Bile acid synthesis impedes tumor-specific T cell responses during liver cancer.

The metabolic landscape of cancer greatly influences antitumor immunity, yet it remains unclear how organ-specific metabolites in the tumor microenvironment influence immunosurveillance. We found that accumulation of primary conjugated and secondary bile acids (BAs) are metabolic features of human hepatocellular carcinoma and experimental liver cancer models. Inhibiting conjugated BA synthesis in hepatocytes through deletion of the BA-conjugating enzyme bile acid-CoA:amino acid -acyltransferase (BAAT) enhanced tumor-specific T cell responses, reduced tumor growth, and sensitized tumors to anti-programmed cell death protein 1 (anti-PD-1) immunotherapy.

Functional Connectivity Biomarker Extraction for Schizophrenia Based on Energy Landscape Machine Learning Techniques.

Brain connectivity represents the functional organization of the brain, which is an important indicator for evaluating neuropsychiatric disorders and treatment effects. Schizophrenia is associated with impaired functional connectivity but characterizing the complex abnormality patterns has been challenging. In this work, we used resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) data to measure functional connectivity between 55 schizophrenia patients and 63 healthy controls across 246 regions of interest (ROIs) and extracted the disease-related connectivity patterns using energy landscape (EL) analysis.

Evidence of Commonly Used Integrative Approaches with Pharmacotherapy for Chronic Pain Management.

This review examines the integration of traditional pharmacological methods with alternative and complementary therapies in chronic pain management. It delves into neurostimulation techniques, highlighting their clinical outcomes and biological bases. Acupuncture's role in modulating pain pathways is explored, illustrating its balance of tradition and clinical application.

Molecular Susceptibility and Treatment Challenges in Melanoma.

Melanoma is the most aggressive subtype of cancer, with a higher propensity to spread compared to most solid tumors. The application of OMICS approaches has revolutionized the field of melanoma research by providing comprehensive insights into the molecular alterations and biological processes underlying melanoma development and progression. This review aims to offer an overview of melanoma biology, covering its transition from primary to malignant melanoma, as well as the key genes and pathways involved in the initiation and progression of this disease.

Smartphone-Assisted and Optical Quantification of Copper and Glucose Using Palm Wine-Tailored Carbon Dots and Their Multiple Logic Gate Application.

In this work, potassium, sulfur, nitrogen, and chlorine self-doped carbon dots (CDs) were hydrothermally synthesized using palm wine as a carbon source. The palm wine-derived CDs (PW-CDs) are amorphous in nature and displayed an average particle size of 4.19 ± 0.

Predicting the Lymphovascular Invasion in Carcinoma Bladder at Transurethral Resection.

Introduction: Bladder cancer is among the most common malignant neoplasms in the world. Transurethral resection of bladder tumor (TURBT) is considered the standard procedure for diagnosis, staging, and risk classification of bladder tumors. Lymphovascular invasion (LVI) is considered a poor prognostic factor.

Comorbid ADHD and Pediatric Sickle Cell Disease: Prevalence and Risk Factors.

Sickle cell disease (SCD) is a genetic blood condition that places youth at increased risk for deficits in complex attention suggestive of increased risk for Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). We used systematic screening to assess the prevalence of ADHD in a clinic-based sample of youth with SCD and explored factors related to ADHD. Caregivers of 107 children with SCD (ages 7-11 years) completed routine psychosocial screening which included inattentive symptoms of ADHD.

Molecular Dynamics Investigation of the Potentiality of Zeolite NaY for Trimethylbenzene Isomer Separation: An Insight in Terms of Structure, Energetics, and Dynamics.

Isomers of trimethylbenzene (TMB) are the important constituent chemicals used in a variety of industrial applications, including the production of synthetic resins, insecticides, dyes, pigments, and pharmaceuticals. However, these applications require them in their purest form, mandating them to separate from their mixtures. Due to the similar physicochemical properties of the TMB isomers, traditional methods such as cryogenic distillation are very energy-expensive.

Protein-Mediated Changes in Membrane Fluidity and Ordering: Insights into the Molecular Mechanism and Implications for Cellular Function.

Probing protein-membrane interactions is vital for understanding biological functionality for various applications such as drug development, targeted drug delivery, and creation of functional biomaterials for medical and industrial purposes. In this study, we have investigated interaction of Human Serum Albumin (HSA) with two different lipids, dipalmitoylphosphatidylglycerol (dDPPG) and dipalmitoylphosphatidylcholine (dDPPC), using Vibrational Sum Frequency Generation spectroscopy at different membrane fluidity values. In the liquid-expanded (LE) state of the lipid, HSA (at pH 3.

Gestational alloimmune liver disease with alpha thalassaemia in a neonate.

A term baby presented with cholestatic jaundice since birth. She was diagnosed as gestational alloimmune liver disease-neonatal haemochromatosis (GALD-NH) on evaluation. The baby received intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG) and recovered gradually from the illness.

Energy Management and Economic Considerations of Intermittent Photovoltaic-Driven Electrochemical Ammonia Production.

As the energy sector shifts from fossil fuels to renewable energy, there is a need for long-duration energy storage solutions to handle the intermittency of renewable electricity. Electrofuels, or fuels synthesized from excess electricity, are an emerging medium poised to meet long-duration energy storage requirements. Ammonia as an electrofuel is potentially ideal because ammonia has a relatively low liquefaction pressure, indicating that ammonia can be easily stored and transported.

Manipulating mitochondrial electron flow enhances tumor immunogenicity.

