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Yu-Tong Wu,1,* Dong-Qing Ye,2,* Cui-Hong Lian1 1Department of Dermatology, Shenzhen Second People’s Hospital, Shenzhen, People’s Republic of China; 2Department of Dermatology, The Third People’s Hospital of Longgang District, Shenzhen, People’s Republic of China*These authors contributed equally to this workCorrespondence: Cui-Hong Lian, Department of Dermatology, Shenzhen Second People’s Hospital, 3002 Sungang West Road, Futian District, Shenzhen, People’s Republic of China, Tel +8615814692161, Fax +86 755-83366388, Email liancuihong@email.szu.edu.cnAbstract: Giant condylomata acuminata (a sexually transmitted disease caused by HPV infection) currently is treated in many methods. Surgery, the mainstay treatment of giant condylomata acuminata, may cause a high cost or scar formation. It is important to explore effective and safe treatment options. Although the external treatment of traditional Chinese medicine treatment of condyloma acuminatum has not been widely used, in our case, the use of traditional Chinese medicine successfully treated a perianal giant condyloma acuminatum patient who also suffered from mixed hemorrhoid and IgA nephropathy meanwhile. The treatment process was simple and the effect obvious. There was no recurrence more than 10 months after treatment finished, and the patients felt safe, comfortable and highly coordinated. The outcome of this case suggests that the traditional Chinese medicine might be considered as a mild and effective option for the treatment of giant condyloma acuminatum.Keywords: giant condylomata acuminata, IgA nephropathy, Chinese medicine, HPV infection

Ming-Fong Tsai,1,* Yu-Lun Lo,1,* Yuan-Chun Huang,1 Chun-Chieh Yu,2 Yi-Ting Wu,1 Chia-Hao Su,2,3 Li-Fang Wang1,4 1Department of Medicinal & Applied Chemistry, College of Life Sciences, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung 807, Taiwan; 2Institute for Translational Research in Biomedicine, Kaohsiung Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Kaohsiung 833, Taiwan; 3Department of Biomedical Imaging and Radiological Sciences, National Yang Ming University, Taipei 112, Taiwan; 4Department of Medical Research, Kaohsiung Medical University Hospital, Kaohsiung 807, Taiwan*These authors contributed equally to this workCorrespondence: Li-Fang WangDepartment of Medicinal & Applied Chemistry, College of Life Sciences, Kaohsiung Medical University, 100 Shih-Chuan 1st Road, Kaohsiung 80708, TaiwanTel +886-7-312-1101 Ext. 2217Fax +886-7-312-5339Email lfwang@kmu.edu.twChia-Hao SuProfessor of Molecular Imaging & Nanotechnology, Institute for Translational Research in Biomedicine, Kaohsiung Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, 123 Dapi Road, Niaosong District, Kaohsiung 83301, TaiwanTel +886-7-731-7123 Ext. 8592Fax +886-7-731-7123 Ext. 8569Email chiralsu@gmail.comBackground: To improve responses to tumor microenvironments for achieving a better therapeutic outcome in combination cancer therapy, poly(ϵ-caprolactone)-SS-poly(methacrylic acid) diblock copolymer (PCL-SS-PMAA) with a disulfide linkage between the hydrophobic and hydrophilic junctions was synthesized.Materials and Methods: Repeating units of PCL and PMAA in PCL-SS-PMAA were controlled and formulated into polymersomes (PSPps). Truncated octahedral Fe3O4 nanoparticles (IONPs) were synthesized and encapsulated to produce IONPs-PSPps NPs and doxorubicin (DOX) was further loaded to produce IONPs-PSPps@DOX NPs for theranostic applications.Results: IONPs-PSPps NPs remained a superparamagnetic property with a saturation magnetization value of 85 emu⋅gFe3O4− 1 and a relaxivity value of 180 mM− 1⋅s− 1. Upon exposure to an alternating magnetic field (AMF), IONPs-PSPps NPs increased temperature from 25°C to 54°C within 15 min. Among test groups, the cell apoptosis was greatest in the group exposed to IONPs-PSPps@DOX NPs with AMF and magnet assistance. In vivo T2-weighted magnetic resonance images of A549 tumor-bearing mice also showed highest contrast and greatest tumor suppression in the tumor with AMF and magnet assistance.Conclusion: IONPs-PSPps@DOX NPs are a potential theranostic agent having multifaceted applications involving magnetic targeting, MRI diagnosis, hyperthermia and chemotherapy.Keywords: magnetosome, multi-stimuli-responsive copolymer, theranostics, hyperthermia, magnetic resonance imaging

