Transcriptome-wide association study identifies genes associated with bladder cancer risk.

Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) have detected several susceptibility variants for urinary bladder cancer, but how gene regulation affects disease development remains unclear. To extend GWAS findings, we conducted a transcriptome-wide association study (TWAS) using PrediXcan to predict gene expression levels in whole blood using genome-wide genotype data for 6180 bladder cancer cases and 5699 controls included in the database of Genotypes and Phenotypes (dbGaP). Logistic regression was used to estimate adjusted gene-level odds ratios (OR) per 1-standard deviation higher expression with 95% confidence intervals (CI) for bladder cancer risk.

Oxygen Consumption In Vivo by Ultra-High Dose Rate Electron Irradiation Depends Upon Baseline Tissue Oxygenation.

Purpose: This study aimed to assess the impact of tissue oxygen levels on transient oxygen consumption induced by ultra-high dose rate (UHDR) electron radiation in murine flank and to examine the effect of dose rate variations on this relationship.

Methods And Materials: Real-time oximetry using the phosphorescence quenching method and Oxyphor PdG4 molecular probe was employed. Continuous measurements were taken during radiation delivery on a UHDR-capable Mobetron linear accelerator.

Evaluating the Therapeutic Efficiency and Efficacy of Blood Purification for Treating Severe Acute Pancreatitis: A Single-Center Data Based on Propensity Score Matching.

Purpose: To evaluate the long-term efficacy and cost-efficiency of blood purification (BP) in severe acute pancreatitis (SAP) through single-center data.

Patients And Methods: A total of 155 SAP patients were collected and followed up for 6 months. The participants were divided into control (49 cases) and BP group (106 cases) according to whether they received BP treatment or not.

Machine learning for predicting cognitive deficits using auditory and demographic factors.

Importance: Predicting neurocognitive deficits using complex auditory assessments could change how cognitive dysfunction is identified, and monitored over time. Detecting cognitive impairment in people living with HIV (PLWH) is important for early intervention, especially in low- to middle-income countries where most cases exist. Auditory tests relate to neurocognitive test results, but the incremental predictive capability beyond demographic factors is unknown.

Association of diet with per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances in plasma and human milk in the New Hampshire Birth Cohort Study.

Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are related to various adverse health outcomes, and food is a common source of PFAS exposure. Dietary sources of PFAS have not been adequately explored among U.S.

Maternal-Infant Factors in Relation to Extracellular Vesicle and Particle miRNA in Prenatal Plasma and in Postpartum Human Milk.

MicroRNAs (miRNA) in extracellular vesicles and particles (EVPs) in maternal circulation during pregnancy and in human milk postpartum are hypothesized to facilitate maternal-offspring communication via epigenetic regulation. However, factors influencing maternal EVP miRNA profiles during these two critical developmental windows remain largely unknown. In a pilot study of 54 mother-child dyads in the New Hampshire Birth Cohort Study, we profiled 798 EVP miRNAs, using the NanoString nCounter platform, in paired maternal second-trimester plasma and mature (6-week) milk samples.

Central auditory test performance predicts future neurocognitive function in children living with and without HIV.

Tests of the brain's ability to process complex sounds (central auditory tests) correlate with overall measures of neurocognitive performance. In the low- middle-income countries where resources to conduct detailed cognitive testing is limited, tests that assess the central auditory system may provide a novel and useful way to track neurocognitive performance. This could be particularly useful for children living with HIV (CLWH).

A murine model to evaluate immunotherapy effectiveness for human Fanconi anemia-mutated acute myeloid leukemia.

Fanconi anemia (FA)-mutated acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is a secondary AML with very poor prognosis and limited therapeutic options due to increased sensitivity to DNA-damaging agents. PD-1 immune checkpoint inhibitors upregulate T-cell killing of cancer cells and is a class of promising treatment for FA-AML. Here, we developed a novel FA-AML murine model that allows the study of human AML with a humanized immune system in order to investigate immunotherapeutic treatments in vivo.

Stratification of dissolved organic matter in the upper 5000 m water column in the western Pacific Ocean.

Marine dissolved organic matter (DOM) is a principal reservoir involved in biogeochemical cycles and exerts a pivotal influence on global carbon flux dynamics. In this study, excitation-emission matrix fluorescence spectroscopy combined with parallel factor analysis (EEM-PARAFAC) was conducted on 230 DOM samples collected from 21 sites between February and April 2022 in the Western Pacific Ocean (WPO). We identified five distinct fluorescence peaks (peaks B, T, A, C, and M), predominantly protein-like and humic-like components.

Periconceptional and Prenatal Exposure to Metals and Extracellular Vesicle and Particle miRNAs in Human Milk: A Pilot Study.

Human milk is a rich source of microRNAs (miRNAs), which can be transported by extracellular vesicles and particles (EVPs) and are hypothesized to contribute to maternal-offspring communication and child development. Environmental contaminant impacts on EVP miRNAs in human milk are largely unknown. In a pilot study of 54 mother-child pairs from the New Hampshire Birth Cohort Study, we examined relationships between five metals (arsenic, lead, manganese, mercury, and selenium) measured in maternal toenail clippings, reflecting exposures during the periconceptional and prenatal periods, and EVP miRNA levels in human milk.

Near-Infrared Spectral Tomography for Predicting Residual Cancer Burden during Early-Stage Neoadjuvant Chemotherapy for Breast Cancer.

