Natural infection and then recovery are considered to be the most effective means for hosts to build protective immunity. Thus, mimicking natural infection of pathogens, many live attenuated vaccines such as influenza virus, and yellow fever vaccine 17D were developed and have been successfully used to induce protective immunity. However, humans fail to generate long-term protective immunity to some pathogens after natural infection such as influenza virus, respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) even if they survive initial infections. Many vaccines are suboptimal since much mortality is still occurring, which is exampled by influenza and tuberculosis. It is critically important to increase our understanding on protein components of pathogens and vaccines as well as cellular and host responses to infections and vaccinations. Here, we highlight recent advances in gene transcripts and protein analysis results in the systems biology to enhance our understanding of viral pathogens, vaccines, and host cell responses.

Reverse transcriptase is an indispensable enzyme for real-time reverse transcriptase (RT)-PCR, a standard method in molecular diagnostics for detection and quantification of defined RNA molecules. The prevention of non-specific products due to elongation of misprimed oligonucleotides by the enzyme at temperatures beneath the specific annealing temperature is one of the biggest challenges in real-time RT-PCR.In the present study, an aptamer directed against the reverse transcriptase was analyzed for its potential to attain a temperature-dependent reverse transcriptase ("hot start" RT).

Polo-like kinase 1 (Plk1) plays key roles in regulating various mitotic processes that are critical for cellular proliferation. A growing body of evidence suggests that Plk1 overexpression is tightly associated with the development of human cancers. Interestingly, various types of cancer cells are shown to be addicted to a high level of Plk1, and the reversal of Plk1 addiction appears to be an effective strategy for selectively killing cancer cells, but not normal cells. Therefore, Plk1 is considered an attractive anticancer drug target. Over the years, a large number of inhibitors that target the catalytic activity of Plk1 have been developed. However, these inhibitors exhibit significant levels of cross-reactivity with related kinases, including Plk2 and Plk3. Consequently, as an alternative approach for developing anti-Plk1 therapeutics, substantial effort is under way to develop inhibitors that target the C-terminal protein-protein interaction domain of Plk1, called the polo-box domain (PBD). In this communication, I will discuss the pros and cons of targeting the PBD in comparison to those of targeting the ATP-binding site within the kinase domain.

Cancer stem cells (CSCs), or alternatively called tumor initiating cells (TICs), are a subpopulation of tumor cells, which possesses the ability to self-renew and differentiate into bulk tumor mass. An accumulating body of evidence suggests that CSCs contribute to the growth and recurrence of tumors and the resistance to chemo- and radiotherapy. CSCs achieve self-renewal through asymmetric division, in which one daughter cell retains the self-renewal ability, and the other is destined to differentiation. Recent studies revealed the mechanisms of asymmetric division in normal stem cells (NSCs) and, to a limited degree, CSCs as well. Asymmetric division initiates when a set of polarity-determining proteins mark the apical side of mother stem cells, which arranges the unequal alignment of mitotic spindle and centrosomes along the apical-basal polarity axis. This subsequently guides the recruitment of fate-determining proteins to the basal side of mother cells. Following cytokinesis, two daughter cells unequally inherit centrosomes, differentiation-promoting fate determinants, and other proteins involved in the maintenance of stemness. Modulation of asymmetric and symmetric division of CSCs may provide new strategies for dual targeting of CSCs and the bulk tumor mass. In this review, we discuss the current understanding of the mechanisms by which NSCs and CSCs achieve asymmetric division, including the functions of polarity- and fate-determining factors.

An HPLC method employing a post-column derivatization strategy using the cupric reducing antioxidant capacity reagent (CUPRAC reagent) for the determining antioxidants in plant-based materials leverages the separation capability of regular HPLC approaches while allowing for detection specificity for antioxidants.

Scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM) has advanced rapidly in the last decade thanks to the ability to correct the major aberrations of the probe-forming lens. Now, atomic-sized beams are routine, even at accelerating voltages as low as 40 kV, allowing knock-on damage to be minimized in beam sensitive materials. The aberration-corrected probes can contain sufficient current for high-quality, simultaneous, imaging and analysis in multiple modes. Atomic positions can be mapped with picometer precision, revealing ferroelectric domain structures, composition can be mapped by energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX) and electron energy loss spectroscopy (EELS), and charge transfer can be tracked unit cell by unit cell using the EELS fine structure. Furthermore, dynamics of point defects can be investigated through rapid acquisition of multiple image scans. Today STEM has become an indispensable tool for analytical science at the atomic level, providing a whole new level of insights into the complex interplays that control material properties.

