Cutting-edge: bionanomaterial solutions in the battle against Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2.

Amidst the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the imperative of our time resides in crafting stratagems of utmost precision to confront the relentless SARS-CoV-2 and quell its inexorable proliferation. A paradigm-shifting weapon in this battle lies in the realm of nanoparticles, where the amalgamation of cutting-edge nanochemistry begets a cornucopia of inventive techniques and methodologies designed to thwart the advances of this pernicious pathogen. Nanochemistry, an artful fusion of chemistry and nanoscience, provides a fertile landscape for researchers to craft innovative shields against infection.

Patient-derived Organoids and Xenografts Uncover Therapeutic Vulnerabilities in Colorectal Signet Ring Cell Carcinomas.

Purpose: Identifying therapeutic targets for Signet Ring Cell Carcinoma (SRCC) of the colon and rectum is a clinical challenge due to the lack of Patient-Derived Organoids (PDO) or Xenografts (PDX). We present a robust method to establish PDO and PDX models to answer address this unmet need. We demonstrate that these models identify novel therapeutic strategies targeting therapy resistance and peritoneal metastasis.

Economic impact of initial glaucoma treatment with selective laser trabeculoplasty on the Brazilian Public Health System.

Purpose: To evaluate the economic impact of the following initial treatment scenarios for glaucoma on the Brazilian Public Health System (SUS): (1) traditional continuous instillation of hypotensive eye drops and (2) single session of selective laser trabeculoplasty.

Methods: Economic impact was analyzed in three scenarios, from the least to the most conservative, for a hypothetical cohort of 5,000 individuals with open-angle glaucoma. Thereafter, projections were made on the basis of a glaucoma prevalence of 3% in the 2021 Brazilian population size.

Assessment of the content and quality of YouTube videos on retinopathy of prematurity: a cross-sectional study.

Purpose: This study aimed to evaluate the quality and reliability of YouTube videos as an educational resource about retinopathy of prematurity.

Methods: Videos were sourced from YouTube using the search terms "retinopathy of prematurity" and "premature retinopathy" with the default settings. Each video was assessed on the following metrics: views, likes, dislikes, comments, upload source, country of origin, view ratio, like ratio, and video power index.

Dispersal of Sensu Lato Conidia from Infected Citrus and Strawberry Under Simulated Rainfall and Different Laminar and Turbulent Wind Speeds.

Species of the complex cause postbloom fruit drop of citrus and anthracnose fruit rot of strawberries. produces acervuli in diseased citrus flowers and strawberry fruit, surviving asymptomatically on vegetative tissues. Previous studies have suggested that dispersal mechanisms other than windblown rain may be involved in dispersal of conidia of sensu lato.

Classification-based pathway analysis using GPNet with novel P-value computation.

Pathway analysis plays a critical role in bioinformatics, enabling researchers to identify biological pathways associated with various conditions by analyzing gene expression data. However, the rise of large, multi-center datasets has highlighted limitations in traditional methods like Over-Representation Analysis (ORA) and Functional Class Scoring (FCS), which struggle with low signal-to-noise ratios (SNR) and large sample sizes. To tackle these challenges, we use a deep learning-based classification method, Gene PointNet, and a novel $P$-value computation approach leveraging the confusion matrix to address pathway analysis tasks.

Targeting AXL inhibits the growth and metastasis of prostate cancer in bone.

Purpose: After failing primary and secondary hormonal therapy, castration-resistant and neuroendocrine prostate cancer metastatic to the bone is invariably lethal, although treatment with docetaxel and carboplatin can modestly improve survival. Therefore, agents targeting biologically relevant pathways in PCa and potentially synergizing with docetaxel and carboplatin in inhibiting bone metastasis growth are urgently needed.

Experimental Design: Phosphorylated (activated) AXL expression in human prostate cancer bone metastases was assessed by immunohistochemical staining.

Phase I Clinical Trial of High Doses of Seleno-L-methionine in Combination with Axitinib in Patients with Previously Treated Metastatic Clear Cell Renal Cell Carcinoma.

