Advancements in Cancer Treatment: Harnessing the Synergistic Potential of Graphene-Based Nanomaterials in Combination Therapy.

Combination therapy, which involves using multiple therapeutic modalities simultaneously or sequentially, has become a cornerstone of modern cancer treatment. Graphene-based nanomaterials (GBNs) have emerged as versatile platforms for drug delivery, gene therapy, and photothermal therapy. These materials enable a synergistic approach, improving the efficacy of treatments while reducing side effects.

Transcriptomic Profiles in Nasal Epithelium and Asthma Endotypes in Youth.

Importance: T helper 2 (T2) cells and T helper 17 (T17) cells are CD4+ T cell subtypes involved in asthma. Characterizing asthma endotypes based on these cell types in diverse groups is important for developing effective therapies for youths with asthma.

Objective: To identify asthma endotypes in school-aged youths aged 6 to 20 years by examining the distribution and characteristics of transcriptomic profiles in nasal epithelium.

Risk of adverse birth outcomes and birth defects among women living with HIV on antiretroviral therapy and HIV-negative women in Uganda, 2015-2021.

Introduction: We assessed the risk of adverse pregnancy and birth outcomes and birth defects among women living with HIV (WLHIV) on antiretroviral therapy (ART) and HIV-negative women.

Methods: We analyzed data on live births, stillbirths, and spontaneous abortions during 2015-2021 from a hospital-based birth defects surveillance system in Kampala, Uganda. ART regimens were recorded from hospital records and maternal self-reports.

Dysregulation of neural tube vascular development as an aetiological factor in autism spectrum disorder: Insights from valproic acid exposure.

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a prevalent neurodevelopmental condition affecting a substantial number of children globally, characterized by diverse aetiologies, including genetic and environmental factors. Emerging research suggests that neurovascular dysregulation during development could significantly contribute to autism. This review synthesizes the potential role of vascular abnormalities in the pathogenesis of ASD and explores insights from studies on valproic acid (VPA) exposure during neural tube development.

A modified adaptive Kalman filter algorithm for the distributed underwater multi-target passive tracking system.

A modified adaptive Kalman filter (AKF) algorithm is proposed to make underwater multi-target tracking with uncertain measurement noise reliable. By utilizing the proposed AKF algorithm with three core points, including an adaptive fading factor, measurement noise covariance adjustment, and an adaptive weighting factor, the unknown measurement noise and state vector can be estimated with good accuracy and robustness. The practical trial data verify this algorithm, and it has proven superior to all traditional algorithms in this Letter based on the results that it reduces the estimated position RMSEs by at least 10.

Left Ventrolateral Prefrontal Cortical Activity During Reward Expectancy and Mania Risk.

Importance: Mania/hypomania is the pathognomonic feature of bipolar disorder (BD). As BD is often misdiagnosed as major depressive disorder (MDD), replicable neural markers of mania/hypomania risk are needed for earlier BD diagnosis and pathophysiological treatment development.

Objective: To replicate the previously reported positive association between left ventrolateral prefrontal cortex (vlPFC) activity during reward expectancy (RE) and mania/hypomania risk, to explore the effect of MDD history on this association, and to compare RE-related left vlPFC activity in individuals with and at risk of BD.

Heterogeneity of Apolipoprotein B Levels Among Hispanic or Latino Individuals Residing in the US.

Importance: Apolipoprotein B (apoB) distribution and its implications as an atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD) risk-enhancing factor among individuals of diverse Hispanic or Latino backgrounds have not been described.

Objective: To describe the distribution of apoB in the Hispanic Community Health Study/Study of Latinos (HCHS/SOL) cohort and to characterize associations of baseline sociodemographic and clinical variables with apoB and self-identified Hispanic or Latino background.

Design, Setting, And Participants: The HCHS/SOL was a prospective, population-based cohort study of diverse Hispanic or Latino adults living in the US who were recruited and screened between March 2008 and June 2011.

Residential Differences and Depression Among Older Adults With Dual Sensory Loss.

Importance: Investigating rural-urban and regional differences in the association between dual sensory loss (concurrent hearing and vision loss) and depression may highlight gaps in sensory loss research and health care services, and by socioeconomic status. Whether urbanicity and region may modify associations between sensory loss and depression is unknown.

