Nanoconfinement-induced shift in photooxidative degradation pathway of polystyrene.

Polymer nanocomposites with high concentrations of nanoparticles (NPs) possess exceptional mechanical, transport, and thermal properties. To enable their widespread use in structural applications and functional coatings, it is crucial to understand how nanoconfinement and the polymer-NP interface influence polymer degradation under various environmental conditions, including prolonged UV exposure. In this study, we investigate the photooxidative degradation of polystyrene (PS)-confined in the interstices of SiO NP films.

Competing elastic and viscous gradients determine directional cell migration.

Cell migration regulates central life processes including embryonic development, tissue regeneration, and tumor invasion. To establish the direction of migration, cells follow exogenous cues. Durotaxis, the directed cell migration towards elastic stiffness gradients, is the classical example of mechanical taxis.

Directed Cell Growth of C2C12 Cells on ECM Free Bioprinted Nano/Micro Scaffolds.

Skeletal muscle cell growth impairment can result in severe health issues, such as reduced mobility, metabolic problems, and cardiovascular issues, which can significantly impact an individual's overall health and lifestyle. To address this issue, it is essential to adopt a multi-faceted approach. Conventional 2D cell culture methods fail to replicate the critical features of in vivo micro/nanoarchitecture, which is crucial for the growth of skeletal muscle cells.

The antiviral JNJ-A07 significantly reduces dengue virus transmission by mosquitoes when delivered via blood-feeding.

Dengue virus (DENV) is the most widespread mosquito-borne virus worldwide, but no antiviral therapies are available yet. The pan-serotype DENV inhibitor JNJ-A07 has shown potent activity in a mouse model. It remains unknown whether an antiviral drug ingested by mosquitoes could inhibit virus replication and thus reduce transmission to other hosts.

The Pivotal Role of One-Carbon Metabolism in Neoplastic Progression During the Aging Process.

One-carbon (1C) metabolism is a complex network of metabolic reactions closely related to producing 1C units (as methyl groups) and utilizing them for different anabolic processes, including nucleotide synthesis, methylation, protein synthesis, and reductive metabolism. These pathways support the high proliferative rate of cancer cells. While drugs that target 1C metabolism (like methotrexate) have been used for cancer treatment, they often have significant side effects.

Determining the influential factors of postnatal care in Bangladesh using multilevel logistic regression.

Background: Postnatal care (PNC) is the care of a newborn and mother for up to six weeks from one hour of placenta birth. The postnatal period is one of the most hazardous stages for mothers and their baby's health. The PNC is influenced by several maternal, family, biological, and socio-economic factors and it is necessary to identify the most significant factors of PNC.

Exploring Free Energy Landscapes for Protein Partitioning into Membrane Domains in All-Atom and Coarse-Grained Simulations.

It is known that membrane environment can impact the structure and function of integral membrane proteins. As such, elucidation of the thermodynamic driving forces governing protein partitioning between membrane domains of varying lipid composition is a fundamental topic in membrane biophysics. Molecular dynamics simulations provide valuable tools for quantitatively characterizing the free energy landscapes governing protein partitioning at the molecular level.

Enhanced removal of methylene blue by 2-(2,4,5-tricarboxybenzyloxy)-1,2,3-propanetricarboxylic acid modified cellulose.

A new type of polycarboxylic acid crosslinking agent 2-(2,4,5-tricarboxybenzyloxy)-1,2,3-propanetricarboxylic acid (TBPTA) with the morphology similar to the regular arrangement of the foliar morphology of Araucaria was synthesized by dissolving carboxylic acid system of 1, 2, 3, 4-butane tetracarboxylic acid (PMDA) and citric acid (CA) in the molar ratio of 1: 1 in tetrahydrofuran (THF) at 68 °C. On this basis, a novel adsorbent TEMPO-derived nanocellulose (CNF)/TBPTA with excellent adsorption properties for methylene blue (MB) was prepared by mixing CNF, TBPTA as raw materials and sodium hypophosphite (SHP) as catalyst in various proportions. The X-ray diffraction (XRD) spectra showed that the cross-linking effect of TBPTA transformed the crystal structure of CNF from type I to type II.

Expert Panel Consensus Recommendations for Allergic Rhinitis in Patients with Asthma in India.

Allergic rhinitis and asthma are commonly coexisting conditions, significantly impacting patient health and quality of life. Despite their interrelation, diagnosing allergic rhinitis in patients with asthma remains challenging, leading to underdiagnosis and suboptimal management. The expert consensus engaged a modified Delphi method involving 29 experts including pulmonologists, ear, nose, and throat surgeons, and allergologists.

Patient expectations and decisional regret in the management of ventral hernias.

Introduction: Older adult patients have many factors to contemplate when considering elective ventral hernia repair. In this study, we aimed to understand whether our novel shared decision-making (SDM) aid helped reduce this population's decisional regret when choosing hernia management strategy.

