Risk and Mortality of Cardiovascular Diseases in Patients with Dupuytren's Disease: A Nationwide Population-Based Cohort Study.

Background: Dupuytren's disease (DD) is a type of fibroproliferative disease that involves the palmar aspect of the hand. Although many benign fibroproliferative diseases have been shown to increase the risk of cardiovascular disease, the relationship between DD and myocardial infarction (MI) or stroke has not been fully elucidated.

Methods: A total of 35,909 patients with DD and a control cohort with 1,077,270 age- and sex-matched participants from the Korean National Health Insurance database were included.

Discordance Between Spine-Hip and Paretic-Nonparetic Hip Bone Mineral Density in Hemiplegic Stroke Patients: A Multicenter Retrospective Study.

Objective: To identify the prevalence and factors associated with T-score discordance between the spine and hip, as well as between the paretic and non-paretic hips in hemiplegic stroke patients, this study investigated bone mineral density (BMD) patterns. Bone loss predominantly affects the paretic hip after a stroke, and typical clinical assessments using dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) that scan the lumbar spine (LS) and a single hip may overlook an osteoporosis diagnosis. This oversight could potentially lead to suboptimal treatment for stroke patients.

Identification of Anti-Tuberculosis Drugs Targeting DNA Gyrase A and Serine/Threonine Protein Kinase PknB: A Machine Learning-Assisted Drug-Repurposing Approach.

Tuberculosis (TB) is a global health challenge associated with considerable levels of illness and mortality worldwide. The development of innovative therapeutic strategies is crucial to combat the rise of drug-resistant TB strains. DNA Gyrase A (GyrA) and serine/threonine protein kinase (PknB) are promising targets for new TB medications.

Effects of Repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation on Poststroke Hemineglect: A Systematic Review and Network Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials.

Background: Although various repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) and theta burst stimulation (TBS) protocols are used, their comparative effectiveness for treating poststroke hemineglect remains unassessed.

Objective: To investigate rTMS and TBS effects on clinical outcomes in poststroke hemineglect through a systematic review and network meta-analysis.

Methods: We searched PubMed, EMBASE, and Cochrane Library databases up to March 7, 2024, for trials on rTMS or TBS in poststroke hemineglect.

Modification of Fc-fusion protein structures to enhance efficacy of cancer vaccine in plant expression system.

Epithelial cell adhesion molecule (EpCAM) fused to IgG, IgA and IgM Fc domains was expressed to create IgG, IgA and IgM-like structures as anti-cancer vaccines in Nicotiana tabacum. High-mannose glycan structures were generated by adding a C-terminal endoplasmic reticulum (ER) retention motif (KDEL) to the Fc domain (FcK) to produce EpCAM-Fc and EpCAM-FcK proteins in transgenic plants via Agrobacterium-mediated transformation. Cross-fertilization of EpCAM-Fc (FcK) transgenic plants with Joining chain (J-chain, J and JK) transgenic plants led to stable expression of large quaternary EpCAM-IgA Fc (EpCAM-A) and IgM-like (EpCAM-M) proteins.