Hui-Qin Lin,1* Jing-Ying Wu,2* Mei-Li Chen,3 Feng-Qiang Chen,4 Yan-Jun Liao,5 Yu-Ting Wu,1 Zhi-Jun Guo11Departments of Geriatric, The First Hospital of Quanzhou Affiliated to Fujian Medical University, Quanzhou, People’s Republic of China; 2Department of Cardiology, The Second Hospital Affiliated to Fujian Medical University, Quanzhou, People’s Republic of China; 3Physical Examination Center, Medical College of Quanzhou, Quanzhou, People’s Republic of China; 4Luoshan Community Health Center of Jinjiang, Quanzhou, People’s Republic of China; 5Departments of Intensive Care Unit, The First Hospital of Quanzhou Affiliated to Fujian Medical University, Quanzhou, People’s Republic of China*These authors contributed equally to this work Objective: This study aims to analyze the prevalence of dyslipidemia and identify the cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk stratification among older adults living in Quanzhou, China’s southeast coastal region, where the ancient Maritime Silk Road starts.Methods: A population-based cross-sectional survey of 2,018 adults was conducted in 60–98-year-old residents in Quanzhou from September 2016 to March 2018 using multistage stratified cluster random sampling. The 10-year CVD risk was also estimated by applying the Chinese model recommended by the Chinese Guidelines for Prevention of Cardiovascular Diseases.Results: The overall prevalence of dyslipidemia among older adults was 56.8%. The prevalence of high total cholesterol (TC), high low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), low high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) and high triglyceride (TG) were 8.4%, 13.9%, 23.1% and 11.4%, respectively. The mean levels of TC, LDL-C, HDL-C and TG were 5.12±1.18, 3.37±0.81, 1.03±0.27 and 1.65±0.76 mmol/L, respectively. Older adults had low risk, moderate risk and high risk for CVD, which were 49.7%, 36.8% and 13.5%, respectively. Age, body mass index and abdominal obesity were significantly associated with the risk of increasing LDL-C levels and were positively correlated to CVD risk.Conclusion: The prevalence of high TC, high LDL-C, low HDL-C and high TG was relatively low among older adults in Quanzhou, but their lipid levels were high. Approximately half of the elderly adults had moderate or high CVD risk. The personalized primary prevention and control of CVD are recommended for elderly people to identify high-risk individuals.Keywords: prevalence, prediction, dyslipidemia, CVD risk, older adults

Ching-Chi Yen,1 Yi-Chen Chen,1 Ming-Tsang Wu,2 Chia-Chi Wang,1,3 Yu-Tse Wu1,4 1School of Pharmacy, College of Pharmacy, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung, Taiwan; 2Chinese Medicine Department, Ditmanson Medical Foundation, Chiayi Christian Hospital, Chiayi City, Taiwan; 3PhD Program in Toxicology, College of Pharmacy, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung, Taiwan; 4Department of Medical Research, Kaohsiung Medical University Hospital, Kaohsiung, Taiwan Background: Andrographolide (AG), a compound with low water solubility, possesses various pharmacological activities, particularly anti-inflammatory activity. However, its low oral bioavailability is a major obstacle to its potential use. This study developed and optimized an AG-loaded nanoemulsion (AG-NE) formulation to improve AG oral bioavailability and its protective effects against inflammatory bowel disease. Methods: A high-pressure homogenization technique was used to prepare the AG-NE and solubility, viscosity, and droplet size tests were conducted to develop the optimized AG-NE composed of α-tocopherol, ethanol, Cremophor EL, and water. The permeability was assessed using everted rat gut sac method and in vivo absorption and anti-inflammatory effect in rats was also evaluated. The plasma concentration of AG was determined using our validated high performance liquid chromatography method, which was used to generate a linear calibration curve over the concentration range of 0.1–25 µg/mL in rat plasma (R2>0.999).Results: The optimized AG-NE had a droplet size of 122±11 nm confirmed using transmission electron microscopy and a viscosity of 28 centipoise (cps). It was stable at 4 and 25°C for 90 days. An ex vitro intestinal permeability study indicated that the jejunum was the optimal site for AG absorption from the optimized AG-NE, which was 8.21 and 1.40 times higher than that from an AG suspension and AG ethanol solution, respectively. The pharmacokinetic results indicate that the absorption of AG from AG-NE was significantly enhanced in comparison with that from the AG suspension, with a relative bioavailability of 594.3%. Moreover, the ulcer index and histological damage score of mice with indomethacin-induced intestinal lesions were significantly reduced by AG-NE pretreatment. Conclusion: We conclude that the developed AG-NE not only enhanced the oral bioavailability of AG in this study but may also prove to be an effective formulation of AG for preventing gastrointestinal inflammatory disorders. Keywords: andrographolide, nanoemulsion, intestinal permeability, oral bioavailability

