Danazol: An Effective and Underutilised Treatment Option in Diamond-Blackfan Anaemia.

Diamond-Blackfan anaemia (DBA) is a rare congenital red cell aplasia that presents in infancy. The exact molecular mechanism of ineffective erythropoiesis and red cell aplasia remains unclear, rendering targeted therapy elusive. The mainstay treatment of DBA is with regular blood transfusion and long-term corticosteroids, both of which have long-term side effects.

Frontline treatment of elderly non transplant-eligible multiple myeloma patients using CyBorD with or without thalidomide-based consolidation: a retrospective multi-centre analysis of real-world data.

Bortezomib in combination with cyclophosphamide and dexamethasone (CyBorD, is a well-established frontline chemotherapy regimen for patients with multiple myeloma, but prospective data on elderly non-transplant eligible patients is limited. A total of 155 patients aged 70 years or older with newly diagnosed multiple myeloma who received at least one cycle of CyBorD chemotherapy in three centres across New Zealand were evaluated. Partial response or better was achieved in 79·4%, of whom 52·9% achieved at least a very good partial response.

Hydroxyl-PEG-Phosphonic Acid-Stabilized Superparamagnetic Manganese Oxide-Doped Iron Oxide Nanoparticles with Synergistic Effects for Dual-Mode MR Imaging.

The - dual-mode contrast agents for magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) can generate self-complementary confirmed and images, hence greatly improving the reliability. Facilely synthesizing nanoparticles with the ultrasensitive contrast property remains extremely challenging in nanoscience. Moreover, uncovering the mechanism correlating the signal enhancements and chemical constituents is vital for designing novel efficient synergistically enhanced - dual-mode MRI nanoprobes.

Inflammatory and Senescent Phenotype of Pancreatic Stellate Cells Induced by Sqstm1 Downregulation Facilitates Pancreatic Cancer Progression.

Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) has unique microenvironment with extensive infiltration of fibroblasts, which are mainly derived from the resident pancreatic stellate cells (PaSCs). As activated PaSCs constitute a major contributor to pancreatic cancer progression, the mechanisms underlying their activation have been being intensively studied. Previous studies showed that Sequestosome-1 (sqstm1) can modulate the functional status of fibroblasts in cancer.

Yunpi Heluo decoction attenuates insulin resistance by regulating liver miR-29a-3p in Zucker diabetic fatty rats.

Background And Objective: Yunpiheluo (YPHL) decoction is a Chinese herbal formula with unique advantages for the treatment of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). The aim of the present study was to investigate changes in miRNA expression and downstream gene expression in Zucker diabetic fatty (ZDF) rats treated with YPHL to determine whether YPHL could be used as an adjuvant treatment of T2DM.

Methods: Serum and liver total cholesterol (TC) and triglycerides (TG) levels, insulin resistance index (IR) and differentially expressed miRNAs were detected in a T2DM ZDF rat model.

2D Single Crystal WSe and MoSe Nanomeshes with Quantifiable High Exposure of Layer Edges from 3D Mesoporous Silica Template.

The design and fabrication of layered transition metal chalcogenides with high exposure of crystal layer edges is one of the key paths to achieve distinctive performances in their catalysis and electrochemistry applications. Two-dimensional WSe and MoSe nanomeshes with orderly arranged nanoholes were synthesized by using a mesoporous silica material KIT-6 with three-dimensional mesoporous structure as a hard template via a nanocasting strategy. Each piece of the nanomesh is a single crystal, and its c axis is always perpendicular to the nanomesh plane.

Fabrication of Flexible, Lightweight, Magnetic Mushroom Gills and Coral-Like MXene⁻Carbon Nanotube Nanocomposites for EMI Shielding Application.

MXenes, carbon nanotubes, and nanoparticles are attractive candidates for electromagnetic interference (EMI) shielding. The composites were prepared through a filtration technique and spray coating process. The functionalization of non-woven carbon fabric is an attractive strategy.

A Combined Phytochemistry and Network Pharmacology Approach to Reveal the Potential Antitumor Effective Substances and Mechanism of .

() is a medicinal fungus that is widely used in East Asia for the adjuvant treatment of cancer. To elucidate the antitumor effective substances and mechanism of , we designed an approach incorporating cytotoxicity screening, phytochemical analysis, network pharmacology construction, and cellular and molecular experiments. The dichloromethane extract of (DCMPI) was identified as the active portion in HT-29 cells.

