Plasmonic biosensor enabled by resonant quantum tunnelling.

Metasurfaces provide an ideal platform for optical sensing because they produce strong light-field confinement and enhancement over extended regions that allow us to identify deep-subwavelength layers of organic and inorganic molecules. However, the requirement of using external light sources involves bulky equipment that hinders point-of-care applications. Here we introduce a plasmonic sensor with an embedded source of light provided by quantum tunnel junctions.

Interfacial Self-Assembly of Sugars at Nanoscale Membranes Leads to Micron-Scale, Spectroscopically Ice-Like Chiral Suprastructures of Water.

Life requires chemical chiral specificity. The emergence of enantioselectivity is unknown but has been linked to diverse scenarios for the origin of life, ranging from an extraterrestrial origin to polarization-induced effects, and magnetic field-induced mineral templating. These scenarios require an originating mechanism and a subsequent enhancement step, leading to widespread chiral specificity.

Unified mass imaging maps the lipidome of vertebrate development.

Embryo development entails the formation of anatomical structures with distinct biochemical compositions. Compared with the wealth of knowledge on gene regulation, our understanding of metabolic programs operating during embryogenesis is limited. Mass spectrometry imaging (MSI) has the potential to map the distribution of metabolites across embryo development.

FAIR sharing of Chromatin Tracing datasets using the newly developed 4DN FISH Omics Format.

A key output of the NIH-Common Fund 4D Nucleome (4DN) project is the open publication of datasets related to the structure of the human cell nucleus and the genome. Recent years have seen a rapid expansion of multiplexed Fluorescence In Situ Hybridization (FISH) or FISH-omics methods, which quantify the spatial organization of chromatin in single cells, sometimes together with RNA and protein measurements, and provide an expanded understanding of how 3D higher-order chromosome structure relates to transcriptional activity and cell development in both health and disease. Despite this progress, results from Chromatin Tracing FISH-omics experiments are difficult to share, reuse, and subject to third-party downstream analysis due to the lack of standard specifications for data exchange.

Differential role of C-terminal truncations on alpha-synuclein pathology and Lewy body formation.

Alpha-synuclein (aSyn) post-translational modifications (PTM), especially phosphorylation at serine 129 and C-terminal truncations, are highly enriched in Lewy bodies (LB), Lewy neurites, and other pathological aggregates in Parkinson's disease and synucleinopathies. However, the precise role of these PTM in pathology formation, neurodegeneration, and pathology spreading remains unclear. Here, we systematically investigated the role of post-fibrillization C-terminal aSyn truncations in regulating uptake, processing, seeding, and LB-like inclusion formation using a neuronal seeding model that recapitulates LB formation and neurodegeneration.

Non-Viral Therapy in COVID-19: Where Are We Standing? How Our Experience with COVID May Help Us Develop Cell Therapies for Long COVID Patients.

: COVID-19, caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus, has infected over 777 million individuals and led to approximately 7 million deaths worldwide. Despite significant efforts to develop effective therapies, treatment remains largely supportive, especially for severe complications like acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). Numerous compounds from diverse pharmacological classes are currently undergoing preclinical and clinical evaluation, targeting both the virus and the host immune response.

Daily liver rhythms: Coupling morphological and molecular oscillations.

In mammals, a hierarchically organized circadian timing system orchestrates daily rhythms of nearly all physiology. A master pacemaker in the brain's suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN) synchronizes subsidiary clocks in most peripheral organs. By driving anabolic and catabolic cycles of proteins, lipids, and carbohydrates and by detoxifying endo- and xenobiotic components, the liver plays an important role in adapting the metabolic needs to rest-activity rhythms.

Biomaterials-Involved Construction of Extracellular Matrices for Tumor Blockade Therapy.

Extracellular matrices (ECMs) play a crucial role in the onset and progression of tumors by providing structural support and promoting the proliferation and metastases of tumor cells. Current therapeutic approaches targeting tumor ECMs focus on two main strategies: Inhibiting matrix degradation to prevent metastases and facilitating matrix degradation to enhance the penetration of drugs and immune cells. However, these strategies may lead to unintended consequences, such as tumor growth promotion, drug resistance, and side effects like fibrotic changes in healthy tissues.

