N,N'bis-(2-mercaptoethyl) isophthalamide (NBMI) as a novel chelator for Wilson's Disease.

Wilson's Disease (WD) is a rare autosomal recessive disorder caused by mutations in the ATP7B gene. These mutations lead to defective copper (Cu) transport and to accumulation of Cu in tissues, primarily in the liver and brain. Current treatment options such as D-penicillamine, trientine, and zinc salts focus on increasing Cu excretion or reducing Cu absorption, but often cause debilitating side effects.

Engineered Immune Constructs Alter Antigen-Specific Immune Tolerance and Confer Durable Protection in Myelin-Driven Autoimmunity.

Autoimmune diseases are broadly characterized as a failure in immune tolerance. In multiple sclerosis (MS), autoreactive immune cells attack the protective myelin sheath lining neurons in the central nervous system. Therapeutic strategies that selectively and durably restore immune tolerance without broad immunosuppression are urgently needed for MS.

Assessment of a Medical Student-Run Multidisciplinary Oncology Shadowing Program.

Clinical exposures during the first two years of medical school (MS1-2) provide students an opportunity for early networking, mentorship and career exploration. The feasibility and perceived value of an extracurricular, student-run multidisciplinary oncology shadowing program was evaluated in this study. At a single institution, an oncology interest group collaborated with oncologists to create a shadowing program for MS1-2 students.

Analysis of neurosurgery resident research activity in the United States.

Objective: Evaluation of the demographic and academic characteristics of current neurosurgery residents may provide prospective students with insight into factors that affect research output. Therefore, this study aimed to evaluate the research output among neurosurgery residents.

Methods: US neurosurgery residency programs were abstracted from the American Association of Neurological Surgeons website.

Advancing immunotherapy using biomaterials to control tissue, cellular, and molecular level immune signaling in skin.

Immunotherapies have been transformative in many areas, including cancer treatments, allergies, and autoimmune diseases. However, significant challenges persist in extending the reach of these technologies to new indications and patients. Some of the major hurdles include narrow applicability to patient groups, transient efficacy, high cost burdens, poor immunogenicity, and side effects or off-target toxicity that results from lack of disease-specificity and inefficient delivery.

Exome-wide association study of treatment-resistant depression suggests novel treatment targets.

Treatment-resistant depression (TRD) is a severe form of major depressive disorder (MDD) with substantial public health impact and poor treatment outcome. Treatment outcome in MDD is significantly heritable, but genome-wide association studies have failed to identify replicable common marker alleles, suggesting a potential role for uncommon variants. Here we investigated the hypothesis that uncommon, putatively functional genetic variants are associated with TRD.

Dissecting regulatory T cell expansion using polymer microparticles presenting defined ratios of self-antigen and regulatory cues.

Biomaterials allow for the precision control over the combination and release of cargo needed to engineer cell outcomes. These capabilities are particularly attractive as new candidate therapies to treat autoimmune diseases, conditions where dysfunctional immune cells create pathogenic tissue environments during attack of self-molecules termed self-antigens. Here we extend past studies showing combinations of a small molecule immunomodulator co-delivered with self-antigen induces antigen-specific regulatory T cells.

Exploiting Unique Features of Microneedles to Modulate Immunity.

Microneedle arrays (MNAs) are small patches containing hundreds of short projections that deliver signals directly to dermal layers without causing pain. These technologies are of special interest for immunotherapy and vaccine delivery because they directly target immune cells concentrated in the skin. The targeting abilities of MNAs result in efficient immune responses-often more protective or therapeutic-compared to conventional needle delivery.

Kwashiorkor after gastric bypass.

Gastric bypass has grown in popularity in recent years due to its high efficacy in achieving long-term weight loss in patients with morbid obesity. Gastric bypass has been described to further exacerbate baseline nutritional deficiencies due to reduced gastric capacity and malabsorption. In rare cases, when protein deficiency is severe, Kwashiorkor disease may arise.

Sentiment Analysis of Twitter Feeds Using Flask Environment: A Superior Application of Data Analysis.

In this challenging world, social media plays a vital role as it is at the pinnacle of data sharing. The advancement in technology has made a huge amount of information available for data analysis and it is on the hotlist nowadays. Opinions of the people are expressed and shared across various social media platforms like Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.

Large Pituitary Adenoma: Strategies to Maximize Volumetric Resection Using Endoscopic Endonasal Approaches and an Analysis of Factors Limiting Resection.

Background: Large pituitary adenomas (LPAs), which constitute ∼5%-14% of all pituitary adenomas, are considered challenging tumors owing to their locally aggressive behavior, low gross total resection rate, and high prevalence of visual deficits and hypopituitarism. We evaluated the utility of various extended endoscopic endonasal approaches in maximizing the resection of LPAs and studied the factors affecting the extent of surgical resection.

