Complex transcription regulation of acidic chitinase suggests fine-tuning of digestive processes in Drosera binata.

DbChitI-3, Drosera binata's acidic chitinase, peaks at pH 2.5 from 15 °C to 30 °C. Gene expression is stimulated by polysaccharides and suppressed by monosaccharide digestion, implying a feedback loop in its transcriptional regulation.

Nutrition Care in Cancer: An Overlooked Part of Patient-Centered Care.

Objectives: Robust evidence highlights the crucial role of nutrition for people with cancer, and international organizations recognize it as a basic human right linked to health and food. Within this context, we aim to emphasize the critical role of nutrition care for cancer patients and to highlight the essential contributions of nurses in providing patient-centered nutrition care.

Methods: This opinion paper synthesizes evidence and perspectives from peer-reviewed articles and position papers.

Evaluation of a context-aware chatbot using retrieval-augmented generation for answering clinical questions on medication-related osteonecrosis of the jaw.

The potential of large language models (LLMs) in medical applications is significant, and Retrieval-augmented generation (RAG) can address the weaknesses of these models in terms of data transparency and scientific accuracy by incorporating current scientific knowledge into responses. In this study, RAG and GPT-4 by OpenAI were applied to develop GuideGPT, a context aware chatbot integrated with a knowledge database from 449 scientific publications designed to provide answers on the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of medication-related osteonecrosis of the jaw (MRONJ). A comparison was made with a generic LLM ("PureGPT") across 30 MRONJ-related questions.

Strychni Semen and two alkaloidal components cause apoptosis in HK-2 cells through TRADD-MAPK/NF-κB Pathway.

Strychni Semen is the dried ripe seeds of the plant Strychnos nux-vomica L, and has great medicinal value and developmental potential.However, Strychni Semen is severely toxic, with adverse effects on the central nervous system, urinary system, and other organ systems, and severe cases can be life-threatening. The present study was to reveal the mechanism of nephrotoxicity induced by Strychni Semen and its alkaloid components using experiments.

Automatic medical imaging segmentation via self-supervising large-scale convolutional neural networks.

Purpose: This study aims to develop a robust, large-scale deep learning model for medical image segmentation, leveraging self-supervised learning to overcome the limitations of supervised learning and data variability in clinical settings.

Methods And Materials: We curated a substantial multi-center CT dataset for self-supervised pre-training using masked image modeling with sparse submanifold convolution. We designed a series of Sparse Submanifold U-Nets (SS-UNets) of varying sizes and performed self-supervised pre-training.

Cell-mediated immunotherapy: A new frontier in preventing disease progression and treating drug-resistant cancer.

Although immunotherapy holds significant promise for treating drug-resistant cancers, currently available procedures are rarely curative. A new type of cell-mediated immunotherapy based on anticancer targeting activated mismatched cancer killer cells (ATACK) has demonstrated better efficacy and curative potential in preclinical animal models and in a pilot compassionate clinical study.

Association between oral microbiome dysbiosis and Sjogren Syndrome. A systematic review of clinical studies.

Objectives: This systematic review investigates the association of oral microbiome dysbiosis with Sjogren Syndrome (SS).

Materials And Methods: Indexed databases (PubMed/Medline, EMBASE, OVID, Web of Science, and Scopus) were independently searched for relevant manuscripts published until August 2024. Clinical studies on oral microbial flora count and diversity in SS patients were included.

Incidence and Risk Factors for Amiodarone-Induced Thyroid Dysfunction: A Nationwide Retrospective Cohort Study.

Background: Amiodarone is an effective anti-arrhythmic drug; however, it is frequently associated with thyroid dysfunction. The aim of this study was to investigate the incidence and risk factor of amiodarone-induced dysfunction in an iodine-sufficient area.

Methods: This retrospective cohort study included 27,023 consecutive patients treated with amiodarone for arrhythmia, using the Korean National Health Insurance database.

The PERFORMANCE II Trial: A Prospective Multicenter Investigation of a Novel Carotid Stent System.

Background: Several randomized clinical trials have shown that the composite endpoint of death, stroke, and myocardial infarction (MI) is equivalent between carotid artery stenting and carotid endarterectomy. However, the risk of minor stroke has been consistently higher with carotid artery stenting.

Objectives: The authors sought to evaluate the safety and effectiveness of a novel carotid stent system comprised of a stent, an adjustable integrated embolic filter and a postdilation balloon, in patients at elevated risk for adverse events from carotid endarterectomy.

Construction of Mn-Defective S/MnCdS for Promoting Photocatalytic N Reduction.

Improving catalytic performance by controlling the microstructure of materials has become a hot topic in the field of photocatalysis, such as the surface defect site, multistage layered morphology, and exposed crystal surface. Due to the differences in the metal atomic radius (Mn and Cd) and solubility product constant (MnS and CdS), Mn defect easily occurred in the S/MnCdS (S/0.4MCS) composite.

Wound care of Sweet syndrome in a patient with anaplastic lymphoma kinase-positive anaplastic large cell lymphoma: a case report.

Sweet syndrome (SS), which is characterised by fever and erythematous tender skin lesions, has been shown to be associated with lymphoma. However, there are limited reported experiences on the wound care of SS in patients with lymphoma. This case report presents the wound care of SS in a patient with anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK)-positive anaplastic large cell lymphoma (ALK+ALCL).

