Autologous macrophage therapy for liver cirrhosis: a phase 2 open-label randomized controlled trial.

Cirrhosis is a major cause of morbidity and mortality; however, there are no approved therapies except orthotopic liver transplantation. Preclinical studies showed that bone-marrow-derived macrophage injections reduce inflammation, resolve fibrosis and stimulate liver regeneration. In a multicenter, open-label, parallel-group, phase 2 randomized controlled trial ( ISRCTN10368050 ) in n = 51 adult patients with compensated cirrhosis and Model for End-Stage Liver Disease (MELD) score ≥10 and ≤17, we evaluated the efficacy of autologous monocyte-derived macrophage therapy (n = 27) compared to standard medical care (n = 24).

A qualitative exploration of women's expectations of birth and knowledge of birth interventions following antenatal education.

Background: Expectations of birth, and whether they are met, influence postnatal psychological wellbeing. Intrapartum interventions, for example induction of labour, are increasing due to a changing pregnant population and evolving evidence, which may contribute to a mismatch between expectations and birth experience. NICE recommends antenatal education (ANE) to prepare women for labour and birth, but there is no mandated UK National Health Service (NHS) ANE curriculum.

Patterns of Extraocular Muscle Enlargement in Graves' Orbitopathy and Acromegaly.

Extraocular muscle (EOM) enlargement occurs in both acromegaly and Graves' disease, but the degree and pattern of enlargement have not been directly compared in these patient groups. This study investigated whether acromegaly and Graves' orbitopathy (GO) are associated with different patterns of EOM enlargement at the time of diagnosis. Retrospective cohort.

Abnormalities in gut virome signatures linked with cognitive impairment in older adults.

Multiple emerging lines of evidence indicate that the microbiome contributes to aging and cognitive health. However, the roles of distinct microbial components, such as viruses (virome) and their interactions with bacteria (bacteriome), as well as their metabolic pathways (metabolome) in relation to aging and cognitive function, remain poorly understood. Here, we present proof-of-concept results from a pilot study using datasets ( = 176) from the Microbiome in Aging Gut and Brain (MiaGB) consortium, demonstrating that the human virome signature significantly differs across the aging continuum (60s vs.