Therapeutic potential of heat-killed Enterococcus faecalis (EC-12) para-probiotic in reversing maternal separation-triggered social deficit in mice.

Early life stress due to maternal separation (MS) disrupts the gut-brain axis (GBA), leading to long-term neurobiological and behavioral deficits, particularly social behavior impairments. Although various probiotics have shown therapeutic potential, the efficacy of heat-killed Enterococcus faecalis EC-12 (EC-12) as a para-probiotic remains largely unknown. This study aimed to evaluate the therapeutic potential of EC-12 in reversing MS-induced behavioral and molecular abnormalities in mice.

Efficacy and safety of cold snare polypectomy for outpatient treatment of sessile polyps smaller than 10mm.

Background: Screening colonoscopy plays a critical role in reducing colorectal cancer incidence by identifying and removing polyps. Simple and safe treatment is the most common request of both doctors and patients. Cold snare polypectomy (CSP) is increasingly favored for polyps < 10 mm, yet concerns remain regarding residual tissue.

Coordination-driven immobilization of his-tagged superoxide dismutase fusion protein on UIO-66-NH for enhanced photocatalytic hydrogen peroxide production.

Efficiently enhancing hydrogen peroxide (HO) production via photocatalysis remains challenging. This study employed genetic engineering to express His-tagged superoxide dismutase (His-SOD), which was selectively anchored onto the coordinatively unsaturated metal sites of etched UIO-66-NH₂ (UIO-66-NH) through coordination-driven assembly. The synergistic effect between His-SOD and UIO-66-NH significantly enhanced both the stability and substrate affinity of the enzyme, while simultaneously boosting the photocatalytic activity of the MOF.

Recent Advances in Plant-Based Emulsion Gels: Preparation, Characterization, Applications, and Future Perspectives.

Plant-based foods have emerged as a major focus of the modern food industry as it tries to create more sustainable, environmentally friendly, and healthy products. Plant-based emulsion gels (PBEGs) can be used to provide valuable structures, textures, and functions in many plant-based food applications. For instance, they can be used as a matrix to form semi-solid plant-based meat, fish, egg, or dairy analogs, delivery systems for bioactive compounds in functional foods, and edible inks in 3D food printing.

Puerarin Enhances Eggshell Quality by Mitigating Uterine Senescence in Late-Phase Laying Breeder Hens.

The deterioration of uterine calcium transport capacity induced by aging is a common problem for late-laying period hens, causing decline in eggshell quality. This study aimed to investigate the effects and possible regulatory mechanisms of dietary puerarin (PU) on calcium transport and eggshell quality in aged hens. Two hundred eighty-eight Hubbard Efficiency Plus broiler breeder hens (50-week-old) were randomly allocated to three dietary treatments containing 0, 40, or 200 mg/kg puerarin (PU), with 8 replicates of 12 birds each, for an 8-week trial.

Maternal T-2 Mycotoxin Exposure Impairs Liver Function and Growth in Both Dams and Offspring in Mice.

T-2 mycotoxin is a highly toxic type A trichothecene mycotoxin that widely contaminates livestock feed, posing a serious threat to animal and human health. Long-term exposure can lead to immunosuppression, growth retardation, and liver damage, causing significant economic losses to the livestock industry. Offspring are particularly susceptible to maternal dietary influences during pregnancy and lactation.

A non-destructive red blood cell retrofit strategy to construct photothermal nanoparticles for cancer therapy.

Natural red blood cells (RBCs) have been recognized as highly promising drug delivery vehicles for cancer therapy, owing to their intrinsic biocompatibility, large capacity, and prolonged circulation lifetime. Traditionally, drugs are introduced into RBCs through membrane penetration or hitchhiking techniques, which often result in drug leakage or desorption and consequently adverse effects. In this study, we developed a non-destructive RBCs retrofit strategy for in situ polymerizing dopamine (DA) into polydopamine (PDA) nanoparticle within RBCs (cell membrane-polydopamine, CM-PDA).

