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Visible-light-driven photo-fenton-like catalytic activity and photoelectrochemical (PEC) performance of nitrogen-doped brownmillerite KBiFe2O5 (KBFO) are investigated. The effective optical bandgap of KBFO reduces from 1.67 to 1.60 eV post N-doping, enabling both enhancement of visible light absorption and photoactivity. The photo-fenton activity of KBFO and N-doped KBFO samples were analysed by degrading effluents like Methylene Blue (MB), Bisphenol-A (BPA) and antibiotics such as Norfloxacin (NOX) and Doxycycline (DOX). 20 mmol of Nitrogen-doped KBFO (20N-KBFO) exhibits enhanced catalytic activity while degrading MB. 20N-KBFO sample is further tested for degradation of Bisphenol-A and antibiotics in the presence of H2O2 and chelating agent L-cysteine. Under optimum conditions, MB, BPA, and NOX, and DOX are degraded by 99.5% (0.042 min-1), 83% (0.016 min-1), 72% (0.011 min-1) and 95% (0.026 min-1) of its initial concentration respectively. Photocurrent density of 20N-KBFO improves to 8.83 mA/cm2 from 4.31 mA/cm2 for pure KBFO. Photocatalytic and photoelectrochemical (PEC) properties of N-doped KBFO make it a promising candidate for energy and environmental applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: At least 50% of breast cancers are estimated to belong to the 'human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2)-low' category. Since HER2-low breast cancer is amenable to targeted treatment with anti-HER2 antibody-drug conjugates, accurate assessment of patients' HER2-low status is crucial for qualifying them for this treatment. Despite the 2018 American Society of Clinical Oncology and College of American Pathologists (ASCO/CAP) guidelines recognizing the clinical relevance of HER2-low testing, discrepancies in HER2 testing across laboratories globally hinder an accurate identification of HER2-low patients. To overcome these limitations, this consensus guideline aims to elucidate best practices for HER2 testing and HER2-low scoring in breast cancer. This guideline, while adapted to the Malaysian landscape, reflects recommendations from the latest international guidelines to guide pathologists in performing HER2 testing and address common issues faced in the Malaysian context, thus improving the quality of HER2 testing and ensuring the best available cancer care. Breast cancer is one of the most common cancers in Malaysia. Recently, a new nomenclature was introduced for breast cancers with human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) immunohistochemistry (IHC) 1+, or 2+ with negative in situ hybridization (ISH), i.e., HER2-low breast cancer. In current clinical practice, these breast cancers are reported as HER2-negative. Clinical trials have shown that HER2-low breast cancer benefits from targeted therapy with anti-HER2 antibody-drug conjugates. Unfortunately, various challenges and obstacles are faced by local pathologists in HER2 testing, which may jeopardize the standard of care for patients with HER2-low breast cancer. This consensus guideline aims to elucidate standard practices pertaining to HER2 testing and HER2-low interpretation in Malaysia. Topics discussed among a panel of local experts include tissue sampling and handling, assay and antibody selection, result interpretation and reporting, and quality assurance. Practice recommendations made in this consensus guideline reflect current international guidelines and, where appropriate, adapted to the Malaysian landscape. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Bubble departure diameter and nucleation site density models are recalibrated for high pressure conditions. • Theoretical and experimental basis for boiling and momentum closures are discussed. • CFD model is developed and DNB is predicted within 15% absolute error and the error is less than 6% under high subcooled conditions. • Sensitivity analysis is performed to understand the impact of boiling and momentum closures. • The effect of mass flux, inlet subcooling and exit quality on DNB prediction is studied in detail. In this study, Departure from Nucleate Boiling (DNB) is investigated in vertical tubes under high pressure and high mass flux conditions using two-fluid Eulerian approach coupled with improved wall boiling model. It is essential to determine the near wall void fraction accurately in order to predict DNB. After accessing the theoretical and experimental basis of the correlations used for bubble departure diameter and nucleation site density, existing correlations are recalibrated to capture the phenomena at high pressure conditions. Sensitivity analysis is performed to analyze the impact of boiling and momentum closures. The effect of mass flux, inlet temperature, and exit quality on DNB is studied. The proposed model predicted DNB within 15%. This result indicates that CFD is a promising tool for predicting DNB. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ca2Fe2O5 (CFO) is a potentially viable material for alternate energy applications. Incorporation of nitrogen in Ca2Fe2O5 (CFO-N) lattice modifies the optical and electronic properties to its advantage. Here, the electronic band structures of CFO and CFO-N were probed using Ultraviolet photoelectron spectroscopy (UPS) and UV-Visible spectroscopy. The optical bandgap of CFO reduces from 2.21 eV to 2.07 eV on post N incorporation along with a clear shift in the valence band of CFO indicating the occupation of N 2p levels over O 2p in the valence band. Similar effect is also observed in the bandgap of CFO, which is tailored upto 1.43 eV by N+ ion implantation. The theoretical bandgaps of CFO and CFO-N were also determined by using the Density functional theory (DFT) calculations. The photoactivity of these CFO and CFO-N was explored by organic effluent degradation under sunlight. The feasibility of utilizing CFO and CFO-N samples for energy storage applications were also investigated through specific capacitance measurements. The specific capacitance of CFO is found to increase to 224.67 Fg−1 upon N incorporation. CFO-N is thus found to exhibit superior optical, catalytic as well as supercapacitor properties over CFO expanding the scope of brownmillerites in energy and environmental applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An obituary for Somenahalli Venkatesarao Subramanyam, a professor at Indian Institute of Science (IISC) is presented.