Methods: A retrospective study of all LPAs (defined as a minimum diameter >3 cm and tumor volume >10 cm) treated via an endoscopic endonasal approach between January 2015 and December 2020 was performed.

Streptococcus pneumoniae Coinfection in COVID-19 in the Intensive Care Unit: A Series of Four Cases.

Bacterial coinfections in patients infected with SARS-CoV-2 pneumonia are uncommon, when compared to coinfections with other respiratory viruses. For example, the prevalence of bacterial coinfections in hospitalized seasonal influenza patients can exceed 30%, whereas the prevalence of bacterial coinfections in SARS-CoV-2 infection is less than 4%. Bacterial coinfections increase the severity of respiratory viral infections and have been associated with higher mortality and morbidity.

Spatial delivery of immune cues to lymph nodes to define therapeutic outcomes in cancer vaccination.

Recently approved cancer immunotherapies - including CAR-T cells and cancer vaccination, - show great promise. However, these technologies are hindered by the complexity and cost of isolating and engineering patient cells . Lymph nodes (LNs) are key tissues that integrate immune signals to coordinate adaptive immunity.

Efficacy of Pippali in vardhamana and fixed dosage pattern in primary hypothyroidism - A randomized clinical trial.

Introduction: Hypothyroidism is an endocrine condition. The signs and symptoms of Hypothyroidism match with the descriptions of several conditions like Vataja Shotha, Rasa Pradoshaja Vikara or a disorder Agni. In the current study two different dosage forms i.

Characterisation of hydration water in Nafion membrane.

Nafion, a polytetrafluoroethylene polymer with perfluorinated-vinyl-polyether side chains ending in sulfonic acid groups, is widely used as the proton-exchange membrane in polymer electrolyte fuel cells, particularly low temperature hydrogen-oxygen fuel cells. The state of hydration of the sulfonic acid groups is crucial to its operation. By using a combination of inelastic neutron scattering (INS) and infrared spectroscopies, and by comparison to a series of trifluoromethanesulfonic acid hydrates of well-defined stoichiometry, we characterise how the hydration changes as a function of water content.

Mapping the Mechanical and Immunological Profiles of Polymeric Microneedles to Enable Vaccine and Immunotherapy Applications.

Biomaterials hold great promise for vaccines and immunotherapy. One emerging biomaterials technology is microneedle (MNs) delivery. MNs are arrays of micrometer-sized needles that are painless and efficiently deliver cargo to the specialized immunological niche of the skin.

Synthesis of Triphenylphosphonium Phospholipid Conjugates for the Preparation of Mitochondriotropic Liposomes.

Surface modification of liposomes with a ligand is facilitated by the conjugation of the ligand to a hydrophobic molecule that serves to anchor the ligand to the liposomal bilayer. We describe here a simple protocol to conjugate a triphenylphosphonium group to several commercially available functionalized phospholipids. The resulting triphenylphosphonium-conjugated lipids can be used to prepare liposomes that preferentially associate with mitochondria when exposed to live mammalian cells in culture.

Effects of Prone Ventilation on Oxygenation, Inflammation, and Lung Infiltrates in COVID-19 Related Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome: A Retrospective Cohort Study.

Patients receiving mechanical ventilation for coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) related, moderate-to-severe acute respiratory distress syndrome (CARDS) have mortality rates between 76-98%. The objective of this retrospective cohort study was to identify differences in prone ventilation effects on oxygenation, pulmonary infiltrates (as observed on chest X-ray (CXR)), and systemic inflammation in CARDS patients by survivorship and to identify baseline characteristics associated with survival after prone ventilation. The study cohort included 23 patients with moderate-to-severe CARDS who received prone ventilation for ≥16 h/day and was segmented by living status: living ( = 6) and deceased ( = 17).

Streptococcus pneumoniae Coinfection in COVID-19: A Series of Three Cases.

Bacterial coinfections are not uncommon with respiratory viral pathogens. These coinfections can add to significant mortality and morbidity. We are currently dealing with the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic, which has affected over 15 million people globally with over half a million deaths.

Precision targeting of bacterial pathogen via bi-functional nanozyme activated by biofilm microenvironment.

Human dental caries is an intractable biofilm-associated disease caused by microbial interactions and dietary sugars on the host's teeth. Commensal bacteria help control opportunistic pathogens via bioactive products such as hydrogen peroxide (HO). However, high-sugar consumption disrupts homeostasis and promotes pathogen accumulation in acidic biofilms that cause tooth-decay.