Somatic Changes of Maternal High-Fat Diet on Offspring-Possible Deleterious Effects of Flavonoids?

: The rapidly increasing rate of obesity has become an extremely important public health problem, particularly in developed countries. Obesity is associated with a range of health problems, often referred to as the metabolic syndrome. Adipose tissue is now regarded as an endocrine organ responsible for the hormonal secretion of adipokines, which are cytokines involved in various physiological processes.

Doxorubicin Incorporation into Gold Nanoparticles: An In Vivo Study of Its Effects on Cardiac Tissue in Rats.

Gold nanoparticles (Au-NPs) have been explored as potential vectors for enhancing the antitumor efficacy of doxorubicin (DOX) while minimizing its cardiotoxic effects. However, the impacts of DOX Au-NPs on cardiac function and oxidative stress remain inadequately understood. This study aimed to explore the effects of DOX Au-NPs in comparison to free DOX, focusing on oxidative stress markers, inflammation, ultrastructural changes, and cardiac function.

Mitigating Doxorubicin-Induced Cardiotoxicity through Quercetin Intervention: An Experimental Study in Rats.

Doxorubicin (DOX) is an effective anticancer drug, but its use is limited by dose-dependent heart toxicity. Quercetin is a natural antioxidant frequently studied for its beneficial properties. Moreover, a wide range of dietary supplements are available for human use.

Molecular Mechanisms in Tumorigenesis of Hepatocellular Carcinoma and in Target Treatments-An Overview.

Hepatocellular carcinoma is the most common primary malignancy of the liver, with hepatocellular differentiation. It is ranked sixth among the most common cancers worldwide and is the third leading cause of cancer-related deaths. The most important etiological factors discussed here are viral infection (HBV, HCV), exposure to aflatoxin B1, metabolic syndrome, and obesity (as an independent factor).

Qatar's FIFA World Cup odyssey: A quest for legacy transforming a small nation into a global destination.

This study delves into the profound impact of mega-events on a destination's perception, focusing notably on Qatar's hosting experience during the FIFA World Cup 2022. Employing a qualitative longitudinal research approach, data is drawn from a variety of sources including Scopus articles, international studies, tourism records, newspapers, and interviews with diverse stakeholders such as visitors, tourism experts, executives, and government officials. Through an inductive content analysis of this extensive dataset, the authors identify key influencing factors.

COVID-Net L2C-ULTRA: An Explainable Linear-Convex Ultrasound Augmentation Learning Framework to Improve COVID-19 Assessment and Monitoring.

While no longer a public health emergency of international concern, COVID-19 remains an established and ongoing global health threat. As the global population continues to face significant negative impacts of the pandemic, there has been an increased usage of point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) imaging as a low-cost, portable, and effective modality of choice in the COVID-19 clinical workflow. A major barrier to the widespread adoption of POCUS in the COVID-19 clinical workflow is the scarcity of expert clinicians who can interpret POCUS examinations, leading to considerable interest in artificial intelligence-driven clinical decision support systems to tackle this challenge.

COVID-19-Associated Rhino-Orbital Mucormycosis: Histological and Electron Microscopy Characteristics.

COVID-19-associated rhino-orbital mucormycosis has become a new clinical entity. This study's aim was to evaluate the histopathological and ultramicroscopic morphological aspects of this fungal infection. This was an observational retrospective study on eight patients from three tertiary centers in Romania.

Towards Building a Trustworthy Deep Learning Framework for Medical Image Analysis.

Computer vision and deep learning have the potential to improve medical artificial intelligence (AI) by assisting in diagnosis, prediction, and prognosis. However, the application of deep learning to medical image analysis is challenging due to limited data availability and imbalanced data. While model performance is undoubtedly essential for medical image analysis, model trust is equally important.

COVID-Net Biochem: an explainability-driven framework to building machine learning models for predicting survival and kidney injury of COVID-19 patients from clinical and biochemistry data.

Since the World Health Organization declared COVID-19 a pandemic in 2020, the global community has faced ongoing challenges in controlling and mitigating the transmission of the SARS-CoV-2 virus, as well as its evolving subvariants and recombinants. A significant challenge during the pandemic has not only been the accurate detection of positive cases but also the efficient prediction of risks associated with complications and patient survival probabilities. These tasks entail considerable clinical resource allocation and attention.

