Case Report: Ectopic CRH production by adrenal adenoma as a unique cause of the ACTH-dependent Cushing's syndrome.

Isolated ectopic secretion of corticotropin-releasing hormone (CRH) is an exceedingly rare cause of Cushing's syndrome (CS), accounting for fewer than 1% of cases. Ectopic CS is an uncommon but potentially life-threatening condition that often necessitates urgent diagnostic evaluation and treatment. Hormonal testing may suggest a pituitary origin, complicating the diagnostic process.

Corrigendum to: Impact of the COVID-19 outbreak on the field of hematopoietic cell transplantation in the Asia-Pacific region: APBMT Activity Survey 2020/2021 [Blood Cell Therapy. 2024; 7(4): 129-137. doi:10.31547/bct-2024-020].

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.31547/bct-2024-020.].

Red Yeast Rice: A Review of the in vitro and in vivo Pharmacological Activities, Studies in Humans, and Case Reports.

Red yeast rice (RYR) is an Asian indigenous medicine that ferments grains using the Monascus fungi, specifically . Monacolins, pigments, phenols, sterols, and benzopyrans, such as the mycotoxin citrinin, were proven to be present in RYR, contributing to its numerous effects. This study aims to provide a thorough overview of the in vitro and in vivo pharmacological activities of red yeast rice, its studies in humans, and a summary of recent case reports.

Development of a reverse genetics system for West Nile virus (Kunjin type).

Kunjin virus (KUNV), a naturally attenuated strain of West Nile virus (WNV), shares similar transmission modes and hosts-primarily mosquitoes, birds, and horses. Globally, reverse genetics is the principal methodology for characterizing the molecular etiology of flaviviruses. In this study, cytomegalovirus (CMV) promoter-driven KUNV reporter replicons were engineered to incorporate three distinct reporter genes: Nanoluc, oxGFP, and mCherry.

Depression and Risk of Sudden Cardiac Death and Arrhythmias: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Background: Depression is a highly prevalent mental disorder worldwide and is often accompanied by various somatic symptoms. Clinical studies have suggested a close association between depression and cardiac electrophysiological instability, particularly sudden cardiac death (SCD) and arrhythmias. Therefore, this review systematically evaluated the association between depression and the risks of SCD, atrial fibrillation (AF), and ventricular arrhythmias.

Association of Oxidative Balance Score With All-Cause and Cardiovascular Mortality Among Hypertensive Adults.

Background: The Oxidative Balance Score (OBS) is a new measure for assessing systemic oxidative stress, where higher scores indicate increased exposure to antioxidants. However, the relationship between the OBS and mortality in individuals with hypertension remains unclear.

Methods: This study evaluated 8151 hypertensive individuals from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) (2001-2018), utilizing data from the National Death Index, tracked through December 31, 2019.

Impact of Intrinsic Capacity on 5-year Mortality of Older Patients With Cardiovascular Disease.

Background: Intrinsic capacity (IC) is defined as the combination of all physical and mental (including psychosocial) capacities that an individual can rely on at any given time. Previous studies have shown that a decline in IC is linked to an increased mortality rate. Thus, this study aimed to evaluate the impact of IC on the 5-year mortality of older people with cardiovascular disease.

Utilizing the Timed Up and Go Test to Predict Five-Year Mortalities Among Older Cardiovascular Inpatients: A Prospective Cohort Study.

Background: To examine the predictive value of the Timed Up and Go test (TUGT) for five-year mortality among older patients with cardiovascular disease (CVD).

Methods: This prospective cohort study was conducted at the Beijing Hospital in China from September 2018 to April 2019, with a follow-up period of 5 years. Patients underwent the TUGT at baseline and were categorized into two groups based on the subsequent results: Group 1 (TUGT >15 s) and Group 2 (TUGT ≤15 s).

Efficiency and Safety of HAIC Combined with Lenvatinib and PD-1 Inhibitor for Advanced Hepatocellular Carcinoma with Lung Metastasis: A Multicenter Propensity Score Matching Analysis.

Purpose: This study aimed to evaluate the clinical efficiency and safety of hepatic arterial infusion chemotherapy (HAIC) combined with lenvatinib and programmed cell death protein-1 (PD-1) inhibitor for patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and lung metastasis.

Methods: In this multicenter retrospective study, treatment-naive patients with advanced (BCLC stage C) HCC and lung metastases who received lenvatinib and PD-1 inhibitor - with or without HAIC - between January 2019 and January 2024 were reviewed. Propensity score matching (PSM) was applied to balance baseline characteristics between the two groups.