Wen-Chuan Lee1,*, Chih-Hsien Chang2,3,*, Chih-Min Huang1, Yu-Tse Wu1, Liang-Cheng Chen2, Chung-Li Ho2, Tsui-Jung Chang2, Te-Wei Lee2, Tung-Hu Tsai1,41Institute of Traditional Medicine, School of Medicine, National Yang-Ming University, Taipei, 2Division of Isotope Application, Institute of Nuclear Energy Research, Taoyuan, 3Department of Biomedical Imaging and Radiological Sciences, National Yang-Ming University, Taipei, 4Department of Education and Research, Taipei City Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan*These authors contributed equally to this workBackground: The combination of a radioisotope with a chemotherapeutic agent in a liposomal carrier (ie, Indium-111-labeled polyethylene glycol pegylated liposomal vinorelbine, [111In-VNB-liposome]) has been reported to show better therapeutic efficiency in tumor growth suppression. Nevertheless, the challenge remains as to whether this therapeutic effect is attributable to the combination of a radioisotope with chemotherapeutics. The goal of this study was to investigate the pharmacokinetics, biodistribution, and correlation of Indium-111 radioactivity and vinorelbine concentration in the 111In-VNB-liposome.Methods: The VNB-liposome and 111In-VNB-liposome were administered to rats. Blood, liver, and spleen tissue were collected to determine the distribution profile of the 111In-VNB-liposome. A liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry system and gamma counter were used to analyze the concentration of vinorelbine and radioactivity of Indium-111.Results: High uptake of the 111In-VNB-liposome in the liver and spleen demonstrated the properties of a nanosized drug delivery system. Linear regression showed a good correlation (r = 0.97) between Indium-111 radioactivity and vinorelbine concentration in the plasma of rats administered the 111In-VNB-liposome.Conclusion: A significant positive correlation between the pharmacokinetics and biodistribution of 111Indium radioactivity and vinorelbine in blood, spleen, and liver was found following administration of the 111In-VNB-liposome. The liposome efficiently encapsulated both vinorelbine and Indium-111, and showed a similar concentration-radioactivity time profile, indicating the correlation between chemotherapy and radiotherapy could be identical in the liposomal formulation.Keywords: Indium-111, vinorelbine, liposome, pharmacokinetics, radiochemotherapy

Objectives To establish the normative data of the Bayley Scales of Infant Development-Second Edition (BSID-II) on Taiwanese infants from age 6 to 24 months and to explore the factors that relate to their mental and motor development. Methods Five hundred and seven Taiwanese full-term infants were prospectively examined with the BSID-II at 6, 12, 18, and 24 months of age. Results Taiwanese infants' Bayley mental and motor raw scores were lower than the United States norms from age 6 to 24 months, however, the discrepancy gradually declined with increasing age. Gender, intrauterine growth status, birth order, region of residence, maternal education, and paternal occupation were shown to have longitudinal associations with their mental and/or motor scores. Conclusions Differences existed in the mental and motor development among Taiwanese and American infants. Our preliminary norms of the BSID-II may be more appropriate than the United States norms for Taiwanese children. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Somatic mutations in mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) have been detected in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). However, it remains unclear whether mtDNA copy number and mitochondrial biogenesis are altered in HCC. In this study, we found that mtDNA copy number and the content of mitochondrial respiratory proteins were reduced in HCCs as compared with the corresponding non-tumorous livers. MtDNA copy number was significantly reduced in female HCC but not in male HCC. Expression of the peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor ? coactivator-1 was significantly repressed in HCCs (P<0.005), while the expression of the mitochondrial