SmartSkin-XAI: An Interpretable Deep Learning Approach for Enhanced Skin Cancer Diagnosis in Smart Healthcare.

Skin cancer, particularly melanoma, poses significant challenges due to the heterogeneity of skin images and the demand for accurate and interpretable diagnostic systems. Early detection and effective management are crucial for improving patient outcomes. Traditional AI models often struggle with balancing accuracy and interpretability, which are critical for clinical adoption.

Controlled Tensile Behavior of Pre-Cured PDMS via Advanced Bonding Techniques.

Polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) is extensively employed in applications ranging from flexible electronics to microfluidics due to its elasticity, transparency, and biocompatibility. However, enhancing interfacial adhesion and tensile properties remains a challenge for applications demanding high mechanical stability. To this end, this study introduced a novel bonding technique using crosslinkers as adhesive layers to improve the mechanical performance of PDMS.

Polymeric Coatings with Electrolyzed Acidic Water: A Novel Approach to Extending Egg Shelf Life and Quality.

Electrolyzed acidic water (EAW) contains hypochlorous acid as its active compound, which is a potent antimicrobial. It was encapsulated in polymeric coatings and applied to the surface of eggs. The antimicrobial activity and the ability to extend the shelf life of eggs at ambient temperature for 45 days were evaluated, by physical, microbiological, and sensory analyses.

Synthetic Approaches Toward Phosphorus-Containing BODIPY and Squaraine Dyes: Enhancing Versatility of Small-Molecule Fluorophores.

Phosphorus-containing fluorophores provide a versatile framework for tailoring photophysical properties, enabling the design of advanced fluorogenic materials for various applications. Boron dipyrromethene (BODIPY) and squaraine dyes are of interest due to their multifaceted modularity and synthetic accessibility. Incorporating phosphorus-based functional groups into BODIPY or squaraine scaffolds has been achieved through a plethora of synthetic methods, including post-dye assembly functionalization.

Researching public health datasets in the era of deep learning: a systematic literature review.

Explore deep learning applications in predictive analytics for public health data, identify challenges and trends, and then understand the current landscape. A systematic literature review was conducted in June 2023 to search articles on public health data in the context of deep learning, published from the inception of medical and computer science databases through June 2023. The review focused on diverse datasets, abstracting applications, challenges, and advancements in deep learning.

GrB-Fc-KS49, an anti-EMP2 granzyme B fusion protein therapeutic alters immune cell infiltration and suppresses breast cancer growth.

Background: Granzyme B (GrB) is a key effector molecule, delivered by cytotoxic T lymphocytes and natural killer cells during immune surveillance to induce cell death. Fusion proteins and immunoconjugates represent an innovative therapeutic approach to specifically deliver a deadly payload to target cells. Epithelial membrane protein-2 (EMP2) is highly expressed in invasive breast cancer (BC), including triple-negative BC (TNBC), and represents an attractive therapeutic target.

Exploring Quantitative MRI Biomarkers of Head and Neck Post-Radiation Lymphedema and Fibrosis: Post Hoc Analysis of a Prospective Trial.

Background: Quantifying head and neck lymphedema and fibrosis (HN-LEF) is crucial in the investigation and management of treatment sequelae in head and neck cancer (HNC).

Methods: The T1- and T2-weighted MRI signal intensity (SI) was examined in relation to HN-LEF categories per physical/tactile examination (No-LEF, A-B = edema, C = edema + fibrosis, D = fibrosis), and MRI structural volumes were examined in relation to a novel 10-point HN-LEF score in the intraoral and submental regions.

Results: We identified differences in ranks among HN-LEF categories in relation to the MRI SI (A-B and C are higher than D and No-LEF for T2 SI, and A-B is the highest for T1).

Effect of Patient Positioning on CT Number Accuracy: A Phantom Study Comparing Energy Integrating and Deep Silicon Photon Counting Detector CT.

Objective: Patient positioning during clinical practice can be challenging, and mispositioning leads to a change in CT number. CT number fluctuation was assessed in single-energy (SE) EID, dual-energy (DE) EID, and deep silicon photon-counting detector (PCD) CT over water-equivalent diameter (WED) with different mispositions.

Methods: A phantom containing five clinically relevant inserts (Mercury Phantom, Gammex) was scanned on a clinical EID CT and a deep silicon PCD CT prototype at vertical positions of 0, 4, 8, and 12 cm.

Vibration Energy Color Doppler Imaging (VECDI) in Evaluating the Effect of Screw Fixation on Sacroiliac Joint Stiffness: A Prospective Pilot Study.

Background: The sacroiliac joints (SIJ) are specialized articulations in the pelvis that allow load transfer between the upper and lower body. Traumatic pelvic disruption often requires surgical fixation of at least one of these joints. Subsequent SIJ pain is associated with asymmetries in joint laxity or stiffness.

Time Dependent Effects of Cerebellar tDCS on Cerebello-cortical Connectivity Networks in Young Adults.

The cerebellum is involved in non-motor processing, supported by topographically distinct cerebellar activations and closed-loop circuits between the cerebellum and the cortex. Disruptions to cerebellar function may negatively impact prefrontal function and processing. Cerebellar resources may be important for offloading cortical processing, providing crucial scaffolding for normative performance and function.

Effects of time-restricted eating with exercise on body composition in adults: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background: The effects of time-restricted eating (TRE) with exercise on body composition in adults are not clear.

Objective: This meta-analysis aimed to assess the effects of TRE when followed in combination with various forms of exercise, including aerobic, resistance, and combined aerobic and resistance [concurrent] training on body composition.