CdSSe nanowire-chip based wearable sweat sensor.

Background: Sweat, as an easily accessible bodily fluid, is enriched with a lot of physiological and health information. A portable and wearable sweat sensor is an important device for an on-body health monitoring. However, there are only few such devices to monitor sweat.

Identification of EGFR as a Novel Key Gene in Clear Cell Renal Cell Carcinoma (ccRCC) through Bioinformatics Analysis and Meta-Analysis.

Clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC) was the most aggressive histological type of renal cell carcinoma (RCC) and accounted for 70-80% of cases of all RCC. The aim of this study was to identify the potential biomarker in ccRCC and explore their underlying mechanisms. Four profile datasets were downloaded from the GEO database to identify DEGs.

Puzzle-Solving Activity as an Indicator of Epistemic Confusion.

When students perform complex cognitive activities, such as solving a problem, epistemic emotions can occur and influence the completion of the task. Confusion is one of these emotions and it can produce either negative or positive outcomes, according to the situation. For this reason, considering confusion can be an important factor for educators to evaluate students' progression in cognitive activities.

Characterization of urinary biomarkers and their relevant mechanisms of zoledronate-induced nephrotoxicity using rats and HK-2 cells.

The aim of this study was to identify biomarkers of zoledronate-induced nephrotoxicity and to further characterize the mechanisms underlying this process by analyzing urinary metabolites. Twenty-four rats were randomly divided into four groups containing four (two control groups) or eight rats (two zoledronate groups) per group. The rats were injected intravenously with saline or zoledronate (3 mg/kg) singly (single, 3 weeks) or repeatedly eight times (3 weeks/time, 24 weeks).

Matriptase cleaves the amyloid-beta peptide 1-42 at Arg-5, Lys-16, and Lys-28.

Objective: The type-II transmembrane extracellular serine protease matriptase was shown to cleave at Arg-102 in the amino-terminal region of the amyloid precursor protein (APP). In this study we determined matriptase cleavage sites in the amyloid-beta (Aβ) peptide region of APP (Asp-597 to Ala-638 in the APP695 isoform). A recombinant human matriptase protease domain was used to cleave a synthetic human Aβ1-42 peptide.

Synthesis, characterization, DNA binding, topoisomerase I inhibition and antiproliferation activities of three new functionalized terpyridine platinum(II) complexes.

Three new platinum(II) complexes with pendent morpholine were synthesized, namely complex 1 ([Pt(L)Cl]CFSO), complex 2 ([Pt(L)(NH)](CFSO)) and complex 3 ([Pt(L)(PPh)](CFSO)), where L = 4'-[4-(4-morpholinobutyloxy)phenyl]-2,2':6',2″-terpyridine and PPh = triphenylphosphine. The detailed molecular structures of complex 3, L and its precursor L' (1,4'-[4-(4-bromobutyloxy)phenyl]-2,2':6',2″-terpyridine) were determined by single crystal X-ray diffraction. An evaluation of in vitro cytotoxicity for both ligand and complexes was performed by methyl thiazolyl tetrazolium (MTT) assay in three cancer cell lines and normal cells as the control, respectively.

Easy fabrication of aromatic-rich cellulose-urethane polymer for preferential adsorption of acetophenone over 1-phenylethanol.

A novel aromatic-rich cellulose-urethane polymer (ACUP) was easily fabricated by crosslinking cellulose with 4,4',4''-triphenylmethane triisocyanate for preferential adsorption of acetophenone (AP) over 1-phenyethanol (PE). The successful synthesis of ACUP was confirmed by the instrumental analyses, e.g.

Metabolomics study of the hepatoprotective effect of Phellinus igniarius in chronic ethanol-induced liver injury mice using UPLC-Q/TOF-MS combined with ingenuity pathway analysis.

Background: Phellinus igniarius (L.) Quèl as a potential medicinal mushroom possesses multiple biological activities including hepatoprotection, but the hepatoprotective mechanism is not clear.

Purpose: To elucidate the hepatoprotective effect and potential target of P.

Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry based metabolomics profile of hippocampus and cerebellum in mice after chronic arsenic exposure.

