Publications by authors named "Wani K"

Purpose: Renal medullary carcinoma (RMC) is a highly aggressive malignancy defined by the loss of the SMARCB1 tumor suppressor. It mainly affects young individuals of African descent with sickle cell trait, and it is resistant to conventional therapies used for other renal cell carcinomas. This study aimed to identify potential biomarkers for early detection and disease monitoring of RMC.

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Organisms have evolved protective strategies that are geared toward limiting cellular damage and enhancing organismal survival in the face of environmental stresses, but how these protective mechanisms are coordinated remains unclear. Here, we define a requirement for neural activity in mobilizing the antioxidant defenses of the nematode both during prolonged oxidative stress and prior to its onset. We show that acetylcholine-deficient mutants are particularly vulnerable to prolonged oxidative stress.

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Background Postoperative delirium (POD) is a common and debilitating complication in elderly hip fracture patients, associated with significant clinical and functional consequences. Early identification of risk factors, such as cognitive impairment and vitamin D deficiency, is essential to mitigate its impact. However, preoperative screening practices are often inconsistent.

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Proximal humerus fractures are prevalent in older adults, particularly women, primarily due to osteoporosis and increased fall risk. These fractures often result from low-energy falls in elderly patients, while in younger individuals, they are more likely to occur with high-energy trauma, which may involve additional injuries to soft tissue and neurovascular structures. Proper anatomical understanding, including key structures and blood supply, is crucial for effective management and to prevent complications.

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Background: Injection drug use remains a significant public health concern globally, with injection drug users (IDUs) facing elevated risks of contracting blood-borne infections such as hepatitis C (HCV), hepatitis B (HBV), and acquired immune deficiency syndrome caused by the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). This study delves into the seroprevalence of these disorders among IDUs in Kashmir and extends further to explore the relationship between injection drug use and psychiatric co-morbidities.

Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among IDUs recruited from tertiary care drug addiction centers.

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Over the past two decades, nanotechnology has captured significant interest, especially in the medical field, where the unique characteristics of nanoscale particles offer substantial advantages. The family of nanosized materials, specifically iron oxide nanoparticles (IONPs), has emerged as promising due to their magnetic properties, biocompatibility, and substantial surface area for therapeutic molecule attachment. The review explores various strategies to enhance the antibacterial properties of IONPs, such as metal doping, which modifies their physicochemical, biological, electrical, and optical properties.

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  • Solitary fibrous tumor (SFT) is a rare type of tumor that can occur in various body parts and is often linked to specific genetic fusions, with 10-30% of cases becoming metastatic.
  • A study involving DNA methylation analysis of 79 SFTs revealed distinct epigenetic changes linked to their primary sites, identifying key genes such as EGFR and TBX15 that showed differing levels of expression based on the tumor's location and genetic fusion type.
  • TBX15 emerged as a significant marker, with changes in its methylation and expression strongly correlating to the tumor's tissue of origin, suggesting it could help differentiate between new tumors and metastases without needing extensive genomic analysis.
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  • A new subset of macrophages called iron-rich tumor-associated macrophages (iTAMs) was identified, marked by high levels of intracellular iron and involvement in angiogenesis and immunosuppression in tumors.
  • Two types of iTAMs were characterized based on their location and gene expression: perivascular (pviTAM) and stromal (stiTAM).
  • The endothelin receptor type B (Ednrb) was identified as a specific marker for iTAMs, and its deletion reduced tumor growth, while the transcription factor Bach1 was found to regulate iTAM functions by inhibiting Ednrb expression.
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  • TIR-domain proteins are crucial for immunity across various organisms, but their exact role in pathogen detection in animals is unclear.
  • Research revealed that TIR-1, the only TIR-domain protein in the nematode C. elegans, is located on specific cellular compartments called lysosome-related organelles.
  • When these organelles are affected by a bacterial pathogen, TIR-1 activates an immune pathway to help protect the nematode from damage.
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The metabolically healthy obesity (MHO) phenotype represents a complex and distinctive trait, the trends and characteristics of which remain unknown in the Saudi Arabian adult population. The present study aims to fill that gap. A combined total of 10,220 Saudi adults from 2 independent cohorts [2008-2019, = 7,896 (2,903 males and 4,993 females), and 2021-2023, = 2,324 (830 males and 1,494 females)] aged 19-70 years old was screened, of whom 9,631 (3,428 males and 6,203 females) were included.

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Kale ( species) is considered a functional food whose macronutrient and phytochemical contents are considered beneficial and widely considered as a superfood. In the present 6-week cross-over trial with a 2-week washout period, we compared the beneficial effects of freeze-dried kale over peas among Arab women with obesity. A total of 124 Saudi women with obesity were allocated to receive either freeze-dried kale ( = 62) or freeze-dried peas ( = 62) given in the form of 3-gram sachets thrice daily for 2 weeks, followed by a 2-week washout period and a cross-over of 4 weeks.