Association of the Dietary Index for Gut Microbiota and Cardiovascular-Kidney-Metabolic Syndrome: The Mediation Effect of Phenotypic and Biological Age Acceleration, BMI, and BRI.

The relationship between gut microbiota, diet, and cardiovascular-kidney-metabolic (CKM) health has attracted attention. However, the relationship between the dietary index for gut microbiota (DI-GM) and CKM syndrome has not yet been studied. Patients diagnosed with CKM syndrome from the NHANES 2007-2018 data were included.

SAGERank: inductive learning of protein-protein interaction from antibody-antigen recognition.

Predicting Antibody-Antigen (Ab-Ag) docking and structure-based design represent significant long-term and therapeutically important challenges in computational biology. We present SAGERank, a general, configurable deep learning framework for antibody design using Graph Sample and Aggregate Networks. SAGERank successfully predicted the majority of epitopes in a cancer target dataset.

Crab shell polypeptides enhance calcium dynamics and osteogenic activity in osteoporosis.

Background: Osteoporosis (OP) is a chronic, systemic skeletal disorder characterized by progressive bone loss and microarchitectural deterioration, which increases fracture susceptibility and presents a challenging set of global healthcare problems. Current pharmacological interventions are limited by adverse effects, high costs, and insufficient long-term efficacy. Here, we identify snow crab shell-derived polypeptides (SCSP) as a potent osteoprotective agent.

Renoprotective effects of GHRH agonist MR409 is associated with reduced oxidative stress and ferroptosis in diabetic mice.

MR409, a synthetic growth hormone-releasing hormone (GHRH) analogue, has demonstrated therapeutic potential in enhancing islet cell transplantation efficacy in diabetes mice and exerts beneficial effects on cardiovascular diseases. The present study investigated the renoprotective effects of MR409 on db/db and streptozotocin (STZ)-induced diabetic mice, focusing on its role in modulating oxidative stress and ferroptosis. db/db or STZ mice combined with high fat diet were used to establish the type 2 diabetic models.

seeds ethanol extract regulates NLRP3 inflammasome activation and pyroptosis via ROS/TXNIP pathway to amelioration of NAFLD and .

Background: (Benth.) Baker is a perennial shrub endemic to the Tibetan Plateau. Its seeds are traditional Tibetan medicine for treating jaundice, hepatitis, purulent tonsillitis, diphtheria, and parasitosis.

Development and validation of a novel score to predict adverse outcomes in paediatric congenital mitral regurgitation (PRIMARY): a multicentre cohort study.

Background: Paediatric patients who underwent surgery for mitral regurgitation (MR) have a high risk of recurrence or death; however, no prediction tool has been developed to risk-stratify this challenging subpopulation.

Methods: In this multicentre cohort study, paediatric patients undergoing surgery for congenital MR in Shanghai Children's Medical Center in January 1st, 2009-December 31st, 2022 were included for analysis while those had a combination with infective endocarditis, anomalous left coronary artery from the pulmonary artery, rheumatic valvular disease, connective tissue disease, or single ventricle were excluded. A Cox regression model predictive of the primary outcome (a composite of mortality or mitral valve [MV] re-operation) was derived and converted to a point-based risk score.

A Novel Case of Variant and Nonimmune Hydrops Fetalis: A Case Report.

Nonimmune hydrops fetalis (NIHF) refers to the pathologic accumulation of fluid within the fetus due to causes other than red cell alloimmunization and now accounts for up to 90% of fetal hydrops cases. Fetal hydrops is associated with significant morbidity and mortality, and the exact prognosis is largely dependent on the underlying etiology. The most common etiologies include cardiovascular causes and chromosomal or genetic abnormalities.

Feasibility of combining tDCS with exercise for increasing physical activity in people with depression.

Introduction: Physical inactivity and depression are significant public health concerns, often co-occurring and exacerbating one another. Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) has shown promise in enhancing cognitive and affective processes, potentially improving exercise adherence and outcomes in individuals with depressive symptoms. This study aimed to evaluate the feasibility and preliminary within group effects of combining tDCS with an aerobic exercise (AE) intervention to increase physical activity in individuals with elevated depressive symptoms.

Eco-friendly microencapsulation of using seed extract: A novel plant-based delivery system enhancing probiotic stability and gastrointestinal tolerance.

