A quality-by-design approach for optimizing the functionalization of gold nanoparticles onto the surface of doxorubicin-encapsulated liposomes.

Stimulus-responsive liposomes (L) are increasingly recognized for their potential in enhancing therapies, especially in cancer nanomedicine, owing to their ability to encapsulate drugs of diverse properties efficiently. In this study, a quality-by-design (QbD) strategy was proposed to optimize the surface functionalization of gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) on doxorubicin (Dox)-loaded L intended for improving cancer treatment. Thin-film hydration and pH-gradient methods were applied for L preparation and Dox loading, respectively.

Pheno-Ranker: a toolkit for comparison of phenotypic data stored in GA4GH standards and beyond.

Background: Phenotypic data comparison is essential for disease association studies, patient stratification, and genotype-phenotype correlation analysis. To support these efforts, the Global Alliance for Genomics and Health (GA4GH) established Phenopackets v2 and Beacon v2 standards for storing, sharing, and discovering genomic and phenotypic data. These standards provide a consistent framework for organizing biological data, simplifying their transformation into computer-friendly formats.

Socio-Economic Inequalities in Beliefs About Cancer and its Causes: Evidence From two Population Surveys.

Objective: People's beliefs about cancer can affect the actions they take to prevent and detect the disease. We investigated socio-economic inequalities in beliefs about cancer and its causes in the general population.

Methods: We analyzed data from the representative probabilistic Spanish Oncobarometer survey (N = 4769, 2020) and the non-probabilistic weight-corrected Spanish Cancer Awareness Survey (N = 1029, 2022).

Macroecology of Abiotic Stress Tolerance in Woody Plants of the Northern Hemisphere: Tolerance Biomes and Polytolerance Hotspots.

Understanding the main ecological constraints on plants' adaptive strategies to tolerate multiple abiotic stresses is a central topic in plant ecology. We aimed to uncover such constraints by analysing how the interactions between climate, soil features and species functional traits co-determine the distribution and diversity of stress tolerance strategies to drought, shade, cold and waterlogging in woody plants of the Northern Hemisphere. Functional traits and soil fertility predominantly determined drought and waterlogging/cold tolerance strategies, while climatic factors strongly influenced shade tolerance.

The modulating effect of gestational age on attentional disengagement in toddlers.

Gestational Age (GA) at birth plays a crucial role in identifying potential vulnerabilities to long-term difficulties in cognitive and behavioral development. The present study aims to explore the influence of gestational age on the efficiency of early visual attention orienting, as a potential marker for the development of specific high-level socio-cognitive skills. We administered the Gap-Overlap task to measure the attentional orienting and disengagement performance of 16-month-olds born between the 34th and 41st weeks of gestation.

Underlying drivers of coral reef vulnerability to bleaching in the Mesoamerican Reef.

Coral bleaching, a consequence of stressed symbiotic relationships between corals and algae, has escalated due to intensified heat stress events driven by climate change. Despite global efforts, current early warning systems lack local precision. Our study, spanning 2015-2017 in the Mesoamerican Reef, revealed prevalent intermediate bleaching, peaking in 2017.

Blood volume collected for cultures in infants with suspected neonatal sepsis.

Objectives: To evaluate blood culture sample volumes, identify factors linked to insufficient samples, and compare volumes among neonates treated for culture-negative-sepsis, sepsis-rule-outs, and bloodstream infections (BSI).

Methods: Observational cohort of blood cultures collected during NICU stay. Association of age, weight, gender, source, and collection time with lower-than-recommended volumes was determined by logistic regression.

Small-scale fisheries in ecologically sensitive areas in Latin America and the Caribbean: Do marine protected areas benefit fisheries governance?

Many small-scale fisheries (SSFs) in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) operate in ecologically sensitive areas, where balancing conservation and resource use is challenging. 'Multiple-use' marine protected areas (MPAs) have been implemented to accommodate SSFs (among other uses) within areas designated for conservation, creating opportunities and challenges for SSF governance. We analyzed eleven case studies from LAC to explore: (1) how different MPA institutional designs affect key aspects of SSF governance and (2) the links between these effects and the type of initiative that promoted MPA establishment (origin).

Severe hypokalemia mimicking classical electrocardiographic pattern of left Main coronary artery disease: A case report and a focused review of the literature.

Several electrocardiographic alterations due to hypokalemia have been described, but the electrocardiographic presentation meeting criteria for occlusion of the left main coronary artery is very rare. We describe a case of hypokalemia simulating it.

Testicular Torsion as a Complication Following Preperitoneal Packing for Pelvic Fractures in a Motorcycle Accident: A Case Report.

This case report highlights a rare but significant complication of blunt trauma requiring preperitoneal packing and illustrates the intricate relationship between trauma surgery and urological emergencies. Testicular torsion is an acute urological emergency necessitating prompt surgical intervention to salvage testicular function. While commonly associated with intrinsic factors such as the "bell-clapper" deformity, extrinsic factors such as trauma and postoperative complications can also precipitate this condition.

Cross-habitat utilization of fish in a tropical deltaic system as a function of climate variability and body size: Are mangroves fish nurseries in a tropical delta?

