Development of immunocompetent full thickness skin tissue constructs to model skin fibrosis for high-throughput drug screening.

The lack of the immune component in most of the engineered skin models remains a challenge to study the interplay between different immune and non-immune cell types of the skin. Immunocompetent humanskin models offer potential advantages in recapitulatinglike behavior which can serve to accelerate translational research and therapeutics development for skin diseases. Here we describe a three-dimensional human full-thickness skin (FTS) equivalent incorporating polarized M1 and M2 macrophages from human peripheral CD14monocytes.

The effects of electronic cigarette smoking on retinal nerve fiber layer, ganglion cell layer, inner plexiform layer, and choroidal thickness.

Purpose: To compare the thickness of the retinal nerve fibre layer (RNFL), ganglion cell layer (GCL), inner plexiform layer (IPL), and choroid in healthy electronic cigarette smokers and non-smokers using spectral domain optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT).

Material And Method: 25 healthy electronic cigarette smokers and 25 age- and gender-matched healthy non-smokers were included in the study. RNFL, GCL, IPL and choroidal thickness were measured by SD-OCT using an automated programme.

Scalp cooling therapy for chemotherapy-induced hair loss in patients with breast or gynecological cancers-an Asian tertiary institution experience.

Purpose: Scalp cooling therapy (SCT) improves chemotherapy-induced alopecia (CIA), but there are few published data about its efficacy in an Asian-predominant population. We report our tertiary institution experience of SCT in patients with breast or gynaecological cancers undergoing chemotherapy.

Methods: The Paxman scalp cooling system was employed for eligible women with breast or gynaecological cancers receiving anthracycline or taxane-based chemotherapy.

Dual optical elastography detects -induced alterations in the biomechanical properties of skin scaffolds.

Significance: The skin's mechanical properties are tightly regulated. Various pathologies can affect skin stiffness, and understanding these changes is a focus in tissue engineering. skin scaffolds are a robust platform for evaluating the effects of various genetic and molecular interactions on the skin.

Is there a role for routine intraoperative cholangiogram in diagnosing CBD stones in patients with normal liver function tests? A prospective study.

Objectives: Cholecystectomy with or without intraoperative cholangiogram (IOC) is an accepted treatment for cholelithiasis. Up to 11.6 % of cholecystectomies have incidental common bile duct (CBD) stones on IOC and 25.

Molecular profiling of metastatic breast cancer and target-based therapeutic matching in an Asian tertiary phase I oncology unit.

Introduction: Molecular profiling of metastatic breast cancer (MBC) through the widespread use of next-generation sequencing (NGS) has highlighted actionable mutations and driven trials of targeted therapy matched to tumour molecular profiles, with improved outcomes reported using such an approach. Here, we review NGS results and treatment outcomes for a cohort of Asian MBC patients in the phase I unit of a tertiary centre.

Methods: Patients with MBC referred to a phase I unit underwent NGS via Ion AmpliSeq Cancer Hotspot v2 (ACH v2, 2014-2017) prior to institutional change to FoundationOne CDx (FM1; 2017-2022).

Repair versus replacement of defective direct dental restorations: A multinational cross-sectional study with meta-analysis.

Objectives: When dental practitioners encounter a defective restoration, they are faced with a crucial decision whether to repair or replace it. This study aims to explore international preferences for repair procedures and the clinical steps taken during the repair process.

Method: An 11-question survey was distributed to dentists across 21 countries via different platforms.

Perinuclear Antineutrophil Cytoplasmic Antibody-Associated Ocular Manifestations: Case Series and Literature Review.

Purpose: To investigate the diversity of ocular manifestations in patients with positive perinuclear antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibody (p-ANCA).

Methods: The clinical records of five patients exhibiting ocular manifestations and testing positive for serum MPO-ANCA were retrospectively reviewed.

Results: Three out of five patients were female.

MR Evaluation of an Unusual Intruder of the Bladder: A Bladder Fibroid Case Report.

Introduction: Mesenchymal tumours of the bladder are benign but rare occurrences and represent approximately 1% of all bladder tumours.

Case Report: We report a case of a large bladder leiomyoma in an asymptomatic patient. A large pelvic mass was discovered incidentally on the bedside ultrasound scan during a review at the gynecology clinic.

Tigilanol tiglate is an oncolytic small molecule that induces immunogenic cell death and enhances the response of both target and non-injected tumors to immune checkpoint blockade.

Background: Tigilanol tiglate (TT) is a protein kinase C (PKC)/C1 domain activator currently being developed as an intralesional agent for the treatment of various (sub)cutaneous malignancies. Previous work has shown that intratumoral (I.T.

A Pilot Study for Biliary Atresia Diagnosis: Fluorescent Imaging of Indocyanine Green in Stool.

Background: Biliary atresia is the most common cause of obstructive jaundice in infants and conventional cholangiography is the current diagnostic gold standard. Fluorescent cholangiography with indocyanine green can enhance biliary tree visualization during surgery because it is exclusively excreted into the bile ducts and eventually into the intestine. Therefore, we hypothesized that indocyanine green presence in stool could confirm bile duct patency in infants.

