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Penile squamous cell carcinoma is a rare malignancy that may require radical surgery in advanced stages. We report a 66-year-old male with a one-year history of a penile lesion diagnosed as verrucous squamous cell carcinoma, staged as T3N2M0 (clinical stage IIIB) based on magnetic resonance imaging findings. The patient underwent total penectomy with scrotal flap phalloplasty and perineal urethrostomy, followed by robotic inguinal lymphadenectomy, which revealed no metastatic involvement (pN0). Postoperative outcomes were favorable, with good flap viability and satisfactory urinary function. This case highlights a practical reconstructive approach and the importance of histopathological confirmation of nodal disease.
Endocrine-disrupting chemicals have been linked to circadian disruption, but their associations with epigenetic regulation of circadian genes during adolescence, a key developmental period, remain unclear. We analyzed 488 adolescents (mean age = 15.4 years; 53.1% female) from the ELEMENT cohort. Urinary phthalate metabolites and blood leukocyte DNA methylation (DNAm) were collected in 2015. Metabolites were grouped into summary phthalate mixtures, and DNAm at 334 CpG sites across nine circadian genes was quantified using the Infinium MethylationEPIC BeadChip. Multivariable linear regression models adjusted for specific gravity, sociodemographic factors, and immune cell composition. Associations with p < 0.05 were evaluated, and false discovery rate (FDR) correction was applied across all CpGs (q < 0.10 denoting statistical significance). Sex-stratified analyses were also performed. Several phthalate mixtures were associated with DNAm of circadian genes after FDR correction. For BMAL1, ΣDEHP, and Σ Plastic were associated with hypomethylation at cg09404790 (q = 0.0419 and 0.0650), and Σ AA was positively associated with cg14666553 (q = 0.0667). In males, multiple CpGs were statistically significant, including CRY1 hypomethylation with Σ AA and Σ DBP (cg06205108 and cg03853227; q = 0.0058-0.0600) and additional loci in BMAL1 (cg05239841; q = 0.0389) and CRY2 (cg26742859; q = 0.0650). In females, only one CpG remained significant after FDR adjustment, with higher methylation at a CRY1 locus observed in relation to Σ Plastic exposure (q = 0.0067). Adolescent exposure to phthalate mixtures was significantly associated with DNAm at select circadian gene loci, with stronger and more frequent associations in males.
Depression is a known risk factor for cardiovascular disease (CVD), but the impact of long-term depressive symptom burden remains unclear. We examined the association between cumulative depression burden and risks of CVD and all-cause death among adults aged ≥50 years in China and Mexico. Data were obtained from 2 nationally representative cohorts: CHARLS (China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study) and MHAS (Mexican Health and Aging Study). Cumulative depression burden was quantified using 2 approaches: (1) the area under the curve of repeated depression scores and (2) the number of waves with depression. Multivariable Cox proportional hazards models were used to estimate hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% CIs for incident CVD and all-cause death. The analysis included 5277 CVD-free participants from CHARLS and 4779 from MHAS. Higher cumulative depression burden was significantly associated with elevated risk of CVD. Compared with the lowest-quartile group, participants in the highest-quartile group had significantly greater CVD risk (CHARLS: HR, 1.723 [95% CI, 1.420-2.090]; MHAS: HR, 1.739 [95% CI, 1.347-2.245]). Dose-response associations were observed in both cohorts. Persistent depression was also linked to higher CVD risk compared with isolated or less frequent episodes. Associations with all-cause death differed by cohort, with significant associations observed in CHARLS but not in MHAS. Long-term cumulative depression burden is strongly associated with increased CVD risk among adults aged ≥50 years. Routine screening and sustained management of depressive symptoms should be considered integral to CVD prevention strategies.
