Pioneer (United States)

Gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) have been utilised as colorimetric biosensors because of their optical properties. Single-stranded DNA (ssDNA)-immobilised AuNPs (ssDNA-AuNPs) are widely used for nucleic acid detection. AuNPs strongly scatter light, allowing individual particles to be observed using dark-field microscope (DFM). In this study, we performed target ssDNA detection using the cross-linked aggregation of ssDNA-AuNPs via DFM. The limit of detection (LOD) was determined by evaluating the aggregation ratio of the ssDNA-AuNPs estimated at the single-cluster level using DFM images. The LOD for the target ssDNA detection based on the intensity of each spot in the DFM image was 15pM. To the best of our knowledge, this study is the first to perform a single-cluster analysis based on the red/gree/blue (RGB) values of individual spots in DFM images, and the LOD was determined to be 13pM. These LOD values are approximately 50 times lower than those obtained using the colorimetric method. Our results indicate that single-cluster analysis based on the intensity or colour of each spot in DFM images enables sensitive detection of target molecules.

This study aimed to investigate the effects of Lavandula angustifolia oil and medical ozone on the gene expressions of CYP1A1, CYP1A2, CYP2B1, and CYP3A1, as well as on the levels of Malondialdehyde (MDA), and the activities of Superoxide Dismutase (SOD) and Catalase (CAT) enzymes on acute liver toxicity. Experimental groups were established by separating 10-week-old 28 Wistar male rats, each weighing between 350 and 450g, into four groups of seven rats each. Gene expression levels were determined using RT-qPCR. MDA measured in the tissue samples by the thiobarbituric acid method. SOD and CAT enzyme activities measured spectrophotometrically. CYP1A1 fold regulation significantly decreased in the Lavandula (p = 0.012), and medical ozone (p = 0.044) groups compared to the control group. However, changes in the combination group were not statistically significant compared to the control group (p = 0.133). There were no significant differences in the fold regulations of CYP1A2, CYP2B1, and CYP3A1 among any groups (p > 0.05). MDA levels were significantly lower in the Lavandula, and medical ozone groups compared to the control group (p = 0.001). CAT enzyme activity did not show significant differences in the Lavandula (p = 0.096) and medical ozone groups (p = 0.103) but decreased significantly in the combination group (p = 0.031). SOD enzyme activity did not show significant differences among the groups (p = 0.112). Lavandula and medical ozone treatments significantly reduced CYP1A1 gene expression and MDA levels, which may indicate their potential in reducing oxidative stress. These findings highlight the complexity of combined therapies and suggest possible interactions or suppressive effects between the agents, which have not been previously reported.

Abstract We report the detection of methanol (CH 3 OH) toward interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS using the Atacama Compact Array of the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) on UT 2025 August 28, September 18 and 22, and October 1 and of hydrogen cyanide (HCN) on September 12 and 15. These observations spanned pre-perihelion heliocentric distances ( r H ) of 2.6–1.7 au. The molecules showed outgassing patterns distinct from one another, with HCN production being depleted in the sunward hemisphere of the coma, whereas CH 3 OH was enhanced in that direction. Statistical analysis of molecular scale lengths in 3I/ATLAS indicated that CH 3 OH included production from coma sources at L p &gt; 258 km at 99% confidence. However, low signal-to-noise ratio (S/N) on long baselines, which sample emission on small spatial scales closest to the nucleus, prevented definitively ruling out CH 3 OH as purely a parent species. In contrast, HCN production was indistinguishable from direct nucleus sublimation. The CH 3 OH production rate increased sharply from August through October, including an uptick near the inner edge of the H 2 O sublimation zone at r H = 2 au. Compared to comets measured to date at radio wavelengths, the derived CH 3 OH/HCN ratios in 3I/ATLAS of <mml:math xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" overflow="scroll"> <mml:mn>12</mml:mn> <mml:msubsup> <mml:mrow> <mml:mn>4</mml:mn> </mml:mrow> <mml:mrow> <mml:mo>−</mml:mo> <mml:mn>34</mml:mn> </mml:mrow> <mml:mrow> <mml:mo>+</mml:mo> <mml:mn>30</mml:mn> </mml:mrow> </mml:msubsup> </mml:math> and <mml:math xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" overflow="scroll"> <mml:mn>7</mml:mn> <mml:msubsup> <mml:mrow> <mml:mn>9</mml:mn> </mml:mrow> <mml:mrow> <mml:mo>−</mml:mo> <mml:mn>14</mml:mn> </mml:mrow> <mml:mrow> <mml:mo>+</mml:mo> <mml:mn>11</mml:mn> </mml:mrow> </mml:msubsup> </mml:math> on September 12 and 15, respectively, are among the most enriched values measured in any comet, surpassed only by anomalous solar system comet C/2016 R2 (Pan-STARRS).

