Fate of emerging contaminants in an advanced SBR wastewater treatment and reuse facility incorporating UF, RO, and UV processes.

A critical factor for widescale water reuse adoption is the capability of advanced wastewater treatment facilities to consistently produce high-quality water by efficiently removing various pollutants, including emerging contaminants (ECs). This study monitored the fate of seventeen ECs (which included pesticides, antibiotics and other pharmaceutically active compounds) over six months in an advanced wastewater reuse facility situated in the United Arab Emirates. The facility integrates a sequencing batch reactor (SBR) based sewage treatment plant (STP) with a water recycling facility featuring ultrafiltration (UF), reverse osmosis (RO), and ultraviolet (UV) disinfection. ECs were detected and quantified at the influent and effluents of the various treatment stages, using an ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography coupled to electrospray ionization and quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry (UHPLC-ESI-QTOF-MS). The STP exhibited variable removal efficiencies, achieving >90 % removal for compounds like caffeine and acetaminophen, while others, such as carbamazepine and thiabendazole, displayed poor removal (<10 %). UF treatment broadly resulted in limited removal, with ECs in permeate typically persisting in the 1-10 ng/L range. Subsequently, after undergoing RO treatment, eight ECs were still detected in the RO permeate, albeit at <1 ng/L, except for imidacloprid (2.5 ng/L). Conversely, the final UV disinfection step led to concentration increases of certain ECs, namely imidacloprid, thiabendazole, sulfamethoxazole, sulfamethazine and caffeine. Overall, the total EC concentration levels decreased considerably from 2300 ng/L in the STP influent to 5.2 ng/L in the RO permeate. However, a subsequent increase to 27.5 ng/L was observed after UV disinfection. While the study underscores the effectiveness of advanced treatment processes, notably RO, in reducing EC concentrations, it also demonstrates the importance of continuous EC monitoring in such facilities as many compounds persist post treatment. Additionally, the potential for processes like UV disinfection to increase certain EC concentrations highlights the need to optimize treatment trains to minimize EC concentration rebound.

Galangin prevents gentamicin-induced nephrotoxicity by modulating oxidative damage, inflammation and apoptosis in rats.

The well-known antibiotic gentamicin (GEN) works well against a variety of pathogenic bacteria, nevertheless its therapeutic use might be limited by the possibility of nephrotoxicity. The naturally occurring flavonoid galangin (GAL) has several interesting anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties. The present study evaluated the nephroprotective effect of GAL on GEN-induced renal injury. Rats received GAL for 14 days and GEN from day 8 to day 14. There was a significant increase in serum urea and creatinine along with several histopathological changes in the kidney following GEN administration. GEN-treated rats also showed increased levels of kidney MDA and NO, and decreased GSH content and activities of antioxidant enzymes. Rats received GEN also demonstrated increased NF-κB p65, iNOS, TNF-α, IL-1ß and IL-6 levels in the kidney. GAL remarkably prevented tissue injury, attenuated MDA and NO levels, improved antioxidants, and decreased levels of inflammatory mediators in the kidney of GEN-treated rats. Furthermore, GEN-administrated rats exhibited increased Bax and caspase-3 with concomitant decline in Bcl-2 levels in the kidney, an effect that GAL attenuated. In conclusion, GAL prevents GEN-induced nephrotoxicity by attenuating oxidative stress, inflammation, and apoptosis and augmenting antioxidant defense, suggesting its therapeutic potential against drug nephrotoxicity.

Nebulized tranexamic acid for treatment of post-tonsillectomy bleeding: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

