Boosting AMPs' Power: From Structural Engineering to Nanotechnology-Based Delivery.

Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) represent a powerful support to conventional antibiotics in addressing the global challenge of antimicrobial resistance (AMR). Their broad-spectrum antimicrobial activity and unique mechanisms of action enable diverse potential applications, including combating multidrug-resistant pathogens, immune modulation, and cancer therapy. Their clinical implementation is hindered by challenges such as toxicity, instability, and high production costs.

Transport across membrane meets biophysics to unveil the mechanism of action of a novel gH625 analogue.

Cell-penetrating peptides are widely used in drug delivery for their ability to facilitate the transport of nanomaterials inside the cell. We previously studied the gH-625 for its ability to cross cell membranes, delivering various cargos into different cell types. In this study, since gH-625 suffers from low proteolytic stability, we identified the main cleavage sites after incubation with the enzyme chymotrypsin, and l-amino acids at these sites were replaced with their d-enantiomers, which share similar physicochemical properties but have distinct biological roles.

Computed tomography findings of pneumonia resistant to empirical therapy in patients with hematologic diseases.

Objective: To investigate computed tomography (CT) features of pneumonia that does not respond to empirical therapy in patients with hematologic diseases.

Materials And Methods: This was a retrospective analysis of all patients with hematologic disease who were diagnosed with pneumonia between 2017 and 2023, did not respond to empirical therapy for the infection, and underwent bronchoalveolar lavage and CT within a week of each other. The distribution and CT pattern of pulmonary abnormalities were assessed, as was the presence of lymphadenopathy, pleural effusion, and pericardial effusion.

Extraocular Photoreception in Optic Lobes, Suckers, and Skin of Octopus vulgaris.

Coleoid cephalopods like octopuses, squids, and cuttlefishes have advanced light-sensing systems crucial for visual perception and survival. Previously, it has been demonstrated that the skin of coleoids contains transcripts encoding rhodopsin and retinochrome, exhibiting a dermal light sense. Moreover, chromatophores in the mantle skin of Octopus bimaculoides expand in response to light when completely isolated from the central nervous system and eyes.