A smart probe for detection of sugar markers for applications in gastrointestinal barrier dysfunction.

Gastrointestinal (GI) barrier dysfunction is an early pathogenic event in many complex diseases. Despite the routine applications of invasive tests, saccharide molecules are used noninvasively for assessing GI tract mucosal barrier function. However, currently available methods for quantification of saccharides molecules are costly and laborious.

An Artificial Intelligence-Based Non-Invasive Approach for Cardiovascular Disease Risk Stratification in Obstructive Sleep Apnea Patients: A Narrative Review.

Background: Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is a severe condition associated with numerous cardiovascular complications, including heart failure. The complex biological and morphological relationship between OSA and atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD) poses challenges in predicting adverse cardiovascular outcomes. While artificial intelligence (AI) has shown potential for predicting cardiovascular disease (CVD) and stroke risks in other conditions, there is a lack of detailed, bias-free, and compressed AI models for ASCVD and stroke risk stratification in OSA patients.

Computed Tomography Scan and Clinical-based Complete Response Prediction in Locally Advanced Rectal Cancer after Neoadjuvant Chemoradiotherapy: A Machine Learning Approach.

Background: Treatment of locally advanced rectal cancer (LARC) involves neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy (nCRT), followed by total mesorectal excision. Examining the response to treatment is one of the most important factors in the follow-up of patients; therefore, in this study, radiomics patterns derived from pretreatment computed tomography images in rectal cancer and its relationship with treatment response measurement criteria have been investigated.

Methods: Fifty patients with rectal adenocarcinoma who were candidates for nCRT and surgery were included.

Incidence and Outcomes of Patients With Mismatch Repair Deficient Rectal Cancer Operated in 2016: A Nationwide Cohort From The Netherlands.

Introduction: Data regarding the incidence and outcomes of mismatch repair deficient (dMMR) rectal cancer is limited. This study characterizes dMMR rectal cancer patients, comparing response after neoadjuvant radiotherapy and oncological outcomes to mismatch repair proficient (pMMR) rectal cancer patients.

Method: A retrospective cross-sectional cohort study was conducted in 67 Dutch centers.

Prognostic Relevance of Immunosuppressive CD155/TIGIT Signaling in Locally Advanced Rectal Cancer Patients With Neoadjuvant Chemoradiotherapy.

Background/aim: The CD155/TIGIT axis has recently emerged as a promising immunotherapeutic target in several malignancies. However, its prognostic relevance within the tumor microenvironment (TME) in patients with locally advanced rectal cancer (LARC) who have received neo-adjuvant chemoradiotherapy (neoCRT) remains unclarified.

Materials And Methods: The levels of tumor CD155 and TIGIT T cells in pair-matched pre-neoCRT biopsies and post-neoCRT surgical tissues were evaluated in 110 LARC tissues using immunohistochemistry.

Professional-patient discrepancies in assessing lung cancer radiotherapy symptoms: An international multicentre study.

Background And Purpose: We investigate discrepancies in the assessment of treatment-related symptoms in lung cancer between healthcare professionals and patients, and factors contributing to these discrepancies.

Materials And Methods: Data from 515 participants in the REQUITE study were analysed. Five symptoms (cough, dyspnoea, bronchopulmonary haemorrhage, chest wall pain, dysphagia) were evaluated both before and after radiotherapy.

N-methyladenosine in 28S rRNA promotes oncogenic mRNA translation and tyrosine catabolism.

Aberrant N-methyladenosine (mA) modification on mRNA results in dysregulated mRNA translation and cancer progression; however, the role of mA modification on rRNA remains unclear in cancers. Here, we show that ZCCHC4 and its mediated mA modification on 28S rRNA are upregulated in various cancers and correlated with poor survival. Functionally, ZCCHC4 promotes intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (ICC) progression via its catalytic activity.

The Chinese Society of Clinical Oncology (CSCO): Clinical guidelines for the diagnosis and treatment of colorectal cancer, 2024 update.