PURPOSE: Post-tonsillectomy bleeding (PTB) is a significant complication and common reason for emergency department (ED) visits. Limited literature has investigated the clinical efficacy of nebulized tranexamic acid (TXA) for treating PTB; however, the results were conflicting and not comprehensively summarized. This study aimed to provide the first-ever systematic review encompassing all literature exploring the efficacy and safety of nebulized TXA in treating PTB. METHODS: We screened six databases until 01-July-2024, for relevant studies and assessed their quality using validated tools. We provided a qualitative summary of baseline characteristics and clinical data. The primary endpoint was the reoperation rate to manage PTB, and its effect size was aggregated as a proportion or risk ratio (RR) with a 95% confidence interval (CI) using a random-effects model. RESULTS: We analyzed nine studies (2 case reports, 4 case series, and 3 retrospective comparative studies), all of which demonstrated good quality and low risk-of-bias. In studies using nebulized TXA for treating PTB (n = 9 studies), the pooled proportion of reoperation to control bleeding was 0.27 (95% CI: 0.08-0.5). The rate of reoperation to control bleeding was significantly lower in the nebulized TXA arm compared to the no-TXA arm (n = 3 studies, RR = 0.55, 95% CI [0.39-0.77], p < 0.001). CONCLUSION: Nebulized TXA is safe and promising for treating PTB. This is evidenced by its high efficacy in achieving hemostasis in acute settings during ED visits and reducing the rate of reoperations needed to control PTB. Further high-quality investigations are warranted to corroborate these findings.

Impact of inflammatory skin conditions on the biological profile of plasma rich in growth factor.

Plasma rich in growth factors (PRGF) can be used over patients suffering from dermatoses due to its anti-inflammatory effect. However, this population group might present soluble autoimmune components and there is limited information about the effect of chronic skin inflammation on PRGF bioactive properties. With the aim of characterizing PRGF composition, PRGF from healthy (H) donors and patients with atopic dermatitis (AD), psoriasis (PS), or lichen sclerosus (LS) was obtained. In order to reduce the inflammatory component, leukocyte exclusion and heat-inactivation (Immunosafe) were tested. Haematological-serological parameters, platelet functionality, clot microstructure, protein content and bioactivity were determined. Mean values and 95 % confidence intervals (mean[95 % CI]) were computed for key haematological parameters, such as platelet (410×103/mm3[371-449]) and leukocyte content (205×103/mm3[148-262]), platelet activation (resting: 4.3 %[3.1-5.5] and activated: 97.4 %[96.7-98.0]), the concentration of plasma proteins and morphogens, including immunoglobulins A (210.7 mg/dL[191.8-229.6]), G (933.1 mg/dL[887.2-978.9]), E (783.5 mg/dL[54.4-1512.6]), and M (115.0 mg/dL[97.1-133.0]), Complement Protein (31.6 mg/mL[26.6-36.6]), C-Reactive protein (3.1 mg/L[2.0-4.1]), TGF-ß1 (35975.6 pg/mL[34221.3-37729.8]), fibronectin (146410.0 ng/mL[136518.3-156301.7]), PDGF-AB (13308.5 pg/mL[12401.0-14216.0]), CD40L (2389.3 pg/mL[1887.7-2890.8]), IL-4 (0.12 pg/mL[0.07-0.18]), IL-13 (35.4 pg/mL[21.0-49.7]), IL-1ß (0.09 pg/mL[0.06-0.11]) and TNF-α (0.31 pg/mL[0.24-0.38]), and also for cell proliferation (332.9ngDNA/mL[317.4-348.3]), viability (135.6 %[132.0-139.2]) and migration (103.8cells/mm2[98.3-109.3]). Plasma from AD donors presented increased Immunoglobulin E (IgE) that was significantly reduced after Immunosafe along with the complement system and autoantibodies. Platelet functionality was altered for AD, but no microstructure differences were identified. Pathological groups presented reduced concentration of fibronectin (AD/LS) and Platelet-Derived Growth Factor (PDGF-AB) (P). Immunosafe treatment reduced Cluster of Differentiation 40 Protein (CD40L), interleukin 1ß (IL-1ß), and Tumor Necrosis Factor α (TNF-α) concentrations. Fibroblasts supplemented with PRGF obtained from pathological patients (PS/AD) showed reduced viability but Immunosafe increased cell proliferation and migration in SP (LS) and L-SP samples (PS/AD). In conclusion, PRGF derived from pathological patients present autoimmune components, but heat-inactivation or leukocyte exclusion could minimize local side effects.

A multimodal cross-transformer-based model to predict mild cognitive impairment using speech, language and vision.

Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI) is an early stage of memory loss or other cognitive ability loss in individuals who maintain the ability to independently perform most activities of daily living. It is considered a transitional stage between normal cognitive stage and more severe cognitive declines like dementia or Alzheimer's. Based on the reports from the National Institute of Aging (NIA), people with MCI are at a greater risk of developing dementia, thus it is of great importance to detect MCI at the earliest possible to mitigate the transformation of MCI to Alzheimer's and dementia. Recent studies have harnessed Artificial Intelligence (AI) to develop automated methods to predict and detect MCI. The majority of the existing research is based on unimodal data (e.g., only speech or prosody), but recent studies have shown that multimodality leads to a more accurate prediction of MCI. However, effectively exploiting different modalities is still a big challenge due to the lack of efficient fusion methods. This study proposes a robust fusion architecture utilizing an embedding-level fusion via a co-attention mechanism to leverage multimodal data for MCI prediction. This approach addresses the limitations of early and late fusion methods, which often fail to preserve inter-modal relationships. Our embedding-level fusion aims to capture complementary information across modalities, enhancing predictive accuracy. We used the I-CONECT dataset, where a large number of semi-structured conversations via internet/webcam between participants aged 75+ years old and interviewers were recorded. We introduce a multimodal speech-language-vision Deep Learning-based method to differentiate MCI from Normal Cognition (NC). Our proposed architecture includes co-attention blocks to fuse three different modalities at the embedding level to find the potential interactions between speech (audio), language (transcribed speech), and vision (facial videos) within the cross-Transformer layer. Experimental results demonstrate that our fusion method achieves an average AUC of 85.3% in detecting MCI from NC, significantly outperforming unimodal (60.9%) and bimodal (76.3%) baseline models. This superior performance highlights the effectiveness of our model in capturing and utilizing the complementary information from multiple modalities, offering a more accurate and reliable approach for MCI prediction.

The 3-Biomarker Classifier-A Novel and Simple Molecular Risk Score Predicting Overall Survival in Patients with Colorectal Cancer.

INTRODUCTION: Several new molecular markers in colorectal carcinomas have been discovered; however, classical histopathological predictors are still being used to predict survival in patients. We present a novel risk score, which uses molecular markers, to predict outcomes in patients with colorectal carcinoma. METHODS: The immunohistochemistry of tissue micro arrays was used to detect and quantify H2BUB1, RBM3 and Ki-67. Different intensities of staining were categorized for these markers and a score was established. A multivariate analysis was performed and survival curves were established. RESULTS: 1791 patients were evaluated, and multivariate analysis revealed that our risk score, the 3-biomarker classifier, is an independent marker to predict survival. We found a high risk-score to be associated with dismal median survival for the patients. CONCLUSIONS: A more personalized score might be able to better discriminate low- and high-risk patients and suggest adjuvant treatment compared to classical pathological staging. Our score can serve as a tool to predict outcomes in patients suffering from colorectal carcinoma.

The HCV-Melanoma Paradox: First Multi-Cohort and Molecular Net-Work Analysis Reveals Lower Incidence but Worse Outcomes-Integrating Clinical, Real-World, and In Silico Data.

Background and Objectives: The relationship between hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection and melanoma remains poorly understood. This study aimed to investigate the association between HCV and melanoma, assess outcomes in patients with both conditions, and explore potential molecular mechanisms connecting the two diseases. Materials and Methods: We conducted a retrospective cohort study of 142 melanoma patients, including 29 with HCV-related cirrhosis, and analyzed their clinical outcomes. For external validation, we used the TriNetX Global Collaborative Network database, comprising 219,960 propensity-matched patients per group. An in silico analysis was performed to identify the molecular pathways linking HCV and melanoma. Results: In the retrospective cohort, HCV-positive melanoma patients showed an increased risk of early relapse (41.4% vs. 18.6%, p = 0.014), recurrence (65.5% vs. 39.8%, p = 0.020), and mortality (65.5% vs. 23.0%, p < 0.001) compared to HCV-negative patients. TriNetX data analysis revealed that HCV-positive patients had a 53% lower risk of developing melanoma (RR = 0.470, 95% CI: 0.443-0.498, p < 0.001). However, HCV-positive melanoma patients had higher all-cause mortality (HR = 1.360, 95% CI: 1.189-1.556, p < 0.001). An in silico analysis identified key molecular players, including IL-6 and CTLA4, in the HCV-melanoma network. Conclusions: While HCV infection may be associated with a lower risk of melanoma development, HCV-positive patients who develop melanoma have poorer outcomes. The identified molecular pathways provide potential targets for future research and therapeutic interventions.

