Exploring potential multiple molecular biomarkers that predict treatment response in patients with lupus nephritis.

Limited knowledge exists regarding biomarkers that predict treatment response in Lupus nephritis (LN). We aimed to identify potential molecular biomarkers to predict treatment response in patients with LN. We enrolled 66 patients with active LN who underwent renal biopsy upon enrollment.

Comparison of clinical characteristics and outcomes in candidaemia patients with and without COVID-19: a multicentre retrospective study.

Background: Invasive fungal infections have been reported as complications with significant mortality and morbidity in patients hospitalized with COVID-19. This study aimed to evaluate the clinical characteristics and outcomes of candidaemia patients with COVID-19 and to investigate the association between COVID-19 and mortality in candidaemia patients.

Methods: This retrospective study included candidaemia patients aged 18 years or older admitted to four university-affiliated tertiary hospitals in South Korea between January 1, 2020, and December 31, 2022.

Constitutive androstane receptor (CAR) functions as a tumor suppressor via regulating stemness in liver cancer.

Constitutive androstane receptor (CAR) is a xenosensor that is almost exclusively expressed in the liver. Studies in rodents suggest an oncogenic role for CAR in liver cancer, but its role in human liver cancer is unclear. We aimed to investigate the functional roles of CAR in human liver cancer with a focus on the liver cancer stem cells.

Evaluating current status of network pharmacology for herbal medicine focusing on identifying mechanisms and therapeutic effects.

Introduction: Network pharmacology has gained significant traction as a tool for identifying the mechanisms and therapeutic effects of herbal medicines. However, despite the usefulness of these approaches, their diversity underscores the critical need for a systematic evaluation to ensure consistency and reliability.

Objectives: We aimed to evaluate the network pharmacological analyses, focusing on identifying the mechanisms and therapeutic effects of herbal medicines.

Generation of super-resolution images from barcode-based spatial transcriptomics by deep image prior.

Spatially resolved transcriptomics (ST) has revolutionized the field of biology by providing a powerful tool for analyzing gene expression in situ. However, current ST methods, particularly barcode-based methods, have limitations in reconstructing high-resolution images from barcodes sparsely distributed in slides. Here, we present SuperST, an algorithm that enables the reconstruction of dense matrices (higher-resolution and non-zero-inflated matrices) from low-resolution ST libraries.

A Prospective, Single-Cohort, Open, Multi-Center, Observational Study of Sublingual Fentanyl for Breakthrough Cancer Pain: Effectiveness, Safety, and Tolerability in Korean Cancer Patients.

Purpose: Fentanyl, a highly lipophilic opioid, was developed as a sublingual fentanyl tablet (SFT) for the management of breakthrough cancer pain (BTcP), and its efficacy and safety were confirmed in a randomized, controlled study. We investigated the effectiveness and safety of SFT administered to alleviate BTcP in a real-world setting.

Materials And Methods: In this prospective, open, single-cohort study, conducted in 13 referral hospitals in South Korea, opioid-tolerant cancer patients receiving around-the-clock opioids for persistent cancer pain were enrolled if the individual had BTcP ≥ 1 episode/day during the preceding week.

Exploring Intrinsic and Extrinsic -Type Dopability of Atomically Thin β-TeO from First Principles.

Two-dimensional (2D) β-TeO has gained attention as a promising material for optoelectronic and power device applications, thanks to its transparency and high hole mobility. However, the mechanisms driving its -type conductivity and dopability remain elusive. In this study, we investigate the intrinsic and extrinsic point defects in monolayer and bilayer β-TeO, the latter of which has been experimentally synthesized, using the Heyd-Scuseria-Ernzerhof (HSE) + D3 hybrid functional.

Development of self-gelling powder combining chitosan/ bentonite nanoclay/ sodium polyacrylate for rapid hemostasis: In vitro and in vivo study.

Although hemostatic powders are commonly used in clinical and emergency settings, they frequently show poor absorption, raise cytotoxicity issues, and are not effective for fatal non-compressible bleeding. The purpose of this research is to create a self-gelling hemostatic powder based on chitosan, bentonite, and sodium polyacrylate (CBS) to improve the hemostatic effect. When liquid comes into contact with CBS powders, they can fuse and form a stable hydrogel in less than 30s.

DEMETER DNA demethylase reshapes the global DNA methylation landscape and controls cell identity transition during plant regeneration.

Background: Plants possess a high potential for somatic cell reprogramming, enabling the transition from differentiated tissue to pluripotent callus, followed by the formation of de novo shoots during plant regeneration. Despite extensive studies on the molecular network and key genetic factors involved in this process, the underlying epigenetic landscape remains incompletely understood.