Comprehensive characterization of genomic features and clinical outcomes following targeted therapy and secondary cytoreductive surgery in OCCC: a single center experience.

Objective: Ovarian clear cell carcinoma (OCCC) is associated with chemoresistance. Limited data exists regarding the efficacy of targeted therapies such as immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICI) and bevacizumab, and the role of secondary cytoreductive surgery (SCS).

Methods: We retrospectively analyzed genomic features and treatment outcomes of 172 OCCC patients treated at our institution from January 2000 to May 2022.

Pkd1l1-deficiency drives biliary atresia through ciliary dysfunction in biliary epithelial cells.

Background & Aims: Syndromic biliary atresia is a cholangiopathy characterized by fibro-obliterative changes in the extrahepatic bile duct (EHBD) and congenital malformations including laterality defects. The etiology remains elusive and faithful animal models are lacking. Genetic syndromes provide important clues regarding the pathogenic mechanisms underlying the disease.

Atopic dermatitis-associated genetic variants regulate LOC100294145 expression implicating interleukin-27 production and type 1 interferon signaling.

Background: Atopic dermatitis (AD) is a complex inflammatory disease with a strong genetic component. A singular approach of genome wide association studies (GWAS) can identify AD-associated genetic variants, but is unable to explain their functional relevance in AD. This study aims to characterize AD-associated genetic variants and elucidate the mechanisms leading to AD through a multi-omics approach.

Sleep and allergic diseases among young Chinese adults from the Singapore/Malaysia Cross-Sectional Genetic Epidemiology Study (SMCGES) cohort.

Background And Objective: Sleep disruption has been shown to affect immune function and thus influence allergic disease manifestation. The specific effects of sleep on allergic diseases, however, are less well-established; hence, in a unique population of young Chinese adults, we investigated the association between sleep and allergic disease.

Methods: Young Chinese adults recruited from Singapore in the Singapore/Malaysia Cross-Sectional Genetic Epidemiology Study (SMCGES) were analyzed.

Exploring a general multi-pronged activation strategy for natural product discovery in Actinomycetes.

Natural products possess significant therapeutic potential but remain underutilized despite advances in genomics and bioinformatics. While there are approaches to activate and upregulate natural product biosynthesis in both native and heterologous microbial strains, a comprehensive strategy to elicit production of natural products as well as a generalizable and efficient method to interrogate diverse native strains collection, remains lacking. Here, we explore a flexible and robust integrase-mediated multi-pronged activation approach to reliably perturb and globally trigger antibiotics production in actinobacteria.

SARS-CoV-2 Humoral Immunity Persists Following Rituximab Therapy.

Long-term humoral immunity is mediated by short-lived plasma cells (replenished by memory B cells) and long-lived plasma cells. Their relative contributions are uncertain for immunity to SARS-CoV-2, especially given the widespread use of novel mRNA vaccines. Yet, this has far-reaching implications in terms of the need for regular booster doses in the general population and perhaps even revaccination in patients receiving B cell-depleting therapy.

Introducing self-healing properties to polyethersulfone (PES) membrane via poly(vinyl alcohol)/ polyacrylic acid (PVA/PAA) surface coating.

During membrane filtration, it is inevitable that a membrane will experience physical damage, leading to a loss of its integrity and a decrease in separation efficiency. Hence, the development of a water-responsive membrane capable of healing itself autonomously after physical damage is significantly important in the field of water filtration. Herein, a water-enabled self-healing composite polyethersulfone (PES) membrane was synthesized by coating the membrane surface using a mixed solution composed of poly (vinyl alcohol) and polyacrylic acid (PVA-PAA).

Use of a digital contact tracing system in Singapore to mitigate COVID-19 spread.

Background: Contact tracing has been essential to reducing spread of COVID-19. Singapore leveraged technology to assist with contact tracing efforts using a Bluetooth-based app and token platform called 'TraceTogether'.

Methods: We reviewed the impact of this system during the country's Delta and Omicron waves (24 August 2021 to 17 February 2022) to identify differences in number of close contacts and time savings between full automation using TraceTogether alone as compared to manual contact tracing supplemented by TraceTogether.

Alterations to DNA methylation patterns induced by chemotherapy treatment are associated with negative impacts on the olfactory pathway.

Background: Exposure to cytotoxic chemotherapy treatment may alter DNA methylation (DNAm) in breast cancer patients.

Methods: We performed DNAm analysis in 125 breast cancer patients with blood drawn before and after chemotherapy, using the Illumina MethylationEPIC array. DNAm changes of 588,798 individual CpGs (including 41,207 promoter regions) were evaluated using linear regression models adjusted for monocyte proportion.

Biochemical trade-offs and opportunities of commercialized microalgae cultivation under increasing carbon dioxide.

Microalgae's exceptional photosynthetic prowess, CO adaptation, and high-value bioproduct accumulation make them prime candidates for microorganism-based biorefineries. However, most microalgae research emphasizes downstream processes and applications rather than fundamental biomass and biochemical balances and kinetic under the influence of greenhouse gases such as CO. Therefore, three distinctly different microalgae species were cultivated under 0% to 20% CO treatments to examine their biochemical responses, biomass production and metabolite accumulations.