Biologic therapies targeting type 2 cytokines are effective at improving asthma symptoms and control-a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background: Allergic asthma is a highly prevalent chronic inflammatory disease driven by aeroallergen exposure. In severe asthma, the current standard of care does not fully control disease symptoms, indicating an unmet clinical need. Biologic therapies targeting cytokines IL-4, IL-5, and IL-13 have been shown to provide benefits to asthmatic patients over currently existing asthma treatments.

Chinese patent medicine tongxinluo capsule as a supplement to treat chronic coronary syndromes: a GRADE-assessed systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.

Background: Chronic coronary syndromes (CCS) is a common clinical condition that increases the risk of cardiovascular events at any time. Tongxinluo capsules (TXL) are widely used in China for treating CCS.

Objectives: To systematically evaluate the therapeutic effects and safety of adding TXL to Western medical treatment (WM) for CCS.

Analgesic Efficacy of Gabapentin in Patients Undergoing Carpal Tunnel Release Surgery: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Placebo-Controlled Trials.

Carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) results from median nerve compression and may lead to significant pain. Surgical management through release is the gold standard approach for severe CTS patients. Gabapentin is used as an analgesic drug, but data on its postoperative effects on pain assessment and safety measures are unclear.

Homology modeling and thermostability enhancement of PETase via hydrophobic interactions.

The quest for sustainable solutions to plastic pollution has driven research into plastic-degrading enzymes, offering promising avenues for polymer recycling applications. However, enzymes derived from natural sources often exhibit suboptimal thermostability, hindering their industrial viability. Protein engineering techniques have emerged as a powerful approach to enhance the desired properties of these biocatalysts.

U.S. State-Level Containment Policies Not Associated with Food Insecurity Changes During the Early COVID-19 Pandemic: A Multi-level Analysis.

Objective: To investigate the relationship between United States (US) containment measures during the COVID-19 pandemic and household food insecurity.

Design: To investigate these relationships, we developed a framework linking COVID-related containment policies with different domains of food security, then used multilevel random effects models to examine associations between state-level containment policies and household food security. Our framework depicts theorized linkages between stringency policies and five domains of food security (availability, physical access, economic access, acceptability in meeting preferences, and agency, which includes both self-efficacy and infrastructure).

The effect of oral methadone on the QTc interval in cancer pain patients.

Introduction: The QTc prolongation effect of methadone has been extensively studied at higher doses commonly used in opioid dependence maintenance therapy, but evidence remains limited regarding its impact at the lower doses typically prescribed for cancer pain. This study aims to evaluate the effect of oral methadone on QTc intervals in cancer pain patients.

Methods: A retrospective analysis was performed on adult patients initiated on oral methadone therapy for cancer.

High-dimensional multiple imputation (HDMI) for partially observed confounders including natural language processing-derived auxiliary covariates.

Multiple imputation (MI) models can be improved with auxiliary covariates (AC), but their performance in high-dimensional data remains unclear. We aimed to develop and compare high-dimensional MI (HDMI) methods using structured and natural language processing (NLP)-derived AC in studies with partially observed confounders. We conducted a plasmode simulation with acute kidney injury as outcome and simulated 100 cohorts with a null treatment effect, incorporating creatinine labs, atrial fibrillation (AFib), and other investigator-derived confounders in the outcome generation.

Navigating Regulatory Frameworks and Compliances for Bacteriophages as Therapeutic Agents.

The emergence of multiple antibiotic resistance in recurrent bacterial infections has led to exploring alternative therapeutic options, including using bacteria lysing viruses [bacteriophages] to control recalcitrant infections. Bacteriophages [Phage] and their end products such as enzymes, virus-like particles, and vectors are being used for varied applications such as basic and applied research for the field of phage therapeutics. Phage-based products and services such as viral vectors for gene therapy/vaccines, imaging agents, diagnostics as well as drug delivery agents form a wide range of useful innovative therapeutics that are under development.

Impact of Implant Mesiodistal Distance on Peri-Implant Bone Loss: A Cross-Sectional Retrospective Study.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to verify the effect of our previously proposed mesiodistal distance for multiple posterior implants on preserving peri-implant bone, and to provide a measurable criterion for predicting implant prognosis.

Methods: One hundred and two patients with dental implants placed in the posterior free-end edentulous arches were recruited in this cross-sectional study. Calibrated X-rays (peri-apical [PA] or bite-wing x-ray) were collected to measure the mesiodistal space as well as the corresponding bone resorption of implants after prosthesis placement.

Use of alternative payment models for substance use disorder prevention in the United States: development of a conceptual framework.

Background: Alternative payment models (APMs) are methods through which insurers reimburse health care providers and are widely used to improve the quality and value of health care. While there is a growing movement to utilize APMs for substance use disorder (SUD) treatment services, they have rarely included SUD prevention strategies. Challenges to using APMs for SUD prevention include underdeveloped program outcome measures, inadequate SUD prevention funding, and lack of clarity regarding what prevention strategies might fit within the scope of APMs.

Associations of maternal night shift work during pregnancy with DNA methylation in offspring: a meta-analysis in the PACE consortium.

Background: Night shift work during pregnancy has been associated with differential DNA methylation in placental tissue, but no studies have explored this association in cord blood. We aimed to examine associations of maternal night shift work with cord blood DNA methylation.

Methods: A total of 4487 mother-newborn pairs from 7 studies were included.

Dynamic co-evolution of transposable elements and the piRNA pathway in African cichlid fishes.

Background: East African cichlid fishes have diversified in an explosive fashion, but the (epi)genetic basis of the phenotypic diversity of these fishes remains largely unknown. Although transposable elements (TEs) have been associated with phenotypic variation in cichlids, little is known about their transcriptional activity and epigenetic silencing. We set out to bridge this gap and to understand the interactions between TEs and their cichlid hosts.

