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Pharmaceutics Jun 2024DOX/TPOR@CB[7] was synthesized via self-assembly, and its physicochemical properties and ability to generate reactive oxygen species (ROS) were evaluated. The impact of...
DOX/TPOR@CB[7] was synthesized via self-assembly, and its physicochemical properties and ability to generate reactive oxygen species (ROS) were evaluated. The impact of photodynamic therapy on SH-SY5Y cells was assessed using the MTT assay, while flow cytometry analysis was employed to detect cell apoptosis. Confocal laser scanning microscopy was utilized to observe the intracellular distribution of DOX/TPOR@CB[7] in SH-SY5Y cells. Additionally, fluorescence imaging of DOX/TPOR@CB[7] in nude mice bearing SH-SY5Y tumors and examination of the combined effects of photodynamic and chemical therapies were conducted. The incorporation of CB[7] significantly enhanced the optical properties of DOX/TPOR@CB[7], resulting in increased ROS production and pronounced toxicity towards SH-SY5Y cells. Moreover, both the apoptotic and mortality rates exhibited significant elevation. In vivo experiments demonstrated that tumor growth inhibition was most prominent in the DOX/TPOR@CB[7] group. π-π interactions facilitated the binding between DOX and photosensitizer TPOR, with TPOR's naphthalene hydrophilic groups encapsulated within CB[7]'s cavity through host-guest interactions with CB[7]. Therefore, CB[7] can serve as a nanocarrier to enhance the combined application of chemical therapy and photodynamic therapy, thereby significantly improving treatment efficacy against neuroblastoma tumors.
PubMed: 38931942
DOI: 10.3390/pharmaceutics16060822 -
Pharmaceutics May 2024The standard of care for glioblastoma (GBM) involves surgery followed by adjuvant radio- and chemotherapy, but often within months, patients relapse, and this has been...
The standard of care for glioblastoma (GBM) involves surgery followed by adjuvant radio- and chemotherapy, but often within months, patients relapse, and this has been linked to glioma stem cells (GSCs), self-renewing cells with increased therapy resistance. The identification of the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) and platelet-derived growth factor receptor (PDGFR) as key players in gliomagenesis inspired the development of inhibitors targeting these tyrosine kinases (TKIs). However, results from clinical trials testing TKIs have been disappointing, and while the role of GSCs in conventional therapy resistance has been extensively studied, less is known about resistance of GSCs to TKIs. In this study, we have used compartmentalised proteomics to analyse the adaptive response of GSCs to ponatinib, a TKI with activity against PDGFR. The analysis of differentially expressed proteins revealed that GSCs respond to ponatinib by broadly rewiring lipid metabolism, involving fatty acid beta-oxidation, cholesterol synthesis, and sphingolipid degradation. Inhibiting each of these metabolic pathways overcame ponatinib adaptation of GSCs, but interrogation of patient data revealed sphingolipid degradation as the most relevant pathway in GBM. Our data highlight that targeting lipid metabolism, and particularly sphingolipid degradation in combinatorial therapies, could improve the outcome of TKI therapies using ponatinib in GBM.
PubMed: 38931850
DOI: 10.3390/pharmaceutics16060728 -
Sensors (Basel, Switzerland) Jun 2024The accurate perception of external environment information through the robot foot is crucial for the mobile robot to evaluate its ability to traverse terrain. Adequate...
The accurate perception of external environment information through the robot foot is crucial for the mobile robot to evaluate its ability to traverse terrain. Adequate foot-end contact signals can provide robust support for robot motion control and decision-making processes. The shape and uncertain rotation of the wheel-legged robot foot end represent a significant challenge to sensing the robot foot-end contact state, which current foot-end sensing schemes cannot solve. This paper presents a sensing method for the tire stress field of wheel-legged robots. A finite element analysis was conducted to study the deformation characteristics of the foot-end tire under force. Based on this analysis, a heuristic contact position estimator was designed that utilizes symmetrical deformation characteristics. Strain sensors, arranged in an array, extract the deformation information on the inner surface of the tire at a frequency of 200 Hz. The contact position estimator reduces the dimensionality of the data and fits the eigenvalues to the estimated contact position. Using support vector regression, the force estimator utilizes the estimated contact position and sensor signal to estimate the normal reaction force, designated as F. The sensing system is capable of detecting the contact position on the wheel circumference (with a root mean square error of 1.150°), as well as the normal force of 160 N on the Z axis (with a root mean square error of 6.04%). To validate the efficacy of the sensor detection method, a series of randomized and repeated experiments were conducted on a self-constructed test platform. This novel approach offers a promising avenue for perceiving contact states in wheel-legged robots.
