Curcumin Modulates the Differential Effects of Fructose and High-Fat Diet on Renal Damage, Inflammation, Fibrosis, and Lipid Metabolism.

Background: Dyslipidemia and obesity hypercaloric diet-induced lead to kidney damage. We investigated the effect of curcumin on the expression of proteins related to inflammation, fibrosis, fatty acids metabolism, kidney damage, and morphological changes in the kidneys of mice hypercaloric diets-fed.

Methods: Groups of 5-week-old C57BL/6 mice (n=6) were formed: Control (C), High-fructose diet (F), Highfructose diet and curcumin (F+Cur), High-fat diet (HFD), High-fat diet and curcumin (HFD+Cur), High-fat diet and fructose (HFD+F), High-fat diet, fructose and curcumin (HFD+F+Cur), treated for 16 weeks with 30% (w/v) fructose, 60% (w/w) fat and 0.

Assessing the equity and coverage policy sensitivity of financial protection indicators in Europe.

Progress towards universal health coverage is monitored by the incidence of catastrophic spending. Two catastrophic spending indicators are commonly used in Europe: Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) indicator 3.8.

Predictive Models for Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease Diagnosis in Mexican Patients with Gallstone Disease: Sex-Specific Insights.

(1) Background: Evidence regarding Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease (NAFLD) diagnosis is limited in the context of patients with gallstone disease (GD). This study aimed to assess the predictive potential of conventional clinical and biochemical variables as combined models for diagnosing NAFLD in patients with GD. (2) Methods: A cross-sectional study including 239 patients with GD and NAFLD diagnosed by ultrasonography who underwent laparoscopic cholecystectomy and liver biopsy was conducted.

Monitoring progress towards universal health coverage in Europe: a descriptive analysis of financial protection in 40 countries.

Background: Ensuring that access to health care is affordable for everyone-financial protection-is central to universal health coverage (UHC). Financial protection is commonly measured using indicators of financial barriers to access (unmet need for health care) and financial hardship caused by out-of-pocket payments for health care (impoverishing and catastrophic health spending). We aim to assess financial hardship and unmet need in Europe and identify the coverage policy choices that undermine financial protection.

RND3 Potentiates Proinflammatory Activation through NOTCH Signaling in Activated Macrophages.

Macrophage activation is a complex process with multiple control elements that ensures an adequate response to the aggressor pathogens and, on the other hand, avoids an excess of inflammatory activity that could cause tissue damage. In this study, we have identified RND3, a small GTP-binding protein, as a new element in the complex signaling process that leads to macrophage activation. We show that RND3 expression is transiently induced in macrophages activated through Toll receptors and potentiated by IFN-.

NOTCH4 potentiates the IL-13 induced genetic program in M2 alternative macrophages through the AP1 and IRF4-JMJD3 axis.

IL-13 signaling polarizes macrophages to an M2 alternatively activated phenotype, which regulates tissue repair and anti-inflammatory responses. However, an excessive activation of this pathway leads to severe pathologies, such as allergic airway inflammation and asthma. In this work, we identified NOTCH4 receptor as an important modulator of M2 macrophage activation.

A novel, stain-free, natural auto-fluorescent signal, Sig M, identified from cytometric and transcriptomic analysis of infectivity of and .

Cryptosporidiosis is a worldwide diarrheal disease caused by the protozoan . The primary symptom is diarrhea, but patients may exhibit different symptoms based on the species of the parasite they are infected with. Furthermore, some genotypes within species are more transmissible and apparently virulent than others.

Diagnosis of protozoa diarrhoea in Campylobacter patients increases markedly with molecular techniques.

Cryptosporidium and Giardia are major causes of diarrhoea globally, and two of the most notified infectious diseases in New Zealand. Diagnosis requires laboratory confirmation carried out mostly via antigen or microscopy-based techniques. However, these methods are increasingly being superseded by molecular techniques.

Logistical, technical, and radiation safety aspects of establishing a radiopharmaceutical therapy program: A case in Lutetium-177 prostate-specific membrane antigen (PSMA) therapy.

Prostate-specific membrane antigen (PSMA) is a cell surface protein highly expressed in nearly all prostate cancers, with restricted expression in some normal tissues. The differential expression of PSMA from tumor to non-tumor tissue has resulted in the investigation of numerous targeting strategies for therapy of patients with metastatic prostate cancer. In March of 2022, the FDA granted approval for the use of lutetium-177 PSMA-617 (Lu-177-PSMA-617) for patients with PSMA-positive metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC) who have been treated with androgen receptor pathway inhibition and taxane-based chemotherapy.

Failure modes and effects analysis of pediatric I-131 MIBG therapy: Program design and potential pitfalls.

Background: There is growing interest among pediatric institutions for implementing iodine-131 (I-131) meta-iodobenzylguanidine (MIBG) therapy for treating children with high-risk neuroblastoma. Due to regulations on the medical use of radioactive material (RAM), and the complexity and safety risks associated with the procedure, a multidisciplinary team involving radiation therapy/safety experts is required. Here, we describe methods for implementing pediatric I-131 MIBG therapy and evaluate our program's robustness via failure modes and effects analysis (FMEA).

A Modular Synthesis of the Rhazinilam Family of Alkaloids and Analogs Thereof.

A short, modular strategy for synthesizing three representative alkaloids of the (±)-rhazinilam family and 10 non-natural analogs is described. The protocol involves a radical addition/cyclization cascade reaction that assembles the tetrahydroindolizine system decorated with appropriate groups for a subsequent Pd-mediated cyclization, which generates the nine-membered lactam.

Uncovering the genetic diversity of Giardia intestinalis in isolates from outbreaks in New Zealand.

