Publications by authors named "A-K Schmidt"

Background/objectives: Neurodegenerative diseases are a major cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide, and their public health burden continues to increase. There is an urgent need to develop reliable and sensitive biomarkers to aid the timely diagnosis, disease progression monitoring, and therapeutic development for neurodegenerative disorders. Proteomic screening strategies, including antibody microarrays, are a powerful tool for biomarker discovery, but their findings should be confirmed using quantitative assays.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Objectives: The aim of this study was to assess the impact of an iterative metal artifact reduction (iMAR) algorithm combined with virtual monoenergetic images (VMIs) for artifact reduction in photon-counting detector computed tomography (PCDCT) during interventions.

Materials And Methods: Using an abdominal phantom, we conducted evaluations on the efficacy of iMAR and VMIs for mitigating image artifacts during interventions on a PCDCT. Four different puncture devices were employed under 2 scan modes (QuantumSn at 100 kV, Quantumplus at 140 kV) to simulate various clinical scenarios.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Purpose: The Clinical Genome Resource (ClinGen) Gene Curation Expert Panels (GCEPs) have historically focused on specific organ systems or phenotypes; thus, the ClinGen Syndromic Disorders GCEP (SD-GCEP) was formed to address an unmet need.

Methods: The SD-GCEP applied ClinGen's framework to evaluate the clinical validity of genes associated with rare syndromic disorders. 111 Gene-Disease Relationships (GDRs) associated with 100 genes spanning the clinical spectrum of syndromic disorders were curated.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: Oral anticoagulation is recommended after ablation for atrial fibrillation among patients at high risk for stroke. Left atrial appendage closure is a mechanical alternative to anticoagulation, but data regarding its use after atrial fibrillation ablation are lacking.

Methods: We conducted an international randomized trial involving 1600 patients with atrial fibrillation who had an elevated score (≥2 in men and ≥3 in women) on the CHADS-VASc scale (range, 0 to 9, with higher scores indicating a greater risk of stroke) and who underwent catheter ablation.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Bacterial ferredoxin(flavodoxin)-NADP reductases (FPR) primarily catalyze the transfer of reducing equivalents from NADPH to ferredoxin (or flavodoxin) to provide low potential reducing equivalents for the oxidoreductive metabolism. In addition, they can be implicated in regulating reactive oxygen species levels. Here we assess the functionality of FPR from B.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • Further research on identified regions could enhance our understanding of genetic risks for glioma.
  • The study indicates that sex might influence genetic susceptibility to glioma.
  • It emphasizes the need for future glioma studies to consider sex-specific factors in their analyses.*
View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • An error grid is a tool that helps compare glucose levels measured by devices to see if they are correct and to identify any risks.
  • Experts created a new error grid called the DTS Error Grid that works for both blood glucose monitors (BGMs) and continuous glucose monitors (CGMs), organizing accuracy into five risk zones.
  • The results showed that the DTS Error Grid provides a clearer picture of how accurate these devices are and includes a separate matrix to evaluate how well CGMs track glucose trends over time.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is one of the greatest threats to human health with a growing body of evidence demonstrating that selection for AMR can occur at environmental antimicrobial concentrations. Understanding the concentrations at which selection for resistance may occur is critical to help inform environmental risk assessments and highlight where mitigation strategies are required. A variety of experimental and data approaches have been used to determine these concentrations.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • Outdoor ultrafine particles, which are tiny air pollutants less than 100 nanometers in size, significantly contribute to global mortality, yet they remain unregulated and less studied compared to larger particulate matter.
  • A study analyzed long-term exposure to outdoor ultrafine particles and found it correlates with an increased risk of overall and respiratory-specific mortality, estimating around 1,100 additional nonaccidental deaths annually in Montreal and Toronto.
  • The research highlights the need for better regulation of ultrafine particles, as prior studies might have underestimated their health risks due to potential confounding effects from particle size.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Many targeted cancer therapies rely on biomarkers assessed by scoring of immunohistochemically (IHC)-stained tissue, which is subjective, semiquantitative, and does not account for expression heterogeneity. We describe an image analysis-based method for quantitative continuous scoring (QCS) of digital whole-slide images acquired from baseline human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) IHC-stained breast cancer tissue. Candidate signatures for patient stratification using QCS of HER2 expression on subcellular compartments were identified, addressing the spatial distribution of tumor cells and tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • New analytical techniques allow for the simultaneous assessment of hundreds of proteins, helping to understand their roles in diseases like heparin-induced thrombocytopenia (HIT).
  • Researchers used four panels of the Olink proximity extension assay on patients suspected of HIT to identify potential new biomarkers related to thrombus formation, inflammation, and the immune response.
  • The study indicated that soluble P-selectin could serve as a significant marker for HIT, with future research planned to evaluate its diagnostic and prognostic value in patient care.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Increased sugar concentrations on mucosal surfaces display risk factors for infections. This study aims to clarify sugar monitoring in the urethra. Urethral tuft cells (UTC) are known sentinels monitoring the urethral lumen for potentially harmful substances and initiating protective mechanisms.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