Conivaptan (CNV) is a dual antagonist of vasopressin V1a and V2 receptors, clinically used for the treatment of euvolemic hyponatremia. Emerging evidence suggests its potential therapeutic role in fibrotic and autoimmune conditions; however, data regarding its long-term safety profile remain limited. The present study aimed to evaluate the effects of prolonged CNV administration on hepatic and renal functions in female Lewis rats, as well as its direct cellular effects on HepG2 cells. Animals were treated with CNV at doses of 1.5, 2.2, and 3.0 mg/kg for 15 and 30 days. Biochemical parameters, including glucose, albumin, creatinine, ALT, AST, and ALP, showed dose-dependent alterations compared with controls. Histological analysis revealed progressive structural changes, including mild microvesicular steatosis and thickening of the glomerular and tubular basement membranes, without evidence of overt structural damage. In vitro, CNV increased cell viability and induced a dose- and time-dependent increase in the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS), suggesting the presence of oxidative stress. Taken together, these findings indicate that prolonged exposure to CNV induces dose-dependent metabolic and bioenergetic alterations, consistent with hepatic energy stress, potentially associated with mitochondrial involvement. Overall, CNV appears to maintain an acceptable safety profile under therapeutic conditions, while defining the experimental thresholds at which early metabolic and oxidative alterations begin to emerge. These results highlight the importance of cautious interpretation under conditions of prolonged exposure.
The true number of coronavirus disease-19 (COVID-19) cases may be highly underestimated because of reduced efforts to track cases through testing in the postpandemic era. Earlier estimates of this underreporting have varied across regions, and countries in Asia, Africa, the Middle East, and Latin America have been notably impacted. This study investigates the true burden of COVID-19 cases in 2023 and 2024 across Asia, Africa, the Middle East, and Latin America. We conducted a retrospective analysis of national public health surveillance data from 2022 to 2024 on COVID-19 cases, hospitalizations, and deaths in Asia, Africa, the Middle East, and Latin America. Using a method developed by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to estimate the burden of COVID-19 and influenza, we estimated the number of cases for 2023 and 2024 by calculating the ratio of cases to hospitalization and cases to deaths, using 2022 as the baseline. We compared the estimated and reported number of cases each year to assess the level of underreporting. The mean ratio of estimated cases to reported cases showed a high albeit variable level of underreporting in 2023 and 2024 across regions. In 2023, the levels of underreported cases were 1295%, 319%, 560%, and 3703% in Asia, the Middle East, Latin America, and Africa, respectively. The number of estimated underreported cases generally increased in 2024 to 2326%, 1415% and 16,664% in Asia, Latin America, and Africa, respectively, but in the Middle East decreased to 87% based on hospitalization data. The trend for death data was similar. The results highlight the high level of underreporting of COVID-19 cases, which has increased over time in many regions. Therefore, the true global burden of COVID-19 could be substantially higher than indicated by publicly available data. Continued COVID-19 surveillance is crucial for stabilizing public health measures such as prevention and target vaccination programs.
IgE-mediated food allergy prevention guidelines are now established in many countries, but their implementation in routine clinical practice globally remains unclear. An anonymous online survey was distributed to healthcare professionals (HCPs) through the World Allergy Organization network between December 2024 and April 2025, collecting data on food allergy prevention recommendations in daily clinical practice. The analysis included 731 healthcare professionals from 80 countries worldwide: Asia (36.7%), Europe (27.1%), North America (15.9%), and Rest of the World (20.0%; Russia, South America, Africa, Oceania). Unsupervised clustering revealed two distinct practice patterns-one favoring early allergen introduction and one favoring later introduction-with timing varying by allergen type. For peanuts, clusters diverged between early (median 6 months of age) and late (median 18 months of age) introduction recommendations for high-risk infants. Allergen introduction timing was independently driven by region and specialty: North American HCPs recommend peanut introduction 6.7 months earlier than those in Asia (5.48 ± $$ \pm $$ 3.32 vs. 12.18 ± $$ \pm $$ 7.27 months; p < 0.001), and pediatric allergists globally advocate for introduction 2.37 months earlier than non-allergists (8.72 ± $$ \pm $$ 5.85 vs. 11.09 ± $$ \pm $$ 7.14 months, p = 0.024). This disparity is more pronounced in high-risk infants than in normal-risk infants. The variability in allergen introduction practices, driven by geography and medical specialty, highlights a persistent gap in prevention guidelines adoption. This divergence likely reflects both suboptimal implementation of existing recommendations and regional differences in food allergy epidemiology. These findings underscore the need for population-tailored allergen introduction strategies across diverse healthcare settings.
