Ecological and anthropogenic effects on the genomic diversity of lemurs in Madagascar.

Ecological variation and anthropogenic landscape modification have had key roles in the diversification and extinction of mammals in Madagascar. Lemurs represent a radiation with more than 100 species, constituting roughly one-fifth of the primate order. Almost all species of lemurs are threatened with extinction, but little is known about their genetic diversity and demographic history.

Interruption of the visual cycle in a novel animal model induces progressive vision loss resembling Stargardts Disease.

Mutations in the gene ABCA4 coding for photoreceptor-specific ATP-binding cassette subfamily A member 4, are responsible for Stargardts Disease type 1 (STGD1), the most common form of inherited macular degeneration. STGD1 typically declares early in life and leads to severe visual handicap. Abca4 gene-deletion mouse models of STGD1 accumulate lipofuscin, a hallmark of the disease, but unlike the human disease show no or only moderate structural changes and no functional decline.

Influence of ecological and social factors on huddling behaviour and cluster organisation in Japanese macaques (Macaca fuscata).

Huddling behaviour is present in many animal species. This behaviour involves maintaining close physical contact with conspecifics to minimise heat loss and, in general, reduce energy expenditure. Additionally, this behaviour also facilitates complex social interactions within a population.

RETRACTED: Zulfiqar et al. Obesity and Frailty Syndrome in the Elderly: Prospective Study in Primary Care. 2022, , 38.

The journal retracts the article titled "Obesity and Frailty Syndrome in the Elderly: Prospective Study in Primary Care" [...

Complete genome sequence of fluoroacetate-degrading sp. S22 strain (DSM 8341) as a reference resource for investigations of microbial defluorination.

A complete genome sequence of sp. strain S22 capable of growing with fluoroacetate as the sole source of carbon and energy was obtained by PacBio technology. It consists of seven circular replicons totaling 9,367 kb, with a gene cluster involved in fluoroacetate utilization on its smallest 172 kb plasmid.

Probing Out-Of-Plane Charge Transport in Organic Semiconductors Using Conductive Atomic Force Microscopy.

High contact resistance remains the primary obstacle that hinders further advancements of organic semiconductors (OSCs) in electronic circuits. While significant effort has been directed toward lowering the energy barrier at OSC/metal contact interfaces, approaches toward reducing another major contributor to overall contact resistance - the bulk resistance - have been limited to minimizing the thickness of OSC films. However, the out-of-plane conductivity of OSCs, a critical aspect of bulk resistance, has largely remained unaddressed.

Exploring the druggability of the UEV domain of human TSG101 in search for broad-spectrum antivirals.

The ubiquitin E2 variant domain of TSG101 (TSG101-UEV) plays a pivotal role in protein sorting and virus budding by recognizing PTAP motifs within ubiquitinated proteins. Disruption of TSG101-UEV/PTAP interactions has emerged as a promising strategy for the development of host-oriented broad-spectrum antivirals with low susceptibility to resistance. TSG101 is a challenging target characterized by an extended and flat binding interface, low affinity for PTAP ligands, and complex binding energetics.

A pipeline for validation of Serendipita indica effector-like sRNA suggests cross-kingdom communication in the symbiosis with Arabidopsis.

Bidirectional communication between pathogenic microbes and their plant hosts via small (s)RNA-mediated cross-kingdom RNA interference (ckRNAi) is a key element for successful host colonisation. Whether mutualistic fungi of the Serendipitaceae family, known for their extremely broad host range, use sRNAs to colonize plant roots is still under debate. To address this question, we developed a pipeline to validate the accumulation, translocation, and activity of fungal sRNAs in post-transcriptional silencing of Arabidopsis thaliana genes.

Distinct pathophysiological pathways support stratification of Sjögren's disease based on symptoms, clinical, and routine biological data.

Objective: Recently, three distinct phenotypes of Sjögren's disease (SjD) patients have been described, based on cluster analysis: B-cell active with low symptoms (BALS), high systemic activity (HSA), and low systemic activity with high symptoms (LSAHS). We aimed to assess whether these clusters were associated with distinct biomarkers and the prognostic value of IFN signature.

Methods: The ASSESS cohort is a 20-year prospective cohort of SjD patients.

A general strategy for engineering GU base pairs to facilitate RNA crystallization.

X-ray crystallography is a fundamental technique that provides atomic-level insights into RNA structures. However, obtaining crystals of RNA structures diffracting to high resolution is challenging. We introduce a simple strategy to enhance the resolution limit of RNA crystals by the selective substitution of Watson-Crick pairs by GU pairs within RNA sequences.

Photochemical reactions of biomass derived platform chemicals.

Platform chemicals obtained from biomass will play an important role in chemical industry. Already existing compounds or not yet established chemicals are produced from this renewable feedstock. Using photochemical reactions as sustainable method for the conversion of matter furthermore permits to develop processes that are interesting from the ecological and economical point of view.

Breast implant silicone exposure induces immunogenic response and autoimmune markers in human periprosthetic tissue.

Silicone-based breast implants are commonly used, but there are concerns about their long-term safety. While implantation results in the formation of a periprosthetic tissue that isolates the implant from the rest of the host body, silicone can leak and reach surrounding tissues. We combined histological analysis and gene expression profiling (RNA sequencing) of samples from human patients with silicone breast implants with different fillers (silicone or serum), surface topographies and/or shell rupture, and performed systematic cross-comparisons.

