Consortium profile: the methylation, imaging and NeuroDevelopment (MIND) consortium.

Epigenetic processes, such as DNA methylation, show potential as biological markers and mechanisms underlying gene-environment interplay in the prediction of mental health and other brain-based phenotypes. However, little is known about how peripheral epigenetic patterns relate to individual differences in the brain itself. An increasingly popular approach to address this is by combining epigenetic and neuroimaging data; yet, research in this area is almost entirely comprised of cross-sectional studies in adults.

Biomass-derived lignin nanoparticles for the sustained delivery of vascular endothelial growth factor-C.

Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor C (VEGFC) is a promising biological drug, with preclinical studies indicating its potential for treating myocardial infarction, neurodegenerative diseases, and lymphedema, a condition that currently lacks curative treatment. While adenoviral VEGFC gene therapy has progressed to phase II studies, its clinical efficacy is limited by rapid immune inactivation. This study explores lignin nanoparticles (LNPs) as an alternative VEGFC delivery system.

Differential interference with actin-binding protein function by acute cytochalasin B.

Dynamic actin filament remodeling is crucial for a plethora of fundamental cell biological processes, ranging from cell division and migration to cell communication, intracellular trafficking, or tissue development. Cytochalasin B (CB) and D (CD) are fungal secondary metabolites frequently used for interference with such processes. Although they are generally assumed to block actin filament polymerization at their rapidly growing barbed ends and compete with regulators at these sites, precise molecular understanding of their effects in dynamic actin structures requires further study.

Seasonal quantification of aquatic macrophytes in small boreal lakes with multiscale remote sensing.

Small lakes are common across the Boreal-Arctic zone. Due to shallowness and high shoreline-surface area ratios, they are abundant in aquatic macrophytes. Vegetated littoral zones have been suggested to count as wetlands when quantifying carbon sinks and sources, but the actual magnitude of aquatic vegetation is seldom quantified.

Chemical alteration of UO micro-particles in model lung systems.

Uranium dioxide (UO) particles can be released from mines, nuclear fuel manufacturing, reactor accidents, and weapons use. They pose inhalation risks, yet their behavior in the human lung remains poorly understood. This study investigates the long-term chemical alteration and dissolution of µm-sized UO particles in two model lung fluids: Simulated Lung Fluid (SLF) and Artificial Lysosomal Fluid (ALF), representing extracellular and intracellular lung environments, respectively.

Distinct clinical outcomes according to molecular subgroups in relapsed endometrial carcinoma: A cohort study.

Objective: This study evaluated time to progression and post-recurrence disease-specific survival in molecularly classified endometrial carcinoma to improve understanding of disease biology and factors influencing tumor aggressiveness.

Methods: In this retrospective cohort study, immunohistochemistry and polymerase-ϵ (POLE) sequencing were used for molecular classification and determination of estrogen receptor and programmed death-ligand 1 (PD-L1) expression.

Results: We identified 1146 patients with molecularly classified endometrial carcinoma, of whom 220 (19.

A single-cell, long-read, isoform-resolved case-control study of FTD reveals cell-type-specific and broad splicing dysregulation in human brain.

Progranulin-deficient frontotemporal dementia (GRN-FTD) is a major cause of familial FTD with TAR DNA-binding protein 43 (TDP-43) pathology, which is linked to exon dysregulation. However, little is known about this dysregulation in glial and neuronal cells. Here, using splice-junction-covering enrichment probes, we introduce single-nuclei long-read RNA sequencing 2 (SnISOr-Seq2), targeting 3,630 high-interest genes without loss of precision, and complete the first single-cell, long-read-resolved case-control study for neurodegeneration.

European survey on metabolic and cardiovascular risk in Cushing syndrome.

Background: Cushing's syndrome (CS) is associated with increased metabolic and cardiovascular (CV) risk factors and morbidities. Evidence-based guidelines for the management of these issues in active or remitted CS are not available, so best practice is derived from guidelines developed for the general population. We aimed to evaluate the awareness and practice variation for CV comorbidities of CS across Reference Centres (RCs) of the European Reference Network on Rare Endocrine Conditions (Endo-ERN).

Human microglia reduce alpha-synuclein aggregation and are neuroprotective in adult mouse brain.

Microglia, brain-resident immune cells, are involved in pathophysiology of several neurodegenerative diseases, including Parkinson's disease. Given significant species-specific differences in microglia gene expression, particularly in disease-risk genes, as well as the highly reactive nature of these cells, studying human microglia in a whole brain environment is essential. Here, we established a humanized mouse model by transplanting human induced pluripotent stem cell-derived hematopoietic progenitor cells into the striatum of immunodeficient adult mice and injected human alpha-synuclein preformed fibrils to model Parkinson's disease pathology.

State-of-the-Art and Future Directions in Structural Proteomics.

Structural proteomics has undergone a profound transformation, driven by the convergence of advanced experimental methodologies and computational innovations. Cutting-edge mass spectrometry (MS)-based approaches, including cross-linking MS (XL-MS), hydrogen-deuterium exchange MS (HDX-MS), and limited proteolysis MS (LiP-MS), now enable unprecedented insights into protein topology, conformational dynamics, and protein-protein interactions. These methods, complemented by affinity purification (AP), co-immunoprecipitation (co-IP), proximity labeling (PL), and spatial proteomics techniques, have expanded our ability to characterize the structural proteome at a systems-wide scale.

The structure, function, and distribution of gap junctions in the retina: Life cycle in health and disease.

Gap junctions are essential channels of communication between cells including neurons in the central nervous system. These channels coordinate cell metabolic and electrical functions including such crucial ones for maintaining homeostasis as cell proliferation, differentiation, survival, and apoptosis. They create narrow passageways that allow rapid exchange of small molecules, ions, and secondary messengers between neighboring cells including the retina and optic nerve.