Ustekinumab biosimilars have expanded treatment options for moderate-to-severe plaque psoriasis, but pooled evidence is needed to determine whether they achieve therapeutic equivalence to reference ustekinumab during the initial randomized comparative period before protocol-defined switching. The aim of this systematic review was to assess the therapeutic equivalence of ustekinumab biosimilars versus reference ustekinumab during the pre-switch period in adults with moderate-to-severe plaque psoriasis. We searched PubMed, Embase, Scopus, Web of Science, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL), and trial registries from inception to 15 October 2025 for phase III randomized clinical trials comparing ustekinumab biosimilars or follow-on biologics with reference ustekinumab and reporting comparative data before switching. Data were extracted independently by two reviewers. Risk of bias was assessed using the Risk of Bias 2 (RoB 2) tool, and certainty of evidence was assessed using the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation (GRADE) approach. Random-effects meta-analysis with Hartung-Knapp-Sidik-Jonkman 95% confidence intervals (CIs) was performed. The primary outcome was 75% improvement in Psoriasis Area and Severity Index (PASI 75) response at week 12, analyzed using risk differences with a prespecified equivalence margin of ± 10%. Nine randomized trials including 4532 participants were analyzed. At week 12, the pooled risk difference for PASI 75 was 0.02 (95% CI -0.02 to 0.05), meeting the prespecified ± 10% equivalence criterion, with low between-study heterogeneity (I2 statistic = 6%). Equivalence-consistent estimates were also observed for PASI 90 (risk difference - 0.01, 95% CI - 0.06 to 0.03) and PASI 100 (risk difference 0.00, 95% CI - 0.03 to 0.03). Treatment-emergent adverse events were comparable through week 28 (risk difference 0.01, 95% CI - 0.04 to 0.06). At week 12, anti-drug antibody detection was lower in biosimilar arms (risk difference - 0.14, 95% CI - 0.23 to - 0.04), which may partly reflect assay variability rather than clinically meaningful differences. No material differences were observed in short-term pre-switch clinical response, patient-reported quality of life, or safety. During the initial randomized comparative period, ustekinumab biosimilars met prespecified therapeutic equivalence criteria for PASI 75 and showed equivalence-consistent results for PASI 90 and PASI 100, with comparable short-term safety versus reference ustekinumab. These findings provide pooled reassurance across standard and stringent skin-clearance outcomes during a clinically relevant early treatment window. PROSPERO (CRD420251166323). Registered October 12, 2025. Plaque psoriasis is a long-term inflammatory skin disease that affects millions of people worldwide. Although biologic treatments such as ustekinumab are effective, their high cost can limit patient access. Biosimilars are medicines designed to be highly similar to original biologic products. In this study, we combined results from nine clinical trials involving 4532 participants to compare ustekinumab biosimilars with the reference medicine. We focused on the first 12 weeks of treatment to allow a direct comparison before any planned treatment changes or switching occurred. Our analysis showed that biosimilars and the reference medicine produced very similar results for skin improvement, including both standard and more demanding levels of clearance. Short-term safety results were also similar between groups. Although antibody detection was lower in patients receiving biosimilars, this did not lead to differences in efficacy or safety. Overall, these findings suggest that ustekinumab biosimilars perform similarly to the reference medicine during the initial treatment period and may help support their clinical use and improve access to these therapies.
Nursing informatics is a specialty that integrates nursing science and technology to optimize the efficiency, effectiveness, quality and usability of patient care. This study aimed to translate into Spanish and pilot test the Students Nurse Informatics Competency Self-Assessment Scale (IECIEEs), based on the Korean instrument K-SANICS. The research was conducted through a three-phase process: linguistic translation, validation by fifteen experts in nursing informatics and computer science, and a pilot test involving a sample of three hundred nursing students in Mexico. The results demonstrated that the instrument possesses acceptable content validity and high internal consistency, as determined by the Cronbach alpha coefficient. Furthermore, a normalized scale was established to define cut-off points for interpreting low, medium and high competency levels. It is concluded that the IECIEEs scale is a valid and reliable tool for identifying educational needs and informatics competencies, facilitating the development of essential skills to improve clinical outcomes in the Spanish-speaking context.