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Micronutrient deficiencies, including iron deficiency, are linked to different cognitive impairments and sensory functions. However, whether circulating iron levels affect self-assessed multiple intelligence (MI) scores in adolescents remains uninvestigated. This study aimed to investigate associations between serum iron levels and self-assessed MI scores in adolescents in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

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  • Nonsurgical treatments like the levonorgestrel intrauterine device (LIUD) are being explored for managing endometrial atypical hyperplasia (AH) and endometrioid endometrial cancer (EEC), highlighting a need for long-term efficacy data.
  • In a study of 43 patients initially responding to LIUD, 39% relapsed, with significant factors for shorter duration of response including younger age and lack of response at the 6-month mark.
  • Molecular analysis during the study revealed changes in immune cell populations and pathways involved in relapse, suggesting immune mechanisms play a crucial role in the treatment's effectiveness.
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  • - The study investigates how the Single Point Insulin Sensitivity Estimator (SPISE) index relates to Bone Mineral Density (BMD) in a sample of 1270 Arab adults, primarily women with a mean age of about 57 years.
  • - Results show that individuals with low BMD have significantly higher SPISE values compared to those with normal BMD, indicating an inverse relationship between SPISE and BMD for the overall population and in both low and normal BMD groups.
  • - The findings suggest a potential link between BMD and insulin sensitivity, calling for further research to explore the mechanisms and implications in lifestyle modification programs aimed at improving bone and metabolic health.
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Overconsumption of dietary sugar can lead to many negative health effects including the development of Type 2 diabetes, metabolic syndrome, cardiovascular disease, and neurodegenerative disorders. Recently, the human intestinal microbiota, strongly associated with our overall health, has also been known to be affected by diet. However, mechanistic insight into the importance of the human intestinal microbiota and the effects of chronic sugar ingestion has not been possible largely due to the complexity of the human microbiome which contains hundreds of types of organisms.

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  • Targeting the DNA damage response (DDR) pathway could be a promising treatment strategy for leiomyosarcoma (LMS), with RNase H2 loss identified as a key alteration for potential therapies.
  • A study found that RNase H2 loss is significantly more prevalent in LMS (11.5%) compared to other tumors (3.8%), particularly in uterine LMS (21%) and soft-tissue LMS (30%).
  • Although RNase H2 loss and homozygous deletions of RNASEH2B exist in LMS, they did not correlate with significant differences in overall survival among U-LMS patients, but the accuracy of RNase H2 testing suggests its potential use in future clinical trials targeting DDR.
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Purpose: Mutations in the ATM gene are common in multiple cancers, but clinical studies of therapies targeting ATM-aberrant cancers have yielded mixed results. Refinement of ATM loss of function (LOF) as a predictive biomarker of response is urgently needed.

Experimental Design: We present the first disclosure and preclinical development of a novel, selective ATR inhibitor, ART0380, and test its antitumor activity in multiple preclinical cancer models.

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  • A randomized phase 2 trial was conducted to evaluate the effectiveness of neoadjuvant immune checkpoint blockade (ICB) therapies (nivolumab and nivolumab/ipilimumab) in patients with resectable retroperitoneal DDLPS and extremity/truncal UPS.
  • The primary endpoint of pathologic response showed a median hyalinization of 8.8% in DDLPS and 89% in UPS, with secondary endpoints focusing on immune changes and survival rates over time.
  • Results indicated that lower pre-treatment regulatory T cell densities correlated with better pathological outcomes, and that neoadjuvant ICB led to significant immune changes and benefits, particularly in patients with UPS when combined with radiation therapy
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Mice are social animals that change their behaviour primarily in response to visual, olfactory, and auditory information from conspecifics. Rearing conditions such as cage size and colour are important factors influencing mouse behaviour. In recent years, transparent plastic cages have become standard breeding cages.

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Plants are frequently subjected to heavy metal (HM) stress that impedes their growth and productivity. One of the most common harmful trace metals and HM discovered is chromium (Cr). Its contamination continues to increase in the environment due to industrial or anthropogenic activities.

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Perivascular epithelioid cell tumors (PEComas) are rare mesenchymal tumors that express smooth muscle and melanocytic makers. Diagnosis of PEComas can be challenging due to focal or lost expression of traditional immunohistochemical markers, limited availability of molecular testing, and morphological overlap with much more common smooth muscle tumors. This study evaluates the use of glycoprotein nonmetastatic melanoma protein B (GPNMB) immunohistochemical staining as a surrogate marker for TSC1/2/MTOR alteration or TFE3 rearrangement to differentiate PEComas from other mesenchymal tumors.

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The rapid development and implementation of COVID-19 vaccines merit understanding its effects on metabolic indices. This retrospective longitudinal study investigated the influence of first-to-second-dose intervals and time since the final dose on the metabolic indices of individuals receiving COVID-19 vaccinations. A total of 318 Saudi subjects (59.

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TIR-domain proteins with enzymatic activity are essential for immunity in plants, animals, and bacteria. However, it is not known how these proteins function in pathogen sensing in animals. We discovered that a TIR-domain protein (TIR-1/SARM1) is strategically expressed on the membranes of a lysosomal sub-compartment, which enables intestinal epithelial cells in the nematode C.

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Background: Research reproducibility is a common problem in preclinical behavioral science. Mice are an important animal model for studying human behavioral disorders. Experimenters, processing methods, and rearing environments are the main causes of data variability in behavioral neuroscience.

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