Identification of Novel Proteins Mediating Causal Association Between Smoking and Essential Hypertension: A Mendelian Randomization Study.

Background: Smoking is a factor for hypertension. We aim to reveal novel plasma proteins mediating the relationship of smoking with hypertension and identify potential drug targets for hypertension on the basis of Mendelian randomization design.

Methods And Results: Data for smoking were selected from the largest genome-wide association study meta-analysis performed by the Genome-Wide Association Study and Sequencing Consortium of Alcohol and Nicotine Use.

Clonal competition assays identify fitness signatures in cancer progression and resistance in multiple myeloma.

Multiple myeloma (MM) is a genetically heterogeneous disease and the management of relapses is one of the biggest clinical challenges. alterations are established high-risk markers and are included in the current disease staging criteria. is the most frequently mutated gene affecting around 20% of MM patients.

Bone bruise distribution predicts anterior cruciate ligament tear location in non-contact injuries.

Purpose: It is unclear whether different injury mechanisms lead to divergent anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) tear locations. This study aims to analyse the relationship between bone bruise (BB) distribution or depth and ACL tear location.

Methods: A retrospective analysis of 446 consecutive patients with acute non-contact ACL injury was performed.

An optimized culture system for efficient derivation of porcine expanded potential stem cells from preimplantation embryos and by reprogramming somatic cells.

Pigs share anatomical and physiological traits with humans and can serve as a large-animal model for translational medicine. Bona fide porcine pluripotent stem cells (PSCs) could facilitate testing cell and drug therapies. Agriculture and biotechnology may benefit from the ability to produce immune cells for studying animal infectious diseases and to readily edit the porcine genome in stem cells.

Long-Lasting Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Patients with Parkinson's Disease and Their Relatives.

Background: The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has heavily impacted medical care of patients with Parkinson's disease (PwP).

Objective: To assess the longitudinal impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on PwP and their relatives in Germany.

Methods: Two online, nationwide, cross-sectional surveys were conducted from December 2020 to March 2021 and from July to September 2021.

Epiphenomenon or Prognostically Relevant Interventional Target? A Novel Proportionality Framework for Severe Tricuspid Regurgitation.

Background Tricuspid regurgitation (TR) frequently develops in patients with long-standing pulmonary hypertension, and both pathologies are associated with increased morbidity and mortality. This study aimed to improve prognostic assessment in patients with severe TR undergoing transcatheter tricuspid valve intervention (TTVI) by relating the extent of TR to pulmonary artery pressures. Methods and Results In this multicenter study, we included 533 patients undergoing TTVI for moderate-to-severe or severe TR.

Association of In-Hospital Hemoglobin Drop With Decreased Myocardial Salvage and Increased Long-Term Mortality in Patients With Acute ST-Segment-Elevation Myocardial Infarction.

Background Anemia and blood loss occur often in patients with ST-segment-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI). In-hospital hemoglobin drop is associated with 1-year mortality in patients with acute coronary syndrome. However, data on the effect of hemoglobin reduction on myocardial salvage and long-term outcomes are scarce.

Unexpected low expression of porcine endogenous retroviruses (PERVs) in porcine expanded potential stem cells (EPSCs).

Expanded potential stem cells (EPSCs) have been recently derived from porcine preimplantation embryos (Gao et al., 2019). These cells were shown to express key pluripotency genes, to be genetically stable and differentiate to derivatives of the three germ layers and additionally to trophoblast.

An easy way to determine bone mineral density and predict pelvic insufficiency fractures in patients treated with radiotherapy for cervical cancer.

Purpose: The aim of this study was to investigate whether bone mineral density (BMD) as measured in planning computed tomographies (CTs) by a new method is a risk factor for pelvic insufficiency fractures (PIF) after radio(chemo)therapy (R(C)T) for cervical cancer.

Methods: 62 patients with cervical cancer who received definitive or adjuvant radio(chemo)therapy between 2013 and 2017 were reviewed. The PIF were detected on follow-up magntic resonance imaging (MRI).

Precise Correction of Heterozygous SHOX2 Mutations in hiPSCs Derived from Patients with Atrial Fibrillation via Genome Editing and Sib Selection.

Patient-specific human induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSCs) offer unprecedented opportunities for the investigation of multigenic disease, personalized medicine, and stem cell therapy. For heterogeneous diseases such as atrial fibrillation (AF), however, precise correction of the associated mutation is crucial. Here, we generated and corrected hiPSC lines from two AF patients carrying different heterozygous SHOX2 mutations.

A case of pulmonary embolism caused by compression of the vena cava by intra-abdominal masses in autosomal polycystic kidney disease.

Dyspnea can have among other reasons pulmonological and cardiological causes. In cases with intra-abdominal masses such as in severe autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease, mechanical occlusion of the vena cava may result in pulmonary embolism.

Altered age-linked regulation of plasma DYRK1A in elderly cognitive complainers (INSIGHT-preAD study) with high brain amyloid load.

