Phytochemical Analysis, Antioxidant Activity and Bioassay-Guided Isolation of Acetylcholinesterase and Butyrylcholinesterase Inhibitors from Bark (Myristicaceae).

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a neurodegenerative condition brought on by aging and characterised by progressive decline in cognitive function and abnormalities in the central cholnergic system. -amyloid deposits, neurofibril tangle aggregation, oxidative stress or reduced level of acetylcholine are a few causes that have been linked to AD. In this study, the bioassay-guided isolation from ethyl acetate (EtOAc) extract of bark led to the isolation of nine compounds namely, 16-phenylhexadecanoic acid (), undecylbenzene (), 3,4-dihydroxybenzoic acid (), dodecanoic acid (), tetradecanoic acid (), pentadecanoic acid (), 1-tridecene (), stigmasterol () and trimyristin ().

Broadly potent anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibody shares 93% of epitope with ACE2 and provides full protection in monkeys.

Objectives: Due to the rapid evolution of SARS-CoV-2 to variants with reduced sensitivity to vaccine-induced humoral immunity and the near complete loss of protective efficacy of licensed therapeutic monoclonal antibodies, we isolated a potent, broad-spectrum neutralizing antibody that could potentially provide prophylactic protection to immunocompromised patient populations.

Methods: Spike-specific B-cell clones isolated from a vaccinated post-infected donor were profiled for those producing potent neutralizing antibodies against a panel of SARS-CoV-2 variants. The P4J15 antibody was further characterized to define the structural binding epitope, viral resistance, and in vivo efficacy.

Sea spray as a secondary source of chlorinated persistent organic pollutants? - Conclusions from a comparison of seven fresh snowfall events in 2019 and 2021.

Secondary sources of persistent organic pollutants (POPs) gain in importance worldwide as primary sources decline. In this work, we aim to determine whether sea spray may be a secondary source of chlorinated POPs to the terrestrial Arctic, since a similar mechanism was proposed there only for the more water-soluble POPs. To this end, we have determined polychlorinated biphenyls and organochlorine pesticides concentrations in fresh snow and seawater collected in the vicinity of the Polish Polar Station in Hornsund in two sampling periods covering spring 2019 and 2021.

Plasmodium malariae: the persisting mysteries of a persistent parasite.

Plasmodium malariae is a 'neglected malaria parasite' in as much as the amount of research conducted on it pales into insignificance when compared to that pertaining to Plasmodium falciparum and Plasmodium vivax, its more notorious and pathogenic cousins. There has, however, been an increase in interest in this parasite over the past decade. Principally, this is because of the increasing use of sensitive molecular detection techniques that have revealed a wider than previously recorded prevalence in some regions (particularly in Africa), and high numbers of chronic, asymptomatic infections.

Using Magnetic Resonance Imaging During Childbirth to Demonstrate Fetal Head Moldability and Brain Compression: Prospective Cohort Study.

Background: Childbirth is a physiological process with significant medical risk, given that neurological impairment due to the birthing process can occur at any time. Improvements in risk assessment and anticipatory interventions are constantly needed; however, the birthing process is difficult to assess using simple imaging technology because the maternal bony pelvis and fetal skeleton interfere with visualizing the soft tissues. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is a noninvasive technique with no ionizing radiation that can monitor the biomechanics of the birthing process.

Single-cell RNA sequencing of Plasmodium vivax sporozoites reveals stage- and species-specific transcriptomic signatures.

Background: Plasmodium vivax sporozoites reside in the salivary glands of a mosquito before infecting a human host and causing malaria. Previous transcriptome-wide studies in populations of these parasite forms were limited in their ability to elucidate cell-to-cell variation, thereby masking cellular states potentially important in understanding malaria transmission outcomes.

Methodology/principal Findings: In this study, we performed transcription profiling on 9,947 P.

Patient-derived monoclonal antibody neutralizes SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variants and confers full protection in monkeys.

The SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant has very high levels of transmission, is resistant to neutralization by authorized therapeutic human monoclonal antibodies (mAb) and is less sensitive to vaccine-mediated immunity. To provide additional therapies against Omicron, we isolated a mAb named P2G3 from a previously infected vaccinated donor and showed that it has picomolar-range neutralizing activity against Omicron BA.1, BA.

NK cell spatial dynamics and IgA responses in gut-associated lymphoid tissues during SIV infections.

HIV infection induces tissue damage including lymph node (LN) fibrosis and intestinal epithelial barrier disruption leading to bacterial translocation and systemic inflammation. Natural hosts of SIV, such as African Green Monkeys (AGM), do not display tissue damage despite high viral load in blood and intestinal mucosa. AGM mount a NK cell-mediated control of SIVagm replication in peripheral LN.

Interpretation of gut microbiota data in the 'eye of the beholder': A commentary and re-evaluation of data from 'Impacts of radiation exposure on the bacterial and fungal microbiome of small mammals in the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone'.

Evidence that exposure to environmental pollutants can alter the gut microbiota composition of wildlife includes studies of rodents exposed to radionuclides. Antwis et al. (2021) used amplicon sequencing to characterise the gut microbiota of four species of rodent (Myodes glareolus, Apodemus agrarius, A.

Improving in vitro continuous cultivation of Plasmodium cynomolgi, a model for P. vivax.

The absence of a routine continuous in vitro cultivation method for Plasmodium vivax, an important globally distributed parasite species causing malaria in humans, has restricted investigations to field and clinical sampling. Such a method has recently been developed for the Berok strain of P. cynomolgi, a parasite of macaques that has long been used as a model for P.

