Silvestrol inhibits nasopharyngeal carcinoma cells and synergizes with CX-5461: Insights from a proteomics study.

Nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) is a cancer arising from the epithelial cells of the nasopharynx, which is rare in Western countries but extremely prevalent in Borneo and the Southern China region. Present-day hurdles in NPC treatment that lead to poor quality of life and poor survival include distant metastasis and resistance to chemoradiotherapy. Silvestrol and its 5'''-epimer, episilvestrol, are compounds isolated from the plant , which is endemic to Borneo.

Mango by-Product-Based High-Fiber Confectionery Attenuates Liver Steatosis and Alters Gut Microbiota in High-Fat Diet-Fed Rats.

The incorporation of fruit by-products into functional foods represents a promising strategy to address obesity. This study evaluated the nutritional potential of a novel extruded mango peel and bagasse-based confectionery (MC) on obesity-related parameters, gut microbiota composition, and liver/adipose tissue health. Twenty-four male Wistar rats were assigned to four groups (n = 6): standard diet (STD), STD + MC (MC-STD), high-fat diet (HFD), and HFD + MC (MC-HFD), over 11 weeks.

Functional combination of resveratrol and midostaurin induces cytotoxicity to overcome acquired midostaurin resistance in FLT3-ITD expressing acute myeloid leukemia cells.

The most important challenge in treating FLT3-ITD AML is the development of resistance to FLT3 inhibitors, such as midostaurin, via both FLT3-dependent and FLT3-independent mechanisms. The study explored the potential cytotoxic effects of combining resveratrol and midostaurin on the sensitization of midostaurin-resistant cells. MTT assay revealed resveratrol's chemo-sensitizing influence on midostaurin-resistant cells, and combination indexes (CI) were calculated using Chou-Talalay's method.

Cerebral and Peripheral Hemodynamics Across Wakefulness and NREM Sleep.

Wake/sleep-related changes in cerebral hemodynamic oscillations are well established, but similar changes in peripheral hemodynamics remain largely understudied. Moreover, how the relationship between cerebral and peripheral hemodynamics varies across sleep-wake states is not well understood, despite evidence that these oscillations in the low-frequency range are strongly coupled during wakefulness. In this study, we investigated the temporal and spectral characteristics of cerebral and peripheral hemodynamics, as well as their low-frequency coupling, across sleep and wake states.

Non-Volant Mammalian Diversity, Occurrence, and Ecological Patterns in a Tropical Montane Forest in Sarawak, Borneo.

Mammalian species are key in maintaining a healthy ecosystem. The tropical rainforest in Borneo is characterized by its rich biodiversity and rugged interior, which houses various forest types from the lowland dipterocarp forest to the montane and ericaceous forests above 1500 m. Using the data obtained from 81 camera trap stations set up from April 2023 to September 2024, we investigated the diversity of mammalian species across the spatial and temporal dimensions.

Comprehensive characterization of the interaction between prototypical drug-site markers and multiple sites on human serum albumin by microbore frontal gel chromatography.

Human serum albumin (HSA) has three major binding sites for drugs, site I, site II, and FA1 site. Dansyl amino acids (Dans-AAs) have long been used as convenient markers to judge whether a low molecular weight molecule of interest (ligand) binds to sites I or II. However, crystal structures of HSA-Dans-AA complexes have revealed that Dans-AAs with strict site specificity are also bound to non-marker sites.

Advances in three-dimensional hydrogel networks for cancer immunotherapy.

Cancer immunotherapies, including chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell and immune checkpoint blockade (ICB) therapy, have revolutionized oncological treatment. However, suboptimal patient response rates and immune-related adverse events continue to pose significant clinical challenges. The immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment (TME) is a critical factor influencing immunotherapy efficacy and it can impede immune cell infiltration and functionality.

A Comprehensive microRNA-seq Transcriptomic Analysis of Tay-Sachs Disease Mice Revealed Distinct miRNA Profiles in Neuroglial Cells.

Tay-Sachs disease (TSD) is a rare lysosomal storage disorder marked by the progressive buildup of GM2 in the central nervous system (CNS). This condition arises from mutations in the HEXA gene, which encodes the α subunit of the enzyme β-hexosaminidase A. A newly developed mouse model for early-onset TSD (Hexa-/-Neu3-/-) exhibited signs of neurodegeneration and neuroinflammation, evidenced by elevated levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines and chemokines, as well as significant astrogliosis and microgliosis.

Heavy Metal-Associated Proteins in Plants: Genome-Wide Identification and Functional Insights from Angiosperms and Ancestral Plants.

