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Category: biotech/medical – Page 64

Cardiac Structure Relates to Hemorrhagic Cerebral Small Vessel Disease Phenotype

In patients with hemorrhagic cerebral small vessel disease, left ventricular mass is associated with MRI markers of arteriolosclerosis. @UCLStrokeRes

BackgroundMost intracerebral hemorrhages (ICH) are caused by 1 of 2 cerebral small vessel diseases (cSVDs): arteriolosclerosis and cerebral amyloid angiopathy (CAA). Hypertension is a major risk factor for ICH, but its contribution to the hemorrhagic manifestations of these arteriopathies remains uncertain. We investigated associations between a cardiac structural biomarker of systemic hypertension (left ventricular mass [LVM]) and cSVD neuroimaging phenotype in patients with ICH.

Prognostic implications of iron deficiency in patients with atrial fibrillation, with and without chronic heart failure

Background Iron deficiency (ID) is common in patients with atrial fibrillation/flutter (AF), but its prognostic implications and optimal diagnostic criteria, particularly in those with and without heart failure (HF), remain unclear. This study assessed the associations between different ID definitions and clinical outcomes in patients with AF.

Methods This Danish nationwide cohort study included 10 834 patients with AF who underwent iron studies between 2008 and 2019, stratified by HF status. ID was defined using four criteria: European Society of Cardiology (ESC) guidelines, ferritin 100 ng/mL, transferrin saturation (TSAT) 20% and serum iron ≤13 µmol/L. Associations between ID definitions and all-cause mortality, cardiovascular mortality and all-cause hospitalisation were evaluated using Cox regression models, adjusted for confounders.

Results Prevalence of ID varied substantially across definitions, ranging from 36.2% to 62.7%. Over a median follow-up of 31 months, TSAT 20% was associated with increased all-cause and cardiovascular mortality in both HF (HR 1.25, 95% CI 1.14 to 1.37 and HR 1.31, 95% CI 1.14 to 1.49, respectively) and patients without HF (HR 1.39, 95% CI 1.18 to 1.64 and HR 1.54, 95% CI 1.18 to 2.00, respectively). Similarly, serum iron ≤13 µmol/L was associated with higher all-cause and cardiovascular mortality in HF (HR 1.44, 95% CI 1.31 to 1.58 and HR 1.42, 95% CI 1.24 to 1.63, respectively) and patients without HF (HR 1.67, 95% CI 1.41 to 1.97 and HR 1.46, 95% CI 1.13 to 1.89, respectively). ID defined by ESC guidelines or ferritin 100 ng/mL was not associated with mortality in either group but was linked to higher all-cause hospitalisation in patients with HF (HR 1.15, 95% CI 1.08 to 1.23 and HR 1.16, 95% CI 1.09 to 1.23, respectively).

Medaka: a novel model for analyzing genome–environment interactions

Analyzing genome– environment interactions using medaka model.

As a temperate fish species, medaka tolerates fluctuating environments (e.g., seasonal changes and different water salinity levels).

Medaka are highly tolerant to inbreeding; a near-isogenic inbred panel named Medaka Inbred Kiyosu-Karlsruhe panel and several wild-derived inbred strains of medaka have been established.

These panels and strains allow the analysis of phenotype–genotype interactions under different environmental conditions and the modeling of human populations.

Advanced epigenomic approaches, including assay for transposase-accessible chromatin using sequencing, highthroughput chromosome conformation capture (Hi-C), and analysis of histone modifications and DNA methylation, extend genomic approaches in our understanding of gene–environment interactions. sciencenewshighlights ScienceMission https://sciencemission.com/Medaka

Medaka is an established vertebrate model system for biological and biomedical research. It possesses unique features that make it particularly suitable for studying genome–environment interactions. Endemic to habitats spanning from 4 to 40°C and varying salinities, it combines broad ecological adaptability with experimental tractability. Its exceptional tolerance to inbreeding enabled the creation of the Medaka Inbred Kiyosu-Karlsruhe panel—80 near-isogenic, fully sequenced lines derived from a single wild population. More than 100 wild-derived, fully sequenced strains, collected throughout East Asia for more than 40 years, show relatively low intra-strain variation (inbreeding coefficient of 0.75) but high inter-strain variability (SNP rates 4%). Advanced quantification methods facilitate genome-wide association studies and quantitative trait locus mapping.

Continue reading “Medaka: a novel model for analyzing genome–environment interactions” | >

Progression Independent of Relapse Activity in Aquaporin-4-IgG–Positive NMOSDA Decade-Long Cohort Study

This study assessed the frequency of PIRA in a well-characterized cohort of patients with AQP4-IgG–positive NMOSD with over a decade of follow-up.

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The Multifaceted Paradigm of Rectal Cancer

“In a world where trimodality therapy has been the standard of care for so long, it’s remarkable to think that some of these cancers can be cured with a single systemic agent alone.”

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The world of cancer treatment is a rapidly evolving creature, and rectal cancer is no exception. In particular, locally advanced rectal cancer has a number of valid treatment options. While it’s traditionally a surgical disease, in some cases we now have evidence for watch-and-wait approaches that spare patients the morbidity and toxicity associated with oncologic resections. But even when the goal is to get the patient to a total mesorectal excision (TME), several nuances can influence decision making. Suddenly, talking to a patient about rectal cancer has become as lengthy a discussion as those we have with intermediate-risk prostate cancer patients.

