Macrophages depletion alters MSC function and differentiation under chronic conditions

Background Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) maintain homeostasis and tissue regeneration. Although MSCs are recognized as potential candidates for regenerative therapies, their function and differentiation can be influenced by various factors, including stress, the microenvironment, and immune cells such as macrophages. Macrophages are in direct contact with MSCs, but the impact of their depletion on MSCs under chronic stress conditions has yet to be examined.The Abstract Book of European Hematology Association’s 30th Annual Congress - EHA2025 Congress, June 12-15 2025, Milan, Ital

Investigation of the anticancer potential of newly synthesized N4-substituted thiosemicarbazones: In silico and in vitro biological approaches

Four thiosemicarbazones by using tolualdehyde and cuminaldehyde having the formula, R2−(S)C−HN−NHC−R1[R1 = CH3 & R2 = C4H9N (TAP), R2 = C4H9NO & R1 = CH3 & (TAM), R2 = C4H9N & R1 = (CH3)2CH (CMP), R2 = C4H9NO & R1 = (CH3)2CH (CMM)] have been synthesized. The compound interactions were assessed using their UV−visible, infrared, NMR, and HRMS spectra. Single−crystal X−ray diffraction was employed to know the molecular structure of CMP and TAP. The compounds were assessed for their interactions with Calf−Thymus (CT)−DNA using spectroscopic titrations using both emission and absorption spectra. As per the research findings on DNA binding, the compounds interactively interacted with DNA, as indicated by the hypochromic and slight red shift. TAP exhibited a high binding constant (5.16 × 105), suggesting a stronger binding to CT−DNA compared to other compounds. The fluorescence titration spectra of BSA binding experiments exhibited a noteworthy hypochromic shift and red shift, displaying a strong interaction of chemicals with BSA. EGFR protein docking examination demonstrated the potential of compounds to treat the targets. TAP displayed the highest binding score (–6.4230 Kcal/mol) to EGFR with the four compounds. To compute density functional theory (DFT), B3LYP/6−311 G (d, p) level theories have been implemented. Generated compounds' computational analyses reveal the structural stability of compound TAP than the rest synthesized ligands. SwissADME investigations indicate that the LogP values for each compound are less than five indicating that they have the right lipophilicity characteristics. All newly synthesized compounds follow Lipinski's rule of drug lines. A good result for this characteristic is indicated by the low degree of synthetic accessibility, which falls between two and three. Each of the compounds (TAP−CMM) can develop into a viable oral medicine. Each compound (TAP−CMM) was tested for its anticancer potential using MCF−7, MCF−10A, A549, and human HepG−2 liver. TAP demonstrated favorable efficacy in HepG−2 liver cancer cells, exhibiting IC50 values of 23.1 μM

A Prevalence Study on Anoplocephala spp. in Serbian Horses: Navigating Diagnostic Challenges and Understanding Infection Risks

Anoplocephala spp. are common equine tapeworm species in Europe, frequently found in grazing horses. Anoplocephala perfoliata is the most pathogenic, clinically significant species associated with gastrointestinal disorders, particularly colic, and can have a fatal outcome in some horses. The aim of this study was to determine the infection prevalence of Anoplocephala spp. in Serbia and to identify relevant risk factors. A total of 173 horses from various regions were tested using a combination of diagnostic methods: coprological analysis via combined sedimentation–flotation and the Mini-FLOTAC technique, as well as serological testing using a commercial ELISA test. The overall prevalence was 38.7%, with a higher number of positive cases being identified by serology. It was demonstrated that coprology and serology are complementary approaches for prevalence studies. Infection risk factors included high stocking density, free-roaming status and co-infection with nematodes, while lower rainfall and temperate climate were associated with reduced risk of tapeworm infection. These findings highlight the challenges of Anoplocephala spp. detection and provide insight into the epidemiology of equine tapeworm infection in Southeastern Europe

Understanding Toxoplasma gondii transmission in an ecological context—the contribution of wild avian species from urban environments

