Obesity increases DNA damage in the breast epithelium.

Obesity is a modifiable risk factor for breast cancer. Yet, how obesity contributes to cancer initiation is not fully understood. The goal of this study was to determine if the body mass index (BMI) and metabolic hallmarks of obesity are related to DNA damage in normal breast tissue.

Lessons from the pandemic: Relationship between patient visits and patient length of stay in California's health system.

Background: The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic placed a heavy strain on the United States healthcare system. Common hospital operational performances were impacted to varying degrees by the pandemic. This study examined the healthcare operational measures during COVID-19 pandemic.

Lysosome-related proteins may have changes in the urinary exosomes of patients with acute gout attack.

Background: The autophagy-lysosome is intricately linked to the development of gout. At present, the diagnosis and monitoring of gout are mainly invasive tests, which cannot predict the occurrence of gout in the acute phase, and bring new pain to patients. This study focuses on the changes of lysosome-related proteins in urinary exosomes of patients with acute gout attack to explore the potential noninvasive biomarkers clinical application value.

CRYβB2 alters cell adhesion to promote invasion in a triple-negative breast cancer cell line.

Objective: African American women with breast cancer experience disproportionately poor survival outcomes, primarily due to the high prevalence of the deadliest subtype; triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC). The CRYβB2 gene is upregulated in tumors from African American patients across all breast cancer subtypes, including TNBC, and is associated with worse survival rates. This study investigated the effect of CRYβB2 on the invasion of TNBC cells and the underlying mechanisms contributing to this phenotype.

Uncovering glycolysis-driven molecular subtypes in diabetic nephropathy: a WGCNA and machine learning approach for diagnostic precision.

Introduction: Diabetic nephropathy (DN) is a common diabetes-related complication with unclear underlying pathological mechanisms. Although recent studies have linked glycolysis to various pathological states, its role in DN remains largely underexplored.

Methods: In this study, the expression patterns of glycolysis-related genes (GRGs) were first analyzed using the GSE30122, GSE30528, and GSE96804  datasets, followed by an evaluation of the immune landscape in DN.

Endothelial cells under disturbed flow release extracellular vesicles to promote inflammatory polarization of macrophages and accelerate atherosclerosis.

Background: Extracellular vesicles (EVs) derived from endothelial cells (ECs) are increasingly recognized for their role in the initiation and progression of atherosclerosis. ECs experience varying degrees and types of blood flow depending on their specific arterial locations. In regions of disturbed flow, which are predominant sites for atherosclerotic plaque formation, the impact of disturbed flow on the secretion and function of ECs-derived EVs remains unclear.

Multifunctional Nanozyme with Aptamer-Based Ratiometric Fluorescent and Colorimetric Dual Detection of Prostate-Specific Antigen.

The adsorption of DNA probes onto nanomaterials represents a promising bioassay technique, generally employing fluorescence or catalytic activity to generate signals. A significant challenge is maintaining the catalytic activity of chromogenic catalysts during detection while enhancing accuracy by overcoming the limitations of single-signal transmission. This article presents an innovative multimodal analysis approach that synergistically combines the oxidase-like activity of Fe-N-C nanozyme (Fe-NC) with red fluorescent carbon quantum dots (R-CQDs), further advancing the dual-mode analysis method utilizing R-CQDs@Fe-NC.

Medical Students' Observations of High Value and Potentially Wasteful Care Behaviors Modeled During Clinical Rotations.

Background: Medical student exposure to role-modeling of high-value care (HVC) behaviors may shape professional identity formation and future HVC practices.

Objective: To investigate the frequency and characteristics of HVC role-modeling witnessed by medical students during core clinical rotations.

Design: Cross-sectional survey study.

Singleton term pregnancies resulting from frozen-thawed embryo transfer in hormone replacement cycles increase the risk of aberrant placentation, including velamentous umbilical cord insertion.

