Donor-Interacting Arylated Carbazole Self-Assembled Monolayer Enables Highly Efficient and Stable Organic Photovoltaics.

Carbazole-derived self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) are promising materials for hole-extraction layer (HEL) in conventional organic photovoltaics (OPVs). Here, a SAM Cbz-2Ph derived from 3,6-diphenylcarbazole is demonstrated. The large molecular dipole moment of Cbz-2Ph allows the modulation of electrode work function to facilitate hole extraction and maximize photovoltage, thus improving the OPV performance.

Assessing and Addressing Cardiovascular and Obstetric Risks in Patients Undergoing Assisted Reproductive Technology: A Scientific Statement From the American Heart Association.

The use of assisted reproductive technology (ART) is growing, both to assist individuals with infertility and for fertility preservation. Individuals with cardiovascular disease (CVD), or risk factors for CVD, are increasingly using ART. Thus, knowing how to care for patients undergoing ART is important for the cardiovascular clinician.

A Menu for Microbes: Unraveling Appetite Regulation and Weight Dynamics Through the Microbiota-Brain Connection Across the Lifespan.

Appetite, as the internal drive for food intake, is often dysregulated in a broad spectrum of conditions associated with over- and under-nutrition across the lifespan. Appetite regulation is a complex, integrative process comprising psychological and behavioral events, peripheral and metabolic inputs, and central neurotransmitter and metabolic interactions. The microbiota-gut-brain axis has emerged as a critical mediator of multiple physiological processes, including energy metabolism, brain function, and behavior.

Safety Assessment of Graphene-Based Materials.

Graphene is the first 2D atomic crystal, and its isolation heralded a new era in materials science with the emergence of several other atomically thin materials displaying multifunctional properties. The safety assessment of new materials is often something of an afterthought, but in the case of graphene, the initial isolation and characterization of the material was soon followed by the assessment of its potential impact on living systems. The Graphene Flagship project addressed the health and environmental aspects of graphene and other 2D materials, providing an instructive lesson in interdisciplinarity - from materials science to biology.

Revision of institutional accreditation standards and processes in Iranian medical universities.

Background: The institutional accreditation standards were revised after the initial round of institutional accreditation and gaining experience while scrutinizing issues and complications. This research covers the steps needed to update and then compile the new standards, making the necessary changes in regulations, self-evaluation guides, external evaluation, ethics, and the required forms.

Materials And Methods: This comprehensive developmental study, conducted in two main phases from 2019 to 2022 at Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, employed a variety of rigorous methods.

Identifying cognitive test scores associated with early tau burden in Alzheimer's disease.

Introduction: This study aimed to identify cognitive tests that optimally relate to tau positron emission tomography (PET) signal in the inferior temporal cortex (ITC), a neocortical region associated with early tau accumulation in Alzheimer's disease (AD).

Methods: We analyzed cross-sectional data from the harvard aging brain study (HABS) (= 128) and the Anti-Amyloid Treatment in Asymptomatic Alzheimer's (A4) study (= 393). We used elastic net regression to identify the most robust cognitive correlates of tau PET signal in the ITC.

Differences in splicing factors may predict type 2 diabetes remission in the CORDIOPREV study.

Alternative splicing is a post-transcriptional process resulting in multiple protein isoforms from a single gene. Abnormal splicing may lead to metabolic diseases, including type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). To identify the splicing factor expression that predicts T2DM remission in coronary heart disease (CHD) patients, we identified newly diagnosed T2DM at baseline ( = 190) from the CORDIOPREV study.

Conventional and regionally distinctive risk factors for first-onset myocardial infarction: the Bangladesh Risk of Acute Vascular Events (BRAVE) case-control study.

Background: South Asians may be particularly susceptible to premature myocardial infarction (MI) owing both to conventional cardiovascular risk factors and practices distinctive to South Asia. Identifying modifiable risk factors for MI in these populations could inform prevention strategies. We have, therefore, studied conventional risk factors and other characteristics in relation to occurrence of first MI in Bangladesh.

Highly oxygenated cyclohexenes from the leaves of Roxb. ex Hornem and their cytotoxic and -glucosidase inhibitory activities.

