Spirituality, Spiritual Distress and Experiences of Joy, Meaning and Growth Among Parkinson's Disease Caregivers in the United States.

Caregiving challenges of Parkinson's disease can result in loss of faith, meaning, and spiritual distress. The purpose of this study is to describe Parkinson's disease caregivers' perceptions and experiences related to spiritual distress, sources of spiritual and religious support, acts, and experiences of growth, and finding meaning and joy in the midst of spiritual distress. We conducted semi-structured interviews with caregivers of persons with Parkinson's disease (n = 16) and identified five themes: (a) Bearing witness to suffering underlies spiritual distress; (b) Prayers are pleas for "soul help"; (c) Spiritual guidance and support are important; (d) Faith and community are sources of spiritual support; and (e) Joy, meaning, and growth help to transcend spiritual distress.

EP4-induced mitochondrial localization and cell migration mediated by CALML6 in human oral squamous cell carcinoma.

Lymph node metastasis, primarily caused by the migration of oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) cells, stands as a crucial prognostic marker. We have previously demonstrated that EP4, a subtype of the prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) receptor, orchestrates OSCC cell migration via Ca signaling. The exact mechanisms by which EP4 influences cell migration through Ca signaling, however, is unclear.

Parkinson's Disease Carepartners' Perceptions of the Challenges and Rewards of Caregiving.

Background: Multiple debilitating symptoms and the progressive nature of Parkinson's disease (PD) affect carepartners' quality of life. Although, there is abundant knowledge on caregiver burden there is limited knowledge on PD carepartners' perceptions of caregiving.

Aim: To understand family members' perception of their role, and of the challenges and rewards of PD caregiving.

Protocol for cross-platform characterization of human and murine extracellular vesicles and particles.

Characterization of isolated extracellular vesicles and particles (EVPs) is crucial for determining functions and biomarker potential. Here, we present a protocol to analyze size, number, morphology, and EVP protein cargo and to validate EVP proteins in both humans and mice. We describe steps for nanoparticle tracking analysis, transmission electron microscopy, single-EVP immunodetection, EVP proteomic mass spectrometry and bioinformatic analysis, and EVP protein validation by ExoELISA and western blot analysis.

Spirituality and Spiritual Distress in Parkinson's Disease Caregivers: A Scoping Review.

Despite recognition that spiritual concerns contribute to caregiver burden, little is known about spirituality, spiritual well-being, and spiritual distress in Parkinson's disease caregivers. In this scoping review of the literature through October 2022, we searched PubMed, PsychINFO, Embase, and CINAHL. From an initial pool of 328 studies, 14 were included.

A peptide binding to the tetraspanin CD9 reduces cancer metastasis.

As an organizer of multi-molecular membrane complexes, the tetraspanin CD9 has been implicated in a number of biological processes, including cancer metastasis, and is a candidate therapeutic target. Here, we evaluated the suppressive effects of an eight-mer CD9-binding peptide (CD9-BP) on cancer cell metastasis and its mechanisms of action. CD9-BP impaired CD9-related functions by adversely affecting the formation of tetraspanin webs-networks composed of CD9 and its partner proteins.

Ability of combined soluble urokinase plasminogen activator receptor to predict preventable emergency attendance in older patients in Japan: a prospective pilot study.

Soluble urokinase plasminogen activator receptor (suPAR) is a strong and nonspecific inflammatory biomarker that reflects various immunologic reactions, organ damage, and risk of mortality in the general population. Although prior research in acute medical patients showed that an elevation in suPAR is related to intensive care unit admission and risk of readmission and mortality, no studies have focused on the predictive value of suPAR for preventable emergency attendance (PEA). This study aims to evaluate the predictive value of suPAR, which consists of a combination of white blood cell count (WBC), C-reactive protein (CRP), and the National Early Warning Score (NEWS), for PEA in older patients (>65 years) without trauma who presented to the emergency department (ED).

Clinical investigation of patients with jaw deformity with comorbidities.

