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Purpose: Our study aims to describe the mortality trends and disparities among individuals with thalassemia in the United States (US). Patients and Methods: We used CDC WONDER database to calculate the age-adjusted mortality rates (AAMRs) per 1,000,000 individuals and used the Joinpoint Regression Program to measure the average annual percent change (AAPC). Subgroup evaluations were performed by sex, age, race, census region, and urbanization level. Results: From 1999 to 2020, there were 2797 deaths relatd to thalassemia in the US. The AAMR of thalassemia-related death showed a decreasing trend from 0.50 (95% CI, 0.41– 0.58) in 1999 to 0.48 (95% CI, 0.41– 0.55) in 2020 with the AAPC of − 1.42 (95% CI, − 2.42, − 0.42). Asians have the highest AAMR (1.34 [95% CI, 1.20– 1.47]), followed by non-Hispanic Blacks (0.65 [95% CI, 0.59– 0.71]), non-Hispanic Whites (0.32 [95% CI, 0.30– 0.33]), and Hispanics (0.11 [95% CI, 0.08– 0.14]). Cardiovascular disease remains the leading cause of death among individuals with thalassemia. The urban population has a higher AAMR than the rural population (0.43 [95% CI, 0.41– 0.45] vs 0.29 [95% CI, 0.26– 0.32]). Conclusion: Our study calls for targeted interventions to address the racial and geographic disparities existed among individuals of thalassemia in the US. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Lappaol F (LAF), a natural lignan from Arctium lappa Linné (Asteraceae), inhibits tumor cell growth in vitro and in vivo. The underlying mechanism involves the suppression of the Yes-associated protein. However, the specific role of LAF in cell cycle regulation remains unknown. This study determined the molecular mechanism by which LAF regulates cell cycle progression. Various colon cancer cell lines (SW480, HCT15, and HCT116) were treated with LAF (25, 50, and 75 μmol/L) for 48 h. The effects of LAF on cell proliferation and cell cycle were determined using sulforhodamine B and flow cytometry assays. Differentially expressed proteins (DEPs) were identified using quantitative proteomics. Bioinformatic analysis of DEPs was conducted via Gene Ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) analyses. Expression levels of DEPs in the cell cycle pathway were analyzed using RT-qPCR and western blotting. LAF suppressed the proliferation of SW480, HCT15, and HCT116 cells (IC50 47.1, 51.4, and 32.8 μmol/L, respectively) and induced cell cycle arrest at the S phase. A total of 6331 proteins were identified and quantified, of which 127 were differentially expressed between the LAF-treated and untreated groups. GO and KEGG enrichment analyses revealed that DEPs mainly participated in the cell cycle. CDKN1C/p57 showed the most significant differential expression, with the highest fold-change (3.155-fold). Knockdown of CDKN1C/p57 attenuated the S phase cell cycle arrest and proliferation inhibition induced by LAF. LAF exerts antitumor effects via S phase arrest by activating CDKN1C/p57 in colorectal cancer cells. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To enable the space manipulator to complete the original task efficiently after any single joint fails, a fault-tolerant path planning method for the manipulator with single joint failure is proposed based on dexterity space in this paper. On the base of solving the degraded workspace, the dexterity space of the manipulator with single joint failure is established by constructing the dexterity index, and then the traditional A* algorithm is improved to complete fault-tolerant path planning in the dexterity space. The correctness and validity of fault-tolerant path planning based on improved A* algorithm are verified by simulating experiments with 7R manipulator.

Background: Despite advances made in pancreatic cancer treatment, the extent of progress made in pancreatic cancer mortality at the population level remains unclear. Our cross-sectional study sought to measure trends in pancreatic cancer mortality in the United States in the last 2 decades., Methods: Patients with pancreatic cancer mortality from 1999 to 2020 were analyzed from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Wide-Ranging Online Data for Epidemiologic Research (CDC WONDER). Age-adjusted mortality rates (AAMRs) per 100,000 individuals were measured. We used joinpoint trend analysis to determine average annual percent change (AAPC) in AAMR trends., Results: From 1999 to 2020, pancreatic cancer accounted for 809,197 deaths. Overall, the AAMRs of pancreatic cancer increased from 20.74 per 100,000 individuals in 1999 to 21.60 per 100,000 individuals in 2020. The highest AAMR was recorded in non-Hispanic Black males (30.11 per 100,000 individuals), and the lowest, in non-Hispanic White females (18.51 per 100,000 individuals). Patients aged 75-84 years had the highest AAMR (6.87 per 100,000 individuals) compared to the younger patients. The highest AAMR was observed in the Northeast region (22.07 per 100,000 individuals) and rural regions (21.29 per 100,000 individuals)., Conclusions: There was no improvement in pancreatic cancer mortality in the last two decades. These findings emphasize the importance of efforts to increase access to multidisciplinary cancer care with the realization that without it, improvements in treatment standards will not translate to lower cancer mortality at the population level., Competing Interests: Conflicts of Interest: All authors have completed the ICMJE uniform disclosure form (available at https://jgo.amegroups.com/article/view/10.21037/jgo-24-213/coif). The authors have no conflicts of interest to declare., (2024 Journal of Gastrointestinal Oncology. All rights reserved.)

