A Similar Mutation in the AAUU-Rich Elements of the Mouse TNF Gene Results in a Distinct Ileocolitic Phenotype: A New Strain of TNF-Overexpressing Mice.

Background: Tumor necrosis factor (TNF) is a pleiotropic cytokine that plays a critical role in the pathogenesis of immune-mediated diseases including inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). The stability of its mRNA transcript, determined in part by destabilizing sequences in its AAUU repeats (ARE) gene region, is an important regulator of its tissue and systemic levels. A deletion in the ARE region of the gene resulted in IBD and arthritis in mice and pigs, supporting a critical role for the cytokine in human IBD and several human arthritides.

Actuation-Mediated Compression of a Mechanoresponsive Hydrogel by Soft Robotics to Control Release of Therapeutic Proteins.

Therapeutic proteins, the fastest growing class of pharmaceuticals, are subject to rapid proteolytic degradation in vivo, rendering them inactive. Sophisticated drug delivery systems that maintain protein stability, prolong therapeutic effects, and reduce administration frequency are urgently required. Herein, a mechanoresponsive hydrogel is developed contained within a soft robotic drug delivery (SRDD) device.

Identification and validation of miR-21 key genes in cervical cancer through an integrated bioinformatics approach.

Cervical cancer is one of the most prevalent female reproductive cancers. miR-21 is a multi-target oncomiR that has shown its potential in regulating several cancers including colon, pancreatic, breast, prostate, ovarian, and cervical cancer. However, the signaling network of miR-21 remains underexplored, and only a limited number of miR-21 gene targets in cervical cancer have been reported.

A Systematic Review of the Effects of Breaking up/Interrupting Sedentary Behavior on Health Outcomes Among Community-Dwelling Adults 60+ Years.

Background/objectives:  The aim of this systematic review was to evaluate the available evidence regarding the impact of breaks in sedentary time on cardiovascular, metabolic, functional, and psychosocial health of adults aged 60 years and older.

Methods:  A systematic search of databases was performed in May 2024. This review was registered with PROSPERO (#374311) and has been reported using the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines.

Breast cancer genomic analyses reveal genes, mutations, and signaling networks.

Breast cancer (BC) is the most commonly diagnosed cancer and the predominant cause of death in women. BC is a complex disorder, and the exploration of several types of BC omic data, highlighting genes, perturbations, signaling and cellular mechanisms, is needed. We collected mutational data from 9,555 BC samples using cBioPortal.

Health-Related Quality of Life among Elderly Patients in Urban Bangladesh: A Cross-Sectional Study.

Quality of life (QoL) focuses on a person's ability to live a fulfilling life. It helps in determining successful aging in the elderly population. Because of a scarcity of information regarding predictors of QoL in the elderly population in developing countries, this study was undertaken to assess the overall QoL and its predictors in the elderly population in an urban setting of Bangladesh.

Chitosan Nanoparticle-Mediated Delivery of Curcumin Suppresses Tumor Growth in Breast Cancer.

Curcumin is a nutraceutical known to have numerous medicinal effects including anticancer activity. However, due to its poor water solubility and bioavailability, the therapeutic impact of curcumin against cancer, including breast cancer, has been constrained. Encapsulating curcumin into chitosan nanoparticles (CHNPs) is an effective method to increase its bioavailability as well as antitumorigenic activity.

Unveiling stem-like traits and chemoresistance mechanisms in ovarian cancer cells through the TGFβ1-PITX2A/B signaling axis.

Ovarian cancer (OC) is the deadliest gynecological malignancy, having a high mortality rate due to its asymptomatic nature, chemoresistance, and recurrence. However, the proper mechanistic knowledge behind these phenomena is still inadequate. Cancer recurrence is commonly observed due to cancer stem cells which also show chemoresistance.

Deciphering the miRNA-mRNA Interaction Landscape between Breast Cancer and Triple-Negative Breast Cancer: An Integrated Bioinformatics Approach.

Breast cancer (BC) is globally recognized as the second most prevalent form of cancer. It predominantly affects women and can be categorized into distinct types based on the overexpression of specific cancer receptors.The key receptors implicated in this context are the human epidermal growth factor receptor-2 (HER2), estrogen receptor (ER), and progesterone receptor (PR), alongside a particularly intricate subclass known as triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC).

Narrow-linewidth Fano microcavities with resonant subwavelength grating mirror.

We report on the theoretical and experimental investigations of optical microcavities consisting in the plane-plane arrangement of a broadband high-reflectivity mirror and a suspended one-dimensional grating mirror possessing a high-quality factor Fano resonance. By varying the length of these cavities from the millimeter to the few-micron range, we observe at short lengths the reduction of the spectral linewidth predicted to occur for such a Fano cavity as compared to a conventional broadband mirror cavity with the same length and internal losses. Such narrow linewidth and small modevolume microcavities with high-mechanical quality ultrathin mirrors will be attractive for a wide range of applications within optomechanics and sensing.

Modulation of the tumor microenvironment and mechanism of immunotherapy-based drug resistance in breast cancer.

Breast cancer, the most frequent female malignancy, is often curable when detected at an early stage. The treatment of metastatic breast cancer is more challenging and may be unresponsive to conventional therapy. Immunotherapy is crucial for treating metastatic breast cancer, but its resistance is a major limitation.

Endocrine disrupting chemicals: gestational diabetes and beyond.

Gestational Diabetes Mellitus (GDM) has been on the rise for the last two decades along with the growing incidence of obesity. The ubiquitous use of Endocrine-Disrupting Chemicals (EDCs) worldwide has been associated with this increase in GDM incidence. Epigenetic modifications such as DNA methylation, histone acetylation, and methylation have been associated with prenatal exposure to EDCs.

Exploring antioxidative, cytotoxic and neuropharmacological insights into leaves: Experimental and approaches.

Background Study: The aim of this research was to examine possible antioxidant, cytotoxic and neurological activity of methanol and n-hexane extracts of leaves. Additionally, we aimed to identify potential lead compounds through analysis.

Methods: antioxidative properties were investigated through different assays, including: total phenolic content assay (TPC), total flavonoid content assay (TFC), DPPH free radical scavenging assay and reducing power assay.

Exosomal microRNAs in breast cancer: towards theranostic applications.

Breast cancer is one of the top two reproductive cancers responsible for high rates of morbidity and mortality among women globally. Despite the advancements in the treatment of breast cancer, its early diagnosis remains a challenge. Recent evidence indicates that despite the adroit use of numerous strategies to facilitate rapid and precision-oriented screening of breast cancer at the community level through the use of mammograms, Fine-needle aspiration cytology (FNAC) and biomarker tracking, no strategy has been unequivocally accepted as a gold standard for facilitating rapid screening for disease.

Prospecting the theragnostic potential of the psycho-neuro-endocrinological perturbation of the gut-brain-immune axis for improving cardiovascular diseases outcomes.

Biological derivatives and their effective influence on psychological parameters are increasingly being deciphered to better understand body-mind perspectives in health. Recent evidence suggests that the gut-brain immune axis is an attractive theragnostic target due to its innate capacity to excite the immune system by activating monocyte exosomes. These exosomes induce spontaneous alterations in the microRNAs within the brain endothelial cells, resulting in an acute inflammatory response with physiological and psychological sequelae, evidenced by anxiety and depression.

Spiced RCT: Success and Pain Associated with Intravenous Cannulation in the Emergency Department Randomized Controlled Trial.

Background: Peripheral venous cannulation is one of the most common procedures in medicine. A larger cannula allows higher rates of fluid to be provided if needed in a deteriorating patient; however, it is also perceived that larger-gauge cannula placement is associated with increased pain and procedural difficulty.

Objective: This study aimed to compare the pain and procedural difficulty experienced during insertion between 18-gauge (18G) and 20-gauge (20G) cannulas.

Why are different estimates of the effective reproductive number so different? A case study on COVID-19 in Germany.

The effective reproductive number Rt has taken a central role in the scientific, political, and public discussion during the COVID-19 pandemic, with numerous real-time estimates of this quantity routinely published. Disagreement between estimates can be substantial and may lead to confusion among decision-makers and the general public. In this work, we compare different estimates of the national-level effective reproductive number of COVID-19 in Germany in 2020 and 2021.

Suppressive might of a few: T follicular regulatory cells impede auto-reactivity despite being outnumbered in the germinal centres.

The selection of high-affinity B cells and the production of high-affinity antibodies are mediated by T follicular helper cells (Tfhs) within germinal centres (GCs). Therein, somatic hypermutation and selection enhance B cell affinity but risk the emergence of self-reactive B cell clones. Despite being outnumbered compared to their helper counterpart, the ablation of T follicular regulatory cells (Tfrs) results in enhanced dissemination of self-reactive antibody-secreting cells (ASCs).

Linkage of job ranks and personality traits with augmented stress: a study on Indian marine engineers in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Background: Marine engineering is a profession that affects a high level of physical and psychological stress. Such a high level of stress was further aggravated during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. On the other hand, personality traits and perceived stress are linked with each other, while job ranks also influence stress levels among employees.

Aerosol vaccination of chicken pullets with irradiated avian pathogenic induces a local immunostimulatory effect.

The present study investigated the expression of cytokines and cellular changes in chickens following vaccination with irradiated avian pathogenic (APEC) and/or challenge. Four groups of 11-week-old pullets, each consisting of 16 birds were kept separately in isolators before they were sham inoculated (N), challenged only (C), vaccinated (V) or vaccinated and challenged (V+C). Vaccination was performed using irradiated APEC applied aerosol.

Amount of antigen, T follicular helper cells and affinity of founder cells shape the diversity of germinal center B cells: A computational study.

A variety of B cell clones seed the germinal centers, where a selection stringency expands the fitter clones to generate higher affinity antibodies. However, recent experiments suggest that germinal centers often retain a diverse set of B cell clones with a range of affinities and concurrently carry out affinity maturation. Amid a tendency to flourish germinal centers with fitter clones, how several B cell clones with differing affinities can be concurrently selected remains poorly understood.

Apoptotic cell fragments locally activate tingible body macrophages in the germinal center.

Germinal centers (GCs) that form within lymphoid follicles during antibody responses are sites of massive cell death. Tingible body macrophages (TBMs) are tasked with apoptotic cell clearance to prevent secondary necrosis and autoimmune activation by intracellular self antigens. We show by multiple redundant and complementary methods that TBMs derive from a lymph node-resident, CD169-lineage, CSF1R-blockade-resistant precursor that is prepositioned in the follicle.