Tunable Multivalent Aptamer-Based DNA Nanostructures To Regulate Multiheteroreceptor-Mediated Tumor Recognition.

Precise mapping and regulation of cell surface receptors hold immense significance in disease treatment, such as cancer, infection, and neurodisorders, but also face enormous challenges. In this study, we designed a series of adjustable multivalent aptamer-based DNA nanostructures to precisely control their interaction with receptors in tumor cells. By profiling surface receptors on 12 cell lines using 10 different aptamers, we generated a heatmap that accurately distinguished between various tumor types based on multiple markers. We then incorporated these aptamers onto DNA origami structures to regulate receptor recognition, with patch-like structures demonstrating a tendency to be trapped on the cell surface and with tube-like structures showing a preference for internalization. Through precise control of aptamer species, valence, and geometric patterns, we found that multiheteroreceptor-mediated recognition not only favored the specific binding of nanostructures to tumor cells but also greatly enhanced intracellular uptake by promoting clathrin-dependent endocytosis. Specifically, we achieved over 5-fold uptake in different tumor cells versus normal cells using tube-like structures modified with different diheteroaptamer pairs, facilitating targeted drug delivery. Moreover, patch-like structures with triheteroaptamers guided specific interactions between macrophages and tumor cells, leading to effective immune clearance. This programmable multivalent system allows for the precise regulation of cell recognition using multiple parameters, demonstrating great potential for personalized tumor treatment.

COVID-19 anxiety: The impact of older adults' transmission of negative information and online social networks.

Objectives: This study examines the impact of older adults' online social networks on their COVID-19 anxiety, directly or indirectly through social transmission of negative information about COVID-19. Social networks were indexed by both bonding capital (i.e., social relationships formed with family and friends) and bridging capital (i.e., social relationships formed through casual social networks). Methods: An on-line survey was conducted with 190 older adults who were in self-isolation in Ontario in the early waves of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. Results: Bonding and bridging capital showed different impacts on older adults' informational behavior and COVID-19 anxiety. While bonding capital deterred older adults from transmitting negative COVID-19 information and thus reduced COVID-19 anxiety, bridging capital contributed to increased dissemination of negative information and thus heightened older adults' anxiety. Discussion: Our findings shed light on the detrimental behavioral and psychological impact of casual online social networks on older adults amidst a public health crisis.

The Psychological Well-Being of Older Chinese Immigrants in Canada amidst COVID-19: The Role of Loneliness, Social Support, and Acculturation.

This study examined the effects of loneliness, social support, and acculturation on psychological well-being, as indexed by general emotional well-being and life satisfaction, of older Chinese adults living in Canada during the COVID-19 pandemic. A total of 168 older Chinese adults, recruited via WeChat and the internet, completed an online study through a facilitated Zoom or phone meeting, or through a website link, individually or in a group. The testing package included demographic information, The UCLA Loneliness Scale, The Multidimensional Perceived Social Support Scale, Vancouver Index of Acculturation, The Satisfaction with Life Scale, and The World Health Organization's Five Well-Being Index. The results showed that the psychological well-being (both general emotional well-being and cognitively perceived life satisfaction) was positively predicted by perceived social support but negatively predicted by loneliness. Acculturation was not predictive of both outcomes, and it did not moderate the predictive relationships of social support or loneliness. The results shed light on the importance of community services that target enhancing social support and reducing loneliness in promoting psychological well-being of older Chinese immigrants in Canada amidst and post the pandemic.

Design for a Canadian Digital Health Policy & Practices Observatory.

Canada has struggled to make digital health a reality. We identified 6 key issues that appear to impede progress: 1) an inability to coordinate the actions of a rapidly evolving set of stakeholders, 2) patients who lack the ability and resources to play a meaningful role in health system decision-making, 3) world-class innovation that doesn't reach the market, 4) an inability to kick-start interoperability projects that can catalyze system transformation, 5) an inability to procure early-stage innovative technologies at scale, and 6) an inability to share data seamlessly across organizational silos for patient coordination and care, health system management and research. We propose a set of policies and practices that can help Canada assess, monitor and provide feedback to stakeholders and citizens on how well they are progressing toward seamless digital health.

Evaluating the performance of the Framingham Diabetes Risk Scoring Model in Canadian electronic medical records.

OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to evaluate the performance of the Framingham Diabetes Risk Scoring Model (FDRSM) in a Canadian population, using the Canadian Primary Care Sentinel Surveillance Network (CPCSSN) database. METHODS: We analyzed the records of 571 631 patients, between the ages of 45 and 64, between 2002 and 2005, by extracting the most recent laboratory and examination results, including age, sex, body mass index, fasting blood glucose, high-density lipoprotein, triglycerides and blood pressure. We calculated the risk scores of these patients based on the FDRSM. We tracked these patients for 8 years to find out whether or not they were diagnosed with diabetes. We used the area under the receiver operating characteristics curve (AROC) to estimate the discrimination capability of the FDRSM on our study sample and compared it with the AROC reported in the original Framingham diabetes study. RESULTS: The AROC for our main research sample of 1970 patients for whom all risk factors and follow-up data were available was 78.6% compared to the AROC of 85% reported in the FDRSM. We found that 70.1% of our main sample had risks lower than 3%; 16.3% had risks between 3% and 10%; and 13.6% had risks greater than 10% for diabetes over the following 8-year period. CONCLUSIONS: The discrimination capability of the FDRSM Canadian electronic medical records is fair. However, building a more accurate model for predicting diabetes based on the characteristics of Canadian patients is highly recommended.