Generation of Peptides for Highly Efficient Proximity Utilizing Site-Specific Biotinylation in Cells.

Protein tags are peptide sequences genetically embedded into a recombinant protein for various purposes, such as affinity purification, Western blotting, and immunofluorescence. Another recent application of peptide tags is in vivo labeling and analysis of protein-protein interactions (PPI) by proteomics methods. One of the common workflows involves site-specific in vivo biotinylation of an AviTag-fused protein in the presence of the biotin ligase BirA.

Plasmodium falciparum histidine rich protein 2 (pfhrp2): an additional genetic marker suitable for anti-malarial drug efficacy trials.

Background: Genotyping of the three Plasmodium falciparum polymorphic genes, msp1, msp2 and glurp, has been adopted as a standard strategy to distinguish recrudescence from new infection in drug efficacy clinical trials. However, the suitability of a particular gene is compromised in areas where its allelic variants distribution is significantly skewed, a phenomenon that might occur in isolated parasite populations or in areas of very low transmission. Moreover, observation of amplification bias has diminished the value of glurp as a marker.

Artemisinin-independent inhibitory activity of sp. infusions against different stages including relapse-causing hypnozoites.

Artemisinin-based combination therapies (ACT) are the frontline treatments against malaria worldwide. Recently the use of traditional infusions from (from which artemisinin is obtained) or (lacking artemisinin) has been controversially advocated. Such unregulated plant-based remedies are strongly discouraged as they might constitute sub-optimal therapies and promote drug resistance.

A New Thienopyrimidinone Chemotype Shows Multistage Activity against Plasmodium falciparum, Including Artemisinin-Resistant Parasites.

Human malaria infection begins with a one-time asymptomatic liver stage followed by a cyclic symptomatic blood stage. For decades, the research for novel antimalarials focused on the high-throughput screening of molecules that only targeted the asexual blood stages. In a search for new effective compounds presenting a triple action against erythrocytic and liver stages in addition to the ability to block the transmission of the disease the mosquito vector, 2-amino-thienopyrimidinone derivatives were synthesized and tested for their antimalarial activity.

Inverse problems for structured datasets using parallel TAP equations and restricted Boltzmann machines.

We propose an efficient algorithm to solve inverse problems in the presence of binary clustered datasets. We consider the paradigmatic Hopfield model in a teacher student scenario, where this situation is found in the retrieval phase. This problem has been widely analyzed through various methods such as mean-field approaches or the pseudo-likelihood optimization.

A highly potent antibody effective against SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern.

Control of the ongoing SARS-CoV-2 pandemic is endangered by the emergence of viral variants with increased transmission efficiency, resistance to marketed therapeutic antibodies, and reduced sensitivity to vaccine-induced immunity. Here, we screen B cells from COVID-19 donors and identify P5C3, a highly potent and broadly neutralizing monoclonal antibody with picomolar neutralizing activity against all SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern (VOCs) identified to date. Structural characterization of P5C3 Fab in complex with the spike demonstrates a neutralizing activity defined by a large buried surface area, highly overlapping with the receptor-binding domain (RBD) surface necessary for ACE2 interaction.

The evolution of radiobiology through the work of women scientists: the work of Christiane Ferradini.

Purpose: Pay tribute to Christiane Ferradini and highlight the importance of her work as a scientist.

Conclusions: Christiane Ferradini was born in 1924 in the south of France. She graduated from the Paul Sabatier University in Toulouse, France.

Plasmodium vivax binds host CD98hc (SLC3A2) to enter immature red blood cells.

More than one-third of the world's population is exposed to Plasmodium vivax malaria, mainly in Asia. P. vivax preferentially invades reticulocytes (immature red blood cells).

Controlled human malaria infection-Maker and breaker of dogma.

Jean-Marc Chavatte and Georges Snounou discuss research involving controlled malaria infections.

A novel reference dated phylogeny for the genus Spodoptera Guenée (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae: Noctuinae): new insights into the evolution of a pest-rich genus.

The noctuid genus Spodoptera currently consists of 31 species with varied host plant breadths, ranging from monophagous and oligophagous non-pest species to polyphagous pests of economic importance. Several of these pest species have become major invaders, colonizing multiple continents outside their native range. Such is the case of the infamous fall armyworm, Spodoptera frugiperda (J.

Actions on sustainable food production and consumption for the post-2020 global biodiversity framework.

Current food production and consumption trends are inconsistent with the Convention on Biological Diversity's 2050 vision of living in harmony with nature. Here, we examine how, and under what conditions, the post-2020 biodiversity framework can support transformative change in food systems. Our analysis of actions proposed in four science-policy fora reveals that subsidy reform, valuation, food waste reduction, sustainability standards, life cycle assessments, sustainable diets, mainstreaming biodiversity, and strengthening governance can support more sustainable food production and consumption.

Functionalization of [60]Fullerene through photochemical reaction for fulleropyrrolidine nanovectors synthesis: Experimental and theoretical approaches.

To develop novel carbon-based nanocarriers, we proposed grafting on the [60]Fullerene (C60) biologically active molecules. In this process, the formed derivatives described another approach to use photo-cycloaddition reactions for developing the third nanovector generation. As a result, the photoexcitation of C60 and azomethine ylide (AZMYtrp), with visible light, was considered as the most promising pathway to synthesize fulleropyrrolidine (FPL).