High-Throughput Fabrication of Microscale Gold Nanoparticle Superstructures with Tunable Plasmonic Coupling for Ultrasensitive SERS Detection.

Noble metal nanostructures are attractive substrates for surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) but face persistent challenges in combining efficient hot-spot engineering with scalable fabrication. This paper presents a high-throughput, hot-spot-designable approach for assembling gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) onto micrometer-scale, two-dimensional polymer single-crystal templates, producing ∼10 uniform AuNP assemblies per milliliter. The assemblies, with planar micrometer-scale dimensions, are fully compatible with commercial confocal Raman systems.

International Tennis Federation (ITF), Women's Tennis Association (WTA), and Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) Expert Group Statement on Nutrition in High-Performance Tennis. Current Evidence to Inform Practical Recommendations and Guide Future Research.

The sport of tennis involves unique nutritional demands for the physical and technical aspects of match play and training, as well as the nutritional challenges associated with extensive travel and a lengthy competition calendar. An expert group assembled by The International Tennis Federation, the Women's Tennis Association, and the Association of Tennis Professionals has produced a scientific review of current evidence to inform practical recommendations for high-performance tennis. The narrative summary considers the diversity within the tennis community, including male and female players, youth players, and wheelchair players.

Correction to "Systematical Mutational Analysis of FRATtide against Osteoclast Differentiation by Alanine Scanning".

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1021/acsmedchemlett.4c00127.

Assessment of neurobehavioural traits under gnotobiotic conditions: an approach for multiple analyses in the same mouse.

The gut-microbiota-brain axis influences neuroinflammation, neural development and behaviour such as sociability, memory and anxiety. To study these traits in vivo, especially during development or disease, it is crucial to analyse them over time and with multiple analyses in the same animal. With a growing understanding of the role of specific bacteria in neurodegenerative disease and behaviour, the demand for gnotobiotic mouse models has increased.

The effect of hydration and dynamics on the mass density of single proteins.

The density of a protein molecule is a key property within a variety of experimental techniques. We present a computational method for determining protein mass density that explicitly incorporates hydration effects. Our approach uses molecular dynamics simulations to quantify the volume of solvent excluded by a protein.

Influence of the pre-membrane and envelope proteins on structure, pathogenicity, and tropism of tick-borne encephalitis virus.

Unlabelled: Tick-borne encephalitis virus (TBEV) is a neurotropic flavivirus that causes thousands of human infections annually. Viral tropism in the brain is determined by the presence of necessary receptors, entry factors, and the ability of the virus to overcome host defenses. The viral structural proteins, pre-membrane (prM), and envelope (E) play an important role in receptor binding, membrane fusion, particle maturation, and antibody neutralization.

Solvent Redistribution Method To Determine Solubility and Aggregation: High Throughput, Accuracy, and Sustainability.

The pharmaceutical industry is responsible for 4.4% of global CO emissions. Assays used in drug discovery and development are major contributors to waste, including solubility measurements.

Transposable element expression and sub-cellular dynamics during hPSC differentiation to endoderm, mesoderm, and ectoderm lineages.

Transposable elements (TEs) are genomic elements present in multiple copies in mammalian genomes. TEs were thought to have little functional relevance but recent studies report roles in biological processes, including embryonic development. To investigate the expression dynamics of TEs during human early development, we generated long-read sequence data from human pluripotent stem cells (hPSCs) in vitro differentiated to endoderm, mesoderm, and ectoderm lineages to construct lineage-specific transcriptome assemblies and accurately place TE sequences.

Multisensory feedback makes swimming circuits robust against spinal transection and enables terrestrial crawling in elongate fish.

