Synthetic scaffolds functionalized with mesenchymal stem/stromal cells-derived extracellular matrix for bone tissue engineering: a review.

Bone-related injuries represent a major global challenge, particularly for the aging population. While bone has self-healing capabilities, large defects and non-union fractures often fail to completely regenerate, leading to long-term disability and the need for surgical intervention. Autologous bone grafts remain the gold standard for such procedures, but challenges such as limited donor availability and donor site comorbidity persist.

Non-invasive bladder cancer detection: Identification of a urinary volatile biomarker panel using GC-MS metabolomics and machine learning.

Early detection of bladder cancer (BC) remains a major clinical challenge due to the limitations of current diagnostic methods, which are often invasive, expensive, or insufficiently sensitive, particularly for early-stage disease. Metabolomics approaches, when integrated with machine learning (ML) techniques, offer a powerful platform for identifying novel, non-invasive biomarkers. In this study, urinary volatile organic compounds (VOCs) were analysed from 87 BC patients and 90 age- and sex-matched cancer-free controls using headspace solid-phase microextraction coupled with gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (HS-SPME/GC-MS).

Bacterial cellulose-FucoPol composite hydrogel dressings for advanced wound treatment.

Effective wound management relies on dressings that prevent infection and facilitate healing, which has driven research into advanced, cost-effective therapeutic dressings. Bacterial cellulose (BC) is highly valued for use in wound dressings given its mechanical strength, nanoporous structure, high water-holding capacity, and excellent biocompatibility. While BC promotes debridement and maintains moisture for wound healing, it lacks essential bio-functional properties, which can be addressed through incorporation of other compounds.

Microplate-in-a-Box: thermophysical exploration of cold storage high-throughput microplate designs for enhanced rate control in cryopreservation.

High-throughput experimental screening is desirable to minimize data acquisition time from vast workloads. Cell cryopreservation experiments are routinely performed in single-sample cryovials despite cell seeding being performed in 96-well microplates because these substrates are known to induce microliter supercooling, are prone to thermal compressibility and their lengthy preparation period extends cell exposure time to potentially cytotoxic cryoprotectants. Rather than improving the methodological preciseness of cooling, latest efforts have focused on refining cryoprotectant formulations and supplement precautionary ice nucleators.

Screening of a Combinatorial Library of Triazine-Scaffolded Dipeptide-Mimic Affinity Ligands to Bind Plasmid DNA.

Plasmid DNA (pDNA) purification plays a key role in the development of vaccines and gene therapies. Affinity chromatography stands out as a promising method for plasmid purification, leveraging a range of biological and synthetic ligands to achieve selectivity. This study investigates the potential of a synthetic ligand library consisting of triazine-based bifunctional compounds designed to mimic the side chains of amino acids that are known to bind nucleic acids.

Recent Advances in Microtubule Targeting Agents for Cancer Therapy.

Cancer mortality and the development of cancer resistance present significant challenges that must be addressed to ensure global health. Among anticancer agents, microtubule-targeting agents (MTAs) represent a well-recognized therapeutic approach that disrupts microtubule dynamics, thereby inhibiting cell division, and has been widely used to treat several types of cancers. However, even though MTAs are widely regarded as effective, their potential is limited primarily due to cancer resistance and toxicity.

Trace Elements in Food: Nutritional and Safety Issues.

In recent years, nutrition research has underscored the critical role of trace elements in food matrices [...

Interspecies Interactions of Single- and Mixed-Species Biofilms of and .

Polymicrobial biofilms involving fungal and bacterial species are increasingly recognized as contributors to persistent infections, particularly in the oral cavity. and are two commensals that can turn into opportunistic pathogens and are able to form robust biofilms. : This study aimed to assess the interaction dynamics between these two microorganisms and to evaluate their susceptibility to fluconazole and azithromycin in single- and mixed-species forms.

Heat up, silence on: IDO1 gene silencing in THP-1-derived dendritic cells triggered by magnetic hyperthermia.

