molecular medicine

Folia Biologica celebrates 70 years of continuous publication of research papers. The first volume was published in Prague in 1954 on behalf of the Institute of Molecular Genetics of the Czechoslovak Academy of Sciences (since 1990 the Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic) under the subtitle "International edition of the journal Czechoslovakian Biology". Born in the dark days of the Cold War, Folia Biologica provided a thin but important link between the politically controlled science behind the Iron Curtain in the former Czechoslovakia and that of the free Western world...

ConspectusStereochemistry has played a key role in the development of synthetic chemistry for the simple reason that the function and properties of most molecules, from medicine to materials science, depend on their shape and thus the stereoisomer used. However, despite the potential for rotaxanes and catenanes to display unusual forms of stereochemistry being identified as early as 1961, this aspect of the mechanical bond remained underexplored and underexploited; until 2014 it was only possible to access chiral rotaxanes and catenanes whose stereoisomerism is solely attributable to the mechanical bond using chiral stationary phase high performance liquid chromatography, which limited their production on scale and thus inhibited the investigation of their properties and applications...

The Organic Cation Transporter Novel 1 (OCTN1), also known as SLC22A4, is widely expressed in various human tissues, and involved in numerous physiological and pathological processes remains. It facilitates the transport of organic cations, zwitterions, with selectivity for positively charged solutes. Ergothioneine, an antioxidant compound, and acetylcholine (Ach) are among its substrates. Given the lack of experimentally solved structures of this protein, this study aimed at generating a reliable 3D model of OCTN1 to shed light on its substrate-binding preferences and the role of sodium in substrate recognition and transport...

Cancer immune evasion contributes to checkpoint immunotherapy failure in many patients with metastatic cancers. The embryonic transcription factor DUX4 was recently characterized as a suppressor of interferon-γ signaling and antigen presentation that is aberrantly expressed in a small subset of primary tumors. Here, we report that DUX4 expression is a common feature of metastatic tumors, with ~10-50% of advanced bladder, breast, kidney, prostate, and skin cancers expressing DUX4. DUX4 expression is significantly associated with immune cell exclusion and decreased objective response to PD-L1 blockade in a large cohort of urothelial carcinoma patients...

Somatic cell nuclear transfer (SCNT) is a very important reproductive technology with many diverse applications, such as fast multiplication of elite animals, the production of transgenic animals and embryonic stem (ES) cells. However, low cloning efficiency, a low live birth rate and the abnormally high incidence of abnormalities in the offspring born are attributed to incomplete or aberrant nuclear reprogramming. In SCNT embryos, the aberrant expression pattern of the genes throughout embryonic development is responsible for the incomplete nuclear reprogramming...

Interactions between cells are of fundamental importance in affecting cell function. In vivo, endothelial cells and islet cells are close to each other, which makes endothelial cells essential for islet cell development and maintenance of islet cell function. We used endothelial cells to construct 3D pseudo-islets, which demonstrated better glucose regulation and greater insulin secretion compared to conventional pseudo-islets in both in vivo and in vitro trials. However, the underlying mechanism of how endothelial cells promote beta cell function localized within islets is still unknown...

In this work, for the first time, the specific impedances of various injection solutions as well as the surface and tissue impedance after injection of these solutions were analyzed and compared regarding the radio-frequency surgical cutting process. The impedances of 0.9% NaCl, 4% gelatine, 6% hydroxyethyl starch, 10% glycerol/5% fructose, 10% glucose, 5% and 20% albumin, blood, and blood plasma as well as aqua destillata have been tested in vitro. Even if EMR and ESD are routinely used in clinical practice, there is so far no easy, fast, and safe method to remove larger lesions en bloc...

No abstract text is available yet for this article.

Connexins allow intercellular communication by forming gap junction channels (GJCs) between juxtaposed cells. Connexin26 (Cx26) can be regulated directly by CO2 . This is proposed to be mediated through carbamylation of K125. We show that mutating K125 to glutamate, mimicking the negative charge of carbamylation, causes Cx26 GJCs to be constitutively closed. Through cryo-EM we observe that the K125E mutation pushes a conformational equilibrium towards the channel having a constricted pore entrance, similar to effects seen on raising the partial pressure of CO2 ...

BACKGROUND: Pyrazole is a well-known nucleus in the pharmacy field with a wide range of other activities in addition to anti-inflammatory and analgesic, i.e., anticonvulsant, antiviral, and anticancer activities. There are well-known marketed drugs having pyrazole moiety as celecoxib, and lonazolac as COX-II inhibitors. AIMS: We aim to synthesize better anti-inflammatory than existing ones. Thiophene is also known for its analgesic and anti-inflammatory action. Thus, the fusion of both gives better anti-inflammatory agents...

