Deciphering the role of Moringa oleifera seeds and probiotic bacteria on mitigation of biogas production from ruminants.

Maintaining cleaner and more sustainable ecosystems by mitigating greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from livestock through dietary manipulation is in demand. This study was aimed to assess the effect of Moringa oleifera seeds and probiotics (Pediococcus acidilactici BX-B122 and Bacillus coagulans BX-B118) as feed supplements on GHG production and fermentation profile from steers and sheep. The treatments included diets containing 0, 6, 12, and 18% of M.

Transmission-Blocking Strategies for Malaria Eradication: Recent Advances in Small-Molecule Drug Development.

Malaria drug research and development efforts have resurged in the last decade following the decelerating rate of mortality and malaria cases in endemic regions. The inefficiency of malaria interventions is largely driven by the spreading resistance of the parasite to current drug regimens and that of the malaria vector, the mosquito, to insecticides. In response to the new eradication agenda, drugs that act by breaking the malaria transmission cycle (transmission-blocking drugs), which has been recognized as an important and additional target for intervention, are being developed.

Palladium-Catalyzed Tsuji-Trost-Type Reaction of 3-Indolylmethylacetates with O, and S Soft Nucleophiles.

The chemical valorization of widespread molecules in renewable sources is a field of research widely investigated in the last decades. In this context, we envisaged that indole-3-carbinol, present in different plants, could be a readily available building block for the synthesis of various classes of indoles through a palladium-catalyzed Tsuji-Trost-type reaction with O and S soft nucleophiles. The regiochemical outcome of this high-yielding functionalization shows that the nucleophilic substitution occurs only at the benzylic position.

Dual Inhibitors of P-gp and Carbonic Anhydrase XII (hCA XII) against Tumor Multidrug Resistance with Piperazine Scaffold.

A new series of piperazine derivatives were synthesized and studied with the aim of obtaining dual inhibitors of P-glycoprotein (P-gp) and carbonic anhydrase XII (hCA XII) to synergistically overcome the P-gp-mediated multidrug resistance (MDR) in cancer cells expressing the two proteins, P-gp and hCA XII. Indeed, these hybrid compounds contain both P-gp and hCA XII binding groups on the two nitrogen atoms of the heterocyclic ring. All compounds showed good inhibitory activity on each protein (P-gp and hCA XII) studied individually, and many of them showed a synergistic effect in the resistant HT29/DOX and A549/DOX cell lines which overexpress both the target proteins.

Exploiting L. (Licorice) Flavanones: Licoflavanone's Impact on Breast Cancer Cell Bioenergetics.

Research on the energy metabolism of cancer cells is becoming a central element in oncology, and in recent decades, it has allowed us to better understand the mechanisms underlying the onset and chemoresistance of oncological pathologies. Mitochondrial bioenergetic processes, in particular, have proven to be fundamental for the survival of tumor stem cells (CSC), a subpopulation of tumor cells responsible for tumor recurrence, the onset of metastasis, and the failure of conventional anticancer therapies. Over the years, numerous natural products, in particular flavonoids, widely distributed in the plant kingdom, have been shown to interfere with tumor bioenergetics, demonstrating promising antitumor effects.

Infesting Seaweeds as a Novel Functional Food: Analysis of Nutrients, Antioxidants and ACE Inhibitory Effects.

Globalization and climate change are both contributing to an increase in the number of potentially invasive algae in coastal areas. In terms of biodiversity and financial losses, the invasiveness of algae has become a significant issue in Orbetello Lagoon. Indeed, studies from the Tuscany Regional Agency for Environmental Protection show that the reduction in dissolved oxygen caused by algal diffusion is detrimental to fisheries and biodiversity.

Preparation and characterization of amidated pectin-gelatin-oxidized tannic acid hydrogel films supplemented with in-situ reduced silver nanoparticles for wound-dressing applications.

Wound dressings play a crucial role in protecting injured tissues and promoting the healing process. Traditional fabrication of antibacterial wound dressings can be complex and may involve toxic components. In this study, we developed an innovative hydrogel film (AP:GE@OTA/Ag) composed of amidated pectin (AP), gelatin (GE), oxidized tannic acid (OTA) at varying concentrations, and in-situ reduced silver nanoparticles (AgNPs).

Psychometric properties of patient-reported outcomes Common Terminology Criteria for adverse events (PRO-CTCAE®) in breast cancer patients: The prospective observational multicenter VIP study.

Patients' self-reporting is increasingly considered essential to measure quality-of-life and treatment-related side-effects. However, if multiple patient-reported instruments are used, redundancy may represent an overload for patients. Patient-Reported Outcomes Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events (PRO-CTCAE) are a tool allowing direct patients' reporting of side-effects.

Influence of a Solid Surface on PNIPAM Microgel Films.

Stimuli-responsive microgels have attracted great interest in recent years as building blocks for fabricating smart surfaces with many technological applications. In particular, PNIPAM microgels are promising candidates for creating thermo-responsive scaffolds to control cell growth and detachment via temperature stimuli. In this framework, understanding the influence of the solid substrate is critical for tailoring microgel coatings to specific applications.

Synthesis of alcohols: streamlined C1 to C hydroxyalkylation through photoredox catalysis.

Naturally occurring and readily available α-hydroxy carboxylic acids (AHAs) are utilized as platforms for visible light-mediated oxidative CO-extrusion furnishing α-hydroxy radicals proved to be versatile C1 to C hydroxyalkylating agents. The direct decarboxylative Giese reaction (DDGR) is operationally simple, not requiring activator or sacrificial oxidants, and enables the synthesis of a diverse range of hydroxylated products, introducing connectivity typically precluded from conventional polar domains. Notably, the methodology has been extended to widely used glycolic acid resulting in a highly efficient and unprecedented C1 hydroxyhomologation tactic.

