Exploring Literacy and Knowledge Gaps and Disparities in Genetics and Oncogenomics Among Cancer Patients and the General Population: A Scoping Review.

Background: Genetic and genomic literacy is pivotal in empowering cancer patients and citizens to navigate the complexities of omics sciences, resolve misconceptions surrounding clinical research and genetic/genomic testing, and make informed decisions about their health. In a fast-evolving scenario where routine testing has become widespread in healthcare, this scoping review sought to pinpoint existing gaps in literacy and understanding among cancer patients and the general public regarding genetics and genomics.

Methods: Adhering to the PRISMA framework, the review included 43 studies published between January 2018 and June 2024, which evaluated the understanding of genetics and genomics among cancer patients, caregivers, and citizens.

Effects of Protein on Depression-like Behavior and Gut Microbiota in Stressed Juvenile Mice.

protein (Lep) exhibits anti-inflammatory effects, but its antidepressant activity is unknown. This study used a 44-day chronic unpredictable mild stress (CUMS) model to determine whether Lep has a beneficial effect through the gut-brain axis in 3-week-old male C57BL/6 mice. Gavaging with Lep solution alleviated the depression-like behavior and anxiety symptoms in CUMS growing mice.

Engineering the future of medicine: Natural products, synthetic biology and artificial intelligence for next-generation therapeutics.

The eXchange Unit between Thiolation domains approach and artificial intelligence (AI)-driven tools like Synthetic Intelligence are transforming nonribosomal peptide synthetase and polyketide synthase engineering, enabling the creation of novel bioactive compounds that address critical challenges like antibiotic resistance and cancer. These innovations expand chemical space and optimize biosynthetic pathways, offering precise and scalable therapeutic solutions. Collaboration across synthetic biology, AI, and clinical research is essential to translating these breakthroughs into next-generation treatments and revolutionizing drug discovery and patient care.

Transposon mediated functional genomic screening for BRAF inhibitor resistance reveals convergent Hippo and MAPK pathway activation events.

Genotype-informed anticancer therapies such as BRAF inhibitors can show remarkable clinical efficacy in BRAF-mutant melanoma; however, drug resistance poses a major hurdle to successful cancer treatment. Many resistance events to targeted therapies have been identified, suggesting a complex path to improve therapeutics. Here, we showed the utility of a piggyBac transposon activation mutagenesis screen for the efficient identification of genes that are resistant to BRAF inhibition in melanoma.

Chemical catalyst manipulating cancer epigenome and transcription.

The number and variety of identified histone post-translational modifications (PTMs) are continually increasing. However, the specific consequences of each histone PTM remain largely unclear, primarily due to the lack of methods for selectively and rapidly introducing a desired histone PTM in living cells without genetic engineering. Here, we report the development of a cell-permeable histone acetylation catalyst, BAHA-LANA-PEG-CPP44, which selectively enters leukemia cells, binds to chromatin, and acetylates H2BK120 of endogenous histones in a short reaction time.

Prevalence and partial molecular characterization of Gigantorhynchus echinodiscus in free-ranging anteaters (Myrmecophagidae, Edentata) in Mato Grosso do Sul state, Brazil.

The genus Gigantorhynchus comprises six valid species that require a terrestrial arthropod as an intermediate host. Cystacanths of G. echinosdiscus were previously reported infecting termites in Brazil.

Investigating the Protective Effects of Luteolin and Gallic Acid from Luffa acutangula L. (Roxb.) amara (Roxb.) C. B. Clarke. Fruit Pericarp Against Alcohol-Induced Liver Toxicity: Extraction, Bioactivity-Guided Fractionation, Molecular Docking, and Dynamics Studies.

Ethnopharmacological Relevance: Luffa acutangula var. amara (Roxb.) C.

Chemical composition and techno-functional properties of high-purity water-soluble keratein and its enzymatic hydrolysates.

This study compared the effectiveness of urea-containing and urea-free L-cysteine solutions in extracting high-quality feather keratin and evaluated commercial proteases for producing keratin-derived bioactive peptides. The urea-assisted extraction was crucial for achieving high structural integrity and yield of soluble keratin. The keratin isolate exhibited oil-holding capacity of 9.

Metabolic dependency mapping identifies Peroxiredoxin 1 as a driver of resistance to ATM inhibition.