Dissecting the roles of exosomal cancer-associated fibroblasts-derived non-coding RNAs in tumor progression: A complete guide.

Cancer-associated fibroblasts are the most important cellular component of the tumor microenvironment, controlling cancer progression and therapeutic response. These cells in the tumor microenvironment regulate tumor progression and development as oncogenic or tumor suppressor agents. However, the mechanisms by which CAFs communicate with cancer cells remain to investigate. Here, we review evidence that extracellular vesicles, particularly exosomes, serve as vehicles for the intercellular transfer of bioactive cargos, notably microRNAs and long non-coding RNAs, from CAFs to cancer cells. We try to highlight molecular pathways of non-coding RNAs and the interaction among these molecules. Together, these findings elucidate a critical exosome-based communication axis by which CAFs create mostly a supportive pro-tumorigenic microenvironment and highlight therapeutic opportunities for disrupting this intercellular crosstalk.

Successful pregnancy in a woman with Herlyn-Werner-Wunderlich syndrome: A case report and literature review.

Herlyn-Werner-Wunderlich (HWW) syndrome is a rare congenital condition characterized by renal agenesis, uterine didelphys, and obstructed hemivagina. This report presents the case of a 19-year-old woman who reported lower abdominal pain and offensive vaginal discharge. Imaging revealed a didelphys uterus, two vaginas, two cervixes, hematocolpos, and an absent right kidney. Surgical intervention involved draining the hematocolpos and excising the uterine septum. After surgery, the patient successfully conceived and had a full-term pregnancy, delivering via cesarean section without complications. This case highlights the importance of early diagnosis and surgical management in preventing complications such as endometriosis and infertility. Prompt recognition and treatment are crucial for preserving fertility in patients with HWW syndrome.

Antithrombotic utilization, adverse events, and associations with treatment outcomes in multiple myeloma: pooled analysis of three clinical trials.

Background: Patients with multiple myeloma (MM) are at risk of venous thromboembolism (VTE), worsened by immunomodulatory drugs. Although antithrombotics are recommended for prophylaxis, existing guidelines are suboptimal and treatment outcomes remain unclear. Objectives: This study aimed to investigate adverse events, antithrombotic utilization, and their associations with survival outcomes in patients with MM initiating multi-drug immunomodulatory combinations. Design: A posthoc analysis of individual-participant level data (IPD). Methods: IPD from three daratumumab clinical trials (MAIA, POLLUX, and CASTOR) were pooled. Adverse events incidence and antithrombotic utilization were assessed. Logistic and Cox regression were utilized to examine associations between antithrombotics use with adverse events and survival outcomes at the baseline and 6-month landmark. Results: Among 1804 patients, VTE occurred in 10%, bleeding in 14%, ischemic heart disease in 4%, and stroke in 2%. Patients with these adverse events demonstrated elevated rates of any grade ⩾3 events. Antiplatelet (primarily aspirin) and anticoagulant (primarily LMWH and direct oral anticoagulants) prescriptions have seen an increase from baseline (25% and 14%, respectively) to 6 months (35% and 31%). The primary indication for their use was prophylaxis. Anticoagulant use within 6 months was associated with reduced VTE (OR (95% CI) = 0.45 (0.26-0.77), p = 0.004), while antiplatelet use showed no associations with any evaluated adverse events. Antithrombotics and survival outcomes had no significant associations. Conclusion: This study underscores the complexities of antithrombotic therapy and adverse events in MM and highlights the need for vigilant and proactive management due to increased grade ⩾3 adverse events. While anticoagulant use was associated with reduced VTE risk, further research is needed to optimize thromboprophylaxis guidelines and explore antithrombotic efficacy and safety in patients with MM. Trial registration: MAIA (NCT02252172), POLLUX (NCT02076009), CASTOR (NCT02136134).