IntroductionThe role of avians in the transmission chain of Toxoplasma gondii, a zoonotic coccidian parasite of the phylum Apicomplexa, is as intermediate hosts. However, the true contribution and significance of wild species in the maintenance and spread of the parasite in different ecosystems is not well understood.MethodsFor this study, heart tissue of 224 individual birds, representing 15 common wild species, and one domestic, Gallus gallus domesticus (backyard chickens), was collected. Total nucleic acids were extracted and the presence of T. gondii gDNA was ascertained by amplification of the 529 bp repeat element.ResultsThe infection was detected in 24.1% of the wild birds and in 41.4% of backyard chickens. The occurrence of infection in wild species did not statistically differ by diet or among urban (22.4%), peri-urban (27.3%) and rural areas (22.7%); in contrast, a statistically significant difference was observed between peri-urban (21%) and rural (80%) backyard chickens. Among the 11 city dwelling species, wood pigeons (Columba palumbus), rooks (Corvus frugilegus) and hooded crows (Corvus cornix) were the most numerous. The frequency of infection in the two corvid species was 32.1% and 31.6% in rooks and hooded crows, respectively, and 15.6% in wood pigeons, suggesting that corvids may be good bioindicators for the parasite in cities. As the majority (84%) of the city dwelling birds originated from a single residential area, possible local natural reservoirs of T. gondii, rodents and water, were analyzed additionally. Of the 16 rodents, 56.2% were infected, while three out of four samples of river water harbored T. gondii gDNA, indicating a fairly high probability of exposure to the parasite.DiscussionCollectively, our findings show that diet may not be a primary risk for T. gondii infection. Instead, the importance of understanding prevalence in birds in an ecological context and the contribution of environmental factors in different habitats are highlighted

The effect of abiotic stress on the flowering and productivity of zucchini

Zucchini (Cucurbita pepo subsp. pepo L.) is an important vegetable species that is used inhuman nutrition around the world. It is rich in water, fiber, proteins and vitamins, and characterized by significant health benefits. The production of zucchini is carried out from early spring to late autumn; however, in recent years, due to the occurrence of extreme drought, low air humidity, high temperatures, a lack of pollinators, the yield has been halved, or it can be completely absent. This trial was conducted in Smederevska Palanka, during two vegetative seasons (2019, 2020), in an open field and the greenhouse. The experiment was conducted on10 different genotypes of zucchini, during a period from May to September, and six characteristics related to flowering and yield were observed. The aim of this experiment was to evaluate the effects of environmental stresses on flowering, fruit setting, and yield. The appearance of the first female flower was 22% earlier on the plants growing in the green house compared to the open field. Additionally, the setting of fruits, during July and August, was 81%higher on the plants grown in the greenhouse. This was more pronounced during the first year of the experiment (total precipitation during the experiment in 2019 was 297.7 mm, in 2020461.7 mm). High temperatures, drought, and reduced air humidity have a negative effect on pollination of flowers, fruit setting, and yield per plant. Finding more resistant genotypes to abiotic stress is one of the ways to overcome the consequences caused by climate change

The influence of LED light on the development and antioxidant status of broccoli (Brassica oleracea var. italica) microgreens

The aim of the research was to examine the influence of different light treatments on the growth, phytochemicals and antioxidant potential of broccoli microgreens. Plants were grown in a growth chamber under LED (light-emitting diode) cold white, red and blue light and under fluorescent cold white light (control). The results showed that white and blue light treatments were the best for microgreen growth. Higher concentration of pigments was recorded in plants grown under LED light compared to those grown under FL (fluorescent lamp) light. The content of phenols and flavonoids had a positive and significant correlation with DPPH (2,2-diphenyl1-picrylhydrazyl) antioxidative capacity (r = 0.66 and r = 0.90, respectively). The first two principal components account for 97.92 % of the total variation of all observed traits in this trial. Based on the PCA (principal component analysis) results, it can be concluded that the traits total phenols content, carotenoid content, chlorophyll a and b content make up the largest share of variability in the obtained results and that the red light conditions were the most unfavourable for the content of phytochemical compounds and antioxidant potential

Vitamin A5: Evidence, Definitions, Gaps, and Future Directions

With the emergence of a new vitamin concept—vitamin A5—it is essential to first clarify the basic definition of vitamins, particularly vitamin A. This article summarizes the foundational concepts and definitions of vitamins with particular relevance to the discovery, establishment, and categorization of new vitamin concepts. Vitamin A5 was discovered 80 years after the last vitamin was identified. It serves as an umbrella term for the dietary precursors 9-cis-β,β-carotene and 9-cis-13,14-dihydroretinol for the endogenous activator of the nuclear hormone receptor RXR, 9-cis-13,14-dihydroretinoic acid. However, several questions arise: Which criteria are typically used to identify a substance as a vitamin? How does vitamin A5 fit into the sometimes misleading definition of vitamin A? This review summarizes key findings and provides a comprehensive assessment of the current understanding, concluding that (a) vitamin A5 is a newly identified micronutrient that plays an important role in the prevention of diet-related diseases and (b) vitamin A5 is an important micronutrient that provides a plausible, mechanistic explanation for why a Western lifestyle diet low in vegetables and especially leafy vegetables can lead to a high prevalence of Western-lifestyle diseases, particularly neurological diseases and poor mental health

