Evaluation of a multimodal ctDNA-based assay for detection of aggressive cancers lacking standard screening tests.

Cancers lacking standard screening (LSS) options account for approximately 70% of cancer-related deaths due to late-stage diagnosis. Circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) is a promising biomarker for multi-cancer early detection. We previously developed SPOT-MAS, a multimodal ctDNA-based assay analyzing methylation and fragmentomic profiles, effective in detecting common cancers (breast, colorectal, liver, lung and gastric).

In Vitro and in Silico Study of New Biscoumarin Glycosides from Paramignya trimera against Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme 2 (ACE-2) for Preventing SARS-CoV-2 Infection.

In Vietnam, the stems and roots of the Rutaceous plant Paramignya trimera (Oliv.) Burkill (known locally as "Xáo tam phân") are widely used to treat liver diseases such as viral hepatitis and acute and chronic cirrhosis. In an effort to search for Vietnamese natural compounds capable of inhibiting coronavirus based on molecular docking screening, two new dimeric coumarin glycosides, namely cis-paratrimerin B (1) and cis-paratrimerin A (2), and two previously identified coumarins, the trans-isomers paratrimerin B (3) and paratrimerin A (4), were isolated from the roots of P.

Purification and characterization of lignin peroxidase from white-rot fungi Pleurotus pulmonarius CPG6 and its application in decolorization of synthetic textile dyes.

From the biotechnological point of view, enzymes are powerful tools that help sustain a clean environment in several ways. The enzymatic biodegradation of synthetic dyes is a promising goal since it reduces pollution caused by textile dyeing factory wastewater. Lignin peroxidase (EC 1.

Characteristics, incidence, and trends of intimate partner homicides in Massachusetts: Patterns by birthplace, race, and ethnicity.

This study compared the incidence rates of intimate partner homicide (IPH) in Massachusetts by place of birth and race/ethnicity. The analysis involved 340 IPH victim cases between 1994 and 2014. Victims were just under 40 years of age, on average, and most were female (85%), White (67%), and killed by stabbing (34.

Cytokine-induced molecular responses in airway smooth muscle cells inform genome-wide association studies of asthma.

Background: A challenge in the post-GWAS era is to assign function to disease-associated variants. However, available resources do not include all tissues or environmental exposures that are relevant to all diseases. For example, exaggerated bronchoconstriction of airway smooth muscle cells (ASMCs) defines airway hyperresponsiveness (AHR), a cardinal feature of asthma.

Ten new species of Calonectria from Indonesia and Vietnam.

Vietnam and Indonesia have rapidly growing and extensive plantation forestry programs, especially of Acacia spp. and Eucalyptus spp. As these plantations expand, the threat from pests and diseases also increases.

Traction Force Screening Enabled by Compliant PDMS Elastomers.

Actomyosin contractility is an essential element of many aspects of cellular biology and manifests as traction forces that cells exert on their surroundings. The central role of these forces makes them a novel principal therapeutic target in diverse diseases. This requires accurate and higher-capacity measurements of traction forces; however, existing methods are largely low throughput, limiting their utility in broader applications.

Gelsolin is an endogenous inhibitor of syncytiotrophoblast extracellular vesicle shedding in pregnancy.

Background: Preeclampsia, a pregnancy-specific inflammatory disorder, is characterized by high levels of anti-angiogenic protein, soluble fms-like tyrosine kinase 1 (sFlt1), in the maternal circulation. sFlt1 producing molecular machinery is present in syncytiotrophoblast extracellular vesicles that are released by the placenta into maternal plasma during normal pregnancy, a process greatly accelerated in preeclampsia. We hypothesized that syncytiotrophoblast extracellular vesicles exposes cytoplasmic actin to plasma resulting in depletion of plasma gelsolin (pGSN), an abundant plasma protein that scavenges circulating actin and other pro-inflammatory mediators.

Dynamics of cell area and force during spreading.

Experiments on human pulmonary artery endothelial cells are presented to show that cell area and the force exerted on a substrate increase simultaneously, but with different rates during spreading; rapid-force increase systematically occurred several minutes past initial spreading. We examine this theoretically and present three complementary mechanisms that may accompany the development of lamellar stress during spreading and underlie the observed behavior. These include: 1), the dynamics of cytoskeleton assembly at the cell basis; 2), the strengthening of acto-myosin forces in response to the generated lamellar stresses; and 3), the passive strain-stiffening of the cytoskeleton.

Altered mechanobiology of Schlemm's canal endothelial cells in glaucoma.

Increased flow resistance is responsible for the elevated intraocular pressure characteristic of glaucoma, but the cause of this resistance increase is not known. We tested the hypothesis that altered biomechanical behavior of Schlemm's canal (SC) cells contributes to this dysfunction. We used atomic force microscopy, optical magnetic twisting cytometry, and a unique cell perfusion apparatus to examine cultured endothelial cells isolated from the inner wall of SC of healthy and glaucomatous human eyes.

Active mechanics and dynamics of cell spreading on elastic substrates.

The spreading area of cells has been shown to play a central role in the determination of cell fate and tissue morphogenesis; however, a clear understanding of how spread cell area is determined is still lacking. The observation that cell area and force generally increase with substrate rigidity suggests that cell area is dictated mechanically, by means of a force-balance between the cell and the substrate. A simple mechanical model, corroborated by experimental measurements of cell area and force is presented to analyze the temporal force balance between the cell and the substrate during spreading.

Assessing the impact of engineered nanoparticles on wound healing using a novel in vitro bioassay.

Aim: As engineered nanoparticles (ENPs) increasingly enter consumer products, humans become increasingly exposed. The first line of defense against ENPs is the epithelium, the integrity of which can be compromised by wounds induced by trauma, infection, or surgery, but the implications of ENPs on wound healing are poorly understood.

Materials & Methods: Herein, we developed an in vitro assay to assess the impact of ENPs on the wound healing of cells from human cornea.

Rates of femicide in women of different races, ethnicities, and places of birth: Massachusetts, 1993-2007.

To describe the epidemiology of intimate partner violence (IPV) homicide in Massachusetts, an IPV mortality data set developed by the Massachusetts Department of Public Health was analyzed. The rates of death were estimated by dividing the number of decedents over the aged-matched population and Poisson regression was used to estimate the contribution of race, ethnicity, and foreign-born status to the risk of dying from IPV. Out of the total 270 women whose deaths were associated with IPV, 239 (89%) were killed by a male partner.

Batterer intervention program enrollment and completion among immigrant men in Massachusetts.

This study describes immigrant clients enrolled in Massachusetts batterer intervention (BI) programs from 2002 to 2004 (N = 480). Our study sought to (a) describe the immigrant men enrolled in Massachusetts BI programs, (b) investigate whether immigrants were more or less likely to complete BI programs than were nonimmigrants, and (c) investigate whether immigrants in non-English, culturally specific groups were more or less likely to complete BI programs than were immigrants in mainstream groups. Of BI program clients, 14% were immigrants.