Blood clot prevention drugs in multiple myeloma: usage and impact on patient outcomes Aims and Purpose of the Research This study aimed to understand how blood-thinning medications are used by patients with multiple myeloma, a type of blood cancer. Specifically, we wanted to find out how often these medications are used, what side effects they might cause, and whether they are linked with how long the patients live. Background of the Research This study is important because patients with multiple myeloma often have a higher risk of blood clots, especially when they are taking certain anticancer treatments. Blood-thinning drugs are usually recommended to prevent these clots, but it's not always clear how well these drugs work or what side effects they might cause. Methods and Research Design This study looked at data from three clinical trials involving a multiple myeloma drug called daratumumab. We looked at how often side effects occurred and how often blood-thinning drugs were used. Two groups of blood thinning drugs were investigated: antiplatelets and anticoagulants. We used two types of statistical methods, called logistic and Cox regression, to see if there was a connection between the use of these blood-thinning drugs and the occurrence of side effects or survival rates at the start of the study and after six months. Results and Importance The study found that the use of blood-thinning drugs increased over time and that using anticoagulants within the first six months was linked to a lower risk of blood clots. However, blood-thinning drugs were not linked with how long the patients lived. These results are important because they can help doctors better manage the use of blood-thinning drugs in patients with multiple myeloma. The key message is that more research is needed to improve guidelines for preventing blood clots and to better understand the safety and effectiveness of blood-thinning drugs in these patients.

Suction thrombectomy for management of pulmonary tumor embolism in the setting of hepatocellular carcinoma with macrovascular invasion.

Pulmonary tumor thrombi are rare but challenging to treat given the generally poor health of the patients in whom they occur and the low likelihood of the embolism to respond to anticoagulation. Management options include therapeutic anticoagulation and surgery, but the mortality rate is high in either case. Thus, in patients who are symptomatic, the decision about whether to intervene may be challenging. Here the authors present an alternative minimally invasive approach, illustrated in the case of a patient with hepatocellular carcinoma who developed intermediate-risk pulmonary tumor embolism that was successfully managed via suction embolectomy. Such treatment should be considered not just as a life-saving intervention but as a palliative one as well.

Development of a Three-Finger Adaptive Robotic Gripper to Assist Activities of Daily Living.

A significant number of individuals in the United States use assistive devices to enhance their mobility, and a considerable portion of those who depend on such aids require assistance from another individual in performing daily living activities. The introduction of robotic grippers has emerged as a transformative intervention, significantly contributing to the cultivation of independence. However, there are few grippers in the fields, which help with mimicking human hand-like movements (mostly grasping and pinching, with adoptive force control) to grasp and carry objects. Additionally, the data are not available even on how many Activities of Daily Living (ADL) objects they can handle. The goal of the research is to offer a new three-fingered gripper for daily living assistance, which can both grasp and pinch with adaptive force, enabling the capabilities of handling wide-ranging ADL objects with a minimal footprint. It is designed to handle 90 selective essential ADL objects of different shapes (cylindrical, irregular, rectangular, and round), sizes, weights, and textures (smooth, rough, bumpy, and rubbery). The gripper boasts a meticulously engineered yet simple design, facilitating seamless manufacturing through 3D printing technology without compromising its operational efficacy. The gripper extends its functionality beyond conventional grasping, featuring the capability to pinch (such as holding a credit card) and securely hold lightweight objects. Moreover, the gripper is adaptable to grasping various objects with different shapes and weights with controlled forces. In evaluation, the developed gripper went through rigorous load tests and usability tests. The results demonstrated that the users picked and placed 75 objects out of 90 daily objects. The gripper held and manipulated objects with dimensions from 25 mm to 80 mm and up to 2.9 kg. For heavy-weight objects (like books) where the centroid is far apart from the grasping areas, it is difficult to hold them due to high torque. However, objects' textures have no significant effect on grasping performance. Users perceived the simplicity of the gripper. Further investigation is required to assess the utility and longevity of grippers. This study contributes to developing assistive robots designed to enhance object manipulation, thereby improving individuals' independence and overall quality of life.

MC-ViViT: Multi-branch Classifier-ViViT to Detect Mild Cognitive Impairment in Older Adults Using Facial Videos.

