Ecological and health risk assessment of heavy metals in interior dust from college campus.

Contamination of college campus dust with heavy metals and the calculation of their ecological and health risks to the students and staff did not receive much attention except in recent years. This study aims to assess the ecological and human health risks of Cd, Cr, Cu, Pb, and Zn in interior dust of College of Science/University campus. An atomic absorption spectrophotometer was utilized to estimate the samples that were collected from 46 locations of the college campus including: classrooms, offices, and laboratories.

Response of human peripheral blood monocyte-derived macrophages (PBMM) to demineralized and decellularized bovine bone graft substitutes.

The performance of apparently biocompatible implanted bovine bone grafts may be compromised by unresolved chronic inflammation, and poor graft incorporation leading to implant failure. Monitoring the intensity and duration of the inflammatory response caused by implanted bone grafts is crucial. In this study, the ability of demineralized (DMB) and decellularized (DCC) bovine bone substitutes in initiating inflammatory responses to peripheral blood monocyte-derived macrophages (PBMMs) was investigated.

Targeting inflammatory signaling pathways with SGLT2 inhibitors: Insights into cardiovascular health and cardiac cell improvement.

Sodium-glucose cotransporter 2 (SGLT2) inhibitors have attracted significant attention for their broader therapeutic impact beyond simply controlling blood sugar levels, particularly in their ability to influence inflammatory pathways. This review delves into the anti-inflammatory properties of SGLT2 inhibitors, with a specific focus on canagliflozin, empagliflozin, and dapagliflozin. One of the key mechanisms through which SGLT2 inhibitors exert their anti-inflammatory effects is by activating AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK), a crucial regulator of both cellular energy balance and inflammation.

Characterization and use of activated carbon synthesized from sunflower seed shell in the removal of Pb(II), Cd(II), and Cr(III) ions from aqueous solution.

In this work, carbon-based nanomaterials such as active carbon which is prepared from common sunflower (Helianthus annuus) seed shell, and the characterization of the activated carbon NPs were studied using FTIR (Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy), XRD, SEM, EDS, and DTA techniques. Activated carbon NPs have been used in the adsorption of Pb(II), Cd(II), and Cr(III) ions from the aqueous phase. The results showed the highest adsorption efficiency was 99.

Phytic acid effect on periodontal ligament fibroblast: An in-vitro study.

Objectives: This study evaluated phytic acid (IP6) effect on the viability, alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activity and calcium release of human periodontal ligament (HPDL) cells in optimal (OGL) and elevated glucose level (EGL) in cell culture media.

Materials And Methods: Cells were seeded in OGL (1000mg/L) or EGL (4500 mg/L) media. IP6 was added at 0.

Science Communication as a Collective Intelligence Endeavor: A Manifesto and Examples for Implementation.

Effective science communication is challenging when scientific messages are informed by a continually updating evidence base and must often compete against misinformation. We argue that we need a new program of science communication as collective intelligence-a collaborative approach, supported by technology. This would have four key advantages over the typical model where scientists communicate as individuals: scientific messages would be informed by (a) a wider base of aggregated knowledge, (b) contributions from a diverse scientific community, (c) participatory input from stakeholders, and (d) better responsiveness to ongoing changes in the state of knowledge.

Twitter Misinformation Discourses About Vaping: Systematic Content Analysis.

Background: While there has been substantial analysis of social media content deemed to spread misinformation about electronic nicotine delivery systems use, the strategic use of misinformation accusations to undermine opposing views has received limited attention.

Objective: This study aims to fill this gap by analyzing how social media users discuss the topic of misinformation related to electronic nicotine delivery systems, notably vaping products. Additionally, this study identifies and analyzes the actors commonly blamed for spreading such misinformation and how these claims support both the provaping and antivaping narratives.

Tiktoking COVID-19 with frontline workers.

Introduction/objective: During the COVID-19 pandemic, frontline workers have taken to social media platforms to discuss a variety of issues that concern their personal and professional lives. In particular, TikTok's increased prominence as a social media channel has proved significant for enhancing the public presence of healthcare workers and their ability to disseminate content to a wider audience. The ways that healthcare workers use TikTok draws attention to the type of health information disseminated to the public through social media platforms.

SARS-CoV-2-free residual proteins mediated phenotypic and metabolic changes in peripheral blood monocytic-derived macrophages in support of viral pathogenesis.

The large-scale dissemination of coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) and its serious complications have pledged the scientific research communities to uncover the pathogenesis mechanisms of its etiologic agent, severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2). Methods of unveiling such mechanisms are rooted in understanding the viral agent's interactions with the immune system, including its ability to activate macrophages, due to their suggested role in prolonged inflammatory phases and adverse immune responses. The objective of this study is to test the effect of SARS-CoV-2-free proteins on the metabolic and immune responses of macrophages.

The gendered dimensions of the anti-mask and anti-lockdown movement on social media.

This paper examines the anti-mask and anti-lockdown online movement in connection to the COVID-19 pandemic. To combat the spread of the coronavirus, health officials around the world urged and/or mandated citizens to wear facemasks and adopt physical distancing measures. These health policies and guidelines have become highly politicized in some parts of the world, often discussed in association with freedom of choice and independence.

Characterizing the Gendered Twitter Discussion of COVID-19 Hoax.

We collected data from Twitter and used content analysis to better understand the gendered discussion around COVID-19 as a hoax. We identified three main categories in the inductive stage of the research: (1) sympathetic to human rights & perceived injustice, (2) invincibility and superiority of COVID hoaxers, (3) conspiracies and/or hidden agendas. The findings of the study show that among all gender groups, the first category is the most dominant (44.