Maternal cafeteria diet and methyl donor supplementation modulate gut microbiota and behavioral outcomes in male offspring. Maternal hypercaloric diets rich in saturated fats and refined sugars are associated with metabolic alterations, gut microbiota dysbiosis, and behavioral disturbances in offspring. Methyl donor supplementation has been proposed as a potential strategy to modulate these effects. To evaluate the effect of maternal cafeteria diet consumption and methyl donor supplementation on gut microbiota composition and behavioral outcomes in male offspring in a murine model. Female C57BL/6 mice were assigned to four dietary groups: control, cafeteria diet, control supplemented with methyl donors, and cafeteria diet supplemented with methyl donors. Diet exposure occurred during pre-gestation, gestation, and lactation. Male offspring were evaluated at 8 weeks of age using behavioral tests and gut microbiota analysis based on 16S rRNA gene sequencing. Associations between gut microbiota and behavioral parameters were evaluated using adjusted linear regression models controlling for maternal diet and methyl donor supplementation. Offspring from cafeteria-fed dams supplemented with methyl donors showed higher microbial diversity compared to the non-supplemented cafeteria group. Cafeteria diet increased the abundance of Deferribacteres, Mucispirillum, Adlercreutzia, Butyricicoccus, and Prevotella, whereas methyl donor supplementation reduced Deferribacteres and modified the abundance of Paraprevotella and Ruminococcus_1. At the species level, Mucispirillum schaedleri and Lactobacillus reuteri were increased under cafeteria dietary conditions. No significant effects were observed in sociability-related variables after adjustment. However, Butyricicoccus remained associated with central and peripheral zone behavior, whereas Paraprevotella remained positively associated with wall-leaning behavior after adjustment for maternal diet and supplementation status. Maternal cafeteria diet modulated offspring gut microbiota composition and was associated with anxiety-related behavioral parameters. Methyl donor supplementation showed differential effects depending on maternal dietary context, reducing specific bacterial taxa associated with inflammatory and metabolic alterations. Maternal methyl donor supplementation attenuated specific microbiota alterations induced by cafeteria diets and was associated with microbiota-behavior relationships related to anxiety-like responses in offspring.
Biogeography can illuminate spatial patterns of intraspecific morphological variation along environmental gradients. We evaluated whether body size in the common vampire bat (Desmodus rotundus) varies with climate and elevation across Colombia using 1076 museum and field specimens (1921-2023). Field specimens originated from diverse environmental conditions, including sites with mean annual temperatures ranging from 8.94 to 28.94 °C, annual precipitations from 515 to 7132 mm, and elevations from 4.6 to 3476 m a.s.l. Forearm length, a proxy for body size, was analysed with regression models, including Colombian department as a random effect. Linear models showed that forearm length decreased with mean annual temperature (females: R 2 = .023, β = -.143, P = .006; males: R 2 = .044, β = -.173, P = 1.03 × 10-5) and increased with elevation (females: R 2 = .038, β = .001, P = 3.66 × 10-4; males: R 2 = .039, β = .001, P = 3.35 × 10-5), with an overall decrease of .19 mm per 1°C across all individuals. In contrast, linear mixed-effects models found no significant effects of temperature, elevation, precipitation, or latitude. These contrasting results suggest data limitations and that patterns detected by simpler models disappear when accounting for the spatial structure of the sampling. We argue that temperature is not a robust predictor of body size in D. rotundus. Our findings advance the biogeography of D. rotundus and provide a foundation for the uncertainty of climate change effects on bat morphology.
This study aimed to compare the efficacy of 2 retreatment protocols - SClean® file and R1 ClearSonic™ ultrasonic tip - in removing bioceramic (EndoSequence BC Sealer®, CeraSeal®, Kerr®) and epoxy resin-based (AH Plus®) sealers using micro‑CT analysis. One hundred and four extracted single-rooted teeth were divided into 8 groups according to sealer type and cleaning protocol. Residual sealer volume, surface area, and apical permeability were analysed using Mann-Whitney U and Kruskal-Wallis tests (α=0.05). No technique achieved complete removal, with the highest residue in the apical third. SClean® was more effective on bioceramic sealers (P < .05), while R1 ClearSonic™ showed no significant inter-sealer differences. Apical permeability recovery was greatest with bioceramic sealers, reaching 100% for EndoSequence BC Sealer®. In conclusion, bioceramic sealers are more easily eliminated than epoxy resin-based sealers, though complete removal - particularly apically - remains difficult.