Deep machine learning models including Convolutional Neural Networks (CNN) have been successful in the detection of Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI) using medical images, questionnaires, and videos. This paper proposes a novel Multi-branch Classifier-Video Vision Transformer (MC-ViViT) model to distinguish MCI from those with normal cognition by analyzing facial features. The data comes from the I-CONECT, a behavioral intervention trial aimed at improving cognitive function by providing frequent video chats. MC-ViViT extracts spatiotemporal features of videos in one branch and augments representations by the MC module. The I-CONECT dataset is challenging as the dataset is imbalanced containing Hard-Easy and Positive-Negative samples, which impedes the performance of MC-ViViT. We propose a loss function for Hard-Easy and Positive-Negative Samples (HP Loss) by combining Focal loss and AD-CORRE loss to address the imbalanced problem. Our experimental results on the I-CONECT dataset show the great potential of MC-ViViT in predicting MCI with a high accuracy of 90.63% accuracy on some of the interview videos.

MXene-based kirigami designs: showcasing reconfigurable frequency selectivity in microwave regime.

Today's wireless environments, soft robotics, and space applications demand delicate design of devices with tunable performances and simple fabrication processes. Here we show strain-based adjustability of RF/microwave performance by applying frequency-selective patterns of conductive Ti3C2Tx MXene coatings on low-cost acetate substrates under ambient conditions. The tailored performances were achieved by applying frequency-selective patterns of thin Ti3C2Tx MXene coatings with high electrical conductivity as a replacement to metal on low-cost flexible acetate substrates under ambient conditions. Under quasi-axial stress, the Kirigami design enables displacements of individual resonant cells, changing the overall electromagnetic performance of a surface (i.e., array) within a simulated wireless channel. Two flexible Kirigami-inspired prototypes were implemented and tested within the S, C, and X (2-4 GHz, 4-8 GHz, and 8-12 GHz) microwave frequency bands. The resonant surface, having ~1/4 of the size of a standard A4 paper, was able to steer a beam of scattered waves from each resonator by ~25°. Under a strain of 22%, the resonant frequency of the wired co-planar resonator was shifted by 400 MHz, while the reflection coefficient changed by 158%. Deforming the geometry impacted the spectral response of the components across three arbitrary frequencies in the 4-10 GHz frequency range. With this proof of concept, we anticipate implementing thin films of MXenes on technologically relevant substrates, achieving multi-functionality through cost-effective and straightforward manufacturing.

Applying Super-Resolution and Tomography Concepts to Identify Receptive Field Subunits in the Retina.

Spatially nonlinear stimulus integration by retinal ganglion cells lies at the heart of various computations performed by the retina. It arises from the nonlinear transmission of signals that ganglion cells receive from bipolar cells, which thereby constitute functional subunits within a ganglion cell's receptive field. Inferring these subunits from recorded ganglion cell activity promises a new avenue for studying the functional architecture of the retina. This calls for efficient methods, which leave sufficient experimental time to leverage the acquired knowledge for further investigating identified subunits. Here, we combine concepts from super-resolution microscopy and computed tomography and introduce super-resolved tomographic reconstruction (STR) as a technique to efficiently stimulate and locate receptive field subunits. Simulations demonstrate that this approach can reliably identify subunits across a wide range of model variations, and application in recordings of primate parasol ganglion cells validates the experimental feasibility. STR can potentially reveal comprehensive subunit layouts within only a few tens of minutes of recording time, making it ideal for online analysis and closed-loop investigations of receptive field substructure in retina recordings.

The Development of Metal-Free Porous Organic Polymers for Sustainable Carbon Dioxide Photoreduction.

