Reactive Oxygen Species-Sensitive Nanophotosensitizers Composed of Buthionine Sulfoximine-Conjugated Chitosan Oligosaccharide for Enhanced Photodynamic Treatment of Cancer Cells.

The efficacy of photodynamic therapy (PDT) based on traditional photosensitizers is generally limited by the cellular redox homeostasis system due to the reactive oxygen species (ROS) scavenging effect of glutathione (GSH). In this study, buthionine sulfoximine (BSO), a GSH inhibitor, was conjugated with the amine group of chitosan oligosaccharide (COS) using a thioketal linker (COSthBSO) to liberate BSO and chlorine e6 (Ce6) under oxidative stress, and then, Ce6-COSthBSO NP (Ce6-COSthBSO NP), fabricated by a dialysis procedure, showed an accelerated release rate of BSO and Ce6 by the addition of hydrogen peroxide, indicating that nanophotosensitizers have ROS sensitivity. In the in vitro cell culture study using HCT116 colon carcinoma cells, a combination of BSO and Ce6 efficiently suppressed the intracellular GSH and increased ROS production compared to the sole treatment of Ce6.

Clinical efficacy of multigene panels in the management of congenital hypothyroidism with gland in situ.

Congenital hypothyroidism (CHT) is a diverse condition with various genetic etiologies. This study aimed to investigate the utility of next-generation sequencing (NGS) analysis in guiding treatment decisions and predicting prognosis for CHT patients with gland in situ (GIS). A retrospective analysis was conducted on 33 CHT patients with GIS who underwent NGS analysis at a single institution between 2018 and 2023.

Identification of a novel splice variant in gene in a patient with concomitant presence of congenital dyserythropoietic anemia II and Gilbert's syndrome.

Background: Congenital dyserythropoietic anemia Ⅱ (CDA Ⅱ) is a rare inherited disorder of defective erythropoiesis caused by gene mutation. CDA Ⅱ is often misdiagnosed as a more common type of clinically related anemia, or it remains undiagnosed due to phenotypic variability caused by the coexistence of inherited liver diseases, including Gilbert's syndrome (GS) and hereditary hemochromatosis.

Methods: We describe the case of a boy with genetically undetermined severe hemolytic anemia, hepatosplenomegaly, and gallstones whose diagnosis was achieved by targeted next generation sequencing.

A Preliminary Evaluation of the Diagnostic Performance of a Smartphone-Based Machine Learning-Assisted System for Evaluation of Clinical Activity Score in Digital Images of Thyroid-Associated Orbitopathy.

We previously developed a machine learning (ML)-assisted system for predicting the clinical activity score (CAS) in thyroid-associated orbitopathy (TAO) using digital facial images taken by a digital single-lens reflex camera in a studio setting. In this study, we aimed to apply this system to smartphones and detect active TAO (CAS ≥3) using facial images captured by smartphone cameras. We evaluated the performance of our system on various smartphone models and compared it with the performance of ophthalmologists with varying clinical experience.

MicroRNA396 negatively regulates shoot regeneration in tomato.

Numerous studies have been dedicated to genetically engineering crops to enhance their yield and quality. One of the key requirements for generating genetically modified plants is the reprogramming of cell fate. However, the efficiency of shoot regeneration during this process is highly dependent on genotypes, and the underlying molecular mechanisms remain poorly understood.

A Unified Current-Voltage Model for Metal Oxide-Based Resistive Random-Access Memory.

Resistive random-access memory (RRAM) is essential for developing neuromorphic devices, and it is still a competitive candidate for future memory devices. In this paper, a unified model is proposed to describe the entire electrical characteristics of RRAM devices, which exhibit two different resistive switching phenomena. To enhance the performance of the model by reflecting the physical properties such as the length index of the undoped area during the switching operation, the Voltage ThrEshold Adaptive Memristor (VTEAM) model and the tungsten-based model are combined to represent two different resistive switching phenomena.

Phosphodiesterase 5 Inhibitor Potentiates Epigallocatechin 3-O-Gallate-Induced Apoptotic Cell Death via Activation of the cGMP Signaling Pathway in Caco-2 Cells.

Epigallocatechin 3--gallate (EGCG) is a predominant component in green tea with various health benefits. The 67 kDa laminin receptor (67LR) is a nonintegrin cell surface receptor that is overexpressed in various types of cancer; 67LR was identified a cell surface EGCG target that plays a pivotal role in tumor growth, metastasis, and resistance to chemotherapy. However, the plasma concentration of EGCG is limited, and its molecular mechanisms remain unelucidated in colon cancer.

Corrigendum: Mouse models of lung-specific SARS-CoV-2 infection with moderate pathological traits.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2022.

Mouse models of lung-specific SARS-CoV-2 infection with moderate pathological traits.

Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) causing coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has been a global health concern since 2019. The viral spike protein infects the host by binding to angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) expressed on the cell surface, which is then processed by type II transmembrane serine protease. However, ACE2 does not react to SARS-CoV-2 in inbred wild-type mice, which poses a challenge for preclinical research with animal models, necessitating a human ACE2 (hACE2)-expressing transgenic mouse model.

Quantifying In Situ Structural Stabilities of Human Blood Plasma Proteins Using a Novel Iodination Protein Stability Assay.