We examine the image contrasts presented at micrometric and nanometric scales of the scanning electron microscope (SEM), transmission electron microscope (TEM), scanning transmission electron microscope (STEM), and atomic force microscope (AFM) in the tapping mode, looking for the observation of the central feature known as "the central dark line" (CDL) in the structure of human tooth enamel crystals. Since our interest is in inorganic material, mainly at the nanometric scale, the enamel samples for SEM and AFM were polished following a metallographic procedure, using progressively finer silicon carbide papers and etching with orthophosphoric acid. For TEM and STEM, the samples were produced by the focused ion beam (FIB) technique. The CDL images were well recorded using TEM and STEM, but not in SEM and AFM images. SEM images revealed the size and morphology of the enamel crystals, while AFM images revealed spherical and band-like structures. The observation of the CDL using TEM and STEM suggests that it may represent a potential chemical compositional site.
Suicidal risk among university students remains a pressing public health concern, particularly in high-stress border contexts. While depressive symptoms are well-established correlates of suicidal risk, the adjusted association of psychological inflexibility and the potential roles of resilience and perceived social support remain underexplored among university students in structurally stressed regions. This study examined whether psychological inflexibility was independently associated with suicidal risk beyond depressive symptoms and assessed whether resilience and perceived social support statistically accounted for indirect associations between psychological inflexibility and suicidal risk, and whether these pathways differed by sex. A cross-sectional survey was conducted among 385 university students (M_age = 27.45, SD = 8.15) using snowball sampling. Participants completed validated measures of depressive symptoms, psychological inflexibility, resilience, perceived social support, and suicidal risk. Pearson correlations, simultaneous multiple regression, and moderated mediation analyses (PROCESS Model 7; 5,000 bootstrap resamples) were conducted. Suicidal risk was strongly positively correlated with depressive symptoms (r = .813, p < .001) and psychological inflexibility (r = .701, p < .001) and negatively correlated with perceived social support (r = -.448, p < .001) and resilience (r = -.118, p = .020). In multivariable regression (R2 = .739), depressive symptoms (β = .607, p < .001) and psychological inflexibility (β = .294, p < .001) showed the strongest adjusted associations with suicidal risk; however, resilience and perceived social support were not independently associated with suicidal risk in adjusted models. Moderated mediation analyses indicated no significant statistical indirect associations through resilience or perceived social support, and the indices of moderated mediation by sex were not significant. Depressive symptoms and psychological inflexibility were the key adjusted correlates of suicidal risk in this border-region sample. Findings suggest that psychological inflexibility may represent a clinically relevant and potentially modifiable correlate of suicidal risk. However, longitudinal studies are needed to clarify temporal and causal pathways.
The objective of this study is to evaluate the ethical dimensions of reflex and reflective testing (RRT) within the framework of value-based laboratory medicine and in alignment with ISO 15189:2022. The study aims to highlight the challenges in guiding and standardizing these practices in an era of value-based medicine. The ISO 15189:2022 requirements for quality and competence were examined alongside the IFCC Code of Ethics and relevant literature. The ethical evaluation was structured around the four core principles of bioethics: beneficence, non-maleficence, autonomy, and justice. Specific ethical issues related to RRT were identified through expert discussion and compared with the ISO standard. The thorough examination reveals that although ISO 15189:2022 does not use the RRT terminology directly, its requirements provide a robust framework for these interventions. Based on beneficence, non-maleficence, autonomy, and justice, RRT interventions align with ISO 15189:2022 and promote value-based laboratory medicine. Laboratory specialists/professionals must balance the four ethical principles to ensure that the "total testing process" serves the patient's best interest in conformity with ISO 15189:2022. By adopting a strong ethical culture, the profession can successfully transition from being a producer of test results to a key partner in personalized and value-based medicine.
