Comparative analysis of CDR3 length-dependent patterns in VHHs.

Introduction: VHHs, or nanobodies, are distinguished by their compact size, high stability, and unique ability to selectively target specific epitopes. The CDR3 region in VHHs, which plays a crucial role in antigen binding, exhibits significant diversity and varies among species.

Method: This study systematically examined CDR3 length dependent patterns by analyzing NGS sequences from the PBMCs of Alpacas, Llamas and Bactrians, in conjunction with VHH structure data from the public database.

Decoding ligand recognition and constitutive activation of histamine H3 and H4 receptors.

Histamine H3 receptor (H3R) and H4 receptor (H4R) are key members of the histamine receptor family, with H3R as a potential target for narcolepsy treatments and H4R as a candidate for next-generation antihistamines for inflammatory and allergic diseases. Although progress has been made in understanding the structure of histamine receptors, the detailed mechanisms of ligand recognition and receptor antagonism for H3R and H4R remain unclear. In this study, using cryo-electron microscopy, we present an inactive structure of H4R bound to a selective antagonist, adriforant, and two Gi-coupled structures of H3R and H4R in complex with histamine.

Functional nanomaterials for enhanced tumor photothermal therapy - the mechanisms and applications.

Photothermal therapy (PTT) offers revolutionary breakthroughs in tumor treatment due to its minimally invasive nature, high selectivity and efficiency. Photothermal therapy is a method of using laser irradiation (near-infrared light) to convert light energy into heat, reaching a relatively high temperature to kill tumor cells. Efficient and stable photothermal conversion materials are the key factors in PTT.

Remodeling the blood-air barrier and enhancing the pulmonary microcirculation with a dual-responsive biomimetic nanosystem for precise therapy in acute lung injury.

Acute lung injury (ALI) is a severe and potentially fatal illness characterized by an imbalance in pulmonary inflammation and redox homeostasis, alveolar epithelium damage, and blood-air barrier disruption. Herein, acid and nitric oxide synthase (NOS) dual-responsive L-Arginine (L-Arg)-doped ZIF-8 (ZIF-8) nanoparticles (NPs) wrapped with M2 macrophage membrane exhibiting high CC motif chemokine receptor 2 (CCR-2) expression were developed for controlled delivery of gastrodin (Gas). In the LPS-induced ALI mouse model, the NPs were promptly localized and retained in lung tissue by preferentially attaching to damaged alveolar epithelial cells with elevated CC motif chemokine ligand 2 (CCL-2) expression.

Optimisation of supramolecular solvent microextraction of multiple benzimidazole from freshwater fish using RSM and ANN-GA methodology based on the comprehensive score M evaluated by the entropy weight method.

In this study, a simple and efficient vortex-assisted supramolecular solvent microextraction (VA-SUPRA-ME) method for the simultaneous extraction of 8 BMZs from freshwater fish was established using response surface methodology (RSM) and artificial neural network genetic algorithm (ANN-GA) based on the comprehensive score M from the entropy weight method. The SUPRAS was added to the fish matrix and the benzimidazole extracted were determined by HPLC-PDA. The SUPRAS consisted of 2 mL n-decanol, 6 mL tetrahydrofuran and 32 mL water.

Tailored "Three-stage booster" nano-extinguisher for synergistic treatment of severe acute pancreatitis by rectifying mitochondrial dysfunction and inhibiting pancreatic autodigestion.

Overcoming the blood-pancreatic barrier to deliver pharmaceuticals to injured pancreatic acinar cells (PACs), rectifying mitochondrial dysfunction, and inhibiting pancreatic autodigestion are critical for treating severe acute pancreatitis (SAP). Herein, a "three-stage booster" Oc-M2M@HMnOCsA nanomedicine was developed, employing HMnO to efficiently encapsulate cyclosporine (cyclosporine (Cyclosporine capsules) capsules) A (CsA), subsequently enveloped with an M2-like macrophage membrane and surface-modified with octreotide (Oc). Initially, the CCR-2 protein-enriched M2-like macrophage membrane-wrapped NPs rapidly and precisely adhere to the highly expressed CCL-2 on the damaged endothelial cells, then migrating trans-endothelially to the injured pancreatic tissue within 1 hour, with sustained high retention at 24 h.