Incident Cheyne-Stokes respiration occurring in CPAP-treated patients and cardiovascular risk: a 2-years prospective follow-up (The Alertapnee study).

The Alertapnée study followed 555 adults with obstructive sleep apnea treated with CPAP and found that the occurrence of Cheyne-Stokes respiration (CSR) was linked to a 14-fold increase in the risk of significant cardiac events (SCE) after one year. However, the progression and clinical significance of CSR episodes over time remain unclear. This ancillary study aimed to assess CSR progression and clinical outcomes during a second year of follow-up in 66 patients who had experienced at least one CSR episode in the first year.

Demographic disparities in access to COVID-19 clinical trial sites across the United States: a geospatial analysis.

Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, underserved populations, such as racial and ethnic minority communities, were disproportionately impacted by illness and death. Ensuring people from diverse backgrounds have the ability to participate in clinical trials is key to advancing health equity. We sought to analyze the spatial variability in locations of COVID-19 trials sites and to test associations with demographic correlates.

Provocation of brachial plexus and systemic symptoms during the elevated arm stress test in individuals with myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome or idiopathic chronic fatigue.

Background: We have noted that some adolescents and young adults with myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS) report difficulty with arms-overhead activities, suggestive of brachial plexus dysfunction or thoracic outlet syndrome (TOS). In the TOS literature, diagnostic maneuvers focus on the provocation of upper limb symptoms (arm fatigue and heaviness, paresthesias, neck and upper back pain), but not on elicitation of systemic symptoms.

Objectives: To estimate the proportion of patients with fatiguing illness who experience local and systemic symptoms during a common maneuver used in evaluating TOS-the elevated arm stress test (EAST).

Restless legs syndrome without insomnia and antenatal depressive symptoms.

Background: Restless legs syndrome (RLS) with insomnia is presumed to be associated with antenatal depression. RLS without insomnia, however, has not been investigated in association with antenatal depression. We aimed to examine whether RLS without insomnia during pregnancy is associated with antenatal depressive symptoms.

Safety and efficacy of intravenous thrombolysis: a systematic review and meta-analysis of 93,057 minor stroke patients.

Background: The definition of minor ischemic stroke (MIS) is a topic of debate, however, the most accepted definition is a stroke with National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) ≤ 5. Intravenous thrombolysis (IVT) is a crucial treatment option for acute ischemic stroke (AIS) including: alteplase, recombinant human tissue-type plasminogen activator (r-tPA), and the recently approved tenecteplase. However, there is a debate regarding its safety and efficacy.

The role of exercise-based prehabilitation in enhancing surgical outcomes for patients with digestive system cancers: a meta-analysis.

Background: Prehabilitation is a crucial component of tumor rehabilitation that attempts to improve patients' preoperative health, although its efficacy in treating patients with cancers of the digestive system is still up for debate.

Methods: The records from PubMed (MEDLINE), Embase, Web of Science, Cochrane Library, EBSCO, Scopus, CNKI and Wan fang database up to November 2024 were systematically searched. The Cochrane Collaboration tool was employed for evaluating the risk of bias in each study, and the PRISMA 2020 checklist provided by the EQUATOR network was utilized.

Mortality risk among individuals who smoke opioids compared with those who inject: A propensity score-matched cohort analysis of United States national treatment data.

Background And Aims: Opioid smoking is becoming more common in the United States. The aim of this analysis was to estimate relative mortality risk among those who primarily smoke opioids compared with those who inject.

Design: Retrospective propensity score-matched cohort analysis.

The gut microbiota predicts and time-restricted feeding delays experimental colitis.

The etiology of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) remains unclear, treatment options unsatisfactory and disease development difficult to predict for individual patients. Dysbiosis of the gastrointestinal microbiota and disruption of the biological clock have been implicated and studied as diagnostic and therapeutic targets. Here, we examine the relationship of IBD to biological clock and gut microbiota by using the IL-10 deficient () mouse model for microbiota-dependent spontaneous colitis in combination with altered (4 h/4 h) light/dark cycles to disrupt and time-restricted feeding (TRF) to restore circadian rhythmicity.

Genetic mutations in Cryptococcus neoformans pyrimidine salvage pathway enzymes contribute to reduced susceptibility against 5-fluorocytosine.

Cryptococcal meningitis is a high-mortality infection. Adding 5-fluorocytosine (5-FC) to its treatment improves outcomes, but resistance to 5-FC presents a significant challenge. We conducted whole-genome sequencing on seven C.

First-line cadonilimab plus chemotherapy in HER2-negative advanced gastric or gastroesophageal junction adenocarcinoma: a randomized, double-blind, phase 3 trial.

Programmed cell death protein-1 (PD-1) inhibitors plus chemotherapy have been the standard of care in the first-line treatment of advanced gastric or gastroesophageal junction (G/GEJ) adenocarcinoma; however, the survival benefits are modest in patients with low programmed death ligand 1 (PD-L1) expression. Here we investigated the efficacy and safety of cadonilimab (PD-1/cytotoxic T lymphocyte antigen-4 (CTLA-4) bispecific antibody) plus chemotherapy as first-line treatment in G/GEJ adenocarcinoma. The prespecified interim analysis is reported here.

Triple-negative breast cancer modifies the systemic immune landscape and alters neutrophil functionality.

Cancer disrupts intratumoral innate-adaptive immune crosstalk, but how the systemic immune landscape evolves during breast cancer progression remains unclear. We profiled circulating immune cells in stage I-III and stage IV triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) patients and healthy donors (HDs). Metastatic TNBC (mTNBC) patients had reduced T cells, dendritic cells, and differentiated B cells compared to non-metastatic TNBC patients and HDs, partly linked to prior chemotherapy.