The 2024 updates of the Chinese Society of Clinical Oncology (CSCO) Clinical Guidelines for the diagnosis and treatment of colorectal cancer emphasize standardizing cancer treatment in China, highlighting the latest advancements in evidence-based medicine, healthcare resource access, and precision medicine in oncology. These updates address disparities in epidemiological trends, clinicopathological characteristics, tumor biology, treatment approaches, and drug selection for colorectal cancer patients across diverse regions and backgrounds. Key revisions include adjustments to evidence levels for intensive treatment strategies, updates to regimens for deficient mismatch repair (dMMR)/ microsatellite instability-high (MSI-H) patients, proficient mismatch repair (pMMR)/ microsatellite stability (MSS) patients who have failed standard therapies, and rectal cancer patients with low recurrence risk.

Large morphological transitions underlie exceptional shape diversification in an adaptive radiation.

Adaptive radiations are characterized by an increase in species and/or phenotypic diversity as organisms fill open ecological niches. Often, the putative adaptive radiation has been studied without explicit comparison to the patterns and rates of evolution of closely related clades, leaving open the question whether notable changes in evolutionary process indeed occurred at the origin of the group. Anolis lizards are an oft-used model for investigating the tempo and mode of adaptive radiations.

Light-dependent modulation of protein localization and function in living bacteria cells.

Most bacteria lack membrane-enclosed organelles and rely on macromolecular scaffolds at different subcellular locations to recruit proteins for specific functions. Here, we demonstrate that the optogenetic CRY2-CIB1 system from Arabidopsis thaliana can be used to rapidly direct proteins to different subcellular locations with varying efficiencies in live Escherichia coli cells, including the nucleoid, the cell pole, the membrane, and the midcell division plane. Such light-induced re-localization can be used to rapidly inhibit cytokinesis in actively dividing E.

LncRNA U731166 Increases the Accumulation of TGFBR1 by Sponging miR-3607-3p in Esophageal Squamous-Cell Carcinomas (ESCC) to Promote Tumor Metastasis.

Background: Long non-coding RNA (lncRNA) U731166 and microRNA (miR)-3607-3p are two ncRNAs with critical roles in cancer biology, while their involvement in esophageal squamous-cell carcinomas (ESCC) is unclear. We predicted that U731166 and miR-3607-3p might interact with each other. This study aimed to investigate their role and interaction in ESCC.

Ubiquitin-specific protease 1 facilitates tumor immune escape from natural killer cells and predicts the prognosis in small cell lung cancer.

Objective: Small cell lung cancer (SCLC) is commonly recognized as the most fatal lung cancer type. Despite substantial advances in immune checkpoint blockade therapies for treating solid cancers, their benefits are limited to a minority of patients with SCLC. In the present study, novel indicators for predicting the outcomes and molecular targets for SCLC treatment were elucidated.

Polygenic score distribution differences across European ancestry populations: implications for breast cancer risk prediction.

Background: The 313-variant polygenic risk score (PRS) provides a promising tool for clinical breast cancer risk prediction. However, evaluation of the PRS across different European populations which could influence risk estimation has not been performed.

Methods: We explored the distribution of PRS across European populations using genotype data from 94,072 females without breast cancer diagnosis, of European-ancestry from 21 countries participating in the Breast Cancer Association Consortium (BCAC) and 223,316 females without breast cancer diagnosis from the UK Biobank.

Biological and chemical properties of new multi-functional root canal irrigants.

Objectives: To evaluate the efficacy of multi-functional root canal irrigating solutions in the removal of canal wall smear layers, antibacterial activity, cytotoxicity, and tissue dissolution efficacy.

Methods: Forty single-rooted teeth were mechanically instrumented and irrigated with Triton, EndoJuice™, EDTA, and 0.9% saline.

Targeting Deltex E3 Ubiquitin Ligase 2 Inhibits Tumor-associated Neutrophils and Sensitizes Hepatocellular Carcinoma Cells to Immunotherapy.

Several E3 ligases have been found to affect the immune microenvironment of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and lead to the resistance of immunotherapy. In this study, genes of E3 ligases are screened based on The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) dataset. Through cytometry by time of flight (CyTOF), flow cytometry, and further experiments, Deltex E3 ubiquitin ligase 2 (DTX2) in HCC cells is identified to promote the infiltration and polarization of tumor-associated neutrophils (TANs) with a protumor phenotype, thus attenuating the infiltration and cytotoxicity of CD8+ T cells partially through C-X-C motif chemokine 2 (CXCL2) and C-X-C motif chemokine 6 (CXCL6).