A viable tactic to effectively address the climate crisis is the production of renewable fuels via photocatalytic reactions using solar energy and available resources like carbon dioxide (CO2) and water. Organic polymer material-based photocatalytic materials are thought to be one way to convert solar energy into valuable chemicals and other solar fuels. The use of porous organic polymers (POPs) for CO2 fixation and capture and sequestration to produce beneficial compounds to reduce global warming is still receiving a lot of interest. Visible light-responsive organic photopolymers that are functionally designed and include a large number of heteroatoms and an extended π-conjugation allow for the generation of photogenerated charge carriers, improved absorption of visible light, increased charge separation, and decreased charge recombination during photocatalysis. Due to their rigid structure, high surface area, flexible pore size, permanent porosity, and adaptability of the backbone for the intended purpose, POPs have drawn more and more attention. These qualities have been shown to be highly advantageous for numerous sustainable applications. POPs may be broadly categorized as crystalline or amorphous according to how much long-range order they possess. In terms of performance, conducting POPs outperform inorganic semiconductors and typical organic dyes. They are light-harvesting materials with remarkable optical characteristics, photostability, cheap cost, and low cytotoxicity. Through cocatalyst loading and morphological tweaking, this review presents optimization options for POPs preparation techniques. We provide an analysis of the ways in which the preparative techniques will affect the materials' physicochemical characteristics and, consequently, their catalytic activity. An inventory of experimental methods is provided for characterizing POPs' optical, morphological, electrochemical, and catalytic characteristics. The focus of this review is to thoroughly investigate the photochemistry of these polymeric organic photocatalysts with an emphasis on understanding the processes of internal charge generation and transport within POPs. The review covers several types of amorphous POP materials, including those based on conjugated microporous polymers (CMPs), inherent microporosity polymers, hyper-crosslinked polymers, and porous aromatic frameworks. Additionally, common synthetic approaches for these materials are briefly discussed.

Carbon nanotube-modified adhesive to caries affected dentin conditioned with Nd: YAP laser, phosphoric acid, and photoactivated-erythrosine.

AIM: Dentin conditioned with phosphoric acid (PA) Nd: YAP laser, and photoactivated-Ery(Erythrosine) on microleakage, shear bond strength (SBS) degree of conversion (DC), and rheological assessment of adhesive-infused with carbon nanotubes (CNTs). MATERIAL AND METHOD: Carious ninety-six human mandibular molars were included. Specimens were disinfected and allocated into three groups based on surface pretreatment (n = 32) Group 1 (PA), Group 2 (Nd: YAP) laser, and Group 3 (Photoactivated-Ery). Conditioned groups were further divided into two 2 subgroups based on the application of unmodified ERA and CNTs-modified ERA. Composite restorations were placed on the CAD surface and thermal aging of the samples was performed. The microleakage assessment was conducted using a dye penetration test. Universal testing machine (UTM) assessed SBS bond failure was evaluated using a stereomicroscope. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy-dispersive X-ray (EDX) analyses of CNT, and Fourier Transform Infrared FTIR of adhesives were performed. One-way ANOVA and Tukey post hoc analyzed the outcomes. RESULTS: Group 1B samples (PA+ CNTs modified adhesive) presented the minimum marginal leakage and highest bond integrity. Group 2A (Nd:YAP laser+Unmodified adhesive) displayed the maximum scores of microleakage and lowest bond strength. CONCLUSION: Photoactivated Ery-PS can serve as an alternative to phosphoric acid for conditioning CAD. Incorporating CNT in adhesive significantly enhanced bond integrity and marginal seal with no significant difference in DC.

Reviving ancient therapeutics in modern medicine: an immunological and biological narrative review of wet cupping in the management of Hashimoto's thyroiditis.

Background and Objective: The interwoven immunological, biological, and genetic complexity of thyroid diseases makes suitable targeted therapies particularly challenging to develop. Stemming from ancient practices, al-hijamah, or wet cupping, has achieved notable popularity in recent years, leading to unique applications in modern medicine. By grappling with the current literature that links the effects of wet cupping with the immune system in patients with Hashimoto's thyroiditis (HT), this narrative review aims to compose a comprehensive assessment of this adjunctive treatment based on evidence of its integration into practice. Methods: Between upregulating critical players of the innate immune system, such as immunostimulatory cytokines, white blood cells (WBCs) and natural killer (NK) cells, and downregulating essential thyroid antibodies (anti-thyroid peroxidase and anti-thyroglobulin) and inflammatory markers (C-reactive protein and erythrocyte sedimentation rate), wet cupping practices provide promising complementary therapy for hypothyroidism. Key Content and Findings: Wet cupping manipulates in vivo molecular mechanisms, as outlined in hemodynamic and microparticle clearance theories, to slow disease progression and even development in disease-free populations. Given the established utilization of wet cupping in the context of autoimmune diseases and inflammatory conditions, the emerging utility of wet cupping continues to gain credibility. Conclusions: This literature review illuminates the documented improvements in immune and biological function due to cupping therapeutic practices and sheds light on its appropriate application in the clinical setting for patients with HT. Furthermore, this review proposes a clear need for implementing future clinical trials, which may effectively bridge pathophysiological causes of hypothyroidism with underrated techniques for enhanced thyroid health.

