Hyperbranched polymer dots enhance hair follicle regeneration via Wnt/β-catenin activation: A drug-free nanozyme-based approach to hair growth therapy.

Background: Hair loss affects millions worldwide, yet current pharmacological treatments remain limited in efficacy and long-term sustainability. The Wnt/β-catenin pathway plays a crucial role in hair follicle regeneration, providing a promising target for novel therapeutic interventions.

Methods: This study investigates the potential of Hyperbranched Polymer Dots (HPD) as a novel nanotherapeutic for hair follicle regeneration.

Rapid Genome Sequencing Compared to a Gene Panel in Critically Ill Infants with a Suspected Genetic Disorder: An Economic Evaluation.

Introduction: Rapid genome sequencing (rGS) provides high diagnostic yield for critically ill infants with suspected genetic disorders, but has high upfront costs and insufficient insurance coverage. Assessing the downstream costs and health outcomes associated with rGS is important for guiding coverage decisions. This study compares 1-year healthcare costs and quality-adjusted life years (QALYs) for: 1) early rGS (within 7 days of admission) for all infants, and 2) early targeted neonatal gene sequencing (NewbornDx) for all infants, followed by later rGS (after 7 days) for undiagnosed infants.

US Drug Pricing Patterns Before Loss of Exclusivity.

Objectives: Most cost-effectiveness analyses assume that a drug's price remains unchanged after launch. Because prices typically change, this assumption can distort cost-effectiveness projections. Limited data on how prices change over a drug's life cycle have limited the inclusion of dynamic pricing assumptions.

MNN45 is involved in Zcf31-mediated cell surface integrity and chitosan susceptibility in Candida albicans.

Candida albicans is a major human fungal pathogen; however, limited antifungal agents, undesirable drug side effects, and ineffective prevention of drug-resistant strains have become serious problems. Chitosan is a nontoxic, biodegradable, and biocompatible linear polysaccharide made from the deacetylation of chitin. In this study, a ZCF31 putative transcription factor gene was selected from a previous mutant library screen, as zcf31Δ strains exhibited defective cell growth in response to chitosan.

Machine Learning Approach to Identifying Wrong-Site Surgeries Using Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Dataset: Development and Validation Study.

Background: Wrong-site surgery (WSS) is a critical but preventable medical error, often resulting in severe patient harm and substantial financial costs. While protocols exist to reduce wrong-site surgery, underreporting and inconsistent documentation continue to contribute to its persistence. Machine learning (ML) models, which have shown success in detecting medication errors, may offer a solution by identifying unusual procedure-diagnosis combinations.

Challenges perceived by pediatric intensive care unit nurses in caring for maltreated children and adolescents: A qualitative phenomenological study.

Objectives: This study explores the challenges and experiences faced by paediatric intensive care unit (PICU) nurses while caring for maltreated paediatric patients.

Research Methodology/design: A qualitative study was conducted using face-to-face semi-structured interviews from February to May 2022. The data were transcribed verbatim and a simple thematic analysis was used.

Public deliberation on health gain measures.

Researchers and decision-makers use health gain measures to assess the value of health interventions. However, our current understanding of how these measures are understandable and accessible to the community is limited. This study examined a diverse group of stakeholders' attitudes and preferences for 9 commonly used health gain measures.

Regulation of candidalysin underlies Candida albicans persistence in intravascular catheters by modulating NETosis.

Candida albicans is a leading cause of intravascular catheter-related infections. The capacity for biofilm formation has been proposed to contribute to the persistence of this fungal pathogen on catheter surfaces. While efforts have been devoted to identifying microbial factors that modulate C.

Electrical and optoelectronic anisotropy and surface electron accumulation in ReS nanostructures.

Two interesting electronic transport properties including in-plane anisotropy and nonhomogeneous carrier distribution were observed in ReS nanoflakes. The electrical conductivity defined by the current parallel to the -axis (‖) is 32 times higher than that perpendicular to the -axis (⊥). Similar anisotropy was also observed in optoelectronic properties in which the ratio of responsivity ‖ to ⊥ reaches 20.