Heavy metal-associated (HMA) proteins are mainly metal ion transporters and are involved in heavy metal homeostasis and detoxification processes. However, despite the importance of this protein family, their role in several plant species has not been identified nor studied. In the present work, a genome-wide identification methodology was used to identify HMA proteins in 13 plant species, in a representation of angiosperm species belonging to the clades of magnoliids, monocotyledons, and eudicotyledons, and non-angiosperms such as Physcomitrella patens and Selaginella moellendorffii.

Facile Synthesis of Nanostructured Vanadium Oxides via the Wet Corrosion Process and Their Application in Photocatalysis for Water Purification.

Nanostructures have attracted attention owing to their unique and diverse physicochemical properties and potential for photocatalysis, especially in the field of water purification. In response to the demand for superior nanomaterials, this study attempted to fabricate V oxide photocatalysts. This material has been used in brand new photocatalyst with narrow band gap, which has prompted extensive research efforts to enhance its functional properties.

The tip of the iceberg: extraordinarily high diversity while examining two infralittoral nematode communities on Okinawa-jima Island, Japan, using morphology and DNA barcoding.

Background: Nematodes are among the most diverse and abundant metazoans in aquatic habitats, contributing significantly to global biodiversity. Despite their abundance and importance, the presumed number of undescribed species is high and their diversity is often underestimated.

Methods: In this research, sediment samples were collected from three microhabitats (bare sand, seagrass, coral) in two sites around Okinawa-jima Island in subtropical southern Japan.

Electrowetting on Dielectric (EWOD) Based Portable Multimaterial Printer To Fabricate Origami Devices.

Origami devices are expected to be applied in fields such as space exploration, medicine, and agriculture and are being extensively researched in both scientific and engineering contexts. However, the difficulty of fabrication is high, and it is particularly challenging to fabricate them on-demand and on-site with a compact device. We have a technology for automatically fabricating origami devices by printing conductive and insulating solutions on paper.

The three-dimensional structure prediction of human bitter taste receptor using the method of AlphaFold3.

Bitter taste receptors (T2Rs), a subfamily of G protein-coupled receptors, are expressed not only in oral tissues but also in extraoral sites, playing key roles in physiological processes such as the gut-brain axis. However, structural information on T2Rs is limited, with only two human T2Rs, T2R14 and T2R46, experimentally determined to date. This study explores the potential of AlphaFold3 (AF3), an advanced AI-based protein structure prediction tool, to predict the structures of 25 human T2Rs and compares them with those of the earlier AlphaFold2 (AF2).

Analysis of a mathematical model for malaria using data-driven approach.

Malaria remains one of the leading causes of global morbidity and mortality, with millions of cases and fatalities annually. Effective intervention strategies by public health authorities and medical practitioners necessitate a robust understanding of disease transmission dynamics. This study presents a novel framework for modeling malaria transmission dynamics by integrating temperature and altitude-dependent transmission functions into a compartmental SIR-SI model.

Amelioration of Metabolic Syndrome by Co-Administration of CRL1231 and Wheat Bran in Mice via Gut Microbiota and Metabolites Modulation.

Background/objectives: CRL1231 ( CRL1231) is a strain with feruloyl esterase (FE) activity that enhances ferulic acid (FA) release from wheat bran (WB) and has potential as a probiotic for metabolic syndrome (MS). Given the potential health benefits of FA and its microbial metabolites, this study aimed to evaluate the therapeutic effect of CRL1231 co-administered with WB in a mouse model of metabolic syndrome (MS) induced by a high-fat diet (HFD).

Methods: Mice were divided into three groups and fed for 14 weeks as follows: the Control group (standard diet), the MS group (HFD+WB), and the MS+Lj group (HFD+WB and CRL1231-dose 10 cells/day).

Rubber arm illusion in octopus.

We instinctively know our hands and legs belong to us when we see them. This perception, known as the sense of body ownership, is a fundamental aspect of self-consciousness. Although studies show that this sense exists in some mammals, such as humans, monkeys, and rodents, research on its existence in non-mammalian animals is still lacking.

How Does Speaking A Free Word Order Language Influence Sentence Planning and Production? Evidence From Pitjantjatjara (Pama-Nyungan, Australia).

Sentence production is a stage-like process of mapping a conceptual representation to the linear speech signal via grammatical rules. While the typological diversity of languages is vast and thus must necessarily influence sentence production, psycholinguistic studies of diverse languages are comparatively rare. Here, we present data from a sentence planning and production study in Pitjantjatjara, an Australian Indigenous language that has highly flexible word order.