Anaplastic thyroid carcinoma (ATC) has been regarded as the rarest form of thyroid malignancy, which entails around 2% of thyroid malignancies. It traditionally presents with rapidly enlarging anterior neck swelling with obstructive symptoms. Due to its rich blood supply and lymphatic drainage, the thyroid gland is resistant to infection. Parallel to that, the presentation of thyroid abscess frequently points towards an underlying upper respiratory tract infection. We present a case involving an elderly female presenting with a thyroid abscess, which later turned out to be ATC following a histopathological diagnosis of the thyroid gland. The initial cytology workout was negative for malignancy. We highlight the relatively uncommon presentation along with its management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite all the advancements in aqueous synthesis of gold nanoparticles, certain features like one-pot/one-step method with minimal reactants using greener solvents are still demanding. The challenge in the aqueous phase synthesis is to balance the nucleation and precise growth of nanoparticles avoiding aggregation. In this work, we report a unique versatile unexplored molecule aminosalicylate sodium (Na-4-ASA) which functions as a capping, reducing, stabilizing and more interestingly as an encapsulating agent for gold nanoparticles. This multi-faceted molecule showed excellent control in synthesizing monodisperse tunable encapsulated nanoparticles of sizes (60 nm, 53 nm and 12 nm) exhibiting absorbance bands at 560 nm, 540 nm and 520 nm respectively. XRD and FTIR validated crystalline structure and binding of Na-4-ASA onto gold nanoparticles surface respectively. Furthermore, the AuNPs were investigated for their ability to detect metal ions through colorimetric change where purification via centrifugation turned out to be a key parameter in enabling the detection. Selectivity towards Al3+ was observed with the 12 nm sized nanoparticles at 0.5 ppm metal ion concentration. The AuNPs of sizes 60 nm and 53 nm detected Al3+/Cr3+/Fe3+ and Al3+/Fe3+ respectively indicating the impact of size in heavy metal ions detection. The greater the size of AuNPs, lower is the selectivity where detection of three metal ions were observed and vice versa i.e., smaller-sized AuNPs showed high selectivity by detecting single metal ion. Also, the time duration for detection increased with decreasing size of the AuNPs. Finally, LOD for the heavy metal ions Al3+, Cr3+, and Fe3+ were calculated as 67 ppb, 78 ppb, 76 ppb respectively. &#xD., (© 2024 IOP Publishing Ltd. All rights, including for text and data mining, AI training, and similar technologies, are reserved.)

Photothermal conversion of light into heat energy is an intrinsic optical property of metal nanoparticles when irradiated using near-infrared radiation. However, the impact of size and shape on the photothermal behaviour of gold nanomakura particles possessing optical absorption within 600-700 nm as well as on incorporation in hydrogels is not well reported. In this study, nanomakura-shaped anisotropic gold nanoparticles (AuNMs) were synthesized via a surfactant-assisted seed-mediated protocol. Quaternary cationic surfactants having variable carbon tail length ( n = 16, 14, 12) were used as capping for tuning the plasmon peak of gold nanomakura within a 600-700 nm wavelength. The aspect ratio as well as anisotropy of synthesized gold nanomakura can influence photothermal response upon near-infrared irradiation. The role of carbon tail length was evident via absorption peaks obtained from longitudinal surface plasmon resonance analysis at 670, 650, and 630 nm in CTAB-AuNM, MTAB-AuNM, and DTAB-AuNM, respectively. Furthermore, the impact of morphology and surrounding milieu of the synthesized nanomakuras on photothermal conversion is investigated owing to their retention of plasmonic stability. Interestingly, we found that photothermal conversion was exclusively assigned to morphological features (i.e., nanoparticles of higher aspect ratio showed higher temperature change and vice versa irrespective of the surfactant used). To enable biofunctionality and stability, we used kappa-carrageenan- (k-CG) based hydrogels for incorporating the nanomakuras and further assessed their photothermal response. Nanomakura particles in association with k-CG were also able to show photothermal conversion, depicting their ability to interact with light without hindrance. The CTAB-AuNM, MTAB-AuNM, and DTAB-AuNM after incorporation into hydrogel beads attained up to ≈17.2, ≈17.2, and ≈15.7 °C, respectively. On the other hand, gold nanorods after incorporation into k-CG did not yield much photothermal response as compared to that of AuNMs. The results showed a promising platform to utilize nanomakura particles along with kappa-carrageenan hydrogels for enabling usage on nanophotonic, photothermal, and bio-imaging applications., (Copyright © 2024, Das et al.)

