Methicillin-Resistant : The Shifting Landscape in the United Arab Emirates.

Background: Methicillin-resistant (MRSA) is a significant burden globally, particularly in the Arabian Gulf region. The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has experienced rising MRSA prevalence, with increasing diversity in the clonal complexes (CCs) identified. The COVID-19 pandemic, with its increased hospitalization rates and antibiotic use, may have further influenced MRSA's genetic evolution and epidemiology in the country.

Sofosbuvir: A comprehensive profile.

Sofosbuvir, a nucleotide analogue, is an antiviral medication that belongs to the class of direct-acting antivirals (DAAs). It is primarily used in the treatment of chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infections. Sofosbuvir works by inhibiting the replication of HCV, disrupting its ability to produce RNA and effectively reducing the viral load in the body.

Novel translational mouse models of metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease comparable to human MASLD with severe obesity.

Objective: Metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD) is the most common cause of chronic liver disease, especially in patients with severe obesity. However, current mouse models for MASLD do not reflect the polygenetic background nor the metabolic changes in this population. Therefore, we investigated two novel mouse models of MASLD with a polygenetic background for the metabolic syndrome.

One-week test-retest stability of heart rate variability during rest and deep breathing.

Heart rate variability (HRV) is an important indicator of cardiac autonomic function. Given its clinical significance, reliable HRV assessment is crucial. Here, we assessed test-retest stability, as a key aspect of reliability, quantifying the consistency of a measure when repeated under the same conditions.

Vegetation-climate feedbacks across scales.

Vegetation is often viewed as a consequence of long-term climate conditions. However, vegetation itself plays a fundamental role in shaping Earth's climate by regulating the energy, water, and biogeochemical cycles across terrestrial landscapes. It exerts influence by consuming water resources through transpiration and interception, lowering atmospheric CO concentration, altering surface roughness, and controlling net radiation and its partitioning into sensible and latent heat fluxes.

Half a Century of Temperate Non-Forest Vegetation Changes: No Net Loss in Species Richness, but Considerable Shifts in Taxonomic and Functional Composition.

In recent decades, global change and local anthropogenic pressures have severely affected natural ecosystems and their biodiversity. Although disentangling the effects of these factors is difficult, they are reflected in changes in the functional composition of plant communities. We present a comprehensive, large-scale analysis of long-term changes in plant communities of various non-forest habitat types in the Czech Republic based on 1154 vegetation-plot time series from 53 resurvey studies comprising 3909 vegetation-plot records.

Self-healing behavior of metallopolymers in complex.

This current study focusses on the investigation of the self-healing abilities of metallopolymers containing different kinds of metal complexes, which were processed by direct digital light processing (DLP) based three-dimensional (3D) printing. For this purpose, 2‑phenoxyethyl acrylate is mixed with ligand-containing monomers either based on triphenylmethyl(trt)-histidine or terpyridine, respectively. Either zinc(II) or nickel(II) salts are successfully applied for a complexation of the ligand monomers in solution and, subsequently, photopolymerization is performed.

Characterisation of Strains and Their Prophages That Carry Horse-Specific Leukocidin Genes .

Leukocidins of (.) are bicomponent toxins that form polymeric pores in host leukocyte membranes, leading to cell death and/or triggering apoptosis. Some of these toxin genes are located on prophages and are associated with specific hosts.

A Novel, Cell-Compatible Hyaluronidase Activity Assay Identifies Dextran Sulfates and Other Sulfated Polymeric Hydrocarbons as Potent Inhibitors for CEMIP.

Hyaluronan (HA) levels are dynamically regulated homeostatically through biosynthesis and degradation. HA homeostasis is often perturbed under disease conditions. HA degradation products are thought to contribute to disease pathology.

Reverse Shoulder Arthroplasty Baseplate Stability Is Affected by Bone Density and the Type and Amount of Augmentation.

Objective: This study evaluated the effects of bony increased offset (BIO) and metallic augments (MAs) on primary reverse shoulder arthroplasty (RSA) baseplate stability in cadaveric specimens with variable bone densities.

Methods: Thirty cadaveric specimens were analyzed in an imaging and biomechanical investigation. Computed tomography (CT) scans allowed for preoperative RSA planning and bone density analysis.

Post-Glacial Vegetation Trajectories on the Eastern Tibetan Plateau Reflect Millennial-Scale Migration Lags in Complex Mountain Terrain Based on Sedimentary Ancient DNA and Dynamic Dispersal Modeling.

Mountains with complex terrain and steep environmental gradients are biodiversity hotspots such as the eastern Tibetan Plateau (TP). However, it is generally assumed that mountain terrain plays a secondary role in plant species assembly on a millennial time-scale compared to climate change. Here, we investigate plant richness and community changes during the last 18,000 years at two sites: Lake Naleng and Lake Ximen on the eastern TP with similar elevation and climatic conditions but contrasting terrain.

Detection of reproducible liver cancer specific ligand-receptor signaling in blood.

Cell-cell communication mediated by ligand-receptor interactions (LRI) is critical to coordinating diverse biological processes in homeostasis and disease. Lately, our understanding of these processes has greatly expanded through the inference of cellular communication, utilizing RNA extracted from bulk tissue or individual cells. Considering the challenge of obtaining tissue biopsies for these approaches, we considered the potential of studying cell-free RNA obtained from blood.

Evaluation of Yeast Alcohol Acetyltransferases for Ethyl Acetate Production in .

