Introduction: Benign multinodular goiter (BMNG) can grow very large and cause compression symptoms, making the operation procedure difficult. However, the recurrence rate of BMNG ranges from 3% to 43%. Reoperative thyroid surgery for BMNG is uncommon and can result in a high rate of complications, including hypoparathyroidism and recurrent laryngeal nerve palsy.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: The gut microbiota has a profound effect on immunity and metabolic status of the host, which has increasingly attracted research communities. However, the intrinsic mechanism underlying the interplay among these three aspects remains unclear.
Results: Different immune states were established via shaping the population structure of gut microbiota with antibacterial agents.
Eucommiae Cortex (ECO) is a traditional medicinal and edible plant endemic to China, highly prized for its numerous health benefits. It typically undergoes special processing before application. The efficacy of ECO is influenced by processing techniques, necessitating the assurance of stability and consistency in its effects.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFHatching synchronisation is widespread in oviparous taxa. It has been demonstrated that many species use sounds to coordinate synchronous hatching, being widespread among archosaurs (birds and crocodilians). Recent studies have shown that some turtle species produce vocalisations from within the egg, but the role of this behaviour in synchronising hatch is untested.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFProstaglandins Other Lipid Mediat
December 2024
Eucommia ulmoides, a plant native to China, is valued for its medicinal properties and has applications in food, health products, and traditional Chinese medicine. Processed Eucommiae Cortex (EC) has historically been a highly valued medicine. Ancient doctors had ample experience processing EC, especially with ginger juice, as documented in traditional Chinese medical texts.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFUnlabelled: The horse () varieties from Skyros and Rhodes islands (Greece) in the Aegean archipelago are extremely small, reaching shoulder heights of only about 1 m. Furthermore, the Japanese archipelago is home to eight small, native horse breeds. We investigated the evolutionary morphology and provided a review of historical documentations of these horses of cultural interest in Greece and Japan, thus providing a comparison of the independent evolution of small size in islands.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPurpose: Engagement in CME/CPD has a positive impact on healthcare professionals' (HCPs) knowledge, skills, and performance, and on patient outcomes, therefore it is critical to better understand the components of CME/CPD systems that foster engagement, high-quality education, and impact.
Methods: An assessment of CME/CPD systems was conducted using a mixed-methods approach that included interviews with in-country subject matter experts and qualitative and quantitative data from practicing in-country physicians.
Results: Results demonstrate areas of consistency in CME/CPD systems across world regions that included: types of educational providers; types of credit; educational formats; self-tracking of participation; high-degree of compliance when education is mandatory; overall satisfaction with available education; strong support for interprofessional education; and lack of alignment or evaluation of engagement in education with population health outcomes.
Int J Biol Macromol
September 2024
IL-2 regulates the immune response by interacting with different IL-2 receptor (IL-2R) subunits. High dose of IL-2 binds to IL-2Rβγ heterodimer, which induce various side effects while activating immune function. Disrupting IL-2 and IL-2R interactions can block IL-2 mediated immune response.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFFollowing the publication of this paper, it was drawn to the Editor's attention by a concerned reader that certain of the Transwell migration and invasion assay data shown in Figs. 2C and 4C were strikingly similar to data that had already been published in different form in another article written by different authors at a different research institute [Yang S, Zhang Y, Zhao X, Wang J and Shang J: microRNA‑361 targets Wilms' tumor 1 to inhibit the growth, migration and invasion of non‑small‑cell lung cancer cells. Mol Med Rep 14: 5415‑5421, 2016].
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIntroduction: Each wave of the COVID-19 pandemic exhibited a unique combination of epidemiological, social and structural characteristics. We explore similarities and differences in wave-over-wave characteristics of patients hospitalised with COVID-19.
Methods: This was a population-based study in Ontario province, Canada.
Background: Inquiring conservative Asian women about their menopausal symptoms is often challenging in crowded primary healthcare clinics. Furthermore, the subject matter is culturally sensitive to most Malaysian women. Hence, the translation of MQ6 into Malay is crucial to enable self-administration, eliminating the necessity for interviewers and mitigating potential respondent shyness.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Despite improvements in antiretroviral therapy (ART) availability, suboptimal adherence is common among youth with HIV (YWH) and can increase drug resistance and poor clinical outcomes. Our study examined an innovative mobile app-based intervention that used automated directly observed therapy (aDOT) using artificial intelligence, along with conditional economic incentives (CEIs) to improve ART adherence and enhance viral suppression among YWH.
Setting: We conducted a pilot study of the aDOT-CEI intervention, informed by the operant framework of Key Principles in Contingency Management Implementation, to improve ART adherence among YWH (18-29) in California and Florida who had an unsuppressed HIV viral load.
