Mapping Morphine's Antinociceptive Impact on the Ventral Tegmental Area During Nociceptive Stimulation: A Novel Microimaging Approach in a Neuropathic Pain Model.

The neurobiology of chronic pain is complex and multifaceted, intertwining with the mesocorticolimbic system to regulate the behavioral and perceptional response to adverse stimuli. Specifically, the ventral tegmental area (VTA), the dopaminergic hub of the reward pathways located deep within the midbrain, is crucial for regulating the release of dopamine (DA) throughout the central nervous system (CNS). To better understand the nuances among chronic pain, VTA response, and therapeutics, implementing progressive approaches for mapping and visualizing the deep brain in real time during nociceptive stimulation is crucial.

Anti-Amyloid Aggregation Effects of Gobaishi () and Its Active Constituents.

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a chronic neurodegenerative disorder that leads to memory loss and changes in mental and behavioral functions in elderly individuals. A major pathological feature of AD is the aggregation of amyloid-beta (Aβ) peptides, along with oxidative stress, inducing neurocellular apoptosis in the brain. Gobaishi (), a traditional herbal medicine, has gained considerable attention for its constituents and potent therapeutic properties, particularly its strong inhibitory activity against Aβ fibril formation.

Structure of the C-terminal of Viral Responsive Protein 15 (VRP15): A Key Protein During White Spot Syndrome Virus (WSSV) Infection.

White spot syndrome virus (WSSV) is a major serious threat to black tiger shrimp farming. WSSV infection induces a host protein, viral responsive protein 15 (VRP15), for viral assembly and nuclear egress. Here, we showed that the C-terminal tail of VRP15 (VRP15-C) interacts directly with the viral nucleocapsid tegument protein WSV399.

Dispersion of carbon nanotubes triggered by the helical self-assembly of poly(methyl methacrylate).

Single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) are promising nanofillers for various advanced materials, but their uniform dispersion in commodity plastics remains elusive due to solubility problems and poor miscibility. Here, we demonstrate that poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) acts as an effective surfactant for the selective dispersion of small-diameter SWCNTs under θ-solvent conditions. The solvent quality critically governs the formation of PMMA hierarchical helical structures, which enables efficient SWCNT encapsulation.

Toward Cross-Hospital Deployment of Natural Language Processing Systems: Model Development and Validation of Fine-Tuned Large Language Models for Disease Name Recognition in Japanese.

Background: Disease name recognition is a fundamental task in clinical natural language processing, enabling the extraction of critical patient information from electronic health records. While recent advances in large language models (LLMs) have shown promise, most evaluations have focused on English, and little is known about their robustness in low-resource languages such as Japanese. In particular, whether these models can perform reliably on previously unseen in-hospital data, which differs from training data in writing styles and clinical contexts, has not been thoroughly investigated.

N-Vinylamides as Structural Isomers of Protein Grafted onto Deproteinized Natural Rubber and Their Mechanical Strengths.

This study proposes a novel strategy to enhance the mechanical properties of deproteinized natural rubber (DPNR) through the surface graft polymerization of protein-mimicking N-vinylamide monomers, which are N-vinylformamide (NVF), N-vinylacetamide (NVA), and N-methyl-N-vinylacetamide (MNVA), initiated by oxygen radicals. Although N-vinylamides generally exhibit low reactivity with oxygen radicals, selective grafting was successfully achieved via radical initiation at the polyisoprene surface, as confirmed by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and elemental nitrogen analysis. Tensile testing showed that approximately 70% of the modified samples surpassed the mechanical performance of high ammonia natural rubber (HANR), with the best-performing sample achieving a tensile strength of 15.

The transcriptional repressors IAA5 and IAA29 participate in DNA damage-induced stem cell death in Arabidopsis roots.

Plants generate organs continuously during postembryonic development. Thus, their ability to preserve stem cells in changing environments is crucial for their survival. Genotoxic stress threatens genome stability in all somatic cells.

Integration of single nucleus RNA-seq and bulk RNA-seq reveals gene regulatory networks for vascular connection between parasitic plants and host plants.

The facultative parasitic plant Phtheirospermum japonicum forms a specialized organ, the haustorium, to invade its host, Arabidopsis thaliana, establishing a vascular connection via the formation of a xylem bridge. This connection depends on coordinated interactions between the vascular systems of both plants, yet the molecular dynamics of these interactions within the haustorium and the host roots remain elusive. This study aimed to unravel the transcriptomic heterogeneity of haustoria and gene regulatory networks involved in this process by integrating single nucleus RNA sequencing (snRNA-seq) and bulk RNA sequencing (bulk RNA-seq).

