Negotiating the ethical terrain in global value chains on the road towards the SDGs.

This paper employs a pattern matching approach to explore the tensions arising from differences in the ethical dispositions of multinational enterprise (MNE) buyers and their suppliers within the Bangladeshi apparel manufacturing sector. It examines how varying ethical principles shape the development, implementation, and outcomes of corporate social responsibility (CSR) and labor standards. Our analysis resulted in the identification of four scenarios: legitimacy with friction, mitigated forced alignment, collaborative enhancement, and principled resistance.

Plasma microRNAs to Select Optimal Patients for Antibody Production from Anti-Addiction Vaccines.

: Cocaine and illicit amphetamines (disguised as "Adderall") are being laced with fentanyl and producing accidental and intentional fatal overdoses. Vaccines can prevent these overdoses, but 33% of humans generate insufficient anti-drug antibody (AB) levels. Plasma microRNAs (miRs) can be used to predict non-responders.

ZHX3 interacts with CEBPB to repress hepatic gluconeogenic gene expression and uric acid secretion.

, which encodes for a transcriptional repressor, is associated with fasting blood glucose (FBG) levels and increased type 2 diabetes (T2D) risk but its role in cell types involved in glucose metabolism is not well understood. Here, we show that the deletion of in the human pancreatic β-cell line EndoC-βH1 did not impair glucose-stimulated insulin secretion (GSIS) nor perturb its transcriptome. On the other hand, we found that ZHX3 represses the expression of gluconeogenic genes and in the human hepatoma line HepG2.

Interactions between ADGRF1 (GPR110) and extracellular matrix proteins govern its effects on tumorigenesis in HER2-positive breast cancer.

Background And Purpose: We and others have previously shown that ADGRF1, an adhesion G protein-coupled receptor, is overexpressed and associated with poor survival in many cancers, including human epidermal growth factor receptor-2 (HER2) breast cancer (BC). Also, we have reported the tumour-promoting function of ADGRF1 using preclinical models of HER2+ BC. In this study, we investigated the effect of ADGRF1 overexpression in an orthotopic in vivo model as well as downstream signalling of ADGRF1 in HER2+ BC.

Unraveling the impact of tempeh fermentation on protein nutrients: An in vitro proteomics and peptidomics approach.

Understanding how fermentation enhances the nutritional characteristics of legumes is essential for maximizing their potential as sustainable protein sources. This study investigates proteomics differences between soybeans and tempeh, a fermented soy product, aiming to elucidate the mechanisms that contribute to the differences in protein nutrients. Deep proteomics analysis of commercial soybean and tempeh suggests that Rhizopus fermentation promotes proteolysis, particularly targeting Asn and Phe, and thus increased neopeptide generation in tempeh samples.

Development of FAP-targeted theranostics discovered by next-generation sequencing-augmented mining of a novel immunized VNAR library.

Cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) in the stroma of solid tumors promote an immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment (TME) that drives resistance to therapies. The expression of the protease fibroblast activation protein (FAP) on the surface of CAFs has made FAP a target for development of therapies to dampen immunosuppression. Relatively few biologics have been developed for FAP and none have been developed that exploit the unique engagement properties of Variable New Antigen Receptors (VNARs) from shark antibodies.

Inulin Dehydration to 5-HMF in Deep Eutectic Solvents Catalyzed by Acidic Ionic Liquids Under Mild Conditions.

Valorization of carbohydrate-rich biomass by conversion into industrially relevant products is at the forefront of research in sustainable chemistry. In this work, we studied the inulin conversion into 5-hydroxymethylfurfural, in deep eutectic solvents, in the presence of acidic task-specific ionic liquids as catalysts. We employed aliphatic and aromatic ionic liquids as catalysts, and choline chloride-based deep eutectic solvents bearing glycols or carboxylic acids, as solvents.

New-onset Type 1 Diabetes Mellitus Presenting as Bilateral Cataracts in a 15-year-old Girl.

Cataracts secondary to type 1 or type 2 diabetes are not uncommon in adults; however, they are a rare finding in pediatric patients with type 1 diabetes. A 15-year-old girl presented with progressively worsened bilateral vision for 6 months. Her vision rapidly deteriorated over the previous month, prompting further evaluation that found bilateral cataracts with haziness in all layers and swollen lenses.

Medial buttress plate use in neck of femur fracture fixations: A systematic review.

Background: Femoral neck fractures, particularly Pauwels type II and III, pose significant challenges due to their vertical instability and susceptibility to complications such as non-union and avascular necrosis (AVN). Medial buttress plates (MBPs) have emerged as a promising adjunct in fixation, offering biomechanical advantages by neutralizing shearing forces and enhancing stability. However, the clinical efficacy of MBPs across different fixation techniques, plate configurations, and positioning remains unclear.