Serine Glycine Restriction Aggravates Hepatic Ischemia-reperfusion Injury.

Background: Hepatic ischemia-reperfusion injury (HIRI) significantly affects liver function in liver transplantation, primarily through dysregulated metabolism and inflammation. Although serine and glycine (SG) have been identified as potential therapeutic targets in various diseases, the mechanisms by which SG influences HIRI remain unclear. This study aimed to investigate the effects of SG deficient (-SG) dietary intervention on HIRI.

Missense Variants in the Second Transmembrane Domain of TMEM17 Disrupt Its Stability and Function and Lead to a Wide Phenotypic Spectrum of Ciliopathies.

Ciliopathies are rare genetic disorders characterized by significant genetic and phenotypic variability. Over 140 proteins localized to primary cilia, which are sensory organelles essential for vertebrate development, are implicated. TMEM17 encodes a transmembrane protein at the ciliary transition zone and was previously proposed as a potential ciliopathy gene, based on reports of individuals from two families with orofaciodigital syndrome type 6 (OFD6) and Joubert syndrome (JS).

Deciphering pUL10's mastery in duck plague virus virulence: dual coordination of host immunity and viral replication.

Interferon (IFN) critically regulates antiviral immunity, wherein its production level determines disease progression, many viruses disrupt these defenses through mechanisms that remain incompletely understood. This study investigates the effect of duck plague virus (DPV) infection on immune organs and elucidates the molecular mechanism by which its UL10 protein (pUL10) inhibits melanoma differentiation-associated protein 5 (MDA5)-mediated IFN-β production. DPV UL10 gene encodes pUL10, a virulence-associated protein critical for viral pathogenicity.

Study on preparation, physicochemical properties and digestion of casein sol/gel induced by citric acid and heat.

Casein (CS) gels, valued for their functional properties, are widely utilized in food applications. In this study, CS sol/gels were prepared by citric acid and heat (85 °C) induction at varying pH values and protein concentrations, and their physicochemical properties and digestion characteristics were further evaluated in order to explore the gel mechanism and the potential application in controlled release of roselle anthocyanins (RA). Stable CS gels formed only at pH 2.

Preclinical Evaluation of the Oral Toxicity, Genotoxicity, and Safety Pharmacology of LPM4870108, a Novel Potent Tropomyosin Receptor Kinase Inhibitor.

Tropomyosin receptor kinase (Trk) inhibitors are an essential class of anticancer drugs treating NTRK gene fusions-positive cancer. However, the potential for the emergence of on-target resistance suggests newer Trk inhibitors with low drug resistance risk are needed. LPM4870108 is a novel Trk inhibitor with robust anticancer efficacy in preclinical studies.

Application of a Modified Hemisection for Macrodontia Central Incisors in a Variant of the Ekman-Westborg and Julin Trait: A Case Report.

Background: The Ekman-Westborg and Julin (E-WJ) trait is a rare multiple dental morphology anomaly characterized by macrodontia, multituberculate features, dens evaginates, and invaginates without associated systemic anomalies.

Conclusion: We reported a Chinese adolescent diagnosed with the E-WJ trait and reviewed historical cases.

The ribonucleoprotein hnRNP K promotes hepatic steatosis by suppressing the nuclear hormone receptor PPARα.

Ectopic triglyceride accumulation resulting from impaired fatty acid β-oxidation (FAO) plays a crucial role in metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease. The PPARα activation can promote FAO, thus reducing hepatic lipid levels. HnRNP K is known to act as an enhancer or repressor to regulate gene transcription, yet the relevance of hnRNP K to lipid metabolism remains elusive.

SegFinder: an automated tool for identifying complete RNA virus genome segments through co-occurrence in multiple sequenced samples.

Metagenomic sequencing has expanded the ribonucleic acid (RNA) virosphere, but many identified viral genomes remain incomplete, especially for segmented viruses. Traditional methods relying on sequence homology struggle to identify highly divergent segments and group them confidently within a single virus species. To address this, we developed a new bioinformatic tool-SegFinder-that identifies virus genome segments based on their common co-occurrence at similar abundance within segmented viruses.