Introduction: An effective therapy has not yet been developed for Alzheimer's disease (AD), in part because pathological changes occur years before clinical symptoms manifest. We recently showed that decreased plasma DYRK1A identifies individuals with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) or AD, and that aged mice have higher DYRK1A levels.

Methods: We assessed DYRK1A in plasma in young/aged controls and in elderly cognitive complainers with low (L) and high (H) brain amyloid load.

Volumetric Optoacoustic Tomography Differentiates Myocardial Remodelling.

Purpose: Myocardial healing following myocardial infarction (MI) is a complex process that is yet to be fully understood. Clinical attempts in regeneration of the injured myocardium using cardiac stem cells faced major challenges, calling for a better understanding of the processes involved at a more basic level in order to foster translation.

Procedures: We examined the feasibility of volumetric optoacoustic tomography (VOT) in studying healing of the myocardium in different models of MI, including permanent occlusion (PO) of the left coronary artery, temporary occlusion (ischemia-reperfusion-I/R) and infarcted c-kit mutants, a genetic mouse model with impaired cardiac healing.

Effect Modification of Sex and Age for the Hospital Volume-Outcome Relationship in Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm Treatment: Secondary Data Analysis of the Nationwide German Diagnosis Related Groups Statistics From 2005 to 2014.

Background Trials and registries associated female sex and high age with unfavorable outcomes in abdominal aortic aneurysm treatment. Many studies showed an inverse correlation between annual hospital volume and in-hospital mortality. The volume-outcome relationship has not been investigated separately for women and men or across the age range.

Prognostic Impact of Left Atrial Function Following Transcatheter Mitral Valve Repair.

Background Left atrial ( LA ) function predicts clinical outcome in a variety of cardiovascular diseases. However, limited data are available in the setting of mitral regurgitation. The aim of the present study was to assess potential changes in LA ejection fraction (LAEF) and its prognostic value in patients following transcatheter mitral valve repair using the MitraClip.

Hospital Incidence and In-Hospital Mortality of Surgically and Interventionally Treated Aortic Dissections: Secondary Data Analysis of the Nationwide German Diagnosis-Related Group Statistics From 2006 to 2014.

Background Population-based data about the incidence and mortality of patients with aortic dissections ( ADs ) are sparse. Therefore, the hospital incidence and in-hospital mortality of patients undergoing open or endovascular surgery for type A ADs ( TAADs ) and type B ADs ( TBADs ) in Germany were analyzed on a nationwide basis between 2006 and 2014. Methods and Results A secondary data analysis of the nationwide diagnosis-related group statistics, compiled by the German Federal Statistical Office, was performed for patients who were surgically/interventionally treated for AD ( International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision, German Modification [ ICD -10- GM] codes I71.

Management and 1-Year Outcomes of Patients With Newly Diagnosed Atrial Fibrillation and Chronic Kidney Disease: Results From the Prospective GARFIELD - AF Registry.

Background Using data from the GARFIELD - AF (Global Anticoagulant Registry in the FIELD -Atrial Fibrillation), we evaluated the impact of chronic kidney disease ( CKD ) stage on clinical outcomes in patients with newly diagnosed atrial fibrillation ( AF ). Methods and Results GARFIELD - AF is a prospective registry of patients from 35 countries, including patients from Asia (China, India, Japan, Singapore, South Korea, and Thailand). Consecutive patients enrolled (2013-2016) were classified with no, mild, or moderate-to-severe CKD , based on the National Kidney Foundation's Kidney Disease Outcomes Quality Initiative guidelines.

Label-Free High-Throughput Leukemia Detection by Holographic Microscopy.

Complete blood count and differentiation of leukocytes (DIFF) belong to the most frequently performed laboratory diagnostic tests. Here, a flow cytometry-based method for label-free DIFF of untouched leukocytes by digital holographic microscopy on the rich phase contrast of peripheral leukocyte images, using highly controlled 2D hydrodynamic focusing conditions is reported. Principal component analysis of morphological characteristics of the reconstructed images allows classification of nine leukocyte types, in addition to different types of leukemia and demonstrates disappearance of acute myeloid leukemia cells in remission.

Tβ4 Increases Neovascularization and Cardiac Function in Chronic Myocardial Ischemia of Normo- and Hypercholesterolemic Pigs.

Translations of new therapeutic options for cardiovascular disease from animal studies into a clinical setting have been hampered, in part by an improper reflection of a relevant patient population in animal models. In this study, we investigated the impact of thymosin β4 (Tβ4), which promotes collateralization and capillarization, during hypercholesterolemia, a known risk factor of coronary artery disease. Initial in vitro results highlighted an improved endothelial cell function upon Tβ4 treatment under control conditions and during hypercholesterolemic stress (scratch area [pixels]: oxidized low-density lipoprotein [oxLDL], 191,924 ± 7,717; and oxLDL + Tβ4, 105,621 ± 11,245).