Background: With improvements in the safety and stability of surgeries, the number of orthognathic surgeries is increasing. Most patients who undergo orthognathic surgeries are younger, and the number of orthognathic surgeries for patients with comorbidities is also increasing. We report a survey and clinical investigation of patients with comorbidities who underwent orthognathic surgeries at our department to improve the safety of orthognathic surgery.

[Exosome, a Nano-Sized Carrier, and the Brain-Gut Correlation].

Exosomes, small bilayer vesicles secreted by all cells, are recognized as a novel communication tool among distant organs. They can cross the blood-brain barrier and be taken up by specific brain cells, altering the brain microenvironment and possibly playing a role in pathological conditions such as brain metastasis and neurodegenerative diseases. Intestinal bacteria also release small membrane vesicles called "bacterial extracellular vesicles" (BEVs), which can invade blood vessels and affect distant tissues in a manner similar to exosomes, suggesting that BEVs also play a role in disease progression in the brain-gut axis.

Hypoxia and CD11b+ Cell Influx Are Strongly Associated With Lymph Node Metastasis of Oral Cancer.

Background/aim: Treatment failure in oral cancer is mainly caused by uncontrolled cervical lymph node (LN) metastasis. We previously reported that CD11b+ cells are recruited into tumor hypoxic areas following radiation, leading to re-vascularization and relapse. Since lymphatic vessel formation has similarities with vascular formation, we examined whether surgery induces hypoxia and stimulates lymphangiogenesis.

Impact of exosome-mediated feto-maternal interactions on pregnancy maintenance and development of obstetric complications.

Pregnancy is an immunological paradox, a phenomenon in which the foetus and the placenta, containing foreign antigens to the mother, develop without inducing rejection by the maternal immune system. Cell-to-cell communication between the foetus and the mother is mediated by secreted factors such as cytokines, hormones and extracellular vesicles (EVs) for a successful pregnancy and to avoid rejection. Exosomes, the smallest of EVs, are released extracellularly, where they are taken up by proximal or distant recipient cells.

Extracellular Vesicle and Particle Biomarkers Define Multiple Human Cancers.

There is an unmet clinical need for improved tissue and liquid biopsy tools for cancer detection. We investigated the proteomic profile of extracellular vesicles and particles (EVPs) in 426 human samples from tissue explants (TEs), plasma, and other bodily fluids. Among traditional exosome markers, CD9, HSPA8, ALIX, and HSP90AB1 represent pan-EVP markers, while ACTB, MSN, and RAP1B are novel pan-EVP markers.

M2-polarized macrophages contribute to neovasculogenesis, leading to relapse of oral cancer following radiation.

Despite the fact that radiation is one of the standard therapies in the treatment of patients with oral cancer, tumours can recur even in the early stages of the disease, negatively impacting prognosis and quality of life. We previously found that CD11b(+) bone marrow-derived cells (BMDCs) were recruited into human glioblastoma multiforme (GBM), leading to re-organization of the vasculature and tumour regrowth. However, it is not yet known how these cells contribute to tumour vascularization.

Low-temperature catalytic oxidative coupling of methane in an electric field over a Ce-W-O catalyst system.

We examined oxidative coupling of methane (OCM) over various Ce-W-O catalysts at 423 K in an electric field. Ce2(WO4)3/CeO2 catalyst showed high OCM activity. In a periodic operation test over Ce2(WO4)3/CeO2 catalyst, C2 selectivity exceeded 60% during three redox cycles.

Establishment of successively transplantable rabbit VX2 cancer cells that express enhanced green fluorescent protein.

Morphological detection of cancer cells in the rabbit VX2 allograft transplantation model is often difficult in a certain region such as serosal cavity where reactive mesothelial cells mimic cancer cells and both cells share common markers such as cytokeratins. Therefore, tagging VX2 cells with a specific and sensitive marker that easily distinguishes them from other cells would be advantageous. Thus, we tried to establish a successively transplantable, enhanced green fluorescent protein (EGFP)-expressing VX2 model.