Block

Polymer cubosomes (PCs) have well-defined inverse bicontinuous cubic mesophases formed by amphiphilic block copolymer bilayers. The open hydrophilic channels, large periods and robust physical properties of PCs are advantageous to many host-guest interactions and yet not fully exploited, especially in the fields of functional nanomaterials. Here, we systematically investigate the self-assembly of poly(ethylene oxide)-block-polystyrene block copolymers and develop a series of robust PCs via a cosolvent method...

Fluorinated non-natural amino acids are attracting considerable research interest, especially in the biomedical field and in materials science, thanks to their ability to self-assemble into peculiar supramolecular structures. The conformational changes induced by the presence of fluorine atoms obviously affect their functions, as well as the biological activity of the deriving peptides and proteins. Here, we will briefly describe the main effects of fluorination on the aggregation behavior of such building blocks, focusing in particular on their improved tendency to form fibrils, and gels therefrom...

A brand-new enhanced starvation is put forward to trigger sensitized chemotherapy: blocking tumor-relation blood vessel formation and accelerating nutrient degradation and efflux. Following this concept, two cisplatin-like gemfibrozil-derived Pt(IV) prodrugs, GP and GPG, are synthesized. GP and GPG had nanomolar IC50 against A2780 cells and higher selectivity against normal cells than cisplatin. Bioactivity results confirmed that GP and GPG highly accumulated in cells and induced DNA damage, G2-phase arrest, and p53 expression...

α-Olefins are valued and abundant building blocks from fossil resources. They are widely used to provide small-molecule or polymeric products. Despite numerous advantages of radical polymerization, it has been well-documented as textbook knowledge that α-olefins and their functionalized derivatives cannot be radically homopolymerized because of the degradative chain transfer side reactions. Herein, we report our studies on the homopolymerization of thiocyanate functionalized α-olefins enabled by 1,4-cyano group migration under radical conditions...

A 24-year-old man with von Recklinghausen's disease presented with complaints of difficulty in swallowing for 6 months and change of voice for 3 months. He also had recent-onset difficulty in breathing. Telelaryngoscopy and subsequent contrast-enhanced computed tomography scan revealed a well-defined, smooth submucosal mass in the oropharynx (attached to the posterior pharyngeal wall, superior to the level of left aryepiglottic fold), obscuring the ipsilateral pyriform fossa, and nearly blocking the pharyngeal lumen...

The normal operation of organelles is critical for tumor growth and metastasis. Herein, an intelligent nanoplatform (BMAEF ) is fabricated to perform on-demand destruction of mitochondria and golgi apparatus, which also generates the enhanced photothermal-immunotherapy, resulting in the effective inhibition of primary and metastasis tumor. The BMAEF has a core of mesoporous silica nanoparticles loaded with brefeldin A (BM), which is connected to ethylenebis(oxyethylenenitrilo)tetraacetic acid (EGTA) and folic acid co-modified gold nanoparticles (AEF )...

Acid Sphingomyelinase has been reported to increase tissue ceramide and thereby mediate hHcy-induced glomerular NLRP3 inflammasome activation, inflammation, and sclerosis. In the present study, we tested whether somatic podocyte-specific silencing of Smpd1 gene attenuates hHcy-induced NLRP3 inflammasome activation and associated exosome release in podocytes and thereby suppresses glomerular inflammatory response and injury. In vivo , somatic podocyte-specific Smpd1 gene silencing almost blocked hHcy-induced glomerular NLRP3 inflammasome activation in Podocre mice compared to control littermates...

INTRODUCTION: Immunotherapy by blocking immune checkpoints programmed death/ligand (PD1/PDL1) and cytotoxic T-lymphocyte-associated protein 4(CTLA4) has emerged as new therapeutic targets in cancer. However, their efficacy has been limited due to resistance. A new- checkpoint V-domain Ig-containing suppressor of T cell activation (VISTA) has appeared, but the use of its inhibition effect in combination with antibodies targeting PDL1/PD1and CTLA4 has not been reported in ovarian cancer...

Given the aging population, finding solutions to retain optimal cognitive capacity is a research priority. The potential of physical activity to reduce the risk of cognitive decline and to enhance cognitive functioning is established. Combining physical with cognitive activity has been put forward as a potentially even more effective way to promote healthy cognitive aging. Most studies on combined interventions have however been conducted in laboratory settings. This paper reports on a two-phased pilot study evaluating the acceptability and feasibility of a newly developed real-life cognitively enriched walking program for adults aged 65+ years...

In the field of general anesthesia, magnesium sulfate (MgSO4) has become a valuable adjunct because it provides a range of benefits that enhance and optimize conventional aesthetic procedures. This review highlights the various intra-anesthetic benefits of MgSO4 while examining its complex function in the treatment using anesthesia. Magnesium inhibits the release of acetylcholine at the motor endplate and blocks calcium channels at presynaptic nerve terminals. This reduces the amplitude of endplate potential and the excitability of muscle fibers, which increases the potency of a neuromuscular blockade by nondepolarizing neuromuscular blockers...

