determinant

PURPOSE: Pancreatic cancer (PC) is one of the most lethal malignant gastrointestinal tumors (GI) characterized by a poor prognosis. Ferroptosis is an emerging programmed cell death that plays an essential role in the progression of various cancers. Ferroptosis is driven by iron-dependent phospholipid peroxidation and is regulated by mitochondrial activity, lipid peroxidation, and reactive oxygen species (ROS). The function and mechanism of ferroptosis in PC need more research. METHODS: The levels of circRNAs, miRNAs, and mRNAs were detected by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR)...

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a malignant tumor with extremely high mortality. The tumor microenvironment is the "soil" of its occurrence and development, and the inflammatory microenvironment is an important part of the "soil". Bile acid is closely related to the occurrence of HCC. Bile acid metabolism disorder is not only directly involved in the occurrence and development of HCC but also affects the inflammatory microenvironment of HCC. Yinchenhao decoction, a traditional Chinese medicine formula, can regulate bile acid metabolism and may affect the inflammatory microenvironment of HCC...

The endocrine system functions by interactions between ligands and receptors. Ligands exhibit potency for binding to and interacting with receptors. Potency is the product of affinity and efficacy. Potency and physiological concentration determine the ability of a ligand to produce physiological effects. The kinetic behavior of ligand-receptor interactions conforms to the laws of mass action. The laws of mass action define the relationship between the affinity of a ligand and the fraction of cognate receptors that it occupies at any physiological concentration...

BACKGROUND: Endophytic fungi have an abundant sources rich source of rich bioactive molecules with pivotal pharmacological properties. Several studies have found that endophytic fungi-derived bioactive secondary metabolites have antiproliferative, anti-oxidant, and anti-inflammatory properties, but the molecular mechanism by which they induce cell cycle arrest and apoptosis pathways is unknown. This study aimed to determine the molecular mechanism underlying the anticancer property of the endophytic fungi derived active secondary metabolites on human breast cancer cells...

OBJECTIVES: To describe the epidemiology of Pneumocystis jirovecii pneumonia and colonization diagnosed by next-generation sequencing (NGS) and explore the usefulness of the number of P. jirovecii sequence reads for the diagnosis of P. jirovecii pneumonia. METHODS: We examined the NGS results for P. jirovecii in respiratory samples collected from patients and analysed their clinical, radiological and microbiological characteristics. RESULTS: Among 285 respiratory samples collected over a 12-month period (January to December 2022), P...

PURPOSE: Deep learning-based analysis of micro-ultrasound images to detect cancerous lesions is a promising tool for improving prostate cancer (PCa) diagnosis. An ideal model should confidently identify cancer while responding with appropriate uncertainty when presented with out-of-distribution inputs that arise during deployment due to imaging artifacts and the biological heterogeneity of patients and prostatic tissue. METHODS: Using micro-ultrasound data from 693 patients across 5 clinical centers who underwent micro-ultrasound guided prostate biopsy, we train and evaluate convolutional neural network models for PCa detection...

BACKGROUND: Ankylosing spondylitis (AS) is often regarded as the prototypical manifestation of spondylo-arthropathies that prevalently involves the axial skeleton with the potential attribution of ERAP2 polymorphisms to AS predisposition. The purpose of this study was to determine the genetic association between ERAP2 gene rs2910686, and rs2248374 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and the risk of ankylosing spondylitis in the Egyptian population. METHODS AND RESULTS: A cross-sectional work involved 200 individuals: 100 AS individuals diagnosed based on modified New York criteria in 1984 with 100 healthy controls matched in age and gender...

INTRODUCTION: Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) often leads to interstitial lung disease (ILD), significantly affecting patient outcomes. This study explored the diagnostic accuracy of a multi-biomarker approach to offer a more efficient and accessible diagnostic strategy for RA-associated ILD (RA-ILD). METHODS: Patients diagnosed with RA, with or without ILD, at Beijing Tiantan Hospital from October 2019 to October 2023 were analyzed. A total of 125 RA patients were included, with 76 diagnosed with RA-ILD...

BACKGROUND: Polypharmacy is a growing concern, impacting patient safety and healthcare costs. Monitoring its prevalence and temporal trends is essential for effective healthcare management. AIM: This study aimed to determine prevalence and trends of polypharmacy and excessive polypharmacy in Belgium. METHOD: Utilizing a federal claims database, medication data were analyzed from 2012 to 2021. Polypharmacy (≥ 5 medications) and excessive polypharmacy (≥ 10 medications) were evaluated, with prevalence calculated per 1000 inhabitants, and reported per year, age group and region...

Post-error slowing (PES), the tendency to slow down a behavioral response after a previous error, has typically been investigated during simple cognitive tasks using response time as a measure of PES magnitude. More recently, PES was investigated during a single reach-to-grasp task to determine where post-error adjustments are employed in a more ecological setting. Kinematic analyses in the previous study detected PES during pre-movement planning and within the grasping component of movement execution. In the current study (N = 22), we increased the cognitive demands of a reach-to-grasp task by adding a choice between target and distractor locations to further explore PES, and other post-error adjustments, under different task conditions...

