ERBB4 selectively amplifies TGF-β pro-metastatic responses.

Transforming growth factor β (TGF-β) is well known to play paradoxical roles in tumorigenesis as it has both growth-inhibitory and pro-metastatic effects. However, the underlying mechanisms of how TGF-β drives the opposing responses remain largely unknown. Here, we report that ERBB4, a member of the ERBB receptor tyrosine kinase family, specifically promotes TGF-β's metastatic response but not its anti-growth response.

Endoplasmic Reticulum-Targeted Polymer-Manganese Nanocomplexes for Tumor Immunotherapy.

Manganese ions (Mn) are an immune activator that enhances the activation of both cGAS and STING proteins. The STING signaling activation and subsequential immune responses are predominantly associated with endoplasmic reticulum (ER). Therefore, ER targeting of Mn in the subcellular compartments would promote the activation of STING signaling pathways.

Exosome's Implications in Age-Related Macular Degeneration.

Purpose: This study aims to conduct a mini review of published literature concerning the role of exosomes in the field of ophthalmology, with a specific focus on Age-Related Macular Degeneration (AMD).

Methods: In this study, a comprehensive search was conducted using PubMed and Google Scholar to identify relevant publications. Additionally, trials submitted to clinicaltrials.

Association of Influenza Vaccination During Pregnancy with Health Outcomes in Mothers and Children: A Population-Based Cohort Study.

Immunization rates of maternal influenza vaccination during pregnancy remain suboptimal, with concerns about potential harm to the mothers and their offspring. We conducted a population-based cohort study, using mother-child linked database in Korea: (a) maternal cohort between December 2019, and March 2022; (b) neonatal cohort between September 2020, and June 2021. Exposure was defined as influenza vaccination during pregnancy.

Indole-3-Lactic Acid Inhibits Doxorubicin-Induced Ferroptosis Through Activating Aryl Hydrocarbon Receptor/Nrf2 Signalling Pathway.

The clinical application of doxorubicin (DOX) is limited due to its cardiotoxicity, which is primarily attributed to its interaction with iron in mitochondria, leading to lipid peroxidation and myocardial ferroptosis. This study aimed to investigate the role of the gut microbiota-derived metabolite, indole-3-lactic acid (ILA), in mitigating DOX-induced cardiotoxicity (DIC). Cardiac function, pathological changes, and myocardial ferroptosis were assessed in vivo.

A CRISPR-Cas and Argonaute-Driven Two-Factor Authentication Strategy for Information Security.

The escalating growth in computing power and the advent of quantum computing present a critical threat to the security of modern cryptography. Two-factor authentication strategies can effectively resist brute-force attacks to improve the security of access control. Herein, we proposed a two-factor and two-authentication entity strategy based on the trans-cleavage activity of CRISPR-Cas and the "dual-step" sequence-specific cleavage of Argonaute.

3D Mechanical Response Stem Cell Complex Repairs Spinal Cord Injury by Promoting Neurogenesis and Regulating Tissue Homeostasis.

Spinal cord injury (SCI) leads to acute tissue damage that disrupts the microenvironmental homeostasis of the spinal cord, inhibiting cell survival and function, and thereby undermining treatment efficacy. Traditional stem cell therapies have limited success in SCI, due to the difficulties in maintaining cell survival and inducing sustained differentiation into neural lineages. A new solution may arise from controlling the fate of stem cells by creating an appropriate mechanical microenvironment.

Recalcitrant Dermatomyositis Treated With Anifrolumab.

Dermatomyositis is an idiopathic inflammatory myopathy which can present with distinctive skin features. Despite the many treatment modalities for the treatment of dermatomyositis some patients remain refractory to treatment. We present a case of a 38-year-old man with recalcitrant dermatomyositis who was successfully treated with the interferon α receptor 1-inhibiting monoclonal antibody anifrolumab.

Deep-Learning Generated Synthetic Material Decomposition Images Based on Single-Energy CT to Differentiate Intracranial Hemorrhage and Contrast Staining Within 24 Hours After Endovascular Thrombectomy.

Aims: To develop a transformer-based generative adversarial network (trans-GAN) that can generate synthetic material decomposition images from single-energy CT (SECT) for real-time detection of intracranial hemorrhage (ICH) after endovascular thrombectomy.

Materials: We retrospectively collected data from two hospitals, consisting of 237 dual-energy CT (DECT) scans, including matched iodine overlay maps, virtual noncontrast, and simulated SECT images. These scans were randomly divided into a training set (n = 190) and an internal validation set (n = 47) in a 4:1 ratio based on the proportion of ICH.

The effect of COVID-19 pandemic on personal hygiene behavior and the frequency of peritonitis in peritoneal dialysis patients.

Introduction And Aim: Peritonitis is a critical complication in peritoneal dialysis (PD) patients, making compliance with personal hygiene essential. This study examines the impact of the COVID-19 (Coronavirus Disease 2019) pandemic on hygiene behaviors and peritonitis incidence in PD patients.