Metabolic pathways fuel tumor progression and resistance to stress conditions including chemotherapeutic drugs, such as DNA damage response (DDR) inhibitors. Yet, significant gaps persist in how metabolic pathways confer resistance to DDR inhibition in cancer cells. Here, we employed a metabolism-focused CRISPR knockout screen and identified genetic vulnerabilities to DDR inhibitors.

A Set of Three Gd Spin Labels with Methanethiosulfonyl Groups for Bioconjugation Covering a Wide Range of EPR Line Widths.

Spin labels based on Gd complexes are important tools for the elucidation of the structure, dynamics and interaction of biomolecules by electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectroscopy. Their EPR spectroscopic properties line width and relaxation times influence their performance in a particular application. To be able to apply a complex well-suited for a specific application, a set of Gd complexes with different EPR spectroscopic properties ready-made for spin labeling will be highly useful.

Meta-analyses of Culex blood-meals indicates strong regional effect on feeding patterns.

Understanding host utilization by mosquito vectors is essential to assess the risk of vector-borne diseases. Many studies have investigated the feeding patterns of Culex mosquitoes by molecular analysis of blood-meals from field collected mosquitoes. However, these individual small-scale studies only provide a limited understanding of the complex host-vector interactions when considered in isolation.

Computational design of multi-epitope vaccine against Hepatitis C Virus infection using immunoinformatics techniques.

Hepatitis C Virus (HCV) is a blood borne pathogen that affects around 200 million individuals worldwide. Immunizations against the Hepatitis C Virus are intended to enhance T-cell responses and have been identified as a crucial component of successful antiviral therapy. Nevertheless, attempts to mediate clinically relevant anti-HCV activity in people have mainly failed, despite the vaccines present satisfactory progress.

Exploring effector protein dynamics and natural fungicidal potential in rice blast pathogen Magnaporthe oryzae.

Rice blast, caused by Magnaporthe oryzae, is one of the most destructive fungal diseases in rice, resulting in major economic losses worldwide. Genetic and genomic studies have identified key genes and proteins, such as AvrPik variants and MAX proteins, that are crucial for the pathogen's virulence. These effector proteins interact with specific alleles of the Pik gene family on rice chromosome 11, modulating the host's immune response.

18F-Fluorodeoxyglucose Uptake in PDGFRA-Mutant Gastrointestinal Stromal Tumors.

Importance: The D842V platelet-derived growth factor receptor α (PDGFRA) mutation identifies a molecular subgroup of gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GISTs), primarily resistant to standard tyrosine kinase inhibitors and with an overall more indolent behavior. Although functional imaging with 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose-labeled positron emission tomography ([18F]FDG-PET) plays a proven role in GISTs, especially in early assessment of tumor response, less is known about [18F]FDG uptake according to the GIST molecular subtypes.

Objective: To evaluate the degree of [18F]FDG uptake in PDGFRA-mutant GISTs and better define the role of functional imaging in this rare and peculiar subset of GISTs.

Phase 2 Randomised Study of Bulevirtide as Monotherapy or Combined With Peg-IFNα-2a as Treatment for Chronic Hepatitis Delta.

Background And Aim: Bulevirtide (BLV) leads to beneficial virologic and biochemical responses when given alone to treat hepatitis delta virus (HDV) infection, which causes the most severe form of chronic viral hepatitis. We evaluated 48 weeks of BLV monotherapy, BLV + tenofovir disoproxil fumarate (TDF) and BLV + pegylated interferon alfa-2a (Peg-IFNα-2a), with 24-week follow-up.

Methods: Ninety patients were enrolled into six arms of 15 each (A-F); 60 patients were included in the main randomisation (arms A-D), and 30 patients (arms E-F) were randomised to the extension phase: (A) Peg-IFNα-2a 180 μg once weekly (QW); (B) BLV 2 mg once daily (QD) + Peg-IFNα-2a 180 μg QW; (C) BLV 5 mg QD + Peg-IFNα-2a 180 μg QW; (D) BLV 2 mg QD; (E) BLV 10 mg QD + Peg-IFNα-2a 180 μg QW and (F) BLV 10 mg (5 mg twice daily) + TDF QD.

Repurposing diacerein for the treatment of chronic wounds in recessive-dystrophic epidermolysis bullosa patients by modulating matrix metalloproteinase-9 expression.

