Magnetic Resonance Elastography for Breast Cancer Diagnosis Through the Assessment of Tissue Biomechanical Properties.

Background And Aim: Breast cancer and normal breast tissue exhibit different degrees of stiffness, indicating distinct biomechanical properties. Study results reveal that breast cancer tissue is several times stiffer than normal breast tissue. These variations can serve as indicative factors for imaging purposes.

NeoMProbe: a new class of fluorescent cellular and tissue membrane probe.

The development of long-lasting plasma membrane (PM) and basement membrane (BM) probes is in high demand to advance our understanding of membrane dynamics during differentiation and disease conditions. Herein, we report that the microheterogeneity of heparan sulfate (HS) on fluorescent neo-proteoglycans backbone offers a facile platform for designing membrane probes. Confocal live-cell imaging studies of cancer and normal cell lines with a panel of Cy5 fluorescently tagged neo-proteoglycans confirmed that highly sulfated HS ligands with an l-iduronic acid component (PG@ID-6) induce a prolonged and brighter expression on the PM compared to low-sulfated and uronic acid counterparts.

Optimizing Multiparametric MRI Protocols for Prostate Cancer Detection: A Comprehensive Assessment Aligned with PI-RADS Guidelines.

Background And Aim: Multiparametric magnetic resonance imaging (mpMRI) is recognized as the most indicative method for diagnosing prostate cancer. The purpose of this narrative review is to provide a comprehensive evaluation aligned with the Prostate Imaging and Reporting Data System (PI-RADS) guidelines, offering an in-depth insight into the various MRI sequences used in a standard mpMRI protocol. Additionally, it outlines the critical technical requirements necessary to perform a standard mpMRI examination of the prostate, as defined by the PI-RADS specifications.

Latent bloodstain detection using a selective turn-on NIR fluorescence dye responsive to serum albumin.

Bloodstain detection can provide crucial information and evidence at a crime scene; however, the ability to selectively detect bloodstains in a non-destructive manner with high sensitivity and low background is limited. This study reports a fluorescent dye (sulfonate indolizine squaraine, SOSQ) for bloodstain visualization under near-infrared (NIR) irradiation. While the dye itself is minimally fluorescent in aqueous solution, it exhibits a "turn-on" mechanism upon binding with human serum albumin (HSA) as the fluorescence intensity increases over 160 times with strong absorption and emission at 693 nm and 758 nm, respectively.

Individual emergency response and recovery: What people worried about during and after Hurricane Maria.

Hurricane Maria was a disastrous weather event that devastated Puerto Rico (PR) in September 2017. Yet, little is known about people's perceptions of this event. In this investigation, we offer insight about Hurricane Maria's impact on PR's inhabitants.

Understanding health disparities affecting people of West Central African descent in the United States: An evolutionary perspective.

Human populations adapting to diverse aspects of their environment such as climate and pathogens leave signatures of genetic variation. This principle may apply to people of West Central African descent in the United States, who are at increased risk of certain chronic conditions and diseases compared to their European counterparts. Less well known is that they are also at reduced risk of other diseases.

Inhibition of insulin-like growth factor 2 mRNA-binding protein 1 sensitizes colorectal cancer cells to chemotherapeutics.

Although colorectal cancer (CRC) treatment has seen a remarkable improvement in the recent years, many patients will develop metastasis due to the resistance of cancer cells to chemotherapeutics. Targeting mechanisms driving the resistance of CRC cells to treatment would significantly reduce cases of metastasis and death. Induction of insulin-like growth factor 2 mRNA-binding protein 1 (IGF2BP1), a direct target of the Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway, might promote resistance of CRC cells to treatment via activation of anti-apoptotic pathways and induction of the multidrug resistance (MDR1) membrane transporter that pumps drugs out of the cells.

Individual response and recovery: A learning experience from Hurricane María.

Situations faced in the advent of powerful hurricanes can be stressful for individuals due to the uncertainty they bring along. The consequences of these phenomena can leave individuals' recovery in their own hands until order is re-established, and support can reach out to them. This work aims to develop a tool to guide individuals through their decision-making during a hurricane disaster and recovery, using the experience of Hurricane María.

Bromo-lactamization of isoxazole neighboring group participation: toward spiro-isoxazoline γ- and δ-lactams.

Spiro-heterocycles containing natural products and synthetic analogues have a broader biomedicinal application due to their rigid 3D conformation and structural implications. In this context, constructing spiro-isoxazoline systems have continued our interest in natural products and synthetic units to investigate their novel biological activities. Herein, a bromo-lactamization mediated neighboring group participation approach has been utilized on various isoxazole-amides to construct an array of spiro-isoxazoline-lactams.

The rapid diagnosis and effective inhibition of coronavirus using spike antibody attached gold nanoparticles.

Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), the cause of the coronavirus disease that began in 2019 (COVID-19), has been responsible for 1.4 million deaths worldwide as of 13 November 2020. Because at the time of writing no vaccine is yet available, a rapid diagnostic assay is very urgently needed.

Analytical approximation for macroscopic fundamental diagram of urban corridor with mixed human and connected and autonomous traffic.

