Immune-mediated necrotising myopathy in asymptomatic patients with high creatine kinase.

Subacute symmetrical proximal muscle weakness and persistent elevated creatine kinase levels are typical of immune-mediated necrotising myopathy (IMNM). These conditions are accompanied by copious myofibre necrosis, degeneration and regeneration with minimal to no inflammation on muscle biopsy. We report two cases (case 1 and case 2) of asymptomatic IMNM from different families with hyperCKaemia associated with positive anti-signal recognition particle (SRP) and anti-3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl-coenzyme A reductase (HMGCR) antibodies, respectively, and we also reviewed the literature.

In situ reprogramming of gut bacteria by oral delivery.

Abundant links between the gut microbiota and human health indicate that modification of bacterial function could be a powerful therapeutic strategy. The inaccessibility of the gut and inter-connections between gut bacteria and the host make it difficult to precisely target bacterial functions without disrupting the microbiota and/or host physiology. Herein we describe a multidisciplinary approach to modulate the expression of a specific bacterial gene within the gut by oral administration.

Association of Low Serum l-Carnitine Levels with Aortic Stiffness in Patients with Non-Dialysis Chronic Kidney Disease.

l-carnitine (LC) is a co-factor in fatty acid metabolism; its role with respect to aortic stiffness (AS) associated with chronic kidney disease (CKD) was unclear. Our aim was to investigate associations between serum LC levels and AS in patients with non-dialysis CKD stage 3-5. The AS patients were those with carotid-femoral pulse wave velocities (cfPWV) >10 m/s; those with cfPWV ≤10 m/s were included as controls.

Testing different forms of regulation of yolk thyroid hormone transfer in pied flycatchers.

Hormones transferred from mothers to their offspring are considered a maternal tool to prepare progeny for expected environmental conditions, increasing maternal and offspring fitness. To flexibly influence offspring, mothers should be able to transmit the hormonal signals independent of their own hormonal status. However, the ability to regulate hormone transfer to the next generation is under debate.

Low serum adiponectin level is associated with central arterial stiffness in patients undergoing peritoneal dialysis.

Objective: Adiponectin has antidiabetic, anti-atherosclerotic, and anti-inflammatory functions and protects against vascular damage. Carotid-femoral pulse wave velocity (cfPWV) is a noninvasive method for measuring central artery stiffness, which is known to be associated with cardiovascular disease in peritoneal dialysis (PD) patients. This study was conducted to evaluate the relationship between central arterial stiffness and serum adiponectin levels in PD patients.

Serum indoxyl sulfate as a potential biomarker of aortic arterial stiffness in coronary artery disease.

Background And Aims: Indoxyl sulfate (IS), a dietary tryptophan metabolite, acts as a cardiotoxin and uremic toxin. High IS levels are associated with chronic kidney disease and cardiovascular diseases. This study investigated the association between serum IS levels and aortic arterial stiffness (AAS) in coronary artery disease (CAD) patients.

Testing for context-dependent effects of prenatal thyroid hormones on offspring survival and physiology: an experimental temperature manipulation.

Maternal effects via hormonal transfer from the mother to the offspring provide a tool to translate environmental cues to the offspring. Experimental manipulations of maternally transferred hormones have yielded increasingly contradictory results, which may be explained by differential effects of hormones under different environmental contexts. Yet context-dependent effects have rarely been experimentally tested.

A deep learning approach in diagnosing fungal keratitis based on corneal photographs.

Fungal keratitis (FK) is the most devastating and vision-threatening microbial keratitis, but clinical diagnosis a great challenge. This study aimed to develop and verify a deep learning (DL)-based corneal photograph model for diagnosing FK. Corneal photos of laboratory-confirmed microbial keratitis were consecutively collected from a single referral center.

Neutrophils: Orchestrators of the Malignant Phenotype.

Neutrophils are the first leukocytes recruited to sites of inflammation, where they execute anti-microbial functions to eliminate infectious agents. These functions include phagocytosis, release of reactive oxygen species and the formation of neutrophil extracellular traps via NETosis. Neutrophils are receiving increasing attention in the context of cancer, where these same neutrophil-associated functions are also important for modulating tumor growth and metastatic progression.

Serum Osteocalcin Level is Negatively Associated with Vascular Reactivity Index by Digital Thermal Monitoring in Kidney Transplant Recipients.

Background And Objectives: Osteocalcin is the most abundant noncollagenous protein in bone matrix, which is considered a marker of bone formation. Previous studies indicate that circulating osteocalcin can be expressed by osteoblasts and even by osteoblast-like cells in vessel walls, and it is often associated with arterial stiffness. Our study aims to examine the potential association between osteocalcin levels and endothelial function among kidney transplant (KT) recipients.

Serum Malondialdehyde-Modified Low-Density Lipoprotein Is a Risk Factor for Central Arterial Stiffness in Maintenance Hemodialysis Patients.

Circulating malondialdehyde-modified low-density lipoprotein (MDA-LDL) acts as a marker of oxidative stress and is associated with atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease. The relationship between serum MDA-LDL levels and aortic stiffness (AS) in patients with hemodialysis (HD) was evaluated. There were 155 HD patients enrolled in this study.

