Extracellular vesicles: from intracellular trafficking molecules to fully fortified delivery vehicles for cancer therapeutics.

Extracellular vesicles (EVs) are emerging as viable tools in cancer treatment due to their ability to carry a wide range of theranostic activities. This review summarizes different forms of EVs such as exosomes, microvesicles, apoptotic bodies, and oncosomes. It also sheds the light onto isolation methodologies, characterization techniques and therapeutic applications of all discussed EVs.

Common insect pests in homes and cultural heritage sites.

Insect pests represent a threat to the integrity of historic buildings and homes, causing serious losses and irreversible damage. These pests can cause extensive damage to organic materials, including wood, textiles, and paper. Beetles, termites, booklice, moths, and cockroaches are just some of the main insect pests that are frequently found in historic buildings and homes.

synthesis of degradable polymer prodrug nanoparticles.

The synthesis of degradable polymer prodrug nanoparticles is still a challenge to be met, which would make it possible to remedy both the shortcomings of traditional formulation of preformed polymers (, low nanoparticle concentrations) and those of the physical encapsulation of drugs (, burst release and poor drug loadings). Herein, through the combination of radical ring-opening polymerization (rROP) and polymerization-induced self-assembly (PISA) under appropriate experimental conditions, we report the successful preparation of high-solid content, degradable polymer prodrug nanoparticles, exhibiting multiple drug moieties covalently linked to a degradable vinyl copolymer backbone. Such a rROPISA process relied on the chain extension of a biocompatible poly(ethylene glycol)-based solvophilic block with a mixture of lauryl methacrylate (LMA), cyclic ketene acetal (CKA) and drug-bearing methacrylic esters by reversible addition fragmentation chain transfer (RAFT) copolymerization at 20 wt% solid content.

Unusual Cause of Ventricular Arrhythmia.

Although relatively rare, cardiac metastases represent a significant clinical challenge because of their impact on cardiac function and overall patient prognosis. This case presents a rare and atypical presentation of a patient with ventricular arrhythmia revealing a metastatic cancer in the heart. A 59-year-old man with lung cancer was admitted for chest tightness and episodes of syncope.

Clinical Presentation and Percutaneous Treatment of Hemolytic Anemia Associated With Paravalvular Leak After TAVR.

Paravalvular leak (PVL) following transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) is an established complication, albeit rarely associated with hemolytic anemia. This report details 3 cases of significant hemolytic anemia attributed to TAVR-induced PVL, each with distinct clinical presentations and manifestations. These cases underscore the diverse and occasionally subtle clinical presentation of aortic PVL-associated hemolytic anemia.

Evaluation of two methods for counting residual leukocytes in leukoreduced packed red cells: Flow cytometry and fully automated cell counter.

Background And Objectives: Objective of the study is to explore the possibility of utilization of seven part fully automated hematology analyzer for enumeration of residual leukocytes (residual white blood cells [rWBCs]) in leukoreduced packed red cells (LR-PRCs) prepared from whole blood at a blood center as an alternate to the gold standard method, flow cytometry. In this study, we evaluate the performance characteristic of hematology analyzer against flow cytometry for the estimation of rWBCs in 39 LR-PRC units.

Materials And Methods: PRCs prepared from whole blood donations by 39 donors were leukoreduced and their volumes were noted.

Fine-Scale Genetic Structure of Small Fish Populations in Islands: The Case of Brook Charr (Mitchill, 1814) in Saint-Pierre and Miquelon (France).

Island ecosystems, particularly vulnerable to environmental challenges, host many endangered native species. Diadromous fish, in particular, are threatened throughout their marine and freshwater habitats. The conservation of these species requires an in-depth understanding of their genetic diversity and structure, to better understand their adaptive potential.

Homologous In-Radiolabeled Platelet Survival and Sequestration Exploration for Refractory Immunologic Thrombocytopenic purpura in Children: A Strategy to Avoid Unnecessary Splenectomy.

Immunologic thrombocytopenic purpura (ITP) is a condition that affects four to 18 per 100 000 children every year. In most cases, spontaneous remission occurs, but splenectomy may be proposed. Exploring the site of platelet sequestration can help to better predict potential poor responders to splenectomy, but In-radiolabeled platelet scintigraphy (IPS) can be difficult to perform in children with very few platelets.