Background: Thermogenic beige adipocytes, which dissipate energy as heat, are found in neonates and adults. Recent studies show that neonatal beige adipocytes are highly plastic and contribute to >50% of beige adipocytes in adults. Neonatal beige adipocytes are distinct from recruited beige adipocytes in that they develop independently of temperature and sympathetic innervation through poorly defined mechanisms., Methods: We characterized the neonatal beige adipocytes in the inguinal white adipose tissue (iWAT) of C57BL6 postnatal day 3 and 20 mice (P3 and P20) by imaging, genome-wide RNA-seq analysis, ChIP-seq analysis, qRT-PCR validation, and biochemical assays., Results: We found an increase in acetylated histone 3 lysine 27 (H3K27ac) on the promoter and enhancer regions of beige-specific gene UCP1 in iWAT of P20 mice. Furthermore, H3K27ac ChIP-seq analysis in the iWAT of P3 and P20 mice revealed strong H3K27ac signals at beige adipocyte-associated genes in the iWAT of P20 mice. The integration of H3K27ac ChIP-seq and RNA-seq analysis in the iWAT of P20 mice reveal epigenetically active signatures of beige adipocytes, including oxidative phosphorylation and mitochondrial metabolism. We identify the enrichment of GA-binding protein alpha (GABPα) binding regions in the epigenetically active chromatin regions of the P20 iWAT, particularly on beige genes, and demonstrate that GABPα is required for beige adipocyte differentiation. Moreover, transcriptomic analysis and glucose oxidation assays revealed increased glycolytic activity in the neonatal iWAT from P20., Conclusions: Our findings demonstrate that epigenetic mechanisms regulate the development of peri-weaning beige adipocytes via GABPα. Further studies to better understand the upstream mechanisms that regulate epigenetic activation of GABPα and characterization of the metabolic identity of neonatal beige adipocytes will help us harness their therapeutic potential in metabolic diseases., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2024 Mooli, Zhu, Khan, Nagati, Michealraj, Jurczak and Ramakrishnan.)

The current education system significantly emphasizes tests and evaluations as crucial factors in determining a student's future career path. It has been shown that nursing students have moderate to high levels of Test Anxiety (TA), which results in decreased academic performance, low self-esteem, and an inability to complete the program and pursue a career in nursing successfully. This study aimed to determine nursing students' level of TA and its relationship with demographic characteristics. Four hundred twenty-one nursing students at seven private universities and colleges in Selangor participated in this cross-sectional study. The level of TA was measured using the TA Inventory (TAI). A total of 62.5% of the respondents had mild TA, 25.4% had moderate TA and 2.1% had severe TA. There were significant relationships between TA level and household income (χ 2  = 6.70, p = 0.035) and ethnic groups (F (3,417) = 5.20, p = 0.002) where Chinese and Indians are protective from TA compared to the Malays and other ethnic groups and high anxiety was significant in the Ringgit Malaysia (RM 3000) and below group. The study's findings indicate that a significant percentage of nursing students involved in the research had mild to moderate levels of test anxiety (TA) and there is a significant association between TA and demographic characteristics. The results indicate the importance of early identification of TA and the need for interventions to overcome TA to ensure they are emotionally, physically, and academically successful., Competing Interests: The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (© 2024 The Authors.)

