Chemical short-range order increases the phonon heat conductivity in a refractory high-entropy alloy.

We study the effects of the chemical short-range order (SRO) on the thermal conductivity of the refractory high-entropy alloy HfNbTaTiZr using atomistic simulation. Samples with different degrees of chemical SRO are prepared by a Monte Carlo scheme. With increasing SRO, a tendency of forming HfTi and TiZr clusters is found.

Exploring the epigenetic profile of ID4 in breast cancer: bioinformatic insights into methylation patterns and chromatin accessibility dynamics.

Purpose: Inhibitor of differentiation 4 (ID4) is a dominant-negative regulator of basic helix-loop-helix (bHLH) transcription factors. The expression of ID4 is dysregulated in various breast cancer subtypes, indicating a potential role for ID4 in subtype-specific breast cancer development. This study aims to elucidate the epigenetic regulation of ID4 within breast cancer subtypes, with a particular focus on DNA methylation and chromatin accessibility.

Light and energy-based therapeutics for genitourinary applications: Consensus on protocols and best practices.

Background: Lasers and energy-based technologies have been developed for genitourinary applications over the past several decades.

Aims: This consensus article aims to categorize the published articles and clinical trial data that culminated in protocol development of technology for genitourinary applications, and to develop consistent parameters in future clinical trials.

Materials And Methods: The published articles and clinical trials data on lasers and energy-based devices applied to genitourinary conditions were categorized according to device and condition and consensus developed on protocols and parameters.

Long-Term Improvement in Urinary Incontinence in an Elite Female Athlete Through the Laser Treatment: A Case Report.

Stress urinary incontinence (SUI) is increasing in elite female athletes (EFAs), affecting competition results and quality of life. Pelvic floor muscle training (PFMT) is the first-line treatment for SUI, and surgery is generally performed when PFMT is insufficient. However, in EFA, there are few cases in which surgery is performed and fewer reports.

Superficial dyspareunia treatment with hyperstacking of erbium:yttrium-aluminum-garnet SMOOTH laser: a short-term, pilot study in breast cancer survivors.

Objective: This prospective pilot study aimed to evaluate the effects of a modified vaginal erbium laser (VEL) protocol, using the hyperstack mode on the vaginal vestibulum and introitus to treat superficial dyspareunia in postmenopausal breast cancer survivors suffering from the genitourinary syndrome of menopause.

Methods: In this pilot, prospective, randomized study, two groups of postmenopausal women suffering from superficial dyspareunia were included: 34 women (VEL group) were treated with erbium laser crystal yttrium-aluminum-garnet (XS Fotona SMOOTH; Fotona, Ljubljana, Slovenia) with a wavelength of 2,940 nm; for the other 34 (hyperstack group), a modified second step of the VEL protocol for the treatment of vestibulum and introitus was used, with hyperstacked (repeating a number of) subablative, long pulses with very low fluences. For each group, three laser applications at 30-day intervals were performed.

Double heterozygous pathogenic variants in the BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes in a patient with bilateral metachronous breast cancer.

Double heterozygosity pathogenic variants in BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes are a very rare finding, particularly in non-Ashkenazi individuals. We described the first case of double heterozygosity variants in a non-Ashkenazi Argentinean woman with metachronous bilateral breast cancer. The proband is a 65-year-old female diagnosed with invasive ductal carcinoma in the left breast at 45 years old and invasive carcinoma in the right breast at 65 years old.

Circulating heat shock protein 27 (HSPB1) levels in prediction of pre-eclampsia: A pilot study.

Objective: To determine whether circulating heat shock proteins HSP27/HSPB1 and HSP90α/HSPC1 may be useful for early prediction of the occurrence of pre-eclampsia in asymptomatic women.

Methods: We have measured by ELISA the levels of HSPB1, HSPC1, and placental protein 13 (PP13) in serum samples from 44 women in the first trimester (10-12 weeks) and second trimester (17-20 weeks) of pregnancy. Western blot and immunohistochemistry for HSPB1 and HSPC1 were performed.

The epigenetic role of breastfeeding in mammary differentiation.

Maternal milk consumption can cause changes in the mammary epithelium of the offspring that result in the expression of molecules involved in the induction of differentiation, reducing the risk of developing mammary cancer later in life. We previously showed that animals that maintained a higher intake of maternal milk had a lower incidence of mammary cancer. In the present study, we evaluated one of the possible mechanisms by which the consumption of maternal milk could modify the susceptibility to mammary carcinogenesis.