Diversification of Primary Mesenchymal Stromal/Stem Cell Populations at the Single-Cell Level Using Raman Spectroscopy

Abstract. As a promising optical technique for application in biomedicine, Raman spectroscopy has been used for stem cell analysis, whereby the largest number of studies was based on the examination of the differentiation status of mesenchymal stromal/stem cells (MSCs) [1,2]. Namely, MSCs represent a diverse population of multipotent precursors that reside in many tissues. They have been isolated from various tissues and organs including bone marrow, adipose tissue, teeth, amniotic fluid, umbilical cord, tendon, etc., and due to simple and non invasive isolation procedures MSCs are considered a valuable alternative source for cell replacement therapies. The main features of these cells are the ability to self-renew and the differentiation into several types of mature cells such as osteoblasts, adipocytes, chondrocytes under in vitro conditions. However, there is no precise marker that can be used to isolate and characterize this cell population, which significantly hinders further progress in potential application of these cells for therapeutic purposes. Therefore, our goal was to investigate the use of Raman spectroscopy to characterize biochemical profile of MSCs at single-cell level. In this study primary human MSCs derived from bone marrow (BM-MSCs) of five healthy pediatric donors collected during allogenic transplantation were analyzed. By using standard biological tests related to the MSCs features such as adherence, phenotype, clonogenicity, proliferation rate, pluripotency and multilineage differentiation potential variations between these donors were not detected. Raman spectroscopy analysis of MSCs at the single-cell level revealed a similar biochemical background of the tested samples. However, following the extensive principal component analysis (PCA), a clustering of MSCs populations was detected, particularly when the samples were analyzed in pairs. Obtained results indicate that Raman spectroscopy technique could provide valuable information for MSCs diversification and contribute to MSCs characterization, consequently accelerating their application in cell therap

Individual-Specific Effects of Transcranial Electrical Stimulation on 40-Hz Auditory Steady-State Responses

Transcranial electrical stimulation (tES) has shown promise for modulating brain function and related behavioral performance, but evidence has been mixed thus far. The possibility of tracking brain activity changes following tES via neurophysiological markers would benefit a better understanding of tES effects and the future development of tES protocols. One promising marker is the auditory steady-state response (ASSR), an externally controlled oscillatory brain activity, typically at 40 Hz, evoked by a periodic auditory stimulus. This study examined the offline effects of different types of tES on 40-Hz ASSR. Participants underwent four conditions of tES, which were applied over the left posterior parietal cortex (PPC): transcranial direct current (tDCS), transcranial alternating current (tACS), oscillatory transcranial direct current (otDCS) and sham stimulation. Individually determined theta frequency was delivered in the tACS and otDCS protocols. Following the tES application, electroencephalogram (EEG) was recorded during 40-Hz auditory click stimulation. Mixed-effects modeling revealed no significant group-level differences in phase locking or evoked amplitude between stimulation conditions. However, both baseline (sham) ASSR and the change in ASSR following tES had a substantial interindividual variability. Exploratory analysis showed that individuals with lower baseline ASSR had increased synchronization following tES. Furthermore, the increase in ASSR synchronization was linked to higher memory gain; however, the relationship was observed only in otDCS condition. The findings encourage future research focusing on individual factors that may contribute to tES outcomes

Energy and Macronutrient Dietary Intakes of Serbian Adults 18–64 Years Old: EFSA EU Menu Food Consumption Survey in Serbia (2017–2022)

This study offers a comprehensive analysis of the anthropometric and nutritional status among Serbian adults aged 18–64 years, using the data from the EFSA EU Menu food consumption survey conducted between 2017 and 2022. Based on a nationally representative sample of 1139 participants, this research utilized validated 24 h dietary recalls and anthropometric measurements. The results indicate significant dietary imbalances, characterized by a heavy reliance on energy-dense foods, such as grains, fats, and meat, with an underrepresentation of fruits, vegetables, and dairy. Men exhibited a higher total energy intake, obtaining more energy from meat and fats, while women consumed more fruits and vegetables but often did not meet the recommended protein intake. Approximately 67.8% participants had a insufficient dietary fiber intake, and 15.4% did not meet the protein recommendations, particularly women. Anthropometric measurements showed a high prevalence of overweight and obesity, especially among men. These findings highlight critical deficits in dietary adequacy and, from a clinical practice perspective, underscore the necessity for the formulation of policies, targeted public health strategies aimed at improving dietary habits, and provide evidence for the development of national dietary guidelines and clinical guidelines to support preventive healthcare strategies, especially in the management of diet-related conditions, such as obesity and metabolic disorders