Background And Aim: Probiotic viability remains a critical challenge during gastrointestinal (GI) transit, storage, and feed processing. Conventional encapsulation materials often fail under acidic and thermal stress. This study aimed to develop and characterize a novel, eco-friendly microencapsulation system using (FP) seed extract as a natural encapsulating matrix for (LP) WU2502, enhancing its functional resilience and storage stability.

Perceived Parental Involvement Decreases the Risk of Adolescent Depression.

Objective: To tailor culturally sensitive interventional strategies for safeguarding adolescents' mental health, this study investigated the role of perceived parental involvement in predicting depressive symptoms among Chinese adolescents, considering family socioeconomic status (SES).

Methods: A cluster convenience sampling method recruited 21,818 participants from 48 middle schools across 29 provinces in China. The perceived parental involvement (PPI) Scale and the Chinese version of the center for epidemiologic studies depression scale (CES-D) assessed parental involvement and depressive symptoms, respectively.

Unveiling the Balkans' advances: biotechnology of woody plants in the early 21 century.

The Balkan Peninsula is a European biodiversity hotspot, home to 6,500 native vascular plant species, many of which are endemic. The region has diverse range of climates and complex topography, creating conditions that suit many woody ornamental, fruit, and forest species. Nevertheless, climate change, habitat destruction, invasive species, plant diseases, and agricultural practices threaten natural ecosystems and cultivated species.

Breaking the silence: Revealing drivers and barriers to medical students' speaking up in medical error.

Introduction: Speaking up about medical errors is a critical behaviour for medical students, as it plays a vital role in enhancing patient safety. Few studies have explored the drivers and barriers affecting their willingness to speak up in clinical training, particularly within hierarchical Asian cultures. The purpose of this study was to explore drivers and barriers shaping medical students' speaking up behaviours about medical errors to inform education, mentorship and patient safety practices.

Physicochemical, polymeric and microbial modifications of wood toward advanced functional applications: a review.

As concern for environmental sustainability continues to grow, wood, as a renewable resource and a composite of natural polymers (cellulose, hemicellulose, and lignin), has garnered increasing research attention. Traditional wood may have certain limitations in specific applications, such as being susceptible to moisture and biological degradation, as well as shortcomings in strength and durability. Therefore, wood modification has become a crucial strategy to enhance its performance and broaden its range of applications.

The magneto-structural correlations of ferric and ferrous neutral complexes with the pyruvic acid thiosemicarbazone ligand.

Neutral iron(III) and iron(II) complexes based on the pyruvic acid thiosemicarbazone (Hthpy) ligand [Fe(Hthpy)(thpy)] (1) and [Fe(Hthpy)] (2) were synthesized, and deeper insights into magneto-structural correlation were gained by FT-IR spectroscopy, single crystal X-ray crystallography, dc magnetic characterization, Fe Mössbauer spectroscopy, and DFT calculations. The X-ray structures of complex 1 were established for the HS ( = 5/2) state at 295 K and the LS ( = 1/2) state at 150 K. The crystal packing of 1 at these temperatures corresponds to the triclinic 1̄ symmetry and contains pairs of [Fe(Hthpy)(thpy)] complexes interconnected by a shortened S⋯S contact.

Combating the post-antibiotic era crisis: antimicrobial peptide/peptidomimetic-integrated combination therapies and delivery systems.

Globally, new antibiotic development lags behind the rapid evolution of antibiotic-resistant bacteria. Given the extensive research and development cycles, high costs, and risks associated with new pharmaceuticals, exploring alternatives to conventional antibiotics and enhancing their efficacy and safety is a promising strategy for addressing challenges in the post-antibiotic era. Previous studies have shown that antimicrobial peptides/peptidomimetics (AMPs) primarily use a membrane-disruption mechanism distinct from conventional antibiotics to exert bactericidal effects.

Facet-dependent spatial charge separation in a metal-doped SrTiO photocatalyst with visible light utilization.

Visible-light-responsive Rh/Sb co-doped SrTiO with engineered {100}/{110} facets (STO:RS(NaCl)) was synthesized flux-assisted crystallization. Facet-dependent spatial charge separation, driven by work function differences, enabled electrons and holes to migrate to the respective facets. This configuration tripled photocatalytic hydrogen evolution non-faceted STO:RS(w/o), overcoming the limitations of ultraviolet-only absorption and inefficient charge separation.