Abstract According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, in 2023, 1.5 million adults attempted suicide (1). To address this mental health emergency, suicide prevention workshops have been introduced to resident physicians (5). However there exists a gap in suicide education for medical students, especially in the preclinical years. This study evaluated the feasibility and impact of integrating safeTALK, a standardized suicide prevention training, into the preclinical curriculum at Oakland University William Beaumont School of Medicine (OUWB). safeTALK was piloted as both an optional and a required component of the OUWB curriculum, and students completed pre- and post-training surveys assessing their self-perceived preparedness to identify and handle a mental health crisis. Our data shows that incorporating a brief suicide prevention program like safeTALK significantly increased students’ self-perceived abilities to both identify and handle a mental crisis. Integrating this training into the preclinical medical curriculum is both feasible and effective in improving students’ preparedness to engage with real-world mental health crises. Broader adoption of suicide prevention training in the medical school curriculum can help foster a culture of mental health awareness and equip students with life-saving intervention skills.

The trigeminal nerve consists of three major branches or rami (r) in jawed vertebrates: the ophthalmic (rV1), maxillary (rV2), and mandibular (rV3), with rV2 and rV3 innervating the upper and lower jaws, respectively. This three-branch configuration is conserved in the lamprey, a representative of the cyclostomes, the sole survivor of jawless vertebrates. While the first branch is widely accepted to be homologous to that of jawed vertebrate rV1, the homology of the other two remains unclear, so they are called rV1, rV2/3A, and rV2/3B. In this study, we investigate evolutionary modifications of the trigeminal nerve by comparing its organization in lamprey and jawed vertebrate embryos. By detailed neuronal tracing analysis of rV2/3B, which innervates the velum, we demonstrate that it consists solely of motor components. Conversely, we identify both sensory and motor fibers in rV2/3A. These results make a striking contrast to the trigeminal nerve of the jawed vertebrates, as their rV2 is purely sensory, but rV3 is a mixed nerve. Furthermore, through comparative analyses of sensory projection inside the brain, we clarify that the principal sensory nucleus of the trigeminal nerve (PrV) of anamniotes (shark, catfish, and Xenopus) lacks a somatotopic organization, suggesting that somatotopy evolved in at least the last common ancestor of amniotes. Last, by gene expression analysis of Drg11, a marker for the PrV and the spinal trigeminal nucleus (SpV), we show that a PrV-equivalent region is not present in the lamprey. These findings indicate significant structural changes in the trigeminal nerve associated with jaw acquisition, including shifts in innervation territories, the disappearance of the branch innervating the velum, and the emergence of novel brain nuclei.