Objectives: This study aimed to assess menopause symptoms, treatment-seeking behaviors, treatments received, and factors associated with seeking consultation from healthcare providers (HCPs).
Methods: Using a self-administered Menopause Quick-6 in the Malay language (MQ6[M]) questionnaire, we surveyed 349 women aged 40-60 years attending primary healthcare clinics in four states in Malaysia for their menopause symptoms. Health-seeking behaviors for menopause symptoms were assessed using questions regarding HCPs consulted and treatments prescribed.
The Staphylococcus aureus clumping factor A (ClfA) is a fibrinogen (Fg) binding protein that plays an important role in the clumping of S. aureus in blood plasma. The current anti-infective approaches targeting ClfA are mainly based on monoclonal antibodies but showed less impressive efficacy for clinical applications.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Young adults have a disproportionately high rate of HIV infection, high rates of attrition at all stages of the HIV care continuum, and an elevated probability of disease progression and transmission. Tracking and monitoring objective measures of antiretroviral therapy (ART) adherence in real time is critical to bolster the accuracy of research data, support adherence, and improve clinical outcomes. However, adherence monitoring often relies on self-reported and retrospective data or requires additional effort from providers to understand individual adherence patterns.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFInt J Biol Macromol
February 2024
Staphylococcus enterotoxin B (SEB) interacts with MHC-II molecules to overactivate immune cells and thereby to produce excessive pro-inflammatory cytokines. Disrupting the interactions between SEB and MHC-II helps eliminate the lethal threat posed by SEB. In this study, a de novo computational approach was used to design protein binders targeting SEB.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIntroduction: Young adults with HIV (YWH) experience worse clinical outcomes than adults and have high rates of substance use (SU) and mental illness that impact their engagement in care and adherence to antiretroviral therapy (ART). The intervention for Virologic Suppression in Youth (iVY) aims to address treatment engagement/adherence, mental health (MH) and SU in a tailored manner using a differentiated care approach that is youth friendly. Findings will provide information about the impact of iVY on HIV virological suppression, MH and SU among YWH who are disproportionately impacted by HIV and at elevated risk for poor health outcomes.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFInt J Biol Macromol
December 2023
Staphylococcus enterotoxin B (SEB) is one of the primary virulence factors of Staphylococcus aureus but there is still a lack of targeted drugs. SEB activates immune cells via interacting with MHC-II on antigen-presenting cells, leading to the production of large amounts of pro-inflammatory cytokines. Blocking the interaction between SEB and MHC-II can avert the overactivation of immune cells.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe modified rougan decoction (MRGD) compound formula has been proven a certain ability to relieve lipopolysaccharide-enrofloxacin (LPS-ENR)-induced liver oxidant injury in chickens. Recent advances have shown that mitochondrial dysfunction affects the development of many diseases, leading to increased interest in exploring its effects. Using LPS-ENR-injured in vivo and in vitro to further evaluate the effects of MRGD on mitochondrial structure and function, and emphasized further investigation of its molecular mechanism.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFDeveloping long-cycle stable Zn-ion batteries encounters significant challenges associated with Zn anodes. To address these issues, we propose an interface engineering strategy using an artificial protective layer called zinc hyaluronate (ZH) on the Zn anode surface. The ZH film acts as a barrier, preventing direct contact between Zn anode and electrolyte, reducing hydrogen evolution and corrosion.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: People with HIV (PWH) are disproportionately vulnerable to the impacts of wildfires, given the need for frequent access to healthcare systems, higher burden of comorbidities, higher food insecurity, mental and behavioral health challenges, and challenges of living with HIV in a rural area. In this study, we aim to better understand the pathways through which wildfires impact health outcomes among PWH.
Methods: From October 2021 through February 2022, we conducted individual semi-structured qualitative interviews with PWH impacted by the Northern California wildfires and clinicians of PWH who were impacted by wildfires.
Skin aging is a complex process involving intricate genetic and environmental factors. In this study, we performed a comprehensive analysis of the transcriptional regulatory landscape of skin aging in canines. Weighted Gene Co-expression Network Analysis (WGCNA) was employed to identify aging-related gene modules.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFUniform tensile ductility (UTD) is crucial for the forming/machining capabilities of structural materials. Normally, planar-slip induced narrow deformation bands localize the plastic strains and hence hamper UTD, particularly in body-centred-cubic (bcc) multi-principal element high-entropy alloys (HEAs), which generally exhibit early necking (UTD < 5%). Here we demonstrate a strategy to tailor the planar-slip bands in a Ti-Zr-V-Nb-Al bcc HEA, achieving a 25% UTD together with nearly 50% elongation-to-failure (approaching a ductile elemental metal), while offering gigapascal yield strength.
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