single-strand DNA-binding protein was upregulated, indicating that the regulation of mitochondria biogenesis is disturbed in HCC. Moreover, 22% of HCCs carried a somatic mutation in the mtDNA D-loop region. The non-tumorous liver of the HCC patients with a long-term alcohol-drinking history contained reduced mtDNA copy number (P<0.05) and higher level of the 4977?bp-deleted mtDNA (P<0.05) as compared with non-alcohol patients. Our results suggest that reduced mtDNA copy number, impaired mitochondrial biogenesis and somatic mutations in mtDNA are important events during carcinogenesis of HCC, and the differential alterations in mtDNA of male and female HCC may contribute to the differences in the clinical manifestation between female and male HCC patients.British Journal of Cancer (2004) 90, 2390-2396. doi:10.1038/sj.bjc.6601838 www.bjcancer.com Published online 4 May 2004 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Study Design: Case report. Objective: To present the second case of Brown-Sèquard syndrome (BSS) produced by type III odontoid fracture managed by conservative treatment. Summary Of Background Data: The occurrence of BSS due to odontoid fracture is scarce. So far 6 cases have been reported, and only 1 is produced by type III odontoid fracture. The possible pathophysiology, clinical course and treatment outcome have been rarely discussed. Methods: A 39-year-old man presented with weakness of his left arm and leg, mild neck pain, and impaired proprioceptive and light touch sensations below the left C2 dermatome. There were decreased pain and temperature sensations below the right C4 dermatome too. Computerized tomography showed odontoid type III fracture with posterior displacement at that level. Magnetic resonance imaging presented focal hyperintensity around the C2 vertebral level. High dose of prednisolone, close reduction with Gardner-Wells tong skull traction, following external stabilization by Halo-Vest and rehabilitation therapy were applied. Results: Complete resolution of neck pain and significant improvement of motor and sensory functions, i.e., light touch and proprioception, were shown 2 months after spinal injury. Impaired temperature discrimination persisted, however. Conclusion: BSS is rarely caused by type III odontoid fracture and this is the second report. Conservative intervention is advantageous for both type III odontoid fracture and BSS which is consistent with previous results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Manual Coronary Artery Calcium (CAC) scoring, crucial for assessing coronary artery disease risk, is time-consuming and variable. Deep learning, particularly through Convolutional Neural Networks (CNNs), promises to automate and enhance the accuracy of CAC scoring, which this study investigates., Methods: Following Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines, we conducted a comprehensive literature search across PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, and IEEE databases from their inception until November 1, 2023, and selected studies that employed deep learning for automated CAC scoring. We then evaluated the quality of these studies by using the Checklist for Artificial Intelligence in Medical Imaging and the Quality Assessment of Diagnostic Accuracy Studies 2. The main metric for evaluation was Cohen's kappa statistic, indicating an agreement between deep learning models and manual scoring methods., Results: A total of 25 studies were included, with a pooled kappa statistic of 83 % (95 % CI of 79 %-87 %), indicating strong agreement between automated and manual CAC scoring. Subgroup analysis revealed performance variations based on imaging modalities and technical specifications. Sensitivity analysis confirmed the reliability of the results., Conclusions: Deep learning models, particularly CNNs, have great potential for use in automated CAC scoring applications, potentially enhancing the efficiency and accuracy of risk assessments for coronary artery disease. Further research and standardization are required to address the major heterogeneity and performance disparities between different imaging modalities. Overall, our findings underscore the evolving role of artificial intelligence in advancing cardiac imaging and patient care., 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 © 2024 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Acute kidney injury (AKI) is a common disease, but lacking effective drug treatments. Chromodomain Y-like (CDYL) is a kind of chromodomain