Search

Previous studies in the mental health context have demonstrated that interactions with social robots can improve the mood and cognitive capacities of their users, and enhance their quality of life. In this Perspective article, our goal is to systematize the possible roles of social robots and to point out that different roles require different levels of attachment. We argue that the attachment between the client and the (robot) therapist is a fundamental ingredient of any helping relationship and that the full potential of using social robots in mental health settings can only be realized if the strength of attachment is appropriately correlated with the type of relationship established.

BackgroundThe appropriate time to discontinue chemotherapy at the end of life has been widely discussed. In contrast, few studies have investigated the patterns of endocrine treatment near death. In this study, we aimed to investigate the end-of-life endocrine treatment patterns of older women with metastatic breast cancer and explore characteristics associated with treatment.MethodsA retrospective cohort study of all older women (age ≥65 years) with hormone receptor-positive breast cancer who died in Sweden, 2016 − 2020. We used routinely collected administrative and health data with national coverage. Treatment initiation was defined as dispensing during the last three months of life with a nine-month washout period, while continuation and discontinuation were assessed by previous use during the same period. We used log-binomial models to explore factors associated with the continuation and initiation of endocrine treatments.ResultsWe included 3098 deceased older women with hormone receptor-positive breast cancer (median age 78). Overall, endocrine treatment was continued by 39% and initiated by 5% and of women during their last three months of life, while 31% discontinued and 24% did not use endocrine treatment during their last year of life. Endocrine treatment continuation was more likely among older and less educated women, and among women who had multi-dose drug dispensing, chemotherapy, and CDK4/6 use. Only treatment-related factors were associated with treatment initiation.ConclusionMore than a third of women with metastatic breast cancer continue endocrine treatments potentially past the point of benefit, whereas late initiation is less frequent. Further research is warranted to determine whether our results reflect overtreatment at the end of life once patients’ preferences and survival prognosis are considered.

IntroductionIron (Fe) is one of themost important cofactors in the photosynthetic apparatus, and its uptake by chloroplasts has also been associated with the operation of the photosynthetic electron transport chain during reduction-based plastidial Fe uptake. Therefore, plastidial Fe uptake was considered not to be operational in the absence of the photosynthetic activity. Nevertheless, Fe is also required for enzymatic functions unrelated to photosynthesis, highlighting the importance of Fe acquisition by non-photosynthetic plastids. Yet, it remains unclear how these plastids acquire Fe in the absence of photosynthetic function. Furthermore, plastids of etiolated tissues should already possess the ability to acquire Fe, since the biosynthesis of thylakoid membrane complexes requires a massive amount of readily available Fe. Thus, we aimed to investigate whether the reduction-based plastidial Fe uptake solely relies on the functioning photosynthetic apparatus.MethodsIn our combined structure, iron content and transcript amount analysis studies, we used Savoy cabbage plant as a model, which develops natural etiolation in the inner leaves of the heads due to the shading of the outer leaf layers.ResultsFoliar and plastidial Fe content of Savoy cabbage leaves decreased towards the inner leaf layers. The leaves of the innermost leaf layers proved to be etiolated, containing etioplasts that lacked the photosynthetic machinery and thus were photosynthetically inactive. However, we discovered that these etioplasts contained, and were able to take up, Fe. Although the relative transcript abundance of genes associated with plastidial Fe uptake and homeostasis decreased towards the inner leaf layers, both ferric chelate reductase FRO7 transcripts and activity were detected in the innermost leaf layer. Additionally, a significant NADP(H) pool and NAD(P)H dehydrogenase activity was detected in the etioplasts of the innermost leaf layer, indicating the presence of the reducing capacity that likely supports the reduction-based Fe uptake of etioplasts.DiscussionBased on these findings, the reduction-based plastidial Fe acquisition should not be considered exclusively dependent on the photosynthetic functions.

