LL-37 and Its Truncated Fragments Modulate Amyloid-β Dynamics, Aggregation and Toxicity Through Hetero-Oligomer and Cluster Formation.

LL-37 and its variants with amphiphilic structure can modulate amyloid-β (Aβ) fibril formation, but the detailed mechanism behind it is still unclear. By using four different peptides (LL-37, LL-37, LL-37, LL-37), we found these peptides affect Aβ40 aggregation differently. Nanoscale analysis showed that all LL-37 peptides form hetero-oligomers and nanoclusters with Aβ40, but LL-37 and LL-37, which exhibit the strongest inhibition of Aβ fibrillation, form more hetero-oligomers and smaller nanoclusters.

The structure of amyloid-β (1-42) oligomers in membrane-mimetic environments.

Aggregation of the amyloid-β peptide (Aβ) characterises and probably causes Alzheimer's disease. While lipid-mediated Aβ aggregation has been extensively studied for the 40-residue variant Aβ40, the interaction of the 42-residue variant Aβ42 with membranes has received less attention. Our time-resolved infrared spectra demonstrate that Aβ42 oligomers preserve their β-sheet structure in aqueous solution also in a membrane-mimicking environment consisting of either 1-hexadecanoyl-2-(9Z-octadecenoyl)-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine (POPC, zwitterionic) or 1-hexadecanoyl-2-(9Z-octadecenoyl)-sn-glycero-3-phospho-(1'racglycerol) (POPG, anionic) vesicles.

Leveraging port state measures to combat illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing.

Illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing threatens the sustainability of fisheries and communities dependent on them. The Port State Measures Agreement (PSMA) is a key tool for combatting IUU fishing by foreign fleets, requiring standardized inspections, information sharing, and port denial. Using satellite data, we characterized how PSMA has affected high seas vessel behavior and identify opportunities to strengthen its impact.

Perceptions about the use of Behavioral (Eco)Toxicology to protect human health and the environment.

The One Health concept strongly brings into focus the important connections for human and ecosystem health. However, the incorporation of behaviour method guidelines in risk assessment and regulation/policy is not equal between human and ecological disciplines. A survey was conducted on the perceptions and role of behavioural (eco)toxicology in the protection of the human and ecosystem health.

Reducing income gaps among Spanish Mediterranean municipalities: the role of environmental quality.

Regional income trajectories are shaped not only by economic and social conditions, but also by the quality of the natural environment. This study examines the impact of environmental quality (EQ) on income growth in the Spanish Mediterranean region from 2015 to 2021, applying a beta convergence framework inspired by Barro and Sala-i-Martin (1992). To address spatial interdependencies and temporal dynamics, we employ a spatial seemingly unrelated regression (spatial SUR) approach.

Temporal Trends in Sexual Identity and Sociodemographic Disparities in Stockholm, Sweden, 2010-2021.

To examine temporal trends in sexual identity and sociodemographic disparities in Sweden after gender-neutral marriage legislation in 2009. We analyzed 3 cross-sectional surveys from the Stockholm Public Health Cohort (2010, 2014, 2021) that included 76 083 participants 16 years or older. Weighted Poisson regression was used to estimate associations between sexual identity and sociodemographic covariates.

Nitrogen Fixation Potential in Bathypelagic Sediment of the Ice-Covered Arctic Ocean Revealed Through Long-Term Stable Isotope Incubations.

Due to climate change, sea ice more commonly retreats over the shelf breaks in the Arctic Ocean, impacting sea ice-pelagic-benthic coupling in the deeper basins. Nitrogen fixation (the reduction of dinitrogen gas to bioavailable ammonia by microorganisms called diazotrophs) is reported from Arctic shelf sediments but is unknown from the Arctic deep sea. We sampled five locations of deep-sea (900-1500 m) surface sediments in the central ice-covered Arctic Ocean to measure potential nitrogen fixation through long-term (> 280 days) stable-isotope (N) incubations and to study diazotroph community composition through amplicon sequencing of the functional marker gene nifH.