The ENCODE Consortium's efforts to annotate noncoding cis-regulatory elements (CREs) have advanced our understanding of gene regulatory landscapes. Pooled, noncoding CRISPR screens offer a systematic approach to investigate cis-regulatory mechanisms. The ENCODE4 Functional Characterization Centers conducted 108 screens in human cell lines, comprising >540,000 perturbations across 24.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • Pediatric low-grade glioma (pLGG) is mainly caused by genomic changes in the MAPK pathway, particularly KIAA1549::BRAF fusions and BRAF V600E mutations, making it suitable for targeted therapies like tovorafenib instead of traditional treatments.
  • The combination of dabrafenib and trametinib is FDA-approved for BRAF V600E-pLGG but not effective for tumors with BRAF fusions, as it may worsen tumor growth.
  • The LOGGIC/FIREFLY-2 trial is assessing tovorafenib against standard chemotherapy in patients under 25 with pLGG and BRAF mutations, focusing on overall response rate and safety.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: Sleep-disordered breathing (SDB) and atrial fibrillation (AF) are highly prevalent in patients with stroke and are recognized as independent risk factors for stroke. Little is known about the impact of comorbid SDB and AF on long-term outcomes after stroke.

Methods: In this prospective cohort study, 353 patients with acute ischemic stroke or transient ischemic attacks were analyzed.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • The study examined the relationship between omega-3 PUFAs and stroke risk across 29 global cohorts, focusing on total, ischemic, and hemorrhagic strokes.
  • Results showed that higher levels of eicosapentaenoic acid reduced the incidence of total and ischemic strokes by 17% and 18%, respectively, while docosahexaenoic acid also lowered these risks by 12% and 14%.
  • The findings indicate that although higher omega-3 PUFA levels are linked to reduced total and ischemic stroke risks, there is no effect on hemorrhagic strokes.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • Goal of Study
  • : Researchers evaluated the safety and efficacy of MP1032, a host-directed therapy, in hospitalized patients suffering from moderate to severe COVID-19, as current vaccines and treatments have limitations due to new variants and uneven vaccine distribution.
  • Study Design
  • : A Phase IIa randomized double-blind placebo-controlled trial involved 132 patients across six countries, comparing MP1032 plus standard care against a placebo and standard care over 28 days, primarily assessing disease progression on day 14.
  • Results
  • : The findings indicated no significant difference in disease progression between the groups on days 14 and 28, with very few patients vaccinated, highlighting potential challenges in establishing the effectiveness of MP1032.*
View Article and Find Full Text PDF

The blood proteome holds great promise for precision medicine but poses substantial challenges due to the low abundance of most plasma proteins and the vast dynamic range of the plasma proteome. Here we address these challenges with NUcleic acid Linked Immuno-Sandwich Assay (NULISA™), which improves the sensitivity of traditional proximity ligation assays by ~10,000-fold to attomolar level, by suppressing assay background via a dual capture and release mechanism built into oligonucleotide-conjugated antibodies. Highly multiplexed quantification of both low- and high-abundance proteins spanning a wide dynamic range is achieved by attenuating signals from abundant targets with unconjugated antibodies and next-generation sequencing of barcoded reporter DNA.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

The time-integrated CP asymmetry in the Cabibbo-suppressed decay D^{0}→K^{-}K^{+} is measured using proton-proton collision data, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 5.7  fb^{-1} collected at a center-of-mass energy of 13 TeV with the LHCb detector. The D^{0} mesons are required to originate from promptly produced D^{*+}→D^{0}π^{+} decays, and the charge of the companion pion is used to determine the flavor of the charm meson at production.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background And Objectives: There has been considerable interest in statins because of their pleiotropic effects beyond their lipid-lowering properties. Many of these pleiotropic effects are predominantly ascribed to Rho small guanosine triphosphatases (Rho GTPases) proteins. We aimed to genetically investigate the role of lipids and statin interventions on multiple sclerosis (MS) risk and severity.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Introduction: Obtaining accurate coronary artery calcium (CAC) score measurements from CCTA datasets with virtual non-iodine (VNI) algorithms would reduce acquisition time and radiation dose. We aimed to assess the agreement of VNI-derived and conventional true non-contrast (TNC)-based CAC scores and to identify the predictors of accuracy.

Methods: CCTA datasets were acquired with either 120 or 140 ​kVp.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

The molecular mechanisms of the liver metastasis of colorectal cancer (CRLM) remain poorly understood. Here, we applied machine learning and bioinformatics trajectory inference to analyze a gene expression dataset of CRLM. We studied the co-regulation patterns at the gene level, the potential paths of tumor development, their functional context, and their prognostic relevance.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: CMT is a clinically and genetically heterogenous disease with varying degrees of progression. Different foot deformities, gait and movement patterns are observed. In order to achieve an improved, targeted treatment strategy, the participants are divided into characteristic groups using a mathematical cluster analysis based on the data from the three-dimensional foot kinematics during walking.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

The purpose of this trial was to evaluate serum levels of oxidative stress biomarkers and biochemical analytes in crossbred lambs during the rearing phase in an integrated crop-livestock system (ICLS) to control gastrointestinal parasites. The experiment used 36 crossbred lambs (cross: Ile de France × White Dorper × Texel) divided into two groups. The WCS group was supplemented with whole cottonseed (WCS), and controls had no supplementation.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF