Microfilm Coatings: A Biomaterial-Based Strategy for Modulating Femoral Deflection.

Wear on the surface of the femoral head increases the risk of hip and femur fractures. Biomechanical experiments conducted on the femur are based on its bending and torsional rigidities. Studies regarding the deflection of the femur bone when the femoral head is coated with microfilms composed of durable and compatible biomaterials are poor.

The Role of ZO-2 in Modulating JAM-A and γ-Actin Junctional Recruitment, Apical Membrane and Tight Junction Tension, and Cell Response to Substrate Stiffness and Topography.

This work analyzes the role of the tight junction (TJ) protein ZO-2 on mechanosensation. We found that the lack of ZO-2 reduced apical membrane rigidity measured with atomic force microscopy, inhibited the association of γ-actin and JAM-A to the cell border, and instead facilitated p114RhoGEF and afadin accumulation at the junction, leading to an enhanced mechanical tension at the TJ measured by FRET, with a ZO-1 tension probe, and increased tricellular TJ tension. Simultaneously, adherens junction tension measured with an E-cadherin probe was unaltered.

Effect of cooking on structural changes in the common black bean ( var. Jamapa).

The cooking process is fundamental for bean consumption and to increase the bioavailability of its nutritional components. The study aimed to determine the effect of cooking on bean seed coat through morphological analyses with different microscopy techniques and image analyses. The chemical composition and physical properties of raw black bean (RBB) and cooked black bean (CBB) seeds were determined.

The COVID-19 pandemic and non-COVID-19 healthcare utilization in Mexico.

Objectives: This study aimed to analyze the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on non-COVID-19 healthcare utilization in Mexico, including oral health, mental health, communicable disease visits, health checkups, chronic degenerative disease visits, postpartum care, prenatal care, and family planning visits.

Study Design: This was a retrospective ecological analysis during the COVID-19 pandemic. During the pandemic, the Mexican government recommended non-essential consultations be suspended or rescheduled to accommodate the new demand for healthcare services from COVID-19 patients.

Catastrophic health expenditure during the COVID-19 pandemic in five countries: a time-series analysis.

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic disrupted health systems in 2020, but it is unclear how financial hardship due to out-of-pocket (OOP) health-care costs was affected. We analysed catastrophic health expenditure (CHE) in 2020 in five countries with available household expenditure data: Belarus, Mexico, Peru, Russia, and Viet Nam. In Mexico and Peru, we also conducted an analysis of drivers of change in CHE in 2020 using publicly available data.

The (temporary) Covid-19 baby bust in Mexico.

In this paper, we investigate whether fertility and newborn health changed during the Covid-19 pandemic in Mexico. We use national administrative data and an event-study design to examine the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on fertility and newborn health characteristics. Our findings suggest that Mexico's fertility declined temporarily as measured by conceptions that likely occurred during the stay-at-home order.

Efficacy and safety of FOLFIRI/aflibercept (FA) in an elderly population with metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC) after failure of an oxaliplatin-based regimen.

Background: The VELOUR study showed the benefit of FOLFIRI-Aflibercept (FA) versus FOLFIRI in patients with metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC) in second-line treatment. However, only 36% of the included patients were ≥65 years. Thus, we seek to evaluate the efficacy and safety of FA in the elderly population in the context of routine practice.

Characterization of the hierarchical architecture and micromechanical properties of walnut shell (Juglans regia L.).

In the present work a comprehensive characterization of the hierarchical architecture of the walnut shell (Juglans regia L.) was carried out using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), atomic force microscopy (AFM) and confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM). Furthermore, micromechanical properties (hardness, H and elastic modulus, E) of plant tissues were evaluated at cell wall level by applying the instrumented indentation technique (IIT).

Effect of calcium oxalate crystals on the micromechanical properties of sclerenchyma tissue from the pecan nutshell (Carya illinoinensis).

The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of the presence of calcium oxalate (CaOx) crystals on the micromechanical properties of sclerenchyma tissue from the pecan nutshell (Carya illinoinensis). The microstructure of the cross-section nutshell was examined using light microscopy (LM) and atomic force microscopy (AFM). Using an instrumented indentation system, indentation tests with maximum loads of 500 mN were made on the biological material where the variables studied were the number of crystals present in the evaluated area and the size of individual crystals.

Effect of pepper extracts on the viability kinetics, topography and Quantitative NanoMechanics (QNM) of Campylobacter jejuni evaluated with AFM.

Campylobacter jejuni is a pathogen bacterium that causes foodborne gastroenteritis in humans. However, phenolic compounds extracted from natural sources such as capsicum pepper plant (Capsicum annuum L. var.

Dynamic perspective of the neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio in metastatic gastric cancer.

Purpose: The neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) is an accessible marker from a routine blood test. This study explored the prognostic and predictive value of a change in NLR (c-NLR) after chemotherapy, baseline NLR (bNLR) and chemotherapy response, in metastatic gastric cancer (mGC) patients.

Methods: A total of 116 mGC patients treated between 2009 to 2019 at seven hospitals from Galician Research Group on Digestive Tumors (GITuD) were reviewed in a multicentre, ambispective and observational study.

Do Clinical Trials Meet Current Care Needs? Views of Digestive Oncology Specialists in Galicia (Spain) Using the Delphi Method.

In recent years, abundant scientific evidence has been generated based on clinical trials (CT) in the field of oncology. The general objective of this paper is to find out the extent to which decision making is based on knowledge of the most recent CT. Its specific objectives are to pinpoint difficulties with decision making based on the CT performed and find out the motivations patients and clinicians have when taking part in a CT.

Effects of TiO Nanoparticles Incorporation into Cells of Tomato Roots.

In this study, tomato plants were grown in vitro with and without incorporation of TiO nanoparticles in Murashige and Skoog (MS) growth medium. The aim of this study was to describe the morphological (area and roundness cell) and mechanical (Young's Modulus) change in the different tissue of tomato root, epidermis (Ep), parenchyma (Pa), and vascular bundles (Vb), when the whole plant was exposed to TiO nanoparticles (TiO NPs). light microscopy (LM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and atomic force microscopy (AFM), wavelength dispersive X-ray fluorescence (WDXRF) techniques were used to identify changes into the root cells when TiO NPs were incorporated.

A water adsorption study on wheat pericarp macrofibrils using atomic force microscopy.

Wheat pericarp, which is the most external layer of the wheat kernel, is composed of a polysaccharide matrix, where cellulose macrofibrils, hemicellulose, and lignin are their main components. These polysaccharides modified their structure due to the hydric condition to which they are subjected. This effect is considered as an advantage in the wheat milling process.

Effect of antiangiogenic-based treatment and systemic inflammatory factors on outcomes in patients with BRAF v600-mutated metastatic colorectal cancer: a real-world study in Spain.

Background: Outcomes are poorer in metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC) patients with BRAF V600E mutations than those without it, but the effect of these mutations on treatment response is unclear. This real-world study assessed the effects of antiangiogenic-based treatment and systemic inflammatory factors on outcomes in patients with BRAF V600-mutated mCRC.

Methods: This real-world, multicenter, retrospective, observational study included patients with BRAF V600-mutated mCRC treated in eight hospitals in Spain.

Structural Studies of the Cutin from Two Apple Varieties: Golden Delicious and Red Delicious ().

The cuticle, a protective cuticular barrier present in almost all primary aerial plant organs, has a composition that varies between plant species. As a part of the apple peel, cuticle and epicuticular waxes have an important role in the skin appearance and quality characteristic in fresh fruits destined for human consumption. The specific composition and structural characteristics of cutin from two apple varieties, "golden delicious" and "red delicious", were obtained by enzymatic protocols and studied by means of cross polarization magic angle spinning nuclear magnetic resonance (CP-MAS C NMR), attenuated total reflection infrared spectroscopy (ATR-FTIR), and mass spectrometry, and were morphologically characterized by specialized microscopy techniques (atomic force microscopy (AFM), confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLMS), and scanning electron microscopy (SEM)).

Tert-butyl-(4-hydroxy-3-((3-(2-methylpiperidin-yl)propyl)carbamoyl)phenyl)carbamate Has Moderated Protective Activity in Astrocytes Stimulated with Amyloid Beta 1-42 and in a Scopolamine Model.