Background: Data in clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC) xenografts defined the seleno-L-methionine (SLM) dose and the plasma selenium concentrations associated with the enhancement of HIF1α/2α degradation, stabilization of tumor vasculature, enhanced drug delivery, and efficacy of axitinib. The data provided the rationale for the development of this phase I clinical trial of SLM and axitinib in advanced or metastatic relapsed ccRCC.

Patients And Methods: Patients were ≥18 years with histologically and radiologically confirmed advanced or metastatic ccRCC who had received at least one prior systemic therapy, which could include axitinib (last dose ≥6 months prior to enrollment).

New PPARα Agonist A190-Loaded Microemulsion for Chemotherapy-Induced Peripheral Neuropathy.

Chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy (CIPN) is a serious side effect of anticancer agents with limited effective preventive or therapeutic interventions. Although fenofibrate, a peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-alpha (PPARα) agonist, has demonstrated neuroprotective and analgesic properties, its clinical utility is hindered by low receptor affinity, poor subtype selectivity, and suboptimal bioavailability. A190, a highly selective and potent nonfibrate PPARα agonist, offers a promising alternative but is limited by poor aqueous solubility, resulting in reduced oral bioavailability and therapeutic efficacy.

Program Director Perspectives on DEI Initiatives in the Dermatology Residency Selection Process.

The American Academy of Dermatology (AAD) has maintained a commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives; however, a recent strike down of affirmative action by the US Supreme Court has caused similar efforts to be called into question. This prompted our investigation into dermatology program director (PD) perceptions of DEI programming and its integration into resident selection. A cross-sectional survey of PDs at US dermatology residency programs was conducted from April 2024 to July 2024 (N=30).

Iron Deficiency and All-Cause Hospitalization Risk in a Clinical Cohort of COPD.

Background: The impact of iron deficiency on COPD morbidity independent of anemia status is unknown. Understanding the association between iron deficiency, anemia status, and risk of hospitalization in COPD may inform an approach to these comorbidities.

Study Design And Methods: Adults ≥40 years from the Johns Hopkins COPD Precision Medicine Center of Excellence data repository with an outpatient iron profile and 1 year of subsequent follow-up time were included in the study.

Role of the Mobile Active Site Flap in IMP Dehydrogenase Inhibitor Binding.

Inosine 5'-monophosphate dehydrogenase (IMPDH) is a promising antibiotic target. This enzyme catalyzes the NAD-dependent oxidation of inosine 5'-monophosphate (IMP) to xanthosine 5'-monophosphate (XMP), which is the rate-limiting step in guanine nucleotide biosynthesis. Bacterial IMPDH-specific inhibitors have been developed that bind to the NAD site.

Landau-Levich Scaling for Optimization of Quantum Dot Layer Morphology and Thickness in Quantum-Dot Light-Emitting Diodes.

Quantum dot (QD) light-emitting diodes (QLEDs) are promising candidates for next-generation displays because of their high efficiency, brightness, broad color gamut, and solution-processability. Large-scale solution-processing of electroluminescent QLEDs poses significant challenges, particularly concerning the precise control of the active layer's thickness and uniformity. These obstacles directly impact charge transport, leading to current leakage and reduced overall efficiency.

The multifaceted role of the inferior colliculus in sensory prediction, reward processing, and decision-making.

The inferior colliculus (IC) has traditionally been regarded as an important relay in the auditory pathway, primarily involved in relaying auditory information from the brainstem to the thalamus. However, this study uncovers the multifaceted role of the IC in bridging auditory processing, sensory prediction, and reward prediction. Through extracellular recordings in monkeys engaged in a sound duration-based deviation detection task, we observed a 'climbing effect' in neuronal firing rates, indicative of an enhanced response over sound sequences linked to sensory prediction rather than reward anticipation.

Distinct checkpoint and homolog biorientation pathways regulate meiosis I in Drosophila oocytes.