Methods: Patients ≥ 60 years of age presenting for ventral hernia evaluation were randomized to two groups.

Comparison of Atherosclerotic Cardiovascular Disease Risk Scoring Systems in Bangladeshi Population.

Risk stratification is an important initial step for primary prevention of atherosclerotic cardiovascular diseases. There are a number of scoring systems for this purpose worldwide. We tried to evaluate two most updated scoring systems.

Deciphering the Potentials of Cardamom in Cancer Prevention and Therapy: From Kitchen to Clinic.

Cardamom (cardamum) is a spice produced from the seeds of several Elettaria and Amomum plants of the Zingiberaceae family. Cardamom has been demonstrated to offer numerous benefits, including its antioxidant, antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, and other metabolic (anti-diabetic) properties, and its potential to reduce cancer risk. Recently, researchers have extracted and tested multiple phytochemicals from cardamom to assess their potential effectiveness against various types of human malignancy.

Probing the Origins of the Disorder-to-Order Transition of a Modified Cholesterol in Ternary Lipid Bilayers.

In a recent study, spectroscopic observations of modified cholesterol in both lipid-coated nanoparticles and liposomes provided evidence for a disorder-to-order orientational transition with increasing temperature. Below a critical temperature, in a membrane composed of modified cholesterol, saturated (DPPC) lipid, and anionic (DOPS) lipid, a roughly equal population of head-out and head-in conformations was observed. Surprisingly, as temperature was increased the modified cholesterol presented an abrupt transition to a population of all head-in orientations.

Investigating computational models for diagnosis and prognosis of sepsis based on clinical parameters: Opportunities, challenges, and future research directions.

This study investigates the use of computational frameworks for sepsis. We consider two dimensions for investigation - early diagnosis of sepsis (EDS) and mortality prediction rate for sepsis patients (MPS). We concentrate on the clinical parameters on which sepsis diagnosis and prognosis are currently done, including customized treatment plans based on historical data of the patient.

Classifying frailty in the ventral hernia population.

Introduction: Frailty is increasingly recognized as a preoperative predictor of adverse outcomes following various surgical procedures. Our study aims to compare validated frailty measures in the ventral hernia population, as this is a common elective procedure with a paucity of data regarding frailty prevalence.

Methods: Patients aged 18 years or older with planned ventral hernia repairs were prospectively enrolled in our single-institution study from January 2023 through June 2023.

End-Tidal CO During Enhanced-View Totally Extraperitoneal Hernia Repair: A Comparison of Retrorectus and Intraperitoneal Insufflation.

Introduction: Although the enhanced-view totally extraperitoneal (eTEP) approach has demonstrated safety, efficacy, and durability for small- to medium-sized hernia repairs, the relationships between retrorectus insufflation, intraoperative respiratory stability, and end-tidal CO (ETCO) levels has not been appraised.

Methods: We conducted a retrospective chart review of patients undergoing elective robotic-assisted ventral hernia repairs at our quaternary academic center from July 2018 through December 2021. Patients were grouped by repair technique, either eTEP or robotic transversus abdominis release (r-TAR).

A high-throughput flowless microfluidic single and multi-solute concentration gradient generator: Design and parametric study.

Microfluidic concentration gradient generators (-CGGs) are critical in various biochemical assays, including cell migration, drug screening, and antimicrobial susceptibility testing. However, current -CGGs rely on integration with flow systems, limiting their scalability and widespread adoption owing to limited infrastructure and technical expertise. Hence, there is a need for flowless diffusional gradient generators capable of standalone operation, thereby improving throughput and usability.

Concave/Convex Curvature of Anisotropic Grooves Differentially Alters Cellular Morphology, Adhesion, and Proliferation.

Curvature is an integral part of the complex tissue architecture across various length scales. Therefore, several models with a patterned curvature in different length scales have been developed to understand the role of this in cellular behavior. At the subcellular scale, wavy patterns have been reported wherein concave and convex grooves are adjacently present.

Practise Updates: Diagnosis and Management of Idiopathic Hirsutism.

Idiopathic hirsutism (IH) is a common clinical condition with multiple diagnostic and therapeutic uncertainties. There are no clear recommendations for the diagnosis and management of the condition. This practice update was developed to guide the primary care physicians and the specialists in better and more systematic management of IH particularly in the Indian context.

A nanoscale photonic thermal transistor for sub-second heat flow switching.

Control of heat flow is critical for thermal logic devices and thermal management and has been explored theoretically. However, experimental progress on active control of heat flow has been limited. Here, we describe a nanoscale radiative thermal transistor that comprises of a hot source and a cold drain (both are ~250 nm-thick silicon nitride membranes), which are analogous to the source and drain electrodes of a transistor.