A mitochondria-interfering nanocomplex cooperates with photodynamic therapy to boost antitumor immunity.

Immunotherapeutics against triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) hold great promise. In this work, we provide a combination therapy for simultaneous increasing tumor immunogenicity and down-regulating programmed cell death ligand 1 (PD-L1) to boost antitumor immunity in TNBC. We prepare bis (diethyldithiocarbamate)-copper/indocyanine green nanoparticles (CuET/ICG NPs) simply in aqueous with one-pot method.

Gustatory cortex neurons perform reliability-dependent integration of multisensory flavor inputs.

Flavor is the quintessential multisensory experience, combining gustatory, retronasal olfactory, and texture qualities to inform food perception and consumption behavior. However, the computations that govern multisensory integration of flavor components and their underlying neural mechanisms remain elusive. Here, we use rats as a model system to test the hypothesis that taste and smell components of flavor are integrated in a reliability-dependent manner to inform hedonic judgments and that this computation is performed by neurons in the primary taste cortex.

Benefits of swaying while standing to higher selective attention in goal-directed visual tasks.

Background And Aim: Sit-stand desks allow individuals to work in either sitting or standing position. While previous studies have reported better performance on the attention network test (ANT) while standing compared to sitting, the relationship between body sway induced by these positions and ANT performance remains unclear. In this study, we aimed to test and expect benefits of body sway (in terms of magnitude and complexity) and improvements in ANT performance when standing (e.

An updated AL-base reveals ranked enrichment of immunoglobulin light chain variable genes in AL amyloidosis.

Background: Each monoclonal antibody light chain associated with AL amyloidosis has a unique sequence. Defining how these sequences drive amyloid deposition could facilitate faster diagnosis and lead to new treatments.

Methods: Light chain sequences are collected in the AL-Base repository.

An updated AL-Base reveals ranked enrichment of immunoglobulin light chain variable genes in AL amyloidosis.

Background: Each monoclonal antibody light chain associated with AL amyloidosis has a unique sequence. Defining how these sequences lead to amyloid deposition could facilitate faster diagnosis and lead to new treatments.

Methods: Light chain sequences are collected in the Boston University AL-Base repository.

Evaluation of myocarditis with a free-breathing three-dimensional isotropic whole-heart joint T1 and T2 mapping sequence.

Background: The diagnosis of myocarditis by cardiovascular magnetic resonance (CMR) requires the use of T2 and T1 weighted imaging, ideally incorporating parametric mapping. Current two-dimensional (2D) mapping sequences are acquired sequentially and involve multiple breath-holds resulting in prolonged scan times and anisotropic image resolution. We developed an isotropic free-breathing three-dimensional (3D) whole-heart sequence that allows simultaneous T1 and T2 mapping and validated it in patients with suspected myocarditis.

Rapid reconfiguration of cortical networks after repeated exposure to visual-vestibular conflicts.

Visual-vestibular conflicts can induce motion sickness and further postural instability. Visual-vestibular habituation is recommended to reduce the symptoms of motion sickness and improve postural stability with an altered multisensory reweighting progress. However, it is unclear how the human brain reweights multisensory information after repeated exposure to visual-vestibular conflicts.

Measuring the total photon economy of molecular species through fluorescent optical cycling.

The total photon economy of a chromophore molecular species represents a study of how absorbed photons partition among various electronic states and ultimately dissipate their excited energy into the environment. A complete accounting of these rates and pathways would allow one to optimize chromophores and their environments for applications. We describe a technique, fluorescent optical cycling (FOC), which allows for simultaneous observation of prompt and delayed emission during and after multiple pulsed excitation, ultimately granting access to multi-state photophysical rates.

Direct Visualization of a Cesarean Scar Ectopic Pregnancy After Medical Management.

BACKGROUND Cesarean scar ectopic pregnancy is a rare type of ectopic pregnancy that can result in severe maternal morbidity and mortality. Medical, surgical, and minimally invasive therapies alone or in combination have been described in the literature, but the optimal treatment modality of cesarean scar ectopic pregnancies is unknown. Limited information exists on the course of cesarean scar ectopic pregnancy following treatment with cytotoxic agents.

De novo design of proteins housing excitonically coupled chlorophyll special pairs.

Natural photosystems couple light harvesting to charge separation using a 'special pair' of chlorophyll molecules that accepts excitation energy from the antenna and initiates an electron-transfer cascade. To investigate the photophysics of special pairs independently of the complexities of native photosynthetic proteins, and as a first step toward creating synthetic photosystems for new energy conversion technologies, we designed C-symmetric proteins that hold two chlorophyll molecules in closely juxtaposed arrangements. X-ray crystallography confirmed that one designed protein binds two chlorophylls in the same orientation as native special pairs, whereas a second designed protein positions them in a previously unseen geometry.

Evaluation of the ARK Diagnostics immunoassay for qualitative detection of xylazine in urine.

Xylazine exposure is common in some US cities, but a commercial assay for routine laboratory testing for xylazine is not currently available. We evaluated a pre-release version of the ARK Diagnostics immunoassay for qualitative detection of xylazine/4-hydroxyxylazine in urine. Studies were conducted using either the semi-quantitative assay application (A.