PubMed: 38931739
DOI: 10.3390/s24123956 -
Sensors (Basel, Switzerland) Jun 2024Depression is a major psychological disorder with a growing impact worldwide. Traditional methods for detecting the risk of depression, predominantly reliant on...
Depression is a major psychological disorder with a growing impact worldwide. Traditional methods for detecting the risk of depression, predominantly reliant on psychiatric evaluations and self-assessment questionnaires, are often criticized for their inefficiency and lack of objectivity. Advancements in deep learning have paved the way for innovations in depression risk detection methods that fuse multimodal data. This paper introduces a novel framework, the Audio, Video, and Text Fusion-Three Branch Network (AVTF-TBN), designed to amalgamate auditory, visual, and textual cues for a comprehensive analysis of depression risk. Our approach encompasses three dedicated branches-Audio Branch, Video Branch, and Text Branch-each responsible for extracting salient features from the corresponding modality. These features are subsequently fused through a multimodal fusion (MMF) module, yielding a robust feature vector that feeds into a predictive modeling layer. To further our research, we devised an emotion elicitation paradigm based on two distinct tasks-reading and interviewing-implemented to gather a rich, sensor-based depression risk detection dataset. The sensory equipment, such as cameras, captures subtle facial expressions and vocal characteristics essential for our analysis. The research thoroughly investigates the data generated by varying emotional stimuli and evaluates the contribution of different tasks to emotion evocation. During the experiment, the AVTF-TBN model has the best performance when the data from the two tasks are simultaneously used for detection, where the F1 Score is 0.78, Precision is 0.76, and Recall is 0.81. Our experimental results confirm the validity of the paradigm and demonstrate the efficacy of the AVTF-TBN model in detecting depression risk, showcasing the crucial role of sensor-based data in mental health detection.
Topics: Humans; Depression; Video Recording; Emotions; Deep Learning; Facial Expression; Female; Male; Adult; Neural Networks, Computer
PubMed: 38931497
DOI: 10.3390/s24123714 -
Nutrients Jun 2024Metabolic syndrome (MetS) and a prolonged daily eating window (EW) are associated with circadian rhythm disruption and increased cardiometabolic risk. Misalignment...
Metabolic syndrome (MetS) and a prolonged daily eating window (EW) are associated with circadian rhythm disruption and increased cardiometabolic risk. Misalignment between circadian timing system and daily rhythms of food intake adversely impacts metabolic regulatory mechanisms and cardiovascular function. Restricting the daily EW by imposing an eating-fasting cycle through time-restricted eating (TRE) can restore robust circadian rhythms, support cellular metabolism, and improve cardiometabolic health. The aim of this study was to assess a feasibility of 12-week TRE intervention with self-selected 10 h EW and effects of TRE on EW duration, cardiometabolic outcomes, daily rhythms of behavior, and wellbeing in Polish patients with MetS and EW ≥ 14 h/day. Dietary intake was monitored with a validated myCircadianClock application (mCC app). Adherence to TRE defined as the proportion of days recorded with mCC app in which participants satisfied 10-h TRE was the primary outcome. A total of 26 patients (aged 45 ± 13 years, 62% women, 3.3 ± 0.5 MetS criteria, EW 14 ± 1.5 h/day) were enrolled. Coexistence of increased waist circumference (WC) (96% of patients), elevated fasting plasma glucose (FPG) (77%), and elevated blood pressure (BP) (69%) was the most common MetS pattern (50%). TRE intervention (mean duration of 81.6 ± 12.6 days) led to reducing daily EW by 28% ( < 0.0001). Adherence to TRE was 87 ± 13%. Adherence to logging food intake on mCC app during TRE was 70 ± 27%. Post TRE, a decrease in body weight (2%, 1.7 ± 3.6 kg, = 0.026), body mass index (BMI) (1%, 0.5 ± 1.2 kg/m, = 0.027), WC (2%, 2.5 ± 3.9 cm, = 0.003), systolic BP (4%, 4.8 ± 9.0 mmHg, = 0.012), FPG (4%, 3.8 ± 6.9 mg/dL, = 0.037), glycated hemoglobin (4%, 0.2 ± 0.4%, = 0.011), mean fasting glucose level from continuous glucose monitor (CGM) (4%, 4.0 ± 6.1 mg/dL, = 0.002), and sleepiness score (25%, 1.9 ± 3.2 points, = 0043) were observed. A significant decrease in body weight (2%), BMI (2%), WC (3%), mean CGM fasting glucose (6%), sleepiness score (27%), and depression score (60%) was found in patients with mean post-TRE EW ≤ 10 h/day (58% of total), and not in patients with EW > 10 h/day. Adherence to TRE was higher in patients with post-TRE EW ≤ 10 h/day vs. patients with EW > 10 h/day (94 ± 6% vs. 77 ± 14%, = 0.003). Our findings indicate that 10-h TRE was feasible in the European MetS population. TRE resulted in reducing daily EW and improved cardiometabolic outcomes and wellbeing in patients with MetS and prolonged EW. Use of the mCC app can aid in implementing TRE. This pilot clinical trial provides exploratory data that are a basis for a large-scale randomized controlled trial to determine the efficacy and sustainability of TRE for reducing cardiometabolic risks in MetS populations. Further research is needed to investigate the mechanisms of TRE effects, including its impact on circadian rhythm disruption.