protein that has been implicated in transcription regulation of autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease. Benzo[d]oxazol-2(3H)-one derivative (compound D03) is the first potent and selective small-molecule inhibitor of CDYL (K D  = 0.5 μM). In this study, we investigated the expression of CDYL in three different models of cisplatin (Cis)-, lipopolysaccharide (LPS)- and ischemia/reperfusion injury (IRI)-induced AKI mice. By conducting RNA sequencing and difference analysis of kidney samples, we found that tubular CDYL was abnormally and highly expressed in injured kidneys of AKI patients and mice. Overexpression of CDYL in cisplatin-induced AKI mice aggravated tubular injury and pyroptosis via regulating fatty acid binding protein 4 (FABP4)-mediated reactive oxygen species production. Treatment of cisplatin-induced AKI mice with compound D03 (2.5 mg·kg -1 ·d -1 , i.p.) effectively attenuated the kidney dysfunction, pathological damages and tubular pyroptosis without side effects on liver or kidney function and other tissue injuries. Collectively, this study has, for the first time, explored a novel aspect of CDYL for tubular epithelial cell pyroptosis in kidney injury, and confirmed that inhibition of CDYL might be a promising therapeutic strategy against AKI., Competing Interests: Competing interests: The authors declare no competing interests., (© 2024. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Sciences and Chinese Pharmacological Society.)

Recanalizing acute ischemic stroke with carotid tandem occlusion (CTO) is technically challenging because distal embolic migration during revascularization can significantly influence outcomes. In this study, we aimed to introduce our coaxial balloon technique using a balloon-guiding catheter (BCG), angioplasty catheter, and aspiration catheter sequentially to prevent thrombus migration to a new vascular territory. We used this technique for six patients with CTO. Technical success with good revascularization of the CTO was achieved in all six patients (100%) without neurological complications, including one and five cases of modified Thrombolysis in Cerebral Infarction 2b and 3, respectively. The median duration of the procedure was 61 (interquartile range, 52-90) min. The mean National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale score at discharge was 3.5 (2-8), with favorable clinical outcomes at 90 days for three of six patients (50%). The coaxial balloon technique for CTO is safe and effective for revascularization in patients with acute ischemic stroke. Thrombectomy before proximal stenting was associated with shorter reperfusion times and better clinical outcomes. Therefore, this approach is recommended for tandem occlusions requiring stent angioplasty., Competing Interests: Declaration of conflicting interestsThe author(s) declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

The controlled synthesis of Ag/Au nanocomposite particles has remained a significant challenge in nanomaterial research. This study presents the synthesis, characterization, and surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) performance of silver (Ag) and gold (Au) nanostar composites. The structural and plasmonic properties of these nanocomposites were optimized by varying the molar ratios of silver nanostars (AgNSs) and gold nanostars (AuNSs). By synthesizing composite nanostars with differing AgNS/AuNS ratios, we systematically compared their optical and spectroscopic behaviors. The results demonstrated that Ag/Au nanostar composites function as highly effective SERS substrates for the detection of rhodamine 6G (R6G), with solutions tested at concentrations from 10 -15 to 10 -6 M. Compared to individual AgNS or AuNS substrates, the Ag/Au nanocomposites exhibited significantly enhanced SERS signals, with superior consistency and sensitivity. Notably, the nanostar composite with a 75 : 25 Ag/Au ratio showed the highest SERS performance, achieving an enhancement factor of 8.9 × 10 6 and a detection limit of 10 -15 M for R6G. Additionally, this composite demonstrated excellent long-term stability, maintaining performance until ten weeks of storage. To our knowledge, this represents the highest sensitivity reported for R6G detection using label-free SERS. The study further provides a detailed analysis of the composition-dependent SERS activity, underscoring the potential of Ag/Au nanocomposites as advanced SERS substrates for applications in chemical and biological sensing, as well as environmental monitoring.

