Airway MMP-12 and DNA methylation in COPD: an integrative approach.

Background: In COPD, the balance between matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) and their natural inhibitors [tissue inhibitors of metalloproteinases (TIMPs)] is shifted towards excessive degradation, reflected in bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) as increased MMP concentrations. Because of their critical role in lung homeostasis, MMP activity is tightly regulated, but to what extent this regulation occurs through epigenetic mechanisms remains unknown.

Methods: To explore the interplay between MMPs, TIMPs, and DNA methylation (DNAm) we (1) analysed MMP-9, -12, and TIMP-1 concentrations in BAL fluid, and profiled DNAm in BAL cells from 18 COPD and 30 control subjects, (2) estimated protein-COPD relationships using multivariable regression, (3) identified protein quantitative trait methylation loci (pQTMs) with COPD as a potential modifier in a separate interaction model, and (4) integrated significant interactions with a previous COPD GWAS meta-analysis.

Prospective validation of ORACLE, a clonal expression biomarker associated with survival of patients with lung adenocarcinoma.

Human tumors are diverse in their natural history and response to treatment, which in part results from genetic and transcriptomic heterogeneity. In clinical practice, single-site needle biopsies are used to sample this diversity, but cancer biomarkers may be confounded by spatiogenomic heterogeneity within individual tumors. Here we investigate clonally expressed genes as a solution to the sampling bias problem by analyzing multiregion whole-exome and RNA sequencing data for 450 tumor regions from 184 patients with lung adenocarcinoma in the TRACERx study.

In situ detection of PD1-PD-L1 interactions as a functional predictor for response to immune checkpoint inhibition in NSCLC.

Background: Immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) have transformed lung cancer treatment, yet their effectiveness appears restricted to certain patient subsets. Current clinical stratification based on PD-L1 expression offers limited predictive value. Given the mechanism of action, directly detecting spatial PD1-PD-L1 interactions might yield more precise insights into immune responses and treatment outcomes.

Snapshot spectropolarimeter based on a six-fold separating prism operating from 360 nm to 1 µm.

We describe a new type of spectropolarimeter in which light is separated to simultaneously measure six spectra carrying polarimetric information on a 2D CMOS camera. The polarization separation along one of the camera axes was obtained using a novel prism, and the spectral dispersion along the other camera axis was obtained using an imaging spectrometer. An ideal version of the six-fold separating prism is first described, in which polarimetric separation is performed along the canonical polarization states used to define the Stokes vector, and it can be explained without any math.

Chemical strategies for antisense antibiotics.

Antibacterial resistance is a severe threat to modern medicine and human health. To stay ahead of constantly-evolving bacteria we need to expand our arsenal of effective antibiotics. As such, antisense therapy is an attractive approach.

Contemporary surgical management of osteosarcoma and Ewing sarcoma.

The incidence of malignant bone tumors has remained relatively stable over the past two decades between 8% and 9% per 1,000,000 in North America. Multidisciplinary treatment is paramount for optimal care combining surgical resection, chemotherapy, and rehabilitation. Surgical treatment aims for a negative margin resection of the sarcoma with a personalized reconstruction plan.

Developing a Physical Activity Program for Mothers and Their Children at Risk for Diabetes.

Objective: Despite growing numbers of initiatives designed to address increasing diabetes prevalence in the U.S., the need remains for effective programs.

Hormonal and inflammatory responses in prepubertal vs. pubertal male children following an acute free-weight resistance training session.

Purpose: Examine the acute hormonal and cytokine responses to free-weight resistance training in trained prepubertal and pubertal male children.

Methods: Prepubertal (n = 21; age 11.4 ± 1.

Restrictive Spirometric Pattern and Preserved Ratio Impaired Spirometry in a Population Aged 50-64 Years.

Knowledge regarding the prevalence and shared and unique characteristics of the restrictive spirometric pattern (RSP) and preserved ratio impaired spirometry (PRISm) is lacking for a general population investigated with post-bronchodilator spirometry and computed tomography of the lungs. To investigate shared and unique features for RSP and PRISm. In the Swedish CArdioPulmonary bioImage Study (SCAPIS), a general population sample of 28,555 people aged 50-64 years (including 14,558 never-smokers) was assessed.

Communicating and disseminating One Health: successes of the One Health European Joint Programme.

The application of a One Health approach recognizes that human health, animal health, plant health and ecosystem health are intrinsically connected. Tackling complex challenges associated with foodborne zoonoses, antimicrobial resistance, and emerging threats is imperative. Therefore, the One Health European Joint Programme was established within the European Union research programme Horizon 2020.

Efficacy and Safety of Intrathecal Morphine for Cesarean Delivery: A Narrative Review.

