Pattern formation

BACKGROUND: The Lateral Organ Boundaries Domain (LBD) gene family is a family of plant-specific transcription factors (TFs) that are widely involved in processes such as lateral organ formation, stress response, and nutrient metabolism. However, the function of LBD genes in maize remains poorly understood. METHODS AND RESULTS: In this study, a total of 49 ZmLBD genes were identified at the genome-wide level of maize, they were classified into nine branches based on phylogenetic relationships, and all of them were predicted to be nuclear localized...

BACKGROUND: Emerging research has validated that circular RNAs (circRNAs) have indispensable regulatory functions in tumorigenesis, including colorectal cancer (CRC). Ferroptosis is a specific cell death form and implicates in the malignant progression of tumors. Here, this study aimed to investigate the biofunction of circ_0087851 in tumor progression and ferroptosis of CRC, as well as its underlying molecular mechanism. METHODS: The expression pattern of circ_0087851 in CRC was validated by qRT-PCR...

Coxsackievirus-A10 (CV-A10), responsible for the hand, foot and mouth disease (HFMD) pandemic, could cause serious central nervous system (CNS) complications. The underlying molecular basis of CV-A10 and host interactions inducing neuropathogenesis is still unclear. The Hippo signaling pathway, historically known for a dominator of organ development and homeostasis, has recently been implicated as an immune regulator. However, its role in host defense against CV-A10 has not been investigated. Herein, it was found that CV-A10 proliferated in HMC3 cells and promoted the release of inflammatory cytokines...

Triglyceride (TAG) deposition in the liver is associated with metabolic disorders. In lower vertebrate, the propensity to accumulate hepatic TAG varies widely among fish species. Diacylglycerol acyltransferases (DGAT1 and DGAT2) are major enzymes for TAG synthesis. Here we show that large yellow croaker (Larimichthys crocea) has significantly higher hepatic TAG level than that in rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) fed with same diet. Hepatic expression of DGATs genes in croaker is markedly higher compared with trout under physiological condition...

Imaging-based methods are widely used for studying the subcellular localization of proteins in living cells. While routine for individual proteins, global monitoring of protein dynamics following perturbation typically relies on arrayed panels of fluorescently tagged cell lines, limiting throughput and scalability. Here, we describe a strategy that combines high-throughput microscopy, computer vision and machine learning to detect perturbation-induced changes in multicolour tagged visual proteomics cell (vpCell) pools...

Copper-doped ZnO nanoparticles with the formula Zn1-x(Cu) O, where x = 0.0, 0.03, 0.05, and 0.07 were produced using the co-precipitation process. Physical, chemical, and structural properties were properly examined. Powdered X-ray diffraction (P-XRD) patterns revealed the formation of hexagonal wurtzite crystal structure in all samples, through atomic substitutional incorporation in the Cu-doped ZnO lattice. The presence of Cu ions and their dissolution in the host ZnO crystal structure was supported by FT-IR spectra...

BACKGROUND: Biofilm formation is viewed as a vital mechanism in C. glabrata pathogenesis. Although, it plays a significant role in virulence but transcriptomic architecture and metabolic pathways governing the biofilm growth mode of C. glabrata remain elusive. The present study intended to investigate the genes implicated in biofilm growth phase of C. glabrata through global transcriptomic approach. RESULTS: Functional analysis of Differentially expressed genes (DEGs) using gene ontology and pathways analysis revealed that upregulated genes are involved in the glyoxylate cycle, carbon-carbon lyase activity, pre-autophagosomal structure membrane and vacuolar parts whereas, down- regulated genes appear to be associated with glycolysis, ribonucleoside biosynthetic process, ribosomal and translation process in the biofilm growth condition...

BACKGROUND: Not having an established relationship is associated with an elevated risk of Chlamydia trachomatis (CT) infection, but this might reflect selection into and out of unions. Although union formation and union separation are common events in reproductive age, little is known about changes in CT risk before and after these transitions. METHODS: We linked Finnish Population Register data to the National Register of Infectious Diseases and used fixed-effects linear probability models that account for all time-invariant confounders to examine changes in women's 6-month CT risk 3 years before and 3 years after entry into first cohabitation (n = 293 554), non-marital separation (n = 201 647) or marital separation (n = 92 232) during 2005-14...

A limited understanding of microbial interactions and community assembly mechanisms in constructed wetlands (CWs), particularly with different substrates, has hampered the establishment of ecological connections between micro-level interactions and macro-level wetland performance. In this study, CWs with distinct substrates (zeolite, CW_A; manganese ore, CW_B) were constructed to investigate the nutrient removal efficiency, microbial interactions, metabolic mechanisms, and ecological assembly for treating rural sewage with a low carbon-to-nitrogen ratio...

