The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV) is a public research university with multiple campuses throughout the Rio Grande Valley region of Texas and is a member of the University of Texas System. The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV) was created by the Texas Legislature in 2013 as the first major public university of the 21st century in Texas after the consolidation of the University of Texas at Brownsville/Texas Southmost College and the University of Texas–Pan American. The transformative initiative provided the opportunity to expand educational opportunities in the Rio Grande Valley, including a new School of Medicine.In 2019 The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley enrolled in the fall 29,619 students, making the public university the ninth-largest university in the state of Texas and the fourth largest (student enrollment) academic institution in The University of Texas system. UTRGV is also one of the largest universities in the U.S. to have a majority Hispanic student population; 89.2% of its students are Hispanic, virtually all of them Mexican Americans. It is classified among "R2: Doctoral Universities – High research activity".
Dysregulated ribosome biogenesis and p53 mutations are known to play oncogenic roles in various cancers, including pancreatic cancer. In this study, we demonstrated the therapeutic potential of BMH-21, a pharmacologic inhibitor of RNA polymerase I, against pancreatic cancer by uncovering a novel molecular mechanism involving RPA194-mediated ubiquitination of mutant p53 without affecting the ubiquitination of wild-type p53. Our key findings are that (i) BMH-21 selectively induces apoptosis and cell growth inhibition of pancreatic cancer cells with no effect on normal human pancreatic ductal epithelial cells; (ii) BMH-21 degrades RPA194; (iii) BMH-21 inhibits recruitment of both RPA194 and RPA135 on rDNA to suppress pre-rRNA synthesis; (iv) RPA194 physically interacts with p53 and BMH-21-induced degradation of RPA194 selectively exposes truncated and mutated p53 for ubiquitination with no effect on ubiquitination of wild-type p53 in pancreatic cancer cells; and (v) BMH-21 treatment significantly reduces the growth of orthotopic xenograft pancreatic tumors in athymic nude mice with no observed toxicity. Altogether, these findings suggest that BMH-21 is a promising, nontoxic therapeutic agent for patients with pancreatic cancer with aberrant ribosome biogenesis and mutant p53, offering a potential new avenue for targeted treatment.
This paper develops an account of the reciprocity of Nature in Spinoza as a central yet underappreciated dimension of Spinoza’s relational metaphysics. Building on Ziporyn’s interpretation of Spinoza, the paper argues that any understanding of infinity and necessity is incomplete without Spinoza’s relational account of the reciprocity of God or Nature (Deus sive Natura). Through a close analysis of the Ethics, the Principles and Letter 32, the paper shows that for Spinoza all finite things are reciprocally determined by another singular thing to exist in a certain way through the infinite, eternal and equal force [vis] of Nature by which each thing perseveres in existing. This reciprocal and omnipresent structure of the whole of Nature constitutes the engaged, phenomenological experience of Individuality: God or Nature does not respond purposively or personally, yet every movement and thought is necessarily met by reciprocal determinations within the immediacy of Nature itself. The paper concludes that Ziporyn’s account is strengthened by a relational metaphysics grounded not in intellectual contemplation of infinite Substance but rather in the active and embodied immersion in the infinite encounters of Nature’s reciprocity.
Large-bore aspiration catheters have demonstrated better recanalization times and higher first-pass effects in large vessel occlusions. However, vessel tortuosity and branching vessels can hinder navigability, potentially increasing the 'ledge effect', procedural times, and the risk of vessel injury. Recently, a newly designed delivery catheter (Carrier Delivery Catheter (CDC), Balt, France) has been introduced to the US market. This paper aims to report our combined experience with this catheter in a real-life clinical setting. This is a retrospective, multicenter study based on a prospectively maintained database of patients with ischemic stroke who underwent mechanical thrombectomy between February 2024 and January 2025. All consecutive patients who underwent mechanical thrombectomy in which a CDC was used were included. A total of 43 patients from three centers in the USA were included. The mean age was 69.74 years, and most of the patients were male (60.5%). The CDC delivered the aspiration catheter to the clot in all cases. The mean National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) score was 18, and the mean time between puncture to clot access was 18.14 min. No vessel dissection or perforation was reported, and 4.6% of symptomatic hemorrhagic complications were reported. None of the complications were adjudicated to be directly related to the use of the Carrier. Our case series shows that the CDC is a useful and reliable tool as a delivery catheter for treating vessel occlusions in both the anterior and posterior circulation. This study serves as proof of concept and may provide a foundation for future prospective analyses of this innovative delivery system.