Comparison of binocular visual function among patients with different types of anisometropia.

Objective: To compare the perceived eye position, Titmus and stereopsis function across various types of anisometropia to identify differences in binocular visual function.

Methods: This study included 204 anisometropic patients (observation group, interocular spherical equivalent difference ≥1.5D or cylindrical ≥1.

Development of a Highly Potent Neurokinin‑3 Receptor Inhibitor: Design, Synthesis, and Evaluation.

The neurokinin-3 receptor (NK3R) has emerged as a promising therapeutic target. Recent evidence indicates that oral administration of an NK3R antagonist to block neurokinin B signaling significantly alleviates hot flash symptoms. Despite this potential, only one NK3R ligand (ESN-364) has been clinically approved to date.

Rapid and accurate detection of infectious SARS-CoV-2 by viral receptor capture combined with loop-mediated isothermal amplification.

Rapid and accurate detection of infectious virus particles, not just viral nucleic acid, is essential to avoid unnecessary quarantine and effectively control the spread of viral diseases such as coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS), and Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS). Real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) was the most widely used detection technique during the COVID-19 outbreak. However, it cannot discriminate between intact infectious viruses and surface-distorted, non-infectious virus particles or naked viral RNA.

Evidence for fomite transmission of SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant in a mouse model.

Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, the risk of fomite-based transmission of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has not been systematically investigated. In this study, we employed the K18-hACE2 mouse infection model to experimentally assess the relative contribution of fomite transmission. Our findings indicate that while fomite transmission can occur in certain cases, the risk of fomite transmission in natural settings may be relatively low when appropriate hygiene practices are followed.

Prognostic role of circRNAs and RNA methylation enzymes in bladder cancer: A systematic review and meta-analysis of Chinese studies.

In recent years, some circRNAs and RNA methylation enzymes (including RNA methyltransferases and RNA demethylases) have been reported to be associated to the prognosis of bladder cancer, but the findings have been inconsistent. Therefore, the aims of this study is to comprehensively evaluate the prognostic value of circRNAs and RNA methylation enzymes as a whole in bladder cancer by Meta-analysis. A comprehensive literature search was performed in PubMed, Cochrane Library, EMbase, Web of Science, CNKI, WanFang, and VIP databases from the establishment of the database to March 2024.

Hydrolysate Ameliorates Obesity-Induced Muscle Atrophy by Activating Skeletal Muscle AMPK in Mice.

: Obesity-related metabolic complications contribute to musculoskeletal disorders and are often associated with muscular fat accumulation. The AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) is a therapeutic target that can mitigate these effects. : An study was conducted to understand the effects of (GB), a potent AMPK activator, on metabolic and muscular homeostasis in diet-induced obesity (DIO).

Method for assessing rodent infestation in plateau based on SegFormer.

Rodent infestation is a critical factor contributing to grassland degradation, which significantly negatively affects grassland ecosystems. To assess rodent infestation on the plateau, there is an urgent need for a scientifically sound and effective method to detect the distribution of rodent burrows. In response, this study proposes a semantic segmentation approach utilizing the SegFormer model to detect rodent infestation in highland areas.

Protective Effect of Zeaxanthin from L. on Ultraviolet B-Induced Skin Photodamage in Mice Through Nrf2-Related Pathway.

Ultraviolet (UV) radiation is a predominant cause of skin damage, with UVB leading to more severe harm compared to UVA. L. () is known for its high carotenoid content and has shown great potential in mitigating UVB-induced skin damage.

Plasma metabolomic profiling during peri-parturition in healthy Thoroughbred mares.

Background: Accurate prediction of the timing of parturition is crucial to ensure the health and well-being of both mares and foals. However, equine pregnancies are characterised by significant variability in gestation length, unique endocrine mechanisms, and subtle physiological changes before parturition.

Objectives: To investigate the characteristic changes in the peripheral metabolites of mares before and after parturition using metabolomic approaches.