In vitro model of retinoblastoma derived tumor and stromal cells for tumor microenvironment (TME) studies.

Retinoblastoma (RB) is an intraocular tumor arising from retinal cone progenitor cells affecting young children. In the last couple of years, RB treatment evolved towards eye preserving therapies. Therefore, investigating intratumoral differences and the RB tumor microenvironment (TME), regulating tumorigenesis and metastasis, is crucial.

Contrasteric Glycosylations of Cotylenol and 1,2-Diols by Virtual Linker Selection.

Many terpene glycosides exhibit contrasteric patterns of 1,2-diol glycosylation in which the more hindered alcohol bears a sugar; protection of the less hindered alcohol only increases steric repulsion. Here, we report a method for contrasteric glycosylation using a new sugar-linker that forms a cleavable, 10-membered ring with high efficiency, leading to syntheses of cotylenin E, J, and ISIR-050. Linker selection was aided by DFT calculations of side reactions and stereoselectivity, as well as conformational analyses using autoDFT, a Python script that converts SMILES strings to DFT-optimized conformational ensembles.

Examining the Measurement Equivalence of Alzheimer Disease Research Centers' Neuropsychological Test Battery (Version 3) Between Singapore and US Samples.

Purpose: Standardization of neuropsychological tests is crucial for consistency in cognitive assessment, as well as for validity and comparability of results across different populations. We examined the applicability and measurement equivalence of the Alzheimer Disease Research Centers' Neuropsychological Test Battery (version 3) (ADRC-NTB3) in Singapore.

Methods: The ADRC-NTB3 was administered to 978 older persons with normal cognition in Singapore.

Expression of the large amino acid transporter SLC7A5/LAT1 on immune cells is enhanced in primary sclerosing cholangitis-associated cholangiocarcinoma and correlates with poor prognosis in cholangiocarcinoma.

Biliary tract cancers (BTC) are rare lethal malignancies arising along the biliary tree. Unfortunately, effective therapeutics are lacking and the prognosis remains dismal even for patients eligible for surgical resection. Therefore, novel therapeutic approaches along with early detection strategies and prognostic markers are urgently needed.

Incorporation of carboxymethyl chitosan (CMCS) for the modulation of physio-chemical characteristics and cell proliferation environment of the composite hydrogel microspheres.

Hydrogels have excellent swelling properties and have been widely applied in tissue engineering because of their similarity to the extracellular matrix (ECM). Sodium alginate (SA) and carboxymethyl chitosan (CMCS) were prepared into hydrogel microspheres with Cacrosslinking in our study. The morphology, inner structure, mechanical properties, water content, swelling rate and BMP-2 loading and releasing properties were characterized.

The rate of blood culture contamination and common organisms isolated in Malaysian public hospitals.

Introduction: Blood culture contamination remains a dilemma issue in the diagnosis of bloodstream infection. However, to date, there is no national data on blood culture contamination and the common organism isolated in Malaysia. This is a pioneer multi-centre study involving public hospitals with medical microbiologists in Malaysia to determine the blood culture contamination rate and the common organism isolated.

Biological and Methodological Variability in Retinal Nerve Fiber Layer OCT: The Framingham Heart Study.

Objective: To explore participant-level biological attributes and scan-level methodological attributes associated with retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL) thickness variability in a population-based sample of elderly United States adults.

Design: Cross-sectional analysis using data from the Framingham Heart Study.

Participants: One thousand three hundred forty-seven eyes from 825 participants with ≥1 OCT scan and axial length data were included.

A whole-cell platform for discovering synthetic cell adhesion molecules in bacteria.

Developing programmable bacterial cell-cell adhesion is of significant interest due to its versatile applications. Current methods that rely on presenting cell adhesion molecules (CAMs) on bacterial surfaces are limited by the lack of a generalizable strategy to identify such molecules targeting bacterial membrane proteins in their natural states. Here, we introduce a whole-cell screening platform designed to discover CAMs targeting bacterial membrane proteins within a synthetic bacteria-displayed nanobody library.

