Computational Characterization of the Interaction of CARD Domains in the Apoptosome.

The apoptosome, a critical protein complex in apoptosis regulation, relies on intricate interactions between its components, particularly the proteins containing the Caspase Activation and Recruitment Domain (CARD). This work presents a thorough computational analysis of the stability and specificity of CARD-CARD interactions within the apoptosome. Departing from available crystal structures, we identify important residues for the interaction between the CARD domains of Apaf-1 and Caspase-9.

Population-based cancer screening access needs of disabled people: A qualitative evidence synthesis.

Background: Cancer is one of the most common causes of mortality among disabled people, and population-based screening is an effective method to identify some cancers early; however, its uptake is lower among the disabled population. There is a lack of evidence regarding why they access less, and their need to access population-based screening programmes.

Aim: To synthesise evidence of the experience of accessing population-based screening programmes for disabled people.

An evaluation of the impact of a cancer support specialist service on families of children with cancer and the multidisciplinary team in a children's health service in Ireland.

The onset of childhood cancer is sudden and unexpected, and the effect on the family unit can be enormous as they embark on a major life transition. Families of children with cancer have a high level of psychosocial needs due to the many challenges they may face during their child's cancer journey. Previous research indicates that the current healthcare system does not always meet these needs.

Clot signature in patients with large vessel occlusion stroke and concomitant active cancer.

Background And Purpose: Patients with active cancer face an increased risk of ischemic stroke. Also, stroke may be an initial indicator of cancer. In patients with large vessel occlusion (LVO) stroke treated with thrombectomy, analysis of the clot composition may contribute new insights into the pathological connections between these two conditions.

Structure-Activity Relationships for s-Block Metal/Co(III) Heterodinuclear Catalysts in Cyclohexene Oxide Ring-Opening Copolymerizations.

In homogeneous catalysis, uncovering structure-activity relationships remains very rare but invaluable to understand and rationally improve performances. Here, generalizable structure-activity relationships apply to a series of heterodinuclear polymerization catalysts featuring Co(III) and s-block metals M(I/II) (M= Na(I), K(I), Ca(II), Sr(II), Ba(II)). These are shown to apply to polycarbonate production by the ring-opening copolymerizations (ROCOP) of cyclohexene oxide (CHO) and carbon dioxide (CO2), conducted at high (20 bar) and low (1 bar) CO2 pressures, and to polyester production by copolymerization of cyclohexene oxide and phthalic anhydride (PA).

Patterns in mortality associated with heart failure and lung cancer among older adults in the United States: An analysis of 20 years.

Background: Despite an established association between heart failure (HF) and lung cancer (LC), there is limited evidence available regarding mortality patterns among the older (≥65 years) population in the United States.

Methods: The mortality data, spanning 1999 to 2019, was surveyed using the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Wide-Ranging Online Data for Epidemiologic Research (CDC WONDER) database with HF and LC identified as underlying or contributing causes of death. Crude and age-adjusted mortality rates (AAMR) were calculated per 100,000 individuals.

Achievements, priorities and strategies in pediatric nephrology in Europe: need for unifying approaches or acceptance of differences?

Background: There is a lack of information on the current healthcare systems for children with kidney diseases across Europe. The aim of this study was to explore the different national approaches to the organization and delivery of pediatric nephrology services within Europe.

Methods: In 2020, the European society for Paediatric Nephrology (ESPN) conducted a cross-sectional survey to identify the existing pediatric nephrology healthcare systems in 48 European countries covering a population of more than 200 million children.

A miR-activated hydrogel for the delivery of a pro-chondrogenic microRNA-221 inhibitor as a minimally invasive therapeutic approach for articular cartilage repair.

Articular cartilage has limited capacity for repair (or for regeneration) under pathological conditions, given its non-vascularized connective tissue structure and low cellular density. Our group has successfully developed an injectable hydrogel for cartilage repair, composed of collagen type I (Col I), collagen type II (Col II), and methacrylated-hyaluronic acid (MeHA), capable of supporting chondrogenic differentiation of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) towards articular cartilage-like phenotypes. Recent studies have demonstrated that silencing may be an effective approach in promoting improved MSC chondrogenesis.