Association between the risk of relative energy deficiency in sport and cholesterol levels in Finnish endurance athletes.

Background: Relative energy deficiency in sport (REDs) is a condition caused by chronic and/or severe low energy availability. Endurance athletes are at risk of REDs, which are characterised by negative effects on health and performance. Disturbed cholesterol metabolism is a suggested indicator of REDs and could affect the future cardiovascular health of athletes.

First male description of Sruoga & Kaila, 2019 from Thailand with identification keys to Asian species of Stainton, 1869 (Lepidoptera, Elachistidae, Elachistinae).

A male of the little-known species Sruoga & Kaila, 2019 is described for the first time based on material collected in northern Thailand. The species is diagnosed based on characters found in the habitus and genitalia, which are illustrated in detail. Conspecificity of male and female specimens is confirmed by DNA barcodes.

Three-Dimensional Presentation of Tongue Squamous Cell Carcinoma Histopathology and Magnetic Resonance Imaging-A Novel Image Fusion Method.

Background: Three-dimensional (3D) modeling has been used in the management of bony head and neck tumors, but not in soft tissue tumors. Currently, histopathological findings of oral squamous cell carcinomas (OSCC) are presented as two-dimensional images. Previously, we developed a 3D image fusion method that presents tumor histopathology and MRI in 3D form.

Joint species-trait distribution modeling: The role of intraspecific trait variation in community assembly.

The links between intraspecific trait variation and community assembly remain little studied, partially due to the lack of statistical methods to jointly model intraspecific trait variation and species abundances at the community level. Here, we extend the joint species distribution modeling (JSDM) framework into the joint species-trait distribution modeling (JSTDM) framework to explicitly link species abundances to phenotypic variation in traits for multiple species simultaneously. Using a case study of 65 tundra plant species abundances and 3 key functional traits measured across 325 sites, we show how the JSTDM approach (1) estimates the statistical associations among species abundances, species-level traits, and site-level traits, relative to environmental variation; (2) improves predictions on trait variation by using information on species abundances; and (3) generates hypotheses about trait-driven community assembly mechanisms.

Forest Type, Bark Wounding, and Tapping: Their Combined Influence on Bacteria Biota of Styrax Paralleloneurus in Natural and Community Forest.

Styrax paralleloneurus is a resin-producing tree native to Sumatra, Indonesia. This study investigated the effects of tapping, bark wounding and forest type on bacterial biota in the stem of styrax in natural and community forests. Amplicon metagenomic sequencing of the 16S rRNA region was deployed to identify the bacterial communities associated with tapped and untapped trees across various environmental and experimental conditions.

Molecular Dynamics of the Intrinsically Disordered Protein COR15A─A Force Field Validation on Structure and Dynamics.

Intrinsically disordered proteins (IDPs) pose a challenge for structural characterization, as experimental methods lack the subnanometer/subnanosecond resolution to capture their dynamic conformational ensembles. Molecular dynamics (MD) simulations can, in principle, provide this information, but for the simulation of IDPs, dedicated protein and water force fields are needed, as traditional MD models for folded proteins prove inadequate for IDPs. Substantial effort was invested to develop IDP-specific force fields, but their performance in describing IDPs that undergo conformational changes─such as those induced by molecular partner binding or changes in solution environment─remains underexplored.

The role of emotional intelligence in shaping pre-service teachers' cultural beliefs.

Cultural beliefs and emotions have become recognised aspects of the teaching profession. This study examined the association between emotional intelligence (EI) and cultural beliefs using self-reported survey data collected from pre-service teachers at the beginning of their studies (N = 777). These pre-service teachers entered teacher education in 2021 and were studying in five different Finnish universities that geographically represent four regions in Finland.

A practical guide to long-term field PAM chlorophyll fluorescence measurements: setup, installation, data processing with R package 'LongTermPAM' and interpretation.

Pulse-amplitude modulated (PAM) chlorophyll fluorescence (ChlF) measurements provide a non-invasive method to study the regulation of the light reactions of photosynthesis in situ. PAM ChlF contributes also to the advancement of the interpretation of long-term observations of remotely sensed solar induced fluorescence by revealing the mechanistic connection between ChlF and photosynthetic function. However, long-term field PAM ChlF measurements remain uncommon due to challenges associated with the outdoor environment, instrument installation and maintenance, or data processing and interpretation.

Neurocognitive and emotional benefits of choir singing and their mediating factors across adulthood.

Background: Our understanding on how cognitive and socioemotional well-being factors interact throughout adulthood has increased remarkably over the past decades, encouraging the use of cognitively engaging leisure activities, such as music, to promote healthy ageing. Choir singing has attracted particular interest in this regard with its established benefits on socioemotional well-being. Outside the clinical context, however, the cognitive and well-being effects induced by musical activities are often studied separately, leaving it unclear to what extent they interact in contributing to healthy ageing.

Implant treatment modalities of non-syndromic congenitally missing premolars: a retrospective case series of 74 specialist care patients over an 11-year-cohort.

Objective: The study aims to evaluate the course of implant treatment for congenitally missing lower -second premolars in patients referred to publicly funded specialist care over an 11-year period.

Material And Methods: This retrospective, register-based cohort study selected patient data on dental implant treatment in the lower second premolar region from 2009 to 2019 (n = 146). After applying exclusion criteria, the final sample included 74 patients.

Call for founding members of the European Organization For University Physical and Rehabilitation Medicine (UniPRM).

Rehabilitation is increasingly recognized as a key component of health systems worldwide. To meet the growing demand for rehabilitation services, it is essential to strengthen academic capacity in Physical and Rehabilitation Medicine within universities. Academic structures are critical for training future physicians and professionals, and for advancing research and innovation in rehabilitation.