Neonatal Giant Cardiac Fibroma With Coronary Involvement: Successful Surgical Treatment.

Cardiac fibroma is the second most common childhood cardiac tumor. Coronary arteries are typically unaffected. A 5-month-old infant received a diagnosis of giant cardiac fibroma with coronary involvement.

Right Atrial Cardiac Hemangioma: A Multidisciplinary Pathway From Symptoms to Surgery.

We present a case of a 76-year-old man with de novo right heart failure. Echocardiography initially detected a mass near to the posterior area of the right atrium. Despite a comprehensive multimodality imaging assessment, the exact location of the mass remained unclear.

Disease characteristics and outcomes of acute myeloid leukemia in germline deficiency (Familial Platelet Disorder with associated Myeloid Malignancy).

Familial Platelet Disorder with associated Myeloid Malignancy (FPDMM, FPD/AML, -FPD), caused by monoallelic deleterious germline variants, is characterized by bleeding diathesis and predisposition for hematologic malignancies, particularly myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) and acute myeloid leukemia (AML). Clinical data on FPDMM-associated AML (FPDMM-AML) are limited, complicating evidence-based clinical decision-making. Here, we present retrospective genetic and clinical data of the largest cohort of FPDMM patients reported to date.

Characterization of phenolic compounds and evaluation of anti-diabetic potential in L. seeds: and studies.

Moroccan L. seeds were investigated for their phenolic profile and antidiabetic potential. Ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography with diode array detection and electrospray ionization mass spectrometry analysis revealed a rich phenolic composition, including benzoic acid, cannabisin B, genistein, and epicatechin.

Enhancing AI Chatbot Responses in Health Care: The SMART Prompt Structure in Head and Neck Surgery.

Objective: This study aims to evaluate the impact of prompt construction on the quality of artificial intelligence (AI) chatbot responses in the context of head and neck surgery.

Study Design: Observational and evaluative study.

Setting: An international collaboration involving 16 researchers from 11 European centers specializing in head and neck surgery.

Influence of macrophages and neutrophilic granulocyte-like cells on crystalline silica-induced toxicity in human lung epithelial cells.

In many industrial activities, workers may be exposed by inhalation to particles that are aerosolized, To predict the human health hazard of these materials, we propose to develop a co-culture model (macrophages, granulocytes, and alveolar epithelial cells) designed to be more representative of the inflammatory pulmonary response occurring in vivo. Phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate (PMA)-differentiated THP-1 cells were used as macrophages, All-trans retinoic acid (ATRA)-differentiated HL60 were used as granulocytes and A549 were used as epithelial alveolar type II cells. A crystalline silica sample DQ12 was used as a prototypical particle for its capabilities to induce DNA damage, inflammatory response, and oxidative stress in epithelial cells; its polyvinylpyridine-N-oxide (PVNO)-surface modified counterpart was also used as a negative particulate control.

STRAIGHTMORPH: A Voice Morphing Tool for Research in Voice Communication Sciences.

The purpose of this paper is to make easily available to the scientific community an efficient voice morphing tool called STRAIGHTMORPH and provide a short tutorial on its use with examples. STRAIGHTMORPH consists of a set of Matlab functions allowing the generation of high-quality, parametrically-controlled morphs of an arbitrary number of voice samples. A first step consists in extracting an 'mObject' for each voice sample, with accurate tracking of the fundamental frequency contour and manual definition of Time and Frequency anchors corresponding across samples to be morphed.

On the need to better integrate the social environment in research on climate change and health: recommendations and thinking tools.

Social inequality impacts health, is aggravated by the consequences of climate change, and may be influenced by inappropriate policy responses. These interdependent effects create a self-perpetuating loop exacerbating the impact of climate dysregulation on health in an uncontrolled and poorly understood way. Holistic approaches to public health such as One Health, EcoHealth or Planetary Health are well suited to tackling the considerable and complex environmental and social issues underlying climate dysregulation.

Seasonal productivity of the equatorial Atlantic shaped by distinct wind-driven processes.