The present study evaluated the presence of Salmonella enterica in Pakistani backyard poultry. A total 48 chickens from 4 backyard poultry breeds with the clinical presentation of S. enterica infection were randomly selected from villages in the Punjab Province. Cloacal swabs from live poultry and liver samples from the dead birds were collected for bacterial culture and biochemical identification. Liver and spleen samples from dead birds were evaluated for gross and histopathological changes. Bacterial isolates were subjected to PCR and sequencing of ratA gene...

Non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is a significant global health issue with diverse molecular profiles affecting treatment responses. Yet, NSCLC's molecular epidemiology in Morocco is largely unexplored. This study focuses on NSCLC genetic mutations, specifically in adenocarcinoma, among Moroccan patients to contribute to understanding NSCLC in this population. Ninety-four patients diagnosed with lung adenocarcinoma were analyzed. Formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded tissue samples were processed, and deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA)/ribonucleic acid (RNA) was extracted using standardized protocols...

INTRODUCTION: Aedes albopictus, like Aedes aegypti, is a virulent vector of arboviruses especially the well-documented spread of yellow fever around the world. Although yellow fever is prevalent in Nigeria, there is a paucity of information in the Niger Delta region on the distribution of Aedes mosquito vectors and molecular detection of the virus in infected mosquitoes. This study sampled Aedes mosquitoes around houses associated with farms from four communities (Otolokpo, Ute-Okpu, Umunede, and Ute Alohen) in Ika North-East Local Government Area of Delta State, Nigeria...

Tick-borne infectious agents (TBIAs) include several bacteria and protozoa that can infect vertebrates, including humans. Some of these agents can cause important diseases from both a public health perspective, such as Lyme disease, and from an animal health and production viewpoint, such as Texas fever. In Chile, several studies have assessed the presence of tick-borne disease agents in vectors and mammal hosts, mainly in the northern regions, but few studies have assessed the presence of these agents in Central and Southern Chile...

BACKGROUND: Human hemoglobin of G-Makassar and hemoglobin E (Hb E) are hemoglobin variants that affect Beta (β) globin. Hb G-Makassar is a very rare variant while Hb E is estimated to affect at least one million people worldwide. Both Hb G-Makassar and Hb E can be inherited in the heterozygous, homozygous or compound heterozygous state. This case series describes the characteristics of four individuals with compound heterozygosity for Hb G-Makassar/Hb E cases in Malaysia. To the best of our knowledge, these are the only four individuals with this genotype reported in the literature...

Nanoparticles have recently become considered as a crucial player in contemporary medicine, with therapeutic uses ranging from contrast agents in imaging to carriers for the transport of drugs and genes into a specific target. Nanoparticles have the ability to have more precise molecular interactions with the human body in order to target specific cells and tissues with minimal adverse effects and maximal therapeutic outcomes. With the least number of side effects and the greatest possible therapeutic benefit, nanoparticles can target particular cells and tissues through more precise molecular interactions with the human body...

Lilium lancifolium Thunb ( L. lancifolium ) is an important medicinal and edible plant with outstanding functionality for selenium (Se) biofortification. However, the molecular response of L. lancifolium to exogenous Se has not been fully elucidated. In this study, the effects of different levels of Se on L. lancifolium growth and quality were explored by transcriptome, metabolome and biochemical analyses. The results showed that the total Se and organic Se content in L. lancifolium bulbs increased with increasing Se dosage (0-8...

This case report describes the effects of fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) administered via enema in a 4-year-old spayed, champagne Domestic Ferret ( Mustela putorius furo ) with chronic diarrhea, maldigestion and weight loss. We aimed to establish a protocol for FMT as a novel therapeutic treatment for chronic diarrhea in domestic ferrets. We mapped the fecal microbiome by 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing to track the patient's fecal microbiota throughout the treatment and observation period. Initial oral FMTs were associated with temporary weight improvement but subsequent treatments, via enema and oral delivery, showed varied outcomes...

A pair of coumarin-based polycyclic meroterpenoid enantiomers (+)/(-)-gerbeloid A [(+)- 1a and (-)- 1b ] were isolated from the medicinal plant Gerbera piloselloides , which have a unique caged oxatricyclo [4.2.2.03,8 ] decene scaffold. Their planar and three-dimensional structures were exhaustively characterized by comprehensive spectroscopic data and X-ray diffraction analysis. Guided by the hypothetical biosynthetic pathway, the biomimetic synthesis of racemic 1 was achieved using 4-hydroxy-5-methylcoumarin and citral as the starting material via oxa-6 π electrocyclization and intramolecular [2 + 2] photocycloaddition...

OBJECTIVE: To identify the IL12B gene variant (rs3213119) and to find its association in Pakistani clinical population of Rheumatoid Arthritis. METHODS: It was a population association (unrelated) case control study, performed from January - December 2022 at Laboratory of Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Army Medical College, Rawalpindi. Blood samples were collected from all 150 study participants, followed by DNA extraction and Allele-specific polymerase chain reaction performed at Center for Research in Experimental and Applied Medicine (CREAM) Laboratory of Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Army Medical College Rawalpindi...