Purpose: The number of frozen-thawed embryo transfers (FETs) has recently increased, and FET must be completed in the ovulatory (NC-FET) or programmed hormone replacement cycle (HRC-FET). However, the relationship between FET and abnormal placentation is unclear. This study aimed to determine whether the two distinct endometrial preparation protocols affect the incidence of several pathologic conditions caused by abnormal placentation, such as placenta with velamentous umbilical cord insertion (VCI), hypertensive disorders of pregnancy (HDP), and placenta accreta spectrum (PAS).

GRK5 is required for adipocyte differentiation through ERK activation.

Previous studies have identified G protein-coupled receptor (GPCR) kinase 5 (GRK5) as a genetic factor contributing to obesity pathogenesis, but the underlying mechanism remains unclear. We demonstrate here that Grk5 mRNA is more abundant in stromal vascular fractions of mouse white adipose tissue, the fraction that contains adipose progenitor cells, or committed preadipocytes, than in adipocyte fractions. Thus, we generated a GRK5 knockout (KO) 3T3-L1 preadipocyte to further investigate the mechanistic role of GRK5 in regulating adipocyte differentiation.

Association between extracellular DNA levels, markers of inflammation and left ventricular mass index in children with chronic kidney disease.

Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is associated with chronic low-grade inflammation, but the primary factors triggering this inflammation remain unclear. Extracellular or cell-free DNA (exDNA) originates from virtually all tissues, being released during cell death, and stimulates the innate immune system. Our study was designed as an observational, cross-sectional cohort study of children with CKD (both before and after kidney transplantation) and controls to analyze associations between exDNA, markers of inflammation, and cardiovascular health.

Developmental defects in ectodermal appendages caused by missense mutation in edaradd gene in the nfr mangrove killifish kryptolebias marmoratus.

The mangrove killifish, Kryptolebias marmoratus, can reproduce with self-fertilisation, offering a unique and useful genetic tool for generation of genetic mutants and quick identification of mutated genes. From an ENU-mutated mangrove killifish line R228, we have isolated a novel mutant line, no-fin-ray/nfr in which homozygous mutant of adult fish fin ray development is largely reduced. Illumina RNAseq with 3 embryos each from mutants, siblings and the parental WT strain Hon9 (only 9 embryos as total) identified a mutation in the edaradd in a highly conserved C-terminal death domain.

Tailoring PbTe quantum dot Size and morphology via ligand composition.

The literature shows a lack of significant research on the synthesis of large spherical PbTe quantum dots (QDs), particularly with controllable sizes and morphology. Here, we present for the first time a novel hot-injection method for the tunable, high-quality synthesis of cubooctahedral PbTe QDs within the size range of 10 nm to 16 nm. This method employs a combination of oleic acid (OA) with shorter carboxylic acids, including octanoic (OctA), decanoic (DA), and lauric acids (LA), tested at various volumetric ratios.

Target-specific peptides for BK virus agnoprotein identified through phage display screening: advancing antiviral therapeutics.

BK virus is implicated in polyomavirus-associated nephropathy (PVAN) and hemorrhagic cystitis, particularly in kidney transplant recipients, affecting the functionality of the transplanted kidney and posing a risk of graft loss. Despite these challenges, specific antiviral drugs targeting BK virus remain elusive. Agnoprotein, a small, positively charged protein encoded by the BK virus late gene, functions in the assembly, maturation, and release of the virus.

Measurements of groundwater, hydrodynamics, and sand characteristics at a dissipative sea turtle nesting beach.

Beach groundwater and nearshore hydrodynamic data were collected during a field experiment along two dissipative beach transects on Galveston Island, Texas, in the fall of 2023. The monitored beaches serve as nesting habitat for the critically endangered Kemp's ridley sea turtle. Conditions ranged from calm to stormy, with two storms occurring during the experiment, inundating the entire beach up to the dune toe.

All-round enhancement induced by oxophilic single Ru and W atoms for alkaline hydrogen oxidation of tiny Pt nanoparticles.