Phytochemical investigation of the leaf extract of Roxb. ex Hornem led to the isolation and identification of two new highly oxygenated cyclohexenes, uvariagrandols A () and B (), together with seven known compounds (-). Their structures were elucidated by spectroscopic methods as well as comparisons made from the literature.

From molecular to physical function: The aging trajectory.

Aging is accompanied by a decline in muscle mass, strength, and physical function, a condition known as sarcopenia. Muscle disuse attributed to decreased physical activity, hospitalization, or illness (e.g.

Smart Luminescent Materials for Emerging Sensors: Fundamentals and Advances.

Smart luminescent materials have drawn a significant attention owing to their unique optical properties and versatility in sensor applications. These materials, encompassing a broad spectrum of organic, inorganic, and hybrid systems including quantum dots, organic dyes, and metal-organic frameworks (MOFs), offer tunable emission characteristics that can be engineered at the molecular or nanoscale level to respond to specific stimuli, such as temperature, pH, and chemical presence. Recent advancements have been driven by the integration of nanotechnology, which enhances the sensitivity and selectivity of luminescent materials in sensor platforms.

Alterations in cardiac function correlate with a disruption in fatty acid metabolism in a mouse model of SMA.

Spinal Muscular Atrophy is an autosomal dominant disease caused by mutations and deletions within the SMN1 gene, with predominantly childhood onset. Although primarily a motor neuron disease, defects in non-neuronal tissues are described in both patients and mouse models. Here, we have undertaken a detailed study of the heart in the Smn2B/- mouse models of SMA, and reveal a thinning of the ventriclar walls as previously described in more severe mouse models of SMA.

Exploring Dance as a Therapeutic Approach for Parkinson Disease Through the Social Robotics for Active and Healthy Ageing (SI-Robotics): Results From a Technical Feasibility Study.

Background: Parkinson disease (PD) is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder characterized by motor symptoms. Recently, dance has started to be considered an effective intervention for people with PD. Several findings in the literature emphasize the necessity for deeper exploration into the synergistic impacts of dance therapy and exergaming for PD management.

Phonological Feature Abstraction Before 6 Months: Amodal Recognition of Place of Articulation Across Multiple Consonants.

The classical view is that perceptual attunement to the native language, which emerges by 6-10 months, developmentally precedes phonological feature abstraction abilities. That assumption is challenged by findings from adults adopted into a new language environment at 3-5 months that imply they had already formed phonological feature abstractions about their birth language prior to 6 months. As phonological feature abstraction had not been directly tested in infants, we examined 4-6-month-olds' amodal abstraction of the labial versus coronal place of articulation distinction between consonants.

An Efficient Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia Screen Framework Based on Multi-Modal Deep Neural Network.

Background: Acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) is a leading cause of death among pediatric malignancies. Early diagnosis of ALL is crucial for minimizing misdiagnosis, improving survival rates, and ensuring the implementation of precise treatment plans for patients.

Methods: In this study, we propose a multi-modal deep neural network-based framework for early and efficient screening of ALL.

Exercise limitation in chronic kidney disease: An experimental pilot study with leg and arm exercise.

Maximal oxygen uptake (VOmax) in healthy subjects is primarily limited by systemic oxygen delivery. In chronic kidney disease (CKD), VOmax is potentially reduced by both central and peripheral factors. We aimed to investigate the effect on VOpeak of adding arm exercise to leg exercise.

SenPred: a single-cell RNA sequencing-based machine learning pipeline to classify deeply senescent dermal fibroblast cells for the detection of an in vivo senescent cell burden.

Background: Senescence classification is an acknowledged challenge within the field, as markers are cell-type and context dependent. Currently, multiple morphological and immunofluorescence markers are required. However, emerging scRNA-seq datasets have enabled an increased understanding of senescent cell heterogeneity.

Cerebrospinal fluid dynamics and subarachnoid space occlusion following traumatic spinal cord injury in the pig: an investigation using magnetic resonance imaging.

Background: Traumatic spinal cord injury (SCI) causes spinal cord swelling and occlusion of the subarachnoid space (SAS). SAS occlusion can change pulsatile cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) dynamics, which could have acute clinical management implications. This study aimed to characterise SAS occlusion and investigate CSF dynamics over 14 days post-SCI in the pig.

