Tuneable Recombinant Spider Silk Protein Hydrogels for Drug Release and 3D Cell Culture.

Hydrogels are useful drug release systems and tissue engineering scaffolds. However, synthetic hydrogels often require harsh gelation conditions and can contain toxic by-products while naturally derived hydrogels can transmit pathogens and in general have poor mechanical properties. Thus, there is a need for a hydrogel that forms under ambient conditions, is non-toxic, xeno-free, and has good mechanical properties.

Artificial neural network inference analysis identified novel genes and gene interactions associated with skeletal muscle aging.

Background: Sarcopenia is an age-related muscle disease that increases the risk of falls, disabilities, and death. It is associated with increased muscle protein degradation driven by molecular signalling pathways including Akt and FOXO1. This study aims to identify genes, gene interactions, and molecular pathways and processes associated with muscle aging and exercise in older adults that remained undiscovered until now leveraging on an artificial intelligence approach called artificial neural network inference (ANNi).

Spider minor ampullate silk protein nanoparticles: an effective protein delivery system capable of enhancing systemic immune responses.

Spider silk proteins (spidroins) are particularly attractive due to their excellent biocompatibility. Spider can produce up to seven different types of spidroins, each with unique properties and functions. Spider minor ampullate silk protein (MiSp) might be particularly interesting for biomedical applications, as the constituent silk is mechanically strong and does not super-contract in water, attributed to its amino acid composition.

Hypertension in Pregnancy Among Immigrant and Swedish Women: A Cohort Study of All Pregnant Women in Sweden.

Background: Little is known about risks of hypertensive disorders of pregnancy in both first- and second-generation immigrant women in Europe and other Western countries; such knowledge may help elucidate the influence of genetic versus social factors on such risks. We aimed to study both first- and second-generation immigrant women for the presence of all types of hypertension (preexisting hypertension, gestational hypertension, preeclampsia, and eclampsia) during pregnancy.

Methods And Results: A cohort study was conducted using data derived from the Swedish National Birth Register, the National Patient Register, and the Total Population Register.

High Self-Reported Levels of Pain 1 Year After a Myocardial Infarction Are Related to Long-Term All-Cause Mortality: A SWEDEHEART Study Including 18 376 Patients.

Background Pain increases the risk for cardiovascular diseases, including myocardial infarction (MI). However, the impact of pain on mortality after MI has not yet been investigated in large studies with long-term follow-up periods. Thus, we aimed to examine various levels of pain severity 1 year after an MI as a potential risk for all-cause mortality.

Interaction Between High-Dose Intravenous Busulfan and Post-Transplantation Cyclophosphamide on Hemorrhagic Cystitis After Allogeneic Hematopoietic Cell Transplantation.

This study investigates the incidence and predictors of hemorrhagic cystitis (HC) in 960 adults undergoing allo- hematopoietic stem cell transplantation. Two hundred fifty-two (26.5%) patients received myeloablative conditioning regimens, and 81.

Posttraumatic Growth After Struggling With the Loss of a Parent in Young Adulthood.

This study aims to examine posttraumatic growth and its associations with parental bereavement among adolescents and young adults. Fifty-five young adults who had lost a parent to cancer at least 2 months earlier and were about to attend a support group at a palliative care service were recruited. Data was collected through questionnaires before support group participation, about 5-8 months after the loss and at a 6-month follow-up, about 14-18 months after the loss.

Large-Scale Metabolomics and the Incidence of Cardiovascular Disease.

Background The study aimed to show the relationship between a large number of circulating metabolites and subsequent cardiovascular disease (CVD) and subclinical markers of CVD in the general population. Methods and Results In 2278 individuals free from CVD in the EpiHealth study (aged 45-75 years, mean age 61 years, 50% women), 790 annotated nonxenobiotic metabolites were measured by mass spectroscopy (Metabolon). The same metabolites were measured in the PIVUS (Prospective Investigation of Vasculature in Uppsala Seniors) study (n=603, all aged 80 years, 50% women), in which cardiac and carotid artery pathologies were evaluated by ultrasound.

International Alliance of Urolithiasis (IAU) guidelines on the metabolic evaluation and medical management of urolithiasis.

The aim of this study was to construct the fourth in a series of guidelines on the treatment of urolithiasis by the International Alliance of Urolithiasis (IAU) that by providing a clinical framework for the metabolic evaluation, prevention, and follow-up of patients with urolithiasis based on the best available published literature. All recommendations were summarized following a systematic review and assessment of the literature in the PubMed database from January 1976 to June 2022. Each generated recommendation was graded using a modified GRADE methodology.

Hypoglycemia after exposure of diclofenac medication.

Context: Diclofenac is commonly used as pain relief. Hypoglycemia has rarely been reported due to aspirin and indomethacin use but not of any other nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs.

Case Report: A 69-years old endocrinologist participated as a control in a glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) study.

Single-cell sequencing deconvolutes cellular responses to exercise in human skeletal muscle.