Individuals with diabetes frequently face serious challenges, including delayed wound healing and increased risk of infection. Notably, the regeneration of hair follicles plays a crucial role in accelerating diabetic skin damage repair, reducing the risk of infection, and enhancing overall skin health. Research has predominantly emphasized the re-epithelialization of diabetic wounds, with a paucity of in-depth studies on hair follicle regeneration. In the current study, we explored the effects of a bioactive amphibian-derived peptide, Cy RL-QN15 , on promoting hair regeneration in a diabetic skin model. In vivo experiments demonstrated that local treatment with Cy RL-QN15 not only accelerated wound healing of scalded skin on the backs of diabetic Kunming (KM) mice but also improved growth of damaged hair follicles. Additionally, back-shaved diabetic C57BL/6 mice showed a significant increase in the growth of newly formed hair after 28 days of continuous Cy RL-QN15 treatment. Further analysis indicated that the hair-regenerating effects of Cy RL-QN15 were closely associated with the proliferation and migration of hair follicle stem cells (HFSCs). Cy RL-QN15 enhanced intracellular β-catenin expression by binding to the Frizzled-7 receptor on the surface of HFSCs. The up-regulation in β-catenin modulated the levels of downstream proteins, such as c-MYC, Cyclin D1, and Lef1, ultimately inducing hair regeneration. This study not only reveals the robust effects of the bioactive peptide Cy RL-QN15 in hair follicle regeneration but also provides novel avenues for the development of more targeted and effective therapeutics for diabetic wound healing in the future.

Liver injury induces an inflammatory response that activates hepatic stellate cells, which is the initial factor of liver fibrosis. Nintedanib, a multi-targeted tyrosine kinase inhibitor targeting the Src signalling pathway, has been approved for the treatment of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis. However, it is still not known whether nintedanib ameliorates liver fibrosis by inhibiting inflammasome activation. Here, a carbon tetrachloride (CCl 4 )-induced liver fibrosis model was used to assess the anti-fibrotic efficacy of nintedanib in vivo. Lipopolysaccharide and ATP were used to activate nucleotide oligomerisation domain-like receptor family pyrin domain-containing 3 (NLRP3) inflammasomes in LX-2 cells, and the efficacy of nintedanib on NLRP3 inflammasome activation was evaluated. Moreover, we used Src-overexpressing and Src-downregulating lentiviruses to transfect LX-2 cells to explore the targets of nintedanib. Nintedanib attenuated inflammation and extracellular matrix accumulation in CCl 4 -induced fibrotic livers and reduced the expression of NLRP3, fibrotic makers, and the phosphorylation of Src, epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR), AKT, ERK1/2 in LX-2 cells. Furthermore, nintedanib thwarted NLRP3 inflammasome activation by suppressing the phosphorylation of Src and its downstream signalling pathway and reducing reactive oxygen species production. Our study indicates that nintedanib effectively suppresses NLRP3 inflammasome activation and has the potential for the treatment of liver fibrosis., 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 © 2024. Published by Elsevier B.V.)