Prognostic value of pseudotime from texture parameters of FDG PET/CT in locally advanced rectal cancer with neoadjuvant concurrent chemoradiotherapy.

Texture analysis generates image parameters from F-18 fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography/computed tomography (FDG PET/CT). Although some parameters correlate with tumor biology and clinical attributes, their types and implications can be complex. To overcome this limitation, pseudotime analysis was applied to texture parameters to estimate changes in individual sample characteristics, and the prognostic significance of the estimated pseudotime of primary tumors was evaluated.

Electromagnetic Radiation and Biophoton Emission in Neuronal Communication and Neurodegenerative Diseases.

The intersection of electromagnetic radiation and neuronal communication, focusing on the potential role of biophoton emission in brain function and neurodegenerative diseases is an emerging research area. Traditionally, it is believed that neurons encode and communicate information via electrochemical impulses, generating electromagnetic fields detectable by EEG and MEG. Recent discoveries indicate that neurons may also emit biophotons, suggesting an additional communication channel alongside the regular synaptic interactions.

Radiation development and hemostatic performance of innovative hydroxypropyl methyl cellulose-based sponge dressings for controlling severe hemorrhagic wounds.

Globally, traumatic injuries and severe hemorrhagic wounds resulting from natural disasters, wars, traffic accidents, and operation rooms, especially during birth, are among the most difficult humanitarian and economic problems. Thus, the priority in emergency medical treatment is reducing unexpected blood loss, which can significantly influence a patient's rescue and recovery speed. For the immediate cessation of bleeding in severe hemorrhagic wounds and to speed up their healing, environmentally friendly γ-ionizing irradiation technology was used to develop innovative natural-based hydrogels impregnated with traditional medicinal plant extracts (MPE) with proven hemostatic and bactericidal potential as potential dressings for hemostasis, infection control, and wound healing.

Cancer outcomes and cardiopulmonary toxicities for black patients with breast cancer treated with proton therapy.

Background: Black women have a 40% higher breast cancer (BC) mortality rate than White women and are at a higher risk of acquiring cardiovascular disease. Proton therapy (PT) can be used to mitigate cardiac radiation exposure; however, PT remains a scarce resource in the United States. We report on the cardiovascular profiles of patients undergoing PT to determine the potential benefit of PT for Black women when compared to non-Black patients.

Knockdown of IGF2BP2 overcomes cisplatin-resistance in lung cancer through downregulating Spon2 gene.

Background: Cisplatin (DDP) resistance has long posed a challenge in the clinical treatment of lung cancer (LC). Insulin-like growth factor 2 binding protein 2 (IGF2BP2) has been identified as an oncogenic factor in LC, whereas its specific role in DDP resistance in LC remains unclear.

Results: In this study, we investigated the role of IGF2BP2 on DDP resistance in DDP-resistant A549 cells (A549/DDP) in vitro and in a DDP-resistant lung tumor-bearing mouse model in vivo.

Adaptive or non-adaptive? Cranial evolution in a radiation of miniaturized day geckos.

Lygodactylus geckos represent a well-documented radiation of miniaturized lizards with diverse life-history traits that are widely distributed in Africa, Madagascar, and South America. The group has diversified into numerous species with high levels of morphological similarity. The evolutionary processes underlying such diversification remain enigmatic, because species live in different ecological biomes, ecoregions and microhabitats, while suggesting strikingly high levels of homoplasy.

Ecological and anthropogenic effects on the genomic diversity of lemurs in Madagascar.

Ecological variation and anthropogenic landscape modification have had key roles in the diversification and extinction of mammals in Madagascar. Lemurs represent a radiation with more than 100 species, constituting roughly one-fifth of the primate order. Almost all species of lemurs are threatened with extinction, but little is known about their genetic diversity and demographic history.

PARP inhibition radiosensitizes BRCA1 wildtype and mutated breast cancer to proton therapy.

Aggressive breast cancers often fail or acquire resistance to radiotherapy. To develop new strategies to improve the outcome of aggressive breast cancer patients, we studied how PARP inhibition radiosensitizes breast cancer models to proton therapy, which is a radiotherapy modality that generates more DNA damage in the tumor than standard radiotherapy using photons. Two human BRCA1-mutated breast cancer cell lines and their isogenic BRCA1-recovered pairs were treated with a PARP inhibitor and irradiated with photons or protons.