The iron chelator pulcherriminic acid mediates the light response in Bacillus subtilis biofilms.

Non-photosynthetic bacteria often respond to changes in light. These responses are usually regulated by photoreceptor proteins, but the mechanism of light response in biofilms is poorly understood. Here, we show that colony biofilms of Bacillus subtilis display light responses that are not dependent on typical photoreceptor proteins.

Recovery of centralities in medial prefrontal and sensory-related cortices associated with social behavior improvements in an autism mouse model.

Anti-epileptics and diuretics, used for unapproved purposes, have been reported to ameliorate social deficits in individuals with autism spectrum disorder. However, the underlying neural mechanisms remain unclear. Here, we explored the effects of bumetanide, clonazepam, and phenytoin, all with clinically reported properties for improving social deficits, in a prenatal valproic acid exposure male mouse model.

Developmental pathways in plants: Lessons from Arabidopsis for crop innovation.

The emergence of molecular biology, along with the use of Arabidopsis thaliana as a model organism, has significantly enhanced our understanding of plant development. Research on Arabidopsis has led to the identification of key regulatory genes involved in various developmental processes. In the past decade, advances in genome sequencing and the decoding of numerous plant genomes have enabled the application of these findings from Arabidopsis to crop species.

Factors Influencing the Orientation of Carbon Nanotubes in Flexible and Lightweight Composite Ribbons during Direct Ink Writing.

Direct ink writing (DIW) is an automated, fast, and large-scale fabrication technique that combines controlled ink extrusion in predesigned patterns on various rigid or flexible substrates. In this study, we present a detailed investigation of the key factors that influence the carbon nanotube (CNT) orientation in line patterns created through DIW and in ribbons obtained from their removal. We have comprehensively examined how the composition and dispersion quality of CNT/polymer composite ink, substrate wettability, and various drawing parameters affect the CNT orientation.

Apigenin-induced Apoptosis in Lung Adenocarcinoma A549 Cells: Involvement in IFNA2, TNF, and SPON2 With Different Time Points.

Background/aim: Apigenin, found in a variety of vegetables and fruits, exhibits anti-oxidant, anti-inflammatory and anticancer effects. Recently, we reported the possibility that apigenin induces apoptosis in human lung adenocarcinoma A549 cells through the miR-34a-5p/SNAI1/caspase-3/-7 pathway. Understanding how apigenin triggers apoptosis in cancer cells will help lay the groundwork for developing effective cancer treatments.

Big team science reveals promises and limitations of machine learning efforts to model physiological markers of affective experience.

Researchers are increasingly using machine learning to study physiological markers of emotion. We evaluated the promises and limitations of this approach via a big team science competition. Twelve teams competed to predict self-reported affective experiences using a multi-modal set of peripheral nervous system measures.

Shape-Modified Ultrathin Glass Sheet Cantilever for Precise Single Cell Stiffness Measurement.

Due to its small size, label-free nature, and excellent compatibility with surrounding instruments, the microcantilever-based sensor is widely used in physical, chemical, and biological measurements. However, traditional microcantilevers face limitations due to complex fabrication methods, intricate operating procedures, or low sensitivity. In this research, we propose a shape-modified, 10 μm ultrathin glass sheet (UTGS)-based cantilever that is highly sensitive (nN/μm) and flexible, integrated with a strain gauge sensor.

Functional Analysis of Adhesion GPCR Latrophilin 2 (ADGRL2) in MDA-MB-231 Human Breast Cancer Cells.

The tumor microenvironment strongly influences cancer cell behavior, including growth, migration, invasiveness, and gene expression dynamics. Adhesion G protein-coupled receptors (aGPCR) play critical roles in cell-cell or cell-extracellular matrix (ECM) interaction. This study aims to investigate the functions and elucidate signaling of Latrophilin-2 (LPHN2), an aGPCR, in breast cancer progression using MDA-MB-231 cells.

Predicting symptom worsening in remitted depression on maintenance pharmacotherapy using digital biomarkers: A prognostic modeling study using machine learning.

Background: Depression is highly recurrent, and predicting relapses in a timely manner is critical. We applied machine learning to predict the worsening of depressive symptoms.

