Blue light promotes conjunctival epithelial-mesenchymal transition and collagen deposition through ITGB4.

The increasing prevalence of LED technology heightened blue light (BL) exposure, raising concerns about its long-term effects on ocular health. This study investigated the transcriptomic response of conjunctiva to BL exposure, highlighting potential biomarkers for conjunctival injury. We exposed human conjunctival epithelial cells and C57BL/6 mice to BL to establish in vitro and in vivo models and identified the responsive genes in mice's conjunctiva to BL exposure by RNA sequencing transcriptome analysis.

Polygenic risk scores for cardiometabolic traits demonstrate importance of ancestry for predictive precision medicine.

Polygenic risk scores (PRS) have predominantly been derived from genome-wide association studies (GWAS) conducted in European ancestry (EUR) individuals. In this study, we present an in-depth evaluation of PRS based on multi-ancestry GWAS for five cardiometabolic phenotypes in the Penn Medicine BioBank (PMBB) followed by a phenome-wide association study (PheWAS). We examine the PRS performance across all individuals and separately in African ancestry (AFR) and EUR ancestry groups.

Monitoring long-term cardiac activity with contactless radio frequency signals.

Cardiovascular diseases claim over 10 million lives annually, highlighting the critical need for long-term monitoring and early detection of cardiac abnormalities. Existing techniques like electrocardiograms (ECG) and Holter are accurate but suffer from discomfort caused by body-attached electrodes. While wearable devices using photoplethysmography offer more convenience, they sacrifice accuracy and are susceptible to environmental interference.

A qualitative study of perceptions of the care pathway for familial hypercholesterolemia: screening, diagnosis, treatment, and family cascade screening.

Background: Familial hypercholesterolemia (FH) is an autosomal dominant genetic condition that carries increased risk for premature atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease, cardiovascular events, and death. Due to low uptake of evidence-based practices, up to 80% of FH patients remain undiagnosed and most are undertreated. This project aimed to understand patient and clinician perceptions across the care pathway of evidence-based diagnosis and treatment of FH, to inform implementation strategy design for two clinical trials seeking to increase evidence-based care.

Evasion of immunosurveillance by the upregulation of Siglec15 in bladder cancer.

Immunotherapy resistance in bladder cancer (BLCA) is associated with elevated levels of sialic acid-binding immunoglobulin-like lectin (Siglec15). This protein plays a crucial role in fostering a noninflammatory tumor microenvironment (TME), which is conducive to cancer progression. Our study confirmed that the overexpression of Siglec15 led to a reduction in CD8 T cell infiltration.

Nationwide Prevalence and Geographic Variation of Idiopathic Intracranial Hypertension among Women in the United States.

Purpose: To determine the nationwide prevalence and geographic distribution of idiopathic intracranial hypertension (IIH) among women in the United States.

Design: Retrospective cross-sectional study using Medicaid claims and electronic health record data from the IRIS® Registry (Intelligent Research in Sight) and Sight Outcomes Research Collaborative (SOURCE).

Participants: Female Medicaid beneficiaries 18 to 55 years of age with IIH diagnoses and prescriptions for acetazolamide or methazolamide in 2018 were identified, excluding those with other causes of intracranial hypertension.

Air pollutants, residential greenspace, and the risk of kidney stone disease: a large prospective cohort study from the UK Biobank.

Background: The epidemiological evidence regarding the correlation between air pollution, residential greenspace, and the risk of kidney stone disease (KSD) is limited, with no large-scale prospective studies conducted on this relationship.

Objective: We conducted a large-scale prospective study from the UK Biobank to explore the correlation between air pollution, residential greenspace, and the risk of KSD.

Methods: This study included 419,835 UK Biobank participants who did not have KSD at baseline.

Hsa_circ_0000520 suppresses vasculogenic mimicry formation and metastasis in bladder cancer through Lin28a/PTEN/PI3K signaling.

Background: Vasculogenic mimicry (VM) is a potential cause of resistance to antiangiogenic therapy and is closely related to the malignant progression of tumors. It has been shown that noncoding RNAs play an important role in the formation of VM in malignant tumors. However, the role of circRNAs in VM of bladder cancer and the regulatory mechanisms are unclear.

Osteogenic-Like Microenvironment of Renal Interstitium Induced by Osteomodulin Contributes to Randall's Plaque Formation.

Calcium oxalate (CaOx) kidney stones are common and recurrent, lacking pharmacological prevention. Randall's plaques (RPs), calcium deposits in renal papillae, serve as niduses for some CaOx stones. This study explores the role of osteogenic-like cells in RP formation resembling ossification.

91 Circulating inflammatory proteins and the risk of age-related macular degeneration: A bidirectional Mendelian randomization study.

Previous observational studies have indicated a correlation between circulating inflammatory proteins and age-related macular degeneration (AMD), yet the causal nature of this relationship remains uncertain. This study aims to investigate the causal link between circulating inflammatory proteins and AMD utilizing a bidirectional two-sample Mendelian randomization approach. The findings indicated that elevated levels of four circulating inflammatory proteins, including C-C Motif Chemokine Ligand 11 (CCL11), Signaling Lymphocytic Activation Molecule Family Member 1 (SLAMF1), TNF Superfamily Member 11 (TRANCE) and Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A (VEGF-A) lead to the increased risk of AMD, while increased levels of two circulating inflammatory proteins, including Fibroblast Growth Factor 19 (FGF-19) and Interleukin 10 Receptor Subunit Alpha (IL-10RA), resulted in the decreased risk of AMD.

Effective alleviation of depressive and anxious symptoms and sleep disorders in benzodiazepine-dependent patients through repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation.

Benzodiazepine (BZD) dependence poses a significant challenge in mental health, prompting the exploration of treatments like repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS). This research aims to assess the impact of rTMS on alleviating symptoms of BZD dependence. A randomized control trial was employed to study 40 BZD-dependent inpatients.

Spending Analysis of Machine Learning-Based Communication Nudges in Oncology.

Background: Serious illness conversations (SICs) in the outpatient setting may improve mood and quality of life among patients with cancer and decrease aggressive end-of-life care. Interventions informed by behavioral economics may increase rates of SICs between oncology clinicians and patients, but the impact of these interventions on end-of-life spending is unknown.

Methods: This study is a secondary analysis of a stepped-wedge cluster randomized, controlled trial that involved nine medical oncology practices and their high-risk patients at a large academic institution between June 2019 and April 2020.

Social Determinants of Health Mediate Racial Disparities in Cardiovascular Disease in Men With Prostate Cancer.

Background: Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is a significant cause of morbidity and mortality in men with prostate cancer; however, data on racial disparities in CVD outcomes are limited.

Objectives: We quantified the disparities in CVD according to self-identified race and the role of the structural social determinants of health in mediating disparities in prostate cancer patients.

Methods: A retrospective cohort study of 3,543 prostate cancer patients treated with systemic androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) between 2008 and 2021 at a quaternary, multisite health care system was performed.

Feasibility of risk assessment for breast cancer molecular subtypes.

Purpose: Few breast cancer risk assessment models account for the risk profiles of different tumor subtypes. This study evaluated whether a subtype-specific approach improves discrimination.

Methods: Among 3389 women who had a screening mammogram and were later diagnosed with invasive breast cancer we performed multinomial logistic regression with tumor subtype as the outcome and known breast cancer risk factors as predictors.