The impact of different lifestyle factors on disability in multiple sclerosis at older ages: a monocentric retrospective study.

Background: Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a chronic immune-mediated disease of the central nervous system affecting approximately 2.8 million people worldwide. In addition to genetic and environmental factors, various lifestyle factors contribute to disease development and progression.

Fermented antler extract attenuates muscle atrophy by regulating the PI3K/Akt pathway and inflammatory response in immobilization-treated C57BL/6J mice.

Muscle atrophy or muscle wasting, which is featured by reduced muscle function and mass, typically results from disuse, aging, and chronic diseases. The deer antler, which refers to the young and non-ossified antlers of various species of deer-related animals, is not fully calcified and comprises of densely growing hair. Here, we investigated whether -fermented antler extract (FAE) inhibits immobilization-induced muscle atrophy in C57BL/6J mice.

Trabectedin promotes oncolytic virus antitumor efficacy, viral gene expression, and immune effector function in models of bone sarcoma.

We previously reported that the DNA alkylator and transcriptional-blocking chemotherapeutic agent trabectedin enhances oncolytic herpes simplex viroimmunotherapy in human sarcoma xenograft models, though the mechanism remained to be elucidated. Here we report trabectedin disrupts the intrinsic cellular antiviral response which increases viral transcript presence in the human tumor cells. We also extended our synergy findings to syngeneic murine sarcoma models, which are poorly susceptible to virus infection.

MnO Nanowires with Sub-10 nm Thick Conjugated Microporous Polymers as Synergistic Triboelectric Materials.

MnO nanowires coated with conjugated microporous polymers (CMP) are applied as triboelectric energy harvesting materials. The tribopositive performance of the CMP shells is enhanced with the assistance of MnO nanowires (MnO NW), likely due to cationic charge transfer from the tribopositive CMP layers to the surface Mn and Mn species of MnO NW. This is supported by model studies.

Effect of violent mixing on sonochemical oxidation activity under various geometric conditions in 28-kHz sonoreactor.

The effects of violent mixing and reactor geometric conditions were investigated using the overhead stirrer and high-speed homogenizer in 28-kHz sonoreactors. The sonochemical oxidation activity was quantified using the KI dosimetry method, and the sonochemical active zone was visually observed using the luminol method. Higher mixing rates resulted in a significant enhancement of the sonochemical oxidation activity, primarily due to a significant change in the sonochemical active zone.

Chiral sensing of glucose by surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy.

Background: Chiral-selective molecular interactions are considered crucial in numerous physiological processes. Chiral-selective analytical methods of biomolecules with sufficient sensitivity are of great interest in numerous applications. Several surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS)-based methods have recently been reported for chiral sensing of biomolecules.

Attention and executive delays in early childhood: a meta-analysis of neurodevelopmental conditions.

The objective of this review was to evaluate attention and executive function performance in children with neurodevelopmental conditions across the first 5 years of life, compared to neurotypical peers. MEDLINE, EMBASE, and PsycINFO databases were searched until June 30, 2023, and studies comparing attention or executive function between children with (or at risk for) neurodevelopmental conditions and neurotypical (or low risk) peers, 0 to 5 years old, were included. Of the 4338 studies identified, 111 studies with 12292 participants were included in the meta-analysis.

Cultural contexts differentially shape parents' loneliness and wellbeing during the empty nest period.

The coming decades will see a substantial increase in the population of older adults, accompanied by significant demographic and family structure changes worldwide. As a result, the empty nest period-the postparental phase in parents' lives when their children have left home and they are no longer engaged in childrearing-is becoming an increasingly common experience in Western and Asian cultures. The current theoretical review examines the psychological consequences of the empty nest period on loneliness and well-being across cultures, emphasizing the impact of cultural factors on these experiences.

Segmented readout for Cherenkov time-of-flight positron emission tomography detectors based on bismuth germanate.