Background: Giardia intestinalis is one of the most common causes of diarrhoea worldwide. Molecular techniques have greatly improved our understanding of the taxonomy and epidemiology of this parasite. Co-infection with mixed (sub-) assemblages has been reported, however, Sanger sequencing is sometimes unable to identify shared subtypes between samples involved in the same epidemiologically linked event, due to samples showing multiple dominant subtypes within the same outbreak.

Influence of Ag Photodeposition Conditions over SERS Intensity of Ag/ZnO Microspheres for Nanomolar Detection of Methylene Blue.

Surface enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) is considered a versatile and multifunctional technique with the ability to detect molecules of different species at very low molar concentration. In this work, hierarchical ZnO microspheres (ZnO MSs) and Ag/ZnO MSs were fabricated and decorated by hydrothermal and photodeposition methods, respectively. For Ag deposition, precursor molar concentration (1.

NOTCH4 Exhibits Anti-Inflammatory Activity in Activated Macrophages by Interfering With Interferon-γ and TLR4 Signaling.

NOTCH4 is a member of the NOTCH family of receptors whose expression is intensively induced in macrophages after their activation by Toll-like receptors (TLR) and/or interferon-γ (IFN-γ). In this work, we show that this receptor acts as a negative regulator of macrophage activation by diminishing the expression of proinflammatory cytokines, such as IL-6 and IL-12, and costimulatory proteins, such as CD80 and CD86. We have observed that NOTCH4 inhibits IFN-γ signaling by interfering with STAT1-dependent transcription.

How resilient is health financing policy in Europe to economic shocks? Evidence from the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic and the 2008 global financial crisis.

The COVID-19 pandemic triggered an economic shock just ten years after the shock of the 2008 global financial crisis. Economic shocks are a challenge for health systems because they reduce government revenue at the same time as they increase the need for publicly financed health care. This article explores the resilience of health financing policy to economic shocks by reviewing policy responses to the financial crisis and COVID-19 in Europe.

Does the sequence of high-dose rate brachytherapy boost and IMRT for prostate cancer impact early toxicity outcomes? Results from a single institution analysis.

Background: We present the first report comparing early toxicity outcomes with high-dose rate brachytherapy (HDR-BT) boost upfront versus intensity modulated RT (IMRT) upfront combined with androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) as definitive management for intermediate risk or higher prostate cancer.

Methods And Materials: We reviewed all non-metastatic prostate cancer patients who received HDR-BT boost from 2014 to 2019. HDR-BT boost was offered to patients with intermediate-risk disease or higher.

Radiation-Induced Brachial Plexopathy in Patients With Breast Cancer Treated With Comprehensive Adjuvant Radiation Therapy.

Purpose: Our purpose was to describe the risk of radiation-induced brachial plexopathy (RIBP) in patients with breast cancer who received comprehensive adjuvant radiation therapy (RT).

Methods And Materials: Records for 498 patients who received comprehensive adjuvant RT (treatment of any residual breast tissue, the underlying chest wall, and regional nodes) between 2004 and 2012 were retrospectively reviewed. All patients were treated with conventional 3 to 5 field technique (CRT) until 2008, after which intensity modulated RT (IMRT) was introduced.

Characterization of Dosimetric Differences in Strut-Adjusted Volume Implant Treatment Plans Calculated With TG-43 Formalism and a Model-Based Dose Calculation Algorithm.

Purpose: To comprehensively characterize dosimetric differences between calculations with a commercial model-based dose calculation algorithm (MBDCA) and the TG-43 formalism in application to accelerated partial breast irradiation (APBI) with the strut-adjusted volume implant (SAVI) applicator.

Methods: Dose for 100 patients treated with the SAVI applicator was recalculated with an MBDCA for comparison to dose calculated via TG-43. For every pair of dose calculations, dose-volume histogram (DVH) metrics including V90%, V95%, V100%, V150%, and V200% for the PTV_EVAL were compared.

Stromal DLK1 promotes proliferation and inhibits differentiation of the intestinal epithelium during development.

The stem/progenitor cells of the developing intestine are biologically distinct from their adult counterparts. Here, we examine the microenvironmental cues that regulate the embryonic stem/progenitor population, focusing on the role of Notch pathway factor delta-like protein-1 (DLK1). mRNA-seq analyses of intestinal mesenchymal cells (IMCs) collected from embryonic day 14.

Inequality in healthcare use among older people in Colombia.

Background: Since the early 1990s, Colombia has made great strides in extending healthcare coverage to its population. In order to measure the impact of these efforts, it is important to assess whether the introduction of universal health coverage has translated into equitable access to healthcare in the country, particularly for the elderly. Thus, in this study we assessed the inequality in utilization of health services among elderly patients in Colombia.

Non-invasive diagnosis of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease using an algorithm combining clinical indexes and ultrasonographic measures.

Introduction And Objective: Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease (NAFLD) is a metabolic liver disease related to insulin resistance, which requires invasive methods for diagnosis. The aim of this study was to analyze whether the use of an algorithm involving both clinical indices and hepatic ultrasound measurements improves the accuracy for the non-invasive diagnosis of NAFLD.

Patients And Methods: Cross-sectional study with patients undergoing elective cholecystectomy.

NOTCH3 signaling is essential for NF-κB activation in TLR-activated macrophages.

Macrophage activation by Toll receptors is an essential event in the development of the response against pathogens. NOTCH signaling pathway is involved in the control of macrophage activation and the inflammatory processes. In this work, we have characterized NOTCH signaling in macrophages activated by Toll-like receptor (TLR) triggering and determined that DLL1 and DLL4 are the main ligands responsible for NOTCH signaling.