Dynamic interaction between transmission, within-host dynamics and mosquito density.

The central question in this paper is the character and role of the within-host and between-host interactions in vector-transmitted diseases compared to environmental-transmitted diseases. In vector-transmitted diseases, the environmental stage becomes the vector population. We link an epidemiological model for a vector-transmitted disease with a simple immunological process: the effective transmission rate from host to vector, modeled as a function of the infected cell level within the host, and a virus inoculation term that depends on the abundance of infected mosquitoes.

A Pilot Study on Emotional Equivalence Between VR and Real Spaces Using EEG and Heart Rate Variability.

In recent years, the application of virtual reality (VR) for spatial evaluation has gained traction in the fields of architecture and interior design. However, for VR to serve as a viable substitute for real-world environments, it is essential that experiences within VR elicit emotional responses comparable to those evoked by actual spaces. Despite this prerequisite, there remains a paucity of studies that objectively compare and evaluate the emotional responses elicited by VR and real-world environments.

Cinnamomum zeylanicum extract incorporated electrospun poly(lactic acid)/gelatin membrane as a new wound dressing.

In this study, we fabricated poly(lactic acid)/gelatin electrospun membranes containing various concentrations of Cinnamomum zeylanicum extract and evaluated them as a novel wound dressing. The electrospun membranes were chemically, morphologically, and mechanically characterized, and the results were discussed in comparison with the literature. Electrospun membranes' biodegradability, swelling, and release properties were evaluated, with the CE7.

Cross-Modal Object Recognition and Reliability Between Visual and Tactile Senses in Octopus ().

Octopuses have well-developed sensory organs and a large brain, which allows them to use multiple senses, such as vision, touch, and taste. Most studies on the sensory abilities of octopuses have focused on a single sensory modality, particularly vision. However, octopuses are simultaneously exposed to multiple sensory stimuli.

Exploring single-head and multi-head CNN and LSTM-based models for road surface classification using on-board vehicle multi-IMU data.

Accurate road surface monitoring is essential for ensuring vehicle and pedestrian safety, and it relies on robust data acquisition and analysis methods. This study examines the classification of road surface conditions using single- and multi-head deep learning architectures, specifically Convolutional Neural Networks (CNNs) and CNNs combined with Long Short-Term Memory (LSTM) layers, applied to data from Inertial Measurement Units (IMUs) mounted on vehicle's sprung and unsprung masses. Various model architectures were tested, incorporating IMU data from different positions and utilizing both acceleration and angular velocity features.

Identification of Potential Dual HDAC6 and HSP90 Inhibitors for the Treatment of Cancer using Molecular Docking, Molecular Dynamics and MM/PBSA Studies: A Comprehensive Study.

Background: Histone deacetylase 6 (HDAC6) and heat shock protein 90 (Hsp90) are crucial therapeutic targets in cancer research with their interconnected roles in regulating protein homeostasis and cellular processes. The interaction of these proteins within the cytosolic complex plays a critical role in regulating cancer cell survival and progression. Notably, current studies highlight that the simultaneous inhibition of HDAC6 and Hsp90 can produce synergistic effects and offer a promising therapeutic potential for combating malignant cancers.

Vulnerability of tropical fish communities across depth in the central Indian Ocean.

Coral reefs and their fish communities below scuba diving depth (>30 m), in mesophotic coral ecosystems (MCEs) (∼30-150 m), in rariphotic (150-300 m), and in upper bathyal waters (300-500 m) are often underexplored, especially in the Indian Ocean. The paucity of data, including on the biodiversity, ecology, and vulnerability of these habitats and the communities they support, leads to their omission from most conservation and management decisions and practices. We investigated for the first time the structure and diversity (taxonomic and functional) of demersal fish communities from the central and southern atolls of the Maldives, spanning a wide bathymetric gradient of 2-500 m to better understand whether and how their vulnerability changes across depth.

Numerical Analysis of a SiN Digital Fourier Transform Spectrometer for a Non-Invasive Skin Cancer Biosensor.

Early detection and continuous monitoring of diseases are critical to improving patient outcomes, treatment adherence, and diagnostic accuracy. Traditional melanoma diagnosis relies primarily on visual assessment and biopsy, with reported accuracies ranging from 50% to 90% and significant inter-observer variability. Among emerging diagnostic technologies, Raman spectroscopy has demonstrated considerable promise for non-invasive disease detection, particularly in early-stage skin cancer identification.