Methods: Studies published up to May 2023 were searched in EBSCOhost (MEDLINE, CINAHL, SPORTSDISCUS), PubMed, and SCOPUS databases.

Sitravatinib in combination with nivolumab plus ipilimumab in patients with advanced clear cell renal cell carcinoma: a phase 1 trial.

We conducted a phase I trial to determine the optimal dose of triplet therapy with the tyrosine kinase inhibitor sitravatinib plus nivolumab plus ipilimumab in 22 previously untreated patients with advanced clear cell renal cell carcinoma. The primary endpoint was safety. Secondary endpoints were objective response rate (ORR), disease control rate (DCR), duration of response (DOR), progression-free survival (PFS), overall survival (OS), 1-year survival probability, and sitravatinib pharmacokinetics.

Host-microbe multiomic profiling identifies distinct COVID-19 immune dysregulation in solid organ transplant recipients.

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) poses significant risks for solid organ transplant recipients, who have atypical but poorly characterized immune responses to infection. We aim to understand the host immunologic and microbial features of COVID-19 in transplant recipients by leveraging a prospective multicenter cohort of 86 transplant recipients age- and sex-matched with 172 non-transplant controls. We find that transplant recipients have higher nasal SARS-CoV-2 viral abundance and impaired viral clearance, and lower anti-spike IgG levels.

Adopting GPR75 in treating obesity: unraveling the knowns and unknowns of this orphan GPCR.

G protein-coupled receptor 75 (GPR75) is emerging as a promising target for obesity treatment, but its exact role in energy regulation remains unclear. This article explores the latest research on GPR75's molecular function, potential ligands, and therapeutic challenges in addressing obesity.

Ultrastructural Localization of Glutamate Delta Receptor 1 in the Rodent and Primate Lateral Habenula.

Glutamate delta receptor 1 (GluD1) is a unique synaptogenic molecule expressed at excitatory and inhibitory synapses. The lateral habenula (LHb), a subcortical structure that regulates negative reward prediction error and major monoaminergic systems, is enriched in GluD1. LHb dysfunction has been implicated in psychiatric disorders such as depression and schizophrenia, both of which are associated with GRID1, the gene that encodes GluD1.

Mechanism of Amplified Photoacoustic Effect for Silica-Coated Spherical Gold Nanoparticles.

Plasmonic nanomaterials are effective photoacoustic (PA) contrast agents with diverse biomedical applications. While silica coatings on gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) have been demonstrated to increase PA efficiency, the underlying mechanism remains elusive. Here, we systematically investigated the impact of silica coatings on PA generation under picosecond and nanosecond laser pulses.

Proxy panels enable privacy-aware outsourcing of genotype imputation.

One of the major challenges in genomic data sharing is protecting participants' privacy in collaborative studies and when genomic data is outsourced to perform analysis tasks, e.g., genotype imputation services and federated collaborations genomic analysis.

The Use of Glycan Ensemble Structures and Nonpolar Surface Area Distributions for Correlating with Liquid Chromatography Retention Times.

The separation and structural identification of glycans are of great bioanalytical importance. To obtain a good understanding of the structural flexibility of glycans, replica exchange molecular dynamics (REMD) simulations were used based on AMBER force field calculations to create ensembles of glycan structures. Nonpolar surface area (NPSA) calculations based on continuum solvation (CS) models (Dhakal, R.

Treatment of rapid recurrence of severe steatosis with combined GLP-1 agonist and growth hormone therapy in a pediatric patient transplanted for metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis cirrhosis in the setting of hypopituitarism.

The association between hypopituitarism and metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD) is increasingly recognized, although data about therapies targeting recurrence post-transplant is limited. An 8-year-old with hypopituitarism-associated MASLD underwent a liver transplant due to rapid progression of metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis (MASH). Hepatosteatosis recurred within weeks.

Axin-binding domain of glycogen synthase kinase 3β facilitates functional interactions with voltage-gated Na+ channel Nav1.6.

Voltage-gated Na+ (Nav) channels are the primary determinants of the action potential in excitable cells. Nav channels rely on a wide and diverse array of intracellular protein-protein interactions (PPIs) to achieve their full function. Glycogen synthase kinase 3 β (GSK3β) has been previously identified as a modulator of Nav1.

Molecular basis of interchain disulfide bond formation in BMP-9 and BMP-10.

BMP-9 and BMP-10 are TGF-β family signaling ligands naturally secreted into blood. They act on endothelial cells and are required for proper development and maintenance of the vasculature. In hereditary hemorrhagic telangiectasia, regulation is disrupted due to mutations in the BMP-9/10 pathway, namely in the type I receptor ALK1 or the co-receptor endoglin.

Creating, Implementing, and Assessing an Elective Queer-iculum: Creating Change Agents Through Pharmacy Education.

Objective: To detail the creation and implementation of an LGBTQIA+ health elective course at a Hispanic Serving Institution and assess its preliminary impact on Doctor of Pharmacy student attitudes and perceptions of LGBTQIA+ healthcare.

Methods: An eight-week course covering various topics related to LGBTQIA+ healthcare was designed and delivered to second- and third-year Doctor of Pharmacy students who voluntarily enrolled in the course from June to July 2023. As part of an IRB approved pilot study, enrolled students completed an electronic survey before and after the elective assessing student pharmacists' perceptions of personal capabilities and attitudes as well as curriculum exposure for several LGBTQIA+ healthcare-related topics.