Mitosis and meiosis have two mechanisms for regulating the accuracy of chromosome segregation: error correction and the spindle assembly checkpoint (SAC). We have investigated the function of several checkpoint proteins in meiosis I of Drosophila oocytes. Increased localization of several SAC proteins was found upon depolymerization of microtubules by colchicine.

Do global health networks facilitate innovation, learning and sharing? A qualitative analysis of the Quality-of-Care Network in Bangladesh, Ethiopia, Malawi, and Uganda.

The Quality-of-Care Network (QCN), launched by WHO and partners, links global and national actors across several countries to improve maternal and newborn health. We conducted a prospective qualitative study to examine how QCN in Bangladesh, Ethiopia, Malawi and Uganda facilitated learning, sharing, and innovation within and between network countries. We conducted 227 key informant interviews with QCN actors at global, national, and facility levels iteratively in two to four rounds from June 2019 to March 2022.

The role of oscillations in grid cells' toroidal topology.

Persistent homology applied to the activity of grid cells in the Medial Entorhinal Cortex suggests that this activity lies on a toroidal manifold. By analyzing real data and a simple model, we show that neural oscillations play a key role in the appearance of this toroidal topology. To quantitatively monitor how changes in spike trains influence the topology of the data, we first define a robust measure for the degree of toroidality of a dataset.

The landscape of family medicine in India - A cross-sectional survey study.

Family medicine was recognized as a distinct specialty in India in the early 1980s, but it is at an early stage of implementation. There are few training programs, and little is known about family physicians' training, perceptions, and current practices. This paper describes the findings from the first national survey of family medicine in India.

REACH assessment of humans exposed to chemicals indirectly via the environment: screening modeling in EUSES versus state of the science.

The assessment of humans indirectly exposed to chemicals via the environment (HvE) is an assessment element of the Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation, and Restriction of Chemicals (REACH) regulation. The European Union System for the Evaluation of Substances (EUSES) is the default screening tool, aimed at prioritizing chemicals for further refinement/higher tier assessment. This review summarizes the approach used in EUSES, evaluates the state of the science in human exposure modeling via the environment, and identifies areas for further research to strengthen the confidence and applicability of EUSES for assessing HvE.

Integrating ex situ biomimetic extraction analyses into contaminated sediment assessment and management decisions.

This study evaluated a novel ex situ passive sampling biomimetic extraction (BE) method to estimate toxic potency in sediments. Gas chromatography with flame ionization detection (GC-FID) analysis of polydimethylsiloxane fibers equilibrated with field sediments was used to quantify bioavailable polyaromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and other unresolved, site-specific contaminant mixtures. This method is biomimetic because contaminants partition to the fiber based on hydrophobicity and abundance, and GC-FID quantification accounts for all constituents absorbed to the fiber that may contribute to toxicity.

Evaluation of interspecies correlation estimation models to increase taxonomic diversity while reducing reliance on animal testing for chemicals evaluated under the Toxic Substances Control Act.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is committed to the implementation of new approach methodologies (NAMs) to enhance the scientific basis for chemical hazard assessments.

Environmental fate and aquatic risk assessment of oxyfluorfen in California rice fields.

The herbicide oxyfluorfen [OXY; 2-chloro-1-(3-ethoxy-4-nitrophenoxy)-4-(trifluoromethyl)benzene] recently emerged as a potential solution to combat herbicide resistance in California rice. Proposed as a preemergent applied preflood to soil, products are in development for use with OXY-tolerant rice strains. Currently, OXY is not registered for use with rice and its use in or near aquatic resources is restricted due to its high aquatic toxicity.

Characterization of language abilities and semantic networks in very preterm children at school-age.

It has been widely assessed that very preterm children (<32 weeks gestational age) present language and memory impairments compared with full-term children. However, differences in their underlying semantic memory structure have not been studied yet. Nevertheless, the way concepts are learned and organized across development relates to children's capacities in retrieving and using information later.