Transcriptome profile of the human endothelial cell response to high- and low-density infections of Candida albicans

Background: Candida albicans morphology switching and quorum-sensing are important factors for pathogenicity and virulence in persons with a compromised or deficient immune system. This study investigates the in vitro response of human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) to infections with low and high densities of C. albicans. We hypothesize that higher cell densities of C. albicans yeast-form cells (blastospores), are more detrimental to HUVECs than lower cell densities of hyphal forms. Methods: Three biological replicates of confluent HUVECs in 6-well plates were challenged with 106 C. albicans blastospores (low-density infection) and 5 x 107 blastospores (highdensity infection) for 8 hours. The low-density infection generated true hyphae, but in the high-density infection, C. albicans remained as blastospores. RNA from these samples were subjected to DNA microarray transcript profiling. For MTT and XTT cell proliferation assays, conditioned media from the co-cultures for microarray experiments were incubated with HUVECs in 96-well plates for 24 hours. Results: The high-density blastospore-HUVEC co-cultures elicited significantly higher differential expression of genes involved in functional pathways of apoptosis, immune response, cell-cell signaling and cancer development, such as ZC3HAV1, HES1, CSF2, CXCL2 and PIM1, compared to the low-density true hyphae-HUVEC co-cultures. Cell proliferation assays also show that HUVECs incubated with conditioned media from the highdensity infection caused a higher percentage of cell death compared to incubation with conditioned media from the low-density infection. These results suggest that high densities of unattenuated, innate C. albicans blastospore cells can cause significant cellular toxicity, even though the cells are in the yeast form, not filamentous. Conclusion: Transcript profiling of this in vitro endothelial cell model may provide new insights into how C. albicans cell densities affect the host during the colonization and invasion through the bloodstream to the deep organs. We also suggest that quorum-sensing molecules and other unknown secretions from high-density C. albicans infections are strong inducers of cellular injury leading to cell death in systemic candidiasis

Replication and Meta-analysis of the Association between BDNF Val66Met Polymorphism and Cognitive Impairment in Patients Receiving Chemotherapy.

Cancer-related cognitive impairment (CRCI) adversely affects cancer patients. We had previously demonstrated that the BDNF Val66Met genetic polymorphism is associated with lower odds of subjective CRCI in the multitasking and verbal ability domains among breast cancer patients receiving chemotherapy. To further assess our previous findings, we evaluated the association of BDNF Val66Met polymorphism with subjective and objective CRCI in a temporally separate cohort of patients and pooled findings from both the original (n = 145) and current (n = 193) cohorts in a meta-analysis. Subjective CRCI was assessed using FACT-Cog. Objective CRCI was evaluated using computerized neuropsychological tests. Genotyping was carried out using Sanger sequencing. The association of BDNF Val66Met genotypes and CRCI was examined with logistic regression. A fixed-effect meta-analysis was conducted using the inverse variance method. In the meta-analysis (n = 338), significantly lower odds of CRCI were associated with Met allele carriers based on the global FACT-Cog score (OR = 0.52, 95% CI 0.29-0.94). Furthermore, Met allele carriers were at lower odds of developing impairment in the domains of memory (OR = 0.34, 95% CI: 0.17-0.70), multitasking (OR = 0.33, 95% CI: 0.18-0.59), and verbal ability (OR = 0.46, 95% CI: 0.24-0.88). Consistent with the previous study, lower odds of subjective CRCI among patients with the BDNF Met allele was observed after adjusting for potential confounders in the multitasking (OR = 0.30, 95% CI: 0.14-0.67) domain. In conclusion, carriers of the BDNF Met allele were protected against global subjective CRCI, particularly in the domains of memory, multitasking, and verbal ability. Our findings further contribute to the understanding of CRCI pathophysiology

Logistic Map Pseudo Random Number Generator in FPGA

This project develops a pseudo-random number generator (PRNG) using the logistic map, implemented in Verilog HDL on an FPGA and processes its output through a Central Limit Theorem (CLT) function to achieve a Gaussian distribution. The system integrates additional FPGA modules for real-time interaction and visualisation, including a clock generator, UART interface, XADC, and a 7-segment display driver. These components facilitate the direct display of PRNG values on the FPGA and the transmission of data to a laptop for histogram analysis, verifying the Gaussian nature of the output. This approach demonstrates the practical application of chaotic systems for generating Gaussian-distributed pseudo-random numbers in digital hardware, highlighting the logistic map's potential in PRNG design.Comment: 10 pages, 6 figure