Anion exchange membrane fuel cells (AEMFCs) are one of the ideal energy conversion devices. However, platinum (Pt), as the benchmark catalyst for the hydrogen oxidation reaction (HOR) of AEMFCs anodes, still faces issues of insufficient performance and susceptibility to CO poisoning. Here, we report the Joule heating-assisted synthesis of a small sized RuPt single-atom alloy catalyst loaded on nitrogen-doped carbon modified with single W atoms (s-RuPt@W/NC), in which the near-range single Ru atoms on the RuPt nanoparticles and the long-range single W atoms on the support simultaneously modulate the electronic structure of the active Pt-site, enhancing alkaline HOR performance of s-RuPt@W/NC.

Scaffold-enabled high-resolution cryo-EM structure determination of RNA.

Cryo-EM structure determination of protein-free RNAs has remained difficult with most attempts yielding low to moderate resolution and lacking nucleotide-level detail. These difficulties are compounded for small RNAs as cryo-EM is inherently more difficult for lower molecular weight macromolecules. Here we present a strategy for fusing small RNAs to a group II intron that yields high resolution structures of the appended RNA.

Creating codes of ethics for public health professionals and institutions.

Background: The World Health Organization and the Association of Schools of Public Health in the European Region called for the professionalization of the public health workforce, including the creation of codes of ethics. In this article, the Public Health Ethics and Law Network provides guidance on creating such codes, based on values and principles commonly identified for public health.

Methods: Our interest was in codes addressing public health broadly rather than disciplines within public health.

Opioid use in treated and untreated obstructive sleep apnoea: remifentanil pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics in adult volunteers.

Background: Patients with obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA) are considered more sensitive to opioids and at increased risk of opioid-induced respiratory depression. Nonetheless, whether OSA treatment (continuous positive airway pressure, CPAP; or bilevel positive airway pressure, BIPAP) modifies this risk remains unknown. Greater opioid sensitivity can arise from altered pharmacokinetics or pharmacodynamics.

A Review of Real-World Experience With Ruxolitinib for Myelofibrosis.

Myelofibrosis (MF) is a rare myeloproliferative neoplasm characterized by progressive bone marrow fibrosis and splenomegaly. Ruxolitinib is the standard-of-care first-line treatment option for MF. This review summarizes real-world effectiveness and safety of ruxolitinib in more than 4500 patients with MF from real-world settings, including expanded-access and phase 4 trials, as well as registry, postmarketing, and retrospective studies in the 10 years since regulatory approval.

Ecomorphological correlates of grasping forces in strepsirrhine primates.

Powerful digital grasping is essential for primates navigating arboreal environments and is often regarded as a defining characteristic of the order. However, data on primate grip strength are limited. In this study, we collected grasping data from the hands and feet of eleven strepsirrhine species to assess how ecomorphological variables-such as autopodial shape, laterality, body mass and locomotor mode-influence grasping performance.

Energetic costs of social dominance in wild male baboons.

In vertebrates, glucocorticoids can be upregulated in response to both psychosocial and energetic stressors, making it difficult to identify the cause of elevated glucocorticoid concentrations when both types of stressors are present. This problem has been particularly challenging in studies of social dominance rank in wild animals. In contrast to glucocorticoids, thyroid hormone concentrations are largely unaffected by psychosocial stressors and therefore offer a better estimate of energetic challenges.

An in-depth review of AI-powered advancements in cancer drug discovery.

The convergence of artificial intelligence (AI) and genomics is redefining cancer drug discovery by facilitating the development of personalized and effective therapies. This review examines the transformative role of AI technologies, including deep learning and advanced data analytics, in accelerating key stages of the drug discovery process: target identification, drug design, clinical trial optimization, and drug response prediction. Cutting-edge tools such as DrugnomeAI and PandaOmics have made substantial contributions to therapeutic target identification, while AI's predictive capabilities are driving personalized treatment strategies.