Article
Biology
Salvatore D'Aniello, Stephanie Bertrand, Hector Escriva
Summary: This article describes the life cycle of amphioxus, discusses the natural histories and habitats of different species, and explores the use of amphioxus as a laboratory animal model and the techniques developed for studying various aspects of amphioxus.
Article
Cell Biology
Bo Han, Weishi Liang, Yong Hai, Yuzeng Liu, Yuxiang Chen, Hongtao Ding, Jincai Yang, Peng Yin
Summary: This study successfully established a porcine model of DSCI that closely mimics DSCI in clinical settings and clarified the mechanisms underlying DSCI-associated neuroinflammation and apoptosis.
FRONTIERS IN CELL AND DEVELOPMENTAL BIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Oleg Tolstenkov, Yana Mikhaleva, Joel C. Glover
Summary: Through studying the protochordate Oikopleura dioica, we have discovered a motor control circuit similar to the basal ganglia in vertebrates. This circuit involves dopamine neurons projecting to GABAergic neurons, which in turn regulate the locomotor central pattern generator through inhibitory projections. This finding suggests that the role of dopamine in modulating locomotor performance existed in ancestral chordates.
Article
Engineering, Geological
Runhong Zhang, Anthony Teck Chee Goh, Yongqin Li, Hanlong Liu, Lin Wang, Zhixiong Chen, Wengang Zhang
Summary: This study investigates the influence of clay anisotropy on the basal heave stability of excavations and proposes a regression model for predicting the basal heave stability in anisotropic clay.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Yukihide Ota, Shinya Sato, Mitsuyo Yoshihara, Yoshiyasu Nakamura, Etsuko Miyagi, Yohei Miyagi
Summary: In this study, a practical method for investigating spatial location-specific biological mechanisms in disseminated cancers was established. The researchers used a gel-based embedding system to preserve the spatial locations of organs and studied the effects of spatial localization on cancer hypoxia. Furthermore, they demonstrated the applicability of this method for analyzing mRNA expression in specimens and identifying therapeutic targets.
SCIENTIFIC REPORTS
(2022)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Yasuhiko Matsumoto, Tae Nagamachi, Asami Yoshikawa, Hideki Yamazaki, Yusuke Yamasaki, Tsuyoshi Yamada, Takashi Sugita
Summary: Trichosporon asahii is a pathogenic fungus causing severe infections, and establishing an efficient gene-targeting system in a highly pathogenic strain can aid in elucidating its infection mechanisms. Using a gene transfer system, a ku70 gene-deficient mutant with higher efficiency was obtained to construct a mutant lacking the cnb1 gene, which showed reduced pathogenicity. This suggests that studying a highly pathogenic strain using a gene-targeting system can help understand the molecular mechanisms of infection by T. asahii.
SCIENTIFIC REPORTS
(2021)
Review
Pediatrics
Petra Potmesilova, Milon Potmesil, Jana Mareckova
Summary: The aim of this literature review was to find and summarize relevant research evidence on the effects of Basal Stimulation on the cognitive-behavioral functions or temperament of preterm or disabled infants. Multiple databases and search engines were utilized, resulting in 15 relevant sources. The findings confirmed the positive influence of Basal Stimulation on the cognitive-behavioral functions and temperament of premature and disabled children.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Eric R. Beyerle, Mohammadhasan Dinpajooh, Huiying Ji, Peter H. von Hippel, Andrew H. Marcus, Marina G. Guenza
Summary: Regulatory protein access to the interior of the DNA duplex is dependent on local DNA breathing fluctuations, primarily driven by thermally-induced base stacking-unstacking interactions. Using the dinucleotide dApdA as a model, researchers studied stacking-unstacking phenomena at a molecular level, revealing the role of ionic structure and water orientation in controlling DNA breathing fluctuations. Molecular Dynamics simulations and Markov State Model analyses were utilized to validate the findings, which were further supported by calculations of circular dichroism (CD) spectra. The study identified distinct chiral conformations in dApdA, representing different forms of base pairing and highlighting the importance of ion condensation and hydrogen bonding in duplex DNA dynamics.
