Cellular and molecular cross-talk in atrial fibrillation: The role of non-cardiomyocytes in creating an arrhythmogenic substrate.

Atrial fibrillation (AF) is a complex arrhythmia. Various modulating factors influence its triggers and substrate. Fibroblasts, adipocytes, inflammatory cells and the coagulation system can disrupt cardiomyocyte function.

Longitudinal profiling of IDH-mutant astrocytomas reveals acquired RAS-MAPK pathway mutations associated with inferior survival.

Background: Isocitrate dehydrogenase (IDH)-mutant astrocytomas represent the most frequent primary intraparenchymal brain tumor in young adults, which typically arise as low-grade neoplasms that often progress and transform to higher grade despite current therapeutic approaches. However, the genetic alterations underlying high-grade transformation and disease progression of IDH-mutant astrocytomas remain inadequately defined.

Methods: Genomic profiling was performed on 205 IDH-mutant astrocytomas from 172 patients from both initial treatment-naive and recurrent post-treatment tumor specimens.

Multiplexed epigenetic memory editing using CRISPRoff sensitizes glioblastoma to chemotherapy.

Background: Glioblastoma (GBM) carries a poor prognosis, and new therapeutic strategies are necessary to improve outcomes for patients with this disease. Alkylating chemotherapies including temozolomide (TMZ) and lomustine (CCNU) are critical for treating GBM, but resistance mechanisms, including hypomethylation of O6-methylguanine-DNA methyltransferase (MGMT) promoter, undermine treatment. CRISPRoff is a programmable epigenetic memory editor that can induce stable and heritable gene silencing after transient delivery, and we hypothesize that CRISPRoff could potentiate the activity of TMZ and CCNU through long term suppression of target genes.

Language of the Heart: Creating Digital Stories and Found Poetry to Understand Patients' Experiences Living with Advanced Cancer.

In this article, we share our findings on patients' experiences creating digital stories about living with advanced cancer, represented through found poetry. Over a period of 12 months, patients from the program "Managing Cancer and Living Meaningfully" (CALM) completed digital stories about their experiences living with cancer. Digital stories are short, personalized videos that combine photographs, imagery, narration, and music to communicate a personal experience about a topic of inquiry.