Cardamonin anticancer effects through the modulation of the tumor immune microenvironment in triple-negative breast cancer cells.

The tumor immune microenvironment (TIME) plays a critical role in cancer development and response to immunotherapy. Immune checkpoint inhibitors aim to reverse the immunosuppressive effects of the TIME, but their success has been limited. Immunotherapy directed at PD-1/PD-L1 has been widely employed, yielding positive results.

Ventricular tachycardia ablation across age groups: Outcomes, trends and demographics. Insights from the National Inpatient Sample Database.

Background: Ventricular tachycardia ablation (VTA) is an important treatment option for ventricular tachycardia, with increasing use across all age groups. However, age-related differences in outcomes remain a concern.

Objective: This study aimed to investigate age-related trends in VTA procedures and their associated adverse events across the United States from 2011 to 2021.

Preliminary validation of the virtual bariatric endoscopic simulator.

Background And Aims: Obesity is a global health concern. Bariatric surgery offers reliably effective and durable weight loss and improvements of other comorbid conditions. However, the accessibility of bariatric surgery remains limited.

Artificial Intelligence in Nephrology: Clinical Applications and Challenges.

Artificial intelligence (AI) is increasingly used in many medical specialties. However, nephrology has lagged in adopting and incorporating machine learning techniques. Nephrology is well positioned to capitalize on the benefits of AI.

Cryptococcal Pneumonia in Multiple Myeloma: A Case Report.

Patients with multiple myeloma (MM) often experience infections due to aberrant immunoglobulin production by malignant plasma cells and immunosuppressive therapeutic interventions that are used to treat the condition. A rare but serious infection that may occur in these patients is Cryptococcus, an encapsulated fungus that typically infects immunocompromised individuals. Cryptococcus infections often present as pneumonia but can disseminate to the central nervous system, potentially causing meningitis.

A Meta-analysis of Loneliness and Risk of Dementia using Longitudinal Data from >600,000 Individuals.

Loneliness is one critical risk factor for cognitive health. Combining data from ongoing aging studies and the published literature, we provided the largest meta-analysis on the association between loneliness and dementia ( = 21 samples, = 608,561) and cognitive impairment ( = 16, = 103,387). Loneliness increased risk for all-cause dementia (HR = 1.

Identifying biomarker-driven subphenotypes of cardiogenic shock: analysis of prospective cohorts and randomized controlled trials.

Background: Cardiogenic shock (CS) is a heterogeneous clinical syndrome, making it challenging to predict patient trajectory and response to treatment. This study aims to identify biological/molecular CS subphenotypes, evaluate their association with outcome, and explore their impact on heterogeneity of treatment effect (ShockCO-OP, NCT06376318).

Methods: We used unsupervised clustering to integrate plasma biomarker data from two prospective cohorts of CS patients: CardShock (N = 205 [2010-2012, NCT01374867]) and the French and European Outcome reGistry in Intensive Care Units (FROG-ICU) (N = 228 [2011-2013, NCT01367093]) to determine the optimal number of classes.

QOMIC: quantum optimization for motif identification.

Motivation: Network motif identification (MI) problem aims to find topological patterns in biological networks. Identifying disjoint motifs is a computationally challenging problem using classical computers. Quantum computers enable solving high complexity problems which do not scale using classical computers.

Multimodality Imaging in the Diagnostic Work-Up of Patients With Cardiac Masses: State-of-the-Art Review.

Cardiac masses encompass a diverse range of benign and malignant tumors as well as pseudotumors. Accurate histologic identification is essential for guiding appropriate treatment, yet the diagnostic process remains challenging. Although biopsy is traditionally the diagnostic gold standard, its invasive nature and associated risks limit its application.

A habitat suitability analysis for three Culicoides species implicated in bluetongue virus transmission in the Southeastern United States.

Culicoides biting midges adversely impact animal health through transmission of multiple orbiviruses, such as bluetongue virus (BTV). This study used light trapping data collected in the Southeastern United States for three Culicoides midge species that are confirmed or suspected BTV vectors: Culicoides insignis, Culicoides stellifer and Culicoides venustus. Midge presence datasets were combined with meteorological data and ecological data to model habitat suitability for each species.

Informing etiological heterogeneity of mild cognitive impairment and risk for progression to dementia with plasma p-tau217.

Background: Mild cognitive impairment (MCI) is a clinical diagnosis representing early symptom changes with preserved functional independence. There are multiple potential etiologies of MCI. While often presumed to be related to Alzheimer's disease (AD), other neurodegenerative and non-neurodegenerative causes are common.

Peripherally administered TNF inhibitor is not protective against α-synuclein-induced dopaminergic neuronal death in rats.

The underlying cause of neuronal loss in Parkinson's disease (PD) remains unknown, but evidence implicates neuroinflammation in PD pathobiology. The pro-inflammatory cytokine soluble tumor necrosis factor (TNF) seems to play an important role and thus has been proposed as a therapeutic target for modulation of the neuroinflammatory processes in PD. In this regard, dominant-negative TNF (DN-TNF) agents are promising antagonists that selectively inhibit soluble TNF signaling, while preserving the beneficial effects of transmembrane TNF.

