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Hypothesis: Although antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) are a promising class of new antibiotics, their inherent susceptibility to degradation requires nanocarrier-mediated delivery. While cubosome nanocarriers have been extensively studied for delivery of AMPs, we do not currently understand why cubosome encapsulation improves antimicrobial efficacy for some compounds but not others. This study therefore aims to investigate the link between the mechanism of action and permeation efficiency of the peptides, their encapsulation efficacy, and the antimicrobial activity of these systems., Experiments: Encapsulation and delivery of Indolicidin, and its ultra-short derivative, Priscilicidin, were investigated using SAXS, cryo-TEM and circular dichroism. Molecular dynamics simulations were used to understand the loading of these peptides within cubosomes. The antimicrobial efficacy was assessed against gram-negative (E. coli) and gram-positive (MRSA) bacteria., Findings: A high ionic strength solution was required to facilitate high loading of the cationic AMPs, with bilayer encapsulation driven by tryptophan and Fmoc moieties. Cubosome encapsulation did not improve the antimicrobial efficacy of the AMPs consistent with their high permeation, as explained by a recent 'diffusion to capture model'. This suggests that cubosome encapsulation may not be an effective strategy for all antimicrobial compounds, paving the way for improved selection of nanocarriers for AMPs, and other antimicrobial compounds., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare the following financial interests/personal relationships which may be considered as potential competing interests: [Biserka Lakic reports financial support was provided by European Union. If there are other authors, they declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper]., (Copyright © 2024 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Hypothesis: Lyotropic liquid crystalline nanoparticles (LLCNPs) with complex internal nanostructures hold promise for drug delivery. Cubosomes, in particular, have garnered interest for their ability to fuse with cell membranes, potentially bypassing endosomal escape challenges and improving cellular uptake. The mesostructure of nanoparticles plays a crucial role in cellular interactions and uptake. Therefore, we hypothesise that the specific internal mesophase of the LLCNPs will affect their cellular interactions and uptake efficiencies, with cubosomes exhibiting superior cellular uptake compared to other LLCNPs., Experiments: LLCNPs with various mesophases, including liposomes, cubosomes, hexosomes, and micellar cubosomes, were formulated and characterised. Their physicochemical properties and cytotoxicity were assessed. Chinese Hamster Ovarian (CHO) cells were treated with fluorescently labelled LLCNPs, and their interactions were monitored and quantified through confocal microscopy and flow cytometry., Findings: The non-lamellar LLCNPs showed significantly higher cellular interactions compared to liposomes, with cubosomes exhibiting the highest level. However, there was no significant difference in relative cell uptake between cubosomes, hexosomes, and micellar cubosomes. Cell uptake experiments at 4 °C revealed the presence of an energy-independent uptake mechanism. This study provides the first comparative analysis of cellular interactions and uptake efficiencies among LLCNPs with varying mesophases, while maintaining similar size, composition, and surface charge., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2023 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Background: The PedsQL 3.0 End Stage Renal Disease (ESRD) Module is a well-accepted instrument internationally but it is not available in the local language. We aimed to validate the Bahasa Melayu (Malay language) version and determine the health-related quality of life (HRQoL) scores amongst children with CKD in Malaysia., Methods: The source questionnaire in English was translated into Bahasa Melayu. Linguistic validation guidelines by the MAPI Research Institute were followed. The already validated Bahasa Melayu PedsQL 4.0 Generic Core Scales was used for comparison. Sociodemographic data were collected during the interview. Statistical analyses were performed using SPSS version 25.0., Results: Sixty-nine children aged 8 to 18 with CKD stages 4 and 5, with or without dialysis, and their caregivers were recruited. Mean age was 12.62 ± 2.77 (SD). Evaluation of the PedsQL 3.0 ESRD Module Bahasa Melayu version demonstrated good internal consistency (Cronbach alpha 0.82). There was good agreement between child self-report and parent proxy report in all domains; average intraclass correlation coefficients (ICC) were 0.78, 95% CI (0.71, 0.84). Scores obtained from Generic 4.0 scales correlated with the disease-specific ESRD 3.0 scale, Spearman's rho = 0.32, p = 0.007. The Kruskal-Wallis H test indicated that there were no significant differences between stages of CKD and their respective mean HRQoL score, χ 2 (2) = 2.88, p = 0.236., Conclusions: The PedsQL 3.0 ESRD Module Bahasa Melayu version is a reliable and feasible tool for cross-cultural adaptation. A longer prospective study may help better illustrate the quality of life in this group of children., (© 2022. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to International Pediatric Nephrology Association.)