Topics: Humans; Metabolic Syndrome; Female; Male; Middle Aged; Feasibility Studies; Fasting; Adult; Blood Glucose; Circadian Rhythm; Blood Pressure; Time Factors; Waist Circumference; Feeding Behavior; Eating; Cardiometabolic Risk Factors
PubMed: 38931157
DOI: 10.3390/nu16121802 -
Molecules (Basel, Switzerland) Jun 2024Acute lung injury (ALI) remains a significant global health issue, necessitating novel therapeutic interventions. In our latest study, we pioneered the use of...
Acute lung injury (ALI) remains a significant global health issue, necessitating novel therapeutic interventions. In our latest study, we pioneered the use of D-mannitol-cerium-quercetin/rutin coordination polymer nanoparticles (MCQ/R NPs) as a potential treatment for ALI. The MCQ/R NPs, which integrate rutin and quercetin for their therapeutic potential and D-mannitol for its pulmonary targeting, displayed exceptional efficacy. By utilizing cerium ions for optimal nanoparticle assembly, the MCQ/R NPs demonstrated an average size of less than 160 nm. Impressively, these nanoparticles outperformed conventional treatments in both antioxidative capabilities and biocompatibility. Moreover, our in vivo studies on LPS-induced ALI mice showed a significant reduction in lung tissue inflammation. This groundbreaking research presents MCQ/R NPs as a promising new approach in ALI therapeutics.
Topics: Acute Lung Injury; Quercetin; Animals; Mannitol; Nanoparticles; Mice; Polymers; Cerium; Rutin; Antioxidants; Humans; Drug Synergism; Disease Models, Animal; Lipopolysaccharides
PubMed: 38930884
DOI: 10.3390/molecules29122819 -
Microorganisms May 2024In this study, we focused on evaluating the impact of BHJ04 on the growth of seedlings and its biocontrol efficacy against pine wilt disease (PWD). Additionally, the...
In this study, we focused on evaluating the impact of BHJ04 on the growth of seedlings and its biocontrol efficacy against pine wilt disease (PWD). Additionally, the colonization dynamics of BHJ04 on were examined. The growth promotion experiment showed that BHJ04 significantly promoted the growth of the branches and roots of . Pot control experiments indicated that strain BHJ04 significantly inhibited the spread of PWD. There were significant changes in the expression of several genes related to pine wood nematode defense in , including chitinase, nicotinamide synthetase, and triangular tetrapeptide-like superfamily protein isoform 9. Furthermore, our results revealed significant upregulation of genes associated with the water stress response (dehydration-responsive proteins), genetic material replication (DNA/RNA polymerase superfamily proteins), cell wall hydrolase, and detoxification (cytochrome P450 and cytochrome P450 monooxygenase superfamily genes) in the self-regulation of . Colonization experiments demonstrated that strain BHJ04 can colonize the roots, shoots, and leaves of , and the colonization amount on the leaves was the greatest, reaching 160,000 on the 15th day. However, colonization of the stems lasted longer, with the highest level of colonization observed after 45 d. This study provides a preliminary exploration of the growth-promoting and disease-preventing mechanisms of BHJ04 and its ability to colonize pines, thus providing a new biocontrol microbial resource for the biological control of plant diseases.
PubMed: 38930471
DOI: 10.3390/microorganisms12061089 -
Journal of Clinical Medicine Jun 2024: Previous research points to the prevalence of insomnia during the COVID-19 pandemic among healthcare workers (HCWs). However, longitudinal studies on its evolution,...