Materials And Methods: Fifty-two PD patients were assessed for hygiene behaviors, demographic, and medical data.

Iron Drives Eosinophil Differentiation in Allergic Airway Inflammation Through Mitochondrial Metabolic Adaptation.

Eosinophils play a crucial role as effector cells in asthma pathogenesis, with their differentiation being tightly regulated by metabolic mechanisms. While the involvement of iron in various cellular processes is well known, its specific role in eosinophil differentiation has largely remained unexplored. This study demonstrates that iron levels are increased during the differentiation process from eosinophil progenitors to mature and activated eosinophils in the context of allergic airway inflammation.

Rationale and Design of the InsightPFA Trial: A Prospective, Multicenter, Randomized Controlled Trial of the Irreversible Electroporation-Based Pulsed Field Ablation Versus Radiofrequency Ablation in Chinese Patients With Symptomatic Paroxysmal Atrial Fibrillation.

Background: Pulsed field ablation (PFA) is gaining recognition as a nonthermal, tissue-specific technique for the treatment of atrial fibrillation (AF). The preclinical evaluation of the investigated novel PFA system from Insight Medtech Co. Ltd has demonstrated feasibility, safety, and 30-day efficacy for pulmonary vein isolation (PVI) in the swine model.

Chain of Risks Evaluation (CORE): A framework for safer large language models in public mental health.

Large language models (LLMs) have gained significant attention for their capabilities in natural language understanding and generation. However, their widespread adoption potentially raises public mental health concerns, including issues related to inequity, stigma, dependence, medical risks, and security threats. This review aims to offer a perspective within the actor-network framework, exploring the technical architectures, linguistic dynamics, and psychological effects underlying human-LLMs interactions.

Evaluating Meta-Learners to Analyze Treatment Heterogeneity in Survival Data: Application to Electronic Health Records of Pediatric Asthma Care in COVID-19 Pandemic.

An important aspect of precision medicine focuses on characterizing diverse responses to treatment due to unique patient characteristics, also known as heterogeneous treatment effects (HTE) or individualized treatment effects (ITE), and identifying beneficial subgroups with enhanced treatment effects. Estimating HTE with right-censored data in observational studies remains challenging. In this paper, we propose a pseudo-ITE-based framework for analyzing HTE in survival data, which includes a group of meta-learners for estimating HTE, a variable importance metric for identifying predictive variables to HTE, and a data-adaptive procedure to select subgroups with enhanced treatment effects.

Pharmacokinetic and Exposure-Response Modeling Support Body Surface Area-Based Dosing of Farletuzumab Ecteribulin in Japanese Patients with Solid Tumors.

The first-in-human, Phase 1 Study 101 showed antitumor activity and a tolerable safety profile of farletuzumab ecteribulin in Japanese patients with platinum-resistant ovarian and non-small cell lung cancer. A pharmacometric assessment evaluated farletuzumab ecteribulin pharmacokinetics and exposure-response (E-R) relationships for efficacy and safety to support dose optimization. Patients received 0.

International Validation of a Novel PEACE Scale to Improve the Quality of Upper Gastrointestinal Mucosal Inspection During Endoscopy.

Introduction: The performance of a high quality esophagogastroduodenoscopy (EGD) is dependent on the mucosal cleanliness. Recently, the Polprep: Effective Assessment of Cleanliness in EGD (PEACE) scale was created to assess the degree of mucosal cleanliness during EGD. The aim of this study was to validate this scoring system in a cohort of international endoscopists.

Targeting p21-Positive Senescent Chondrocytes via IL-6R/JAK2 Inhibition to Alleviate Osteoarthritis.

Osteoarthritis (OA) is an age-related degenerative joint disease, prominently influenced by the pro-inflammatory cytokine interleukin-6 (IL-6). Although elevated IL-6 levels in joint fluid are well-documented, the uneven cartilage degeneration observed in knee OA patients suggests additional underlying mechanisms. This study investigates the role of interleukin-6 receptor (IL-6R) in mediating IL-6 signaling and its contribution to OA progression.

Comparisons in Postoperative Endoscopic Findings and Postoperative Weight Change Between Delta-Shaped Anastomosis and Circular-Stapled Anastomosis in Laparoscopy-Assisted Distal Gastrectomy With B-I Reconstruction.

Background: Laparoscopy-assisted distal gastrectomy (LADG) with Billroth I (B-I) reconstruction is frequently performed for gastric cancer. However, the difference between the circular stapler technique (CS) and delta-shaped anastomosis (DA) remains unclear, especially regarding the postoperative endoscopic physiological findings.

Methods: Three hundred and one patients including 150 CS patients and 151 DA patients during LADG with B-I reconstruction between 2013 and 2019 at Saitama Medical University International Medical Center were chosen as study subjects.