Hepatectomy with Hepatic Vein Resection and Reconstruction Under Total Vascular Exclusion and Venous Drainage via a Venovenous Bypass: An Additional Approach for Complex Hepatectomies.

Background: Total vascular exclusion (TVE) with liver hypothermic perfusion under venovenous bypass (VVB) is usually needed to perform hepatectomy with Inferior vena cava and hepatic veins resection-reconstruction. An alternative technique is represented by liver resection under intermittent pedicular clamping, IVC total clamping and VVB, without cold perfusion and liver outflow drainage through the VVB. PATIENTS AND METHODS: The patient is a 60-year-old woman with past medical history of right hepatectomy for leiomyosarcoma 14 years previously.

Centromeric localization of αKNL2 and CENP-C proteins in plants depends on their centromere-targeting domain and DNA-binding regions.

In eukaryotes, accurate chromosome segregation during cell division relies on the centromeric histone H3 variant, CENH3. Our previous work identified KINETOCHORE NULL2 (αKNL2) as a plant CENH3 assembly factor, which contains a centromere-targeting motif, CENPC-k, analogous to the CENPC motif found in CENP-C. We also demonstrated that αKNL2 can bind DNA in vitro in a sequence-independent manner, without the involvement of its CENPC-k motif.

Efficient synthesis of fluorinated triphenylenes with enhanced arene-perfluoroarene interactions in columnar mesophases.

The high potential of non-covalent arene-fluoroarene intermolecular interactions in the design of liquid crystals lies in their ability to strongly promote self-assembly, improve the order and stability of the supramolecular mesophases, and enable tuneability of the optical and electronic properties, which can potentially be exploited for advanced applications in display technologies, photonic devices, sensors, and organic electronics. We recently successfully reported the straightforward synthesis of several mesogens containing four lateral aliphatic chains and derived from the classical triphenylene core self-assembling in columnar mesophases based on this paradigm. These mesogenic compounds were simply obtained in good yields by the nucleophilic substitution (SFAr) of various types of commercially available fluoroarenes with the electrophilic organolithium derivatives 2,2'-dilithio-4,4',5,5'-tetraalkoxy-1,1'-biphenyl (2Li- ).

Interplay Between Spinmerism and Spin-Orbit Coupling for a d2 Metal Ion in an Open-Shell Ligand Field.

Recent, theoretical studies have shown that placing a spin-crossover ion in a field of radical ligands can induce local superpositions of local spin states (see Ref.[1,2]). This phenomenon, termed spinmerism, raises questions about its stability when spin-orbit coupling is included.

Frontiers of conservation.

Action-oriented conservation sciences are crippled by 3 false assumptions. First, although it is recognized in theory that natural and anthropic components of ecosystems are tightly intertwined, in practice, many conservation policies and actions are still based on the assumption that human and nonhuman stakes should be dealt with in deeply different ways. Second, although the anchorage of environmental sciences in values is amply demonstrated, many conservation scientists still assume they will lose their scientific credentials if they actively participate in decision-making.

UV-A photodegradation of vanillin in aqueous solutions: Direct photolysis and photosensitized degradation.

Phototoxicity of skin due to the application of skincare products or fragrances is increasing from day to day, since a lot of natural extracts, with low or no toxicity in the dark, are being used in the skin exposed to solar radiation. In particular, the use of 4-hydroxy-3-methoxy benzaldehyde, known as vanillin, in the pharmaceutical, food, and cosmetic industries has increased in the last years. This compound is generally considered as safe for humans, and it has been used in a wide range of applications.

Analysis of the distribution of mechanical load on the plate and lateral hinge of a valgus-producing open wedge high tibial osteotomy during weight-bearing by simulating consolidation. Finite element study.

Introduction: High tibial osteotomy (HTO) is indicated for managing isolated medial knee osteoarthritis in a young patient with a metaphyseal deformity of the proximal tibia. In a medial open-wedge HTO, maintaining the integrity of the hinge is crucial for consolidation and preservation of the correction. Based on a validated model and preliminary results, the objective of this work was to measure and monitor the distribution of mechanical load on a locking fixation plate and the lateral hinge of an HTO using a finite element (FE) model during different phases of consolidation evolution, simulating single leg weightbearing.

The prohibitin ligand IN44 decreases Porphyromonas gingivalis mediated inflammation.

Background: Periodontitis is an inflammatory disease causing destruction of periodontal tissues. Controlling inflammation is crucial for periodontitis treatment. Prohibitins (PHBs) are emerging targets in the treatment of inflammatory diseases.

Ovarian response in preimplantation genetic testing for myotonic dystrophy type 1.

Purpose: To evaluate ovarian stimulation response in couples undergoing preimplantation genetic testing (PGT-M) for myotonic dystrophy type 1 (DM1) METHODS: Retrospective, observational, multicentric study. Parameters of ovarian response and PGT-M outcomes were compared according to the DM1-affected patient (female or male). A total of 229 couples underwent at least one controlled ovarian hyperstimulation cycle for the PGT-M procedure.