Amnestic mild cognitive impairment (aMCI) is considered as an intermediate stage of Alzheimer's disease, but no MRI biomarkers currently distinguish aMCI from healthy individuals effectively. Fractal dimension, a quantitative parameter, provides superior morphological information compared to conventional cortical thickness methods. Few studies have used cortical fractal dimension values to differentiate aMCI from healthy controls. In this study, we aim to build an automated discriminator for accurately distinguishing aMCI using fractal dimension measures of the cerebral cortex. Thirty aMCI patients and 30 health controls underwent structural MRI of the brain. First, the atrophy of participants' cortical sub-regions of Desikan-Killiany cortical atlas was assessed using fractal dimension and cortical thickness. The fractal dimension is more sensitive than cortical thickness in reducing dimensional effects and may accurately reflect morphological changes of the cortex in aMCI. The aMCI group had significantly lower fractal dimension values in the bilateral temporal lobes, right limbic lobe and right parietal lobe, whereas they showed significantly lower cortical thickness values only in the bilateral temporal lobes. Fractal dimension analysis was able to depict most of the significantly different focal regions detected by cortical thickness, but additionally with more regions. Second, applying the measured fractal dimensions (and cortical thickness) of both cerebral hemispheres, an unsupervised discriminator was built for the aMCI and healthy controls. The proposed fractal dimension-based method achieves 80.54% accuracy in discriminating aMCI from healthy controls. The fractal dimension appears to be a promising biomarker for cortical morphology changes that can discriminate patients with aMCI from healthy controls., (© 2024 The Author(s). European Journal of Neuroscience published by Federation of European Neuroscience Societies and John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

Palbociclib, a selective CDK4/6 inhibitor with potent anti-tumor effects, was investigated for its interaction with human α1-acid glycoprotein (HAG). Spectral analysis revealed that palbociclib forms a ground state complex with HAG, exhibiting binding constant (K b ) of 10 4  M -1 at the used temperature range. The interaction between the two was determined to be driven mainly by hydrogen bonding and hydrophobic forces. Multispectral studies indicated that the bound palbociclib altered the secondary structure of HAG and reduced polarity around Trp and Tyr amino acids. And, molecular docking and dynamics simulations verified the experimental findings. Finally, most of the metal ions present in plasma, such as K + , Cu 2+ , Ca 2+ , Mg 2+ , Ni 2+ , Fe 3+ , and Co 2+ , are detrimental to the binding of palbociclib to HAG, with the exception of Zn 2+ , which is favorable., 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 © 2024 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Research Question: Does frozen embryo transfer (FET) increase the risk of allergic diseases in offspring?, Design: This study followed up 653 singleton children: 166 born through FET and 487 born through natural conception. Demographic characteristics, perinatal information and allergic diseases of children and their parents were collected through clinical medical systems and questionnaires. Among these 653 children, allergen-specific immunoglobulin E (IgE) testing was performed using peripheral blood samples collected from 207 children: 145 in the FET group and 62 in the natural conception group. The prevalence of allergic diseases and positive rates of allergen-specific IgE testing were compared between the two groups with adjustments for confounding factors., Results: The prevalence of food allergy was significantly higher in children born through FET compared with children born through natural conception (adjusted OR = 3.154, 95% CI 1.895-5.250; P < 0.001). In addition, positive rates of food allergen sensitization were higher in children in the FET group compared with children in the natural conception group (adjusted OR = 5.769, 95% CI 2.859-11.751, P < 0.001). Children in the FET group had a higher positive sensitization rate to at least one allergen compared with children in the natural conception group (adjusted OR = 3.127, 95% CI 1.640-5.961, P < 0.001). No association was observed between FET and other allergic diseases, including asthma (P = 0.136), atopic dermatitis (P = 0.130) and allergic rhinitis (P = 0.922). Allergen sensitization IgE testing indicated no differences between the two groups in terms of positive sensitization rates of other common allergens, including animal and insect allergens (P = 0.627), inhaled outdoor allergens (P = 0.915) and inhaled outdoor allergens (P = 0.544)., Conclusion: This study suggests that children born through FET have increased risk of developing food allergy in early childhood., (Copyright © 2024 Reproductive Healthcare Ltd. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Purpose: To compare the diagnostic performance of standalone deep learning (DL) algorithms and human experts in lung cancer detection on chest computed tomography (CT) scans., Materials and Methods: This study searched for studies on PubMed, Embase, and Web of Science from their inception until November 2023. We focused on adult lung cancer patients and compared the efficacy of DL algorithms and expert radiologists in disease diagnosis on CT scans. Quality assessment was performed using QUADAS-2, QUADAS-C, and CLAIM. Bivariate random-effects and subgroup analyses were performed for tasks (malignancy classification vs invasiveness classification), imaging modalities (CT vs low-dose CT [LDCT] vs high-resolution CT), study region, software used, and publication year., Results: We included 20 studies on various aspects of lung cancer diagnosis on CT scans. Quantitatively, DL algorithms exhibited superior sensitivity (82%) and specificity (75%) compared to human experts (sensitivity 81%, specificity 69%). However, the difference in specificity was statistically significant, whereas the difference in sensitivity was not statistically significant. The DL algorithms' performance varied across different imaging modalities and tasks, demonstrating the need for tailored optimization of DL algorithms. Notably, DL algorithms matched experts in sensitivity on standard CT, surpassing them in specificity, but showed higher sensitivity with lower specificity on LDCT scans., Conclusion: DL algorithms demonstrated improved accuracy over human readers in malignancy and invasiveness classification on CT scans. However, their performance varies by imaging modality, underlining the importance of continued research to fully assess DL algorithms' diagnostic effectiveness in lung cancer., Clinical Relevance Statement: DL algorithms have the potential to refine lung cancer diagnosis on CT, matching human sensitivity and surpassing in specificity. These findings call for further DL optimization across imaging modalities, aiming to advance clinical diagnostics and patient outcomes., Key Points: Lung cancer diagnosis by CT is challenging and can be improved with AI integration. DL shows higher accuracy in lung cancer detection on CT than human experts. Enhanced DL accuracy could lead to improved lung cancer diagnosis and outcomes., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Purpose: This study aims to investigate the feasibility of the home-based parent- mediated intervention Naturalistic developmental behavioral intervention (HB-NDBI) in underserved Taiwanese families of children with Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and explore its effects on children's developmental skills and parents' parenting stress., Method: 24 underserved Taiwanese families of children with ASD (mean age = 46.5 months) received 12-week HB-NDBI programs. Social Responsiveness Scale, Second Edition (SRS-2), Mullen Scales of Early Learning (MSEL), Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL/1.5-5), and Parenting Stress Index (PSI) were administered before and after the HB-NDBI programs., Results: Following the HB-NDBI programs, significant improvements in social cognition, social communication subscales, receptive language subscale, internalizing, externalizing, and total behavioral problems scales of children, and release of parenting stress were observed., Conclusion: This study demonstrated the feasibility of home-based parent-mediated intervention for underserved families in Taiwan. These promising results might facilitate the development of such interventions for underserved families., Competing Interests: The authors have no financial relationships relevant to this article to disclose. The authors do not have any potential conflict of interest, real or perceived., (Copyright © 2024 Academy of Pediatric Physical Therapy of the American Physical Therapy Association.)

Background: To gain a comprehensive understanding of the altered sensory processing in patients with migraine, in this study, we developed an electroencephalography (EEG) protocol for examining brainstem and cortical responses to sensory stimulation. Furthermore, machine learning techniques were employed to identify neural signatures from evoked brainstem-cortex activation and their interactions, facilitating the identification of the presence and subtype of migraine., Methods: This study analysed 1,000-epoch-averaged somatosensory evoked responses from 342 participants, comprising 113 healthy controls (HCs), 106 patients with chronic migraine (CM), and 123 patients with episodic migraine (EM). Activation amplitude and effective connectivity were obtained using weighted minimum norm estimates with spectral Granger causality analysis. This study used support vector machine algorithms to develop classification models; multimodal data (amplitude, connectivity, and scores of psychometric assessments) were applied to assess the reliability and generalisability of the identification results from the classification models., Results: The findings revealed that patients with migraine exhibited reduced amplitudes for responses in both the brainstem and cortical regions and increased effective connectivity between these regions in the gamma and high-gamma frequency bands. The classification model with characteristic features performed well in distinguishing patients with CM from HCs, achieving an accuracy of 81.8% and an area under the curve (AUC) of 0.86 during training and an accuracy of 76.2% and an AUC of 0.89 during independent testing. Similarly, the model effectively identified patients with EM, with an accuracy of 77.5% and an AUC of 0.84 during training and an accuracy of 87% and an AUC of 0.88 during independent testing. Additionally, the model successfully differentiated patients with CM from patients with EM, with an accuracy of 70.5% and an AUC of 0.73 during training and an accuracy of 72.7% and an AUC of 0.74 during independent testing., Conclusion: Altered brainstem-cortex activation and interaction are characteristic of the abnormal sensory processing in migraine. Combining evoked activity analysis with machine learning offers a reliable and generalisable tool for identifying patients with migraine and for assessing the severity of their condition. Thus, this approach is an effective and rapid diagnostic tool for clinicians., (© 2024. The Author(s).)