When Science Becomes Embroiled in Conflict: Recognizing the Public's Need for Debate while Combating Conspiracies and Misinformation.

Most democracies seek input from scientists to inform policies. This can put scientists in a position of intense scrutiny. Here we focus on situations in which scientific evidence conflicts with people's worldviews, preferences, or vested interests.

Investigation of COVID-19 Misinformation in Arabic on Twitter: Content Analysis.

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has been occurring concurrently with an infodemic of misinformation about the virus. Spreading primarily on social media, there has been a significant academic effort to understand the English side of this infodemic. However, much less attention has been paid to the Arabic side.

Sex Workers' Lived Experiences With COVID-19 on Social Media: Content Analysis of Twitter Posts.

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has drawn attention to various inequalities in global societies, highlighting discrepancies in terms of safety, accessibility, and overall health. In particular, sex workers are disproportionately at risk due to the nature of their work and the social stigma that comes alongside it.

Objective: This study examines how public social media can be used as a tool of professional and personal expression by sex workers during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Novel Secreted Peptides From var. With Immunomodulatory Effects That Enhance Fungal Pathogenesis.

Secreted fungal peptides are known to influence the interactions between the pathogen and host innate immunity. The aim of this study is to screen and evaluate secreted peptides from the fungus var. for their immunomodulatory activity.

News loopholing: Telegram news as portable alternative media.

This paper deals with foreign state-run media outlets that disseminate Persian language news targeted to the Iranian public. More specifically, it focuses on the mobile news app Telegram by undertaking a content analysis of a sample of the top 400 most viewed stories across four channels, i.e.

A thematic analysis of Instagram's gendered memes on COVID-19.

We investigate the gendered use of Instagram memes on COVID-19 using a mixed-analysis approach. We find that memes referencing women are mostly related to community support and healthcare, which often express gratitude for frontline workers, while the majority of memes on men refer to news and promotion as well as suffering due to the high death rates and other financial hardships. As for sexual and gender minorities, memes mostly mention community support similar to the case of the memes referencing women.

Investigating Public Discourses Around Gender and COVID-19: a Social Media Analysis of Twitter Data.

We collected over 50 million tweets referencing COVID-19 to understand the public's gendered discourses and concerns during the pandemic. We filtered the tweets based on English language and among three gender categories: men, women, and sexual and gender minorities. We used a mixed-method approach that included topic modelling, sentiment analysis, and text mining extraction procedures including words' mapping, proximity plots, top hashtags and mentions, and most retweeted posts.

The convergence of social media and other communication technologies in the promotion of illicit and controlled drugs.

Some social media platforms have strict regulations regarding the promotion of illicit and controlled drug on their sites. This study attempts to examine whether social media outlets like Twitter, Flickr and Tumblr have implemented practical measures to stop the active promotion of such drugs. We examined over 2.

BL-8040 CXCR4 antagonist is safe and demonstrates antileukemic activity in combination with cytarabine for the treatment of relapsed/refractory acute myelogenous leukemia: An open-label safety and efficacy phase 2a study.

Background: CXCR4 mediates the retention and survival of acute myelogenous leukemia blasts in bone marrow and contributes to their resistance to chemotherapy. The authors evaluated a combination of the high-affinity CXCR4 antagonist BL-8040 with high-dose cytarabine (HiDAC) chemotherapy in a phase 2a study of patients with relapsed and refractory AML.

Methods: Forty-two patients received treatment with BL-8040 monotherapy for 2 days followed by a combination of BL-8040 with HiDAC for 5 days.

COVID-19 and the Gendered Use of Emojis on Twitter: Infodemiology Study.

Background: The online discussion around the COVID-19 pandemic is multifaceted, and it is important to examine the different ways by which online users express themselves. Since emojis are used as effective vehicles to convey ideas and sentiments, they can offer important insight into the public's gendered discourses about the pandemic.

Objective: This study aims at exploring how people of different genders (eg, men, women, and sex and gender minorities) are discussed in relation to COVID-19 through the study of Twitter emojis.

GPCRs profiling and identification of GPR110 as a potential new target in HER2+ breast cancer.

Purpose: G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) represent the largest family of druggable targets in human genome. Although several GPCRs can cross-talk with the human epidermal growth factor receptors (HERs), the expression and function of most GPCRs remain unknown in HER2+ breast cancer (BC). In this study, we aimed to evaluate gene expression of GPCRs in tumorigenic or anti-HER2 drug-resistant cells and to understand the potential role of candidate GPCRs in HER2+ BC.

News values on social media: News organizations' Facebook use.

This study examines the news selection practices followed by news organizations through investigating the news posted on social networking sites and, in particular, the Facebook pages of four foreign Arabic language TV stations: The Iranian Al-Alam TV, Russia Today, Deutsche Welle, and BBC. A total of 15,589 news stories are analyzed in order to examine the prominence of references to countries and political actors. The study reveals that social significance and proximity as well as the news organizations' ideological agenda are the most important elements that dictate the news selection process.

Challenges of measuring accurate estradiol levels in aromatase inhibitor-treated postmenopausal breast cancer patients on vaginal estrogen therapy.

Breast cancer patients who are taking adjuvant Aromatase Inhibitor (AI) therapy typically have extremely low estradiol levels, which are undetectable by routine clinical laboratories. Thus, it becomes difficult to assess the safety of interventions such as low-dose vaginal estrogen, which may increase estradiol levels. In this study, we aimed to assess the utility of enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) to measure low estradiol concentrations in breast cancer survivors on AI therapy treated with either vaginal estrogen or lubricant for atrophic vaginitis as a part of clinical trial.