Publications by authors named "Laura Pierson"

Background: General patient acuity is increasing in the United States, with more patients having multiple comorbidities and acute-on-chronic conditions. Hospitalizations may also be complicated by serious adverse events, often unrelated to the admitting medical diagnosis. In our facility, the late detection of patient deterioration on general medical units often resulted in increased length of stay (LOS) in the ICU and poor patient outcomes.

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Aging is commonly defined as the loss of global homeostasis, which results from progressive alteration of all organs function. This model is currently challenged by recent data showing that interventions that extend lifespan do not always increase the overall fitness of the organism. These data suggest the existence of tissue-specific factors that regulate the pace of aging in a cell-autonomous manner.

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Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) is a genetic disease characterized by progressive muscle degeneration due to mutations in the dystrophin gene. In spite of great advances in the design of curative treatments, most patients currently receive palliative therapies with steroid molecules such as prednisone or deflazacort thought to act through their immunosuppressive properties. These molecules only slightly slow down the progression of the disease and lead to severe side effects.

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