Cedecea neteri is a very rare human pathogen. We have isolated a strain of C. neteri SSMD04 from pickled mackerel sashimi identified using molecular and phenotypics approaches. Using the biosensor Chromobacterium violaceum CV026, we have demonstrated the presence of short chain N-acyl-homoserine lactone (AHL) type quorum sensing (QS) activity in C. neteri SSMD04. Triple quadrupole LC/MS analysis revealed that C. neteri SSMD04 produced short chain N-butyryl-homoserine lactone (C4-HSL). With the available genome information of C. neteri SSMD04, we went on to analyse and identified a pair of luxI/R homologues in this genome that share the highest similarity with croI/R homologues from Citrobacter rodentium. The AHL synthase, which we named cneI(636 bp), was found in the genome sequences of C. neteri SSMD04. At a distance of 8bp from cneI is a sequence encoding a hypothetical protein, potentially the cognate receptor, a luxR homologue which we named it as cneR. Analysis of this protein amino acid sequence reveals two signature domains, the autoinducer-binding domain and the C-terminal effector which is typical characteristic of luxR. In addition, we found that this genome harboured an orphan luxR that is most closely related to easR in Enterobacter asburiae. To our knowledge, this is the first report on the AHL production activity in C. neteri, and the discovery of its luxI/R homologues, the orphan receptor and its whole genome sequence.

Background: Human platelet antigens (HPA) are determinant in several platelet-specific alloimmune disorders, such as neonatal alloimmune thrombocytopenia, post-transfusion purpura and platelet transfusion refractoriness. The distribution of HPA systems in the Malaysian population is not known. Defining the patterns of HPA systems provides a basis for risk assessment and management of the above complications., Materials and Methods: The aim of this study was to investigate the distribution of HPA -1 to -6 and -15 in the three major ethnic groups (Malay, Chinese and Indian) in the Malaysian population. A total of 600 random donor samples, 200 from each of the three ethnic groups, were genotyped by means of real time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) with hydrolysis probes and PCR-restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP)., Results: The most common genotype observed in this study was HPA-1a/1a-2a/2a-3a/3b-4a/4a-5a/5a-6a/6a-15a/15b (17%) followed by HPA-1a/1a-2a/2a-3a/3a-4a/4a-5a/5a-6a/6a-15a/15b (14.33%). The allele frequencies of HPA in Malays and Chinese were found to be similar those of other East and South-East Asian populations, while those of Indians were comparable to the frequencies found in Europeans., Conclusion: The results of this study have been useful for determining the distribution of HPA polymorphisms in this region and for potential clinical implications.

A highly sensitive method has been developed for the analysis of 7-aminonitrazepam (7-ANIZ), the major metabolite of nitrazepam, in urine by trimethylsilyl derivatization-gas chromatography/mass spectrometry. Urine samples were extracted with ethyl ether-ethyl acetate (99:1, volume ratio). The extracts were derivatized with N,O-bis (trimethylsilyl) trifluoroacetamide, and the total ion current chromatograms of derivatives were acquired. 7-ANIZ was identified by the relative abundance of major characteristic ions in the mass spectrum of its derivative and the retention time of the mass chromatogram peaks of these characteristic ions. Based on the mass chromatogram of the base peak ion, quantification was performed using 7-aminoclonazepam (7-ACLZ) as the internal standard. The extraction efficiency of 7-ANIZ was 82.8%. The linear range was 10 microg/L - 500 microg/L. The limit of detection was 1.2 microg/L and the limit of quantification was 3.5 microg/L. The recoveries were 94.7% - 103.5%, and the RSDs were 3.9% - 5.4%. 7-ANIZ in the urine sample excreted by the subject over 96 h period after oral administration of 10 mg nitrazepam was measured. It is demonstrated that the method can be applied to the forensic identification.

A rapid and highly sensitive method, based on high performance thin-layer chromatography, is described for the qualitative and semiquantitative determination of 7-aminoflunitrazepam, the main metabolite of flunitrazepam in human urine. 7-Aminoflunitrazepam in specimen was extracted by solid phase extraction using GDX-403 porous polymer bead as sorbent and ethyl ether as eluant. Fluorescamine was used as a reagent to produce fluorescent product on the plate. The limit of detection was 5 micrograms/L and the limit of quantitation was 15 micrograms/L for 7-aminoflunitrazepam in urine. The method can be successfully used for measuring 7-aminoflunitrazepam in urine samples of the subjects excreted over a 48 h period after receiving 1 mg flunitrazepam orally. The method is applicable to drug examination for the cases of drug-facilitated robbery and rape.