Advances in connected and autonomous vehicles have the promise to reshape the future of the transportation system. How and when the benefits associated with automation and connectivity technology will start to impact the performance of an urban corridor is an issue of interest for traffic operators. This paper proposes an analytical capacity model for urban corridors with mixed traffic based on the concept of macroscopic fundamental diagram.

A WS-gold nanoparticle heterostructure-based novel SERS platform for the rapid identification of antibiotic-resistant pathogens.

The emergence of antibiotic-resistant bacteria is the biggest threat to our society. The rapid discovery of drug resistant bacteria is very urgently needed to guide antibiotic treatment development. The current manuscript reports the design of a 2D-0D heterostructure-based surface enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) platform, which has the capability for the rapid identification of the multidrug resistant strain of .

Adsorption of nitrogen-containing compounds on hydroxylated α-quartz surfaces.

Adsorption energies of various nitrogen-containing compounds (specifically, 2,4,6-trinitrotoluene (TNT), 2,4-dinitrotoluene (DNT), 2,4-dinitroanisole (DNAn), and 3-nitro-1,2,4-triazole-5-one (NTO)) on the hydroxylated (001) and (100) α-quartz surfaces are computed. Different density functionals are utilized and both periodic as well as cluster approaches are applied. From the adsorption energies, partition coefficients on the considered α-quartz surfaces are derived.

Interfacial Engineering and Photon Downshifting of CsPbBr Nanocrystals for Efficient, Stable, and Colorful Vapor Phase Perovskite Solar Cells.

Photovoltaic devices employing lead halide perovskites as the photoactive layer have attracted enormous attention due to their commercialization potential. Yet, there exists challenges on the way to the practical use of perovskite solar cells (PSCs), such as light stability and current-voltage (- ) hysteresis. Inorganic perovskite nanocrystals (IPNCs) are promising candidates for high-performance photovoltaic devices due to their simple synthesis methods, tunable bandgap, and efficient photon downshifting effect for ultraviolet (UV) light blocking and conversion.

The ability to obtain, appraise and understand health information among undergraduate nursing students in a medical university in Chongqing, China.

Aim: The aim of this study was to survey the ability of nursing students to obtain, appraise and understand health information and its influencing factors among undergraduate nursing students in a medical university in Chongqing, China.

Design: A cross-sectional survey.

Method: The sample was obtained using stratified sampling methods.

The Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) Mast cameras and Descent imager: Investigation and instrument descriptions.

The Mars Science Laboratory Mast camera and Descent Imager investigations were designed, built, and operated by Malin Space Science Systems of San Diego, CA. They share common electronics and focal plane designs but have different optics. There are two Mastcams of dissimilar focal length.

Periodic table-based descriptors to encode cytotoxicity profile of metal oxide nanoparticles: a mechanistic QSTR approach.

Nanotechnology has evolved as a frontrunner in the development of modern science. Current studies have established toxicity of some nanoparticles to human and environment. Lack of sufficient data and low adequacy of experimental protocols hinder comprehensive risk assessment of nanoparticles (NPs).

Associations of adiponectin with individual European ancestry in African Americans: the Jackson Heart Study.

Background: Compared with European Americans, African Americans (AAs) exhibit lower levels of the cardio-metabolically protective adiponectin even after accounting for adiposity measures. Because few studies have examined in AA the association between adiponectin and genetic admixture, a dense panel of ancestry informative markers (AIMs) was used to estimate the individual proportions of European ancestry (PEA) for the AAs enrolled in a large community-based cohort, the Jackson Heart Study (JHS). We tested the hypothesis that plasma adiponectin and PEA are directly associated and assessed the interaction with a series of cardio-metabolic risk factors.

Differential roles of astrocyte and microglia in supporting oligodendrocyte development and myelination in vitro.

Oligodendrocyte (OL) development relies on many extracellular cues, most of which are secreted cytokines from neighboring neural cells. Although it is generally accepted that both astrocytes and microglia are beneficial for OL development, there is a lack of understanding regarding whether astrocytes and microglia play similar or distinct roles. The current study examined the effects of astrocytes and microglia on OL developmental phenotypes including cell survival, proliferation, differentiation, and myelination in vitro.

A highly efficient dinuclear Cu(II) chemosensor for colorimetric and fluorescent detection of cyanide in water.

A novel dinuclear copper chemosensor selectively binds cyanide over a wide range of inorganic anions, enabling it to detect cyanide in water up to 0.02 ppm which is 10 times lower than the EPA standard for drinking water.

Associations of adiponectin and leptin with incident coronary heart disease and ischemic stroke in african americans: the jackson heart study.

Background: Because the predictive significance of previously reported racial differences in leptin and adiponectin levels remains unclear, we assessed the prospective association of these adipokines with the risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) events in African Americans, a population with a high prevalence of cardiometabolic risk factors.

Methods: Serum specimens from 4,571 Jackson Heart Study participants without prevalent CVD at baseline examination (2000-2004) were analyzed for adiponectin and leptin levels. Cox proportional hazard regression models were used to estimate the associations of the two adipokines with incident coronary heart disease (CHD) and incident ischemic stroke.