Effects of Phytochemicals from Fermented Food Sources in Alzheimer's Disease In Vivo Experimental Models: A Systematic Review.

The socioeconomic burden of Alzheimer's Disease (AD) stems from its characteristic multifactorial etiology and, implicitly, the difficulties associated with its treatment. With the increase in life expectancy and health awareness, nutraceuticals and functional foods are filling in the gaps left by the limitation of classical medical treatment in chronic conditions associated with lifestyle factors, such as neurological disorders. Processes, such as fermentation that enhance food phytochemical content are garnering increased attention due to their functional and health-related properties.

Albumin nanoparticles with tunable ultraviolet-to-red autofluorescence for label-free cell imaging and selective biosensing of copper ion.

Early and simple detection of aberrant cooper metabolism in diseases with neurological-manifestations and several other conditions, including cancer, becomes an urgent necessity. Instrumental methods used today are limited to high-cost equipment and reagents and demand highly qualified personnel. In this work, we report easy-to-use and cost-effective nano-sized sensors for the selective and quantitative detection of copper ion based on fluorescence quenching.

Experimental envenomation with honeybee venom melittin and phospholipase A2 induced multiple ultrastructural changes in adrenocortical mitochondria.

Bee stings represent a public health subject, but the mechanisms involved in bee venom toxicity are not yet fully understood. To evaluate the reactions of adrenocortical cells, through which organisms respond to stress, two honeybee venom components: melittin (Mlt) and phospholipase A2 (PLA2) were tested as potential chemical stressors. Modifications were investigated with transmission electron microscopy and microanalysis.

Effects of Gold Nanoparticles Functionalized with L. Fruit Extract on the Aorta Wall in Rats with a High-Fat Diet and Experimental-Induced Diabetes Mellitus-An Imaging Study.

Diabetes mellitus and high-fat diets trigger the mechanisms that alter the walls of blood vessels. Gold nanoparticles, as new pharmaceutical drug delivery systems, may be used in the treatment of different diseases. In our study, the aorta was investigated via imaging after the oral administration of gold nanoparticles functionalized with bioactive compounds derived from fruit extract (AuNPsCM) in rats with a high-fat diet and diabetes mellitus.

COVID-Net USPro: An Explainable Few-Shot Deep Prototypical Network for COVID-19 Screening Using Point-of-Care Ultrasound.

As the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) continues to impact many aspects of life and the global healthcare systems, the adoption of rapid and effective screening methods to prevent the further spread of the virus and lessen the burden on healthcare providers is a necessity. As a cheap and widely accessible medical image modality, point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) imaging allows radiologists to identify symptoms and assess severity through visual inspection of the chest ultrasound images. Combined with the recent advancements in computer science, applications of deep learning techniques in medical image analysis have shown promising results, demonstrating that artificial intelligence-based solutions can accelerate the diagnosis of COVID-19 and lower the burden on healthcare professionals.

Magnetic Nanoclusters Stabilized with Poly[3,4-Dihydroxybenzhydrazide] as Efficient Therapeutic Agents for Cancer Cells Destruction.

Magnetic structures exhibiting large magnetic moments are sought after in theranostic approaches that combine magnetic hyperthermia treatment (MH) and diagnostic magnetic resonance imaging in oncology, since they offer an enhanced magnetic response to an external magnetic field. We report on the synthesized production of a core-shell magnetic structure using two types of magnetite nanoclusters (MNC) based on a magnetite core and polymer shell. This was achieved through an in situ solvothermal process, using, for the first time, 3,4-dihydroxybenzhydrazide (DHBH) and poly[3,4-dihydroxybenzhydrazide] (PDHBH) as stabilizers.

Iron chelation alleviates multiple pathophysiological pathways in a rat model of cardiac pressure overload.

Iron dysmetabolism affects a great proportion of heart failure patients, while chronic hypertension is one of the most common risk factors for heart failure and death in industrialized countries. Serum data from reduced ejection fraction heart failure patients show a relative or absolute iron deficiency, whereas cellular myocardial analyses field equivocal data. An observed increase in organellar iron deposits was incriminated to cause reactive oxygen species formation, lipid peroxidation, and cell death.

