Dynamic microbial changes in exacerbation of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

Background: Microbial profiles in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) provide insights for predicting, preventing, and treating exacerbations. This study aimed to analyze the impact of microbial diversity and spectrum on COPD exacerbation.

Methods: From November 1, 2018, to May 31, 2023, we prospectively enrolled patients with stable disease (SD) and exacerbation of COPD (ECOPD).

Combination niraparib and abiraterone for HRR-altered metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer.

Metastatic prostate cancer remains incurable. Though significant progress has been made in the field, the search for agents that improve outcomes for patients is ongoing. Several clinical trials have explored the benefit of combining PARP inhibitors (PARPi) with androgen receptor pathway inhibitors (ARPIs) for metastatic castrate resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC), especially those cancers with alterations in homologous recombination repair (HRR) genes.

Long-Chain Polysaturated Fatty Acid in Atrial Fibrillation-Associated Stroke: Lipidomic-GWAS Study.

Background and Purpose This study aimed to explore the relationship between lipidomic domains, particularly free fatty acids (FFAs), and the presence of AF in patients with acute stroke, and to identify mechanisms of AF-associated stroke through genetic studies. Methods A total of 483 patients of stroke in patients without AF (n = 391) and with AF (n = 92) were selected from a prospectively collected stroke registry. Lipidomic profiling was conducted and the lipid components associated with AF were explored using fold-change analyses and clustering.

Optimizing epidermal growth factor receptor-tyrosine kinase inhibitor treatment in lung cancer: a systematic review and meta-analysis of the influence of gastric acid suppressants.

Background: The introduction of epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) has revolutionized advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) treatment. However, their efficacy can be compromised by concurrent use of gastric acid suppressants (GASs), such as proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) and histamine 2 receptor antagonists (H2RAs). This study aimed to update the evidence on the impact of GASs on the overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS) in patients on EGFR-TKI treatment.

Timing dilemma: a systematic review and meta-analysis of short-term mortality in patients with COVID-19 undergoing tracheostomy with varied timing, including 7, 10 and 14 days.

Objective: To analyse the effects of tracheostomy timing on COVID-19 outcomes by comparing mortality rates at different time points (7, 10 and 14 days).

Design: Systematic review and meta-analysis.

Data Sources: PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Library, Web of Science and Scopus were searched from 31 August 2023 to 6 September 2023.

Plasma cell-free DNA chromatin immunoprecipitation profiling depicts phenotypic and clinical heterogeneity in advanced prostate cancer.

Cell phenotype underlies prostate cancer presentation and treatment resistance and can be regulated by epigenomic features. However, the osteotropic tendency of prostate cancer limits access to metastatic tissue, meaning most prior insights into prostate cancer chromatin biology are from preclinical models that do not fully represent disease complexity. Noninvasive chromatin immunoprecipitation of histones in plasma cell-free in humans may enable capture of disparate prostate cancer phenotypes.

Prostate-specific antigen kinetics in Asian patients with metastatic castration-sensitive prostate cancer treated with apalutamide in the TITAN trial: A post hoc analysis.

Objective: In the TITAN trial of patients with metastatic castration-sensitive prostate cancer (mCSPC), deep and rapid prostate-specific antigen (PSA) decline with apalutamide plus androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) was associated with longer overall survival (OS), radiographic progression-free survival (rPFS), time to PSA progression (TTPP), and time to castration resistance (TTCR) compared with no decline (all p < 0.0001). This post hoc analysis evaluated PSA kinetics in the Asian subpopulation.

Postoperative urinary retention after oblique lumbar interbody fusion under the systematic management protocol.

Oblique lumbar interbody fusion (OLIF) is a minimally invasive lateral lumbar fusion technique and patients are discharged 1-2 days after surgery. Because OLIF utilizes a retroperitoneal approach close to the superior hypogastric plexus, postoperative urinary retention (POUR) may not be an uncommon problem. The purpose of this study was to present the incidence and outcomes of POUR with a systematic care protocol.

ERRα is dispensable for hematopoietic stem cell function in the bone marrow.

Hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) have the ability to self-renew, differentiate into various blood cell types, and reside in the bone marrow (BM) niche. Estrogen-related receptor α (ERRα) is an orphan nuclear receptor that has a role in mitochondrial biogenesis and metabolic regulation. Previous research has shown that ERRα contributes to the development of acute myeloid leukemia (AML) by acting as a key regulator of mitochondrial processes, though its role in HSC regulation remains mostly unknown.

Appropriate Allergic Rhinitis Medications Can Reduce Systemic Steroid Requirement and Prevent Rhinosinusitis.

: Allergic rhinitis (AR) is quite common and sometimes it requires systemic steroids and can be accompanied by coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19), rhinosinusitis, or asthma. We aimed to determine the comparative effect of different types of AR medications on clinical prognosis in real-world settings. : We used national claims data provided by the National Health Insurance Service in the Republic of Korea.

Intensive blood pressure lowering in acute stroke with intracranial stenosis post-thrombectomy: A secondary analysis of the OPTIMAL-BP trial.

Background: Intensive blood pressure (BP) management within 24 h after successful reperfusion following endovascular thrombectomy (EVT) is associated with worse functional outcomes than conventional BP management in Asian randomized controlled trials. Given the high prevalence of intracranial atherosclerotic stenosis (ICAS) in Asia, ICAS may influence these outcomes.

Aims: We aimed to assess whether ICAS affects the outcomes of intensive BP management after successful EVT.

Echinochrome A inhibits HMGB1-induced vascular smooth muscle cell migration by suppressing osteopontin expression.