Dendritic cells (DCs) are well-known antigen-presenting cells which have an important role in cancer immunomodulation due to the effective regulation of immune responses in the tumor microenvironment (TME). Indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase 1 gene (IDO1) is upregulated in many types of cancers and associated with a poor prognosis, contributing to an immunosuppressive TME. IDO1 silencing in DCs is considered a promising new strategy in gene therapy owing to their capability to regulate T cells function and activation.

Targeted mass spectrometry method for the determination of multiple gut-microbiota metabolites in human plasma.

The gut microbiota profoundly impacts human health by producing metabolites that can act as biomarkers for disease diagnosis and therapy. However, accurately measuring these metabolites in biomatrices is challenging due to their low concentrations, high molecular diversity, and interference from matrix components, demanding advanced and precise analytical methodologies. Hence, an ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography method coupled to triple quadrupole-tandem mass spectrometry detection, combined with a chemical derivatization procedure, was developed and validated to quantify seven gut metabolites, namely acetic acid, propionic acid, butyric acid, p-cresol sulfate, 3-indoxyl sulfate, indole-3-acetic acid, and L-tryptophan, in human plasma.

Proline Homologation in Melanostatin Neuropeptide: Discovery of Potent Modulators of the Dopamine D Receptors.

Melanostatin (MIF-1) is a naturally occurring neuropeptide acting as a positive allosteric modulator (PAM) of dopamine D receptors (DR), underscoring its potential for therapeutic use in central nervous system disorders associated with dopaminergic dysregulation, including depression, drug addiction, restless legs syndrome, tardive dyskinesia, and Parkinson's disease. In this work, a new series of MIF-1 analogs using l-pipecolic acid as an l-proline surrogate was synthesized and pharmacologically evaluated by functional assays at the DR. In this series, methyl l-pipecolyl-l-leucylglycinate () was found to exhibit superior performance compared to MIF-1 by promoting a 4.

Isolation, characterization, and vascular potential of porcine cells in a three-dimensional decellularized liver matrix model.

Introduction: The bioengineering of solid tissues and organs to mitigate the organ donor shortage has become a critical area of research in tissue engineering and regenerative medicine, where establishing a functional vascular network is crucial, particularly for complex organs such as the lung, kidney, and liver. This requires the isolation and characterization of various vascular cell types. In this quest, pigs have emerged as the preferred experimental animal model in this field, highlighting the importance of procuring and characterizing porcine vascular cells to create organs with functional vasculature for transplant.

Gold(III) Complexes with Aromatic Cyano-Substituted Bisdithiolate Ligands as Potential Anticancer and Antimicrobial Agents.

Cancer and infectious diseases are major causes of global morbidity and mortality stressing the need to find novel drugs with promising dual anticancer and antimicrobial efficacy. Gold complexes have been studied for the past years due to their anticancer properties, with a few of them displaying antimicrobial properties, which support their pharmacological interest. Within this scope, we investigated six gold bisdithiolate complexes [Au (bdt)] (), [Au (dcbdt)] (), [Au (3-cbdt)] (), [Au (4-cbdt)] (), [Au (pdt)] () and [Au (dcdmp)] (), and) against the ovarian cancer cell lines A2780 and A2780cisR, the Gram-positive bacteria Newman, the Gram-negative bacteria ATCC25922 and IST408, and the pathogenic yeasts CBS138 and SC5134.

In Silico and In Vitro Potential Antifungal Insights of Insect-Derived Peptides in the Management of sp. Infections.

The worldwide increase in antifungal resistance, particularly in sp., requires the exploration of novel therapeutic agents. Natural compounds have been a rich source of antimicrobial molecules, where peptides constitute the class of the most bioactive components.

Non-edible onion skin waste as a source of bioactive agents for functional foods development: Chemical composition and multifunctional bioactivity.

Onion skin, often discarded during processing, remains rich in bioactive compounds, particularly flavonoids. This study assessed phenolic extraction (37 °C, 60 min) from and cultivars, using 70:30 ethanol:water. Extracts were rich in phenolics (103-155 mg/g), mainly quercetin and quercetin-4'--glucoside (61-67 %), and showed strong O (IC = 26-27.

Single Polysaccharide Dissolvable Microneedles for Painless Local Anesthesia: Fabrication, Characterization, and Neuronal Imaging.

