Risk Adjustment in Medical Research: A Bird's Eye View.

Making correct decisions is of paramount importance in clinical medicine and health-related disciplines. Randomized clinical trials are considered the gold-standard type of study for the assessment of the efficacy of a treatment. However, conducting a randomized clinical trial is not always possible; observational studies should be conducted, instead.

Association Between Race and Comorbid Conditions Among Older Adults with Dementia.

Dementia is estimated to affect over 150 million individuals by 2050. Individuals with dementia commonly suffer from other comorbid conditions which can affect quality of life and result in increased health care expenditures. We conducted this study to determine the frequency of comorbid conditions between representative samples of non-Hispanic Black and White US adults aged ≥65 with dementia.

A comprehensive engineering strategy improves potency and manufacturability of a near pan-neutralizing antibody against HIV.

Anti-HIV envelope broadly neutralizing antibodies (bnAbs) are alternatives to conventional antiretrovirals with the potential to prevent and treat infection, reduce latent reservoirs, and/or mediate a functional cure. Clinical trials with "first generation" bnAbs used alone or in combination show promising antiviral effects but also highlight that additional engineering of "enhanced" antibodies will be required for optimal clinical utility, while preserving or enhancing cGMP manufacturing capability. Here we report the engineering of an anti-CD4 binding-site (CD4bs) bnAb, N49P9.

Deficient Generation of Spike-Specific Long-Lived Plasma Cells in the Bone Marrow After Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 Infection.

Generation of a stable long-lived plasma cell (LLPC) population is the sine qua non of durable antibody responses after vaccination or infection. We studied 20 individuals with a prior coronavirus disease 2019 infection and characterized the antibody response using bone marrow aspiration and plasma samples. We noted deficient generation of spike-specific LLPCs in the bone marrow after severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 infection.

On Measuring Vaccine Effectiveness with Observational Study Designs.

Herein, we present a bird's eye view of common observational study designs utilized for measurement of vaccine effectiveness. Assessing vaccines effectiveness is an integral part of vaccine research, particularly for the newly developed vaccines. A cohort study is prospective, directing from an exposure to one or more outcomes.

The apparent prevalence, the true prevalence.

Serologic tests are important for conducting seroepidemiologic and prevalence studies. However, the tests used are typically imperfect and produce false-positive and false-negative results. This is why the seropositive rate (apparent prevalence) does not typically reflect the true prevalence of the disease or condition of interest.

Determining the SARS-CoV-2 serological immunoassay test performance indices based on the test results frequency distribution.

Introduction: Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is known to induce robust antibody response in most of the affected individuals. The objective of the study was to determine if we can harvest the test sensitivity and specificity of a commercial serologic immunoassay merely based on the frequency distribution of the SARS-CoV-2 immunoglobulin (Ig) G concentrations measured in a population-based seroprevalence study.

Materials And Methods: The current study was conducted on a subset of a previously published dataset from the canton of Geneva.

LncRNA-miRNA-mRNA Networks of Gastrointestinal Cancers Representing Common and Specific LncRNAs and mRNAs.

Gastrointestinal (GI) cancers are responsible for approximately half of cancer-related deaths, highlighting the need for the identification of distinct and common features in their clinicopathological characteristics. Long ncRNA (lncRNAs), which are involved in competitive endogenous RNA (ceRNA) networks with critical roles in biological processes, constitute a substantial number of non-coding RNAs. Therefore, our study aimed to investigate the similarities and differences in the ceRNA networks of The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA)-GI cancers.

Pre-Implantation Genetic Testing for Monogenic Disorders (PGT-M) in A Family with A Novel Mutation in Gene.

Congenital disorders of glycosylation (CDG) are a heterogeneous group of systemic disorders characterized by defects in glycosylation of lipids and proteins. One of the rare subtypes of CDG is CDG-Ij (MIM # 608093), which is caused by pathogenic mutations in , a gene encoding UDP-N-acetylglucosaminedolichyl-phosphate N-acetylglucosaminephosphotransferase enzyme. This enzyme catalyzes the first step of oligosaccharide synthesis in glycoprotein biosynthesis pathway.

Autophagy: The Potential Link between SARS-CoV-2 and Cancer.

COVID-19 infection survivors suffer from a constellation of symptoms referred to as post-acute COVID-19 syndrome. However, in the wake of recent evidence highlighting the long-term persistence of SARS-CoV-2 antigens in tissues and emerging information regarding the interaction between SARS-CoV-2 proteins and various components of the host cell macroautophagy/autophagy machinery, the unforeseen long-term consequences of this infection, such as increased risk of malignancies, should be explored. Although SARS-CoV-2 is not considered an oncogenic virus, the possibility of increased risk of cancer among COVID-19 survivors cannot be ruled out.

Investigating the association between common genetic polymorphisms and schizophrenia: a meta-analysis.