Healthcare professionals' perspectives towards the digitalisation of paediatric growth hormone therapies: expert panels in Italy and Korea.

Introduction: To analyse the perspectives of healthcare professionals (HCPs) regarding the acceptance of digital health solutions for growth hormone (GH) deficiency care. This study identified factors impacting HCPs' intent to use and recommend digital solutions supporting recombinant-human growth hormone (r-hGH) therapy in Italy and Korea with a use case of connected drug delivery system (Aluetta with Smartdot™) integrated in a platform for GH treatment support (the Growzen™ digital health ecosystem).

Methods: Participatory workshops were conducted in Rome, Italy, and Seoul, Korea, to collect the perspectives of 22 HCPs on various predefined topics.

Computing tools for effective field theories: SMEFT-Tools 2022 Workshop Report, 14-16th September 2022, Zürich.

In recent years, theoretical and phenomenological studies with effective field theories have become a trending and prolific line of research in the field of high-energy physics. In order to discuss present and future prospects concerning automated tools in this field, the SMEFT-Tools 2022 workshop was held at the University of Zurich from 14th-16th September 2022. The current document collects and summarizes the content of this workshop.

Concomitant Administration of VEGFR Tyrosine Kinase and Proton Pump Inhibitors May Impair Clinical Outcome of Patients With Metastatic Renal Cancer.

Introduction: The administration of proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) is a common practice to reduce gastro-esophageal adverse events associated with drug treatments but may impair absorption and exposure to oncology drugs. This study investigated the effect of concomitant administration of PPIs and pazopanib, sunitinib and cabozantinib on survival of patients with metastatic clear cell renal carcinoma (mRCC).

Patients And Methods: Total 451 patients receiving pazopanib, sunitinib and cabozantinib as first line treatment were enrolled in this retrospective study.

Scalable microfluidic method for tunable liposomal production by a design of experiment approach.

Liposomes constitute a widespread drug delivery platform, gaining more and more attention from the pharmaceutical industry and process development scientists. Their large-scale production as medicinal products for human use is all but trivial, especially when parenteral administration is required. In this study an off-the-shelf microfluidic system and a methodological approach are presented for the optimization, validation and scale-up of highly monodisperse liposomes manufacturing.

Infrared Spectroscopy of SARS-CoV-2 Viral Protein: from Receptor Binding Domain to Spike Protein.

Spike (S) glycoprotein is the largest structural protein of SARS-CoV-2 virus and the main one involved in anchoring of the host receptor ACE2 through the receptor binding domain (RBD). S protein secondary structure is of great interest for shedding light on various aspects, from functionality to pathogenesis, finally to spectral fingerprint for the design of optical biosensors. In this paper, the secondary structure of SARS-CoV-2 S protein and its constituting components, namely RBD, S1 and S2 regions, are investigated at serological pH by measuring their amide I infrared absorption bands through Attenuated Total Reflection Infrared (ATR-IR) spectroscopy.

Structure-based mechanism of riboregulation of the metabolic enzyme SHMT1.

RNA can directly control protein activity in a process called riboregulation; only a few mechanisms of riboregulation have been described in detail, none of which have been characterized on structural grounds. Here, we present a comprehensive structural, functional, and phylogenetic analysis of riboregulation of cytosolic serine hydroxymethyltransferase (SHMT1), the enzyme interconverting serine and glycine in one-carbon metabolism. We have determined the cryoelectron microscopy (cryo-EM) structure of human SHMT1 in its free- and RNA-bound states, and we show that the RNA modulator competes with polyglutamylated folates and acts as an allosteric switch, selectively altering the enzyme's reactivity vs.

Revealing Novel Aspects of Light-Matter Coupling by Terahertz Two-Dimensional Coherent Spectroscopy: The Case of the Amplitude Mode in Superconductors.

Recently developed terahertz (THz) two-dimensional coherent spectroscopy (2DCS) is a powerful technique to obtain materials information in a fashion qualitatively different from other spectroscopies. Here, we utilized THz 2DCS to investigate the THz nonlinear response of conventional superconductor NbN. Using broadband THz pulses as light sources, we observed a third-order nonlinear signal whose spectral components are peaked at twice the superconducting gap energy 2Δ.

Binding of steroid substrates reveals the key to the productive transition of the cytochrome P450 OleP.

OleP is a bacterial cytochrome P450 involved in oleandomycin biosynthesis as it catalyzes regioselective epoxidation on macrolide intermediates. OleP has recently been reported to convert lithocholic acid (LCA) into murideoxycholic acid through a highly regioselective reaction and to unspecifically hydroxylate testosterone (TES). Since LCA and TES mainly differ by the substituent group at the C17, here we used X-ray crystallography, equilibrium binding assays, and molecular dynamics simulations to investigate the molecular basis of the diverse reactivity observed with the two steroids.

Voronoi Tessellation as a Tool for Predicting the Formation of Deep Eutectic Solvents.

Deep eutectic solvents (DESs) have attracted increasing attention in recent years due to their broad applicability in different fields, but their computer-aided discovery, which avoids a time-consuming trial-and-error investigation, is still lagging. In this paper, a set of nine DESs, composed of choline chloride as a hydrogen-bond acceptor and nine functionalized phenols as hydrogen bond donors, is simulated by using classical molecular dynamics to investigate the possible formation of a DES. The tool of the Voronoi tessellation analysis is employed for producing an intuitive and straightforward representation of the degree of mixing between the different components of the solutions, therefore permitting the definition of a metric quantifying the propensity of the components to produce a uniform solution.