Lyme-Borreliosis Disease: IgM Epitope Mapping and Evaluation of a Serological Assay Based on Immunodominant Bi-Specific Peptides.

Lyme borreliosis (LB) is a tick-borne infection of global relevance that remains underrecognized, hindering effective surveillance and diagnosis. This lack of awareness and the limited specificity and low antibody titters of current serological assays underscore the need for improved diagnostic tools. Here, we investigated the molecular fine specificity of IgM antibody responses to five proteins of .

From Carbon Nitrides to COFs: Opportunities and Prospects in Photocatalytic CO Reduction.

The continuing increase in atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO), a major greenhouse gas and accelerating climate change are driving demand for innovative mitigation strategies. The photocatalytic CO reduction reaction (PCORR) presents a promising and sustainable route to convert CO into useful hydrocarbons and fuels utilizing sunlight, thereby mitigating CO emissions. This review examines the developmental aspects of light-driven CO conversion using organic polymeric photocatalysts, focusing on carbon nitrides (CNs), covalent triazine frameworks (CTFs), and covalent organic frameworks (COFs).

3D Conjugated Nonflat Biphenyl Side Chains: Their Exclusive Role in Inducing Negative Electrostatic Potential in Efficient Organic Solar Cells.

In nonfullerene acceptor (NFA) (so-called Y-series)-based organic solar cells (OSCs), reducing energy loss, particularly nonradiative energy loss, is critical for achieving high power conversion efficiency (PCE). However, at present, molecular design strategies for controlling and/or optimizing energy loss involve multiple complexities. Therefore, this study demonstrates that the introduction of simple, 3D conjugated nonflat biphenyl side chains into a Y-series NFA (yielding BPY) can improve high dipole moments-induced intermolecular interactions and negatively charged surface electrostatic potential driven by partially isolated negative charges.

DNA damage response inhibitors in cancer therapy: Mechanisms, clinical development, and combination strategies.

Impaired genomic stability is a hallmark of many cancers, with the DNA damage response (DDR) mechanisms serving as critical safeguards for maintaining genomic integrity. These intricate DDR networks, encompassing various DNA repair and damage checkpoint pathways, are essential for regulating the cell cycle, immune responses, and apoptosis. Notably, defects in DDR pathways, particularly those involving BRCA1/2 mutations, present exploitable vulnerabilities for targeted therapies such as PARP inhibitors (PARPi).

High-Resolution Imaging of Morphological Changes Associated with Apoptosis and Necrosis Using Single-Cell Full-Field Optical Coherence Tomography.

Full-field optical coherence tomography (FF-OCT) is a high-resolution interferometric imaging technique that enables label-free visualization of cellular structural changes. In this study, we employed a custom-built time-domain FF-OCT system to monitor morphological alterations in HeLa cells undergoing doxorubicin-induced apoptosis and ethanol-induced necrosis at the single-cell level. Apoptotic cells showed characteristic features such as echinoid spine formation, cell contraction, membrane blebbing, and filopodia reorganization.

Crotoxin Elicits Differential Increases in Macrophage Lipid Droplet Formation In Vitro Modulated during Infection.

spp. is an obligate intracellular parasite that primarily infects macrophages. During infection, leukocytes are activated, culminating in the formation of lipid droplets (LDs), which are sites for the synthesis of eicosanoids that modulate the immune response.

Laughter as a Subject and a Tool for Interdisciplinary Investigations in Philosophy and Neuroscience.

Laughter has been extensively studied by philosophers and neuroscientists, but the potential bridges between these two fields of inquiry have been underexplored. Here, we propose a convergent investigation of the philosophy of laughter and humor, leveraging recent theoretical and methodological advances in human functional neuroimaging. We develop testable hypotheses about the relationships between laughter, global embodied cognitive states, cognitive flexibility, and brain metastability.

Signal-noise separation using unsupervised reservoir computing.

Removing noise from a signal without knowing the characteristics of the noise is a challenging task. This paper introduces a signal-noise separation method based on time-series prediction. We use Reservoir Computing (RC) to extract the maximum portion of "predictable information" from a given signal.

Piezo1-mediated mechanotransduction regulates the translational activity, function and lung pathogenicity of group 2 innate lymphoid cells.

