3714 research outputs found
Sort by
Resistance to energy metabolism - targeted therapy of AML cells residual in the bone marrow microenvironment
No full textIn response to the changing availability of nutrients and oxygen in the bone marrow microenvironment, acute myeloid leukemia (AML) cells continuously adjust their metabolic state. To meet the biochemical demands of their increased proliferation, AML cells strongly depend on mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation (OXPHOS). Recent data indicate that a subset of AML cells remains quiescent and survives through metabolic activation of fatty acid oxidation (FAO), which causes uncoupling of mitochondrial OXPHOS and facilitates chemoresistance. For targeting these metabolic vulnerabilities of AML cells, inhibitors of OXPHOS and FAO have been developed and investigated for their therapeutic potential. Recent experimental and clinical evidence has revealed that drug-resistant AML cells and leukemic stem cells rewire metabolic pathways through interaction with BM stromal cells, enabling them to acquire resistance against OXPHOS and FAO inhibitors. These acquired resistance mechanisms compensate for the metabolic targeting by inhibitors. Several chemotherapy/targeted therapy regimens in combination with OXPHOS and FAO inhibitors are under development to target these compensatory pathways
State of the art and new frontiers in robotic mitral valve surgery
No full textThe field of totally endoscopic, robotic-assisted mitral valve surgery has progressively gained popularity over the last twenty-five years. In this narrative review, we sought to discuss this expanding field from a historical perspective, a technical perspective, and a training perspective
Mode of action of Akkermansia muciniphila in the intestinal dialogue: role of extracellular proteins, metabolites and cell envelope components
No full textAkkermansia muciniphila is a promising next-generation beneficial microbe due to its natural presence in the mucus layer of the gut, its symbiotic ability to degrade mucus, and its capacity to improve the intestinal barrier function. A. muciniphila is able to counteract weight gain and immuno-metabolic disturbances in several animal models. Many of these disorders, including obesity and auto-immune diseases, have been associated with decreased gut barrier function and consequent increased inflammation. Since A. muciniphila was found to normalize these changes and strengthen the gut barrier function, it is hypothesized that other beneficial effects of A. muciniphila might be caused by this restoration. In search for A. muciniphila’s mode of action in enhancing the gut barrier function and promoting health, we reasoned that secreted components or cell envelope components of A. muciniphila are interesting candidates as they can potentially reach and interact with the epithelial barrier. In this review, we focus on the potential mechanisms through which A. muciniphila can exert its beneficial effects on the host by the production of extracellular and secreted proteins, metabolites and cell envelope components. These products have been studied in isolation for their structure, signaling capacity, and in some cases, also for their effects in preclinical models. This includes the protein known as Amuc_1100, which we here rename as pilus-associated signaling (PAS) protein , the P9 protein encoded by Amuc_1631, the short-chain fatty acids acetate and propionate, and cell envelope components, such as phosphatidylethanolamine and peptidoglycan
Review on applications of metastatic lymph node based radiomic assessment in nasopharyngeal carcinoma
No full textNasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) has a distinct geographical prevalence in Southern China and Southeast Asia with a high overall survival rate (> 90%) in the early stage of the disease. However, almost 85% of patients suffer from the locally advanced disease with nodal metastasis at diagnosis. The overall survival rate would drastically drop to 63%. In addition to the generic tumor, nodal, and metastasis (TNM) staging, radiomic studies focusing on primary nasopharyngeal tumors have gained attention in precision medicine with artificial intelligence. While the heterogeneous presentation of cervical lymphadenopathy in locally advanced NPC is regarded as the same clinical stage under TNM criteria, radiomic analysis provides more insights into risk stratification, treatment differentiation, and survival prediction. There appears to be a lack of a review that consolidates radiomics-related studies on lymph node metastasis in NPC. The aim of this paper is to summarize the state-of-the-art of radiomics for lymph node analysis in NPC, including its potential use in prognostic prediction, treatment response, and overall survival for this cohort of patients
Head-to-head: Zone 2 vs. Zone 3 frozen elephant trunk
No full textTotal arch replacement via frozen elephant trunk (FET) is a strategy for managing complex thoracic aortic pathologies involving the arch and descending thoracic aorta (DTA). The FET procedure involves the distal anastomosis of the FET hybrid prosthesis at a chosen aortic arch zone. Though distal anastomosis has been traditionally performed at Zone 3 (Z-3-FET) of the aortic arch, recent practice has seen a significant increase in Zone 2 FET (Z-2-FET). The literature concerning independent Zone 2 and 3 studies and head-to-head comparative studies suggest that Z-2-FET is the superior approach, yielding more favourable results overall, except for aortic remodelling. The improved clinical outcomes achieved with Z-2-FET can be attributed to the shorter operative times, including cardiopulmonary bypass duration, due to the ease and increased surgical site exposure at the aortic arch using this technique. The slightly inferior aortic remodelling observed in Z-2-FET can be explained by the decreased coverage of the DTA distally by the FET stent graft. However, this difference in results can also be attributed to the complexity and severity of the underlying pathology and the surgical approach adopted. The prospect of utilising Zone 0 FET (Z-0-FET) is highly promising, with some studies hinting at its superiority over Z-2-FET. Nevertheless, studies are needed to determine the efficacy of Z-0-FET and directly compare it to Z-2-FET to reach a definitive consensus on the most optimal FET technique. The present literature review aims to provide an overview of major intraoperative and postoperative outcomes achieved with Z-2-FET and Z-3-FET and summarise evidence from studies directly comparing them. Another aim of this narrative review is to explore current literature trends on Z-0-FET uptake
