Engineering immunity using metabolically active polymeric nanoparticles.

Immune system functions play crucial roles in both health and disease, and these functions are regulated by their metabolic programming. The field of immune engineering has emerged to develop therapeutic strategies, including polymeric nanoparticles (NPs), that can direct immune cell phenotype and function by directing immunometabolic changes. Precise control of bioenergetic processes may offer the opportunity to prevent undesired immune activity and improve disease-specific outcomes.

Longitudinal Follow-Up of the Psychological Well-Being of Patients with Colorectal Cancer: Final Analysis of PICO-SM.

PICO-SM was a prospective longitudinal study investigating the psychological impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on patients with colorectal cancer treated in a large UK tertiary cancer centre. Here, we present the impact of the third wave of the pandemic (December 2021 to February 2022), when the Omicron variant became prevalent in the UK, and the complete longitudinal comparison across the entire duration of this study. Patients were invited to complete a questionnaire, including screening psychometric tools.

Pilot Study: Human Adipose Tissue Allograft for Fat Pad Defects in Patients With Preulcerative Lesions.

Background: Loss or displacement of a fat pad on the foot increases plantar pressure, leading to pain and plantar ulcers. These ulcers, especially in patients with diabetic neuropathy, have high recurrence rates, often resulting in amputations. Standard of care focuses on reducing plantar pressure with shoe padding or orthotic devices, leaving the restoration of the fat pad as an unmet medical need.

Molecular and niche modeling approaches to identify potential amplifying hosts for an emerging tick-borne pathogen, Rickettsia rickettsii subsp. californica, the causative agent of Pacific Coast tick fever.

Pacific Coast tick fever is a recently described zoonotic disease in California caused by a spotted fever group rickettsia, Rickettsia rickettsii subsp. californica (formerly Rickettsia 364D) and transmitted by the Pacific Coast tick, Dermacentor occidentalis. Like many emerging vector-borne diseases, knowledge regarding the transmission cycle, contribution from potential amplifying hosts, and geographic distribution of R.

Environmentally Stable Reversible Cavitand Molecular Switches Based on the Excimer of Perylene.

Environmentally stable novel flexible bisperylene resorcin[4]arene molecular switch cavitand B and the corresponding rigid cavitand A were synthesized and a single crystal was obtained. Spectroscopic analysis revealed the formation of an excimer of perylene within the cavitand. The presence of flexible chains in cavitand B confers a high degree of environmental stability, rendering its fluorescence unaffected by external factors such as pH and temperature variations.