BACKGROUND: The impact that the COVID-19 pandemic has had on health care workers' mental health, in particular, cannot be ignored. Not only did the pandemic exacerbate mental health challenges through elevated stress, anxiety, risk of infection, and social isolation, but regulations to minimize infection additionally hindered the conduct of traditional in-person mental health care. OBJECTIVE: This study explores the feasibility of using Wysa, an artificial intelligence-led mental health app, among health care workers...

BACKGROUND: Functional impairment is one of the most decisive prognostic factors in patients with complex chronic diseases. A more significant functional impairment indicates that the disease is progressing, which requires implementing diagnostic and therapeutic actions that stop the exacerbation of the disease. OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to predict alterations in the clinical condition of patients with complex chronic diseases by predicting the Barthel Index (BI), to assess their clinical and functional status using an artificial intelligence model and data collected through an internet of things mobility device...

BACKGROUND: In England, digital technologies are exploited to transform the way health and social care is provided and encompass a wide range of hardware devices and software that are used in all aspects of health care. However, little is known about the extent to which health care providers differ in digital health technology capabilities and how this relates to geographical and regional differences in health care capacities and resources. OBJECTIVE: This paper aims to identify the set of digital technologies that have been deployed by the National Health Services clinical commissioning groups (NHS CCGs) in England...

CLINICAL ISSUE: Malformations of the central nervous system belong to the most common developmental disorders in humans. The clinical presentation of brain malformations is nonspecific including developmental delay, hypotonia, and/or epilepsy. The great heterogeneity concerning etiology, mechanisms of development and morphology is challenging for diagnosis and classification of brain malformations. Thereby recognizing specific malformations is essential for optimal patient management and prognostic evaluation...

Annexins, a group of Ca2+ -dependent phospholipid-binding proteins, exert diverse roles in neuronal development, normal central nervous system (CNS) functioning, neurological disorders, and CNS tumors. This paper reviews the roles of individual annexins (A1-A13) in these contexts. Annexins possess unique structural and functional features, such as Ca2+ -dependent binding to phospholipids, participating in membrane organization, and modulating cell signaling. They are implicated in various CNS processes, including endocytosis, exocytosis, and stabilization of plasma membranes...

Breath figure imprinting, based on surface instabilities combined with fast polymer evaporation in a humid environment, enables the creation of micro-patterned membranes with tailored pore sizes. Despite being a simple procedure, it is still challenging to fully understand the dynamics behind the formation of hierarchical structuring. In this work, we used the breath figure technique to prepare porous PLA-based (polylactic acid) membranes with two distinctive additives, polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) and zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnO NPs)...

Neoadjuvant therapy has been widely employed in the treatment of rectal cancer, demonstrating its utility in reducing tumor volume, downstaging tumors, and improving patient prognosis. It has become the standard preoperative treatment modality for locally advanced rectal cancer. However, the efficacy of neoadjuvant therapy varies significantly among patients, with notable differences in tumor regression outcomes. In some cases, patients exhibit substantial tumor regression, even achieving pathological complete response...

INTRODUCTION: The remarkable diversity observed in the structure and development of the molluscan nervous system raises intriguing questions regarding the molecular mechanisms underlying neurogenesis in Mollusca . The expression of SoxB family transcription factors plays a pivotal role in neuronal development, thereby offering valuable insights into the strategies of neurogenesis. METHODS: In this study, we conducted gene expression analysis focusing on SoxB-family transcription factors during early neurogenesis in the gastropod Lymnaea stagnalis ...

In the early 1900s, mutation breeding to select varieties with desirable traits using spontaneous mutation was actively conducted around the world, including Japan. In rice, the number of fixed mutations per generation was estimated to be 1.38-2.25. Although this low mutation rate was a major problem for breeding in those days, in the modern era with the development of next-generation sequencing (NGS) technology, it was conversely considered to be an advantage for efficient gene identification. In this paper, we proposed an in silico approach using NGS to compare the whole genome sequence of a spontaneous mutant with that of a closely related strain with a nearly identical genome, to find polymorphisms that differ between them, and to identify the causal gene by predicting the functional variation of the gene caused by the polymorphism...

Introduction: DNA methylation, specifically the formation of 5-methylcytosine at the C5 position of cytosine, undergoes reproducible changes as organisms age, establishing it as a significant biomarker in aging studies. Epigenetic clocks, which integrate methylation patterns to predict age, often employ linear models based on penalized regression, yet they encounter challenges in handling missing data, count-based bisulfite sequence data, and interpretation. Methods: To address these limitations, we introduce BayesAge, an extension of the scAge methodology originally designed for single-cell DNA methylation analysis...

This study investigated the relationship between urinary hormone concentrations and attachment-related behaviors in two dog breeds, the Akitas and Labrador Retrievers, to elucidate the hormonal and behavioral mechanisms underlying domestication and interspecies attachment to humans. By measuring cortisol and oxytocin concentrations, and conducting the Strange Situation Test (SST), we aimed to investigate breed differences in endocrine secretions associated with domestication and how these differences influence dog behavior toward humans...