Background & Aims: Metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD) has become the most prevalent chronic liver disorder, with no approved treatment. Our previous work demonstrated the efficacy of a pan-ErbB inhibitor, Canertinib, in reducing steatosis and fibrosis in a murine fast-food diet (FFD) model of MASLD. The current study explores the effects of hepatocyte-specific ErbB1 (ie, epidermal growth factor receptor [EGFR]) deletion in the FFD model., Methods: EGFR flox/flox mice, treated with AAV8-TBG-CRE to delete EGFR specifically in hepatocytes (EGFR-KO), were fed either a chow-diet or FFD for 2 or 5 months., Results: Hepatocyte-specific EGFR deletion reduced serum triglyceride levels but did not prevent steatosis. Surprisingly, hepatic fibrosis was increased in EGFR-KO mice in the long-term study, which correlated with activation of transforming growth factor-β/fibrosis signaling pathways. Further, nuclear levels of some of the major MASLD regulating transcription factors (SREBP1, PPARγ, PPARα, and HNF4α) were altered in FFD-fed EGFR-KO mice. Transcriptomic analysis revealed significant alteration of lipid metabolism pathways in EGFR-KO mice with changes in several relevant genes, including downregulation of fatty-acid synthase and induction of lipolysis gene, Pnpla2, without impacting overall steatosis. Interestingly, EGFR downstream signaling mediators, including AKT, remain activated in EGFR-KO mice, which correlated with increased activity pattern of other receptor tyrosine kinases, including ErbB3/MET, in transcriptomic analysis. Lastly, Canertinib treatment in EGFR-KO mice, which inhibits all ErbB receptors, successfully reduced steatosis, suggesting the compensatory roles of other ErbB receptors in supporting MASLD without EGFR., Conclusions: Hepatocyte-specific EGFR-KO did not impact steatosis, but enhanced fibrosis in the FFD model of MASLD. Gene networks associated with lipid metabolism were greatly altered in EGFR-KO, but phenotypic effects might be compensated by alternate signaling pathways., (Copyright © 2024 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Introduction: SABINA III assessed short-acting β 2 -agonist (SABA) prescription patterns and their association with asthma-related outcomes globally. Herein, we examined SABA prescription and clinical outcomes in the Malaysian cohort of SABINA III., Method: In this observational, cross-sectional study, patients (≥12 years) were recruited between July and December 2019 from 15 primary and specialty care centres in Malaysia. Prescribed asthma treatments and severe exacerbation history within 12 months prior and asthma symptom control during the study visit were evaluated. Associations of SABA prescription with asthma control and severe exacerbation were analysed using multivariable regression models., Results: Seven hundred thirty-one patients (primary care, n=265 [36.3%]; specialty care, n=466 [63.7%]) were evaluated. The prevalence of SABA over-prescription (≥3 SABA prescriptions/year) was 47.4% (primary care, 47.1%; specialty care, 47.6%), 51.8% and 44.5% among all patients and patients with mild and moderate-to-severe asthma, respectively. Altogether 9.0% (n=66) purchased SABA without a prescription; among them, 43.9% (n=29) purchased ≥3 inhalers. The mean (standard deviation) number of severe asthma exacerbations was 1.38 (2.76), and 19.7% (n=144) and 25.7% (n=188) had uncontrolled and partly controlled symptoms, respectively. Prescriptions of ≥3 SABA inhalers (vs 1-2) were associated with lower odds of at least partly controlled asthma (odds ratio=0.42; 95% confidence interval [CI]=0.27-0.67) and higher odds of having severe exacerbation(s) (odds ratio=2.04; 95% CI=1.44-2.89)., Conclusion: The prevalence of SABA over-prescription in Malaysia is high, regardless of the prescriber type, emphasising the need for healthcare providers and policymakers to adopt latest evidence-based recommendations to address this public health concern., Competing Interests: Andrea Yu-Lin Ban received honoraria from AstraZeneca, Boehringer Ingelheim, Novartis and Bayer Co. as well as travel support and sample drugs from AstraZeneca and served as an advisory board member of the ‘Use of ICS/LABA in Covid-19’ for AstraZeneca and a committee member of the Malaysian Thoracic Society. Paranthaman Vengdasalam received honoraria from AstraZeneca and Mundipharma Pharmaceuticals as well as travel support and sample drugs from AstraZeneca and GlaxoSmithKline Pharmaceutical and served as a member of the MFP Editorial Board, Perak Medical Journal Editorial Board, Academy of Family Physician Malaysia and GCFM Post graduate board. Sri Wahyu Taher received honoraria from AstraZeneca, GlaxoSmithKline Pharmaceutical and Novo Nordisk Pharma as well as travel support from AstraZeneca, Novo Nordisk Pharma and Sanofi-Aventis and sample drugs from AstraZeneca and served as an advisory board member of Novo Nordisk Pharma and president of the Family Medicine Specialist Association Malaysia. Mohd Arif Mohd Zim received honoraria from AstraZeneca, Orient EuroPharma, Novartis and GlaxoSmithKline Pharmaceutical as well as travel support and sample drugs from AstraZeneca and served on the Severe Asthma Advisory Board for AstraZeneca and as a member of PRECISION (Severe Asthma Working Group) for AstraZeneca and the Malaysian Association of Bronchology and Interventional Pulmonology. Syazatul Syakirin Sirol Aflah received honoraria from AstraZeneca, GlaxoSmithKline Pharmaceutical, Orient EuroPharma and Mundipharma Pharmaceuticals as well as travel support from AstraZeneca and Mundipharma Pharmaceuticals and served as a committee member of the Malaysian Thoracic Society. Ummi Nadira Daut received honoraria from AstraZeneca, Orient EuroPharma, Novartis Corporation and GlaxoSmithKline Pharmaceutical and travel support from AstraZeneca. Irfhan Ali Hyder Ali received honoraria from AstraZeneca, Boehringer Ingelheim, Orient EuroPharma, Novartis, GlaxoSmithKline Pharmaceutical and Pfizer as well as travel support from AstraZeneca, Boehringer Ingelheim, Orient EuroPharma, Novartis and Pfizer and sample drugs from AstraZeneca, Novartis and Boehringer Ingelheim and served as a committee member of the Malaysian Thoracic Society, head of the Respiratory Services, Malaysia and head of the Respiratory Department, Penang Hospital. Lalitha Pereirasamy received honoraria from AstraZeneca, Novartis and GlaxoSmithKline Pharmaceutical as well as travel support and sample drugs from AstraZeneca and served as a committee member of the Malaysian Thoracic Society. Azza Omar received honoraria from AstraZeneca, GlaxoSmithKline Pharmaceutical, Boehringer Ingelheim, Novartis, Orient EuroPharma, Sanofi-Aventis and Mundipharma Pharmaceuticals as well as travel support and sample drugs from AstraZeneca and served as a committee member and ‘Severe Asthma Diagnostic Consensus’ lead of the Malaysian Thoracic Society and a member of PRECISION (Severe Asthma Working Group) for AstraZeneca. Aishah Ibrahim received honoraria from AstraZeneca, Boehringer Ingelheim, Novartis, Orient EuroPharma and GlaxoSmithKline Pharmaceutical as well as travel support and sample drugs from AstraZeneca and served as a committee member of the Malaysian Thoracic Society. Noor Aliza Mohd Tarekh received honoraria, travel support and sample drugs from AstraZeneca. Norsiah Ali received honoraria, travel support and sample drugs from AstraZeneca and served as a past-president of the Family Medicine Specialist Association, Malaysia. Nor Azila Mohd Isa received honoraria, travel support and sample drugs from AstraZeneca and served as a member of the Family Medicine Specialist Association, Malaysian Thoracic Society and Islamic Medical Association, Malaysia. Husni Hussain received honoraria and travel support from AstraZeneca and served as a committee member of the Family Medicine Specialist Selangor Association. Vieshal Raja Gopal and Sue Yin Chiam are employees of AstraZeneca. Maarten J.H.I. Beekman was an employee of AstraZeneca at the time the study was conducted and holds stocks of AstraZeneca. Swee Kim Chan and Noraziah Abdul Karim have nothing to disclose., (© Academy of Family Physicians of Malaysia.)

