Biomechanical evaluation of In-Out-In pedicle screws for atlantoaxial posterior fixation in the presence of high-riding vertebral artery and narrow C2 pedicles: a finite element analysis.

Introduction: In patients with high-riding vertebral artery (HRVA) and narrow pedicles, placement of C2 pedicle screws carries a significant risk of vertebral artery injury. The in-out-in pedicle screws (IOIPS) technique offers an alternative posterior fixation strategy. However, the biomechanical performance remains unclear.

An archaeal chronic virus escapes the immunity of prokaryotic Argonaute.

Bacteria and archaea use diverse defense systems to defeat their viruses, and in turn, viruses develop anti-defense strategies to overcome the host immunity. Catalytically inactive prokaryotic Argonaute proteins constitute a family of defense systems that kill infected cells to halt viral propagation, whereas how viruses escape the pAgo (prokaryotic Argonaute) immunity remains unknown. Here, we demonstrate that an archaeal chronic virus SMV1a can evade the immunity of Saccharolobus islandicus Argonaute (SiAgo) system through early progeny release.

Biomechanical comparison of multiple zero-profile systems in anterior cervical discectomy and fusion: a finite element analysis.

Background: Anterior cervical discectomy and fusion (ACDF) with zero-profile (ZP) implant is commonly used for cervical degenerative diseases, but subsidence remains a concern, particularly in osteoporosis. The two-screw ZP (TSZP), four-screw ZP (FSZP), and ROI-C implants are frequently applied, yet the biomechanical performance across varying bone qualities remains unclear.

Methods: A finite element (FE) model of the cervical spine (C3-C7) was constructed with TSZP, FSZP, and ROI-C implants at C4/C5 to simulate normal and osteoporotic conditions.

DSS-YOLO: an improved lightweight real-time fire detection model based on YOLOv8.

Fire disasters pose significant risks to human life, economic development, and social stability. The early stages of a fire, often characterized by small flames, diffuse smoke, and obstructed objects, can lead to challenges such as missed detections and poor real-time performance. To address these issues, we propose a DSS-YOLO model based on an improved YOLOv8n architecture, designed to enhance the recognition accuracy of obscured objects and small targets while reducing computational overhead.

Base-modified nucleotides mediate immune signaling in bacteria.

Signaling from pathogen sensing to effector activation is a fundamental principle of cellular immunity. Whereas cyclic (oligo)nucleotides have emerged as key signaling molecules, the existence of other messengers remains largely unexplored. In this study, we reveal a bacterial antiphage system that mediates immune signaling through nucleobase modification.

Cu-EAB zeolite catalyst: A promising candidate with excellent SO poisoning resistance for NH-SCR reaction.

In this work, we synthesized Cu-EAB catalysts with an EAB topology for the NH-SCR of NO and evaluated their resistance to SO poisoning for the first time. The Cu-EAB catalyst showed superior NO conversion and selectivity for N, along with a notable tolerance to high space velocities and SO, outperforming the commercial Cu-CHA catalyst. This enhanced resistance was attributed to the Cu species formation at the 2.

HAMpering infection: Helicase ratcheting emerges as a phage-sensing mechanism.

The sensing of pathogens is the first step for any immune response. A recent paper in Cell reveals that the bacterial Hachiman anti-phage defense system deploys a helicase subunit to sense phage invasion via 3' DNA recognition and subsequent domain rotation to enable nuclease activation.

High-Conductivity and Ultrastretchable Self-Healing Hydrogels for Flexible Zinc-Ion Batteries.

Aqueous zinc-ion batteries are promising candidates for flexible energy storage devices due to their safety, economic efficiency, and environmental friendliness. However, the uncontrollable dendrite growth and side reactions at the zinc anode hinder their commercial application. Herein, we designed and synthesized a dual network self-healing hydrogel electrolyte with zwitterionic groups (PAM-PAAS-QCS), which can be used for the large deformations of flexible devices due to its excellent stretchability (ε = 5100%).

