The Association between Proteomic Aging Clocks and the Risk of Cancer in Midlife Individuals.

Background: To measure the aging process before a cancer diagnosis, we developed the first cancer-specific proteomic aging clock (CaPAC) and examined its association with cancer risk in the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities (ARIC) and Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis (MESA) studies.

Methods: Using the SomaScan assay, ARIC measured 4,712 proteins in plasma samples collected in 1990-92 from 3,347 participants who developed cancer over follow-up until 2015 and 7,487 who remained cancer-free, all aged 46-70. We constructed CaPAC0 using elastic net regression among two-thirds randomly selected cancer-free participants (N=4,991, training set) and calculated age acceleration for CaPAC0 (CaPAA0) as residuals of CaPAC0 on chronological age in all remaining ARIC participants.

Outcomes of Total Thyroidectomy in Large Goiters With Retrosternal Extension and Tracheal Compression: A Multivariate Analysis.

Introduction: Large retrosternal goiters often cause tracheal compression and deviation, leading to respiratory symptoms and complicating surgical treatment. Total thyroidectomy is the treatment of choice though it carries a risk of complications due to the altered anatomy and its proximity to vital structures. This study examines the outcomes of total thyroidectomy in patients with retrosternal goiters and assesses the impact of tracheal compression on clinical results.

Cross-neutralization of distant coronaviruses correlates with Spike S2-specific antibodies from immunocompetent and immunocompromised vaccinated SARS-CoV-2-infected patients.

As of May 2023, the public health emergency of COVID-19 was lifted across the globe. However, SARS-CoV-2 infections continue to be recorded worldwide. This situation has been attributed to the ability of the virus to evade host immune responses including neutralizing antibody-derived Immunity.

Outcomes of Neoadjuvant Chemotherapy in Locally Advanced Oral Cancers: A Retrospective Analytical Study.

Introduction Head and neck cancers account for 30% of malignancies in India and oral squamous cell carcinoma is most common. 80% of the patients present with locally advanced disease and many of them are inoperable. In this study we documented the outcomes of neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NACT) in locally advanced oral cancer staged T4 with regards to downstaging the disease and to make the tumor more amenable for surgery with better access.

Software-driven chronic disease management: Algorithm design and implementation in a community-based blood pressure control pilot.

Background: Optimal guideline-directed medical therapy is rarely attained in practice, resulting in inadequate control of diseases such as hypertension, with poorer results in under-resourced communities. Technology, including artificial intelligence-driven decision support and software-driven workflow transformation, can potentially improve disease outcomes at a reduced cost, although it must be integrated with a holistic approach.

Methods: We describe the design of a software platform that enables rapid iterative remote management of >20 conditions across cardiac-kidney-metabolic disease.

Emerging SARS-CoV-2 Resistance After Antiviral Treatment.

Importance: Previous studies have identified mutations in SARS-CoV-2 strains that confer resistance to nirmatrelvir, yet how often this resistance arises and its association with posttreatment virologic rebound is not well understood.

Objective: To examine the prevalence of emergent antiviral resistance after nirmatrelvir treatment and its association with virologic rebound.

Design, Setting, And Participants: This cohort study enrolled outpatient adults with acute COVID-19 infection from May 2021 to October 2023.

Development, characterization, and replication of proteomic aging clocks: Analysis of 2 population-based cohorts.

Background: Biological age may be estimated by proteomic aging clocks (PACs). Previous published PACs were constructed either in smaller studies or mainly in white individuals, and they used proteomic measures from only one-time point. In this study, we created de novo PACs and compared their performance to published PACs at 2 different time points in the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities (ARIC) study of white and black participants (around 75% white and 25% black).

Understanding activity and physiology at scale: The Apple Heart & Movement Study.

Physical activity or structured exercise is beneficial in a wide range of circumstances. Nevertheless, individual-level data on differential responses to various types of activity are not yet sufficient in scale, duration or level of annotation to understand the mechanisms of discrete outcomes nor to support personalized recommendations. The Apple Heart & Movement Study was designed to passively collect the dense physiologic data accessible on Apple Watch and iPhone from a large real-world cohort distributed across the US in order to address these knowledge gaps.

Impact of SARS-CoV-2 Resistance to Antiviral Monoclonal Antibody Therapy on Neutralizing Antibody Response.

Background: Anti-SARS-CoV-2 monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) have played a key role as an anti-viral against SARS-CoV-2, but there is a potential for resistance to develop. The interplay between host antibody responses and the development of monoclonal antibody (mAb) resistance is a critical area of investigation. In this study, we assessed host neutralizing antibody (nAb) responses against both ancestral virus and those with treatment-emergent E484K bamlanivimab resistance mutations.

Deepdive: Leveraging Pre-trained Deep Learning for Deep-Sea ROV Biota Identification in the Great Barrier Reef.

Understanding and preserving the deep sea ecosystems is paramount for marine conservation efforts. Automated object (deep-sea biota) classification can enable the creation of detailed habitat maps that not only aid in biodiversity assessments but also provide essential data to evaluate ecosystem health and resilience. Having a significant source of labelled data helps prevent overfitting and enables training deep learning models with numerous parameters.

Artificial Intelligence-Empowered Doppler Weather Profile for Low-Earth-Orbit Satellites.

Low-Earth-orbit (LEO) satellites are widely acknowledged as a promising infrastructure solution for global Internet of Things (IoT) services. However, the Doppler effect presents a significant challenge in the context of long-range (LoRa) modulation uplink connectivity. This study comprehensively examines the operational efficiency of LEO satellites concerning the Doppler weather effect, with state-of-the-art artificial intelligence techniques.

Intraoperative pectoral nerve blocks during cardiac implantable electronic device procedures.

Background: Cardiac implantable electronic device (CIED) procedures can cause significant postoperative pain. Opioid use for postoperative pain is associated with risk of persistent use. The benefits of pectoral nerve (PECs) blocks have been established for other chest wall surgeries, but adoption in electrophysiology has been limited.

Matrix Metalloproteinase-2 and CKD Progression: The Chronic Renal Insufficiency Cohort (CRIC) Study.

Rationale & Objective: Matrix metalloproteinase 2 (MMP-2) plays an important role in the development of fibrosis, the final common pathway of chronic kidney disease (CKD). This study aimed to assess the relationship between repeated measures of MMP-2 and CKD progression in a large, diverse prospective cohort.

Study Design: In a prospective cohort of Chronic Renal Insufficiency Cohort (CRIC) participants (N = 3,827), MMP-2 was measured at baseline.

Clonal hematopoiesis of indeterminate potential is associated with reduced risk of cognitive impairment in patients with chronic kidney disease.

Introduction: Clonal hematopoiesis of indeterminate potential (CHIP) and dementia disproportionately burden patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD). The association between CHIP and cognitive impairment in CKD patients is unknown.

Methods: We conducted time-to-event analyses in up to 1452 older adults with CKD from the Chronic Renal Insufficiency Cohort who underwent CHIP gene sequencing.