Repeated loss of plastid NDH during evolution of land plants.

Background: Advances in DNA sequencing technology have led to a rapid increase in the number of species with organelle genomes and even complete nuclear genomes being sequenced. Thousands of plastid genomes from across all major clades of land plants are now available, and one of the surprising findings is the recurring event of complete or functional loss of genes involved in cyclic electron transport during photosynthesis - the ndh genes that encode subunits of the chloroplast NADH dehydrogenase-like (NDH) complex. Gene loss in non-photosynthetic, heterotrophic plants may be expected, but the increasing number of losses being discovered in autotrophic plants questions the role and potential dispensability of the ndh genes and the entire NDH complex.

Retention of a SulP-family bicarbonate transporter in a periplasmic N2-fixing cyanobacterial endosymbiont of an open ocean diatom.

Symbioses between diatoms and the N2-fixing, heterocyst-forming cyanobacterium Richelia spp. are widespread and contribute to primary production. Unique to these symbioses is a variation in the symbiont location: one lives in the host cytoplasm (endobiont) vs.

From Recruitment to Retirement: Research Infrastructure Staff Views on the Diversification of Scientific Career Paths at Universities in Sweden in 2024.

Background: There is an ongoing need to develop diverse career paths that support the vital contributions of staff scientists, research engineers, scientific officers, and other knowledge professionals in scientific discovery. Research infrastructures and core facilities have a particular need to support sustainable and diverse careers, as they either employ - if being a legal entity - or daily manage research professionals in a broad variety of roles to enable resources, services, and innovation.

Methods: In 2019, a survey of the facility staff at SciLifeLab, a large national research infrastructure in Sweden, led to a recommendation for universities to develop career paths for their staff scientists.

Production of Methylmercury in Peatlands Following Permafrost Thaw Increases along a Trophic Gradient.

Permafrost thaw in peatlands risks increasing the production and mobilization of methylmercury (MeHg), a bioaccumulative neurotoxin that poses a health hazard to humans. We studied 12 peatlands on a trophic gradient in northwestern Canada, including permafrost peat plateaus and thawed bogs and fens, to determine the effects of thaw on MeHg production from measures of soil and porewater MeHg and in situ methylation assays. The production of MeHg was greater in thawed peatlands, especially rich fens, as indicated by higher potential rates of microbial methylation of inorganic mercury (Hg) to MeHg and higher soil %MeHg (MeHg:total Hg).

Genetic Adaptation to Brackish Water and Spawning Season in European Cisco.

How species adapt to diverse environmental conditions is essential for understanding evolution and the maintenance of biodiversity. The European cisco (Coregonus albula) is a salmonid that occurs in both fresh and brackish water, and this together with the presence of sympatric spring- and autumn-spawning lacustrine populations provides an opportunity for studying the genetics of adaptation in relation to salinity and timing of reproduction. Here, we present a high-quality reference genome of the European cisco based on PacBio HiFi long read sequencing and HiC-directed scaffolding.

Ancient host-associated microbes obtained from mammoth remains.

Ancient genomic studies have extensively explored human-microbial interactions, yet research on non-human animals remains limited. In this study, we analyzed ancient microbial DNA from 483 mammoth remains spanning over 1 million years, including 440 newly sequenced and unpublished samples from a 1.1-million-year-old steppe mammoth.

Why are we still using the PHQ-9? A Historical Review and Psychometric Evaluation of Measurement Invariance.

The Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) is a widely used tool for assessing depressive symptom severity and as a screening tool in the diagnosis of major depression. Designed as both a diagnostic instrument and a severity index, it is commonly used in primary care and research. However, findings regarding its reliability and validity for these dual purposes have been mixed.

Sex Dependent and Sjögren Disease Like Immune Responses Against Phosphoantigens in Balb/C Mice.