Sphingolipid inhibitor response gene GhMYB86 controls fiber elongation by regulating microtubule arrangement.

Although the cell membrane and cytoskeleton play essential roles in cellular morphogenesis, the interaction between the membrane and cytoskeleton is poorly understood. Cotton fibers are extremely elongated single cells, which makes them an ideal model for studying cell development. Here, we used the sphingolipid biosynthesis inhibitor, fumonisin B1 (FB1), and found that it effectively suppressed the myeloblastosis (MYB) transcription factor GhMYB86, thereby negatively affecting fiber elongation.

Zeolitic Pickering Emulsifier with Intrinsic Amphiphilicity.

The formation of oil-in-water Pickering emulsions stabilized by lamellar zeolite (International Zeolite Association, three-letters code) emulsifier without surface grafting is investigated. The crucial emulsification factors are the oligolayer morphology and amphiphilicity developed upon acidic treatment (NH exchange/calcination, HNO treatment). In contrast with the readily available/abundant hydrophilic ≡Si-OH group in layer , the lipophilicity generated by strong acid sites is another key to the success of emulsification.

The AP2/ERF transcription factor MdDREB2A regulates nitrogen utilisation and sucrose transport under drought stress.

Drought stress is one of the main environmental factors limiting plant growth and development. Plants adapt to changing soil moisture by modifying root architecture, inducing stomatal closure, and inhibiting shoot growth. The AP2/ERF transcription factor DREB2A plays a key role in maintaining plant growth in response to drought stress, but the molecular mechanism underlying this process remains to be elucidated.

Catalytically inactive long prokaryotic Argonaute systems employ distinct effectors to confer immunity via abortive infection.

Argonaute proteins (Agos) bind short nucleic acids as guides and are directed by them to recognize target complementary nucleic acids. Diverse prokaryotic Agos (pAgos) play potential functions in microbial defense. The functions and mechanisms of a group of full-length yet catalytically inactive pAgos, long-B pAgos, remain unclear.

Hsa_circ_0006988 Promotes Sorafenib Resistance of Hepatocellular Carcinoma by Modulating IGF1 Using miR-15a-5p.

Background: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the most frequently occurring cancer and contributes to the largest number of cancer-associated deaths worldwide. Recent evidence suggests that circular RNAs (circRNAs), which are critical for HCC etiology and metastasis, are distinctly modulated in HCC. Nevertheless, the underlying mechanism of circRNA-mediated sorafenib resistance (SOR) in HCC is yet to be determined.

The abortive infection functions of CRISPR-Cas and Argonaute.

CRISPR-Cas and prokaryotic Argonaute (pAgo) are nucleic acid (NA)-guided defense systems that protect prokaryotes against the invasion of mobile genetic elements. Previous studies established that they are directed by NA fragments (guides) to recognize invading complementary NA (targets), and that they cleave the targets to silence the invaders. Nevertheless, growing evidence indicates that many CRISPR-Cas and pAgo systems exploit the abortive infection (Abi) strategy to confer immunity.

A short prokaryotic Argonaute activates membrane effector to confer antiviral defense.

Argonaute (Ago) proteins are widespread nucleic-acid-guided enzymes that recognize targets through complementary base pairing. Although, in eukaryotes, Agos are involved in RNA silencing, the functions of prokaryotic Agos (pAgos) remain largely unknown. In particular, a clade of truncated and catalytically inactive pAgos (short pAgos) lacks characterization.

CRISPR-Associated Factor Csa3b Regulates CRISPR Adaptation and Cmr-Mediated RNA Interference in .

Acquisition of spacers confers the CRISPR-Cas system with the memory to defend against invading mobile genetic elements. We previously reported that the CRISPR-associated factor Csa3a triggers CRISPR adaptation in . However, a feedback regulation of CRISPR adaptation remains unclear.

A Membrane-Associated DHH-DHHA1 Nuclease Degrades Type III CRISPR Second Messenger.