Purpose Of Review: Pain management is a critical aspect of care during and following a cesarean delivery. Without proper control of pain, individuals can experience poor mobility, increased thromboembolic events, and difficulty caring for the neonate in the postpartum period. There have been multiple methods for pain management for cesarean delivery and intrathecal morphine (ITM) has emerged as a prominent option for post-operative analgesia due to its efficacy, safety, and potential benefits over other treatments.

Gas phase composition of a NiMH battery during a work cycle.

Side reactions leading to gas evolution are undesirable in batteries and result in reduced coulombic efficiency and shortened lifetime. Quantitative analysis of the gases that evolve is therefore important to improve understanding of the reactions occurring in the battery during cycling and could be used to optimize battery operation. However, the measurements are challenging because batteries are by their nature closed with limited gas space.

Ligand-based design of [F]OXD-2314 for PET imaging in non-Alzheimer's disease tauopathies.

Positron emission tomography (PET) imaging of tau aggregation in Alzheimer's disease (AD) is helping to map and quantify the in vivo progression of AD pathology. To date, no high-affinity tau-PET radiopharmaceutical has been optimized for imaging non-AD tauopathies. Here we show the properties of analogues of a first-in-class 4R-tau lead, [F]OXD-2115, using ligand-based design.

Level of Education Modifies Asthma Mortality in Norway and Sweden. The Nordic EpiLung Study.

Background And Aim: The relationship between socioeconomic status (SES), asthma and mortality is complex and multifaceted, and it is not established if educational level modifies the association between asthma and mortality. The aim was to study the association between asthma and mortality in Sweden and Norway and to what extent educational level modifies this association.

Participants And Methods: Within the Nordic EpiLung Study, >56,000 individuals aged 30-69 years participated in population-based surveys on asthma and associated risk factors in Sweden and Norway during 2005-2007.

All-cause and cause-specific mortality by spirometric pattern and sex - a population-based cohort study.

Background: Chronic airway obstruction (CAO) and restrictive spirometry pattern (RSP) are associated with mortality, but sex-specific patterns of all-cause and specific causes of death have hardly been evaluated.

Objectives: To study the possible sex-dependent differences of all-cause mortality and patterns of cause-specific mortality among men and women with CAO and RSP, respectively, to that of normal lung function (NLF).

Design: Population-based prospective cohort study.

Loss of chromosome Y in regulatory T cells.

Background: Mosaic loss of chromosome Y (LOY) in leukocytes is the most prevalent somatic aneuploidy in aging humans. Men with LOY have increased risks of all-cause mortality and the major causes of death, including many forms of cancer. It has been suggested that the association between LOY and disease risk depends on what type of leukocyte is affected with Y loss, with prostate cancer patients showing higher levels of LOY in CD4 + T lymphocytes.

A systematic review of diabetes prevention programs adapted to include family members.

Objectives: Family-based programs may be a strategy to prevent health conditions with hereditary risk such as diabetes. This review examined the state of the science regarding interventions that adapted the Diabetes Prevention Program (DPP) lifestyle change curriculum to include family members.

Methods: CINAHL, Cochrane Central, PsycINFO, PubMed, and Scopus were searched for reports that were peer reviewed, written in English, evaluated interventions that adapted the DPP lifestyle change curriculum to be family-based, reported diabetes risk related outcomes, and published between 2002 and August 2023.

An exploratory study of mothers engaging in physical activity in rural communities.

Gender gaps in physical activity (PA) exist with women being less active than men. Multiple cultural and psychosocial factors influence women's ability to successfully negotiate barriers to PA and other health promoting behaviors. The goal of this exploratory descriptive study was to better understand the daily experiences of mothers in making health promoting decisions for themselves and their families.

Electronic cigarette use in relation to changes in smoking status and respiratory symptoms.

Introduction: How e-cigarette use relates to changes in smoking status and respiratory symptoms in the population remains controversial. The aim was to study the association between e-cigarette use and, changes in smoking status and changes in respiratory symptoms.

Methods: A prospective, population-based study of random samples of the population (age 16-69 years) was performed within The Obstructive Lung Disease in Northern Sweden (OLIN) study and West Sweden Asthma Study (WSAS).

Metagenomic analysis of Mesolithic chewed pitch reveals poor oral health among stone age individuals.

Prehistoric chewed pitch has proven to be a useful source of ancient DNA, both from humans and their microbiomes. Here we present the metagenomic analysis of three pieces of chewed pitch from Huseby Klev, Sweden, that were dated to 9,890-9,540 before present. The metagenomic profile exposes a Mesolithic oral microbiome that includes opportunistic oral pathogens.