Cubic-shaped AgPO crystals with a mean size of 1 μm were synthesized by a precipitation method from a mixed solution of AgNO, NaHPO, and triethanolamine. The antibacterial activities against , , and DC3000 in both the absence and presence of AgPO under dark conditions and in the presence of AgPO under red-light (625 nm) and blue-light (460 nm) irradiation were examined. The concentrations of reactive oxygen species (ROS) were also measured in the antibacterial action of the AgPO against The photoinduced enhancement of the AgPO antibacterial activity under blue-light irradiation is explained by the formation of ROS during the antibacterial action of the AgPO. Moreover, the antiviral activity of AgPO against amphotropic 10A1 murine leukemia virus enhanced under blue-light irradiation via ROS production. These results provide an insight into extended bio-applications of AgPO.

Docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) is an important structural component of human brain and retina. Evidence exists linking nutritional status of pregnant mothers and cognitive functions of their born infants. The DHANI (Maternal DHA Supplementation and Offspring Neurodevelopment in India) trial was implemented to evaluate the effect of maternal supplementation with DHA during pregnancy and for 6 months following delivery on motor and mental development of infants at 1 and 12 months. We describe here the standardization and validation of an assay for measurement of selected omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids from the phospholipid fraction of red blood cells to assess their status in mothers at baseline, delivery and 6 months post-delivery and for infants in cord blood and at 1 and 12 months of age. The validated method has been used for the analysis of samples for DHANI.

Fungal infections are among the most difficult diseases to manage in humans. Eukaryotic fungal pathogens share many similarities with their host cells, which impairs the development of antifungal compounds. Therefore, it is desirable to harness the pharmaceutical potential of medicinal plants for antifungal drug discovery. In this study, the antifungal activity of sixteen plant extracts was investigated against selected dermatophytic fungi. Of the sixteen plants, the cladode (leaf) of and seed extract of showed antifungal activity against , , and . The plant antifungal compounds were located by direct bioassay against IR and NMR spectrometry analyses of these compounds identified the presence of saponin (in ) and hydroxy anthraquinone (in ) in these antifungal compounds. The antidermatophytic activity of plant anthraquinone and saponins with reports of little or no hemolytic activity, makes these compounds ideal for alternative antifungal therapy and warrants further in-depth investigation in vivo.

Due to the widespread emergence of COVID-19, face masks have become a common tool for reducing transmission risk between people, increasing the need for sterilization methods against mask-contaminated microorganisms. In this study, we measured the efficacy of ultraviolet (UV) laser irradiation (266 nm) as a sterilization technique against spores and on three different types of face mask. The UV laser source demonstrated high penetration of inner mask layers, inactivating microorganisms in a short time while maintaining the particle filtration efficiency of the masks. This study demonstrates that UV laser irradiation is an efficient sterilization method for removing pathogens from face masks.

Titanium dioxide (TiO) nanorods (NRs) are well-known semiconducting and catalytic material that has been widely applied, but their toxicities have also attracted recent interest. In this study, we investigated and compared the toxic effects of TiO NRs and TiO NRs loaded with Ag or Au NPs on boar spermatozoa. As a result, sperm incubated with Ag-TiO NRs showed lower motility than sperm incubated with controls (with or without TiO NRs) or Au-TiO NRs. In addition, sperm viability and acrosomal integrity were defective in the presence of Ag-TiO NRs, and the generation of intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) increased significantly when spermatozoa were incubated with 20 μg/ml Ag-TiO NRs. We discussed in depth the charge transfer mechanism between enzymatic NADPH and Ag-TiO NRs in the context of ROS generation in spermatozoa. The effects we observed reflected the fertilization competence of sperm incubated with Ag-TiO NRs; specifically sperm penetration and embryonic development rates by in vitro fertilization were reduced by Ag-TiO NRs. To summarize, our findings indicate that exposure to Ag-TiO NRs could affect male fertilization fecundity and caution that care be exercised when using these NRs.