The Metabolism of Creatinine and Its Usefulness to Evaluate Kidney Function and Body Composition in Clinical Practice.

Serum creatinine levels are the most used clinical marker to estimate renal function as the glomerular function rate because it is simple, fast, and inexpensive. However, creatinine has limitations, as its levels can be influenced by factors such as advanced age, physical activity, protein-rich diets, male gender, medications, and ethnicity. Serum cystatin C and its combination with serum creatinine may serve as an alternative since these factors do not affect it.

Deleterious coding variation associated with autism is consistent across populations, as exemplified by admixed Latin American populations.

Unlabelled: The past decade has seen remarkable progress in identifying genes that, when impacted by deleterious coding variation, confer high risk for autism spectrum disorder (ASD), intellectual disability, and other developmental disorders. However, most underlying gene discovery efforts have focused on individuals of European ancestry, limiting insights into genetic risks across diverse populations. To help address this, the Genomics of Autism in Latin American Ancestries Consortium (GALA) was formed, presenting here the largest sequencing study of ASD in Latin American individuals (n>15,000).

Efficacy of birthing ball exercises to reduce labor pain and cesarean rates: an updated meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.

Purpose: This updated systematic review and meta-analysis aims to evaluate the impact of a birthing ball (BB) exercises on low-risk parturients during labor, offering a more comprehensive understanding through a larger sample size, robust analysis, and focus on relevant endpoints that were underexplored in previous studies due to limited data.

Methods: We searched PubMed, Embase, Scopus, and Cochrane Central for randomized controlled trials (RCTs) comparing BB (also named Swiss ball) exercises with no intervention or standard care in parturients undergoing low-risk labor. Risk ratios (RR) and mean differences (MD) were calculated using a random-effects model.

Targeting of the G9a, DNMT1 and UHRF1 epigenetic complex as an effective strategy against pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma.

Background: Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is a highly aggressive cancer with limited treatment options and a poor prognosis. The critical role of epigenetic alterations such as changes in DNA methylation, histones modifications, and chromatin remodeling, in pancreatic tumors progression is becoming increasingly recognized. Moreover, in PDAC these aberrant epigenetic mechanisms can also limit therapy efficacy.