Cannabinoid hyperemesis syndrome in pregnancy: a case series and review.

Background: Cannabinoid hyperemesis syndrome (CHS) is a syndrome of cyclic nausea and vomiting in the setting of chronic cannabis use. To date, only 11 cases of CHS in pregnancy have been reported.

Case Presentation: We describe two cases of uncontrolled vomiting in pregnancy due to CHS.

Treatment of oropharyngeal cancer during the COVID-19 lockdown - outcomes for patients treated during the pandemic.

Background: The onset of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) outbreak caused major interruptions to the entire healthcare network affecting referral, diagnosis and treatment pathways with the potential to affect cancer treatment outcomes. In Ireland a national lockdown was initiated in March 2020 involving a stay-at-home order with a limitation on travel, social interactions and closure of schools, universities and childcare facilities. We designed a retrospective study comparing treatment outcomes for patients with oropharyngeal cancer treated before and during the COVID pandemic.

Protein stabilization in spray drying and solid-state storage by using a 'molecular lock' - exploiting bacterial adaptations for industrial applications.

Small, stable biomedicines, like peptides and hormones, are already available on the market as spray dried formulations, however large biomolecules like antibodies and therapeutic enzymes continue to pose stability issues during the process. Stresses during solid-state formation are a barrier to formulation of large biotherapeutics as dry powders. Here, we explore an alternative avenue to protein stabilisation during the spray drying process, moving away from the use of excipients.

Exploring the Intricacies of Cervical Intraepithelial Neoplasia and Its Connection with HPV: A Narrative Review.

Cervical Intraepithelial Neoplasia grade III (CIN III) represents a critical precursor to invasive cervical cancer, necessitating a comprehensive understanding of its etiology, progression, diagnosis, and preventive strategies. This review integrates an approach to synthesize current literature, conducted through a meticulous search of databases (Scopus, Web of Science, and Google Scholar) for relevant articles discussing CIN III and its association with Human Papillomavirus (HPV). The review delineates the multifaceted landscape of CIN III, elucidating the pathogenesis involving high-risk HPV types, demographic factors (age and sexual behavior), behavioral determinants (smoking and contraceptive use), and environmental influences impacting disease epidemiology.

Effect of electrodeposition time on physical characteristics and antibacterial activity of copper-incorporated TiO nanotubes.

The current work outlines the preparation of a TiO nanotube (NT) layer electrochemically formed on the surface of a clinically-relevant titanium alloy anodisation. This NT layer was subsequently modified alternating current electrodeposition to incorporate copper micro- and nanoparticles on top of and within the NTs. Physical characterisation of the NT layer and the copper-incorporated NTs was carried out through analysis of the surface morphology, elemental composition, crystallinity, and stability SEM, EDX, XRD, and ICP-OES, respectively.

The pivotal role of sleep in mediating the effects of life stressors and healthy habits on allostatic load in mid-life adults.

Objectives: We assessed the modulation of allostatic load (AL) by engagement in healthy habits and life stressors, mediated through resilience and the perceived influence of the stressors. Sleep was included as third mediator given extensive evidence associating to all the analysed factors.

Methods: Structural equation models to assess the modulation of AL by either traumatic or psychosocial stressors and healthy habits were generated with data from 620 mid-life adults (age 51.

A Qualitative Exploration of Student Cognition When Answering Text-Only or Image-Based Histology Multiple-Choice Questions.

Unlabelled: Interpretation of images and spatial relationships is essential in medicine, but the evidence base on how to assess these skills is sparse. Thirty medical students were randomized into two groups (A and B), and invited to "think aloud" while completing 14 histology MCQs. All students answered six identical MCQs, three with only text and three requiring image interpretation.

Chlorotoxin-functionalized mesoporous silica nanoparticles for pH-responsive paclitaxel delivery to Glioblastoma multiforme.

Glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) is a highly aggressive brain cancer associated with poor survival rates. We developed novel mesoporous silica nanoparticles (MSNs)-based nanocarriers for pH-responsive delivery of a therapeutic drug Paclitaxel (PTX) to GBM tumor cells. The pores of MSNs are loaded with PTX, which is retained by β-cyclodextrin (CD) moieties covalently linked to the pore entrances through a hydrazone linkage, which is cleavable in weakly acidic environment.

The dawn and twilight of Old Irish scholarship.

Even though the publication of Johann Kaspar Zeuss's monumental (Zeuss 1853) marks the beginning of the modern, scientific study of the Old Irish language, short excerpts of the most important textual witnesses of Old Irish, the so-called Old Irish glosses, preserved in 8th-9th-century manuscripts on the European Continent, had appeared in print since the early 18th century. This article gives an overview of these early publications from the 18th and early 19th century by Johann Georg von Eckhart, Domenico Vallarsi, Lodovico Antonio Muratori, and Vittorio Amedeo Peyron, and assesses their role as early trailblazers in the study of Old Irish.

Exploring perspectives of supporting the process of dying, death and bereavement among critical care staff: A multidisciplinary, qualitative approach.

Background: Dying and death in critical care settings can have particularly negative implications for the bereavement experience of family members, family interaction and the wellbeing of critical care staff. This study explored critical care staff perspectives of dying, death and bereavement in this context, and their role related to patients and their families, adopting a multidisciplinary perspective.

Method: This study employed a descriptive exploratory qualitative design, using reflexive thematic analysis to interpret the data.

Patient activation and support needs in patients after ICU discharge: A UK survey of critical illness survivors.

Background: Understanding the degree to which patients are actively involved, confident and capable of engaging with self-management and rehabilitation could be an initial step in guiding individualised supportive strategies for people after critical illness.

Aims: To assess the levels of active involvement with self management among ICU survivors using the Patient Activation Measure (PAM), explore associations between patient characteristics and PAM results, and investigate its relationship with patients' support needs at key transition points during the recovery process.

Methods: Eligible participants received both the PAM and Support Needs After Critical care (SNAC) questionnaires by post.

Effect of orthodontic forced eruption for implant site development in the maxillary esthetic zone: A systematic review of clinical data.

Dental implant placement in the esthetic zone is associated with challenges for clinicians. The best esthetic outcome of this procedure can be obtained through precise management of hard and soft tissue. Orthodontic forced eruption (OFE) has presented an alternative approach to augment hard and soft tissues, which can be applied rapidly or slowly.

Exploring the Crystal Landscape of Mandelamide and Chiral Resolution via Cocrystallization.

The crystal structures of (±)-mandelamide, -mandelamide, and enantioenriched mandelamide (94 : 6 ) were determined. Diastereomeric cocrystal pairs of -mandelamide with both enantiomers of mandelic acid and proline were synthesized. The diastereomeric cocrystal pairs of -mandelamide with /-mandelic acid form 1:1 cocrystals in each case, while the diastereomeric cocrystal pairs of -mandelamide with proline have different stoichiometries.

A simple three-dimensional microfluidic platform for studying chemotaxis and cell sorting.

Microbial chemotaxis plays a key role in a diversity of biological and ecological processes. Although microfluidics-based assays have been applied to investigate bacterial chemotaxis, retrieving chemotactic cells off-chip based on their dynamic chemotactic responses remains limited. Here, we present a simple three-dimensional microfluidic platform capable of programmable delivery of solutions, maintaining static, stable gradients for over 20 hours, followed by active sorting and retrieval of bacteria based on their chemotactic phenotypes.

Priority actions for Fusarium head blight resistance in durum wheat: Insights from the wheat initiative.

Fusarium head blight (FHB), mainly caused by Fusarium graminearum and Fusarium culmorum, is a major wheat disease. Significant efforts have been made to improve resistance to FHB in bread wheat (Triticum aestivum), but more work is needed for durum wheat (Triticum turgidum spp. durum).