: Previous research points to the prevalence of insomnia during the COVID-19 pandemic among healthcare workers (HCWs). However, longitudinal studies on its evolution, including the post-pandemic stage, are less abundant, with a special lack of research about possible psychosocial risk factors. The aim of the current study is to analyze the evolution of insomnia in Spanish HCWs from the beginning of the pandemic until two years later, examining the influence of sociodemographic, occupational and psychosocial variables. : This was a prospective longitudinal design with three data collection periods in which insomnia was assessed using the Insomnia Severity Index (ISI), in addition to sociodemographic, occupational and psychosocial (i.e., social support, self-efficacy, resilience and cognitive fusion) variables in HCWs (n = 216) who were in direct contact with COVID-19 patients. : High scores were observed for insomnia, with a clear decrease throughout the periods studied (F = 30.198, < 0.001). An association was observed between insomnia and certain sociodemographic and occupational variables (i.e., work category, = 0.001; availability of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), < 0.001; workload, < 0.001; worry about self or family contagion, = 0.002, = 0.003, respectively). Insomnia had negative relationships with social support ( = 0.014), self-efficacy ( < 0.001) and resilience ( < 0.001) and positive relationships with cognitive fusion ( < 0.001). Interaction effects between the evolution of insomnia and social support from friends ( = 0.024, ƞ2 = 0.34) and between the evolution of insomnia and cognitive fusion ( = 0.047; ƞ2 = 0.25) were found. : Social support, self-efficacy and resilience act as buffers for insomnia. Cognitive fusion acts as a clear precipitator of insomnia as well as directly influencing its evolution. Social support from friends also affects the evolution of insomnia. Within the specific circumstances of the COVID-19 pandemic, a long-term effect of social support from friends and a short-term effect of cognitive fusion on the evolution of insomnia was observed. The findings emphasize the need to implement specific interventions to promote the mental well-being of HCWs, particularly in crisis contexts that involve an increase in occupational stress, emphasizing the role of certain psychosocial variables as protective factors.
PubMed: 38930028
DOI: 10.3390/jcm13123498 -
Life (Basel, Switzerland) Jun 2024Smartphone apps for self-management are valuable tools to help manage low back pain (LBP) patients. The purposes of this systematic review were to (a) summarize the... (Review)
Review
The Efficacy of the Smartphone App for the Self-Management of Low Back Pain: A Systematic Review and Assessment of Their Quality through the Mobile Application Rating Scale (MARS) in Italy.
Smartphone apps for self-management are valuable tools to help manage low back pain (LBP) patients. The purposes of this systematic review were to (a) summarize the available studies on the efficacy of smartphone apps for self-management of LBP and (b) identify free applications available in Italy that offer strategies for LBP self-management and provide a qualitative assessment using the Mobile Application Rating Scale (MARS). According to the Prisma Checklist, six bibliographic databases were searched with the keywords 'low back pain', 'mobile application', 'smartphone', and 'telemedicine'. In total, 852 records were screened, and 16 were included in the systematic review. Of the six RCTs included, four reported a statistically significant decrease in pain in favor of the app group, and two RCTs did not. Only in a non-RCT was there an increase in the disability score. In the application research conducted on mobile stores, we identified and rated 25 applications through MARS. The overall scores ranged from 1.93 to 3.92 for the IOS app and 1.73 to 4.25 for the Play Store app. The findings suggest that few apps meet satisfying quality, content, and functionality criteria for LBP self-management.
PubMed: 38929744
DOI: 10.3390/life14060760 -
Life (Basel, Switzerland) Jun 2024(1) Background: Cardiometabolic disease progression can be delayed if patients engage in healthy lifestyle behaviors, adherence to which is highly influenced by...
Exploring the Role of Self-Efficacy in Maintaining Healthy Lifestyle Habits among Patients with Cardiometabolic Diseases; Findings from the Multi-Center IACT Cross-Sectional Study.
(1) Background: Cardiometabolic disease progression can be delayed if patients engage in healthy lifestyle behaviors, adherence to which is highly influenced by psychosocial factors. The present study aimed at investigating the association of self-efficacy with the adherence level to healthy lifestyle behaviors among patients with cardiometabolic diseases in Greece. (2) Methods: 1988 patients (1180 females) with cardiometabolic diseases participated. Anthropometric, demographic, socioeconomic, clinical, and lifestyle characteristics were recorded. Patients were also asked to evaluate their efficacy to comply with healthy lifestyle behaviors. (3) Results: The majority exhibited unhealthy lifestyle behaviors. A subgroup demonstrated elevated self-efficacy in maintaining healthy habits despite facing diverse psychosocial challenges. Individuals with higher educational attainment, socioeconomic status, and rural/semi-urban residency had significantly elevated self-efficacy. Those with heightened self-efficacy exhibited significantly lower BMI and reduced prevalence of certain health conditions. Self-efficacy significantly influenced adherence to the Mediterranean diet, physical activity engagement, and smoking cessation, even in challenging circumstances. (4) Conclusions: This study represented an innovative approach in examining the role of self-efficacy in shaping health behaviors and outcomes within a Greek population. By integrating specific psychosocial circumstances into the analysis, valuable insights were provided into the contextual factors influencing self-efficacy and adherence to healthy lifestyle behaviors.
PubMed: 38929719
DOI: 10.3390/life14060736