Molecular mechanism underlying non-discriminatory recognition of relaxin-3 by RXFP3 and RXFP4.

The human relaxin family peptide receptors RXFP3 and RXFP4 play important physiological roles through interactions with endogenous hormones, relaxin-3 and insulin-like peptide 5 (INSL5). They are implicated in certain neurological and metabolic disorders. While INSL5 only activates RXFP4, relaxin-3 is recognized by both receptors.

Post-coordination of Ru(ii) controlled regioselective B(4)-H acylmethylation of -carboranes with sulfoxonium ylides.

Despite significant progress in the B-H functionalization of carboranes, the development of cost-effective catalytic systems devoid of noble metals, coupled with mechanistic validation of regioselectivity control, remains a formidable challenge. Herein, we disclose an Ag salt-free, redox-neutral, and inexpensive ruthenium(ii)-catalyzed protocol that enables exclusive B(4)-H acylmethylation of -carboranes through a novel post-coordination strategy. By exploiting weakly coordinating carboxylic acid as a traceless directing group, this method achieves excellent mono-site selectivity for B-C(sp) bond formation using diverse sulfoxonium ylides, demonstrating both functional group tolerance and synthetic scalability.

Molecular interactions and binding mechanisms of the homogalacturonan and rhamnogalacturonan-I fractions of pectin and different anthocyanins.

This study investigated the interactions between different structural regional fractions of pectin, specifically homogalacturonan (HG) and rhamnogalacturonan-I (RG-I) fractions, and three anthocyanin monomers: cyanidin-3-O-glucoside (C3G), peonidin-3-O-glucoside (P3G), and pelargonidin-3-O-malonylglucoside (P3M). The binding ratios, physicochemical and structural characteristics of these pectin-anthocyanin complexes, and their binding mechanisms were analyzed. The HG fraction exhibited the highest binding ratio with C3G.

The light-responsive transcription factor SlBBX20 improves low-temperature resistance of Solanum lycopersicum by affecting photosynthetic capacity, antioxidant capacity, and osmotic adjustment.

Expression of SlBBX20 in tomato was significantly induced by low-temperature stress. SlBBX20 plays a positive role for tomato to resistance low-temperature stress. SIBBX20 gene plays an important role in enhancing low-temperature resistance in tomato seedlings.

The impact of bright light therapy on Parkinson's disease: A pilot study using vestibular-evoked myogenic potentials.

Introduction: Bright light therapy (BLT) has been proved to have beneficial effects on Parkinson's disease (PD). Brainstem pathways improvements might be crucial to BLT, but the mechanisms remained unclear. The aim of this study is to validate whether BLT improves clinical symptoms in PD and thus explore the possible mechanisms of brainstem pathways evaluated by vestibular-evoked myogenic potentials (VEMPs).

Effects of non-pharmacological interventions on anxiety in patients undergoing colonoscopy: A network meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.

Background: Anxiety is a common and significant problem in patients who need to undergo colonoscopy. However, the question of which non-pharmacological intervention is the best strategy to reduce anxiety in patients undergoing colonoscopy remains unanswered.

Objectives: To evaluate and rank the effectiveness of various non-pharmacological interventions for reducing anxiety in patients undergoing colonoscopy in order to identify the most effective strategies.

NH-MIL-125 Nanosheets Prepared via Crystallization Kinetics Modulation for Ultrathin Membrane Fabrication.

Regulating both crystallographic orientation and thickness of titanium metal-organic framework (Ti-MOF) membranes remains a significant challenge. In this study, we pioneered the fabrication of uniform 29 nm thick NH-MIL-125 nanosheet seeds by employing crystallization kinetics modulation approach. Through innovating confined counter-diffusion-assisted epitaxial growth under single-mode microwave heating, a highly -oriented 80 nm thick NH-MIL-125 membrane was prepared.

Supercritical Ethane Processing of ZIF-8 Membranes towards Pressure-Resistant CH/CH Separation.

