Buggehsu1929

Zwitterion polymers with strong antifouling properties have been suggested as the prime alternative to polyethylene glycol (PEG) for drug nanocarriers surface coating. It is believed that PEG coating shortcomings, such as immune responses and incomplete protein repellency, could be overcome by zwitterionic polymers. However, no systematic study has been conducted so far to complete a comparative appraisal of PEG and zwitterionic-coating effects on nanoparticles (NPs) stealthness, cell uptake, cell barrier translocation and biodistribution in the context of nanocarriers brain targeting. Core-shell polymeric particles with identical cores and a shell of either PEG or poly(2-methacryloyloxyethyl phosphorylcholine (PMPC) were prepared by impinging jet mixer nanoprecipitation. NPs with similar size and surface potential were systematically compared using in vitro and in vivo assays. SBE-β-CD in vitro NPs behavior differences were rationalized based on their protein-particles interactions. PMPC-coated NPs were significantly more endocytosed by mouse macrophages or brain resident macrophages compared to PEGylated NPs but exhibited the remarkable ability to cross the blood-brain barrier in in vitro models. Nanoscale flow cytometry assays showed significantly more adsorbed proteins on PMPC-coated NPs than PEG-coated NPs. In vivo, distribution in zebrafish larvae, showed a strong propensity for PMPC-coated NPs to adhere to the vascular endothelium, while PEG-coated NPs were able to circulate for a longer time and escape the bloodstream to penetrate deep into the cerebral tissue. The stark differences between these two types of particles, besides their similarities in size and surface potential, points towards the paramount role of surface chemistry in controlling NPs fate likely via the formation of distinct protein corona for each coating.Melittin, the primary peptide component of bee venom, is a potent cytolytic anti-cancer peptide with established anti-tumor activity. However, practical application of melittin in oncology is hampered by its strong, nonspecific hemolytic activity and intrinsic instability. To address these shortcomings, delivery systems are used to overcome the drawbacks of melittin and facilitate its safe delivery. Yet, a recent study revealed that encapsulated melittin remains immunogenic and can act as an adjuvant to elicit a fatal antibody immune response against the delivery carrier. We discovered that substitution of l-amino acids with d-amino acids mitigates this problem D-melittin nanoformulations induce significantly decreased immune response, resulting in excellent safety without compromising cytolytic potential. We now report the first application of D-melittin and its micellar formulations for cancer treatment. D-melittin was delivered by a pH-sensitive polymer carrier that (i) forms micellar nanoparticles at normal physiological conditions, encapsulating melittin, and (ii) dissociates at endosomal pH, restoring melittin activity. D-melittin micelles (DMM) exhibits significant cytotoxicity and induces hemolysis in a pH-dependent manner. In addition, DMM induce immunogenic cell death, revealing its potential for cancer immunotherapy. Indeed, in vivo studies demonstrated the superior safety profile of DMM over free peptide and improved efficacy at prohibiting tumor growth. Overall, we present the first application of micellar D-melittin for cancer therapy. These findings establish a new strategy for safe, systemic delivery of melittin, unlocking a potential pathway toward clinical translation for cytotoxic peptides as anti-cancer agents. which can revolutionize in vivo delivery of therapeutic peptides and peptide antigens.

Placental dysfunction may be found among normal birth weight (BW) pregnancies, as indicated by abnormal histological findings in postnatal placental examination in some of these pregnancies. T2* weighted placental MRI provides non-invasive information on placental oxygenation and thereby placental function. The aim of this study was to investigate the correlation between placental T2*, BW and placental histology.

A total of 63 pregnant women underwent T2* weighted placental MRI at 15-40 week's gestation and a standardized placental histological examination (PHE). Abnormal PHE was defined by vascular malperfusion according to the Amsterdam workshop consensus. The correlation between PHE, BW z-score and T2* z-score was analyzed by logistic regression.

Abnormal PHE was revealed in 28 pregnancies. Multiple logistic regression revealed a significant correlation between abnormal PHE and T2* z-score (OR=0.34, p=0.008), whereas BW z-score did not add significantly to the correlation of placental histology (OR=0.

This work aims to determine the role of circular RNA (circRNA) AGFG1 and related molecular mechanism in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) cells.

CircAGFG1 expression in ESCC cell lines was probed with qRT-PCR. ESCC cells were transfected/cotransfected with si-circAGFG1, pcDNA3.1-circAGFG1, si-Microtubule Associated Protein RP/EB Family Member 2 (MAPRE2), pcDNA3.1-circAGFG1 + miR-4306 mimic or pcDNA3.1-circAGFG1 + si-MAPRE2. The interactions between circAGFG1 and miR-4306 as well as miR-4306 and MAPRE2 were confirmed by dual-luciferase reporter assay. Cell proliferation, migration and invasion were detected by CCK-8, cell scratch and Transwell assays, respectively. Relative RNA expression levels of circAGFG1, miR-4306 and MAPRE2 in ESCC cells were measured by qRT-PCR. The protein level of MAPRE2 in ESCC cells was monitored by Western blot.

CircAGFG1 was observably upregulated in ESCC cell lines. Besides, circAGFG1 silencing hindered ESCC cell development in vitro, and these effects were enhanced by miR-4306 overexpression or MAPRE2 silencing. Mechanistic analysis evidenced that circAGFG1 might act as a competitive endogenous RNA of miR-4306 to relieve the repressive effect of miR-4306 on its target MAPRE2.