Nursing students are reported to have moderate to high test anxiety, leading to reduced academic performance, poor self-esteem, and failure to complete the program and practice nursing. This review aims to examine the interventions for test anxiety reduction in nursing students. Following the PRISMA guidelines, peer-reviewed experimental studies published in English between 2016 and 2021 from four databases, EBSCOhost, PubMed, Science Direct, and Scopus, were systematically searched. The findings were presented in tabular and narrative form. Among the 722 studies retrieved, 14 selected studies were critically appraised, guided by the Joanna Briggs checklist for Randomized Controlled Trials and the checklist for Quasi-Experimental Studies, resulting in 11 studies for inclusion in the systematic review. Test anxiety was assessed by different scales. Aromatherapy hand massage, aromatherapy using a diffuser in combination with music therapy, confidence training for test relaxation, coping program, music therapy, emotional freedom technique, animal-assisted intervention, and guided imagery were all found to be effective in reducing test anxiety. In conclusion, while numerous interventions to reduce test anxiety in nursing students were found to be effective, the quality of the studies investigating these interventions was varied with generally small sample sizes and limited follow-up. Future research should be conducted, and the same interventions should be carried out using a larger sample size to strengthen the body of evidence.

Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), the most common chronic liver diseases, arise from non-alcoholic fatty liver (NAFL) characterized by excessive fat accumulation as triglycerides. Although NAFL is benign, it could progress to non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) manifested with inflammation, hepatocyte damage and fibrosis. A subset of NASH patients develops end-stage liver diseases such as cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma. The pathogenesis of NAFLD is highly complex and strongly associated with perturbations in lipid and glucose metabolism. Lipid disposal pathways, in particular, impairment in condensation of acetyl-CoA derived from β-oxidation into ketogenic pathway strongly influence the hepatic lipid loads and glucose metabolism. Current evidence suggests that ketogenesis dispose up to two-thirds of the lipids entering the liver, and its dysregulation significantly contribute to the NAFLD pathogenesis. Moreover, ketone body administration in mice and humans shows a significant improvement in NAFLD. This review focuses on hepatic ketogenesis and its role in NAFLD pathogenesis. We review the possible mechanisms through which impaired hepatic ketogenesis may promote NAFLD progression. Finally, the review sheds light on the therapeutic implications of a ketogenic diet in NAFLD., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2022 Mooli and Ramakrishnan.)

The increased production of derivatives of molecular oxygen and nitrogen in the form of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and reactive nitrogen species (RNS) lead to molecular damage called oxidative stress. Under normal physiological conditions, the ROS generation is tightly regulated in different cells and cellular compartments. Any disturbance in the balance between the cellular generation of ROS and antioxidant balance leads to oxidative stress. In this article, we discuss the sources of ROS (endogenous and exogenous) and antioxidant mechanisms. We also focus on the pathophysiological significance of oxidative stress in various cell types of the liver. Oxidative stress is implicated in the development and progression of various liver diseases. We narrate the master regulators of ROS-mediated signaling and their contribution to liver diseases. Nonalcoholic fatty liver diseases (NAFLD) are influenced by a "multiple parallel-hit model" in which oxidative stress plays a central role. We highlight the recent findings on the role of oxidative stress in the spectrum of NAFLD, including fibrosis and liver cancer. Finally, we provide a brief overview of oxidative stress biomarkers and their therapeutic applications in various liver-related disorders. Overall, the article sheds light on the significance of oxidative stress in the pathophysiology of the liver. © 2022 American Physiological Society. Compr Physiol 12:3167-3192, 2022., (Copyright © 2022 American Physiological Society. All rights reserved.)

Visible-light-driven photo-fenton-like catalytic activity and photoelectrochemical (PEC) performance of nitrogen-doped brownmillerite KBiFe 2 O 5  (KBFO) are investigated. The effective optical bandgap of KBFO reduces from 1.67 to 1.60 eV post N-doping, enabling both enhancement of visible light absorption and photoactivity. The photo-fenton activity of KBFO and N-doped KBFO samples were analysed by degrading effluents like Methylene Blue (MB), Bisphenol-A (BPA) and antibiotics such as Norfloxacin (NOX) and Doxycycline (DOX). 20 mmol of Nitrogen-doped KBFO (20N-KBFO) exhibits enhanced catalytic activity while degrading MB. 20N-KBFO sample is further tested for degradation of Bisphenol-A and antibiotics in the presence of H 2 O 2  and chelating agent L-cysteine. Under optimum conditions, MB, BPA, and NOX, and DOX are degraded by 99.5% (0.042 min -1 ), 83% (0.016 min -1 ), 72% (0.011 min -1 ) and 95% (0.026 min -1 ) of its initial concentration respectively. Photocurrent density of 20N-KBFO improves to 8.83 mA/cm 2 from 4.31 mA/cm 2  for pure KBFO. Photocatalytic and photoelectrochemical (PEC) properties of N-doped KBFO make it a promising candidate for energy and environmental applications., (© 2022. The Author(s).)