Myelin is one of the most important features of the vertebrate nervous system, formed by glial cells. In the peripheral nervous system, Schwann cells produce myelin. While much is known about the molecules and processes involved in mammalian myelination, little is known about it in other vertebrate groups. In this study, we examined myelin development in the peripheral nerves of the turtle Trachemys scripta using qPCR, RNA sequencing, immunofluorescence, and TEM. Our findings indicate that in T. scripta, myelination begins during the late stages of embryonic development and continues beyond hatching. Expression profiles reveal both conservation and divergence of core myelination components between mammals and amphibians; however, direct gene-level comparisons across species require further investigation given our small sample size. The upregulation of orthologous myelin genes in the turtle PNS supports the idea that these components are conserved, although their timing, regulation, or network structure may differ across tetrapods. We based our inference of conservation on orthology and the coordinated expression of key myelin genes (e.g., ErbB2, Mag, Mpz, Mbp, Pmp22) in T. scripta. TEM analysis of turtle sciatic nerves shows myelin rings in a few axons starting at stage 21, increasing significantly by stage 24, and becoming prominent in most axons of the adult nerve. Furthermore, antibodies against MPZ, DRP2, and Kv1.1 indicate that T. scripta adult peripheral nerves at various axial levels contain myelin segments with structures consistent with appositions and Schmidt-Lanterman incisures. Overall, this is the first study of PNS myelin development in a reptile, demonstrating that myelination is a highly conserved process in vertebrates.
In this study, the synthesis and characterization of three Cu-(II) complexes employing the Schiff base ligand 2-[(2-hydroxy-benzylidene)-amino]-2-hydroxymethylpropane-1,3-diol (H4L), sodium azide (NaN3), and Cu-(II) salts were investigated. This research led to the formation of [Cu4(H2L)4(H2O)] 1, previously reported, the first octa-nuclear cubane-like compound based on the {Cu4O3N} core, [Cu4(μ3-N3)-(H2L)2(HL)-(H2O)]2 2, and a polymeric compound [Cu3(H2L)2(μ2-N3)2]n 3. Single-crystal X-ray diffraction analysis revealed that 1·CH3OH possesses a '4 + 2' cubane-type core, 2 is a double cubane of eight Cu-(II) ions including μ3-alkoxido and μ3-azido bridges, while 3 is a polymeric structure with three Cu-(II) ions conforming the monomeric unit. Temperature-dependent (2.9-300 K) magnetic susceptibility measurements demonstrate the coexistence of ferromagnetic and antiferromagnetic spin exchange interactions in 1, associated with Cu-O-Cu bridging angles ranging from 77.81(6)° to 112.77(8)°. Compounds 2 and 3 exhibited antiferromagnetic exchange coupling, attributed to their large Cu-O-Cu bond angles, the largest of which was 108.92°. The ESR spectra of 1-3 at 300 and 90 K are axial, accompanied by hyperfine splitting in g ∥ and coupling constants A Cu in the range 169 × 10-4 cm-1 to 197 × 10-4 cm-1. In accordance with g ⊥ values >2.0023, the unpaired electron ground state is d x 2 - y 2 , consistent with a Cu-(II) ion. Furthermore, for 2, a forbidden half-field transition was observed, which is characteristic of ΔM S = ± 2 for antiferromagnetic exchange interaction of dimers of Cu-(II). These affirmations align with the ESR spectra area ratio and line width as the temperature decreases. The IR, absorption spectra, and magnetic studies of 1-3 were analyzed and compared to those of analogous complexes with the same geometry.