Group 2 innate lymphoid cells (ILC2s) are central effectors of type 2 immune responses in the lung; however, how mechanical cues regulate their function remains unclear. Here, we identified the mechanosensitive ion channel Piezo1 as a key regulator of ILC2 effector function through translational control. Piezo1 is highly expressed in murine and human ILC2s, and its activation by mechanical stress or the Piezo1 agonist, Yoda1 induces calcium influx, triggering mTOR signaling and selectively enhancing IL-13 protein production.

Kojic Acid Promotes Apoptosis-like Death and Cell Cycle Arrest in () Promastigotes.

Leishmaniasis is a group of neglected tropical diseases caused by protozoa of the genus Leishmania that are present in about 90 countries. More than 20 species are responsible for the infection, causing varying clinical manifestations. Leishmaniasis treatment includes pentavalent antimonials that have been used for decades as the first-choice drug.

Water quality variables and spectral indices as predictors of E. coli concentrations in an irrigation pond: A case study.

Escherichia coli (E. coli) is a commonly used indicator of microbial water quality affecting public health and farm enterprise sustainability. Remote sensing has become an effective tool to overcome traditional water quality monitoring limitations.

Optimized conditions for broth microdilution susceptibility testing of Trichosporon spp. to clinical antifungals.

The resistance in Trichosporon species poses a significant challenge in clinical treatment, limiting the efficacy of commonly used antifungal drugs. In this context, T. asahii poses substantial risks as an opportunistic pathogen, especially in immunocompromised patients, where the effective antifungal treatment is also challenged by the absence of standardized testing methods.

Disrupted theta oscillation propagation in healthy elderly individuals with apolipoprotein E epsilon 4 allele.

Introduction: The apolipoprotein E epsilon 4 allele (APOE4) is one of the most influential genetic risk factors for late-onset Alzheimer's disease (LOAD). Past studies have identified electroencephalogram (EEG) biomarkers in theta oscillations shared by both healthy individuals with APOE4 and patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD), indicating the potentials of EEG biomarkers in healthy individuals with APOE4 for understanding and predicting LOAD. Since AD reveals a disconnection syndrome characterized by pathological synaptic connections that are also observed with APOE4, we aimed to investigate whether EEG oscillation propagation that could be influenced by impaired synaptic connections is disrupted in healthy individuals with APOE4.

Multimodal approach to the diagnosis of pure neural neuropathy in leprosy.

Introduction: Neuropathy is an important feature of leprosy, a chronic infection caused by that mainly affects the skin and peripheral nerves. There is a rare and atypical form called the pure neural form, which is manifested only by changes in the nerves, without lesions on the skin, which makes early diagnosis difficult. If left untreated, neuropathy can lead to deformities and disabilities.

Space-Confined Electrocatalysis for Water Splitting: Synthesis, Performances, and Reaction Mechanism of Nanomaterials Toward High-Performance Catalysis.

Water splitting represents a sustainable and environmentally benign approach for green hydrogen generation and future clean energy solutions. In this context, space-confined synthesis has emerged as a powerful strategy for engineering high-performance electrocatalysts. Recent studies have demonstrated that low-dimensional nanomaterials synthesized via confinement techniques exhibit enhanced electrocatalytic properties.

Developmental Hypoxia Enhances Kidney Organoid Complexity and Maturity.

Reciprocal signaling between metanephric mesenchyme (MM) and ureteric bud (UB) is essential for human kidney development. However, human pluripotent stem cell-derived kidney organoids do not incorporate UB differentiation, limiting organoid maturation and disease modeling. Here, a hypoxia-based differentiation method inspired by developmental cues is reported that produces mature kidney organoids with collecting duct-like tubules connected to multiple nephrons.

Ecotoxicological assessment of pesticide mixtures: effects of imidacloprid and propiconazole on Danio rerio and Astyanax lacustris.

Despite global efforts to promote sustainable agriculture, the increasing use of pesticides remains a critical concern, particularly in local ecosystems with limited environmental monitoring. This study aimed to evaluate the toxicological effects of the insecticide @Provado (imidacloprid) and the fungicide @Tilt (propiconazole) on two freshwater fish species, Danio rerio (zebrafish) and Astyanax lacustris (lambari). Standard ecotoxicological parameters (EC₅₀, LC₅₀, EC₁₀, NOEC, and LOEC) were determined for each pesticide individually and in combination to assess toxicity and potential additive, synergistic, or antagonistic interactions.