Many of the diseases that plague society today are driven by a loss of protein quality. One method to quantify protein quality is to measure the protein folding stability (PFS). Here, we present a novel mass spectrometry (MS)-based approach for PFS measurement, iodination protein stability assay (IPSA).

Submergence promotes auxin-induced callus formation through ethylene-mediated post-transcriptional control of auxin receptors.

Plant cells in damaged tissue can be reprogrammed to acquire pluripotency and induce callus formation. However, in the aboveground organs of many species, somatic cells that are distal to the wound site become less sensitive to auxin-induced callus formation, suggesting the existence of repressive regulatory mechanisms that are largely unknown. Here we reveal that submergence-induced ethylene signals promote callus formation by releasing post-transcriptional silencing of auxin receptor transcripts in non-wounded regions.

Noble gases and nitrogen in samples of asteroid Ryugu record its volatile sources and recent surface evolution.

The near-Earth carbonaceous asteroid (162173) Ryugu is expected to contain volatile chemical species that could provide information on the origin of Earth's volatiles. Samples of Ryugu were retrieved by the Hayabusa2 spacecraft. We measured noble gas and nitrogen isotopes in Ryugu samples and found that they are dominated by presolar and primordial components, incorporated during Solar System formation.

Central precocious puberty with hypothalamic hamartoma: the first case reports of 2 siblings with different phenotypes of Seckel syndrome 5.

Hypothalamic hamartomas (HHs) are nonneoplastic mass lesions located in the hypothalamus that can cause central precocious puberty (CPP) and/or gelastic seizures. Seckel syndrome 5 (OMIM210600, SCKL5) is a rare autosomal recessive genetic spectrum disorder characterized by intrauterine growth retardation, proportionate osteodysplastic primordial dwarfism, a wide range of intellectual disability, "bird-headed" facial features, and microcephaly with various structural brain abnormalities. Two siblings presented with short stature and small head circumference and were diagnosed with SCKL 5.

Case Report: Infantile Cerebellar-Retinal Degeneration With Compound Heterozygous Variants in Gene-Long-Term Follow-Up of a Sibling.

Infantile cerebellar-retinal degeneration (ICRD) is an extremely rare, infantile-onset neuro-degenerative disease, characterized by autosomal recessive inherited, global developmental delay (GDD), progressive cerebellar and cortical atrophy, and retinal degeneration. In 2012, a biallelic pathogenic variant in gene (NM_001098.3) was found to be causative of this disease.

Temporally distinct regulatory pathways coordinate thermo-responsive storage organ formation in potato.

Tuberization is an important developmental process in potatoes, but it is highly affected by environmental conditions. Temperature is a major environmental factor affecting tuberization, with high temperatures suppressing tuber development. However, the temporal aspects of thermo-responsive tuberization remain elusive.

Association of Smoking Status with Efficacy of First-line Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors in Advanced Non-small Cell Lung Cancers: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.

Although smoking status has potential as a biomarker for immune checkpoint blockade in advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), its clinical significance remains obscure. This meta-analysis aims to assess the impact of the smoking status on the efficacy of first-line immunotherapy and to find better treatment in never-smoker and ever-smoker patients. We searched the MEDLINE, EMBASE, and Cochrane database for trials comparing immunotherapy with conventional chemotherapy as front-line treatment for advanced NSCLC.

Construction of SARS-CoV-2 virus-like particles in plant.

The pandemic of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has caused a public health emergency, and research on the development of various types of vaccines is rapidly progressing at an unprecedented development speed internationally. Some vaccines have already been approved for emergency use and are being supplied to people around the world, but there are still many ongoing efforts to create new vaccines. Virus-like particles (VLPs) enable the construction of promising platforms in the field of vaccine development.

Parenting experiences among fathers of prematurely-born children with cerebral palsy in South Korea.

Purpose: The symptoms and impairments caused by cerebral palsy usually require long-term treatment, resulting in a substantial burden on the family of affected children. This study explored the experiences of fathers with prematurely-born children with cerebral palsy, with a focus on how such experiences influenced their families.

Methods: A qualitative case study method was used.

Rotavirus spike protein ΔVP8* as a novel carrier protein for conjugate vaccine platform with demonstrated antigenic potential for use as bivalent vaccine.

Conjugate vaccine platform is a promising strategy to overcome the poor immunogenicity of bacterial polysaccharide antigens in infants and children. A carrier protein in conjugate vaccines works not only as an immune stimulator to polysaccharide, but also as an immunogen; with the latter generally not considered as a measured outcome in real world. Here, we probed the potential of a conjugate vaccine platform to induce enhanced immunogenicity of a truncated rotavirus spike protein ΔVP8*.

New Simulation Method for Dependency of Device Degradation on Bending Direction and Channel Length.

The dependency of device degradation on bending direction and channel length is analyzed in terms of bandgap states in amorphous indium-gallium-zinc-oxide (a-IGZO) films. The strain distribution in an a-IGZO film under perpendicular and parallel bending of a device with various channel lengths is investigated by conducting a three-dimensional mechanical simulation. Based on the obtained strain distribution, new device simulation structures are suggested in which the active layer is defined as consisting of multiple regions.