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a neurodegenerative disease with no cure nowadays; there is no treatment either to prevent or to stop its progression. In vitro studies suggested that tert-butyl-(4-hydroxy-3-((3-(2-methylpiperidin-yl)propyl)carbamoyl)phenyl) carbamate named the compound can act as both β-secretase and an acetylcholinesterase inhibitor, preventing the amyloid beta peptide (Aβ) aggregation and the formation of fibrils (fAβ) from Aβ. This work first aimed to assess in in vitro studies to see whether the death of astrocyte cells promoted by Aβ could be prevented.

First-line panitumumab plus capecitabine for the treatment of older patients with wild-type RAS metastatic colorectal cancer. The phase II, PANEL study.

Background: Despite the high morbidity and mortality of metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC) in older patients, they have been underrepresented in clinical trials and their optimal treatment is yet to be determined. This open-label phase II study evaluated the benefits of panitumumab and capecitabine as a first-line chemotherapy regimen in older patients with wild-type [WT] RAS mCRC.

Patients And Methods: Patients (≥70 years; ECOG≤2) received 3-week cycles of panitumumab (9 mg/kg on day 1) plus capecitabine (850 mg/m twice daily on days 1-14) until disease progression or unacceptable toxicity.

Fucosterol from as an amyloid-beta (Aβ) aggregation inhibitor: and studies.

The number of patients diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease (AD) increases each year, and there are currently few treatment strategies to decrease the symptoms of AD; furthermore, these strategies are not sufficient to reduce memory loss in AD patients. In this work and studies were performed to evaluate the effects of fucosterol, which was extracted from an algal source and characterized by liquid chromatography-mass spectra (LC-MS), as an inhibitor of Aβ aggregation. Experimental studies, including protein gel electrophoresis, atomic force microscopy and fluorescence studies with thioflavin T (ThT), highlighted that fucosterol can decrease oligomer formation more than galantamine, which was used as a positive control.

Alterations to the contents of plasma membrane structural lipids are associated with structural changes and compartmentalization in platelets in hypertension.

Arterial hypertension (HTN) can lead to serious organ damage. Several mechanisms have been implicated in the pathogenesis of HTN including constitutive activation of platelets, which increases the risk of aggregation and clot formation. We recently demonstrated the plasma membranes of platelets from patients with HTN exhibit modified structural and physicochemical properties; Raman and Fourier transform infrared by attenuated total reflectance (FTIR-ATR) spectroscopy also indicated lipid content and protein structure alterations.

Evaluation of Nanomechanical Properties of Tomato Root by Atomic Force Microscopy.

Here, different tissue surfaces of tomato root were characterized employing atomic force microscopy on day 7 and day 21 of growth through Young's modulus and plasticity index. These parameters provide quantitative information regarding the mechanical behavior of the tomato root under fresh conditions in different locations of the cross-section of root [cell surface of the epidermis, parenchyma (Pa), and vascular bundles (Vb)]. The results show that the mechanical parameters depend on the indented region, tissue type, and growth time.

Alterations to plasma membrane lipid contents affect the biophysical properties of erythrocytes from individuals with hypertension.

Genetic and environmental factors may contribute to high blood pressure, which is termed essential hypertension. Hypertension is a major independent risk factor for cardiovascular disease, stroke and renal failure; thus, elucidation of the etiopathology of hypertension merits further research. We recently reported that the platelets and neutrophils of patients with hypertension exhibit altered biophysical characteristics.

Efficacy and safety of trifluridine/tipiracil in third-line and beyond for the treatment of patients with metastatic colorectal cancer in routine clinical practice: patterns of use and prognostic nomogram.

Introduction: Trifluridine/tipiracil combination has shown a benefit over placebo in the treatment of patients with chemorefractory metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC). We evaluated the efficacy and safety of this combination in the real-life setting at eight Galician centers in Spain.

Patients And Methods: This is a retrospective study of a cohort of patients with mCRC in treatment with trifluridine/tipiracil within usual clinical practice who have been previously treated or are not considered candidates for treatment with available therapies.

Detection of Brucella abortus by a platform functionalized with protein A and specific antibodies IgG.

Oriented immobilization of antibodies on a sensor surface is critical for enhancing both the antigen-binding capacity and the sensitivity of immunosensors. In this study, we describe a strategy to adsorb immunoglobulin G (IgG) anti-Brucella antibodies onto a silicon surface, oriented by protein A obtained from Staphylococcus aureus (SpA). X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and atomic force microscopy were used to characterize topographically, morphologically, and chemical changes of the sensor functionalization.