The development and maintenance of immunity against visceral leishmaniasis.

Understanding the development and maintenance of immunological memory is important for efforts to eliminate parasitic diseases like leishmaniasis. Leishmaniasis encompasses a range of pathologies, resulting from infection with protozoan parasites belonging to the subgenera and of the genus A striking feature of these infections is that natural or drug-mediated cure of infection generally confers life-long protection against disease. The generation of protective T cell responses are necessary to control infections.

Selpercatinib mitigates cancer cachexia independent of anti-tumor activity in the HT1080 tumor model.

Anorexia is a major cause of cancer cachexia and is induced by growth differentiation factor-15 (GDF15), which activates the rearranged during transfection (RET) protein tyrosine kinase in the hindbrain through GDF family receptor α-like (GFRAL), raising the possibility of targeting RET for cancer cachexia treatment. RET-altered cancer patients treated with RET-selective kinase inhibitors gain weight, however, it is unclear whether this results from tumor regression that improves the overall health of patients. Thus, the potential of using a RET inhibitor to address cancer cachexia remains unknown.

Birth weight and head circumference for 22-29 weeks gestation neonates from an international cohort.

Objective: Size at birth is a key indicator of in utero growth. Our objective was to generate sex-specific percentiles for birth weight and head circumference in neonates born between 22 and 29 weeks gestation from pregnancies without hypertension or diabetes and assess differences between vaginal and caesarean births and between singletons and twins.

Methods: We used data from 12 countries participating in the International Network for Evaluating Outcomes in Neonates database from 2007 to 2021.

From diagnosis to therapy: The role of LncRNA GAS5 in combatting some cancers affecting women.

Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) are a collection of non-coding RNA molecules that consist of more than 200 nucleotides. In human malignancies, these lncRNAs exhibit abnormal expression patterns and play a significant role in either suppressing or promoting tumor growth. They achieve this by modulating various functions and mechanisms within cancer cells, including proliferation, invasion, metastasis, apoptosis, and resistance to different therapeutic approaches.

Disentangling Sources of Momentum Fluctuations in Xe+Xe and Pb+Pb Collisions with the ATLAS Detector.

High-energy nuclear collisions create a quark-gluon plasma, whose initial condition and subsequent expansion vary from event to event, impacting the distribution of the eventwise average transverse momentum [P([p_{T}])]. Disentangling the contributions from fluctuations in the nuclear overlap size (geometrical component) and other sources at a fixed size (intrinsic component) remains a challenge. This problem is addressed by measuring the mean, variance, and skewness of P([p_{T}]) in ^{208}Pb+^{208}Pb and ^{129}Xe+^{129}Xe collisions at sqrt[s_{NN}]=5.

Exploring the influence of age and diet on gut microbiota development in children during the first 5 years: a study from Yaoundé, Cameroon.

Introduction: The development of the human gut microbiota is shaped by factors like delivery mode, infant feeding practices, maternal diet, and environmental conditions. Diet plays a pivotal role in determining the diversity and composition of the gut microbiome, which in turn impacts immune development and overall health during this critical period. The early years, which are vital for microbial shaping, highlight a gap in understanding how the shift from milk-based diets to solid foods influences gut microbiota development in infants and young children, particularly in Yaoundé, Cameroon.

Advancing Treatment for Leishmaniasis: From Overcoming Challenges to Embracing Therapeutic Innovations.

Protozoan parasite infections, particularly leishmaniasis, present significant public health challenges in tropical and subtropical regions, affecting socio-economic status and growth. Despite advancements in immunology, effective vaccines remain vague, leaving drug treatments as the primary intervention. However, existing medications face limitations, such as toxicity and the rise of drug-resistant parasites.

School-based adolescent health survey in Himachal Pradesh, India: study design and protocol.

Background: The World Health Organization defined adolescent age group as a life span between 10 and 19 years. Adolescence is a phase of transition from childhood to adulthood, it is a unique stage for human development and a very sensitive period for laying the foundation of good health. Investment in this life-stage yields triple dividend.

Postoperative Outcomes of Enucleation without Closure of the Conjunctiva.

Purpose: To evaluate the long-term outcomes of enucleation without conjunctival closure in a large patient cohort.

Methods: A retrospective chart review was conducted from January 2011 to January 2024, examining 144 eyes of 143 patients who underwent enucleation without conjunctival closure by a single oculoplastic surgeon. Data collected included patient demographics, indications for surgery, implant types, and complications.

An African vulture optimization algorithm based energy efficient clustering scheme in wireless sensor networks.

Energy efficiency plays a major role in sustaining lifespan and stability of the network, being one of most critical factors in wireless sensor networks (WSNs). To overcome the problem of energy depletion in WSN, this paper proposes a new Energy Efficient Clustering Scheme named African Vulture Optimization Algorithm based EECS (AVOACS) using AVOA. The proposed AVOACS method improves clustering by including four critical terms: communication mode decider, distance of sink and nodes, residual energy and intra-cluster distance.

Applications of Next-Generation Sequencing Technologies and Statistical Tools in Identifying Pathways and Biomarkers for Heat Tolerance in Livestock.

The climate change-associated abnormal weather patterns negatively influences the productivity and performance of farm animals. Heat stress is the major detrimental factor hampering production, causing substantial economic loss to the livestock industry. Therefore, it is important to identify heat-tolerant breeds that can survive and produce optimally in any given environment.

Chronic kidney disease and aging: dissecting the p53/p21 pathway as a therapeutic target.