BACKGROUND: The α-Major Regulatory Element (α-MRE), also known as HS-40, is located upstream of the α-globin gene cluster and has a crucial role in the long-range regulation of the α-globin gene expression. This enhancer is polymorphic and several haplotypes were identified in different populations, with haplotype D almost exclusively found in African populations. The purpose of this research was to identify the HS-40 haplotype associated with the 3.7 kb α-thalassemia deletion (-α3...

OBJECTIVE: To assess reporting practices of sociodemographic data in Upper Aerodigestive Tract (UAT) videomics research in Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery (OHNS). STUDY DESIGN: Narrative review. METHODS: Four online research databases were searched for peer-reviewed articles on videomics and UAT endoscopy in OHNS, published since January 1, 2017. Title and abstract search, followed by a full-text screening was performed. Dataset audit criteria were determined by the MINIMAR reporting standards for patient demographic characteristics, in addition to gender and author affiliations...

BACKGROUND: Tacrolimus (TAC) is a frequently used immunosuppressive medication in organ transplantation. However, its nephrotoxic impact limits its long-term usage. This study aims to investigate the effect of linagliptin (Lina) on TAC-induced renal injury and its underlying mechanisms. METHODS AND RESULTS: Thirty-two Sprague Dawley rats were treated with TAC (1.5 mg/kg/day, subcutaneously) and/or Lina (5 mg/kg/day, orally) for 4 weeks. Histological examination was conducted, and serum and urinary biomarkers were measured to assess kidney function and integrity...

BACKGROUND: The non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is prevalent in as many as 25% of adults who are afflicted with metabolic syndrome. Oxidative stress plays a significant role in the pathophysiology of hepatic and renal injury associated with NAFLD. Therefore, probiotics such as Lactobacillus casei (LBC) and the microalga Chlorella vulgaris (CV) may be beneficial in alleviating kidney injury related to NAFLD. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This animal study utilized 30 C57BL/6 mice, which were evenly distributed into five groups: the control group, the NAFLD group, the NAFLD + CV group, the NAFLD + LBC group, and the NAFLD + CV + LBC group...

PURPOSE: Inadvertent and/or unknowing exposure to drugs and drug residues has been frequently debated in situations of so-called adverse analytical finding (AAF) in the context of sports drug testing programs. Transfer of drug residues via unprotected intercourse is a conceivable scenario but scientific data and authentic case reports are scarce. Herein, investigations into two AAFs with the peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor delta (PPARδ) agonist GW1516 are reported and discussed...

OBJECTIVE: To determine if the co-occurrence of apathy and impulse control disorders (ICDs) in Parkinson disease is dependent on instrument selection and assess the concurrent validity of three motivation measures by examining interrelationships between them. METHOD: Ninety-seven cognitively normal individuals with idiopathic Parkinson disease (PD) completed the Questionnaire for Impulsive-Compulsive Disorders in Parkinson Disease-Rating Scale (QUIP-RS) and three apathy measures: the Apathy Scale, Lille Apathy Rating Scale, and Item 4 of the Movement Disorder Society-Unified Parkinson Disease Rating Scale...

Spontaneous abortion is the most common complication in early pregnancy, the exact etiology of most cases cannot be determined. Emerging studies suggest that mutations in ciliary genes may be associated with progression of pregnancy loss. However, the involvement of primary cilia on spontaneous abortion and the underlying molecular mechanisms remains poorly understood. We observed the number and length of primary cilia were significantly decreased in decidua of spontaneous abortion in human and lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced abortion mice model, accompanied with increased expression of proinflammatory cytokines interleukin (IL)-1β, IL-6, and tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α...

The usefulness of anatomical variation is determined by the knowledge of why nonmetric traits appear. Clear descriptions of the traits are a necessary task, due to the risk of confusing anatomical variants and evidence of trauma. Numerous interpretations of the appearance of calcaneal anatomical variants add to the need of an anatomical atlas of calcaneal nonmetric traits. We have analyzed a total of 886 calcanei; 559 belong to different modern and pre-Hispanic samples, and 327 bones were studied from a reference collection from Athens...

Broadly neutralizing antibodies are proposed as therapeutic and prophylactic agents against HIV-1, but their potency and breadth are less than optimal. This study describes the immunization of a llama with the prefusion-stabilized HIV-1 envelope (Env) trimer, BG505 DS-SOSIP, and the identification and improvement of potent neutralizing nanobodies recognizing the CD4-binding site (CD4bs) of vulnerability. Two of the vaccine-elicited CD4bs-targeting nanobodies, G36 and R27, when engineered into a triple tandem format with llama IgG2a-hinge region and human IgG1-constant region (G36×3-IgG2a and R27×3-IgG2a), neutralized 96% of a multiclade 208-strain panel at geometric mean IC80 s of 0...

PURPOSE: Exome or genome sequencing (ES or GS) can identify genetic causes of otherwise unexplained congenital anomaly and perinatal death (PND) but is not routine practice. The evidence base for 'genomic autopsy' following termination of pregnancy for fetal anomaly (TOPFA) and PND has been synthesised to determine the value of this investigation. METHODS: We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis of studies meeting pre-specified inclusion criteria, and containing ≥10 cases of TOPFA or PND (with or without major congenital abnormality), where ES or GS was conducted...