Background & Aims: Compelling evidence shows that glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) has a profound effect in restoring normoglycemia in type 2 diabetic patients by increasing pancreatic insulin secretion. Although L-cells are the primary source of circulating GLP-1, the current therapies do not target L-cells to increase GLP-1 levels. Our study aimed to determine the molecular underpinnings of GLP-1 secretion as an impetus to identify new interventions to target endogenous L-cells., Methods: We used genetic mouse models of intestine-specific overexpression of hypoxia-inducible factor (HIF)-1α and HIF-2α (Vhl ΔIE ), conditional overexpression of intestinal HIF-2α (Hif-2α LSL;Vilin-Cre/ERT2 ), and intestine-specific HIF-2α knockout mice (Hif-2α ΔIE ) to show that HIF signaling, especially HIF-2α, regulates GLP-1 secretion., Results: Our data show that intestinal HIF signaling improved glucose homeostasis in a GLP-1-dependent manner. Intestinal HIF potentiated GLP-1 secretion via the lipid sensor G-protein-coupled receptor (GPR)40 enriched in L-cells. We show that HIF-2α regulates GPR40 in L-cells and potentiates fatty acid-induced GLP-1 secretion via extracellular regulated kinase (ERK). Using a genetic model of intestine-specific overexpression of HIF-2α, we show that HIF-2α is sufficient to increase GLP-1 levels and attenuate diet-induced metabolic perturbations such as visceral adiposity, glucose intolerance, and hepatic steatosis. Lastly, we show that intestinal HIF-2α signaling acts as a priming mechanism crucial for postprandial lipid-mediated GLP-1 secretion. Thus, disruption of intestinal HIF-2α decreases GLP-1 secretion., Conclusions: In summary, we show that intestinal HIF signaling, particularly HIF-2α, regulates the lipid sensor GPR40, which is crucial for the lipid-mediated GLP-1 secretion, and suggest that HIF-2α is a potential target to induce endogenous GLP-1 secretion., (Copyright © 2022 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Aim: To evaluate pharmacokinetics, efficacy and safety of fixed-dose combination (FDC) of oral capecitabine + cyclophosphamide in metastatic breast cancer (MBC) patients progressing after anthracycline and/or taxane chemotherapy., Methods: In this prospective, adaptive, phase-2/3, open-label study (CTRI/2014/12/005234), patients were randomized (1:1:1) to three FDC doses (doses/day: D1, capecitabine + cyclophosphamide 1400 mg + 60 mg; D2, 1800 mg + 80 mg; D3, 2200 mg + 100 mg) for 14 days, in 21-day cycles. In Part-I, multiple-dose pharmacokinetics and optimal dose(s) were evaluated with futility analysis. Group(s) with <3 responders based on best overall response rate (BOR, complete response [CR]+partial response [PR]), were discontinued. Efficacy (BOR, disease control rates [DCR; CR + PR + stable disease]) and safety of optimal dose(s) were evaluated in Part-II., Results: Of 66 patients (n = 22/group) in Part-I, pharmacokinetics (D1 = 7/22, D2 = 9/22, D3 = 8/22) showed dose-proportionality for cyclophosphamide and greater than dose-proportionality for capecitabine. Modified intent-to-treat (mITT) analysis showed BOR of 7.14% (1/14) in D1 (discontinued), and 22.22% (4/18) each in D2 and D3, respectively. In Part-II, 50 additional patients were randomized in D2 and D3 (n = 144; total 72 [22 + 50] patients/group). mITT analysis in D2 (n = 54) and D3 (n = 58) showed BOR of 29.63% (16/54, 95%CI: 17.45-41.81%) and 22.41% (13/58, 95%CI: 11.68-33.15%), respectively. DCR in D2 and D3 were 87.04% (47/54, 95%CI: 78.08-96.00%) and 82.76% (48/58; 95%CI: 73.04-92.48%) after 3 and 57.41% (31/54; 95%CI: 52.41-79.50%) and 50.00% (29/58; 95%CI: 40.40-67.00%), after 6-cycles, respectively. Hand-foot syndrome (16.67%), vomiting (9.72%) in D2, and hand-foot syndrome (18.06%), asthenia (15.28%) in D3 were most-common adverse events., Conclusion: FDC of capecitabine + cyclophosphamide (1800 + 80 mg/day) showed high disease control rates and good safety profile in MBC patients., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The FDC of capecitabine and cyclophosphamide was developed by Intas Pharmaceuticals Limited, Gujarat, India. Drs. Mujtaba A. Khan, Piyush Patel, Nisarg Joshi and Vinay Bajaj are employees of Intas Pharmaceutical Ltd., India., (Copyright © 2021 Intas Pharmaceuticals Limited. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.)

