Genomic and physiological mechanisms of high-altitude adaptation in Ethiopian highlanders: a comparative perspective.

High-altitude adaptation is a remarkable example of natural selection, yet the genomic and physiological adaptation mechanisms of Ethiopian highlanders remain poorly understood compared to their Andean and Tibetan counterparts. Ethiopian populations, such as the Amhara and Oromo, exhibit unique adaptive strategies characterized by moderate hemoglobin levels and enhanced arterial oxygen saturation, indicating distinct mechanisms of coping with chronic hypoxia. This review synthesizes current genomic insights into Ethiopian high-altitude adaptation, identifying key candidate genes involved in hypoxia tolerance and examining the influence of genetic diversity and historical admixture on adaptive responses.

A new pathogen pattern of acute respiratory tract infections in primary care after COVID-19 pandemic: a multi-center study in southern China.

Background: After the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, no studies on bacterial and atypical pathogens were conducted in primary care. We aimed to describe the etiological composition of acute respiratory tract infections (ARTIs) presenting to primary care with limited resources after the pandemic.

Methods: 1958 adult patients with ARTIs from 17 primary care clinics were recruited prospectively from January 2024 to March 2024.

Bioinformatics approach reveals the critical role of inflammation-related genes in age-related hearing loss.

Age-related hearing loss (ARHL) is the most prevalent sensory impairment in the elderly. However, the pathogenesis of ARHL remains unclear. This study was aimed to explore the potential inflammation-related genes of ARHL and suggest novel therapeutic targets for this condition.

Case report: Watch-and-wait strategy in resectable esophageal cancer following neoadjuvant chemoimmunotherapy: a case series.

Neoadjuvant chemoimmunotherapy (NCIT) has improved pathological complete response and conferred survival benefits in patients with locally advanced esophageal cancer. However, surgical complications unrelated to the tumor continue to detract from patient outcomes. While the "watch-and-wait" strategy has been implemented in clinical complete responders following neoadjuvant therapy for rectal cancer, there is a lack of evidence supporting its practicability in esophageal cancer after NCIT.

Local abnormal white matter microstructure in the spinothalamic tract in people with chronic neck and shoulder pain.

Objective: To investigate differences in the microstructure of the spinothalamic tract (STT) white matter in people with chronic neck and shoulder pain (CNSP) using diffusion tensor imaging, and to assess its correlation with pain intensity and duration of the pain.

Materials And Methods: A 3.0T MRI scanner was used to perform diffusion tensor imaging scans on 31 people with CNSP and 24 healthy controls (HCs), employing the Automatic Fiber Segmentation and Quantification (AFQ) method to extract the STT and quantitatively analyze the fractional anisotropy (FA) and mean diffusivity (MD), reflecting the microstructural integrity of nerve fibers.