The temporal variability of fish habitat utilization is poorly understood in tropical deltaic systems due to high water turbidity, which limits visual censuses, and to the lack of long-term data incorporating climate variability events. We aimed to assess the influence of body size and El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO) variability on the cross-habitat utilization rate of 14 fish species of commercial relevance in the Ciénaga Grande de Santa Marta (CGSM). We estimated the utilization of mangroves and coastal lagoons based on relative catch frequencies from encircling gillnets used within a long-term catch monitoring program, and then tested for significant changes in each species' habitat utilization as a function of body size and climate variability.

Genomic evidence reveals three W-autosome fusions in Heliconius butterflies.

Sex chromosomes are evolutionarily labile in many animals and sometimes fuse with autosomes, creating so-called neo-sex chromosomes. Fusions between sex chromosomes and autosomes have been proposed to reduce sexual conflict and to promote adaptation and reproductive isolation among species. Recently, advances in genomics have fuelled the discovery of such fusions across the tree of life.

Efficacy and safety of subcutaneous immunotherapy with polymerized allergen mixtures in polyallergic patients - ARES observational study.

Background: Administration of allergen mixtures of many components comprises the most common approach for American allergists regarding the management of polyallergic patients. European allergists, however, are more reluctant to this type of treatment due to the potential drawbacks of mixing extracts.

Research Design And Methods: To assess the efficacy and safety of subcutaneous immunotherapy (SCIT) with polymerized allergen mixtures without dilutional effect in polyallergic patients.

The Andes as a semi-permeable geographical barrier: Genetic connectivity between structured populations in a widespread spider.

Geographical barriers like mountain ranges impede genetic exchange among populations, promoting diversification. The effectiveness of these barriers in limiting gene flow varies between lineages due to each species' dispersal modes and capacities. Our understanding of how the Andes orogeny contributes to species diversification comes from well-studied vertebrates and a few arthropods and plants, neglecting organisms unable to fly or walk long distances.

Urban environment and health: a cross-sectional multiregional project based on population health surveys in Spain (DAS-EP project) - study protocol.

Introduction: The European Environment Agency estimates that 75% of the European population lives in cities. Despite the many advantages of city life, the risks and challenges to health arising from urbanisation need to be addressed in order to tackle the growing burden of disease and health inequalities in cities. This study, (DAS-EP project), aims to investigate the complex association between the urban environmental exposures (UrbEEs) and health.

Calibration and XGBoost reweighting to reduce coverage and non-response biases in overlapping panel surveys: application to the Healthcare and Social Survey.

Background: Surveys have been used worldwide to provide information on the COVID-19 pandemic impact so as to prepare and deliver an effective Public Health response. Overlapping panel surveys allow longitudinal estimates and more accurate cross-sectional estimates to be obtained thanks to the larger sample size. However, the problem of non-response is particularly aggravated in the case of panel surveys due to population fatigue with repeated surveys.

Evaluation of particle size and feed form on performance, carcass characteristics, nutrient digestibility, and gastrointestinal tract development of broilers at 39 d of age.

The objective of this study was to evaluate combined effects of corn particle size and feed form on performance, carcass characteristics, nutrient digestibility, and gastrointestinal tract development of broilers from 1 to 39 d of age. A total of 1,800 days old, male Cobb 500 broilers were randomly assigned to 9 dietary treatments with 8 replicate pens (25 birds/pen). The experiment consisted of a factorial arrangement of 3 corn particle sizes (750, 1,150, and 1,550 μm) and 3 feed forms (mash, 3- and 4-mm pellets) provided from 1 to 39 d.

Convert-Pheno: A software toolkit for the interconversion of standard data models for phenotypic data.

Efficient sharing and integration of phenotypic data is crucial for advancing biomedical research and enhancing patient outcomes in precision medicine and public health. To achieve this, the health data community has developed standards to promote the harmonization of variable names and values. However, the use of diverse standards across different research centers can hinder progress.

Ultramassive transfusion and adjunctive therapies in a case of blood bank depletion.

Background: We present the case of a patient who presents with a high velocity thoracoabdominal gunshot wound requiring ultramassive transfusion who exhausted the county blood bank requiring adjunctive therapies to balanced blood product transfusion while additional blood products could be obtained.

Summary: Thoracoabdominal gunshot wounds carry a high mortality of 14-37 % because of the risk to produce cardiopulmonary, solid organ as well as major vascular injuries (Mandal and Oparah (1989) [1]). Ultramassive transfusion (>20 units of blood product transfusion) also carries high morbidity and mortality and management has generally centered on balanced transfusion (Matthay et al.

Persistent pseudoaneurysm after non-operative management of a Grade 4 liver injury.

A hepatic pseudoaneurysm (HPA) after blunt or penetrating liver injury is an unusual but potentially lethal complication that can develop from an injured hepatic artery branch [1-5]. Endovascular intervention with coil embolization to treat HPA is a safe and effective method and has become the standard first-line treatment, with a success rate achieving 70-100 % [13,14,15]. Infrequently the pseudoaneurysm is fed by collateral vessels and endovascular intervention may be unsuccessful.