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Binary nanoparticles (BNPs), composed of two distinct materials, offer tailored properties advantageous for various applications, including enhanced catalytic, magnetic, and optical behavior. Among the synthesis methods for BNPs, spark ablation stands out for its capability to produce multicomponent nanostructures with tunable compositions. This study investigates the mixing dynamics of material v
Glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) is a type-3 intermediate filament protein mainly expressed in astrocytes in the central nervous system. Mutations in GFAP cause Alexander disease (AxD), a rare and fatal neurological disorder. How exactly mutant GFAP eventually leads to white and gray matter deterioration in AxD remains unknown. GFAP is known to be expressed also in neural precursor cells in
Approaches to differentiating pluripotent stem cells (PSCs) into neurons currently face two major challenges-(i) generated cells are immature, with limited functional properties; and (ii) cultures exhibit heterogeneous neuronal subtypes and maturation stages. Using lineage-determining transcription factors, we previously developed a single-step method to generate glutamatergic neurons from human P
Droplet splitting plays an important role in droplet microfluidics by providing precise control over droplet size, which is essential for applications such as single-cell analysis, biochemical reactions, and the fabrication of micro- and nanosized material. Conventional methods of droplet splitting using obstructions or junctions in the microchannel have a clear limitation that the split ratio for
Background: The use of unique national personal identification numbers (PIN) for linkage of medical records across health facilities and population-based studies is limited in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) countries. The disintegration of healthcare research with different participant identifiers creates methodological challenges in linking data from multiple sources to answer a diverse range of policy
Due to their high aspect ratio and increased surface-to-foot-print area, arrays of vertical semiconductor nanowires are used in numerous biological applications, such as cell transfection and biosensing. Here we focus on two specific valuable biosensing approaches that, so far, have received relatively limited attention in terms of their potential capabilities: cellular mechanosensing and lightgui
Increased risk of Hodgkin lymphoma (HL) associated with personal history of several autoimmune diseases (ADs), such as rheumatoid arthritis, systemic lupus erythematosus, sarcoidosis, and immune thrombocytopenic purpura, are known. Whether there are other HL-related ADs and whether the increased risk of HL after ADs holds across sex, age, year of diagnosis, or HL histological subtype is unclear. W
Surgery or radiation therapy remain the standard curative treatments for newly diagnosed prostate cancer patients. Nonetheless, these aggressive treatments are associated with decreased quality of life with altered sexual and urinary functions. The objective was a systematic review of active surveillance protocols to investigate the role of histopathology and molecular markers in the active survei
Context: Although magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is emerging as the most commonly used imaging modality for prostate cancer (PCa) detection, treatment planning, and follow-up, its acceptance has not been uniform. Recently, great interest has been shown in multiparametric MRI, which combines anatomic T2-weighted (T2W) imaging with MR spectroscopic imaging (MRSI), dynamic contrast-enhanced MRI (DC
Background: Patient enrolment into clinical trials is based on oral information and informed consent, which includes an information sheet and a consent certificate. The written information should be complete, but at the same time risks being so complex that it may be questioned if a fully informed consent is possible to provide. We explored patient representatives' views and perceptions on the wri
Aims A higher intake of fruits and vegetables has been associated with a lower risk of ischaemic heart disease (IHD), but there is some uncertainty about the interpretation of this association. The objective was to assess the relation between fruit and vegetable intake and risk of mortality from IHD in the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC)-Heart study. Methods and
Context: The notion of insignificant prostate cancer (Ins-PCa) has progressively emerged in the past two decades. The clinical relevance of such a definition was based on the fact that low-grade, small-volume, and organ-confined prostate cancer (PCa) may be indolent and unlikely to progress to biologic significance in the absence of treatment. Objective: To review the definition of Ins-PCa, its in
Induced neurons (iNs) offer a novel source of human neurons that can be explored for applications of disease modelling, diagnostics, drug screening and cell replacement therapy. Here we present a protocol for highly efficient generation of functional iNs from fetal human fibroblasts, and also demonstrate the ability of these converted human iNs (hiNs) to survive transplantation and maintain their
Objective. To assess the impact of low-to-moderate risk prostate cancer on patients' quality of life (QoL) at diagnosis and within the first year of treatment. Subjects and Methods. Men (n = 672) aged 50-75 years with prostate cancer (Gleason score ≤7, PSA ≤20 ng/mL and clinical staging T1c-T2b) were enrolled in five European countries. Patients completed five questionnaires, including EORTC Quali
Context: Due to the complexity and challenging nature of radical prostatectomy (RP), it is likely that both short-and long-term outcomes strongly depend on the cumulative number of cases performed by the surgeon as well as by the hospital. Objective: To review systematically the association between hospital and surgeon volume and perioperative, oncologic, and functional outcomes after RP. Evidence
Context: MicroRNAs (miRNA) are noncoding RNAs that post- transcriptionally regulate gene expression. Their altered expression and function have been observed in most urologic cancers. MiRNAs represent potential disease biomarkers and novel therapeutic targets. Objective: To review and evaluate the evidence implicating miRNAs in the pathogenesis of prostate cancer (PCa), bladder cancer (BCa), and r
Genome-wide association (GWA) studies usually detect common genetic variants with low-to-medium effect sizes. Many contributing variants are not revealed, since they fail to reach significance after strong correction for multiple comparisons. The WTCCC study for hypertension, for example, failed to identify genome-wide significant associations. We hypothesized that genetic variation in genes expre
The serum PSA test still is the most important biomarker for the detection and follow-up of prostate cancer. PSA-based screening can reduce disease specific mortality but coinciding unnecessary testing and overdiagnosis warrant further research for more specific biomarkers. Numerous studies of both serum and urine-based prostate cancer biomarker candidates have been presented the last ten years. H