Results: Here, we explored the dynamics of the methylome and transcriptome during the two-step plant regeneration process.

Oral Etoposide for Relapsed or Refractory Ewing Sarcoma in Adolescent and Adult Patients.

Prognosis remains poor for patients with relapsed or refractory Ewing sarcoma, with limited treatment options after first-line therapy. Oral etoposide has efficacy in the paediatric setting; however, data are limited in adults. A retrospective analysis was conducted on 33 patients with relapsed or refractory Ewing sarcoma who completed at least one cycle of oral etoposide at the Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre from 2005 to 2020.

Assessment of potential ecological risk for microplastics in freshwater ecosystems.

Microplastics (MPs) are one of the most widespread environmental pollutants, but their risk assessment to freshwater ecosystems has not been clearly investigated. Risk assessment has been constrained by the absence of MP concentration in some environment, the diverse types and shapes of MPs, and limitations of polystyrene (PS)-biased toxicity studies. This study examined exposure to MPs in rivers and lakes worldwide, including China (the Three Gorges Dam & Yangtze River (TGD & YR) and the lakes of Wuhan city (WL)), Vietnam (seven lakes of Da Nang city (7UL)), Europe (the Rhine River (RR)), Finland (Kallavesi Lake (KL)), Argentina (nine lakes in the Patagonia region (9LP)), Brazil (Guaiba Lake (GL)), and South Korea (Nakdong River (NR), Han River (HR), and Anyang Stream (AS)), and assessed the risks to aquatic ecosystems based on the toxicity information and morphology of MPs.

Proapoptotic role of CDK1 in overcoming paclitaxel resistance in ovarian cancer cells in response to combined treatment with paclitaxel and duloxetine.

Background: Paclitaxel resistance and recurrence are major obstacles in ovarian cancer, which is the leading cause of death among gynecologic cancers. During cancer cell progression, cyclin-dependent kinase 1 (CDK1) drives cells through the G2 phase and into mitosis. In this study, we demonstrated that CDK1 played a crucial role in switching paclitaxel-resistant ovarian cancer cells from mitotic arrest to apoptosis following combined treatment with paclitaxel and duloxetine, an antidepressant known as a serotonin-norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor (SNRI).

A Pan-RAS Inhibitor with a Unique Mechanism of Action Blocks Tumor Growth and Induces Antitumor Immunity in Gastrointestinal Cancer.

RAS is a common driver of cancer that was considered undruggable for decades. Recent advances have enabled the development of RAS inhibitors, but the efficacy of these inhibitors remains limited by resistance. Here, we developed a pan-RAS inhibitor, ADT-007, that binds nucleotide-free RAS to block GTP activation of effector interactions and MAPK/AKT signaling, resulting in mitotic arrest and apoptosis.

Stromal tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes and pathologic response to neoadjuvant chemotherapy with the addition of platinum and pembrolizumab in TNBC: a single-center real-world study.

Background: Immunochemotherapy with pembrolizumab has been integrated into clinical practice as part of the standard-of-care for non-metastatic triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) with high risk. We conducted a real-world study in TNBC patients treated with neoadjuvant chemotherapy to compare pathologic complete response (pCR) rates relative to stromal tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (sTIL) across different regimens: non-carboplatin, carboplatin-, and pembrolizumab-chemotherapy.

Patients And Methods: We analyzed a cohort of 450 patients with TNBC who underwent surgery following neoadjuvant chemotherapy between March 2007 and February 2024.

hair growth-promoting effects of araliadiol via the p38/PPAR-γ signaling pathway in human hair follicle stem cells and dermal papilla cells.

Background: Scalp hair plays a crucial role in social communication by expressing personal appearance and self-identity. Consequently, hair loss often leads to a perception of unattractiveness, negatively impacting an individual's life and mental health. Currently, the use of Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved drugs for hair loss is associated with several side effects, highlighting the need for identifying new drug candidates, such as plant-derived phytochemicals, to overcome these issues.

Lonafarnib Protects Against Muscle Atrophy Induced by Dexamethasone.

Background: Muscle atrophy, including glucocorticoid-induced muscle wasting from treatments such as dexamethasone (DEX), results in significant reductions in muscle mass, strength and function. This study investigates the potential of lonafarnib, a farnesyltransferase inhibitor, to counteract DEX-induced muscle atrophy by targeting key signalling pathways.

Methods: We utilized in vitro models with C2C12 myotubes treated with DEX and in vivo models with Caenorhabditis elegans and DEX-treated Sprague-Dawley rats.

Growths of SiC Single Crystals Using the Physical Vapor Transport Method with Crushed CVD-SiC Blocks Under High Vertical Temperature Gradients.