Objective: To describe the rural-urban and regional differences in the association of dual sensory loss with depression among older adults.

Adherence and forgiveness of two modern ART regimens: lamivudine/dolutegravir and emtricitabine/tenofovir alafenamide/rilpivirine.

Introduction: Few data are available about the forgiveness of two-drug (2DR) or low-barrier three-drug antiretroviral regimens. The aim of this study is to evaluate the real-life forgiveness of lamivudine/dolutegravir (3TC/DTG) and emtricitabine/tenofovir alafenamide/rilpivirine (FTC/TAF/RPV).

Methods: A two center retrospective observational study enrolled all people with HIV (PWH) treated with 3TC/DTG or FTC/TAF/RPV.

De-Escalation of Nodal Surgery in Clinically Node-Positive Breast Cancer.

Importance: Increasing evidence supports the oncologic safety of de-escalating axillary surgery for patients with breast cancer after neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC).

Objective: To evaluate the oncologic outcomes of de-escalating axillary surgery among patients with clinically node (cN)-positive breast cancer and patients whose disease became cN negative after NAC (ycN negative).

Design, Setting, And Participants: In the NEOSENTITURK MF-1803 prospective cohort registry trial, patients from 37 centers with cT1-4N1-3M0 disease treated with sentinel lymph node biopsy (SLNB) or targeted axillary dissection (TAD) alone or with ypN-negative or ypN-positive disease after NAC were recruited between February 15, 2019, and January 1, 2023, and evaluated.

Outcomes of Importance to Patients Living With Cutaneous Chronic Graft-vs-Host Disease.

Importance: Cutaneous chronic graft-vs-host disease (GVHD) is independently associated with morbidity and mortality after allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplant. However, the health-related quality-of-life (HRQOL) domains that are most important to patients are poorly understood.

Objective: To perform a concept elicitation study to define HRQOL in cutaneous chronic GVHD from the patient perspective and to compare experiences of patients with epidermal vs sclerotic disease.

Clinical Perspectives on the Pathophysiology of Facial Synkinesis: A Narrative Review.

Importance: Facial synkinesis refers to pathologic cocontraction and baseline hypertonicity of muscles innervated by the facial nerve, commonly attributed to the aberrant regeneration of nerve fibers following injury. The pathomechanism and optimal treatment of facial synkinesis remain unclear. The goal of this review is to highlight current understanding of the epidemiology, pathophysiology, clinical presentation, assessment, and treatment of facial synkinesis.

Impaired visual perceptual accuracy in the upper visual field induces asymmetric performance in position estimation for falling and rising objects.

Humans can estimate the time and position of a moving object's arrival. However, numerous studies have demonstrated superior position estimation accuracy for descending objects compared with ascending objects. We tested whether the accuracy of position estimation for ascending and descending objects differs between the upper and lower visual fields.

Engineering Air-Stable Triarylmethyl Radicals with One Pyrrole Ring.

Herein, seven air-stable triarylmethyl radicals (-), each featuring a pyrrole ring, were successfully synthesized. A comprehensive investigation into the linkages at the α-, β-, and -positions of the pyrrole ring, along with various substituents, revealed that the p-π conjugation between the central radical carbon and the pyrrole ring plays a crucial role in the distribution of spin density and overall stability. Notably, radicals to displayed excellent electrochemical and photostability.

Double CHEK2 Pathogenic and Low-Risk Variants and Associated Cancer Phenotypes.

Importance: CHEK2 pathogenic and likely pathogenic variants (PVs) are common, and low-risk (LR) variants, p.I157T, p.S428F, and p.

A Couple-Based Intervention for Chinese Older Adults With Type 2 Diabetes: A Randomized Clinical Trial.

Importance: Spousal involvement in diabetes care is recommended theoretically, but effectiveness in clinical settings and among diverse populations is unclear.

Objective: To test the effect of a couple-based intervention among Chinese older patients with type 2 diabetes and their spouses.

Design, Setting, And Participants: This multicenter randomized clinical trial comprised 2 arms: a couple-based intervention arm and an individual-based control.