The Promise and Pitfalls of Artificial Intelligence in the Evaluation of Synthetic "Greenness".

Almost three decades after the formulation of Anastas' 12 guiding principles, there is still no consensus on how to best quantify the greenness of synthetic routes-instead, heterogeneous metrics abound that vary in assumptions and scope. This perspective argues that since greenness is an inherently multiparametric concept, its quantification can be aided by modern artificial intelligence (AI), methods that have already proven extremely powerful in establishing correlations "hidden" in large, multivariate data. Given, however, that even the cutting-edge AI tools cannot yet evaluate the greenness of synthetic procedures without extensive prompting, alternative approaches are also considered, in which greenness-oriented AI is trained under the guidance of human experts and using appropriately selected corpus of green versus nongreen synthetic examples.

Büchner Ring Expansion/Isomerization: Photoactivation of Imide-Annulated N-Heterocyclic Carbenes Affords Vicinal Diamino Cycloheptatrienes.

The synthesis and study of an imide-annulated N-heterocyclic carbene are described. The electrophilic nature of the carbene was assessed through analysis of its chalcogen adducts and Ir carbonyl complexes. When subjected to UV irradiation, the carbene underwent cycloaddition with benzene and other arenes to form seven-membered rings with 1,2-disubstitution patterns.

Nanoscale Epigenetic Profiling of Colorectal Cancer Cell-Derived Exosomes via Single-Vesicle Nanoscopy.

Exosomes play critical roles in cancer diagnosis and treatment as they carry molecular information that reflects the epigenetic state of their parent cells. For the first time, nanoscale epigenetic profiling of individual exosomes derived from colorectal cancer cell lines is demonstrated via photo-induced force microscopy (PiFM). Exosomes from three cell lines with distinct CpG island methylator phenotype (CIMP) status are analyzed at the single-vesicle level.

Metabolic profiling and genetic tool development in the mucosal bacterium Selenomonas sputigena.

Background: Selenomonas sputigena is an anaerobic mucosa-associated bacterium with dual roles in human health-acting as a pathobiont in periodontal disease and exhibiting protective effects in allergic airway inflammation. Despite its clinical significance, its metabolic functions and underlying mechanisms remain poorly defined.

Objective: This study aimed to systematically characterize S.

Intracristal space proteome mapping using super-resolution proximity labeling with isotope-coded probes.

Proximity labeling with engineered ascorbate peroxidase (APEX) has been widely used to identify proteomes within various membrane-enclosed subcellular organelles. However, constructing protein distribution maps between two non-partitioned proximal spaces remains challenging with the current proximity labeling tools. Here, we introduce a proximity labeling approach using isotope-coded phenol probes for APEX labeling (ICAX) that enables the quantitative analysis of the spatial proteome at nanometer resolution between two distinctly localized APEX enzymes.

DynamiSpectra: A Python Software Package and Web Platform for Molecular Dynamics Data Analysis in Computational Biology.

Molecular dynamics (MD) simulations generate extensive data sets that demand reliable and reproducible analysis tools. In this study, we present DynamiSpectra, a Python-based software package and web platform designed to automate the descriptive statistical analysis (mean and standard deviation) and visualization of MD trajectories. DynamiSpectra enables streamlined processing of GROMACS-generated files, supporting comparative analyses across multiple simulation replicas without requiring topology file handling or programming expertise.

A redox switch in stomatal fate decision.

A recent study by Wang et al. demonstrates that nitric oxide (NO) influences plant development and stress tolerance in arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana). By modulating mitogen-activated protein kinase 6 (MPK6) phosphorylation through NO-driven S-nitrosylation, NO promotes stomatal formation and enhances stress resilience, offering insights into the role of redox regulation in plant adaptation and potential crop improvements.

The impact of dietary factors on the function of brown and beige adipose tissues-implications on health and disease.

The development of strategies that promote the activation of adaptive thermogenesis in brown and beige adipose tissues is expected to lead to advances in the prevention and treatment of obesity, diabetes, and cardiovascular diseases. Currently, there is a great effort to identify or develop pharmacological agents that could promote adaptive thermogenesis. However, the greatest candidates, the β3-adrenergic receptor agonists, have proven troublesome as they promote unwanted cardiovascular effects.