Reversible light-responsive protein hydrogel for on-demand cell encapsulation and release.

The design of biomaterials that can reconfigure on-demand in response to external stimuli is an emerging area in materials research. However, achieving reversible assembly of protein-based biomaterials by light input remains a major challenge. Here, we present the engineering of a new protein material that is capable of switching between liquid and solid state reversibly, controlled by lights of different wavelengths.

Kinetically-derived maximal dose (KMD) confirms lack of human relevance for high-dose effects of octamethylcyclotetrasiloxane (D4).

The kinetically-derived maximal dose (KMD) is defined as the maximum external dose at which kinetics are unchanged relative to lower doses, e.g., doses at which kinetic processes are not saturated.

Cemiplimab in recurrent cervical cancer: Final analysis of overall survival in the phase III EMPOWER-Cervical 1/GOG-3016/ENGOT-cx9 trial.

Aim: Cemiplimab has demonstrated significantly longer survival than physician's choice of chemotherapy in patients with recurrent cervical cancer after first-line platinum-containing chemotherapy. We report the final survival analysis from the phase III randomized study (EMPOWER-Cervical 1/GOG-3016/ENGOT-cx9).

Methods: Cemiplimab (n = 304) or chemotherapy (n = 304) were administered every 3 weeks.

Transcatheter Left Ventricular Reconstruction in Heart Failure Patients With Prior Anterior Myocardial Infarction: The Prospective ALIVE Trial.

Background: Left ventricular (LV) dilatation and extensive scar portend a poor prognosis in heart failure (HF). The Revivent TC system (BioVentrix Inc) is used either during a hybrid transcatheter-surgical or a surgical-only procedure to exclude transmural scar and reduce LV dimensions.

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to examine the safety and efficacy of the Revivent TC® anchor system in patients with HF.

Emergency department and inpatient interhospital transfers for patients with status epilepticus.

Objective: Interhospital transfers for status epilepticus (SE) are common, and some are avoidable and likely lower yield. The use of interhospital transfer may differ in emergency department (ED) and inpatient settings, which contend with differing clinical resources and financial incentives. However, transfer from these two settings is understudied, leaving gaps in our ability to improve the hospital experience, cost, and triage for this neurologic emergency.

A meta-analysis of eHealth interventions to promote physical activity in young, middle-aged, and late middle-aged adults with obesity or overweight.

The purpose of this study was to calculate the effects of recent eHealth interventions to promote physical activity in young, middle-aged, and late middle-aged adults with obesity or overweight. This meta-analysis followed the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analyses guidelines. In the search, 3550 articles were identified, and 15 studies met all inclusion criteria.

Novel Computational and Artificial Intelligence Models in Cancer Research.

The ICIBM 2023 marked the 11th annual conference of its kind, with the ICIBM recently becoming the official conference of the International Association for Intelligent Biology and Medicine (IAIBM), showcasing cutting-edge advancements at the intersection of computation and biomedical research [...

Common Questions and Misconceptions About Energy Drinks: What Does the Scientific Evidence Really Show?

Energy drinks are a commonly consumed beverage, and studies suggest a possible performance-enhancing effect. A Google Scholar search using the keywords "energy drinks" and "exercise" yields numerous results, underscoring the voluminous research on this topic. However, there are questions regarding the effectiveness and safety of energy drinks.

Effect of Creatine Monohydrate Supplementation on Macro- and Microvascular Endothelial Function in Older Adults: A Pilot Study.

A pilot study was conducted to investigate the effect of four weeks of creatine monohydrate (CrM) on vascular endothelial function in older adults. In a double-blind, randomized crossover trial, twelve sedentary, healthy older adults were allocated to either the CrM or placebo (PL) group for four weeks, at a dose of 4 × 5 g/day for 5 days, followed by 1 × 5 g/day for 23 days. Macrovascular function (flow-mediated dilation [FMD%], normalized FMD%, brachial-ankle pulse wave velocity [baPWV], pulse wave analysis [PWA]), microvascular function (microvascular reperfusion rate [% StO/sec]), and biomarkers of vascular function (tetrahydrobiopterin [BH], malondialdehyde [MDA], oxidized low-density lipoprotein [oxLDL], glucose, lipids) were assessed pre- and post-supplementation with a four-week washout period.

Evaluating a Soil Amendment for Cadmium Mitigation and Enhanced Nutritional Quality in Faba Bean Genotypes: Implications for Food Safety.

Soil amendments combined with low cadmium (Cd)-accumulating crops are commonly used for remediating Cd contamination and ensuring food safety. However, the combined effects of soil amendments and the cultivation of faba beans ( L.)-known for their high nutritional quality and low Cd accumulation-in moderately Cd-contaminated soils remain underexplored.

Sequential Defense Strategies: From Ant Recruitment to Leaf Toughness.

Plants express many types of defenses in response to herbivory damage. These defenses can be displayed as a sequence or they can overlap, increasing efficiency in protection. However, leaf defense shifts during leaf development, including extrafloral nectaries (EFNs), are neglected in natural tropical systems.