Heterozygous truncating variants in the sarcomere protein titin (TTN) are the most common genetic cause of heart failure. To understand mechanisms that regulate abundant cardiomyocyte TTN expression we characterized highly conserved intron 1 sequences that exhibited dynamic changes in chromatin accessibility during differentiation of human cardiomyocytes from induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSC-CMs). Homozygous deletion of these sequences in mice caused embryonic lethality while heterozygous mice demonstrated allele-specific reduction in Ttn expression.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFObjective: Closed reduction and dynamic hip screw (DHS) osteosynthesis are preferred as joint-preserving therapy in case of medial femoral neck fractures (MFNFs). A change in the femoral offset (CFO) can cause gait abnormality, impingement, or greater trochanteric pain syndrome. It is unknown whether the femoral offset (FO) can be postoperatively fully restored.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPreclinical evidence demonstrates that senescent cells accumulate with aging and that senolytics delay multiple age-related morbidities, including bone loss. Thus, we conducted a phase 2 randomized controlled trial of intermittent administration of the senolytic combination dasatinib plus quercetin (D + Q) in postmenopausal women (n = 60 participants). The primary endpoint, percentage changes at 20 weeks in the bone resorption marker C-terminal telopeptide of type 1 collagen (CTx), did not differ between groups (median (interquartile range), D + Q -4.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFWe describe a case of anaphylaxis during administration of intravenous (IV) ferumoxytol as a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) contrast agent in a 4-year-old patient with complicated past medical history including YARS genetic mutation with resultant liver failure and deceased donor liver transplantation, stage IV chronic kidney disease (CKD), and hypertension. The patient was noted to have labored breathing 4 min after initiation of ferumoxytol infusion and was subsequently rapidly intubated and returned to the intensive care unit (ICU) for monitoring. Anaphylactic reactions to therapeutic doses of ferumoxytol led to issuance of a black box warning by the FDA in 2015.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFCells expressing features of senescence, including upregulation of p21 and p16, appear transiently following tissue injury, yet the properties of these cells or how they contrast with age-induced senescent cells remains unclear. Here, we used skeletal injury as a model and identified the rapid appearance following fracture of p21+ cells expressing senescence markers, mainly as osteochondroprogenitors (OCHs) and neutrophils. Targeted genetic clearance of p21+ cells suppressed senescence-associated signatures within the fracture callus and accelerated fracture healing.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Isolated fallopian tube torsion (IFTT) is a rare form of adnexal torsion that is more difficult to diagnose, which may lead to delays in treatment. Our objectives were to identify clinical and radiologic factors associated with surgically-confirmed IFTT and compare them with those of patients without torsion and with adnexal torsion (AT) in a large pediatric population.
Methods: We conducted a retrospective chart review of all patients who underwent surgery for suspected adnexal torsion from 2016 to 2019.
Peptidyl arginine deiminases (PADIs) catalyze protein citrullination, a post-translational conversion of arginine to citrulline. The most widely expressed member of this family, PADI2, regulates cellular processes that impact several diseases. We hypothesized that we could gain new insights into PADI2 function through a systematic evolutionary and structural analysis.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFCells expressing features of senescence, including upregulation of p21 and p16, appear transiently following tissue injury, yet the properties of these cells or how they contrast with age-induced senescent cells remains unclear. Here, we used skeletal injury as a model and identified the rapid appearance following fracture of p21+ cells expressing senescence markers, mainly as osteochondroprogenitors (OCHs) and neutrophils. Targeted genetic clearance of p21+ cells suppressed senescence-associated signatures within the fracture callus and accelerated fracture healing.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground & Aims: The incidence of Crohn's disease (CD) continues to increase worldwide. The contribution of CD4 cell populations remains to be elucidated. We aimed to provide an in-depth transcriptional assessment of CD4 T cells driving chronic inflammation in CD.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Meniscal allograft transplantation (MAT) is an accepted and effective treatment option in the context of unsalvageable menisci, particularly in young and active patients. It has been shown to reduce pain and improve knee function in previously symptomatic patients. However, there is still limited knowledge about the long-term survival rates of allografts, the durability of clinical results, and the influence of patient-specific parameters, such as leg alignment, tibial slope, and preoperative International Cartilage Regeneration & Joint Preservation Society (ICRS) grade.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe high prevalence of sarcopenia in an aging population has an underestimated impact on quality of life by increasing the risk of falls and subsequent hospitalization. Unfortunately, the application of the major established key therapeutic-physical activity-is challenging in the immobile and injured sarcopenic patient. Consequently, novel therapeutic directions are needed.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFSenescent cells drive age-related tissue dysfunction via the induction of a chronic senescenceassociated secretory phenotype (SASP). The cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitors p21 and p16 have long served as markers of cellular senescence. However, their individual roles remain incompletely elucidated.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFChronic myeloid leukemia (CML) is effectively treated with tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs), targeting the BCR::ABL1 oncoprotein. Still, resistance to therapy, relapse after treatment discontinuation, and side effects remain significant issues of long-term TKI treatment. Preliminary studies have shown that targeting oxidative phosphorylation (oxPhos) and the unfolded protein response (UPR) are promising therapeutic approaches to complement CML treatment.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFCalorie restriction (CR) with adequate nutrient intake is a potential geroprotective intervention. To advance this concept in humans, we tested the hypothesis that moderate CR in healthy young-to-middle-aged individuals would reduce circulating biomarkers of cellular senescence, a fundamental mechanism of aging and aging-related conditions. Using plasma specimens from the Comprehensive Assessment of Long-term Effects of Reducing Intake of Energy (CALERIE™) phase 2 study, we found that CR significantly reduced the concentrations of several senescence biomarkers at 12 and 24 months compared to an ad libitum diet.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Little is known about the specific risk of knee injuries due to trampoline accidents in adults compared with children.