g-C 3 N 4 /Ca 2 Fe 2 O 5 heterostructures were successfully prepared by incorporating g-C 3 N 4 into Ca 2 Fe 2 O 5 (CFO). As prepared g-C 3 N 4 /CFO heterostructures were initially utilized to photodegrade organic effluent Methylene blue (MB) for optimization of photodegradation performance. 50% g-C 3 N 4 content in CFO composition showed an enhanced photodegradation efficiency (~ 96%) over g-C 3 N 4 (48.15%) and CFO (81.9%) due to mitigation of recombination of photogenerated charge carriers by Type-II heterojunction. The optimized composition of heterostructure was further tested for degradation of Bisphenol-A (BPA) under direct sunlight, exhibiting enhanced photodegradation efficiency of about 63.1% over g-C 3 N 4 (17%) and CFO (45.1%). The photoelectrochemical studies at various potentials with and without light illumination showed significant improvement in photocurrent response for g-C 3 N 4 /Ca 2 Fe 2 O 5 heterostructures (~ 1.9 mA) over CFO (~ 67.4 μA). These studies revealed efficient solar energy harvesting ability of g-C 3 N 4 /Ca 2 Fe 2 O 5 heterostructures to be utilized for organic effluent treatment., (© 2021. The Author(s).)

Plasmonic metal nanoparticles are widely used for many applications due to their unique optical and chemical properties. Over the past decade, anisotropic metal nanoparticles have been explored for imaging, sensing, and diagnostic applications. The variations and flexibility of tuning the size and shape of the metal nanoparticles at the nanoscale made them promising candidates for biomedical applications such as therapeutics, diagnostics, and drug delivery. However, safety and risk assessment of the nanomaterials for clinical purposes are yet to be made owing to their cytotoxicity. The toxicity concern is primarily due to the conventional synthesis route that involves surfactants as a structure-directing agent and as a capping agent for nanoparticles. Wet chemical methods employ toxic auxiliary chemicals. However, the approach yields monodispersed nanoparticles, an essential criterion for their intended application and a limitation of the green synthesis of nanoparticles using plant extracts. Several biocompatible counterparts such as polymers, lipids, and chitosan-based nanoparticles have been successfully used in the synthesis of safe nanomaterials, but there were issues regarding reproducibility and yield. Enzymatic degradation was one of the factors responsible for limiting the efficacy. Hence, it is necessary to develop a safer and nontoxic route towards synthesizing biocompatible nanomaterials while retaining morphology, high yield, and monodispersity. In this regard, deep eutectic solvents (DESs) and carrageenan as capping agent for nanoparticles can ensure the safety. Carrageenan has the potential to act as antibacterial and antiviral agent, and adds enhanced stability to the nanoparticles. This leads to a multidimensional approach for utilizing safe nanomaterials for advanced biomedical and clinical applications., (Copyright © 2021, Das et al.)

Mitochondria play important roles in regulating cell bioenergetics status and reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation. ROS-induced mitochondrial damage is among the main intracellular signal inducers of autophagy. Autophagy is a cellular catabolic process that regulates protein and organelle turnover, while a selective form of autophagy, mitophagy, specifically targets dysfunctional mitochondrial degradation. This study aims to measure the levels of autophagy, mitophagy, oxidative stress, and apoptosis in invasive breast carcinoma tissues using immunohistochemistry (IHC). Tissue microarrays of 76 patients with breast cancer were stained with six IHC markers (MnSOD, Beclin-1, LC3, BNIP3, Parkin, and cleaved caspase 3). The expression intensity was determined for each tumor tissue and the adjacent tumor-matched control tissues. Intermediate and strong staining scores of MnSOD, Beclin-1, LC-3, BNIP-3, and Parkin were significantly higher in tumor tissues compared to the adjacent matched control. The scoring intensity was further classified into tissues with negative staining and positive staining, which showed that positive scores of Beclin-1 and Parkin were significantly high in tumor tissues compared to other markers. Positive association was also noted between BNIP-3 and Beclin-1 as well as LC-3 and cleaved caspase-3 immunostaining. To our knowledge, this is one of the first studies that measure both mitophagy and autophagy in the same breast cancer tissues and the adjacent matched control. The findings from this study will be of great potential in identifying new cancer biomarkers and inspire significant interest in applying anti-autophagy therapies as a possible treatment for breast cancer., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2021 Mustafa, Saliluddin, Fakurazi, Tizen Laim, Md Pauzi, Nik Yahya, S. Raja Gopal, Abdullah and Maniam.)