Hyperbaric Oxygen Boosts Antitumor Efficacy of Copper-Diethyldithiocarbamate Nanoparticles against Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma by Regulating Cancer Stem Cell Metabolism.

Cuproptosis-based cancer nanomedicine has received widespread attention recently. However, cuproptosis nanomedicine against pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is severely limited by cancer stem cells (CSCs), which reside in the hypoxic stroma and adopt glycolysis metabolism accordingly to resist cuproptosis-induced mitochondria damage. Here, we leverage hyperbaric oxygen (HBO) to regulate CSC metabolism by overcoming tumor hypoxia and to augment CSC elimination efficacy of polydopamine and hydroxyethyl starch stabilized copper-diethyldithiocarbamate nanoparticles (CuET@PH NPs).

Nonlinear dynamics of postural control system under visual-vestibular habituation balance practice: evidence from EEG, EMG and center of pressure signals.

Human postural control system is inherently complex with nonlinear interaction among multiple subsystems. Accordingly, such postural control system has the flexibility in adaptation to complex environments. Previous studies applied complexity-based methods to analyze center of pressure (COP) to explore nonlinear dynamics of postural sway under changing environments, but direct evidence from central nervous system or muscular system is limited in the existing literature.

The social determinants of migrant domestic worker (MDW) health and well-being in the Western Pacific Region: A Scoping Review.

The health and well-being of transnational migrant domestic workers (MDWs) is a pressing but largely neglected public health concern. The Asia Pacific region is home to over 20% of the global MDW population. Living and working conditions, social contexts, political environments, and migration regimes are recognized as consequential to the health of this population, but currently no synthesis of available literature to prioritize research or policy agenda setting for MDW has yet been conducted.

Design and Implementation of a Clinical Science Specialty Clinic for Adults with Neurological Disorders and Their Caregivers.

Mental health problems are common for persons with neurological disorders (PWNDs) and their caregivers (CGs) but often are not adequately treated. Despite this growing need, the training of clinical psychologists typically does not include coursework or practicum experience working with these populations. To address this, a team of faculty, supervisors, and doctoral students in UC Berkeley's Clinical Science program undertook a year-long process that consisted of building a training curriculum that integrated coursework and consultation with visiting experts; providing supervised practicum training with PWNDs and CGs and evaluating training and clinical outcomes.

The effect of multisensory context and experience on flavor preference decisions in rats.

Flavor is perceived through multiple senses, including gustation and olfaction. Previous studies have shown that different sensory qualities that make up flavor are integrated to inform perceptual judgements. Psychophysical work in humans further suggests a prominent role for congruency (i.

Characterizing adjuvants' effects at murine immunoglobulin repertoire level.

Generating large-scale, high-fidelity sequencing data is challenging and, furthermore, not much has been done to characterize adjuvants' effects at the repertoire level. Thus, we introduced an IgSeq pipeline that standardized library prep protocols and data analysis functions for accurate repertoire profiling. We then studied systemically effects of CpG and Alum on the Ig heavy chain repertoire using the ovalbumin (OVA) murine model.

Non-rigid motion-compensated 3D whole-heart T mapping in a hybrid 3T PET-MR system.

Purpose: Simultaneous PET-MRI improves inflammatory cardiac disease diagnosis. However, challenges persist in respiratory motion and mis-registration between free-breathing 3D PET and 2D breath-held MR images. We propose a free-breathing non-rigid motion-compensated 3D T -mapping sequence enabling whole-heart myocardial tissue characterization in a hybrid 3T PET-MR system and provides non-rigid respiratory motion fields to correct also simultaneously acquired PET data.

Deuteration of heptamethine cyanine dyes enhances their emission efficacy.

The design of bright short-wave infrared fluorophores remains a grand challenge. Here we investigate the impact of deuteration on the properties in a series of heptamethine dyes, the absorption of which spans near-infrared and SWIR regions. We demonstrate that it is a generally applicable strategy that leads to enhanced quantum yields of fluorescence, longer-lived singlet excited states and suppressed rates of non-radiative deactivation processes.

[The effect of visual-vestibular sensory input consistency on standing stability and electroencephalogram brain network characteristics in the elderly].

Aging is a crucial factor influencing postural stability control and contributing to frequent falls, yet its underlying mechanisms remain incompletely understood. This study aims to explore the effects of aging on postural stability control by comparing differences in postural stability and node strength of electroencephalogram (EEG) brain network between elderly and young people under the conditions of congruent and incongruent visual-vestibular sensory inputs. Eighteen elderly volunteers without neuromuscular disorders and eighteen young individuals participated in the present study.

Multisensory Conflict Impairs Cortico-Muscular Network Connectivity and Postural Stability: Insights from Partial Directed Coherence Analysis.

Sensory conflict impacts postural control, yet its effect on cortico-muscular interaction remains underexplored. We aimed to investigate sensory conflict's influence on the cortico-muscular network and postural stability. We used a rotating platform and virtual reality to present subjects with congruent and incongruent sensory input, recorded EEG (electroencephalogram) and EMG (electromyogram) data, and constructed a directed connectivity network.