Autophagy is involved in granulosa cell death and follicular atresia in ewe ovaries.

In mammalian ovaries, most follicles do not ovulate and are eliminated by atresia, which primarily depends on granulosa cell (GC) apoptosis. Autophagy is an alternative mechanism involved in follicle depletion in mammals through independent or tandem action with apoptosis. However, follicular autophagy has not yet been investigated in sheep; therefore, the present study aimed to investigate the involvement of autophagy in atresia among a pool of growing antral follicles in ewe ovaries.

Comparative CO and SiO hydratase activity of an enzyme from the siliceous demosponge Suberitesdomuncula.

Silicase, an enzyme that catalyzes the hydrolysis of silicon-oxygen bonds, is a crucial player in breaking down silicates into silicic acid, particularly in organisms like aquatic sponges with siliceous skeletons. Despite its significance, our understanding of silicase remains limited. This study comprehensively examines silicase from the demosponge Suberites domuncula, focusing on its kinetics toward CO as a substrate, as well as its silicase and esterase activity.

Exploring the Role of Lactoferrin in Managing Allergic Airway Diseases among Children: Unrevealing a Potential Breakthrough.

The prevalence of allergic diseases has dramatically increased among children in recent decades. These conditions significantly impact the quality of life of allergic children and their families. Lactoferrin, a multifunctional glycoprotein found in various biological fluids, is emerging as a promising immunomodulatory agent that can potentially alleviate allergic diseases in children.

Innovative Cosmeceutical Ingredients: Harnessing Selenosugar-Linked Hydroxycinnamic Acids for Antioxidant and Wound-Healing Properties.

Selenosugars are gaining growing interest due to their antioxidant efficacy, and their ability to inhibit glycosidases, repair skin tissue or reduce endothelial dysfunction. Among selenosugars, those in which selenium replaces heterocyclic oxygen in a 5-membered sugar were our focus, and their coupling with phenolic compounds appears to be a strategy aimed at producing new compounds with enhanced antioxidant efficacy. In this context, the Mitsunobu reaction has been advantageously explored to obtain --coumaroyl-1,4-deoxy-2,3--isopropylidene-4-seleno-d-ribose, -caffeoyl-1,4-deoxy-2,3--isopropylidene-4-seleno-d-ribose, and -feruloyl-1,4-deoxy-2,3--isopropylidene-4-seleno-d-ribose.

Advancing drug discovery with deep attention neural networks.

In the dynamic field of drug discovery, deep attention neural networks are revolutionizing our approach to complex data. This review explores the attention mechanism and its extended architectures, including graph attention networks (GATs), transformers, bidirectional encoder representations from transformers (BERT), generative pre-trained transformers (GPTs) and bidirectional and auto-regressive transformers (BART). Delving into their core principles and multifaceted applications, we uncover their pivotal roles in catalyzing de novo drug design, predicting intricate molecular properties and deciphering elusive drug-target interactions.

Tuning Peptide-Based Nanofibers for Achieving Selective Doxorubicin Delivery in Triple-Negative Breast Cancer.

Introduction: The design of delivery tools that efficiently transport drugs into cells remains a major challenge in drug development for most pathological conditions. Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) is a very aggressive subtype of breast cancer with poor prognosis and limited effective therapeutic options.

Purpose: In TNBC treatment, chemotherapy remains the milestone, and doxorubicin (Dox) represents the first-line systemic treatment; however, its non-selective distribution causes a cascade of side effects.

Attitude to food supplement use: a survey promoted by the Italian Society of Pediatric Allergy and Immunology.

Food supplements are defined as foodstuffs the purpose of which is to supplement the normal diet and which are concentrated sources of nutrients or other substances with a nutritional or physiological effect, often referred to as nutraceuticals, may exert benefit to the human body. Their use is increasing worldwide, including Europe and in Italy. However, some doctors are skeptical about their effectiveness and safety.

From Extraction to Stabilization: Employing a 2 Experimental Design in Developing Nutraceutical-Grade Bixin from L.

Bixin is the main carotenoid found in the outer portion of the seeds of L., commercially known as annatto. This compound is industrially employed in pharmaceutical, cosmetic, and food formulations as a natural dye to replace chemical additives.

Natural antibiotics against antimicrobial resistance: sources and bioinspired delivery systems.

The current burden associated to multidrug resistance, and the emerging superbugs, result in a decreased and even loss of antibiotic efficacy, which poses significant challenges in the treatment of infectious diseases. This situation has created a high demand for the discovery of novel antibiotics that are both effective and safe. However, while antibiotics play a crucial role in preventing and treating diseases, they are also associated with adverse effects.

Supramolecular red-light-photosensitized nitric oxide release with fluorescence self-reporting within biocompatible nanocarriers.

The strict dependence of the biological effects of nitric oxide (NO) on its concentration and generation site requires this inorganic free radical to be delivered with precise spatiotemporal control. Light-activation by suitable NO photoprecursors represents an ideal approach. Developing strategies to activate NO release using long-wavelength excitation light in the therapeutic window (650-1300 nm) is challenging.

Solid-State Reaction of Alkylamines with CO in Ambient Air.