Cancer cells reprogram their metabolic networks to sustain continuous proliferation, resist stress, and support invasive behavior. This metabolic rewiring includes enhanced aerobic glycolysis, increased glutaminolysis to fuel biosynthetic reactions, activation of the pentose phosphate pathway (PPP) for nucleotide synthesis and redox balance, and reorganization of lipid metabolism to integrate membrane biogenesis and energy adaptation. While several oncogenes are well established as metabolic regulators, it is increasingly recognized that non-coding RNAs also contribute to the control of tumor metabolic phenotypes. Among them, the long non-coding RNA (lncRNA) HOX transcript antisense intergenic RNA (HOTAIR) has emerged as one of the most consistently upregulated and functionally relevant lncRNAs in human cancers. Accumulating evidence links HOTAIR to metabolic reprogramming in diverse tumor types. HOTAIR controls the expression and activity of key glycolytic enzymes and regulates lipogenesis, lipid accumulation, and metastatic lipid remodeling. However, findings remain dispersed across individual studies, and a consolidated framework integrating HOTAIR regulation with major metabolic pathways is currently lacking. This review synthesizes current knowledge on how HOTAIR drives metabolic rewiring in cancer, with a focus on carbohydrate and lipid metabolism, and discusses the underlying molecular mechanisms and therapeutic implications. To keep growing and spreading, cancer cells “reprogram” their internal engines. They change how they process sugars and fats to get a quick burst of energy and gather the materials needed to build more cancer cells.While scientists have known for a long time that certain genes act as the “drivers” for this growth, they’ve discovered a specific molecule called HOTAIR that acts like the engine’s main control switch. HOTAIR is a type of “non-coding RNA,” which means its job isn’t to build proteins, but to give orders to other parts of the cell.In many types of cancer, HOTAIR is found at dangerously high levels. It works by taking over the enzymes that break down sugar and manage fat storage, essentially forcing the cell to work overtime. This study brings together recent research to show how HOTAIR helps cancer cells survive and invade other organs. Most importantly, it highlights that there are now ways to use medicine to block this molecule, which could provide a powerful new way to “starve” cancer and stop it in its tracks.
Water splitting in thermochemical reactors, driven by concentrated solar energy, represents a promising and truly sustainable method for producing renewable hydrogen. However, the current efficiency of solar-to-hydrogen energy conversion indicates that significant technological improvements are needed before this process can become commercially viable on an industrial scale. To contribute to the advancement of thermochemical reactor design, this work evaluated different tube configurations inside a cavity receiver for a two-stage redox cycle driven by a 1.5 MWth solar tower plant. Specifically, six different configurations of 80 tubes were considered within a single-cavity receiver. The thermal requirements for the reduction step were met by changing the geometry of the passive reactors. Simulations indicated that multiple tube arrays can exceed the critical temperature of 1300 °C necessary for thermal reduction. Additionally, a closely spaced, single-layer configuration was found to be the most effective in minimizing temperature gradients within a chamber, which is essential to achieve uniform reaction conditions. This study demonstrates that an effective design of the internal tube layout is essential to control the complex thermal environment in solar cavity reactors and presents feasible configurations for solar hydrogen production in solar tower plants.
Overweight is recognized as a worldwide healthcare problem. Obesity has increased in recent decades and has been considered a risk factor for many gastrointestinal (GI) disorders. Recent scientific evidence has documented the association between being overweight and GI manifestations. Body mass index (BMI) is a simple, globally used anthropometric measure, but its role in GI inflammation remains incompletely elucidated and can be challenging to study. Current knowledge suggests that higher BMI is linked to a chronic low-grade pro-inflammatory state ("metainflammation") and several GI-relevant processes. Obesity-related dietary patterns and "fat quality" can alter mucosal immune triggering and local inflammatory cell profiles. Increased BMI is often associated with functional GI symptoms, especially gastroesophageal reflux, likely supported by delayed oesophageal clearance, altered motility, and increased intragastric pressure. Furthermore, intestinal barrier dysfunction with dysbiosis can increase permeability and facilitate the translocation of microbial products. Metabolic endotoxemia and inflammatory pathways are triggered, including TLR4/NF-κB and the NLRP3 inflammasome. Accordingly, systemic and intestinal inflammation are developed and maintained. These mechanisms also interact with adipose tissue immune-endocrine dysregulation (increased tumor necrosis factor alpha, interleukin-6, leptin, and reduced adiponectin) and macrophage cytokine amplification, potentially affecting multiple digestive organs. Although BMI does not record fat distribution or cardiometabolic status, it can still provide clinically useful risk stratification data when interpreted alongside metabolic and functional markers. This mini-review summarizes evidence on BMI and GI inflammatory vulnerability, focusing on biomolecular pathophysiology and the main mechanisms that could explain this association.