ZIF-8 membranes have shown great promise in industrial-scale CH/CH separation. Nonetheless, sustainable preparation of pressure-resistant ZIF-8 membranes remains a grand challenge. In this study, we pioneered the use of supercritical ethane (scCH) as reaction medium for preparing pressure-resistant ZIF-8 membranes.

Enhanced anti-inflammatory activity of chlorogenic acid via folic acid-TPGS-modified liposomes encapsulation: characterization and evaluation on colitis mice.

Introduction: Chlorogenic acid (CGA) has been identified to possess salient anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and anticancer attributes. However, its application is limited by its instability and low bioavailability. Liposomes have been considered effective pharmaceutical delivery vehicles due to their ability to continuously release loaded drugs, improve drug stability, and display good biocompatibility.

Preparation of debranched starch with high thermal stability and crystallinity using a novel thermal cycling treatment.

Herein, the effects of temperature cycling (4 °C/50 °C/100 °C) on the recrystallization, physicochemical properties, and digestibility of debranched starch (DBS) were investigated. Temperature cycling involved heating DBS to 100 °C to dissociate weak heat-sensitive crystalline structures and cooling to 4 °C to induce the rapid growth of crystal nuclei, followed by maintaining the temperature at 50 °C to promote orderly crystalline growth. This procedure aimed to increase the degree of crystalline structure in recrystallized DBS, thereby resulting in DBS that was heat- and digestion-resistant.

Intervention mechanism of marine-based chito-oligosaccharide on acute liver injury induced by AFB in rats.

Aflatoxin B (AFB) is extremely hepatotoxic, a causative agent of liver cancer, and can cause symptoms of acute or chronic liver damage. Chito-oligosaccharides (COS), obtained from the degradation of chitosan derived from shrimp and crab shells, is a natural antioxidant substance and its antitumor properties have been widely studied, but less research has been done on the prevention of AFB-induced acute liver injury. In this study, rats were acutely exposed to 1 mg/kg BW AFB and simultaneously gavaged with different doses of COS for 8 days.

Dahuang-Wumei decoction protects against hepatic encephalopathy in mice: Behavioural, biochemical, and molecular evidence.

Background: Disturbance of the blood‒brain barrier (BBB) and associated inflammatory responses are observed in patients with hepatic encephalopathy (HE) and can cause long-term complications. Dahuang-Wumei decoction (DWD) is a renowned traditional Chinese herbal medicine with a long history of clinical use and has been widely employed as an effective treatment for hepatic encephalopathy (HE). Despite its established efficacy, the precise mechanisms underlying the therapeutic effects of DWD have not been fully elucidated.

Unraveling the interplay between dyskinesia and overactive bladder symptoms in Parkinson's disease: a comprehensive cohort study based on the long-term follow-up database of Parkinson's disease.

Objectives: Overactive bladder (OAB) and dyskinesia are frequent complications in patients with Parkinson's disease (PD). However, the correlation between OAB and dyskinesia has been insufficiently explored. The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between dyskinesia, OAB, and clinical characteristics among individuals with PD.

Slow-wave sleep and REM sleep without atonia predict motor progression in Parkinson's disease.

Background: Growing evidence supports the potential role of sleep in the motor progression of Parkinson's disease (PD). Slow-wave sleep (SWS) and rapid eye movement (REM) sleep without atonia (RWA) are important sleep parameters. The association between SWS and RWA with PD motor progression and their predictive value have not yet been elucidated.

The association between plasma GPNMB and Parkinson's disease and multiple system atrophy.

Aims: Parkinson's disease (PD), as the second most common neurodegenerative disorder, often presents diagnostic challenges in differentiation from other forms of Parkinsonism. Recent studies have reported an association between plasma glycoprotein nonmetastatic melanoma protein B (pGPNMB) and PD.

Methods: A retrospective study was conducted, comprising 401 PD patients, 111 multiple system atrophy (MSA) patients, 13 progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP) patients and 461 healthy controls from the Chinese Han population, with an assessment of pGPNMB levels.