Convergent and divergent roles of the glucose-responsive kinase SNF4 in .

The sucrose non-fermenting 1 () complex is a heterotrimeric protein kinase complex that is an ortholog of the mammalian AMPK complex and is evolutionally conserved in most eukaryotes. This complex contains a catalytic subunit (Snf1), a regulatory subunit (Snf4) and a scaffolding subunit (Sip1/Sip2/Gal73) in budding yeast. Although the function of AMPK has been well studied in and , the role of AMPK in has never been investigated.

Barriers to Health and Social Services for Unaccounted-For Female Migrant Workers and Their Undocumented Children with Precarious Status in Taiwan: An Exploratory Study of Stakeholder Perspectives.

Unaccounted-for migrant workers (UMWs), who have left their employment placement and whose whereabouts are unknown, make up a vulnerable population in Taiwan. The children of UMWs have a particularly precarious status because they are undocumented/stateless, immigrant, and young. Living with this precarious status limits their children's rights to survival and development.

Tetrafluorophenylene-Containing Vinylbenzyl Ether-Terminated Oligo(2,6-dimethyl-1,4-phenylene ether) with Better Thermal, Dielectric, and Flame-Retardant Properties for Application in High-Frequency Communication.

In an integrated circuit, signal propagation loss is proportional to the frequency, dissipation factor ( ), and square root of dielectric constant ( ). The loss becomes obvious as we move to high-frequency communication. Therefore, a polymer having low and is critical for copper-clad laminates at higher frequencies.

Polyimide-Based Covalent Organic Framework as a Photocurrent Enhancer for Efficient Dye-Sensitized Solar Cells.

Covalent organic frameworks (COFs) are of great interest in the energy and optoelectronic fields due to their high porosity, superior thermal stability, and highly ordered conjugated architecture, which are beneficial for charge migration, charge separation, and light harvesting. In this study, polyimide COFs (PI-COFs) are synthesized through the condensation reaction of pyromellitic dianhydride (PMDA) with tris(4-aminophenyl) amine (TAPA) and then doped in the TiO photoelectrode of a dye-sensitized solar cell (DSSC) to co-work with N719 dye to explore their functionality. As a benchmark, the pristine DSSC without the doping of PI-COFs exhibits a power conversion efficiency of 9.

Controlled Synthesis of Poly[(3-alkylthio)thiophene]s and Their Application to Organic Field-Effect Transistors.

Regioregular polythiophenes have been widely used in organic electronic applications due to their solution processability with chemical modification through side chain engineering, as well as their microstructural organization and good hole transport properties. Here, we introduce alkylthio side chains, (poly[(3-alkylthio)thiophene]s; s), with strong noncovalent sulfur molecular interactions, to main chain thienyl backbones. These s were compared with alkyl-substituted polythiophene (poly(3-alkylthiophene); ) variants such that the effects of straight (hexyl and decyl) and branched (2-ethylhexyl) side chains (with and without S atoms) on their thin-film morphologies and crystalline states could be investigated.

Antimicrobial Actions and Applications of Chitosan.

Chitosan is a naturally originating product that can be applied in many areas due to its biocompatibility, biodegradability, and nontoxic properties. The broad-spectrum antimicrobial activity of chitosan offers great commercial potential for this product. Nevertheless, the antimicrobial activity of chitosan varies, because this activity is associated with its physicochemical characteristics and depends on the type of microorganism.

Hybrid White-Light-Emitting Electrochemical Cells Based on a Blue Cationic Iridium(III) Complex and Red Quantum Dots.