Skeletal muscle adaptations to exercise have been associated with a range of health-related benefits, but cell type-specific adaptations within the muscle are incompletely understood. Here we use single-cell sequencing to determine the effects of exercise on cellular composition and cell type-specific processes in human skeletal muscle before and after intense exercise. Fifteen clusters originating from six different cell populations were identified.

Narcolepsy among first- and second-generation immigrants in Sweden: A study of the total population.

Aims: To study incident narcolepsy in first- and second-generation immigrant groups using Swedish-born individuals and native Swedes as referents.

Methods: The study population included all individuals registered and alive in Sweden at baseline. Narcolepsy was defined as having at least one registered diagnosis of narcolepsy in the Swedish National Patient Register.

Probabilistic classification of anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibody responses improves seroprevalence estimates.

Objectives: Population-level measures of seropositivity are critical for understanding the epidemiology of an emerging pathogen, yet most antibody tests apply a strict cutoff for seropositivity that is not learnt in a data-driven manner, leading to uncertainty when classifying low-titer responses. To improve upon this, we evaluated cutoff-independent methods for their ability to assign likelihood of SARS-CoV-2 seropositivity to individual samples.

Methods: Using robust ELISAs based on SARS-CoV-2 spike (S) and the receptor-binding domain (RBD), we profiled antibody responses in a group of SARS-CoV-2 PCR+ individuals ( = 138).

Large-Scale Plasma Protein Profiling of Incident Myocardial Infarction, Ischemic Stroke, and Heart Failure.

Background We recently reported a link between plasma levels of 2 of 84 cardiovascular disease (CVD)-related proteins and the 3 major CVDs, myocardial infarction, ischemic stroke, and heart failure. The present study investigated whether measurement of almost 10 times the number of proteins could lead to discovery of additional risk markers for CVD. Methods and Results We measured 742 proteins using the proximity extension assay in 826 male participants of ULSAM (Uppsala Longitudinal Study of Adult Men) who were free from CVD at the age of 70 years.

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) among immigrant groups and Swedish-born individuals: a cohort study of all adults 18 years of age and older in Sweden.

Background: There is a lack of studies of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) in immigrants.

Objective: The objective is to study the association between country of birth and incident ALS in first-generation immigrants versus Swedish-born individuals, and in second-generation immigrants versus native Swedes.

Methods: Study populations included all adults aged 18 years and older in Sweden, in the first-generation study 6,128,698 individuals (2,975,141 men, 3,153,557 women) with 5,344 ALS cases (3017 men, 2327 women), and in the second-generation study 4,588,845 individuals (2,346,855 men and 2,241,990 women) with 3,420 cases (2027 men and 1393 women).

Generation of plasma cells and CD27IgD B cells during hantavirus infection is associated with distinct pathological findings.

Objective: Human hantavirus infections can cause haemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome (HFRS). The pathogenic mechanisms are not fully understood, nor if they affect the humoral immune system. The objective of this study was to investigate humoral immune responses to hantavirus infection and to correlate them to the typical features of HFRS: thrombocytopenia and transient kidney dysfunction.

Plasma Protein Profile of Incident Myocardial Infarction, Ischemic Stroke, and Heart Failure in 2 Cohorts.

Background The aim is to study common etiological pathways for 3 major cardiovascular diseases (CVD), as reflected in multiple proteins. Methods and Results Eighty-four proteins were measured using the proximity extension technique in 870 participants in the PIVUS (Prospective Investigation of Uppsala Seniors Study) cohort on 3 occasions (age 70, 75, and 80 years). The sample was followed for incident myocardial infarction, ischemic stroke or heart failure.

Comparing Effect Estimates in Randomized Trials and Observational Studies From the Same Population: An Application to Percutaneous Coronary Intervention.

Background To understand when results from observational studies and randomized trials are comparable, we performed an observational emulation of a target trial designed to ask similar questions as the VALIDATE (Bivalirudin Versus Heparin in ST-Segment and Non-ST-Segment Elevation Myocardial Infarction in Patients on Modern Antiplatelet Therapy) randomized trial. The VALIDATE trial compared the effect of bivalirudin and heparin during percutaneous coronary intervention on the risk of death, myocardial infarction, and bleeding across Sweden. Methods and Results We specified the protocol of a target trial similar to the VALIDATE trial, then emulated the target trial in the period before the VALIDATE trial took place using data from the SWEDEHEART (Swedish Web System for Enhancement and Development of Evidence-Based Care in Heart Disease Evaluated According to Recommended Therapies) registry-the same registry in which the trial was undertaken.

Prasugrel versus ticagrelor in patients with myocardial infarction undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention.

Objective: The comparative efficacy and safety of prasugrel and ticagrelor in patients with myocardial infarction (MI) treated with percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) remain unclear. We aimed to investigate the association of treatment with clinical outcomes.

Methods: In the SWEDEHEART (Swedish Web-system for enhancement and development of evidence-based care in heart disease evaluated according to recommended therapies) registry, all patients with MI treated with PCI and discharged on prasugrel or ticagrelor from 2010 to 2016 were included.