Methods: We conducted a 52-week cohort study of patients with recurrent depression on maintenance pharmacotherapy, using a smartphone app and a wearable device.

Hydroxyurea modulates thiol-disulfide homeostasis in the yeast endoplasmic reticulum.

Hydroxyurea (HU) has been extensively used in laboratory settings to induce S-phase arrest and checkpoint activation. Furthermore, it has a history of clinical use as a cost-effective chemotherapeutic agent. Nevertheless, there is still uncertainty regarding its precise pharmacology, side effects, and toxicity, particularly in terms of its impact on organelle homeostasis.

Proteomic and transcriptomic profiling in exosomes derived from HPV-positive head and neck cancer.

It is well-established that the persistence of human papillomavirus (HPV) infections leads to viral DNA integration into the host genome and has been reported to be associated with the alteration of the exosome cargo contents. More importantly, our previous studies as well as others have demonstrated that the presence of HPV oncoprotein/DNA in exosomes isolated from HPV-positive head and neck cancer (HNC) patients, further supporting a vital role of exosomes in mediating the HPV transmission and carcinogenesis. Here, we reported that proteomic and transcriptomic signatures differed in exosomes derived from HPV-negative and HPV-positive HNC cells, as evidenced by 4D-microDIA quantitative proteomics analysis and small RNA sequencing analysis, respectively.

Accessing Single-Molecule Properties of Heptacene Using a Metal-Organic Framework.

Acenes, classic polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons composed of linearly fused benzene rings, represent a model system for exploring the physical properties of 1D π-conjugated structures. Isolating individual molecules at the single-molecule level provides a means to investigate their intrinsic properties, which is typically done by dissolving in solutions. However, this approach becomes increasingly difficult to apply for higher acenes owing to their high insolubility and instability.

PD-1 is conserved from sharks to humans: new insights into PD-1, PD-L1, PD-L2, and SHP-2 evolution.

Programmed cell death protein 1 (PD-1) is an immune checkpoint molecule until recently believed to exist only in tetrapod species. However, together with a very recent study dedicated to the CD28/CTLA4 molecule family, this study-using database information-identifies the gene in both bony and cartilaginous fish, while being the first to present a detailed molecular analysis of the evolution of PD-1 and its ligands. Conserved sequence motifs imply an ancient origin of PD-1's binding modes to its extracellular ligand PD-L1 and its intracellular ligand Src homology region 2 domain-containing phosphatase-2 (SHP-2), and also of its N116 glycosylation motif-a less well known PD-1 feature-important for binding galectins.

Construction of Efficient Photocatalytic Hydrogen Evolution System using Red Blood Cell Ghosts as Scaffold.

The development of efficient photocatalytic hydrogen (H) evolution systems is attracting considerable interest owing to the usefulness of H as a renewable and clean energy source. Widely studied systems for light-driven H evolution consist of multiple components, and assembling these components on a scaffold is essential to facilitate electron transfer between them, to enable high H yields. Here, red blood cell ghost (RBCG) is used as a scaffold to construct a three-component system comprising [Ru(bpy)] (photosensitizer), methyl viologen (MV, electron relay), ethylnediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA, sacrificial electron donor), and platinum nanoparticles (Pt NPs, catalyst).

Antigen-presenting cells and lung CD8⁺ resident memory T cells coordinate local immune protection and shape responses to respiratory virus infection.

The respiratory mucosa, encompassing the lungs and nasal tissues, serves as the primary barrier against respiratory viruses. While neutralizing antibodies are effective at preventing viral entry, virus-specific CD8⁺ T cells play a vital role in eliminating infected cells and inducing an antiviral state, which curbs disease progression. Among these, CD8⁺ tissue-resident memory T (TRM) cells persist long term in the lungs, where they serve as first responders and rapidly expand upon secondary respiratory virus infection to provide local protection.

Multifaceted controls on auxin metabolism during cellular reprogramming and organ regeneration in plants.

Regenerative responses of plants are primarily triggered by injury in natural conditions, while desirable regenerative responses are often achieved in vitro in the presence of exogenous hormone application. A phytohormone auxin plays key roles in both naturally occurring regeneration and tissue culture-based in vitro regeneration. Here in this review, we provide an overview on the multifaced metabolic controls on the major natural auxin indole-3-acetic acid (IAA) which enable successful regeneration.