Positron emission tomography (PET) is the most sensitive biomedical imaging modality for non-invasively detecting and visualizing positron-emitting radiopharmaceuticals within a subject. In PET, measuring the time-of-flight (TOF) information for each pair of 511-keV annihilation photons improves effective sensitivity but requires high timing resolution. Hybrid materials that emit both scintillation and Cherenkov photons, such as bismuth germanate (BGO), recently offer the potential for more precise timing information from Cherenkov photons while maintaining adequate energy resolution from scintillation photons.

Magnetically coupled tooth arrangement for an implant-supported fixed complete denture: A dental technique.

Magnets have been used to help position dental components, including magnetic mounting plates for articulators and magnetic attachments for implant surgical guides. A magnetically coupled tooth arrangement technique used the fixed reference point of integrated implants to determine maxillomandibular relations and the tooth arrangement, thus improving the efficiency of the clinical appointment. The magnetic framework was screwed into the implants only once for the duration of a clinical appointment.

Activation of the apelin/APJ system by vitamin D attenuates age-related muscle atrophy.

Aims: Age-related frailty and reduced physical activity contribute to a degenerative loss of muscle mass, function, and strength, which is known as sarcopenia. Increasing evidence has shown that vitamin D has beneficial effects on the muscle health. However, the molecular mechanisms of vitamin D have not been fully elucidated.

Exposure to air pollutants and subclinical carotid atherosclerosis measured by magnetic resonance imaging: A cross-sectional analysis.

Objectives: Long-term exposure to air pollution has been associated with higher risk of cardiovascular mortality. Less is known about the association of air pollution with initial development of cardiovascular disease. Herein, the association between low-level exposure to air pollutants and subclinical carotid atherosclerosis in adults without known clinical cardiovascular disease was investigated.

Search for the Z Boson Decay to ττμμ in Proton-Proton Collisions at sqrt[s]=13 TeV.

The first search for the Z boson decay to ττμμ at the CERN LHC is presented, based on data collected by the CMS experiment at the LHC in proton-proton collisions at a center-of-mass energy of 13 TeV and corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 138  fb^{-1}. The data are compatible with the predicted background. For the first time, an upper limit at the 95% confidence level of 6.

What Do People Want from an AI-Assisted Screening App for Sexually Transmitted Infection-Related Anogenital Lesions: A Discrete Choice Experiment.

Background: One of the World Health Organization (WHO) recommendations to achieve its global targets for sexually transmitted infections (STIs) is the increased use of digital technologies. Melbourne Sexual Health Centre (MSHC) has developed an AI-assisted screening application (app) called AiSTi for the detection of common STI-related anogenital skin conditions. This study aims to understand the community's preference for using the AiSTi app.

Ethanol stability from nine years of a blind quality control program in blood alcohol analysis.

A blind quality control (BQC) program in blood alcohol analysis was implemented at the Houston Forensic Science Center (HFSC) in September 2015. By mimicking authentic toxicology blood evidence, the laboratory can perform a concurrent evaluation of their technical and administrative casework procedures and test the accuracy and reliability of their volatile analysis method in a format that is blinded to the analyst. From September 2015 to November 2023, HFSC's Quality Division submitted 1228 antemortem whole blood samples: 292 ethanol-negative samples and 936 ethanol-positive samples at sixteen target concentrations (0.

Green metal nanotechnology in monogastric animal health: current trends and future prospects - A review.

Green nanotechnology is an emerging field of research in recent decades with rapidly growing interest. This integrates green chemistry with green engineering to avoid using toxic chemicals in the synthesis of organic nanomaterials. Green nanotechnology would create a huge potential for the use of nanoparticles for more sustainable utilization in improving animal health.

TGFβ2-Driven Ferritin Degradation and Subsequent Ferroptosis Underlie Salivary Gland Dysfunction in Postmenopausal Conditions.

Despite the high incidence of dry mouth in postmenopausal women, its underlying mechanisms and therapeutic interventions remain underexplored. Using ovariectomized (OVX) mouse models, here this study identifies ferroptosis, an iron-dependent regulated cell death, as a central mechanism driving postmenopausal salivary gland (SG) dysfunction. In the OVX-SGs, TGFβ signaling pathway is enhanced with the aberrant TGFβ2 expression in SG mesenchymal cells.