Purpose: The aim of this study is to investigate whether near-infrared spectral tomography (NIRST) might serve as a reliable prognostic tool to predict residual cancer burden (RCB) in patients with breast cancer undergoing neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC) based upon early treatment response measurements.

Experimental Design: A total of thirty-five patients with breast cancer receiving NAC were included in this study. NIRST imaging was performed at multiple time points, including: before treatment, at end of the first cycle, at the mid-point, and post-NAC treatments.

Mean dose rate in ultra-high dose rate electron irradiation is a significant predictor for Oconsumption and HOyield.

. The objective of this study was to investigate the impact of mean and instantaneous dose rates on the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) during ultra-high dose rate (UHDR) radiotherapy. The study aimed to determine whether either dose rate type plays a role in driving the FLASH effect, a phenomenon where UHDR radiotherapy reduces damage to normal tissues while maintaining tumor control.

Neural oscillations in the ventral striatum reveal differences between the encoding of palatable food and ethanol consumption.

Background: Across multiple levels of investigation, there appear to be convergent neuronal processes underlying substance use and other motivated behaviors (i.e., the pursuit and consumption of rewarding substances).

A phase II study of alternating sunitinib and temsirolimus therapy in patients with metastatic renal cell carcinoma.

Background: Sunitinib is a multi-target tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI) that inhibits VEGF receptor 1, 2, 3 (VEGFRs), platelet-derived growth factor receptor (PDGFR), colony-stimulating factor receptor (CSFR), and the stem cell factor receptor c-KIT. Temsirolimus inhibits mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) through binding to intracellular protein FKBP-12. Both agents are approved for the treatment of metastatic renal cell carcinoma (mRCC), have different anticancer mechanisms, and non-overlapping toxicities.

Peripheral Auditory Function in Tanzanian Children Living With HIV With Clinically Normal Hearing.

Importance: Despite normal audiometry, adults living with HIV have lower distortion product otoacoustic emissions (DPOAEs) compared with HIV-negative controls, but the degree of these differences in children living with HIV is unknown. If subclinical auditory deficits are present, results could affect developmental outcomes in children living with HIV (CLWH).

Objective: To compare DPOAEs and auditory brainstem responses (ABR) between 2 age- and sex-matched groups of younger children with normal audiometry, 1 infected with HIV and the other uninfected.

A Central Auditory Test reveals differences between drug treatment regimens in adults living with HIV.

Objective: This exploratory study examined whether central auditory tests show differences between people living with HIV (PLWH) treated with two predominant antiretroviral drug therapy (ART) regimens.

Design: Cross-sectional.

Study Sample: 253 PLWH (mean age 39.

Umbilical cord blood immune cell profiles in relation to the infant gut microbiome.

During infancy, the interplay between the developing immune system and the microbiome is critical. We examined whether blood immune cell composition at birth in the umbilical cord (inferred by DNA methylation profiling) related to the early infant gut microbiome (assessed by 16S rRNA gene sequencing) among 73 infants in the New Hampshire Birth Cohort Study. We used generalized estimating equations and controlled for false discovery rate to select microbial taxa associated with immune cells.

Adaptive-mixture-categorization (AMC)-based g-computation and its application to trace element mixtures and bladder cancer risk.

Several new statistical methods have been developed to identify the overall impact of an exposure mixture on health outcomes. Weighted quantile sum (WQS) regression assigns the joint mixture effect weights to indicate the overall association of multiple exposures, and quantile-based g-computation is a generalized version of WQS without the restriction of directional homogeneity. This paper proposes an adaptive-mixture-categorization (AMC)-based g-computation approach that combines g-computation with an optimal exposure categorization search using the F statistic.

The Drosha-Independent MicroRNA6778-5p/GSK3 Axis Mediates the Proliferation of Gastric Cancer Cells.

Background: Gastric cancer (GC) is a primary cause of cancer death around the world. Previous studies have found that Drosha plays a significant role in the development of tumor cells. Soon after, we unexpectedly found that the expression of microRNA6778-5p (miR6778-5p) is unconventionally high in the gastric cancer cells low-expressing Drosha.

Changes in Alcohol Consumption following Direct-Acting Antiviral Treatment for Hepatitis C in VA Patients with Comorbid Alcohol Use Disorder and PTSD.

Objective: To investigate whether direct-acting antivirals (DAA) for hepatitis C viral infection (HCV): glecaprevir/pibrentasvir (GLE/PIB), ledipasvir/sofosbuvir (LDV/SOF), and sofosbuvir/velpatasvir (SOF/VEL) are associated with reduced alcohol consumption among veterans with alcohol use disorder (AUD) and co-occurring post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

Methods: We measured change in Alcohol Use Disorder Identification Test-Consumption Module (AUDIT-C) scores in a retrospective cohort of veterans with PTSD and AUD receiving DAAs for HCV.

Results: One thousand two hundred and eleven patients were included (GLE/PIB  = 174, LDV/SOF  = 808, SOF/VEL  = 229).

A new method for estimating under-recruitment of a patient registry: a case study with the Ohio Registry of Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis.

We developed a disease registry to collect all incident amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) cases diagnosed during 2016-2018 in Ohio. Due to incomplete case ascertainment and limitations of the traditional capture-recapture method, we proposed a new method to estimate the number of cases not recruited by the Registry and their spatial distribution. Specifically, we employed three statistical methods to identify reference counties with normal case-population relationships to build a Poisson regression model for estimating case counts in target counties that potentially have unrecruited cases.