Purpose: To investigate the differences in trampoline-related knee injuries between children and adults and identify risk factors and protective strategies to reduce injury incidence.
Study Design: Cross-sectional study; Level of evidence, 3.
Study Objective: The study objective was to apply a previously created composite score for the prediction of adnexal torsion in children and adolescents to a larger group of heterogeneous patients to test its validity and to refine this scoring system to more accurately predict adnexal torsion.
Methods: This was a retrospective chart review at a tertiary care children's hospital and its affiliates. Participants were female patients 0-20 years of age who underwent surgery for suspected adnexal torsion from 2016 to 2019.
Non-unions represent a major complication in trauma and orthopedic surgery. Many factors contribute to bone regeneration, out of which an adequate vascularization has been recognized as crucial. The phosphodiesterase-3 (PDE-3) inhibitor cilostazol has been shown to exert pro-angiogenic and pro-osteogenic effects in a variety of preclinical studies.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFSenescent cells drive age-related tissue dysfunction partially through the induction of a chronic senescence-associated secretory phenotype (SASP). Mitochondria are major regulators of the SASP; however, the underlying mechanisms have not been elucidated. Mitochondria are often essential for apoptosis, a cell fate distinct from cellular senescence.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe regulation of bone mineral density (BMD) is highly influenced by genetics and age. Although genome-wide association studies (GWAS) for BMD have uncovered many genes through their proximity to associated variants (variant nearest-neighbor [VNN] genes), the cell-specific mechanisms of each VNN gene remain unclear. This is primarily due to the inability to prioritize these genes by cell type and age-related expression.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFEstrogen regulates bone mass in women and men, but the underlying cellular mechanisms of estrogen action on bone remain unclear. Although both estrogen receptor (ER)α and ERβ are expressed in bone cells, ERα is the dominant receptor for skeletal estrogen action. Previous studies using either global or cell-specific ERα deletion provided important insights, but each of these approaches had limitations.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFHomologous recombination deficiency (HRD) is characterized by the inability of a cell to repair the double-stranded breaks using the homologous recombination repair (HRR) pathway. The deficiency of the HRR pathway results in defective DNA repair, leading to genomic instability and tumorigenesis. The presence of HRD has been found to make tumors sensitive to ICL-inducing platinum-based therapies and poly(adenosine diphosphate [ADP]-ribose) polymerase (PARP) inhibitors (PARPi).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFSarcopenia has a high prevalence among the aging population. Sarcopenia is of tremendous socioeconomic importance because it can lead to falls and hospitalization, subsequently increasing healthcare costs while limiting quality of life. In sarcopenic muscle fibers, the E3 ubiquitin ligase F-Box Protein 32 (Fbxo32) is expressed at substantially higher levels, driving ubiquitin-proteasomal muscle protein degradation.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFObjective: Management guidelines for bronchiolitis advocate for supportive care and exclude those with high-risk conditions. We aim to describe and compare the management of standard-risk and high-risk patients with bronchiolitis.
Methods: This retrospective study examined patients <2 years of age admitted to the general pediatric ward with an International Classification of Diseases, 10th Revision discharge diagnosis code of bronchiolitis or viral syndrome with evidence of lower respiratory tract involvement.