Intake of arsenic (As) via drinking water has been a serious threat to global public health. Though there are numerous reports of As neurotoxicity, its pathogenesis mechanisms remain vague especially its chronic effects on metabolic network. Hippocampus is a renowned area in relation to learning and memory, whilst recently, cerebellum is argued to be involved with process of cognition.

Fat properties and antinutrient content of rambutan (Nephelium lappaceum L.) seed during solid-state fermentation of rambutan fruit.

Rambutan seed is usually discarded during fruit processing. However, the seed contains a considerable amount of crude fat. Hence, the objective of this study was to investigate the fat properties and antinutrient content of the seed during fermentation of rambutan fruit.

Role of bone marrow biopsy for fever of unknown origin in the contemporary Australian context.

Background: Bone marrow biopsy (BMB) is an accepted investigation in fever of unknown origin (FUO) to uncover haematological malignancies, such as lymphoma, and sometimes infections. With the advance in imaging modalities, such as 18-fluoro-2-deoxyglucose positron emission tomography (FDG-PET) to identify the focus of lymphoma, BMB may not contribute to the diagnosis when there are no other clinical features to suggest an underlying haematological disease.

Aim: To investigate the utility of BMB in determining the cause of FUO, when there are no other indications for BMB.

Dynamics of nonspherical, fractal-like water-ice particles in a plasma environment.

Plasmas containing small solid-state particles (also known as dust particles) are ubiquitous in nature and laboratories. Existing models typically assume that the dust particles are spherical but several observations and simulations indicate that a significant amount of dust particles are nonspherical. Because dust particles are not spherical they show different dynamics from spherical particles in a plasma environment namely, they align in the direction perpendicular to the force equilibrium line, rotate about their alignment axis due to the interaction between the dipole moment and the surrounding electric field, and show vortex motion while maintaining their alignment and rotation when they are exposed to a nonconservative drag force.

MicroRNA-212 suppresses nonsmall lung cancer invasion and migration by regulating ubiquitin-specific protease-9.

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) play crucial roles in various biological processes, including migration, proliferation, differentiation, cell cycling, and apoptosis. Epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) has been shown to be related to the capability of migration and invasion in many tumor cells. In this study, we used wound-healing assay and transwell invasion to analysis the capability of migration and invasion in non-small-cell lung carcinoma (NSCLC), respectively.

Sunlight active UO@ZnO nanocomposite superfast photocatalyst: synthesis, characterization and application.

Sunlight active UO@ZnO nanocomposite photocatalyst has been synthesized for the first time using co-precipitation method. The synthesized composite has a particle size ranging from 18 nm to 30 nm with band gap energy of 2.9 eV.

Electromagnetic Shielding by MXene-Graphene-PVDF Composite with Hydrophobic, Lightweight and Flexible Graphene Coated Fabric.

MXene and graphene based thin, flexible and low-density composite were prepared by cost effective spray coating and solvent casting method. The fabricated composite was characterized using Raman spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscope (SEM), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and energy dispersive X-ray (EDX). The prepared composites showed hydrophobic nature with higher contact angle of 126°, -43 mN·m wetting energy, -116 mN·m spreading Coefficient and 30 mN·m lowest work of adhesion.

Physicochemical properties and toxicity of cocoa powder-like product from roasted seeds of fermented rambutan (Nephelium lappaceum L.) fruit.

A novel way to fully utilize rambutan fruit and seed is to ferment peeled fruits followed by drying and roasting, and use the seeds to produce seed powder similar to that of cocoa powder. Hence, the objective of this study was to optimize the roasting time and temperature of rambutan fruit post-fermentation and drying, and to produce a cocoa-like powder product from the seeds. Parameters monitored during roasting were colour and total phenolic content, while seed powder obtained using optimized roasting conditions was analyzed for its physicochemical properties and toxicity.

Prognostic significance of left anterior fascicular block and its relation with coronary artery disease in old patients based on 570 autopsy cases.

Background: Left Anterior Fascicular Block (LAFB) occurs frequently among the elderly, and have a correlation with coronary artery disease (CAD), yet controversies regarding its clinical significance still remain.

Methods: We carried on a retrospective study involving 92 LAFB and 478 non-LAFB patients, in which anatomic, clinical and electrocardiographic characteristics were compared.

Results: LAFB subjects had more pathological CAD (66.