Chronic kidney diseases (CKD) are a group of multi-factorial disorders that markedly impair kidney functions with progressive renal deterioration. Aging contributes to age-specific phenotypes in kidneys, which undergo several structural and functional alterations, such as a decline in regenerative capacity and increased fibrosis, inflammation, and tubular atrophy, all predisposing them to disease and increasing their susceptibility to injury while impeding their recovery. A central feature of these age-related processes is the activation of the p53/p21 pathway signaling.

Impacts of long-term irrigation of municipally-treated wastewater to the soil microbial and nutrient properties.

Reusing treated wastewater (TWW) for crop irrigation has shown to provide environmental and economic benefits as well as drawbacks. This study was conducted using soils collected from a wastewater reuse facility in Tallahassee, FL, mainly to elucidate the long-term impact(s) of TWW irrigation on soil microbiome and nutrient status. Approximately 890 ha of land have been spray-irrigated with TWW since the 1980's to grow fodder crops.

Unravelling the role of health literacy among individuals with multimorbidity: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Objective: To examine existing literature regarding health literacy levels and their association with multimorbidity and the potential underlying mechanisms behind the said association.

Design: Systematic review and meta-analysis.

Data Sources: The databases MEDLINE, EMBASE, CINAHL and Science Direct were searched for articles published between 1 January 2000 and 31 October 2023 using a systematic search strategy.

Dermoscopy of syphilitic chancre: Report of five cases.

Dermoscopy is a non-invasive tool which helps in the visualization of skin structures and patterns not visible to the naked eye. This study evaluates the effectiveness of dermoscopy in diagnosing primary syphilis, which typically presents as a painless ulcer at the site of inoculation. In this study, dermoscopic patterns such as vascular structures and background colour changes were analyzed in patients with confirmed primary syphilis.

Exosome-mediated delivery of CRISPR-Cas9: A revolutionary approach to cancer gene editing.

Several molecular strategies based on targeted gene delivery systems have been developed in recent years; however, the CRISPR-Cas9 technology introduced a new era of targeted gene editing, precisely modifying oncogenes, tumor suppressor genes, and other regulatory genes involved in carcinogenesis. However, efficiently and safely delivering CRISPR-Cas9 to cancer cells across the cell membrane and the nucleus is still challenging. Using viral vectors and nanoparticles presents issues of immunogenicity, off-target effects, and low targeting affinity.

Liquid biopsies and exosomal ncRNA: Transforming pancreatic cancer diagnostics and therapeutics.

Pancreatic cancer is a highly fatal malignancy due to poor early detection rate and resistance to conventional therapies. This review examines the potential for liquid biopsy as a transformative technology to identify diagnostic and therapeutic targets in pancreatic cancer. Specifically, we explore emerging biomarkers such as exosomal non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs), circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA), and circulating tumor cells (CTCs).

Advanced Liquid-Entrapped Nanosurfaces for Optimized Atmospheric Water Harvesting.

Our study addresses the pressing global freshwater scarcity crisis by engineering advanced liquid-entrapped nanosurfaces optimized for highly efficient atmospheric water harvesting (AWH). Through a synergistic approach integrating carbon fiber paper (CFP), hydrothermally synthesized nanoneedles (NNs), and silicone oil liquid entrapment (LE) within NNs, we achieved remarkable improvements in water collection efficiency. While CFP captures fog effectively during AWH, it faces challenges with water-pinning effects, mitigated by NNs' improved droplet-spreading properties, leading to a notable 50% increase in harvesting efficiency.

Burden of neurologic diseases in BRICS countries (1990 to 2021): an analysis of 2021 Global Burden of Disease Study.

Background: Neurological disorders are a major global health concern, especially in BRICS nations (Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa), where demographic and socio-economic changes have amplified their impact. This study evaluates trends in incidence, prevalence, mortality, and Disability-Adjusted Life Years (DALYs) associated with neurological diseases in these countries from 1990 to 2021, focusing on sex disparities and key risk factors.

Methods: Data were obtained from the Global Burden of Disease (GBD) 2021 database.

Plasma protein dynamics during ipilimumab treatment in metastatic melanoma: associations with tumor response, adverse events and survival.

The immune checkpoint inhibitor ipilimumab provides long term survival in some metastatic melanoma patients, but the majority has no benefit, and may experience serious side effects. Here, we investigated the dynamics of plasma cytokine concentrations and their potential utility for predicting treatment response, adverse events and overall survival (OS) in patients with metastatic melanoma undergoing ipilimumab monotherapy. A cohort of 148 patients was examined, with plasma samples collected prior to treatment initiation and at the end of the first and second treatment cycles.

IPD-Brain: An Indian histopathology dataset for glioma subtype classification.

The effective management of brain tumors relies on precise typing, subtyping, and grading. We present the IPD-Brain Dataset, a crucial resource for the neuropathological community, comprising 547 high-resolution H&E stained slides from 367 patients for the study of glioma subtypes and immunohistochemical biomarkers. Scanned at 40x magnification, this dataset is one of the largest in Asia, specifically focusing on the Indian demographics.

Study of multimodal light emissions from Pr/Yb doped NaLa(MoO) phosphors for optoelectronic devices and plant-growth applications.

Recent advancements in materials design have driven the scientific community to explore phosphor materials for multifunctional applications. This study presents the multimodal light emission (downshifting - DS, quantum cutting - QC, and upconversion - UC) from Pr/Yb activated NaLa(MoO) phosphors for multifunctional applications. Under blue (449 nm) and NIR (980 nm) excitation, co-doped phosphors emit visible light through DS and UC processes caused by different f-f transitions of Pr ions.