Solid-state white light-emitting electrochemical cells (LECs) show promising advantages of simple solution fabrication processes, low operation voltage, and compatibility with air-stable cathode metals, which are required for lighting applications. To date, white LECs based on ionic transition metal complexes (iTMCs) have shown higher device efficiencies than white LECs employing other types of materials. However, lower emission efficiencies of red iTMCs limit further improvement in device performance.

maintains mitochondrial function and is required for chitosan resistance, invasive growth, biofilm formation and virulence in .

is the most prevalent fungal pathogen in humans, particularly in immunocompromised patients. In this study, by screening a mutant library, we first identified that the gene, an ortholog of required for mitochondrial respiration, mediates chitosan resistance. Upon treatment with 0.

mSphere of Influence: Turning to Soil for Medicines.

Ching-Hsuan Lin works in the field of biology. In this mSphere of Influence article, he reflects on how the papers "Use of ichip for high-throughput cultivation of uncultivable microbial species" by D. Nichols, N.

Synergistic Antifungal Activity of Chitosan with Fluconazole against , , and Fluconazole-Resistant Strains.

(1) Background: Few antifungal drugs are currently available, and drug-resistant strains have rapidly emerged. Thus, the aim of this study is to evaluate the effectiveness of the antifungal activity from a combinational treatment of chitosan with a clinical antifungal drug on Candida albicans and Candida tropicalis. (2) Methods: Minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) tests, checkerboard assays, and disc assays were employed to determine the inhibitory effect of chitosan with or without other antifungal drugs on and .

Candida tropicalis RON1 is required for hyphal formation, biofilm development, and virulence but is dispensable for N-acetylglucosamine catabolism.

Unlabelled: NDT80-like family genes are highly conserved across a large group of fungi, but the functions of each Ndt80 protein are diverse and have evolved differently among yeasts and pathogens. The unique NDT80 gene in budding yeast is required for sexual reproduction, whereas three NDT80-like genes, namely, NDT80, REP1, and RON1, found in Candida albicans exhibit distinct functions. Notably, it was suggested that REP1, rather than RON1, is required for N-acetylglucosamine (GlcNAc) catabolism.

Evaluation of Biofilm Formation in Using a Silicone-Based Platform with Synthetic Urine Medium.

Molecular mechanisms of biofilm formation in and current methods for biofilm analyses in this fungal pathogen are limited. (2) Methods: Biofilm biomass and crystal violet staining of the wild-type and each gene mutant strain of were evaluated on silicone under synthetic urine culture conditions. (3) Results: Seven media were tested to compare the effects on biofilm growth with or without silicone.

Tuning the Wettability and Surface Free Energy of Poly(vinylphenol)Thin Films by Modulating Hydrogen-Bonding Interactions.

The ability to tune the surface properties of a polymer film in a simple and effective manner is important for diverse biological, industrial, and environmental applications. In this work, we investigated whether or not the surface free energy of poly(vinyl phenol; PVPh) can be tuned by adjusting the casting solvent and the thermal treatment time, which alters the proportions of intra-and intermolecular hydrogen bonding interactions. Compared to the untreated sample, in tetrahydrofuran (THF) system, the thermal treatment resulted in a lower proportion of intermolecular hydrogen bonds and a concomitant decrease in the surface free energy (from 39.

Synthesis and Properties of Quinoxaline-Containing Benzoxazines and Polybenzoxazines.

The object of this work is to prepare quinoxaline-based benzoxazines and evaluate thermal properties of their thermosets. For this object, 4,4'-(quinoxaline-2,3-diyl)diphenol (QDP)/furfurylamine-based benzoxazine (QDP-fu) and 4,4',4″,4‴-([6,6'-biquinoxaline]-2,2',3,3'-tetrayl)tetraphenol (BQTP)/furfurylamine-based benzoxazine (BQTP-fu) were prepared. The structures of QDP-fu and BQTP-fu were successfully confirmed by FTIR and H and C NMR spectra.

Facile Fabrication of Durable Superhydrophobic Films from Carbon Nanotube/Main-Chain Type Polybenzoxazine Composites.

Superhydrophobic materials have immense applications in the fields of industry and research. However, their durability is still a cause for concern. A facile method for preparing durable superhydrophobic films from carbon nanotubes (CNTs) and the main-chain type polybenzoxazine precursors is reported herein.