Health disparities in Turner Syndrome: UTHealth Turner Syndrome Research Registry
No full textAim: Turner Syndrome (TS) is caused by partial or complete absence of the second sex chromosome in a phenotypic female. TS is associated with recognizable congenital anomalies and chronic health conditions. The principal objective of this study was to evaluate the health-related knowledge and insight of participants.Methods: In 2015, we founded the UTHealth Turner Syndrome Research Registry for longitudinal follow-up of individuals with TS. Study participants were recruited from UTHealth Houston clinics and the Turner Syndrome Society of the United States. Participants completed a questionnaire about demographics, karyotype, congenital anomalies, health history, frequency of contact with care providers, and knowledge of care providers about TS.Results: Forty percent of registry participants indicated that they did not know their karyotypes. Knowledge of karyotype, which can predict clinical outcomes in TS, markedly varied by self-reported race and ethnicity but not by age. Participants also reported significant gaps in routine medical and gynecologic care.Conclusion: We identified knowledge gaps and health disparities that could benefit from improved provider and patient education
Progress on flexible tactile sensors in robotic applications on objects properties recognition, manipulation and human-machine interactions
No full textThe robotic with integrated tactile sensors can accurately perceive contact force, pressure, vibration, temperature and other tactile stimuli. Flexible tactile sensing technologies have been widely utilized in intelligent robotics for stable grasping, dexterous manipulation, object recognition and human-machine interaction. This review presents promising flexible tactile sensing technologies and their potential applications in robotics. The significance of robotic sensing and tactile sensing performance requirements are first described. The commonly used six types of sensing mechanisms of tactile sensors are briefly illustrated, followed by the progress of novel structural design and performance characteristics of several promising tactile sensors, such as highly sensitive pressure and tri-axis force sensor, flexible distributed sensor array, and multi-modal tactile sensor. Then, the applications of using tactile sensors in robotics such as object properties recognition, grasping and manipulation, and human-machine interactions are thoroughly discussed. Finally, the challenges and future prospects of robotic tactile sensing technologies are discussed. In summary, this review will be conducive to the novel design of flexible tactile sensors and is a heuristic for developing the next generation of intelligent robotics with advanced tactile sensing functions in the future
A comprehensive survey of ionic polymer metal composite transducers: preparation, performance optimization and applications
No full textIonic polymer metal composite (IPMC) transducers, as one of the typical electroactive polymers with excellent electromechanical coupling properties, have tremendous potential to achieve high-performance actuators and sensors for flexible electronic and soft robotics. In this survey, after briefly describing the energy conversion mechanism of IPMC, we divided the history of IPMC into three stages based on the published papers, and then introduced the preparation technologies of IPMC in detail, which mainly include the selection of ionomer membrane and formation of electrodes. From the point of view of optimization, we summarized and analyzed the performance improvement methods of IPMC and the problems when it is used as actuators and sensors, respectively. The latest and typical applications of IPMC are widely presented as actuators and sensors, such as actuation in robots, grippers, medical and wearable devices, underwater perception and energy harvesting. Moreover, the challenges and opportunities of IPMC were envisioned for future prosperity. This survey will provide an overall general outline for the categorization, mechanism, precursors, and preparation methods of IPMC, which is helpful in facilitating the rapid development and application of IPMC
A review on high-throughput development of high-entropy alloys by combinatorial methods
No full textHigh-entropy alloys (HEAs) are an emerging class of alloys with multi-principal elements that greatly expands the compositional space for advanced alloy design. Besides chemistry, processing history can also affect the phase and microstructure formation in HEAs. The number of possible alloy compositions and processing paths gives rise to enormous material design space, which makes it challenging to explore by traditional trial-and-error approaches. This review highlights the progress in combinatorial high-throughput studies towards rapid prediction, manufacturing, and characterization of promising HEA compositions. This review begins with an introduction to HEAs and their unique properties. Then, this review describes high-throughput computational methods such as machine learning that can predict desired alloy compositions from hundreds or even thousands of candidates. The next section presents advances in combinatorial synthesis of material libraries by additive manufacturing for efficient development of high-performance HEAs at bulk scale. The final section discusses the high-throughput characterization techniques used to accelerate the material property measurements for systematic understanding of the composition-processing-structure-property relationships in combinatorial HEA libraries
Data sources:
Access Repository Dashboard
Do you manage OAE Publishing (via Crossref)? Access insider analytics, issue reports and manage access to outputs from your repository in the CORE Repository Dashboard!