Although tumor growth requires the mitochondrial electron transport chain (ETC), the relative contribution of complex I (CI) and complex II (CII), the gatekeepers for initiating electron flow, remains unclear. In this work, we report that the loss of CII, but not that of CI, reduces melanoma tumor growth by increasing antigen presentation and T cell-mediated killing. This is driven by succinate-mediated transcriptional and epigenetic activation of major histocompatibility complex-antigen processing and presentation (MHC-APP) genes independent of interferon signaling.

CD4+ T cells regulate sickness-induced anorexia and fat wasting during a chronic parasitic infection.

Infections cause catabolism of fat and muscle stores. Traditionally, studies have focused on understanding how the innate immune system contributes to energy stores wasting, while the role of the adaptive immune system remains elusive. In the present study, we examine the role of the adaptive immune response in adipose tissue wasting and cachexia using a murine model of the chronic parasitic infection Trypanosoma brucei, the causative agent of sleeping sickness.

Dye-induced photoluminescence quenching of quantum dots: role of excited state lifetime and confinement of charge carriers.

We investigate the role of quantum confinement and photoluminescence (PL) lifetime of photoexcited charge carriers in semiconductor core/shell quantum dots (QDs) PL quenching due to surface modification. Surface modification is controlled by varying the number of dye molecules adsorbed onto the QD shell surface forming QD-dye nanoassemblies. We selected CuInS/ZnS (CIS) and InP/ZnS (InP) core/shell QDs exhibiting relatively weak (664 meV) and strong (1194 meV) confinement potentials for the conduction band electron.

Unravelling the Mechanism behind Charge Reversal at Silica Nanoparticle-Model Cell Membrane Interfaces.

Vibrational sum frequency generation spectroscopy is used to understand the interactions of silica nanoparticles (SNPs) with a model cationic membrane (1,2-dipalmitoyl-3-(trimethylammonium)propane, DPTAP) by monitoring changes in the interfacial water and lipid structure at pH ∼ 2 and pH ∼ 11. Our study reveals that, at pH ∼ 11, SNPs are attracted to DPTAP due to electrostatic forces, causing changes in the interfacial water structure and lipid membrane. At high concentrations of SNPs (≥70 pM), the interfacial charge reversed from positive to negative, inducing the formation of new hydrogen-bonded structures and reorganization of water molecules.

Development and clinical validation of Swaasa AI platform for screening and prioritization of pulmonary TB.

Acoustic signal analysis has been employed in various medical devices. However, studies involving cough sound analysis to screen the potential pulmonary tuberculosis (PTB) suspects are very few. The main objective of this cross-sectional validation study was to develop and validate the Swaasa AI platform to screen and prioritize at risk patients for PTB based on the signature cough sound as well as symptomatic information provided by the subjects.

Age Related Functional Connectivity Signature Extraction Using Energy-Based Machine Learning Techniques.

The study of brain connectivity plays an important role in understanding the functional organizations of the brain. It also helps to identify connectivity signatures that can be used for evaluating neural disorders and monitoring treatment efficacy. In this work, age-related changes in brain connectivity are studied to obtain aging signatures based on various modeling techniques.

Distinct social attention profiles in preschoolers with autism contrasted to fragile X syndrome.

Social attention is a critical skill for learning and development. Social attention difficulties are present in both non-syndromic autism spectrum disorder (nsASD) and fragile X syndrome (FXS), and our understanding of these difficulties is complicated by heterogeneity in both disorders, including co-occurring diagnoses like intellectual disability and social anxiety. Existing research largely utilizes a single index of social attention and rarely includes children with intellectual impairment or uses a cross-syndrome approach.

SnapShot: Cancer immunoediting.

In the tumor microenvironment, immune cells and tumor cells interact in a process called cancer immunoediting, giving rise to changes in gene expression, metabolism, mutational burden, and cellularity in the tumor. This SnapShot compares endogenous versus therapy-induced cancer immunoediting and outlines the molecular and cellular characteristics of interactions that result in complete tumor regression versus tumor escape and progression. To view this SnapShot, open or download the PDF.

Local TV News Coverage of Racial Disparities in COVID-19 During the First Wave of the Pandemic, March-June 2020.

The COVID-19 pandemic has disproportionately impacted health and social outcomes for people of color in the United States. This study examined how local TV news stories attributed causes and solutions for COVID-19-related racial health and social disparities, and whether coverage of such disparities changed after George Floyd's murder, during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic. We systematically validated keywords to extract relevant news content and conducted a content analysis of 169 discrete local TV news stories aired between March and June 2020 from 80 broadcast networks within 22 purposefully selected media markets.

Effect of succinonitrile on ion transport in PEO-based lithium-ion battery electrolytes.

We report the ion transport mechanisms in succinonitrile (SN) loaded solid polymer electrolytes containing polyethylene oxide (PEO) and dissolved lithium bis(trifluoromethane)sulphonamide (LiTFSI) salt using molecular dynamics simulations. We investigated the effect of temperature and loading of SN on ion transport and relaxation phenomenon in PEO-LiTFSI electrolytes. It is observed that SN increases the ionic diffusivities in PEO-based solid polymer electrolytes and makes them suitable for battery applications.

Thermodynamics of translational and rotational dynamics of C9 hydrocarbons in the pores of zeolite-beta.

There has been a growing interest in the separation of aromatic hydrocarbon molecules from the petroleum stream using zeolite-based technologies. This led to numerous experimental and molecular simulation studies of the structural and dynamical properties of aromatic hydrocarbons under the confinement of microporous materials like zeolites. The understanding of the behavior of the isomers of the trimethylbenzene under confinement is crucial for their separation and purification from industrial streams.