Context . In cores deuterium fractionation becomes highly efficient due to low temperatures and CO freeze-out. Cyclopropenylidene (c-C 3 H 2 ), a small cyclic molecule formed early in chemical evolution, and its deuterated forms serve as valuable tracers of gas-phase deuteration in these environments. Aims . In order to statistically explore the c-C 3 H 2 deuteration ratios towards starless and prestellar cores, we present observations of c-C 3 H 2 and its deuterated isotopologues on a sample of cores in the Perseus molecular cloud. Methods . Transitions of c-C 3 H 2 , c-C 3 HD, and c-C 3 D 2 were observed with the Yebes 40m, the Arizona Radio Observatory (ARO) 12m and the Institut de Radioastronomie Millimétrique (IRAM) 30 metre telescopes towards a total of 16 starless and prestellar cores in the Perseus molecular cloud. The lines were fitted with Gaussian profiles and their column densities were computed using the non-local thermodynamic equilibrium (non-LTE) software RADEX. Results . The main isotopologue c-C 3 H 2 is detected in 93% (14/15) of the targeted cores (for one of the 16 cores, none of its transitions were covered), its singly deuterated form c-C 3 HD is detected in 94% (15/16) of the targeted cores, and its doubly deuterated form c-C 3 D 2 is detected towards 56% (9/16) of the cores detected. A range of column densities towards the different cores was derived: for c-C 3 H 2 , (0.5–8.1)×10 13 cm −2 ; for c-C 3 HD, (0.2–2.1)×10 12 cm −2 ; and for c-C 3 D 2 , (0.6–1.6)×10 11 cm −2 . The ortho-to-para ratio of c-C 3 H 2 was obtained for all except one core with a median value of 3.5 ± 0.4. The D/H and D 2 /D ratios were obtained for the cores with detections, yielding a statistically corrected D/H range of 0.5–9.2% with a median value of 1.5 ± 0.2% and a statistically corrected D 2 /D range 9.0–55.2% with a median value of 25.9 ± 4.3%. Conclusions . No apparent trend is seen with the ortho-to-para ratio of c-C 3 H 2 and the evolutionary stage of the core, as traced by volume density n H 2 . The median c-C 3 H 2 D/H ratio in Perseus’ starless cores appears lower than the value for the Taurus molecular cloud and the Chamaeleon molecular cloud. The D 2 /D ratio is equivalent between the Perseus and Taurus molecular clouds within the uncertainties. There is a correlation with the D/H ratio and the n H 2 of the cores in Perseus, strengthening the idea of D/H being a tracer of core evolution. The D 2 /D ratio does not correlate with n H 2 , but positively correlates with T kin , suggesting that its formation is favoured by a slightly endothermic reaction.

We investigate the formation of the recently detectedHNSO moleculeusing quantum chemical calculations on ices and astrochemical modelsin tandem. Our results indicate that HNSO is efficiently producedon grain surfaces through reactions involving atomic oxygen and nitrogenatoms with the radicals NS and SO, forming NSO as a key intermediate.Subsequent hydrogenation of NSO leads to HNSO, with a clear preferencefor the lowest energy cis conformer, while the trans form is metastable and may be short-lived under typicalinterstellar conditions. The models predict that solid HNSO can reachabundances comparable to icy OCS, placing it among the major sulfur-bearingspecies in interstellar ices. Gas-phase abundances, in contrast, remainlower than those of OCS. The implementation of a multibinding schemein our models clarifies the role of diffusive chemistry in the productionof HNSO at early times, improving agreement with observations. Thesefindings suggest that reactions involving diffusing O and N atomson icy grains contribute significantly to sulfur chemistry and beyondin dense clouds and motivate further searches for molecules containingsimultaneously H, N, O, and S in other astronomical environments.

Glioblastoma (GBM) is an aggressive tumor with limited therapeutic options. Zika virus (ZIKV) has demonstrated activity against GBM; however, the cellular pathways behind this interaction remain unclear. We systematically reviewed open-access primary studies assessing differentially expressed genes (DEGs) in GBM models infected with wild-type or engineered ZIKV using transcriptomic approaches (inclusion criteria); reviews, restricted-access studies, commentaries, preprints, abstracts, and articles lacking data or not meeting these conditions were excluded (PROSPERO CRD420251077092). We performed a pathway analysis of reported DEGs. PubMed and Google Scholar were searched up to 5 March 2025; 139 records were identified and 5 met the eligibility criteria. Risk of bias was evaluated using an adapted ToxRTool for in vitro experiments and the SYRCLE RoB tool for in vivo models. Altogether, 4360 genes were reported as upregulated and 2072 as downregulated; 12 genes (DNAJB9, SESN2, PMAIP1, PPP1R15A, KLF4, ATF3, IFNB1, IFNL1, ANKRD33B, ZC3HAV1, OASL, and CCL5) were consistently upregulated, none were consistently downregulated. Pathway analysis of the studies providing complete DEG lists identified 23 commonly enriched pathways mostly related to interferon signaling. These findings may help guide future research in this field; nevertheless, methodological heterogeneity limits comparability, reinforcing the need for standardized protocols. Funding: ITpS, CNPq, and FAPEMIG.