Perovskite Quantum Dot Lasing in a Gap-Plasmon Nanocavity with Ultralow Threshold.

Lead halide perovskite materials have recently received considerable attention for achieving an economic and tunable laser owing to their solution-processable feature and promising optical properties. However, most reported perovskite-based lasers operate with a large lasing-mode volume, resulting in a high lasing threshold due to the inefficient coupling between the optical gain medium and cavity. Here, we demonstrate a continuous-wave nanolasing from a single lead halide perovskite (CsPbBr) quantum dot (PQD) in a plasmonic gap-mode nanocavity with an ultralow threshold of 1.

Improved image resolution on thoracic carcinomas by quantitative F-FDG coincidence SPECT/CT in comparison to F-FDG PET/CT.

Currently, F-FDG coincidence SPECT (Co-SPECT)/CT scan still serves as an important tool for diagnosis, staging, and evaluation of cancer treatment in developing countries. We implemented full physical corrections (FPC) to Co-SPECT (quantitative Co-SPECT) to improve the image resolution and contrast along with the capability for image quantitation. FPC included attenuation, scatter, resolution recovery, and noise reduction.

Association of Serum Indoxyl Sulfate Levels with Skeletal Muscle Mass and Strength in Chronic Hemodialysis Patients: A 2-year Longitudinal Analysis.

Sarcopenia is highly prevalent in patients undergoing chronic hemodialysis (HD). This study investigated the relationship among serum indoxyl sulfate (IS) levels, muscle mass, and strength in HD patients. A total of 108 HD patients were enrolled.

A method to measure the extent of myocardial ischemia and steal with SPECT myocardial blood flow quantitation.

Objective: We introduced a method to measure the extent of myocardial ischemia and steal with SPECT MBF quantitation.

Methods: Eighty-seven patients who received rest/Dipyridamole-stress Tc-Sestamibi (MIBI) dynamic SPECT scans and coronary angiography were included. Dynamic SPECT images were reconstructed with full physical corrections.

Factors associated with sepsis risk in immune-mediated inflammatory diseases receiving tumor necrosis factor inhibitors: a nationwide study.

Background: Risk factors for sepsis have not been assessed in patients receiving tumor necrosis factor-alpha inhibitors (TNFi) for immune-mediated inflammatory diseases (IMIDs) who are vulnerable to serious/hospitalized infections.

Methods: Data from 2003-2017 were obtained from Taiwan's National Health Insurance Research Database to identify patients receiving TNFi, including etanercept, adalimumab, and golimumab, for IMIDs including rheumatoid arthritis (RA), ankylosing spondylitis (AS), psoriasis (PsO), psoriatic arthritis (PsA), Crohn's disease (CD), and ulcerative colitis (UC). To investigate risk factors for sepsis, we used the Sepsis-3 definition and calculated hazard ratios (HRs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) using Cox regression analysis.

Characterization of myocardial oxidative metabolism and myocardial external efficiency in high-risk alcohol cardiotoxicity and alcoholic cardiomyopathy via dynamic C-Acetate positron emission tomography.

Introduction: The purpose of this study was to evaluate subjects with high-risk alcohol cardiotoxicity and patients with alcoholic cardiomyopathy (ACM) via dynamic C-Acetate positron emission tomography (PET) imaging as a myocardial oxidative metabolic probe.

Methods And Results: We recruited 37 subjects with chronic alcohol consumption [18 with moderate consumption (MC), 19 with heavy consumption (HC)], 5 ACM patients, and 12 healthy controls to receive dynamic C-Acetate PET scans. PET imaging data were analyzed to calculate kinetic parameters (e.

Frailty and Cause-Specific Hospitalizations in Community-Dwelling Older Men.

Objectives: The types of medical conditions leading to hospitalization in frail older people have not been investigated. The objectives were to evaluate associations between frailty and (a) risk of all-cause and cause-specific hospitalization, and (b) rate of all-cause and cause-specific hospitalizations.

Design, Setting And Participants: Community-dwelling men aged 70+ years in the Concord Health and Ageing in Men Project (CHAMP) were assessed for frailty at baseline (2005-2007, n=1705).

Measuring dementia incidence within a cohort of 267,153 older Australians using routinely collected linked administrative data.

To estimate dementia incidence rates using Australian administrative datasets and compare the characteristics of people identified with dementia across different datasets. This data linkage study used a cohort of 267,153 from the Australian 45 and Up Study. Participants completed a survey in 2006-2009 and subsequent dementia was identified through pharmaceutical claims, hospitalisations, aged care eligibility assessments, care needs at residential aged care entry and death certificates.

Multidrug-resistance in methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) isolated from a subtropical river contaminated by nearby livestock industries.

Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is a major threat to public health that causes infections in hospitals, communities, and animal husbandry. Livestock-associated MRSA (LA-MRSA) is defined as MRSA possessing staphylococcal cassette chromosome mec (SCCmec) IV or V, both of which lacks the Panton-Valentine leukocidin (PVL) gene but has variable combinations of antimicrobial susceptibility. This study focused on Taiwan's subtropical river basin and the Puzih River, which converges from tributaries flowing through downtown and animal husbandry areas.