Sustainable chemical production from C gaseous substrates, such as syngas or CO/H, can be achieved through gas fermentation. In gas fermentation, acetogenic bacteria are able to utilize oxidized inorganic carbon sources as the sole carbon source and electron acceptor, while reduced inorganic species are used as the electron donor. , a model acetogen, is only capable of reducing CO to acetate and ethanol, with H as electron donor.

Design of pH-responsive and amphiphilic pullulan-based biological macromolecule for gene delivery.

Nanomedicine, particularly gene delivery, holds immense potential and offers promising therapeutic options. Non-viral systems gained attention due to their binding capacity, stability and scalability. Among these, natural polysaccharides, such as pullulan, are advantageous in terms of sustainability, biocompatibility and potential degradability.

Trajectories of health-related quality of life across age cohorts: A longitudinal analysis of the German population over 16 years.

Background: Understanding the trajectories of health-related quality of life (HRQoL) across different age cohorts and sociodemographic factors is crucial for promoting healthy aging. This study aims to examine the course of physical and mental HRQoL over a 16-year period in a nationwide sample of the German population.

Methods: Data from the German Socio-Economic Panel spanning from 2002 to 2018 (N = 4111; female = 52.

The role of expansion and adaptability of face-space for individual differences in face identity processing.

Individuals can strongly vary in their ability to process face identity. Understanding the mechanisms driving these differences is important for theoretical development, and in clinical and applied contexts. Here we investigate the role of face-space properties in relation to individual face identity processing skills.

A biocompatible β-cyclodextrin inclusion complex containing natural extracts: a promising antibiofilm agent.

Biofilms formed by several bacterial strains still pose a significant challenge to healthcare due to their resistance to conventional treatment approaches, including antibiotics. This study explores the potential of loading natural extracts with antimicrobial activities into β-cyclodextrin (βCD) nanoparticles, which are FDA-approved and have superior biocompatibility owing to their cyclic sugar structures, for biofilm eradication. An inclusion complex of βCD carrying essential oils (BOS) was prepared and characterized with regard to its physicochemical properties, antimicrobial efficacy, and antibiofilm activities.

Putting seedlings on the map: Trade-offs in demographic rates between ontogenetic size classes in five tropical forests.

All species must partition resources among the processes that underly growth, survival, and reproduction. The resulting demographic trade-offs constrain the range of viable life-history strategies and are hypothesized to promote local coexistence. Tropical forests pose ideal systems to study demographic trade-offs as they have a high diversity of coexisting tree species whose life-history strategies tend to align along two orthogonal axes of variation: a growth-survival trade-off that separates species with fast growth from species with high survival and a stature-recruitment trade-off that separates species that achieve large stature from species with high recruitment.

Lactic acid in the vaginal milieu modulates the -host interaction.

Vulvovaginal candidiasis (VVC) is one of the most common infections caused by . VVC is characterized by an inadequate hyperinflammatory response and clinical symptoms associated with colonization of the vaginal mucosa. Compared to other host niches in which can cause infection, the vaginal environment is extremely rich in lactic acid that is produced by the vaginal microbiota.

Perspective: Data in personalized nutrition: Bridging biomedical, psycho-behavioral, and food environment approaches for population-wide impact.

Personalized Nutrition (PN) represents an approach aimed at delivering tailored dietary recommendations, products or services to support both prevention and treatment of nutrition-related conditions and improve individual health using genetic, phenotypic, medical, nutritional, and other pertinent information. However, current approaches have yielded limited scientific success in improving diets or in mitigating diet-related conditions. In addition, PN currently caters to a specific subgroup of the population rather than having a widespread impact on diet and health at a population level.

MiRNA-155: A double-edged sword in colorectal cancer progression and drug resistance mechanisms.

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is a leading cause of death worldwide due to its aggressive nature and drug resistance, which limit traditional treatment effectiveness. Recent studies highlight the role of microRNAs (miRNAs) in tumorigenesis, metastasis, and chemotherapy resistance, with miRNA-155 emerging as a key player in CRC. miRNA-155 exerts dual effects, inducing drug resistance while serving as a potential therapeutic target.

Mitochondria complex III-generated superoxide is essential for IL-10 secretion in macrophages.

Mitochondrial electron transport chain (ETC) function modulates macrophage biology; however, mechanisms underlying mitochondria ETC control of macrophage immune responses are not fully understood. Here, we report that mutant mice with mitochondria ETC complex III (CIII)-deficient macrophages exhibit increased susceptibility to influenza A virus (IAV) and LPS-induced endotoxic shock. Cultured bone marrow-derived macrophages (BMDMs) isolated from these mitochondria CIII-deficient mice released less IL-10 than controls following TLR3 or TLR4 stimulation.

[Role of prostate-specific membrane antigen positron emission tomography/computed tomography (PSMA-PET/CT) in staging].

The superiority of prostate-specific membrane antigen (PSMA) positron emission tomography (PET) over conventional staging methods such as computed tomography (CT) and bone scintigraphy has now been demonstrated for almost all clinical stages of prostate cancer. In primary diagnostics, PSMA-PET/CT is therefore the new standard for risk-adapted whole-body staging. At the same time, PSMA-PET/CT provides a new risk-based classification for predicting overall survival across all early and late stages of the disease.

Disentangling Effects of Vegetation Structure and Physiology on Land-Atmosphere Coupling.

Terrestrial vegetation is a key component of the Earth system, regulating the exchange of carbon, water, and energy between land and atmosphere. Vegetation affects soil moisture dynamics by absorbing and transpiring soil water, thus modulating land-atmosphere interactions. Moreover, changes in vegetation structure (e.