Background & Aims: Thrombospondin 1 (TSP1) is a multifunctional matricellular protein. We previously showed that TSP1 has an important role in obesity-associated metabolic complications, including inflammation, insulin resistance, cardiovascular, and renal disease. However, its contribution to obesity-associated non-alcoholic fatty liver disease/non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NAFLD or NASH) remains largely unknown; thus, we aimed to determine its role., Methods: High-fat diet or AMLN (amylin liver NASH) diet-induced obese and insulin-resistant NAFLD/NASH mouse models were utilised, in addition to tissue-specific Tsp1 -knockout mice, to determine the contribution of different cellular sources of obesity-induced TSP1 to NAFLD/NASH development., Results: Liver TSP1 levels were increased in experimental obese and insulin-resistant NAFLD/NASH mouse models as well as in obese patients with NASH. Moreover, TSP1 deletion in adipocytes did not protect mice from diet-induced NAFLD/NASH. However, myeloid/macrophage-specific TSP1 deletion protected mice against obesity-associated liver injury, accompanied by reduced liver inflammation and fibrosis. Importantly, this protection was independent of the levels of obesity and hepatic steatosis. Mechanistically, through an autocrine effect, macrophage-derived TSP1 suppressed Smpdl3b expression in liver, which amplified liver proinflammatory signalling (Toll-like receptor 4 signal pathway) and promoted NAFLD progression., Conclusions: Macrophage-derived TSP1 is a significant contributor to obesity-associated NAFLD/NASH development and progression and could serve as a therapeutic target for this disease., Lay Summary: Obesity-associated non-alcoholic fatty liver disease is a most common chronic liver disease in the Western world and can progress to liver cirrhosis and cancer. No treatment is currently available for this disease. The present study reveals an important factor (macrophage-derived TSP1) that drives macrophage activation and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease development and progression and that could serve as a therapeutic target for non-alcoholic fatty liver disease/steatohepatitis., Competing Interests: The authors declare no conflicts of interest that pertain to this study. Please refer to the accompanying ICMJE disclosure forms for further details., (© 2020 The Author(s).)

Emerging evidence indicates that proper mitochondrial dynamics are critical for adipocyte differentiation and functional thermogenic capacity. We found that the mitochondrial fission protein dynamin-related protein 1 (DRP1, also known as DNML1) is highly expressed in brown adipose tissue compared to expression in white adipose tissue, and these expression levels increase during brown adipocyte differentiation. Our results reveal that the inhibition of DRP1 using mdivi-1 mitigates beige adipocyte differentiation and differentiation-associated mitochondrial biogenesis. We found that DRP1 is essential for the induction of the early-phase beige adipogenic transcriptional program. Intriguingly, inhibition of DRP1 is dispensable following the induction of beige adipogenesis and adipogenesis-associated mitochondrial biogenesis. Altogether, we demonstrate that DRP1 in preadipocytes plays an essential role in beige and brown adipogenesis.This article has an associated First Person interview with the first author of the paper., Competing Interests: Competing interestsThe authors declare no competing or financial interests., (© 2020. Published by The Company of Biologists Ltd.)

Vitamin A and its metabolites are known to modulate adipose tissue development and its associated complications. Here, we assessed the vitamin A status and its metabolic pathway gene expression in relation to sexual dimorphism by employing 35 days old C57BL/6J male and female mice, which were fed either stock or high fat (HF) diet for 26 weeks. HF diet feeding increased body weight/weight gain and white adipose tissue (WAT) of visceral and subcutaneous regions, however, increase in vitamin A levels observed only in subcutaneous WAT. Further, the expression of most of the vitamin A metabolic pathway genes showed no sexual dimorphism. The observed HF diet-induced hyperglycaemia in male corroborates with increased retinol binding protein 4 (RBP4) levels in plasma and its expression in visceral adipose depots. In conclusion, the male mice are susceptible to high fat diet-induced hyperglycaemia and display higher plasma RBP4 levels, possibly due to its over-expression in visceral adipose depots.

microRNAs (miRNAs) are small length noncoding RNAs which play a key role in cellular processes such as proliferation, differentiation, and development of lineage hematopoietic cells and matured blood cells. Aberrant expression of miRNAs has been reported in several hematopoietic disorders. The involvement of miRNAs in regulation of various signaling pathways has been shown in hematopoietic disorders. Along with regulatory role, miRNAs are also proven as diagnostic and prognostic markers for these malignancies. Recent studies are evidenced that the miRNA are key regulators of hematopoietic disorders and progression of these disorders shows the importance of targeting the aberrant expression of miRNAs as new therapeutic interventions. The present chapter provides overview of the art related to the importance of miRNAs in developmental hematopoiesis and pathogenesis of hematopoietic disorders including chronic lymphocytic leukemia, chronic myelogenous leukemia, multiple myelomas, and B cell lymphomas.

Recent reports [Smith and Korgel Langmuir 2008, 24, 644-649 and Smith et al. Langmuir 2009, 25, 9518-9524] have implicated certain hexadecyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) products with iodide impurities, in the failure of a seed-mediated, silver and surfactant-assisted growth protocol, to produce gold nanorods. We used two of the three "suspect" CTAB products and a "good" CTAB product in the protocol, varying silver nitrate solutions in the growth solutions. We obtained excellent gold nanorod samples as witnessed in signature longitudinal plasmon peaks in optical extinction spectra, which we substantiated using electron microscopy. Analysis of these samples using inductively coupled plasma mass spectroscopy (ICP-MS) failed to detect iodide. We subsequently learnt from discussions with Smith et al. that different lot numbers within the same product had been analyzed by our respective laboratories. We can conclude that iodide impurities can vary significantly from lot to lot within a product, to such an extent that there is no guarantee that gold nanorods can be synthesized with one or other CTAB product. Conversely, labeling a CTAB product, identified by a product number or supplier name, as one whose use precludes the formation of nanorods, is also hasty.