A recent study reported the rapid growth of SiC single crystals of ~1.5 mm/h using high-purity SiC sources obtained by recycling CVD-SiC blocks used as materials in semiconductor processes. This method has gained attention as a way to improve the productivity of the physical vapor transport (PVT) method, widely used for manufacturing single crystal substrates for power semiconductors.

Dynamics of Blister Actuation in Laser-Induced Forward Transfer for Contactless Microchip Transfer.

The rapid evolution of microelectronics and display technologies has driven the demand for advanced manufacturing techniques capable of precise, high-speed microchip transfer. As devices shrink in size and increase in complexity, scalable and contactless methods for microscale placement are essential. Laser-induced forward transfer (LIFT) has emerged as a transformative solution, offering the precision and adaptability required for next-generation applications such as micro-light-emitting diodes (μ-LEDs).

Permanent Strain Engineering of Molybdenum Disulfide Using Laser-Driven Stressors for Energy-Efficient Resistive Switching Memory Devices.

Strain engineering provides an attractive approach to enhance device performance by modulating the intrinsic electrical properties of materials. This is especially applicable to 2D materials, which exhibit high sensitivity to mechanical stress. However, conventional methods, such as using polymer substrates, to apply strain have limitations in that the strain is temporary and global.

Clinical Potential of Novel Microbial Therapeutic LP51 Based on Xerosis-Microbiome Index.

Xerosis, characterized by dry, rough skin, causes discomfort and aesthetic concerns, necessitating effective treatment. Traditional treatments often show limited efficacy, prompting the need for innovative therapies. This study highlights the efficacy of microbiome therapeutic LP51, derived from a healthy vaginal microbiome, in improving xerosis.

Clinical Relevance of Mutation and Its Characteristics in Breast Cancer with Long-Term Follow-Up Date.

Background: The mutation is one of the most frequently identified mutations in human cancers and is typically associated with a poor prognosis. However, there are conflicting findings regarding its impact. We aimed to clarify the clinical relevance of mutations across all breast cancer subtypes and treatments utilizing long-term follow-up data.

Development of a prime editor with improved editing efficiency in Arabidopsis.

Prime editing is widely used in many organisms to introduce site-specific sequence modifications, such as base substitutions, insertions, and deletions, in genomic DNA without generating double-strand breaks. Despite their wide-ranging applications, prime editors (PEs) have low editing efficiency, especially in dicot plants, and are therefore barely used for genome engineering in these plant species. Here, based on the previous approaches used to improve prime editing efficiency, we generated multiple different combinations of PE components and prime editing guide RNAs (pegRNAs) and examined their prime editing efficiency in Arabidopsis thaliana protoplasts as the dicot model system.

Association of Lupus Low Disease Activity State And Remission With Reduced Organ Damage And Flare in Systemic lupus erythematosus Patients With High Disease Activity.

Objective: High disease activity status (HDAS) in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is associated with adverse long-term outcomes. We examined the frequency of lupus low disease activity state (LLDAS) and remission (REM) attainment in HDAS patients and whether their attainment was associated with improved patient outcomes.

Methods: Demographic, clinical and outcomes data, collected prospectively from a multinational cohort between 2013 and 2020, were analysed.

Hepatoprotective Effects of Resveratrol on Acetaminophen-Induced Acute Liver Injury and Its Implications for Tofacitinib Disposition in Rats.

Tofacitinib, which is used to treat rheumatoid arthritis (RA), is primarily metabolized by the hepatic cytochrome P450 (CYP) enzymes, CYP3A1/2 and CYP2C11. Acetaminophen (APAP), which is frequently used for pain relief in patients with RA, can induce acute liver injury (ALI) when taken in excess, profoundly affecting drug metabolism. Resveratrol (RVT) is a polyphenolic compound with hepatoprotective properties.

Long-Term Follow-Up of Interstitial Lung Abnormalities in Low-Dose Chest CT in Health Screening: Exploring the Predictors of Clinically Significant Interstitial Lung Diseases Using Artificial Intelligence-Based Quantitative CT Analysis.

Purpose: This study examined longitudinal changes in interstitial lung abnormalities (ILAs) and predictors of clinically significant interstitial lung diseases (ILDs) in a screening population with ILAs.

Materials And Methods: We retrieved 36891 low-dose chest CT records from screenings between January 2003 and May 2021. After identifying 101 patients with ILAs, the clinical findings, spirometry results, and initial and follow-up CT findings, including visual and artificial intelligence-based quantitative analyses, were compared between patients diagnosed with ILD ( = 23, 23%) and those who were not ( = 78, 77%).