NUCLEIC ACIDS RESEARCH
(2021)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Anna Krotinger, Psyche Loui
Summary: Dance classes for individuals with Parkinson's disease show significant improvements in symptoms, particularly in enhancing sensorimotor coupling abilities. Patients with prior dance experience exhibit better performance post-intervention.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Koji Ooka, Munehito Arai
Summary: Recent advancements in using deep neural networks for accurate protein structure prediction have made significant progress in solving the structure prediction aspect of the protein folding problem. However, predicting the detailed mechanisms of protein folding into specific native structures remains challenging, especially for multidomain proteins that make up the majority of proteomes. In this study, a simple structure-based statistical mechanical model was developed to incorporate nonlocal interactions that drive the folding of multidomain proteins. The model successfully predicted protein folding processes consistent with experimental results, overcoming limitations in protein size and shape. Additionally, slight modifications allowed for the prediction of disulfide-oxidative and disulfide-intact protein folding, providing insight into folding mechanisms beyond experimental reproduction. Therefore, these physics-based models enable accurate prediction of protein folding mechanisms with low computational complexity and pave the way for solving the folding process aspect of the protein folding problem.
NATURE COMMUNICATIONS
(2023)
Article
Acoustics
Toru Kameda, Naohisa Kamiyama, Nobuyuki Taniguchi
Summary: The size of the point or plane of contact and height of the source were observed to be key factors in the generation, length, and echo intensity of the artifacts.
ULTRASOUND IN MEDICINE AND BIOLOGY
(2021)
Review
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Ann Liebert, William Capon, Vincent Pang, Damien Vila, Brian Bicknell, Craig McLachlan, Hosen Kiat
Summary: Despite the focus on the mechanisms of photobiomodulation (PBM), its complex functions are not fully understood. This review proposes several mechanisms of PBM that are not dependent on cytochrome c oxidase, including the photophysical aspects of PBM and the interactions with biophotons and mechanotransductive processes. These hypotheses are contingent on the effect of light on ion channels and the cytoskeleton, the production of biophotons, and the properties of light and biological molecules.
Article
Endocrinology & Metabolism
Parmita Kar, Tabin Millo, Soma Saha, Samrina Mahtab, Shipra Agarwal, Ravinder Goswami
Summary: This study explores the molecular mechanisms of basal-ganglia calcification (BGC) in patients with chronic hypoparathyroidism, revealing differential expression of procalcification and antiosteogenic molecules in different brain regions. An ex vivo model showed that high phosphate enhanced calcification in the striatum, while exogenous PTH mitigated this effect by upregulating the expression of certain molecules involved in bone formation.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Elizabeth Cooper, Peter J. Choi, Kihwan Hwang, Kyung M. Nam, Chae-Yong Kim, Tina Shaban, Patrick Schweder, Edward Mee, Jason Correia, Clinton Turner, Richard L. M. Faull, William A. Denny, Katsuya Noguchi, Mike Dragunow, Jiney Jose, Thomas I-H. Park
Summary: The cellular uptake of heptamethine cyanine dyes (HMCD), a group of tumour-specific and BBB permeable near-infrared fluorescent dyes, is found to be hindered by strongly ionisable groups like sulphonic acids in patient-derived glioblastoma cell lines, highlighting cell line-specific differences in HMCD uptake. These findings will guide the design and structural modifications of HMCDs for drug-delivery applications for glioblastoma.
CHEMICAL BIOLOGY & DRUG DESIGN
(2023)
Article
Behavioral Sciences
Seth Herd, Kai Krueger, Ananta Nair, Jessica Mollick, Randall O'Reilly
Summary: This study presents a theory and neural network model of the neural mechanisms underlying human decision-making, detailing the interaction between brain regions under a proposer-predictor-actor-critic framework. By operating sequentially and hierarchically, the same mechanisms previously proposed for animal action-selection could explain the most complex human plans and decisions, including model-based decisions, habitization, and risky behavior.
COGNITIVE AFFECTIVE & BEHAVIORAL NEUROSCIENCE
(2021)