Defining Gestational Thyroid Dysfunction Through Modified Nonpregnancy Reference Intervals: An Individual Participant Meta-analysis.

Background: Establishing local trimester-specific reference intervals for gestational TSH and free T4 (FT4) is often not feasible, necessitating alternative strategies. We aimed to systematically quantify the diagnostic performance of standardized modifications of center-specific nonpregnancy reference intervals as compared to trimester-specific reference intervals.

Methods: We included prospective cohorts participating in the Consortium on Thyroid and Pregnancy.

Effect of in vitro transcription conditions on yield of high quality messenger and self-amplifying RNA.

Messenger RNA (mRNA) and self-amplifying RNA (saRNA) vaccines against SARS-CoV-2 produced using in vitro transcription (IVT) were clinically approved in 2020 and 2022, respectively. While the industrial production of mRNA using IVT has been extensively optimized, the optimal conditions for saRNA have been explored to a lesser extent. Most T7 polymerase IVT protocols have been specifically optimized for mRNA which is ∼5-10-fold smaller than saRNA and may have profound effects on both the quality and yield of longer transcripts.

Immunological Profile and Markers of Endothelial Dysfunction in Elderly Patients with Cognitive Impairments.

The process of aging is accompanied by a dynamic restructuring of the immune response, a phenomenon known as immunosenescence. Further, damage to the endothelium can be both a cause and a consequence of many diseases, especially in elderly people. The purpose of this study was to carry out immunological and biochemical profiling of elderly people with acute ischemic stroke (AIS), chronic cerebral circulation insufficiency (CCCI), prediabetes or newly diagnosed type II diabetes mellitus (DM), and subcortical ischemic vascular dementia (SIVD).

Searching for New Biomarkers to Assess COVID-19 Patients: A Pilot Study.

During the initial diagnosis of urgent medical conditions, which include acute infectious diseases, it is important to assess the severity of the patient's clinical state as quickly as possible. Unlike individual biochemical or physiological indicators, derived indices make it possible to better characterize a complex syndrome as a set of symptoms, and therefore quickly take a set of adequate measures. Recently, we reported on novel diagnostic indices containing butyrylcholinesterase (BChE) activity, which is decreased in COVID-19 patients.