We currently have good evidence to suggest that total neoadjuvant therapy (TNT) should be standard of care for locally advanced rectal cancers. But even within this algorithm of chemotherapy and chemoradiation followed by surgery, questions abound. Which treatment should we start with? Which chemotherapy should be used? What radiation fractionation should we employ? And which concurrent chemotherapy should be paired with radiation? While the 5-year follow-up of the RAPIDO trial demonstrated a statistically significant increase in the locoregional recurrence rate (10% vs 6%) with short course radiation,1 this must be viewed through a critical lens, given that the two arms did not directly compare short-and long-course radiation. Perhaps it was the addition of neoadjuvant chemotherapy, delaying surgery, that resulted in a detriment to the locoregional control. Thus, short-course radiation is still indicated as a reasonable treatment option per NCCN guidelines.

Survival and Risk Profile of Patients With Significant Tricuspid Regurgitation by Etiology

Does the cause of tricuspid regurgitation (TR) affect survival?

A new analysis of nearly 13K patients finds that survival in Primary TR is better than in Secondary or Lead-associated TR. @JabbarMMS

BackgroundTricuspid regurgitation (TR) is a common valvular disorder that can affect patients’ quality of life and survival. The impact of TR etiology on overall survival and the associated risk factors in each subgroup are not well studied.

Incorporating Intensity Modulated Total Body Irradiation (IMRT-TBI) into Future Cooperative Group Clinical Trials: An NRG Hematologic Malignancies Working Group-Led Report from the National Clinical Trials Network

Read it in the RedJournal: @NRGOnc

: Intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) is increasingly used for total body irradiation (TBI) due to its ability to deliver myeloablative doses while sparing radiosensitive organs. To enable consistent evaluation in future National Clinical Trials Network (NCTN) studies, the xxx Hematologic Malignancies Working Group (HMWG) convened IMRT-TBI experts and NCTN leaders to develop consensus recommendations for standardized multi-institutional implementation.

Group Vs Individual Grief-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Older Adults

In a randomized clinical trial including older bereaved adults, group-format grief-focused cognitive behavioral therapy (ProlongedGriefDisorder) was noninferior to individual therapy for reducing symptoms of prolonged grief, posttraumatic stress disorder, depression, and anxiety at 6 months.

Both formats produced large reductions in symptom burden, suggesting either delivery method is effective for older adults seeking treatment after loss.

This study examines whether cognitive behavioral therapy delivered in a group format is noninferior to cognitive behavioral therapy delivered in an individual format in reducing prolonged grief disorder symptoms in older adults.

Listening to the body’s quietest, yet most dynamic movements with a wearable sensor

The human body continuously generates a rich spectrum of vibrations—often without us ever noticing. Everyday unconscious activities such as breathing, speaking, and swallowing all produce subtle yet distinct mechanical signals. Although these faint vibrations carry valuable information about physiological state, they have long been difficult to capture accurately using conventional wearable devices.

Recently, a research team led by Professor Kilwon Cho of the Department of Chemical Engineering at Pohang University of Science and Technology (POSTECH), along with Ph.D. candidate Kang Hyuk Cho and postdoctoral researcher Dr. Jeng-Hun Lee, has developed a wearable vibration sensor capable of precisely detecting these subtle yet highly dynamic signals, without requiring any external power source. This breakthrough opens new possibilities for wearable medical and health care technologies and demonstrates strong potential as a core sensing platform for next-generation smart devices. The work was published in the inaugural issue of Nature Sensors.

Sounds produced by the human body span a wide range of frequencies. Physiological signals such as breathing, swallowing, and speech typically occur at lower frequencies, while sounds such as coughing or groaning emerge at relatively higher frequencies. Accurately capturing these signals requires precise detection of the minute vibrations transmitted to the skin surface across a broad frequency spectrum.

Polymers that crawl like worms: How materials can develop direction without being told where to go

Researchers at the University of Vienna have uncovered a surprising phenomenon: polymer chains with segments that simply fluctuate at different intensities can spontaneously develop directional, persistent motion when densely packed—even though nothing in the system points them in any particular direction. This “entropic tug of war,” driven by fundamental physical constraints, could help explain how DNA organizes and moves inside living cells and may lead to new materials. The study is published in Physical Review X.

“Think of a chain threaded through a dense forest of trees, which represent obstacles posed by the other chains in the system. One end of the chain is being shaken much more vigorously than the other,” explains lead author Jan Smrek from the Faculty of Physics at the University of Vienna. “You might expect it to just wiggle randomly in place. But we found that because the chain has to find its way by going in-between the trees, the difference in shaking intensity creates an imbalance that actually propels the entire chain forward through the forest.”

This analogy can be conferred to a polymer, a large molecule consisting of many units linked together in a long chain, such as DNA. The Viennese research team—Adam Höfler, Iurii Chubak, Christos Likos and Jan Smrek—used computer simulations and analytical theory to show that this directed motion arises purely from topological constraints. When polymer chains are entangled and cannot pass through each other, segments with stronger fluctuations generate larger entropic forces. This creates an imbalance that pushes the entire chain forward along its own contour, with the stronger fluctuating part acting as the “head of the snake” moving through the forest of obstacles.

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