Exosomes are cell-secreted nanovesicles present in biological fluids in normal and diseased conditions. Owing to their seminal role in cell-cell communication, emerging evidences suggest that exosomes are fundamental regulators of various diseases. Due to their potential usefulness in disease diagnosis, robust isolation and characterization of exosomes is critical in developing exosome-based assays. In the last few years, different exosome characterization methods, both biophysical and molecular, have been developed to characterize these tiny vesicles. Here, in this review we summarize: first, biophysical techniques based on spectroscopy (e.g., Raman spectroscopy, dynamic light scattering) and other principles, for example, scanning electron microscopy, atomic force microscopy; second, antibody-based molecular techniques including flow cytometry, transmission electron microscopy and third, nanotechnology-dependent exosome characterization methodologies.

Highlights We leverage the idea of ‘Markov blanket’ as a statistical boundary to provide an analysis of partitions in neuronal systems. We show this partition is applicable to multiple scales, from single neurons, brain regions, and brain-wide networks. Based on the canonical micro-circuitry, our treatment has practical applications for effective connectivity. Our proposed partition highlights the limitations of ‘modular’ proposals considering a single level of description.

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Aim: To investigate export of Hedgehog pathway (Hh) proteins Patched1, Smoothened, Sonic hedgehog and Indian hedgehog in cervical cancer cell line (CaCx) exosomes. Methods: Exosomes were isolated and characterized by Western blotting, scanning electron microscopy and in a colorimetric assay. Nucleic acids (RNA, DNA) and protein content of exosomes were analyzed. Hh pathway proteins in exosomes were detected using Western blotting. Results: CaCx secrete bio-macromolecule (DNA, RNA and proteins) enriched exosomes. CaCx exosomes contained higher amount of RNA with respect to DNA. CaCx preferentially exported Hh proteins (Patched1, Smoothened,  Sonic hedgehog, Indian hedgehog) in their exosomes. Cellular uptake assay revealed rapid internalization of CaCx exosomes in human umbilical vein endothelial cells. Conclusion: Our study showed that Hh proteins are exported in CaCx exosomes.

[1] Among countries with river basin organizations to manage their water resources, Spain's experience is one of the longest. One of the first basin agencies established in Spain was for the Guadalquivir River in the south. A case study of that river basin and its management indicates how basin management is shaped by political economy factors such as the historical path of the agency's evolution, the basin agency's relationships with central government and with regional or local governments, the patterns of water user representation within the agency, and developments in water law and policy external to the basin agency. The case raises questions about whether and how integrated water resources management at the river basin scale is implemented, even in locations where basin agencies already exist. It also suggests that the politics of management at the river basin level will affect the implementation of national water policies intended to promote integrated management.

Human papillomavirus (HPV) infection is linked to development of cancer of cervix, vagina, vulva, penis, ano-genital and non-genital oro-pharyngeal sites. HPV being a sexually transmitted virus infects both genders equally but with higher chances of pathological outcome in women. In the absence of organized screening programs, women report HPV-infected lesions at relatively advanced stages where they are subjected to standard treatments that are not HPV-specific. HPV infection-driven lesions usually take 10-20 years for malignant progression and are preceded by well-characterized pre-cancer stages. Despite availability of window for pharmacological intervention, therapeutic that could eradicate HPV from infected lesions is currently lacking. A variety of experimental approaches have been made to address this lacuna and there has been significant progress in a number of lead molecules which are in different stages of clinical and pre-clinical development. Present review provides a brief overview of the magnitude of the problem and current status of research on promising lead molecules, formulations and therapeutic strategies that showed potential to translate to clinically-viable HPV therapeutics to counteract this reproductive health challenge.

The burden of large and rare copy number genetic variants (CNVs) as well as certain specific CNVs increase the risk of developing schizophrenia. Several cognitive measures are purported schizophrenia endophenotypes and may represent an intermediate point between genetics and the illness. This paper investigates the influence of CNVs on cognition. We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis of the literature exploring the effect of CNV burden on general intelligence. We included ten primary studies with a total of 18,847 participants and found no evidence of association. In a new psychosis family study, we investigated the effects of CNVs on specific cognitive abilities. We examined the burden of large and rare CNVs (>200 kb, <1% MAF) as well as known schizophrenia-associated CNVs in patients with psychotic disorders, their unaffected relatives and controls (N = 3428) from the Psychosis Endophenotypes International Consortium (PEIC). The carriers of specific schizophrenia-associated CNVs showed poorer performance than non-carriers in immediate (P = 0.0036) and delayed (P = 0.0115) verbal recall. We found suggestive evidence that carriers of schizophrenia-associated CNVs had poorer block design performance (P = 0.0307). We do not find any association between CNV burden and cognition. Our findings show that the known high-risk CNVs are not only associated with schizophrenia and other neurodevelopmental disorders, but are also a contributing factor to impairment in cognitive domains such as memory and perceptual reasoning, and act as intermediate biomarkers of disease risk.

Background Angiogenic switch is a hallmark feature of transition from low-grade to high-grade cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN) in cervical cancer progression. Therefore, early events leading to locally-advanced cervical metastatic lesions demand a greater understanding of the underlying mechanisms. Recent leads indicate the role of tumor-derived exosomes in altering the functions of endothelial cells in cervical cancer, which needs further investigation. Methods Exosomes isolated from cervical cancer cell lines were assessed for their angiogenic effect on the human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVEC) using tube formation and wound healing assay. The exosomal uptake by HUVEC cells was monitored using PKH-67 labelling followed by fluorescence microscopy. Alterations in Hh-GLI signaling components, PTCH1 and GLI1, in HUVEC were measured by immunoblotting. Changes in angiogenesis-related transcripts of vascular endothelial growth factor VEGF-A, VEGF-B, VEGFR2 and angiopoietin-1, angiopoietin-2, osteopontin were measured in exosome-treated HUVEC and in the exosomal RNA by RT-PCR. Results Enhanced tube formation, with an increased number of nodes and branching was observed in HUVEC’s treated with exosomes derived from different cervical cancer cell lines. HPV-positive (SiHa and HeLa) cells’ exosomes were more angiogenic. Exosome-treated HUVEC showed increased migration rate. PKH-67 labelled exosomes were found internalized in HUVEC. A high level of PTCH1 protein was detected in the exosome—treated endothelial cells. Subsequent RT-PCR analysis showed increased transcripts of Hh-GLI downstream target genes VEGF-A, VEGFR2, angiopoietin-2, and decreased expression of VEGF-B, and angiopoietin-1, suggestive of active Hh-GLI signaling. These effects were more pronounced in HUVEC’s treated with exosomes of HPV-positive cells. However, these effects were independent of tumor-derived VEGF-A as exosomal cargo lacked VEGF-A transcripts or proteins. Conclusion Overall, the data showed cervical cancer exosomes promote pro-angiogenic response in endothelial cells via upregulation of Hh-GLI signaling and modulate downstream angiogenesis-related target genes. The study provides a novel exosome-mediated mechanism potentially favoring cervical angiogenesis and thus identifies the exosomes as potential pharmacological targets against locally-advanced metastatic cervical lesions. Graphic abstract