Beyond digital interfaces: The human element in online teaching and its influence on student experiences.

Amidst the digital transformation of education, the essence of the human touch in online teaching remains pivotal. Despite growing literature, there remains a significant gap in understanding how the human element in online teaching directly influences student engagement and learning outcomes, especially in diverse educational contexts. This study develops a quantifiable index capturing the essence of humanized online teaching and investigates the determinants influencing this humanization.

Properties of Cosmic Deuterons Measured by the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer.

Precision measurements by the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer (AMS) on the International Space Station of the deuteron (D) flux are presented. The measurements are based on 21×10^{6} D nuclei in the rigidity range from 1.9 to 21 GV collected from May 2011 to April 2021.

Differential spatial working memory-related functional network reconfiguration in young and older adults.

Functional brain networks have preserved architectures in rest and task; nevertheless, previous work consistently demonstrated task-related brain functional reorganization. Efficient rest-to-task functional network reconfiguration is associated with better cognition in young adults. However, aging and cognitive load effects, as well as contributions of intra- and internetwork reconfiguration, remain unclear.

Plasma Neurofilament Light Relates to Divergent Default and Salience Network Connectivity in Alzheimer's Disease and Behavioral Variant Frontotemporal Dementia.

Background: Alzheimer's disease (AD) and behavioral variant frontotemporal dementia (bvFTD) show differential vulnerability to large-scale brain functional networks. Plasma neurofilament light (NfL), a promising biomarker of neurodegeneration, has been linked in AD patients to glucose metabolism changes in AD-related regions. However, it is unknown whether plasma NfL would be similarly associated with disease-specific functional connectivity changes in AD and bvFTD.

Prevalence of AmpC beta-lactamase and extended spectrum beta-lactamase co-producer in Escherichia coli and Klebsiella species in a teaching hospital.

Introduction: Beta-lactamase producing bacterial infection has been on surge due to selection pressure and injudicious antibiotics usage. Organisms that co-produced more than one beta lactamase enzyme posed diagnostic challenges which may result in inadequate treatment. To date, there is no standardised guideline offering phenotypic detection of AmpC β-lactamase.

Twenty years' experience of midgut malrotation and volvulus in a tertiary center in northern Taiwan: A retrospective study.

Background: Early diagnosis and surgical intervention for midgut malrotation with bowel obstruction are crucial. We aimed to identify risk factors for adverse outcomes in infants with midgut malrotation and to develop a prediction model.

Methods: We reviewed the operation records of infants surgically diagnosed with midgut malrotation at Chang Gung Children's Medical Center between January 2000 and December 2020.

Machine Learning of Three-Dimensional Protein Structures to Predict the Functional Impacts of Genome Variation.

Research in the human genome sciences generates a substantial amount of genetic data for hundreds of thousands of individuals, which concomitantly increases the number of variants of unknown significance (VUS). Bioinformatic analyses can successfully reveal rare variants and variants with clear associations with disease-related phenotypes. These studies have had a significant impact on how clinical genetic screens are interpreted and how patients are stratified for treatment.

Taping alone for persistent ventral curvature after urethral plate transection in hypospadias.

Introduction: Ventral penile curvature is a key factor in determining the surgical approach to proximal hypospadias repair. However, there is limited evidence regarding the efficacy and long-term effects of the procedures used to address curvature. This study aimed to evaluate the effects of urethral plate transection alone with tissue traction therapy on penile curvature in two-stage repair of proximal hypospadias.

Predictors of post stroke cognitive impairment: VITATOPS cognition substudy.

Introduction: Post stroke cognitive impairment (PSCI) is a common complication of ischemic stroke. PSCI can involve different depending on clinical and stroke related characteristics. The aim of this study is to determine the factors associated with impairments in specific cognitive domains.