The eastern equatorial Atlantic hosts a productive marine ecosystem that depends on upward supply of nitrate, the primary limiting nutrient in this region. The annual productivity peak, indicated by elevated surface chlorophyll levels, occurs in the Northern Hemisphere summer, roughly coinciding with strengthened easterly winds. For enhanced productivity in the equatorial Atlantic, nitrate-rich water must rise into the turbulent layer above the Equatorial Undercurrent.

Pollution resistance of Saturn's ring particles during micrometeoroid impact.

Saturn's rings have been estimated to be as young as about 100 to 400 million years old according to the hypothesis that non-icy micrometeoroid bombardment acts to darken the rings over time and the Cassini observation indicated that the ring particles appear to be relatively clean. These young age estimates assume that the rings formed out of pure water ice particles with a high accretion efficiency of impacting non-icy micrometeoroid material ( ≳ 10%). Here we show, using numerical simulations of hypervelocity micrometeoroid impacts on a ring particle, that non-icy material may not be as readily accreted as previously thought.

Inefficient transfer of diatoms through the subpolar Southern Ocean twilight zone.

The Southern Ocean, a region highly vulnerable to climate change, plays a vital role in regulating global nutrient cycles and atmospheric CO via the biological carbon pump. Diatoms, photosynthetically active plankton with dense opal skeletons, are key to this process as their exoskeletons are thought to enhance the transfer of particulate organic carbon to depth, positioning them as major vectors of carbon storage. Yet conflicting observations obscure the mechanistic link between diatoms, opal and particulate organic carbon fluxes, especially in the twilight zone where greatest flux losses occur.

Perceptions of community healthcare workers on the use of teledentistry for seniors in Singapore: A qualitative study.

Objective: This study aimed to identify barriers and facilitators surrounding the implementation of TDOCS from Community Health Workers (CHW)'s perspective before TDOCS implementation.

Methods: A descriptive qualitative study was conducted through semistructured interviews with a purposive sampling of CHWs from partner nursing homes and home care teams. A French framework outlining barriers to asynchronous oral teleconsultation adoption was used to develop the topic guide for this study.

Toward alpha-synuclein seed amplification assay in clinical practice.

Introduction: Seed amplification assays (SAAs) demonstrate remarkable diagnostic performance in alpha-synucleinopathies. However, existing protocols lack accessibility in routine laboratories, mainly due to the requirement for in-house production of recombinant alpha-synuclein (aSyn). This study proposes a cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) aSyn-SAA protocol using solely commercial reagents to facilitate its clinical implementation.

Plasma biomarkers of amyloid, tau, astrogliosis, and axonal injury in a mixed memory clinic cohort.

Introduction: Studies have shown that blood biomarkers can differentiate dementia disorders. However, the diagnosis of dementia still relies primarily on cerebrospinal fluid and imaging modalities. The new disease-modifying treatments call for more widely applicable biomarkers.

David couldn't bring down Goliath: museum specimen reveals a failed predation attempt by fire ants ( Westwood, 1840) upon a large hawk moth (Cramer, 1775).

Insights into insect predatory behaviour can be inferred indirectly from specimens housed in Natural History Collections. In this work, we document a unique interaction, never recorded before, involving the remains of a Westwood, 1840 ant worker -probably (Smith, 1855)- whose head is firmly attached by its mandibles to an antenna of a female hawk moth (Cramer, 1775) (Sphingidae). This specimen is part of the Entomology Collection at the MNCN-CSIC in Madrid, Spain.

Improvement of bone properties in children with osteogenesis imperfecta after pamidronate: a bone biopsy study.

OI, or bone brittle disease, is characterized by increased mineralization of bone matrix independently of clinical severity. So, a beneficial effect of antiresorptive treatments such as bisphosphonates (BP) is questionable. We aim to compare the bone matrix characteristics before and after BP pamidronate (PAM).

Left atrial reservoir strain as a predictor of cardiac dysfunction in a murine model of pressure overload.

Aim: Left atrial (LA) strain is emerging as a valuable metric for evaluating cardiac function, particularly under pathological conditions such as pressure overload. This preclinical study investigates the predictive utility of LA strain on cardiac function in a murine model subjected to pressure overload, mimicking pathologies such as hypertension and aortic stenosis.

Methods: High-resolution ultrasound was performed in a cohort of mice (n = 16) to evaluate left atrial and left ventricular function at baseline and 2 and 4 weeks after transverse aortic constriction (TAC).