TRPV4 modulates inflammatory responses and apoptosis in enteric glial cells triggered by Clostridioides difficile toxins A and B.

Clostridioides difficile, a spore-forming anaerobic bacterium, is the primary cause of hospital antibiotic-associated diarrhea. Key virulence factors, toxins A (TcdA) and B (TcdB), significantly contribute to C. difficile infection (CDI).

Engineered biomimetic cisplatin-polyphenol nanocomplex for chemo-immunotherapy of glioblastoma by inducing pyroptosis.

Glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) is characterized by pronounced immune escape and resistance to chemotherapy-induced apoptosis. Preliminary investigations revealed a marked overexpression of gasdermin E (GSDME) in GBM. Notably, cisplatin (CDDP) demonstrated a capacity of inducing pyroptosis by activating caspase-3 to cleave GSDME, coupled with the release of proinflammatory factors, indicating the potential as a viable approach of inducing anti-tumor immune activation.

Differentially localizing isoforms of the migraine component calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP), in the mouse trigeminal ganglion: βCGRP is translated but, unlike αCGRP, not sorted into axons.

Objective: The neuropeptide calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) has been established to be a key signaling molecule in migraine, but little is known about the differences between the two isoforms: αCGRP and βCGRP. Previous studies have been hampered by their close similarity, making the development of specific antibodies nearly impossible. In this study we sought to test the hypothesis that αCGRP and βCGRP localize differently within the neurons of the mouse trigeminal ganglion (TG), using αCGRP knock out (KO) animals.

Comparative analysis of C-Reactive protein levels among Non-comorbid, Comorbid, and Multimorbid Hospitalized COVID-19 patients.

Background: C-reactive protein (CRP) is one of the most commonly monitored inflammatory markers in patients with COVID-19 to gain insight into the inflammation level in the body and to adopt effective disease management and therapeutic strategies. COVID-19 is now less prevalent, and the study of CRP as a biomarker of inflammation still needs deeper understanding, particularly in understanding its role among patients with comorbidities, which are known to influence inflammatory responses and increase the risk of severe outcomes during acute and chronic infectious diseases. The objective of this study was to evaluate the association of major comorbidities such as ischemic heart diseases, diabetes, chronic kidney disease, hypertension, and lung infections e.

Establishing a GRU-GCN coordination-based prediction model for miRNA-disease associations.

Background: miRNAs (microRNAs) are endogenous RNAs with lengths of 18 to 24 nucleotides and play critical roles in gene regulation and disease progression. Although traditional wet-lab experiments provide direct evidence for miRNA-disease associations, they are often time-consuming and complicated to analyze by current bioinformatics tools. In recent years, machine learning (ML) and deep learning (DL) techniques are powerful tools to analyze large-scale biological data.

Comparative analysis of the whole transcriptome landscapes of muscle and adipose tissue in Qinchuan beef cattle.

Background: Muscle and adipose tissue are the most critical indicators of beef quality, and their development and function are regulated by noncoding RNAs (ncRNAs). However, the differential regulatory mechanisms of ncRNAs in muscle and adipose tissue remain unclear.

Results: In this study, 2,343 differentially expressed mRNAs (DEMs), 235 differentially expressed lncRNAs (DELs), 95 differentially expressed circRNAs (DECs) and 54 differentially expressed miRNAs (DEmiRs) were identified in longissimus dorsi muscle (LD), subcutaneous fat (SF) and perirenal fat (VF) in Qinchuan beef cattle.

Does randomization assert the balance across trial arms? Revisiting Worrall's criticism.

We revisit John Worrall's old but still prominent argument against the view that randomization balances the impact of both known and unknown confounders across the treatment and control arms. We argue that his argument involving indefinitely many possible confounders is at odds with statistical theory as it (1) presumes that the purpose of randomized studies is obtaining perfect point estimates for which perfect balance is needed; (2) mistakes equalizing each confounder with the overall (average) impact of all confounders, and (3) assumes that the joint effect of an infinite series of confounders cannot be bounded. We defend the role of randomization in balancing the impact of confounders across the treatment and control arms by putting forward the statistical sense of the balance claim.