Multimodal iron oxide (Fe₃O₄)-saturated lactoferrin nanocapsules as nanotheranostics for real-time imaging and breast cancer therapy of claudin-low, triple-negative (ER-/PR-/HER2-)

AIM: To unravel the multimodal nanotheranostic ability of Fe3O4-saturated bovine lactoferrin nanocapsules (FebLf NCs) in claudin-low, triple-negative breast cancer model. MATERIALS & METHODS: Xenograft study was performed to examine biocompatibility, antitumor efficacy and multimodal nanotheranostic action in combination with near-infrared live mice imaging. RESULTS: FebLf NCs exhibited a size range of 80 nm ± 5 nm with observed superparamagnetism. FebLf NCs successfully internalized into breast cancer cells through receptor-mediated endocytosis and induced apoptosis through the downregulation of inhibitor of apoptosis survivin and livin proteins. Investigations revealed a remarkable biocompatibility, anticancer efficacy of the FebLf NCs. Near-infrared imaging observations confirmed selective localization of multimodal FebLf NCs at the tumor site and lead to time-dependent reduction of tumor growth. CONCLUSION: FebLf NCs can be safe, biocompatible nanotheranostic approach for real-time imaging and monitoring the effect of drugs in real time and have potentials in future clinical trials.

Parents who supply sips of alcohol in early adolescence: a prospective study of risk factors

BACKGROUND: Parents are a major supplier of alcohol to adolescents, often initiating use with sips. Despite harms of adolescent alcohol use, research has not addressed the antecedents of such parental supply. This study investigated the prospective associations between familial, parental, peer, and adolescent characteristics on parental supply of sips. METHODS: Participants were 1729 parent-child dyads recruited from Grade 7 classes, as part of the Australian Parental Supply of Alcohol Longitudinal Study. Data are from baseline surveys (Time 1) and 1-year follow-up (Time 2). Unadjusted and adjusted logistic regressions tested prospective associations between Time 1 familial, parental, peer, and adolescent characteristics and Time 2 parental supply. RESULTS: In the fully adjusted model, parental supply was associated with increased parent-report of peer substance use (odds ratio [OR] = 1.20, 95% confidence ratio [CI], 1.08-1.34), increased home alcohol access (OR = 1.07, 95% CI, 1.03-1.11), and lenient alcohol-specific rules (OR=0.88, 95% CI, 0.78-0.99). CONCLUSIONS: Parents who perceived that their child engaged with substance-using peers were more likely to subsequently supply sips of alcohol. Parents may believe supply of a small quantity of alcohol will protect their child from unsupervised alcohol use with peers. It is also possible that parental perception of peer substance use may result in parents believing that this is a normative behavior for their child's age group, and in turn that supply is also normative. Further research is required to understand the impacts of such supply, even in small quantities, on adolescent alcohol use trajectories.

Gen green 4 Australia: a national study of demand for and supply of skills for sustainability

In this research, skills for sustainability are broadly conceived as including skills for social, economic and environmental sustainability – a triple bottom-line approach. Since 2009 Australian governments have been implementing an agreement that embeds skills for sustainability into vocational education and training, despite scant information about the actual levels of demand for, and supply of these skills. This study provides evidence on the actual depth and breadth of the take-up of these skills within Australian training organisations and workplaces. The demand studied in this research is that expressed by the primary consumers of Australian Vocational Education and Training (VET) services, students who engage in VET studies, this is known in the literature as social demand for education. VET students and teachers responded to two survey instruments that explored the sustainability values, behaviours, learning and teaching of Australian apprentices, trainees and their teachers. The results of this study show ‘a social demand’ for skills for sustainability. In summary, the results show that: •Apprentices, trainees and their teachers cared a great deal about social, economic and environmental sustainability; •Supply was closely aligned to social demand for skills for sustainability so that demand for skills for sustainability from VET students was almost entirely met; •There are important differences in the teaching, learning and utilisation of skills for sustainability that are related to gender and age; and •In-class learning of environmental skills has increased over time and now slightly outweighs learning of these skills at work, however community learning of these skills outweighs both. The findings suggest that: •Further action is required to embed green skills into the VET system, especially in the areas of energy efficiency and supply chains; •The VET system plays an important role in supporting community cohesion and economic literacy, especially for women; •It is important that social sustainability is properly considered in analysis informing VET policy; and •Gender differences in values and behaviours and gender and age differences in learning skills for sustainability have important implications for the design of future skills for sustainability programs. VET students and their teachers have unique insights into the supply of and demand for skills for sustainability, and this viewpoint can contribute, now and in the future, to the further development of skills for sustainability in Australia.

Prospective memory while driving : comparison of time- and event-based intentions

Prospective memories can divert attentional resources from ongoing activities. However, it is unclear whether these effects and the theoretical accounts that seek to explain them will generalise to a complex real-world task such as driving. Twenty-four participants drove two simulated routes while maintaining a fixed headway with a lead vehicle. Drivers were given either event-based (e.g. arriving at a filling station) or time-based errands (e.g. on-board clock shows 3:30). In contrast to the predominant view in the literature which suggests time-based tasks are more demanding, drivers given event-based errands showed greater difficulty in mirroring lead vehicle speed changes compared to the time-based group. Results suggest that common everyday secondary tasks, such as scouting the roadside for a bank, may have a detrimental impact on driving performance. The additional finding that this cost was only evident with the event-based task highlights a potential area of both theoretical and practical interest. Practitioner Summary: Drivers were given either time- or event-based errands whilst engaged in a simulated drive. We examined the effect of errands on an ongoing vehicle follow task. In contrast to previous non-driving studies, event-based errands are more disruptive. Common everyday errands may have a detrimental impact on driving performance.

High atmospheric temperatures and 'ambient incubation' drive embryonic development and lead to earlier hatching in a passerine bird

Tropical and subtropical species typically experience relatively high atmospheric temperatures during reproduction, and are subject to climate-related challenges that are largely unexplored, relative to more extensive work conducted in temperate regions. We studied the effects of high atmospheric and nest temperatures during reproduction in the zebra finch. We characterized the temperature within nests in a subtropical population of this species in relation to atmospheric temperature. Temperatures within nests frequently exceeded the level at which embryo's develop optimally, even in the absence of parental incubation. We experimentally manipulated internal nest temperature to demonstrate that an average difference of 6°C in the nest temperature during the laying period reduced hatching time by an average of 3% of the total incubation time, owing to 'ambient incubation'. Given the avian constraint of laying a single egg per day, the first eggs of a clutch are subject to prolonged effects of nest temperature relative to later laid eggs, potentially increasing hatching asynchrony. While birds may ameliorate the negative effects of ambient incubation on embryonic development by varying the location and design of their nests, high atmospheric temperatures are likely to constitute an important selective force on avian reproductive behaviour and physiology in subtropical and tropical regions, particularly in the light of predicted climate change that in many areas is leading to a higher frequency of hot days during the periods when birds breed.