Personalized Medicine in Acromegaly: The ACROFAST Study.

Context: Medical treatment of acromegaly is currently performed through a trial-and-error approach using first-generation somatostatin receptor ligands (fgSRLs) as first-line drugs, with an effectiveness of about 50%, and subsequent drugs are indicated through clinical judgment. Some biomarkers can predict fgSRLs response.

Objective: Here we report the results of the ACROFAST study, a clinical trial in which a protocol based on predictive biomarkers of fgSRLs was evaluated.

Patterns of Gene Expression, Splicing, and Allele-Specific Expression Vary among Macular Tissues and Clinical Stages of Age-Related Macular Degeneration.

Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is a leading cause of blindness, and elucidating its underlying disease mechanisms is vital to the development of appropriate therapeutics. We identified differentially expressed genes (DEGs) and differentially spliced genes (DSGs) across the clinical stages of AMD in disease-affected tissue, the macular retina pigment epithelium (RPE)/choroid and the macular neural retina within the same eye. We utilized 27 deeply phenotyped donor eyes (recovered within a 6 h postmortem interval time) from Caucasian donors (60-94 years) using a standardized published protocol.

A systems biology approach uncovers novel disease mechanisms in age-related macular degeneration.

Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is a leading cause of blindness, affecting 200 million people worldwide. To identify genes that could be targeted for treatment, we created a molecular atlas at different stages of AMD. Our resource is comprised of RNA sequencing (RNA-seq) and DNA methylation microarrays from bulk macular retinal pigment epithelium (RPE)/choroid of clinically phenotyped normal and AMD donor eyes (n = 85), single-nucleus RNA-seq (164,399 cells), and single-nucleus assay for transposase-accessible chromatin (ATAC)-seq (125,822 cells) from the retina, RPE, and choroid of 6 AMD and 7 control donors.

Contemporary management of intracardiac thrombi: a tale of two clots.

Intracardiac thrombi such as pulmonary emboli represent a high risk of mortality. In this case study, we review two cases of intracardiac thrombi occurring within 24 h of one another and managed differently by the same cardiothoracic surgical team, highlighting the importance of an individualized approach as well as an understanding of current guidelines and contemporary management techniques.