).

Methods: Using PubMed, Web of Science, and Scopus we conducted an updated literature search and systematic review of articles published through January 2025, using key terms for air pollution and functional and/or structural MRI.

Hysteroscopic Criteria for the Diagnosis of Chronic Endometritis: a Systematic Review and Diagnostic Test Accuracy Meta-analysis.

Objective: To assess the diagnostic accuracy of current hysteroscopic criteria compared with histopathological analysis (with or without additional immunohistochemistry) for the detection of chronic endometritis.

Data Sources: MEDLINE, Scopus, SciELO, Embase, ClinicalTrials.gov, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, LILACS, conference proceedings, and international controlled trials registries were searched without date limit or language restrictions.

Menstrual product use patterns in a large digital cohort in the United States: Variations by sociodemographic, health, and menstrual characteristics.

Background: Using menstrual products is a part of managing menstrual bleeding. Products use may represent individual, social, and economic influences. A few studies on menstrual product use from specific regions in the United States (US) reported differences in use across demographic factors like age and race and ethnicity.

Tall Tales of Balance: The Influence of Height on Postural Control Measures.

Background: Increased sway within a stationary base of support (BoS) is often interpreted as worse postural control. However, larger persons may have larger feet, facilitating broader sway patterns within their wider/longer base. Time to boundary (TtB) incorporates foot placement dimensions into the calculation and, thus, may not be confounded by dissimilar anthropometric features.

Self-resistance-gene-guided, high-throughput automated genome mining of bioactive natural products from Streptomyces.

Natural products (NPs) from bacteria, fungi, and plants are a vital source of drug leads, with Streptomyces species being particularly significant due to their capability of producing diverse bioactive compounds. Here, we present a fully automated, scalable, high-throughput platform for discovering bioactive NPs in Streptomyces (FAST-NPS). This platform integrates computational biosynthetic gene cluster (BGC) prediction and prioritization guided by self-resistance genes, automated cloning and heterologous expression, high-throughput fermentation, and product extraction.

Proteome-wide assessment of differential missense variant clustering in neurodevelopmental disorders and cancer.

Prior studies examining genomic variants suggest that some proteins contribute to both neurodevelopmental disorders (NDDs) and cancer. While there are several potential etiologies, here, we hypothesize that missense variation in proteins occurs in different clustering patterns, resulting in distinct phenotypic outcomes. This concept was first explored in 1D protein space and expanded using 3D protein structure models.

Distinct features of a peripheral T helper subset that drives the B cell response in dengue virus infection.

Dengue-virus-induced humoral immunity can increase the risk of severe disease, but the factors influencing this response are poorly understood. Here, we investigate the contribution of CD4 T cells to B cell responses in human dengue infection. We identify a dominant peripheral PD-1 T cell subset that accumulates in severe patients and could induce B cell differentiation via interleukin-21 (IL-21)-related pathway.

Profiling transcriptome composition and dynamics within nuclear compartments using SLAM-RT&Tag.

Nuclear compartments are membrane-less regions enriched in functionally related molecules. RNA is a major component of many nuclear compartments, but the identity and dynamics of transcripts within nuclear compartments are poorly understood. Here, we applied reverse transcribe and tagment (RT&Tag) to human cell lines to identify the transcript populations of Polycomb domains and nuclear speckles.

PTPσ-mediated PI3P regulation modulates neurodegeneration in C9ORF72-ALS/FTD.

The most common genetic cause of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and frontotemporal dementia (FTD) is the repeat expansion in C9ORF72. Dipeptide repeat (DPR) proteins translated from both sense and antisense repeats, especially arginine-rich DPRs (R-DPRs), contribute to neurodegeneration. Through CRISPR interference (CRISPRi) screening in human-derived neurons, we identified receptor-type tyrosine-protein phosphatase S (PTPσ) as a strong modifier of poly-GR-mediated toxicity.

Parts and ICRAFTs: Finding new immunotherapy targets.

CRISPR screens are widely utilized to identify genes that regulate immune function or mediate sensitivity of cancer cells to immune attack. In this issue of Immunity, Zeng et al. present a computational framework for uncovering gene targets with dual function in both cancer and immune cells and nominate TNFAIP3 as a synergistic target whose ablation strongly elicits an antitumor response.

RIPK3: The Deadpool of neuronal cell death proteins?

Receptor interaction kinase 3 (RIPK3) is a key mediator of necroptosis, initiating programmed cell death with mercenary efficiency in multiple neurodegenerative diseases. However, in this issue of Immunity, Estevez et al. demonstrate that RIPK3, like the character Deadpool, exists in duality and can also be a force for good by preventing excitotoxic neuronal death during orthoflavivirus encephalitis.

Across the spectrum: Acute alcohol responses in young adults with mild, moderate, and severe alcohol use disorder.

Background: Little is known about acute subjective and physiological responses to alcohol in individuals with alcohol use disorder (AUD), particularly as it pertains to the spectrum of AUD severity. This study examined acute biphasic alcohol response phenotypes in participants with mild, moderate, and severe AUD.

Methods: Study data was from the third cohort of the Chicago Social Drinking Project (N = 101, 50 % male; M age=27.