In recent years, microneedles (MNs) have shown high potential as drug delivery devices capable of administering different drugs in a simple, fast, and minimally invasive manner. Their ability to pierce the stratum corneum barrier heavily outweighs the inconveniences posed by conventional administration methods such as hypodermal injections, creams, or ointments. In this work, high-performance, single-component polysaccharide-based microneedles, .

A taxogenomic view of the genus : an expansion from ten to twenty-two species.

The yeast genus (subphylum , family ) is mostly known from its type species, , a frequent colonizer of wine and sourdough bread fermentations. The genus currently contains 10 species that are typically found in various natural terrestrial environments in temperate and tropical climates. Here we employ taxogenomic analyses to investigate a large collection of strains obtained in multiple surveys we carried out in Asia, Australasia, North America, South America, and Europe, and to which we added several strains maintained in culture collections.

Advances in Nano-Drug Delivery for Tumor Microenvironment and Drug Resistance-Insights from the Special Issue "Nano-Drug Delivery Systems for Targeting the Tumor Microenvironment and Simultaneously Overcoming Drug Resistance Properties".

Cancer continues to pose a major global health burden [...

Pharmacology and Toxicology of Opioids-Recent Advances and New Perspectives.

This Special Issue of comprises one review and four original research articles that explore the multifaceted pharmacological and toxicological profiles of both classical and atypical opioids across different clinical contexts and biological models [...

Maternal Nutrient Excess Induces Stress Signaling and Decreases Mitochondrial Number in Term Fetal Baboon Skeletal Muscle.

Maternal obesity programs the fetus for increased risk of chronic disease development in early life and adulthood. We hypothesized that maternal nutrient excess leads to fetal inflammation and impairs offspring skeletal muscle mitochondrial biogenesis in non-human primates. At least 12 months before pregnancy, female baboons were fed a normal chow (CTR, 12% energy fat) or a maternal nutrient excess (MNE, 45% energy fat, and ad libitum fructose sodas) diet, with the latter to induce obesity.

Stable and Functional Cosmetic Creams Enriched with Grape Stem Extract: A Sustainable Skincare Strategy.

The growing demand for sustainable and effective cosmetic ingredients has prompted renewed interest in winemaking by-products. Among these, grape stem (GS) extract remains relatively underexplored despite its rich content of phenolic compounds distinct from those found in more commonly studied grape seeds or skins. This study validates the potential of GS extract as a novel bioactive component in cosmetic cream formulations.

C. elegans as a powerful model for neurotoxicity assessment.

The small nematode Caenorhabditis elegans (C. elegans) has emerged as a valuable tool in neurotoxicology due to its well-characterized nervous system, genetic tractability, and high conservation of molecular pathways with humans. These characteristics allow to study cellular and molecular mechanisms triggered by neurotoxic substances.

The cytotoxicity of synthetic cathinones on dopaminergic-differentiated SH-SY5Y neuroblastoma cell line: Exploring the role of β-keto metabolic reduction.

Synthetic cathinones, a major class of new psychoactive substances (NPS), pose a growing public health threat due to their widespread recreational use, particularly among young people. While metabolism significantly influences xenobiotic toxicity, its role in synthetic cathinone neurotoxicity remains underexplored. Similarly to the other cathinones included in this study, 4-CBC and 3-CBC were rapidly metabolized in vitro (t/ < 20 min), producing dihydro-metabolites as major products.

Macroalgae-Inspired Brominated Chalcones as Cosmetic Ingredients with the Potential to Target Skin Inflammaging.

Skin aging is mainly caused by external factors like sunlight, which triggers oxidative stress and chronic inflammation. Natural halogenated flavonoids have demonstrated anti-inflammatory properties. Inspired by the macroalgae-derived bromophenol , we investigated the anti-inflammatory potential of structure-related chalcones (-).

Correction: Membrane-localized magnetic hyperthermia promotes intracellular delivery of cell-impermeant probes.

Correction for 'Membrane-localized magnetic hyperthermia promotes intracellular delivery of cell-impermeant probes' by Javier Idiago-López , , 2024, , 15176-15195, https://doi.org/10.1039/D4NR01955E.