Low Doses of Celecoxib Might Promote Phenotype Switching in Cutaneous Melanoma Treated with Dabrafenib-Preliminary Study.

Background: Cutaneous melanoma is a heterogeneous tumor with a rapidly switching molecular and cellular phenotype. The invasive phenotype switching characterized by MITFlow/AXLhigh predicts early resistance to multiple targeted drugs in melanoma. Celecoxib proved to be a valuable adjuvant in cutaneous melanoma in preclinical studies.

Effects of Gold Nanoparticles Functionalized with Bioactive Compounds from Fruit on Aorta Ultrastructural and Biochemical Changes in Rats on a Hyperlipid Diet-A Preliminary Study.

Cornus mas L. extract (CM) presents hypolipidemic, antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activity. Gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) are considered potent delivery systems and may be used to release pharmaceutical compounds at the level of injury.

COVIDx-US: An Open-Access Benchmark Dataset of Ultrasound Imaging Data for AI-Driven COVID-19 Analytics.

Background: The Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic continues to have a devastating effect on the health and well-being of the global population. Apart from the global health crises, the pandemic has also caused significant economic and financial difficulties and socio-physiological implications. Effective screening, triage, treatment planning, and prognostication of outcome play a key role in controlling the pandemic.

Histological and ultrastructural changes observed in testicles, epididymides, seminal vesicles and liver of rat after intraperitoneal administration of aluminum and indium.

Background: Aluminum (Al) and indium (In) have been largely used in medicine, pharmacy, dentistry, manufacturing, engineering, clothing as well as food processing and packaging. Our previous study showed that In was accumulated as electron-dense materials in lysosomes of Sertoli and Leydig testicular cells and the liver ones, when administered to male rats as soluble form. For this reason, we have undertaken to confirm whether Al have the same behavior as In and to enlarge this behavior to other organs of the male reproductive system: epididymis and seminal vesicle.

Changes in Organ Weight, Sperm Quality and Testosterone Levels After Aluminum (Al) and Indium (In) Administration to Wistar Rats.

Background: Aluminum and indium are widely used in industrial manufacturing, in pharmaceutical products, in medical treatments, and in food packaging, so they could reach organisms by different way. In order to clarify whether these elements are dangerous, we already demonstrated the ultrastructural modifications observed in the testicles, the epididymides, and the seminal vesicles of rat. Their pro-oxidative effect was also confirmed concomitantly to a decrease in anti-oxidant defenses in the blood, the testicles, and the liver.

Neurobehavioral and Ultrastructural Changes Induced by Phytosynthesized Silver-Nanoparticle Toxicity in an In Vivo Rat Model.

(1) Background: The study aimed to assess neurobehavioral, ultrastructural, and biochemical changes induced by silver nanoparticles synthesized with L. extract (AgNPs-CM) in rat brains. (2) Methods: The study included 36 male adult rats divided into three groups.

Silica Coating of Ferromagnetic Iron Oxide Magnetic Nanoparticles Significantly Enhances Their Hyperthermia Performances for Efficiently Inducing Cancer Cells Death In Vitro.

Increasing the biocompatibility, cellular uptake, and magnetic heating performance of ferromagnetic iron-oxide magnetic nanoparticles (F-MNPs) is clearly required to efficiently induce apoptosis of cancer cells by magnetic hyperthermia (MH). Thus, F-MNPs were coated with silica layers of different thicknesses via a reverse microemulsion method, and their morphological, structural, and magnetic properties were evaluated by multiple techniques. The presence of a SiO layer significantly increased the colloidal stability of F-MNPs, which also enhanced their heating performance in water with almost 1000 W/g as compared to bare F-MNPs.

A zero-valent iron and zeolite filter for nitrate recycling from agricultural drainage water.

Nitrate reduction to ammonium followed by ammonium capture and reuse, represent a new pathway to recycle nitrogen, prevent eutrophication, and to save energy used for industrial ammonium production. The present study investigates the principle of nitrogen recycling to agricultural drainage water using a coupled zero-valent iron (ZVI) and zeolite-based filter column system tested in laboratory and field continuous-flow experiments. A 40-day laboratory test showed 82% nitrate removal, of which 70% was converted to ammonium.