Genetic factors play an important role in the pathogenesis of schizophrenia. Dysregulations in the dopaminergic system have long been known to play an influential role in the development of this disorder. Although a large number of studies have investigated the association between genetic polymorphisms in the genes involved in this system and the risk of schizophrenia, the results have been inconsistent.

Clinicopathological study of hepatic mesenchymal hamartoma and undifferentiated embryonal sarcoma of the liver: a single center study from Iran.

Background: Undifferentiated embryonal sarcoma of liver (UESL) and hepatic mesenchymal hamartoma (HMH) are two rare entities which mainly affect the pediatric population. The aim of this investigation was to provide a comprehensive overview of the clinicopathologic characteristics of the patients diagnosed with these two conditions in a tertiary referral center in Iran.

Methods: In this retrospective study patients diagnosed with UESL or HMH between 2012 and 2020 were studied.

Molecular diagnostic assays for COVID-19: an overview.

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has highlighted the cardinal importance of rapid and accurate diagnostic assays. Since the early days of the outbreak, researchers with different scientific backgrounds across the globe have tried to fulfill the urgent need for such assays, with many assays having been approved and with others still undergoing clinical validation. Molecular diagnostic assays are a major group of tests used to diagnose COVID-19.

Predicting the outcome of asymptomatic univesicular liver hydatids: diagnostic accuracy of unenhanced CT.

Objectives: To establish the role of unenhanced CT in predicting the outcome of liver hydatid cysts. We sought to determine whether the presence of laminated membrane detachment (LMD) or pericyst degenerative changes (PDCs) detected on CT were reliable signs for predicting a favorable outcome of liver hydatids.

Methods: In a 20-year-long study, we prospectively followed changes occurred in CT of 106 cysts of 98 patients with incidentally discovered asymptomatic univesicular liver hydatids who accepted to enter a watch-and-wait program.

On the information hidden in a classifier distribution.

Classification tasks are a common challenge to every field of science. To correctly interpret the results provided by a classifier, we need to know the performance indices of the classifier including its sensitivity, specificity, the most appropriate cut-off value (for continuous classifiers), etc. Typically, several studies should be conducted to find all these indices.

Case Report: Expanding the Genetic and Phenotypic Spectrum of Autosomal Recessive Spastic Ataxia of Charlevoix-Saguenay.

Autosomal recessive spastic ataxia of Charlevoix-Saguenay (ARSACS) is a rare neurodegenerative disorder caused by biallelic mutations in the gene. Once thought to be limited to Charlevoix-Saguenay region of Quebec, recent evidence has indicated that this disorder is present worldwide. It is classically characterized by the triad of ataxia, pyramidal involvement, and axonal-demyelinating sensorimotor neuropathy.

Defining the clinical, molecular and imaging spectrum of adaptor protein complex 4-associated hereditary spastic paraplegia.

Bi-allelic loss-of-function variants in genes that encode subunits of the adaptor protein complex 4 (AP-4) lead to prototypical yet poorly understood forms of childhood-onset and complex hereditary spastic paraplegia: SPG47 (AP4B1), SPG50 (AP4M1), SPG51 (AP4E1) and SPG52 (AP4S1). Here, we report a detailed cross-sectional analysis of clinical, imaging and molecular data of 156 patients from 101 families. Enrolled patients were of diverse ethnic backgrounds and covered a wide age range (1.

The potential effectiveness of acetazolamide in the prevention of acute kidney injury in COVID-19: A hypothesis.

Acute kidney injury (AKI) is an important complication of COVID-19 encompassing a wide range of presentations. SARS-CoV-2 is proposed to cause AKI in the patients through various mechanisms. We are, nevertheless, far from a comprehensive understanding of the underlying pathophysiological mechanisms of the kidney injury in this infection.

Temperature, humidity, and latitude analysis to predict potential spread and seasonality for COVID-19.

Background: A significant number of infectious diseases display seasonal patterns in their incidence, including human coronaviruses. Betacoronaviruses such as MERS-CoV and SARS-CoV are not thought to be seasonal.

Methods: We examined climate data from cities with significant community spread of COVID-19 using ERA-5 reanalysis, and compared to areas that are either not affected, or do not have significant community spread.

A novel stop-gain mutation in DPYS gene causing Dihidropyrimidinase deficiency, a case report.

Background: Dihidropyrimidinase (DHP) deficiency is an inherited inborn error of pyrimidine metabolism with a variable clinical presentation and even asymptomatic subjects. Dihydropyrimidinase is encoded by the DPYS gene, thus pathogenic mutations in this gene can cause DHP deficiency. To date, several variations in the DPYS gene have been reported but only 23 of them have been confirmed to be pathogenic.

Temperature, Humidity, and Latitude Analysis to Estimate Potential Spread and Seasonality of Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19).

Importance: Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) infection has resulted in a global crisis. Investigating the potential association of climate and seasonality with the spread of this infection could aid in preventive and surveillance strategies.

Objective: To examine the association of climate with the spread of COVID-19 infection.