Comparative proteomic analysis of saliva from chewing tobacco users and oral cancer patients reveals shared biomarkers: A case control observational study.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to compare the salivary proteomic profile of smokeless tobacco users with that of non-users and oral cancer patients using Liquid Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry/ Mass Spectrometry (LC-MS/MS). METHODS: Saliva samples from 65 participants were collected in three groups: control (25 participants), smokeless tobacco users (25 participants), and oral cancer (15 participants). RESULTS: The analysis revealed 343 protein groups with significantly altered abundance in the saliva samples (P < 0.05). Among these, 43 out of 51 dysregulated proteins in the smokeless tobacco group were also dysregulated in the oral cancer group. Notably, Apolipoprotein A1 (ApoA1) and Pon1 were found to be significantly increased in both smokeless tobacco users and oral cancer patients (p < 0.05). Furthermore, six out of the 20 most significantly altered proteins were mitochondrial proteins, and all of these were decreased relative to controls in both smokeless tobacco users and cancer samples. CONCLUSION: The proteomic profile of users of chewing (smokeless) tobacco (SLT) shows substantial overlap in the altered pathways and dysregulated proteins with those altered in oral cancer samples, suggesting that SLT use induces a shift toward an oncogenic state. Specifically indicated pathways included blood microparticles, platelet α-granules and protease inhibitors as well as indicators of oxidative stress and exogenous compound processing. What differentiates oral cancer samples from SLT users is enrichment of alterations related to cytoskeletal organisation and tissue remodelling. CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE: The findings emphasize the importance of salivary proteomic profiles because changes in certain proteins may be indicators for early oral cancer identification and risk assessment in smokeless tobacco users.

A phase I safety and efficacy clinical trial of plocabulin and gemcitabine in patients with advanced solid tumors.

Plocabulin (Plo) induces depolymerization of tubulin fibers with disorganization and fragmentation of the microtubule network leading to mitosis. Plo combined with gemcitabine (Gem) showed synergistic anti-tumor activity in preclinical studies. This phase I trial evaluated the safety, pharmacokinetics (PK) and efficacy of Plo 10-min infusion plus Gem on Day 1 and 8 every 3-week in patients with advanced solid tumors. Fifty-seven patients were enrolled into 8 dose levels (DLs); 74%: females; 74%: ECOG performance status 1; median age: 62 years; median number of prior lines of therapy:3. Dose-limiting toxicities (DLT) in Cycle 1 were grade (G) 3 intestinal obstruction at the maximum tolerated dose (MTD), G3 peripheral sensory neuropathy (PSN), G3 abdominal pain, and G4 thrombocytopenia (1 patient each). The highest DL (DL8: Plo 10.5 mg/m2/Gem 1000 mg/m2) was the MTD. Accrual into DL7 (Plo 10.0 mg/m2/Gem 1000 mg/m2) was stopped before it was formally defined as the recommended dose (RD). Most common treatment-related adverse events (AEs) were fatigue (56%), nausea (55%), diarrhea (31%); G3/4 hematologic toxicities comprised anemia (35%), neutropenia (27%) and thrombocytopenia (17%). No treatment-related deaths occurred. PK parameters for Gem or dFdU at all DLs were in line with reference values from the literature. Six of 46 evaluable pts were responders (overall response rate:13%). Of note, 2 partial responses (PR) and 2 stable disease (SD) ≥ 4 months occurred among 13 pts with ovarian cancer. The combination of Plo and Gem is well tolerated. The MTD was Plo 10.5 mg/m2/Gem 1000 mg/m2. No PK drug-drug interaction was found. The most encouraging outcome occurred in ovarian cancer patients.