Neuromuscular Strategies in Dominant and Non-Dominant Legs in Dancers During Dynamic Balance Tasks.

Ballet-based dance training emphasizes the equal development of both legs. However, dancers often perceive differences between their legs during balance or landing. There still needs to be more consensus on the functional difference between dominant (D) and non-dominant legs (ND).

Comparative effectiveness and safety of single inhaler triple therapies for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: new user cohort study.

Objective: To compare the effectiveness and safety of budesonide-glycopyrrolate-formoterol, a twice daily metered dose inhaler, and fluticasone-umeclidinium-vilanterol, a once daily dry powder inhaler, in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) treated in routine clinical practice.

Design: New user cohort study.

Setting: Longitudinal commercial US claims data.

Continuous Treatment with Tofacitinib but Not Filgotinib Is Effective in Non-Responders with Active Ulcerative Colitis: A Propensity Score-Matching Analysis.

Few studies have compared the efficacy and safety of Janus kinase (JAK) inhibitors in patients with ulcerative colitis (UC). We compared the real-world effectiveness and safety of tofacitinib (TOF) and filgotinib (FIL) as induction therapy for UC by propensity score-matching analysis. We enrolled 230 patients with active UC who received either TOF (n = 197) or FIL (n = 33) as induction therapy.

Agreement Between High-Risk Human Papillomavirus Testing in Paired Self-Collected and Clinician-Collected Samples from Cervical Cancer Screening in Spain.

: Implementing self-sampling (SS) in cervical cancer screening requires comparable results to clinician-collected samples (CCS). Agreement measures are essential for evaluating HPV test performance. Previous studies on non-paired samples have reported higher viral cycle threshold (Ct) values in SS compared to CCS, affecting sensitivity for detecting cervical intraepithelial neoplasia grade 2 or worse (CIN2+).

The Etiology of Reduced Muscle Mass with Surgical and Pharmacological Weight Loss and the Identification of Potential Countermeasures.

Obesity represents a major health crisis in the United States, significantly increasing risks for chronic diseases and generating substantial economic costs. While bariatric surgery and pharmacological interventions such as GLP-1 receptor agonists have been proven effective in achieving substantial weight loss and improving comorbid conditions, they also raise concerns about the unintended loss of fat-free mass, particularly muscle. This loss of muscle mass compromises physical functionality, quality of life, and long-term metabolic health, particularly in individuals with sarcopenic obesity or those at risk of frailty.

Effects of Betaine and Polydextrose on Intestinal Microbiota and Liver Ergothioneine in a High-Fat Diet-Fed Mouse Model and a Human Colonic Simulation Model.

Background/objectives: Ergothioneine (EGT) is an effective antioxidant that animals cannot produce and has an important anti-inflammatory role in cell protection, which can help lower the risk of various diseases. In this study, we investigated the potential role of gut microbiota in the production of EGT, which was found to increase in the mouse liver after dietary supplementation with betaine (BET) or polydextrose (PDX).

Methods: The effects of BET and PDX on the gut microbiota and tissue EGT content were investigated using a diet-induced obese mouse model and simulated fermentation in the human colon.

Comparative Analysis of Complete Chloroplast Genomes and Phylogenetic Relationships in Medicinally Important Pantropical Genus s.s. (Leguminosae) from Southern Africa and Eastern Asia.

s.s. belongs to the Cercidoideae subfamily, located at the base of the Leguminosae family.

Salivary Flow Rate in Patients with Sjögren's Syndrome: Correlations with Salivary Gland Ultrasound Findings and Biomarkers of Disease Activity.

Sjögren's syndrome (SS) is a slowly progressive, chronic autoimmune inflammatory condition characterized by the affliction of the exocrine glands, with issues that derive from it markedly decreasing the quality of life of these patients. Salivary gland involvement can be identified through imaging methods. Among them, salivary gland ultrasonography (SGUS) is used as a diagnostic and prognostic tool in pSS.

Dynamic Reconstruction of the Nickel Ions' Behavior in Different Orthodontic Archwires Following Clinical Application in an Intraoral Environment.

: Orthodontic archwires undergo chemical and structural changes in the complex intraoral environment. The present work aims to investigate the safe duration for intraoral use (related to the nickel release hypothesis) of different types of nickel-containing wires. By analyzing how the nickel content (NC) varies over time, we aim to provide practical recommendations for the optimal use of said archwires.

The Effects of Nitrogen Alloying on the Microstructure and Properties of Cu-Bearing Antimicrobial Stainless Steel.

In this study, a novel Cu-bearing 304 stainless steel doped with 4.0 wt.% Cu (304-Cu SS) was developed, and the effects of nitrogen microalloying (304N-Cu SS) and heat treatment on mechanical, antibacterial, and corrosion properties were investigated.

Analysis of Residual Stress at the Interface of Epoxy-Resin/Silicon-Wafer Composites During Thermal Aging.

During the thermal aging process of epoxy resin, microcracks, interfacial delamination, and warpage are the key factors leading to semiconductor device damage. Here, epoxy-resin specimens (EP-Ss) and epoxy-resin/silicon-wafer composites (EP-SWs) were prepared to analyze the distribution of residual stress (RS) in epoxy resin and its thermal aging process changes. The uniaxial tensile approach and Raman spectroscopy (RAS) showed that the peak shift of aliphatic C-O in EP-Ss was negatively correlated with the external stress, and that the stress correlation coefficient was -2.