This paper explores possible procedures to accelerate CO capture from ambient air by a crystalline alkylamine surfactant (octadecylamine), leading to the corresponding crystalline ammonium-carbamate. Conversion of the amine to the carbamate, in different conditions, is studied by four different techniques: WAXD, FTIR, TGA, and DSC. The WAXD study also gives relevant information on the crystal structures of both amine and derived carbamate.

Genomic and functional evaluation of exopolysaccharide produced by Liquorilactobacillus mali t6-52: technological implications.

Background: This study explores the biosynthesis, characteristics, and functional properties of exopolysaccharide produced by the strain Liquorilactobacillus mali T6-52. The strain demonstrated significant EPS production with a non-ropy phenotype.

Results: The genomic analysis unveiled genes associated with EPS biosynthesis, shedding light on the mechanism behind EPS production.

Synthesis and in vitro cytotoxicity of benzoxazole-based PPARα/γ antagonists in colorectal cancer cell lines.

A series of benzoxazole-based amides and sulfonamides were synthesized and evaluated for their human peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor (PPAR)α and PPARγ activity. All tested compounds showed a dual antagonist profile on both PPAR subtypes; based on transactivation results, seven compounds were selected to test their in vitro antiproliferative activity in a panel of eight cancer cell lines with different expression rates of PPARα and PPARγ. 3f was identified as the most cytotoxic compound, with higher potency in the colorectal cancer cell lines HT-29 and HCT116.

Optimization and Validation of Procyanidins Extraction and Phytochemical Profiling of Seven Herbal Matrices of Nutraceutical Interest.

Several medicinal herbal plants are extensively used as sources of bioactive compounds with beneficial effects on human health. This study assessed the procyanidin and polyphenol profiles together with the antioxidant potential of seven herbal medical matrices. To achieve this aim, procyanidin extraction from grape pomace was optimized and validated by monitoring monomeric-trimeric procyanidins.

Conformational and environmental effects on the electronic and vibrational properties of dyes for solar cell devices.

The main challenge for solar cell devices is harvesting photons beyond the visible by reaching the red-edge (650-780 nm). Dye-sensitized solar cell (DSSC) devices combine the optical absorption and the charge separation processes by the association of a sensitizer as a light-absorbing material (dye molecules, whose absorption can be tuned and designed) with a wide band gap nanostructured semiconductor. Conformational and environmental effects (i.

Comprehensive analysis of colloid formation, distribution, and properties of monovarietal red wines using asymmetrical flow field-flow fractionation with online multidetection.

Red wine colloids, crucial in determining wine quality and stability, are understudied due to inadequate techniques for studying them effectively in the natural wine environment. Recently, Asymmetrical Flow Field-flow Fractionation (AF4) with online multidetection has emerged as a novel analytical tool for quantifying, fractionating, and characterizing red wine colloids in their native state. This study aimed to characterize the colloidal composition of 24 monovarietal Italian wines produced without filtration, oak contact, fining treatments, malolactic fermentation, macerating enzymes or ageing on yeast lees.

Physiological synchronization and innovative moments in psychotherapy: A single-case study of micro-process.

Objective: Interpersonal synchronization is increasingly studied as a biomarker of empathy, therapeutic alliance, and treatment outcome. However, most studies average data over sessions, leaving associations between synchrony and actual interactions largely unexplored. We aim to showcase a novel approach examining synchronization during specific micro-processes: Innovative Moments (IM) as markers of exceptions to clients' problematic patterns of meaning.

Boosting Effect of Sterically Protected Glucosyl Substituents in Formic Acid Dehydrogenation by Iridium(III) 2-Pyridineamidate Catalysts.

[Cp*Ir(R-pica)Cl] (Cp*=pentamethylcyclopentadienyl anion, pica=2-picolineamidate) complexes bearing carbohydrate substituents on the amide nitrogen atom (R=methyl-β-D-gluco-pyranosid-2-yl, 1; methyl-3,4,6-tri-O-acetyl-β-D-glucopyranosid-2-yl, 2) were tested as catalysts for formic acid dehydrogenation in water. TOF values over 12000 h and 50000 h were achieved at 333 K for 1 and 2, respectively, with TON values over 35000 for both catalysts. Comparison with the simpler cyclohexyl-substituted analogue (3) indicated that glucosyl-based complexes are much better performing under the same experimental conditions (TOF=5144 h, TON=5000 at pH 2.

Cationic Azobenzenes as Light-Responsive Crosslinkers for Alginate-Based Supramolecular Hydrogels.

Azobenzene photoswitches are fundamental components in contemporary approaches aimed at light-driven control of intelligent materials. Significant endeavors are directed towards enhancing the light-triggered reactivity of azobenzenes for such applications and obtaining water-soluble molecules able to act as crosslinkers in a hydrogel. Here, we report the rational design and the synthesis of azobenzene/alginate photoresponsive hydrogels endowed with fast reversible sol-gel transition.

The Contribution of Vessel Wall Magnetic Resonance Imaging to the Diagnosis of Primary and Secondary Central Nervous System Vasculitis.

Background: To describe high-resolution brain vessel wall MRI (VW-MRI) patterns and morphological brain findings in central nervous system (CNS) vasculitis patients.

Methods: Fourteen patients with confirmed CNS Vasculitis from two tertiary centers underwent VW-MRI using a 3T scanner. The images were reviewed by two neuroradiologists to assess vessel wall enhancement characteristics and locations.