Dissociation of Macromolecules in Laser-Heated Droplets Monitored by CD-MS.

Charge detection mass spectrometry (CD-MS) is used to monitor the dissociation of large (300 kDa to 20 MDa) protein complexes in droplets heated with a 10.6 μm CO laser. In this approach, electrospray ionization (ESI) is used to produce charged droplets containing macromolecular complexes.

A Review: Developments in Hardware Systems of Active Ankle Orthoses.

Active ankle orthoses which have been designed over the past few years by diverse sources were critically reviewed in this paper. It begins by providing an overview of the anatomy of the ankle joint complex, establishing a basis for understanding the subsequent discussion on the research challenges and design difficulties associated with developing active ankle orthosis devices. The review systematically examined the mechanisms, actuation methods, and control strategies utilized in these orthosis devices.

CROI 2024: The Challenges of Sustained Viral Suppression, Advanced HIV Disease, and Ending the HIV Epidemic Targets.

Data on the HIV care cascade demonstrated challenges in achieving Ending the HIV Epidemic (EHE) targets across all 18 EHE focus metropolitan areas, but innovative adherence interventions using point-of-care tenofovir testing and motivational interviewing support care cascade outcomes in Namibia and South Africa, respectively. Data on treatment with long-acting injectable (LAI) antiretroviral therapy (ART) demonstrated high acceptability, retention, and virologic suppression including in groups that were not well represented in clinical trials including persons born female and persons with detectable viral loads. The adjuvanted hepatitis B vaccine appeared to be safe and appeared to be superior to conventional hepatitis B vaccines in persons with HIV (PWH) who were prior nonresponders to the hepatitis B vaccine.

Transcriptomic and epigenomic signatures distinguish high- and low-risk endotypes for liver tumor development.

The epigenome is a target for environmental exposures and a potential determinant of inter-individual differences in response. In genetically identical C57Bl/6 mice exposed from gestation to weaning to the endocrine-disrupting chemical (EDC) tributyltin (TBT), hepatic tumor development later in life varied across multiple cohorts over time and depending on sex and diet. In one cohort where approximately half of TBT-exposed male mice developed liver tumors at 10 months (Katz et al.

A precision randomized trial to evaluate the impact of tailored hepatitis C treatment adherence support on HCV treatment outcomes among people who inject drugs in India: Design and Baseline Characteristics of the STOP-C Trial.

Efforts to eliminate hepatitis C virus (HCV) as a public health problem must include people who inject drugs (PWID). We describe the design and baseline characteristics of the Supporting Treatment Outcomes among PWID (STOP-C) trial which evaluates whether HCV treatment outcomes in PWID can be optimized by tailoring treatment support in 7 PWID-focused integrated HIV/HCV prevention/treatment centers. The design is a 3-arm, individual-level precision-randomized trial.

Network modulation at stable states.

Advances in microarray and sequencing technologies have made possible the interrogation of biological processes at increasing levels of complexity. The underlying biomolecular networks contain large numbers of nodes, yet interactions within the networks are not known precisely. In the absence of accurate models, one may inquire if it is possible to find relationships between the states of such networks under external changes, and in particular, if such relationships can be model-independent.

Spinal chondrosarcoma in a young girl: radiological diagnosis and treatment perspectives.

Spinal chondrosarcomas are uncommon malignant bone tumors that are rare in children. The location and imaging features of the lesion help in formulating a differential diagnosis, though in certain instances the lack of typical imaging findings may elude the differential of a chondrosarcoma. There are only a few reported cases in literature and owing to its rarity and lack of specific management protocols in this age group, making treatment decisions can be complex.

mAm sequesters PCF11 to suppress premature termination and drive neuroblastoma differentiation.

N,2'-O-dimethyladenosine (mAm) is an abundant mRNA modification that impacts multiple diseases, but its function remains controversial because the mAm reader is unknown. Using quantitative proteomics, we identified transcriptional terminator premature cleavage factor II (PCF11) as a mAm-specific reader in human cells. Direct quantification of mature versus nascent RNAs reveals that mAm does not regulate mRNA stability but promotes nascent transcription.

Iso-lating optimal automated external defibrillator signage: An international survey.

Introduction: This study investigated the public's preference to a recognisable and meaningful signage for Automated External Defibrillators (AEDs) in alignment with ISO 7010 standards, aiming to identify improvements for better public awareness and response during out-of-hospital cardiac arrests (OHCA).

Methods: A survey was administered via SurveyMonkey® and Heart of the Nation's social media. The survey evaluated recognition of ISO signage colors and AED symbols, and preferences for alternative AED signs.