Isolation and Characterization of Avirulence Genes in Magnaporthe oryzae

Magnaporthe oryzae is a fungal pathogen contributing to rice blast diseases globally via their Avr (avirulence) gene. Although the occurrence of M. oryzae has been reported in Sarawak since several decades ago, however, none has focused specifically on Avr genes, which confer resistance against pathogen associated molecular pattern-triggered immunity (PTI) in host. The objective of this study is to isolate Avr genes from M. oryzae 7’ (a Sarawak isolate) that may contribute to susceptibility of rice towards diseases. In this study, AvrPiz-t, AVR-Pik, Avr-Pi54, and AVR-Pita1 genes were isolated via PCR and cloning approaches. The genes were then compared with set of similar genes from related isolates derived from NCBI. Results revealed that all eight Avr genes (including four other global isolates) shared similar N-myristoylation site and a novel motif. 3D modeling revealed similar β-sandwich structure in AvrPiz-t and AVR-Pik despite sequence dissimilarities. In conclusion, it is confirmed of the presence of these genes in the Sarawak (M. oryzae) isolate. This study implies that Sarawak isolate may confer similar avirulence properties as their counterparts worldwide. Further R/Avr gene-for-gene relationship studies may aid in strategic control of rice blast diseases in future

d4eBP acts downstream of both dTOR and dFoxo to modulate cardiac functional aging in Drosophila

Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/75079/1/ACEL_504_sm_FigS1_TableS1-S2.pdfhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/75079/2/j.1474-9726.2009.00504.x.pd

Characterization of zeolitic imidazole framework (ZIF-8) catalyst for potential biodiesel production from waste cooking oil (WCO)

Heteropoly acids (HPAs) catalysts prove effective in waste cooking oil biodiesel production, considering their high density of Brønsted acidic sites, exhibit significant resilience to elevated levels of free fatty acid (FFA) and moisture content. However, the separation of HPA catalysts after biodiesel production is challenging due to their homogeneous catalytic nature. This study aims to develop magnetic vanadium-substituted HPAbased ZIF-8 composites to create a catalyst for biodiesel production from WCO that is more efficient and easier to separate. In this work, a range of analytical methods was utilized to characterize the catalyst, such as Fouriertransform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), scanning electron microscopy coupled with energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (SEM-EDX), highresolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM), and a vibrating sample magnetometer (VSM). The successful incorporation of HPA acid into the magnetite ZIF-8 nanocomposite was indicated by prominent bands in the FTIR analysis, and this formation was further validated by EDX analysis. The VSM results also revealed that the nanocomposite has good magnetic responsiveness, facilitating catalyst separation and recycling. The magnetic ZIF-8 composites functionalized with H6PV3MoW8O40 demonstrated significant potential for sustainable biodiesel production from WCO

Effectiveness of diabetes little helper video intervention on medication adherence among elderly patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus in Henan, China: study protocol for a randomised controlled trial

Introduction In the management of medication adherence in elderly patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), traditional methods such as verbal guidance and written materials may have certain limitations. Therefore, the development of digital intervention measures may play a key role in addressing these shortcomings. The objective of this study is to investigate the effects of Diabetes Little Helper (DLH) video intervention in improving medication adherence among elderly patients with T2DM in Henan province, China. Methods and analysis A parallel cluster randomised controlled trial will be applied in the current study. The two hospitals will be randomly divided into a control group and an intervention group, with 68 patients in each arm. Both groups will receive standard care, meanwhile the intervention group will receive an additional DLH video intervention. Data collection is planned at baseline, 1 month after intervention and at 3- month follow- up. Once the study is completed, the control group will also receive the similar video as in the intervention arm to uphold the ethical issues. Ethics and dissemination This study has obtained ethical approval from the Institutional Review Board of University Putra Malaysia (JKEUPM- 2023- 1279) and Henan Provincial People’s Hospital (20240107). The research results will also be submitted for publication in peer- reviewed journals