Sunscreen is widely used for ultraviolet radiation protection. Studies validate sun protection factors (SPFs) to prevent ultraviolet (UV)-induced skin changes such as melanoma and squamous cell carcinoma (SCC). Few studies examine sunscreen's impact on endocrine and immune system dysregulation, the production of radical oxygen species, and whether the ingredients deteriorate under prolonged exposure. We present an investigation of sunscreen labels and how ingredients impact sun safety and human health. A review of the literature was conducted using Embase and PubMed to examine sunscreen safety, efficacy, and use to prevent UV-induced skin damage...

BACKGROUND: There are some functional bradyarrhythmias that are caused by a dysregulation of the autonomic nervous system, for which a therapeutic strategy of cardioneuroablation (CNA) is conceivable. CASE SUMMARY: In this study, we report the case of a 19-year-old woman with a non-congenital third-degree atrioventricular block (AVB), symptomatic for lipothymia and dyspnea caused by mild exertion. She had a structurally normal heart and no other comorbidities. The atropine test and the exercise stress test documented a sinus tachycardia at 190 bpm with a 2:1 AVB, a narrow QRS, and an atrioventricular conduction of 1:1 until reaching a sinus rhythm rate of 90 bpm...

The TGFβ type II receptor (TβRII) is a central player in all TGFβ signaling downstream events, has been linked to cancer progression, and thus, has emerged as an auspicious anti-TGFβ strategy. Especially its targeted degradation presents an excellent goal for effective TGFβ pathway inhibition. Here, cellular structure-activity relationship (SAR) data from the TβRII degrader chemotype 1 was successfully transformed into predictive ligand-based pharmacophore models that allowed scaffold hopping...

BACKGROUND: One of the most challenging diagnostic categories in the sinonasal tract includes small-blue-round-cell tumors. These are malignant tumors which show many overlapping histomorphology and immunohistochemistry (IHC) findings. Limited, small biopsy of these not completely excisable tumors adds to the diagnostic confusion. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A cross-sectional study was done for 2 years (January 2018-December 2020) in a tertiary care institute, which included 70 cases of tumors of which 49 cases were malignant...

AIM AND OBJECTIVES: The study aims to categorize malignant small round cell tumors (MSRCTs) originating in various sites of the body with the objective of utilization of cytomorphological features and ancillary techniques. STUDY DESIGN: It is a cross-sectional study conducted over a time span of 3 years (2017-2020). 33 cases of tumors with round cell morphology were evaluated by fine needle aspiration cytology (FNAC). MATERIALS AND METHODS: The application of cell block preparation supported by immunohistochemistry aided in the categorization of 23 cases with definite diagnosis and the rest were reported as MSRCTs...

BACKGROUND: Several studies have confirmed the direct relationship between extracellular acidification and the occurrence of pain. As an effective pain management approach, the mechanism of electroacupuncture (EA) treatment of acidification-induced pain is not fully understood. The purpose of this study was to assess the analgesic effect of EA in this type of pain and to explore the underlying mechanism(s). METHODS: We used plantar injection of the acidified phosphate-buffered saline (PBS; pH 6...

INTRODUCTION: Wearables are potentially valuable tools for understanding mobility behavior in individuals with neurological disorders and how it changes depending on health status, such as after rehabilitation. However, the accurate detection of gait events, which are crucial for the evaluation of gait performance and quality, is challenging due to highly individual-specific patterns that also vary greatly in movement and speed, especially after stroke. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to assess the accuracy, concurrent validity, and test-retest reliability of a commercially available insole system in the detection of gait events and the calculation of stance duration in individuals with chronic stroke...

The present study aimed to investigate the effect and mechanism of Pulsatilla compounds on lung adenocarcinoma. The representative drug chosen was the compound 23-HBA. GeneCards, Swiss target prediction, DisGeNET and TCMSP were used to screen out related genes, and MTT and flow cytometry assays were used to verify the inhibitory effect of Pulsatilla compounds on the proliferation of lung adenocarcinoma cells. Subsequently, the optimal target, peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor (PPAR)-γ, was selected using bioinformatics analysis, and its properties of low expression in lung adenocarcinoma cells and its role as a tumor suppressor gene were verified by western blot assay...

Automatic and precise polyp segmentation in colonoscopy images is highly valuable for diagnosis at an early stage and surgery of colorectal cancer. Nevertheless, it still posed a major challenge due to variations in the size and intricate morphological characteristics of polyps coupled with the indistinct demarcation between polyps and mucosas. To alleviate these challenges, we proposed an improved dual-aggregation polyp segmentation network, dubbed Dua-PSNet, for automatic and accurate full-size polyp prediction by combining both the transformer branch and a fully convolutional network (FCN) branch in a parallel style...

Herein, F-doped CDs with bright red SSF were synthesized by a solvothermal method using trifluoroethanol as the solvent and m -hydroxybenzaldehyde as the carbon source. Strong F-F interactions are vital for inducing crystallization, and solid luminescence is achieved by blocking the nonradiative energy dissipation pathways of crystalline organizations.