Instability development in the pinch induces a locally enhanced electric field that accelerates the charged particles to extraordinary high energies. Rapid discharge is the singular state of the ion source confirming high plasma impedance. High energy ion beam is correlated to the electrical discharge parameters and consequently the ion acceleration potential is directly related to the mean ion energy. Multi-MeV ions have been measured by magnetic spectrometry and nuclear activation yield-ratio to obtain the ion energy spectra and critically analyze the ion spectrum. A set of magnetic lens arranged in an optimized coil configuration results in medical grade radioactivity of 0.5GBq for a low energy plasma focus. High energy proton beams enables evaluating the sensitivity of link-board components and the error structure identification, with a significant probability of 0.1perproton., (Copyright © 2022 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

The growth and survival of individual trees determine the physical structure of a forest with important consequences for forest function. However, given the diversity of tree species and forest biomes, quantifying the multitude of demographic strategies within and across forests and the way that they translate into forest structure and function remains a significant challenge. Here, we quantify the demographic rates of 1961 tree species from temperate and tropical forests and evaluate how demographic diversity (DD) and demographic composition (DC) differ across forests, and how these differences in demography relate to species richness, aboveground biomass (AGB), and carbon residence time. We find wide variation in DD and DC across forest plots, patterns that are not explained by species richness or climate variables alone. There is no evidence that DD has an effect on either AGB or carbon residence time. Rather, the DC of forests, specifically the relative abundance of large statured species, predicted both biomass and carbon residence time. Our results demonstrate the distinct DCs of globally distributed forests, reflecting biogeography, recent history, and current plot conditions. Linking the DC of forests to resilience or vulnerability to climate change, will improve the precision and accuracy of predictions of future forest composition, structure, and function., (© 2022 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

Hypothesis: Cubosomes made from the inverse micellar cubic mesophase (I 2 ) with Fd3m symmetry possess a unique structure of closely packed inverse micelles. These have prospective functionality in sustained drug release. In this study, we hypothesised that similar to fatty acids, various fatty acetate compounds can induce the formation of micellar Fd3m cubosomes in monoolein (MO) nanoparticles. They are different to micellar cubosomes made of MO and a fatty acid, which are pH responsive and can transition from an Fd3m phase to an inverse hexagonal phase (H 2 ) as pH increases. We hypothesised that by co-doping a fatty acetate and fatty acid into MO, precise control of the Fd3m-H 2 phase transition pH in nanoparticles can be achieved., Experiments: Five unsaturated fatty acetates with hydrocarbon chain lengths between 18 and 24 were added to MO at a weight ratio of 0.45 - 0.60 to form nanoparticles. The nanoparticles were prepared using high-throughput formulation and characterised with synchrotron small angle X-ray scattering (SAXS). MO nanoparticles doped with vaccenyl acetate and vaccenic acid were used to demonstrate the fine control over Fd3m-H 2 phase transition pH., Findings: Micellar cubosomes (Fd3m phase) were found in MO nanoparticles doped with fatty acetates. The Fd3m structure was stable in a wide pH range of 2.6 - 8 and at temperatures up to 45 °C. In MO nanoparticles doped with the acetate/acid mixture, the Fd3m-H 2 phase transition pH was tuned between pH 5 and pH 7 by adjusting the ratio of vaccenyl acetate and vaccenic acid. As a H 2 phase generally offers faster drug release than an Fd3m phase, the pH responsive lipid nanoparticles developed here may find application in orally administrated formulation, where the vehicles must pass a low pH environment in the stomach before reaching neutral pH in the blood., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2021 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)