This paper presents a portable integrated digital PCR (PI-dPCR) system with a self-partitioning SlipChip (sp-SlipChip) microfluidic device for the quantitative analysis of BK virus (BKV) viral load directly from raw urine samples. Digital PCR is an accurate nucleic acid quantification method with single-molecule sensitivity, but the complexity of the instrument and the limited integration of the operation workflow greatly limit its application in clinical diagnostics, especially point-of-care testing (PoCT). Our PI-dPCR system has a small footprint, is lightweight, and is fully integrated with the thermal control and fluorescence imaging modules. Unlike the traditional SlipChip device, which requires the precise overlapping of microfeatures on the contacting surfaces to establish the fluidic loading path, this sp-SlipChip device utilizes microchannels with alternating depth and width for fluidic manipulation. This system can quantify BKV directly from raw urine samples with a simple “sample-to-digital-result” operation workflow without complex nucleic acid extraction and purification steps. The current design of the system provides a dynamic range of 3.0 × 104 to 1.5 × 108 copies/mL of BKV DNA in clinical urine samples within 2 h. We tested the system for the quantification of BKV viral load in thirty archived urine samples from kidney transplantation recipients and twelve additional samples from six patients before and after the adjustment of immunosuppressive treatment. This integrated system provides a promising method for both the detection and monitoring of viral infection in a point-of-care setting.The dynamics of the subtropical pelagic ecosystems of the Northeast Atlantic are still poorly known due to the high costs associated with sampling large oceanic areas. Top predators can be used as alternative low-cost samplers and indicators of the temporal variability of such systems. To study the variation in the composition of pelagic species through time in the broad Canary current region, we analysed foraging trips and regurgitations of Cory’s shearwaters Calonectris borealis nesting on Selvagens islands, in 2008-2011 and 2016-2018. Fisheries data, oceanographic variables and the North Atlantic Oscillation were explored as possible explanatory variables for trends in behaviour and diet. Cory’s shearwaters’ diet, complemented by fisheries data, revealed marked changes in the composition of the pelagic fish communities. In 2016 there was a peak in the abundance of the Atlantic chub mackerel Scomber colias, followed by an explosive increase in the abundance of the Longspine snipefish Macroramphosus scolopax in 2017 and 2018, as deduced from the diet composition of the Cory’s shearwater, and supported by fisheries data, in the broad oceanic area surrounding the Selvagens islands. Oceanographic variables did not show fluctuations correlated with these marked shifts in pelagic fish availability, the causes of which remain largely unknown. This study highlights the importance of the Atlantic chub mackerel and of the Longspine snipefish in the Madeira/Canary region and exemplifies the efficiency of avian predators in revealing rapid changes in pelagic communities of oceanic domains. Such trends and variations need to be better monitored and understood to measure the impact of ongoing global changes and to sustainably manage the marine environment and resources.In this illustrative case report, we describe a rare case of left posterior fascicular ventricular tachycardia (LPFVT) in a 2 month-old infant with emphasis on electrocardiographic caveats to diagnosis. The clinical course, treatment, and eventual resolution of the VT over a 2 year follow-up is comprehensively compared and contrasted to a modicum of individual such case reports of infants. The corpus of each such case of infantile LPVT is systematically reviewed and succinctly summarized in a tabular compendium. The collective knowledge compiled here should allow for a refined approach to diagnosis and management of this unusual arrhythmia.Vorinostat (VOR) is known as one of the histone deacetylase inhibitors (HDACi) for cancer treatment, and the FDA approves it for cutaneous T cell lymphoma therapy. Poor solubility, permeability, and less anti-cancer activity are the main challenges for the effective delivery of VOR against various cancers. So, our team assumed that the surface-coated liposomes might improve the physicochemical properties of biopharmaceutics classification system class IV drugs such as VOR. Dyngo-4a The present study aimed to enhance the cytotoxicity and improve cellular uptake using TPGS-coated liposomes in breast cancer cells. Liposomes were fabricated by the film hydration following the probe ultra-sonication method. OR-LIPO and TPGS-VOR-LIPO showed an average particle size of 211.97 ± 3.42 nm with PDI 0.2168 ± 0.006 and 176.99 ± 2.06 nm with PDI 0.175 ± 0.018, respectively. TPGS-coated liposomes had better stability and revealed more than 80 % encapsulation efficiency than conventional liposomes. Transmission electron microscopy confirmed the TPGS coating around liposomes. Moreover, TPGS-coated liposomes enhanced the solubility and showed sustained release of VOR over 48 h. DSC and PXRD analysis also reveal an amorphous state of VOR within the liposomal formulation. MTT assay result indicates that the superior cytotoxic effect of surface-modified liposomes contrasts with the conventional and free VOR solution, respectively. Fluorescence microscopy and flow cytometry results also presented an enhanced cellular uptake of TPGS-coated liposomes against breast cancer cells, respectively. The current investigation’s final results declared that TPGS-coated liposomes are promising drug carriers for the effective delivery of hydrophobic drugs for cancer therapy.This study was aimed to design a novel amphiphilic carrier based on schizophyllan (SPG) exopolysacharide for drug delivery. Stearic acid (SA) was used for the esterification of SPG with two degrees of substitutions (SA-SPG0.5 and SA-SPG1). The H NMR and FTIR spectroscopies verified the succesfull esterification of SPG. The polymeric micelles easily self-assembled into nanomicelles by ultrasound method. Fluorescence spectroscopy showed that the critical micelle concentrations (CMCs) of SA-SPG0.5 and SA-SPG1 micelles were 0.068 mg/mL and 0.027 mg/mL, respectively. DLS analyses showed that nanomicelles were ranged from 156 to 175 nm. SEM and TEM images showed that nanomicelles were mostly spherical. Paclitaxel (PTX) as a drug model was successfully loaded into SA-SPG nanomicelles with three different drug/polymer weight ratios of 0.1, 0.2 and 0.3. The highest encapsulation efficiency (75 %) was obtained when the PTX/SA-SPG weight ratio was 0.1. The in vitro release of PTX from SA-SPG micelles represented the sustained release profile over 144 h.