CircAGFG1 facilitates ESCC progression via the miR-4306/MAPRE2 axis, and it may act as a possible biomarker for therapy and diagnosis in ESCC treatment.

CircAGFG1 facilitates ESCC progression via the miR-4306/MAPRE2 axis, and it may act as a possible biomarker for therapy and diagnosis in ESCC treatment.

Non-communicable diseases (NCDs) are the leading causes of death globally. link2 In Kenya, the number of deaths resulting from NCDs is projected to surpass malaria and tuberculosis by 2030. link3 Studies in Kenya show increasing NCDs; the aim of the present study is to examine the clustering of NCDs and risk factors in Kenya.

This is a cross-sectional study using data from the 2015 Kenya STEPwise Survey.

This study examined relationships between NCDs (e.g. obesity, hypertension and diabetes) and health behaviours (e.g. sedentary activity, and fruit and vegetable consumption). Survey probability weights, which estimated the sampling design effect, were applied to consider the sampling units, and stratifications were used during sampling so that the results could be generalisable to the national adult Kenyan population. In total, 4350 adults were included in the study sample.

Overall, 24.43% of participants were classified as having hypertension, 1.88% as having type 2 diabetes, and 27.94% were classified as being D prevalence in Kenya.

NCDs are clustered in groups with high-risk behaviours. The group with the highest chance of having NCDs also had the highest chance of engaging in high-risk behaviours. The findings of this study suggest that smoking and alcohol consumption increase NCD risk in rural areas. Tailored and targeted interventions are needed to curb the increasing NCD prevalence in Kenya.

COVID-19 is the most devastating pandemic that affected humanity and the world economy. This paper aimed to study the time-varying connectedness between the COVID-19 vaccination, infection rate (INFR), and the case fatality ratio (CFR) in the United States and the stock market returns.

We used COVID-19 daily confirmed number of infections, deaths, and vaccinations and the daily US stock market index return.

A wavelet coherence approach was used to assess the co-movement of the US stock market with the COVID-19 vaccination, INFR, and the CFR.

The COVID-19 vaccination, INFR, and CFR have a positive and significant influence on S&P 500 returns at the majority of business cycle frequencies with an in-phase relation.

The wavelet coherence analysis uncovers strong and significant connectedness between COVID-19 vaccination rate and S&P 500 return. From an economic perspective, the US government should continue its intervention with their vaccination strategy, as it is beneficial for fighting the pandemic. This may lead to the recovery of the stock market as well as to the whole economy.

The wavelet coherence analysis uncovers strong and significant connectedness between COVID-19 vaccination rate and S&P 500 return. From an economic perspective, the US government should continue its intervention with their vaccination strategy, as it is beneficial for fighting the pandemic. This may lead to the recovery of the stock market as well as to the whole economy.

This study aimed to review the trends in adult national screening programme performance in England before and during the COVID-19 pandemic and consider the future implications.

This was a quantitative, longitudinal study.

Publicly available data on quarterly uptake of the five adult screening programmes in England were obtained from Public Health England. Trends from 2017 to 2021 were reviewed and discussed.

From 2019 to 2020 Q4, there were substantial reductions in performance in four of the five national screening programmes that were not in keeping with recent trends.

The reductions in screening performance coincide with the arrival of the COVID-19 pandemic in England and may be explained by the temporary suspension of national screening programmes, and the inability or unwillingness of invitees to partake in screening once the programmes had been restored. Because of the delay in publication of the analysed data, further COVID-19 lockdowns in recent months make it probable that the current true screening performance figures are substantially lower than those presented in this article. The impact on screening programme performance is likely to be detrimental to patient outcomes, meaning remedial action is urgently required.

The reductions in screening performance coincide with the arrival of the COVID-19 pandemic in England and may be explained by the temporary suspension of national screening programmes, and the inability or unwillingness of invitees to partake in screening once the programmes had been restored. Because of the delay in publication of the analysed data, further COVID-19 lockdowns in recent months make it probable that the current true screening performance figures are substantially lower than those presented in this article. The impact on screening programme performance is likely to be detrimental to patient outcomes, meaning remedial action is urgently required.

To explore the association of gender inequality index (GII) with healthcare access and quality index (HAQI) for the male to female ratio of confirmed COVID-19 cases.

Secondary analysis of COVID-19 cases with GII and HAQI datasets.

Data for sex-disaggregated COVID-19 cases were collected from Global Health 50/50, for GII from the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and for HAQI from the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME). We used Spearman's correlation in SPSS version 23 to evaluate the association between the variables.

Cambodia had the highest male to female ratio (MF) of 4.081, followed by Pakistan (MF=2.851) and Nepal (MF=2.691). We observed a positive correlation between GII and MF ratio (Spearman's rho=0.681, P-value <0.001) and a negative correlation between HAQI and MF ratio (Spearman's rho=-0.676, P-value <0.001).

Countries with institutionalised gender disparities and poor healthcare access and quality tend to have higher MF ratios of confirmed COVID-19 cases; thus, highlighting underutilisation of testing services, influenced by multiple individuals, social and policy factors.