Type III CRISPR-Cas systems initiate an intracellular signaling pathway to confer immunity. The signaling pathway includes synthesis of cyclic oligo-adenylate (cOA) and activation of the RNase activity of type III accessory ribonuclease Csm6/Csx1 by cOA. After the immune response, cOA should be cleared on time to avoid constant cellular RNA degradation.

Cmr3 regulates the suppression on cyclic oligoadenylate synthesis by tag complementarity in a Type III-B CRISPR-Cas system.

Type III CRISPR-Cas systems code for a multi-subunit ribonucleoprotein (RNP) complex that mediates DNA cleavage and synthesizes cyclic oligoadenylate (cOA) second messenger to confer anti-viral immunity. Both immune activities are to be activated upon binding to target RNA transcripts by their complementarity to crRNA, and autoimmunity avoidance is determined by extended complementarity between the 5'-repeat tag of crRNA and 3'-flanking sequences of target transcripts (anti-tag). However, as to how the strategy could achieve stringent autoimmunity avoidance remained elusive.

Corrigendum: Omega-3 Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids Attenuate Fibroblast Activation and Kidney Fibrosis Involving MTORC2 Signaling Suppression.

This corrects the article DOI: 10.1038/srep46146.

Omega-3 Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids Attenuate Fibroblast Activation and Kidney Fibrosis Involving MTORC2 Signaling Suppression.

Epidemiologic studies showed the correlation between the deficiency of omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (n-3 PUFAs) and the progression of chronic kidney diseases (CKD), however, the role and mechanisms for n-3 PUFAs in protecting against kidney fibrosis remain obscure. In this study, NRK-49F cells, a rat kidney interstitial fibroblast cell line, were stimulated with TGFβ1. A Caenorhabditis elegans fat-1 transgenic mouse model in which n-3 PUFAs are endogenously produced from n-6 PUFAs owing to the expression of n-3 fatty acid desaturase were deployed.

Metformin Protects Against Cisplatin-Induced Tubular Cell Apoptosis and Acute Kidney Injury via AMPKα-regulated Autophagy Induction.

Metformin, one of the most common prescriptions for patients with type 2 diabetes, is reported to protect the kidney from gentamicin-induced nephrotoxicity. However, the role and mechanisms for metformin in preventing cisplatin-induced nephrotoxicity remains largely unknown. In this study, a single intraperitoneal injection of cisplatin was employed to induce acute kidney injury (AKI) in CD1 mice.

Mammalian target of rapamycin complex 1 activation in podocytes promotes cellular crescent formation.

Podocytes play a key role in the formation of cellular crescents in experimental and human diseases. However, the underlying mechanisms for podocytes in promoting crescent formation need further investigation. Here, we demonstrated that mammalian target of rapamycin complex 1 (mTORC1) signaling was remarkably activated and hypoxia-inducible factor (HIF) 1α expression was largely induced in cellular crescents from patients with crescentic glomerular diseases.

Rictor/mTORC2 protects against cisplatin-induced tubular cell death and acute kidney injury.

The mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) plays a critical role for cell growth and survival in many cell types. While substantial progress has been made in understanding the abnormal activation of mTORC1 in the pathogenesis of kidney disease, little is known about mTORC2 in kidney disease such as acute kidney injury (AKI). To study this, we generated a mouse model with tubule-specific deletion of Rictor (Tubule-Rictor-/-).

Attenuation of glomerular filtration barrier damage in adriamycin-induced nephropathic rats with bufalin: an antiproteinuric agent.

Proteinuria is an important risk factor for the progression and prognosis of chronic kidney disease. Bufalin, a cardiotonic steroid, has been shown to posses a variety of biological activities including cardiotonic, anaesthetic and antineoplastic activities, and regulate the immune response. This study investigated the effects of bufalin against proteinuria and glomerular filtration barrier damage in rats with adriamycin (ADR)-induced nephropathy.