The initial aim of this study on Balb/C mice was to investigate the putative effects on feeding and appetite of isopentenyl pyrophosphate (IPP) and E-4-hydroxy-3-methyl-but-2-enyl pyrophosphate (HMBPP), also known as phosphoantigens (pAgs). HMBPP was recently shown to increase blood meal appetite in malaria mosquitoes. Both IPP and HMBPP are metabolites produced by the normal gut microbiota and apicomplexan parasites such as Plasmodium.

The Indo-European Cognate Relationships dataset.

The Indo-European Cognate Relationships (IE-CoR) dataset is an open-access relational dataset showing how related, inherited words ('cognates') pattern across 160 languages of the Indo-European family. IE-CoR is intended as a benchmark dataset for computational research into the evolution of the Indo-European languages. It is structured around 170 reference meanings in core lexicon, and contains 25731 lexeme entries, analysed into 4981 cognate sets.

Taking advantage of open data in coastal science and conservation.

Human society relies on, and interacts with, a diverse assortment of organisms and ecological systems, from the local to the global level. Research and management of these coupled social-ecological systems requires data that speaks to the variety of processes, statuses, and situations defined by them. Effective stewardship is enhanced by interdisciplinary thinking and, critically, access to interoperable data describing human society and governance and ecological and environmental conditions.

Correction: Bioelectrical impedance vector analysis in older adults: reference standards from a cross-sectional study.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.3389/fnut.2025.

Gone With the Wind: Exploring a Vanished Rock Dove, , Hybrid Zone in the Sahara Desert.

Rock doves () are the wild ancestor of domestic and feral pigeons and had a wide distribution across Eurasia and the northern part of Africa. West African rock doves have been identified as genetically distinct from all other populations, possibly representing a distinct species. This divergence is hypothesized to have arisen through cycles of allopatry during the dry and wet Sahara periods.

Longitudinal associations of psychological distress with subsequent cognitive decline and dementia: a multi-cohort study.

Background: Psychological distress has been linked with later cognitive impairment and dementia, although the nature of the association remains unclear. Using a multi-cohort approach, we examined longitudinal associations of psychological distress with subsequent cognition and dementia, testing whether findings varied by age of assessment, severity, and persistence of psychological distress.

Methods: We used five longitudinal studies: Caerphilly Prospective Study, English Longitudinal Study of Ageing, National Child Development Study, National Survey of Health and Development, and Whitehall II.

The Spurious Prospective Associations Model (SPAM): Explaining longitudinal associations due to statistical artifacts.

Analysis of longitudinal data often relies on models which can be prone to statistical artifacts. We have previously shown that several published prospective associations can be explained by a combination of a general association between constructs, imperfect measurement reliability, and regression to the mean. Here, we formalize our analysis of this type of statistical artifact and introduce the Spurious Prospective Associations Model (SPAM).

Modeling water using multipole response tensors fitted to the monomer geometry.

The water molecule's electronic Cartesian multipole moment and polarizability tensors have been fitted with Gaussian process regression to the internal coordinates and are used to evaluate accurate electrostatic, induction, and dispersion energy components between flexible molecules. The model yields a handful of damping and scaling parameters that were adjusted for the energy components to agree with 2-body symmetry-adapted perturbation theory decomposition and then fine-tuned in order for the total energy to agree with CCSD(T) for small clusters. We present a simple algorithm for rotating symmetric Cartesian tensors and employ a dispersion potential based on multipole polarizabilities.

Massive losses and gains of northern land carbon stocks since the Last Glacial Maximum.

The dynamics of atmospheric CO concentrations during and following the last deglaciation have mainly been ascribed to carbon release from and uptake in oceans, primarily in the Southern Ocean. But recent studies also point toward a terrestrial influence. We quantify dynamic changes to northern terrestrial carbon stocks from the Last Glacial Maximum (21,000 years) until present at millennial time steps using a combination of paleo-data and climate-biome modeling.