Recessive dystrophic epidermolysis bullosa (RDEB) is caused by mutations in COL7A1, leading to loss or dysfunction of type-VII collagen (C7), a protein essential for skin stability. Clinically, patients suffer from severe skin blistering, chronic or recurrent wounds, and scarring, which predispose to early onset of aggressive squamous cell carcinoma. Previous studies showed that RDEB-keratinocytes (RDEB-KC) express high levels of matrix-metalloproteinase 9 (MMP-9), a molecule known to play a crucial role in wound chronification if dysregulated.

Abiotic Stress-Induced Chloroplast and Cytosolic Ca Dynamics in the Green Alga Chlamydomonas reinhardtii.

Calcium (Ca)-dependent signalling plays a well-characterised role in the perception and response mechanisms to environmental stimuli in plant cells. In the context of a constantly changing environment, it is fundamental to understand how crop yield and microalgal biomass productivity are affected by external factors. Ca signalling is known to be important in different physiological processes in microalgae but many of these signal transduction pathways still need to be characterised.

Polychlorinated biphenyls induced toxicities upon cell lines and stem cells: a review.

Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) are persistent organic pollutants emitted during e-waste activities. Upon release into the environment, PCBs can pose harmful effects to the humans and environment. The present review focused on the effects of PCBs on cell proliferation, apoptosis, functional and developmental toxicity and potential possible molecular mechanisms upon cells and stem cells.

Codon usage analysis in selected virulence genes of Staphylococcal species.

The Staphylococcus genus, composed of Gram-positive bacteria, includes several pathogenic species such as Staphylococcus aureus, S. epidermidis, S. haemolyticus, and S.

Age, cancer, and the dual burden of cancer and doxorubicin in skeletal muscle wasting in female rats: which one to blame?

Sarcopenia and cancer cachexia are two life-threatening conditions often misdiagnosed. The skeletal muscle is one of the organs most adversely affected by these conditions, culminating in poor quality of life and premature mortality. In addition, it has been suggested that chemotherapeutic agents exacerbate cancer cachexia, as is the case of doxorubicin.

Signal peptidase SpsB coordinates staphylococcal cell cycle, surface protein septal trafficking, and LTA synthesis.

Unlabelled: Cell wall-anchored surface proteins of Gram-positive bacteria, harboring a highly conserved YSIRK/G-S signal peptide (SP), are deposited at cell division septum and anchored to septal peptidoglycan. The mechanisms supporting YSIRK protein septal trafficking remain elusive. Previously, we identified that LtaS-mediated lipoteichoic acid (LTA) synthesis restricts septal trafficking of YSIRK+ proteins in .

Stem Cell Therapy for Diseases of Livestock Animals: An In-Depth Review.

Stem cells are unique, undifferentiated cells that have the ability to both replicate themselves and develop into specialized cell types. This dual capability makes them valuable in the development of regenerative medicine. Current development in stem cell research has widened their application in cell therapy, drug discovery, reproductive cloning in animals, and cell models for various diseases.

Distinct Neutralising and Complement-Fixing Antibody Responses Can Be Induced to the Same Antigen in Haemodialysis Patients After Immunisation with Different Vaccine Platforms.

: Generalised immune dysfunction in chronic kidney disease, especially in patients requiring haemodialysis (HD), significantly enhances the risk of severe infections. Vaccine-induced immunity is typically reduced in HD populations. The SARS-CoV-2 pandemic provided an opportunity to examine the magnitude and functionality of antibody responses in HD patients to a previously unencountered antigen-Spike (S)-glycoprotein-after vaccination with different vaccine platforms (viral vector (VV); mRNA (mRV)).

Virus-Mimicking Polymer Nanocomplexes Co-Assembling HCV E1E2 and Core Proteins with TLR 7/8 Agonist-Synthesis, Characterization, and In Vivo Activity.

Hepatitis C virus (HCV) is a major public health concern, and the development of an effective HCV vaccine plays an important role in the effort to prevent new infections. Supramolecular co-assembly and co-presentation of the HCV envelope E1E2 heterodimer complex and core protein presents an attractive vaccine design strategy for achieving effective humoral and cellular immunity. With this objective, the two antigens were non-covalently assembled with an immunostimulant (TLR 7/8 agonist) into virus-mimicking polymer nanocomplexes (VMPNs) using a biodegradable synthetic polyphosphazene delivery vehicle.