Convergence of autism proteins at the cilium.

Hundreds of high-confidence autism genes have been identified, yet the relevant etiological mechanisms remain unclear. Gene ontology analyses have repeatedly identified enrichment of proteins with annotated functions in gene expression regulation and neuronal communication. However, proteins are often pleiotropic and these annotations are inherently incomplete.

Systematic review of self-assembling peptides as topical agents for treatment and prevention of gastrointestinal bleeding.

Background/aims: Gastrointestinal bleeding is a significant and potentially lethal event. We aimed to review the efficiency and safety of self-assembling peptides for the treatment and prevention of gastrointestinal tract bleeding.

Methods: We conducted a systematic search for studies describing the endoscopic use of self-assembling peptides for treatment or prevention of bleeding in the gastrointestinal tract in a parallel, independent fashion.

Use of drugs for hypertension or heart failure and the risk of death in COVID-19: association with loop-diuretics.

Purpose: To study the association between the use of drugs for hypertension or heart failure, particularly diuretics, and risk of death in COVID-19.

Methods: We conducted a cohort study, based on record linked individual-based data from national registers, of all Swedish inhabitants 50 years and older (n = 3,909,321) at the start of the first SARS-CoV-2 wave in Sweden. The association between use of angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors (ACEI), angiotensin II receptor blockers (ARB), thiazides, loop diuretics, aldosterone antagonists, beta blocking agents and calcium channel blockers at the index date 6 March 2020, and death in COVID-19 during 7 March to 31 July 2020, was analysed using Cox-proportional hazards regression, adjusted for a wide range of possible confounders.

Autism gene variants disrupt enteric neuron migration and cause gastrointestinal dysmotility.

The comorbidity of autism spectrum disorders and severe gastrointestinal symptoms is well-established, yet the molecular underpinnings remain unknown. The identification of high-confidence large-effect autism risk genes offers the opportunity to identify convergent, underlying biology by studying these genes in the context of the gastrointestinal system. Here we show that the expression of these genes is enriched in human prenatal gut neurons as well as their migratory progenitors, suggesting that the development and/or function of these neurons may be disrupted by autism-associated pathogenic variants, leading to gastrointestinal dysfunction.