Vertebrate locomotion is due to the interplay of neural oscillators and sensory feedback loops in the spinal cord that interact with the body and the environment. Here, we study these circuits with a focus on undulatory locomotion as produced by elongated fish such as eels and lampreys. We address three questions: i) How do proprioception (stretch feedback) and exteroception (pressure on skin) interact with local oscillators to generate stable swimming patterns? ii) Can these feedback loops also contribute to dry ground locomotion? iii) Can they explain the remarkable robustness of eels against spinal cord transections? To address these questions, we developed abstract models of the locomotion circuits based on coupled phase oscillators, local stretch and pressure feedback loops, and simulated muscle models that were tested both in simulation and with a real undulatory robot.

RNA Polymerase III Promoters Compatible with CRISPR Gene Regulation in .

is a model organism commonly used to study gene regulation and function recently via CRISPR-()Cas9 technologies. Modulating the expression of multiple gene targets simultaneously is often important for synthetic biology and metabolic engineering applications and is crucial for genetic interaction studies. CRISPR-based systems can be used to target multiple genetic loci via expression of multiple single-guide RNAs (sgRNAs) in a single cell.

The renin-angiotensin system in healthy human platelets: expressed but inactive.

Platelets play a crucial role in arterial thrombus formation, offering potential for new antiplatelet therapies with reduced bleeding risk. Here, we investigated the role of the renin-angiotensin system (RAS) in human platelets and explored its potential link to COVID-19 coagulopathy. Experiments were performed on healthy human platelets.

Permanent modifications in human acetylcholinesterase by acetylthiocholine or acetylcholine modify the hydrolysis of neutral substrates: phenyl acetate and phenyl valerate as examples.

Phenyl acetate (PA) and phenyl valerate (PV) are neutral substrates. PV is used to measure PVase activity of neuropathy target esterase (NTE), which is a key molecular event of organophosphorus-induced delayed neuropathy. However, the interaction of acetylthiocholine (AtCh) with the PVase activity of recombinant human acetylcholinesterase (rhAChE) is not competitive reversible inhibition at the same active site.

3D Mesoporous Electrodes Integrated with Soft Surgical Robotics for Putative Minimally Invasive Intraoperative Tumor Detection and Ablation Monitoring.

Flexible endoscopes equipped with multimodal sensors offer an innovative minimally invasive approach to perioperative diagnosis and intraoperative ablation monitoring, addressing the limitations of conventional mechanical- and optical-based techniques. Over the years, various miniaturized sensors have been developed, providing essential insights through minimally invasive surgeries (MIS). Among them, tactile sensors hold significant potential to revolutionize the diagnosis of tissue malignancy, serving to detect differences in the mechanical properties between healthy and cancerous tissues.

Twelve weeks of respiratory muscle training enhance respiratory function in CrossFit athletes returning to exercise post-SARS-CoV-2 infection: single-blind randomized clinical trial.

Background: The Elevation Training Mask 2.0 (ETM) is a respiratory muscle device, designed to simulate altitude training. It works by reducing airflow through a valve system.

Analysis of blood biomarkers and sports performance in crossfit athletes using the elevation training mask 2.0 post SARS-CoV-2 infection.

This study aimed to comparatively evaluate the hematological profile and sports performance in CrossFit practitioners training using Elevation Training Mask (ETM) 2.0 after recovering from COVID-19 (1 month with no symptoms). Twenty trained male athletes were assigned to an experimental group (EG) (n = 10) using configured ETM and a control group (CG) (n = 10) using sham ETM device.

Reverse-Engineered Gas-Fermenting Acetogen Strains Recover Enhanced Phenotypes From Autotrophic Adaptive Laboratory Evolution.

Gas-fermenting acetogens, such as Clostridium autoethanogenum, have emerged as promising biocatalysts capable of converting CO and CO-containing gases into fuels and chemicals relevant for a circular economy. However, the functionalities of the majority of genes in acetogens remain uncharacterised, hindering the development of acetogen cell factories through targeted genetic engineering. We previously identified gene targets through adaptive laboratory evolution (ALE) that potentially realise enhanced autotrophic phenotypes in C.