PurposeTo determine the full range of ophthalmological clinical manifestations in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and to compare the systemic features associated with them.MethodsFiles of 13 patients with ocular SLE (n = 20 eyes) diagnosed as per the American College of Rheumatology (ACR) 2012 revised criteria were retrospectively reviewed.ResultsThe following clinical manifestations were found: keratoconjunctivitis sicca (n = three patients), anterior uveitis associated with an inflammatory pseudo-tumor orbital mass (n = one patient, one eye), episcleritis and periorbital edema (n = one patient, two eyes), posterior scleritis (n = one patient, two eyes), bilateral papillary edema in the context of idiopathic intracranial hypertension (n = one patient, one eye), inflammatory optic neuritis (n = one patient, one eye), and lupus retinopathies with varying degrees of capillary occlusions mainly arteriolar (n = seven patients, 13 eyes) and larger arteries or veins (retinal arteries occlusions and retinal veins occlusions) (n = one patient, two eyes). Some patients presented with combined ophthalmological manifestations.Systemic SLE was discovered by its ophthalmic manifestation in three cases (23%) and was previously known in the other 10 cases (77%). On average, ocular symptoms were seen 8 years after the initial diagnosis of SLE. Other systemic SLE disorders included cutaneous disorders (77%), joint disorders (38%), central nervous system (CNS) disorders (23%), renal disorders (38%), and oral ulcers (23%).Treatment of the ophthalmic system manifestations of lupus included local steroid therapies along with systemic immunosuppression.The most common laboratory ACR criteria were: high levels of antinuclear antibodies (ANA) (100%), positive anti-Sm (64%), anti-dsDNA (27%), low complement levels (27%), and positive antiphospholipid (APL) antibodies (18%).DiscussionSLE activity in the ophthalmic system is characterized by its functional severity and the range of involvement can be categorized by anatomical involvement: presence of anterior uveitis, episcleritis, scleritis, periorbital edema, posterior uveitis with retinal vascular ischemia, or papillary edema. Not currently part of the diagnosis criteria of the SLE ACR given its rarity, the ocular localization of the pathology led to the diagnosis of SLE in three cases; thus, developing a greater understanding of ocular lupus may help in identifying and treating systemic manifestations of lupus earlier.

Iron (Fe) is an essential micronutrient for plants. Due to the requirement for Fe of the photosynthetic apparatus, the majority of shoot Fe content is localised in the chloroplasts of mesophyll cells. The reduction-based mechanism has prime importance in the Fe uptake of chloroplasts operated by Ferric Reductase Oxidase 7 (FRO7) in the inner chloroplast envelope membrane. Orthologue of Arabidopsis thaliana FRO7 was identified in the Brassica napus genome. GFP-tagged construct of BnFRO7 showed integration to the chloroplast. The time-scale expression pattern of BnFRO7 was studied under three different conditions: deficient, optimal, and supraoptimal Fe nutrition in both leaves developed before and during the treatments. Although Fe deficiency has not increased BnFRO7 expression, the slight overload in the Fe nutrition of the plants induced significant alterations in both the pattern and extent of its expression leading to the transcript level suppression. The Fe uptake of isolated chloroplasts decreased under both Fe deficiency and supraoptimal Fe nutrition. Since the enzymatic characteristics of the ferric chelate reductase (FCR) activity of purified chloroplast inner envelope membranes showed a significant loss for the substrate affinity with an unchanged saturation rate, protein level regulation mechanisms are suggested to be also involved in the suppression of the reduction-based Fe uptake of chloroplasts together with the saturation of the requirement for Fe.

Although the largely positive intramembrane dipole potential (DP) may substantially influence the function of transmembrane proteins, its investigation is deeply hampered by the lack of measurement techniques suitable for high-throughput examination of living cells. Here, we describe a novel emission ratiometric flow cytometry method based on F66, a 3-hydroxiflavon derivative, and demonstrate that 6-ketocholestanol, cholesterol and 7-dehydrocholesterol, saturated stearic acid (SA) and ω-6 γ-linolenic acid (GLA) increase, while ω-3 α-linolenic acid (ALA) decreases the DP. These changes do not correlate with alterations in cell viability or membrane fluidity. Pretreatment with ALA counteracts, while SA or GLA enhances cholesterol-induced DP elevations. Furthermore, ALA (but not SA or GLA) increases endo-lysosomal escape of penetratin, a cell-penetrating peptide. In summary, we have developed a novel method to measure DP in large quantities of individual living cells and propose ALA as a physiological DP lowering agent facilitating cytoplasmic entry of penetratin.