Urban air mobility (UAM) integrates autonomy, electrification, and sharing technologies into air travel with the prospect of connected multimodal transportation systems. Despite technological advances, public acceptance is identified in the literature to be a potential barrier to the widespread UAM deployment in the early stages and its sustainable long-run growth. Here, we investigate whether and what population cohorts embrace UAM as a travel mode to get to an airport by collecting a stated preferences sample dataset in Chicago. A hybrid choice model is then estimated, which accounts for latent or taste heterogeneity in the UAM acceptance behavior, to identify heterogeneous cohorts of UAM (non)users by their (un)observable characteristics and traits. The results provide behavioral and strategic insights that can inform stakeholders and policy makers. Notably, the propensity for UAM is found to be promoted by utilitarian and hedonic beliefs, hindered by acrophobia, and unassociated with safety and security concerns, environmental concerns, and perception of transportation-related benefits. The statistical insignificance of complementary ground access to UAM vertiports can inform strategic infrastructure investment decisions on locating vertiports, specifically by discouraging investments in establishing vertiports in Chicago North Side and downtown. By estimating the model in the willingness-to-pay space, the value of time (hours/$) for UAM, ridehail, rail, and car are directly measured at 72.736, 42.929, 16.268, and 12.357, respectively.
BACKGROUND:The use of balloon guide catheter (BGC) has been associated with better reperfusion and clinical outcomes in mechanical thrombectomy (MT) for large vessel occlusion stroke. However, the impact of BGC on angiographic and clinical outcomes in patients with distal medium vessel occlusion (DMVO) strokes undergoing MT has not been extensively investigated. METHODS:This is a retrospective analysis of a prospectively collected database from 14 comprehensive stroke centers in the United States and Europe. Patients with anterior circulation DMVO due to middle cerebral artery (MCA) M3/M4 or anterior cerebral artery (ACA) A1/A2-3 were included. The cohort was divided into BGC and non-BGC groups. Multivariable logistic regression and inverse probability of treatment weighting (IPTW) were used for comparison. The primary outcome was first pass effect (FPE) defined as modified treatment in cerebral infarction (mTICI) grade 2C/3 after single device pass. RESULTS:Among 199 patients who were eligible for analysis, 81 (40.7%) were female. The median age was 69 (60-81) years, and National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale score was 13 (7-18). The BGC group (n=73) had higher rates of FPE (53.4% vs 13.7%; IPTW aOR 5.63, 95%CI (2.43 to 13.10), P<0.001) compared with the non-BGC group (n=126). The BGC group had higher rates of modified Rankin Scale (mRS) 0-1 (42.9% vs 27.1%; IPTW aOR 2.78, 95% CI (1.10 to 7.07), P=0.031), mRS 0-2 (60.3% vs 41.5%; IPTW aOR 4.31, 95% CI (1.66 to 11.19), P=0.003), and lower rates of mortality at 90-days (12.7% vs 25.4%; IPTW aOR 0.32, 95% CI (0.11 to 0.98), P=0.047) compared with the non-BGC group. The rates of successful reperfusion at the end of the procedure and symptomatic intracerebral hemorrhage were comparable between both groups. CONCLUSION:The present study suggests that the use of BGC in DMVO undergoing MT may be associated with improved angiographic and clinical outcomes with no safety concerns. Prospective studies are warranted.