Echinochrome A (Ech A) isolated from marine organisms is a therapeutic effector for various cardiovascular diseases, but its precise mechanisms are unclear. This study identified the role and mechanisms mediating the effects of Ech A on the migration of vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) induced by high-mobility group box 1 (HMGB1). Compared to the control cells, the migration of VSMCs stimulated with HMGB1 (100 ng/ml) was markedly increased, which was significantly attenuated in cells pretreated with MPIIIB10 (100 ng/ml), a neutralizing monoclonal antibody for osteopontin (OPN).

Randomized Phase II Study of Durvalumab with or without Tremelimumab in Patients with Metastatic Castration-Resistant Prostate Cancer.

Purpose: PD-L1 is overexpressed by dendritic cells in patients with metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC) progressing on androgen receptor pathway inhibitors. We tested whether checkpoint blockade could enhance antitumor activity in mCRPC.

Patients And Methods: In a multicenter open-label noncomparative randomized phase II study, patients with mCRPC treated with ≤1 prior cytotoxic chemotherapy, with measurable disease and progression on abiraterone and/or enzalutamide, were randomized to durvalumab 1,500 mg intravenously every 4 weeks ±4 doses of tremelimumab 75 mg intravenously.

CRISPR activation identifies a novel miR-2861 binding site that facilitates the osteogenesis of human mesenchymal stem cells.

We investigated the regulation of histone deacetylases (HDACs) by miR-2861 in the osteoblastic differentiation of human mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) and miR-2861 binding site by CRISPR activation (CRISPRa). Transfection of miR-2861 into human MSCs was performed and the effect on osteoblast differentiation was analyzed. Using catalytically inactive Cas12a, the CRISPRa system induced targeted overexpression of endogenous miRNA and repressed the luciferase activities of reporters that contained functional miRNA target sites.

Multivariable models of outcomes with [Lu]Lu-PSMA-617: analysis of the phase 3 VISION trial.

Background: [Lu]Lu-PSMA-617 (Lu-PSMA-617) prolonged life in patients with metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC) in VISION (NCT03511664). However, distinguishing between patients likely and unlikely to respond remains a clinical challenge. We present the first multivariable models of outcomes with Lu-PSMA-617 built using data from VISION, a large prospective phase 3 clinical trial powered for overall survival.

Co-Delivery of Renal Clearable Cerium Complex and Synergistic Antioxidant Iron Complex for Treating Sepsis.

The mononuclear phagocytic system clears the circulating inorganic nanomaterials from the bloodstream, which raises concerns about the chronic toxicity of the accumulated metal species. A better understanding of the behavior of each metal after systemic injection is thus required for clinical translations. This study investigates the significance of the metal-ligand interaction on the accumulation of cerium and demonstrates that only the form in which cerium is coordinated to a multidentate chelator with a strong binding affinity does not accumulate in major organs.

Real-Time Imaging Assessment of Stress-Induced Vascular Inflammation Using Heartbeat-Synchronized Motion Compensation.

Background: Chronic mental stress accelerates atherosclerosis through complicated neuroimmune pathways, needing for advanced imaging techniques to delineate underlying cellular mechanisms. While histopathology, ex vivo imaging, and snapshots of in vivo images offer promising evidence, they lack the ability to capture real-time visualization of blood cell dynamics within pulsatile arteries in longitudinal studies.

Methods: An electrically tunable lens was implemented in intravital optical microscopy, synchronizing the focal plane with heartbeats to follow artery movements.

Spinal Schwannoma Classification Based on the Presumed Origin With Preoperative Magnetic Resonance Images.

Objective: Classification guides the surgical approach and predicts prognosis. However, existing classifications of spinal schwannomas often result in a high 'unclassified' rate. Here, we aim to develop a new comprehensive classification for spinal schwannomas based on their presumed origin.

UCHL1 Overexpression Is Related to the Aggressive Phenotype of Non-small Cell Lung Cancer.

Background: Ubiquitin C-terminal hydrolase L1 (UCHL1), which encodes thiol protease that hydrolyzes a peptide bond at the C-terminal glycine residue of ubiquitin, regulates cell differentiation, proliferation, transcriptional regulation, and numerous other biological processes and may be involved in lung cancer progression. UCHL1 is mainly expressed in the brain and plays a tumor-promoting role in a few cancer types; however, there are limited reports regarding its role in lung cancer.

Methods: Single-cell RNA (scRNA) sequencing using 10X chromium v3 was performed on a paired normal-appearing and tumor tissue from surgical specimens of a patient who showed unusually rapid progression.

Incorporation of whole-body metabolic tumor burden into current prognostic models for non-small cell lung cancer patients with spine metastasis.

Background Context: Numerous prognostic models are utilized for surgical decision and prognostication in metastatic spine tumors. However, these models often fail to consider the whole-body tumor burden into account, which may be crucial for the prognosis of metastatic cancers. A potential surrogate marker for tumor burden, whole-body metabolic tumor burden (wMTB), can be calculated from total lesion glycolysis (TLG) obtained from F-Fludeoxyglucose positive emission tomography (F-FDG PET) images.

Association Between Body Mass Index Changes and All-Cause Mortality in Parkinson's Disease.

Background: Whether body weight changes are associated with Parkinson's disease (PD) mortality remains uncertain.

Objective: To investigate the association between changes in body mass index (BMI) and all-cause mortality in patients with PD.

Methods: This nationwide cohort study enrolled 20,703 individuals with new-onset PD (ICD-10 code: G20 and a rare intractable disease registration code: V124) who underwent health screening program by the Korean National Health Insurance Service within two years from pre- and post-PD diagnosis.