187 results match your criteria: "Massachusetts †Harvard Medical School[Affiliation]"

Introduction: We demonstrated Toll-like receptor (TLR) 4 in the pathogenesis of angiotensin II (AngII)-mediated abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) formation. Here, we study TLR2 in the AAA formation.

Methods: Male ApoE-/- and ApoE-/-TLR2-/- mice were treated with AngII.

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Bi- and Monoallelic Variants and Chronic Kidney Disease in West Africans.

N Engl J Med

October 2024

From the Department of Pediatrics, Duke University Medical Center, Durham (R.A.G.), and the Departments of Medicine (B.I.F.) and Biochemistry (N.D.P.), Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Winston-Salem - both in North Carolina; the Department of Medicine, University of Nigeria, Nsukka (I.U.), the Department of Medicine, College of Medicine, University of Ibadan, Ibadan (S. Ajayi, Y.R., A.D.A., A. Asinobi, O. Amodu, B.L.S.), the Department of Medicine, University of Ilorin, Ilorin (T.O.), the Department of Medicine, Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife (F.A.), the Department of Medicine, University of Abuja, Abuja, Nigeria (M. Mamven), the Department of Medicine, College of Medicine, University of Lagos, Lagos (T.A.), the Department of Medicine, College of Medicine, Lagos State University, Ojo (A.S., O. Awobusuyi), the Department of Medicine, Usmanu Danfodiyo University, Sokoto (M. Makusidi), Nnamdi Azikiwe University Teaching Hospital, Nnewi (U.O.), Delta State University Teaching Hospital, Oghara (O.O.), and Aminu Kano Teaching Hospital, Kano (A. Abdu) - all in Nigeria; the Department of Medicine, University of Ghana Medical School (C.O., M. Matekole, V.A., V.B., D.A.), and Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research, University of Ghana (A.N., A.G.), Accra, the Department of Medicine, University of Cape Coast, Cape Coast (I.E.), and Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi (J.P.-R., S. Antwi) - all in Ghana; the Basic Research Laboratory, Frederick National Laboratory for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute, Frederick (C.A.W.), the Center for Research on Genomics and Global Health, National Human Genome Research Institute (A.A.A.), and the Division of Kidney, Urologic and Digestive Disease, National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive Kidney Diseases (P.L.K.), National Institutes of Health, Bethesda - all in Maryland; the Departments of Human Genetics (D.B.), Medicine (M.K.), and Pathology (J.B.H.), University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor; the Parkinson School of Health Sciences and Public Health, Loyola University, Chicago (R.C., B.T.); the Department of Medicine, Boston University School of Medicine (T.O.I.), the Department of Medicine, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and Harvard Medical School (M.R.P.), and the Departments of Pathology (B.C.) and Medicine (W.W.), Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School - all in Boston; the Department of Medicine, College of Medicine, University of Arizona, Tucson (F.C.B.); the Departments of Biostatistics and Data Science (M.P., J.S.) and Medicine (C.I.A., J.W., A.O.), University of Kansas Medical Center, Kansas City, Kansas; and the Department of Medicine and Pediatrics, Women's College Hospital, Hospital for Sick Children and University of Toronto, Toronto (R.S.P.).

Background: Apolipoprotein L1 gene () variants are risk factors for chronic kidney disease (CKD) among Black Americans. Data are sparse on the genetic epidemiology of CKD and the clinical association of variants with CKD in West Africans, a major group in the Black population.

Methods: We conducted a case-control study involving participants from Ghana and Nigeria who had CKD stages 2 through 5, biopsy-proven glomerular disease, or no kidney disease.

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Article Synopsis
  • The RATIONALE-301 study compared the cancer treatments tislelizumab and sorafenib in adults with unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma, finding tislelizumab met the goal of noninferiority in overall survival.
  • The research utilized various health-related quality of life (HRQOL) assessments and revealed that patients on tislelizumab reported better HRQOL outcomes, particularly in aspects of fatigue and physical functioning, compared to those on sorafenib.
  • Overall, tislelizumab not only showed better quality of life results but also had a favorable safety profile, marking it as a promising first-line treatment option for patients with hepatocellular carcinoma.
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Adaptation of sleep to daylight saving time is slower in people consuming a high-fat diet.

iScience

September 2024

Division of Sleep and Circadian Disorders, Departments of Medicine and Neurology, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, MA 02115, USA.

Adaptation of the circadian clock to the environment is essential for optimal health, well-being, and performance. Animal models demonstrate that a high-fat diet impairs circadian adaptation to advances of the light-dark cycle; it is unknown whether this occurs in humans. Utilizing a natural experiment that occurs when humans must advance their behaviors to an earlier hour for daylight saving time (DST), we measured the influence of diet on sleep/wake timing relative to dim-light melatonin onset time.

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Glioma resection is associated with prolonged survival, but neuro-oncological trials have frequently refrained from quantifying the extent of resection. The Response Assessment in Neuro-Oncology (RANO) resect group is an international, multidisciplinary group that aims to standardise research practice by delineating the oncological role of surgery in diffuse adult-type gliomas as defined per WHO 2021 classification. Favourable survival effects of more extensive resection unfold over months to decades depending on the molecular tumour profile.

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Association between diabetes status and long-term outcomes following open and endovascular repair of infrarenal abdominal aortic aneurysms.

J Vasc Surg

December 2024

Department of Surgery, Division of Vascular and Endovascular Surgery, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA; Division of Vascular and Endovascular Surgery and the Center for Vascular Biology Research, Department of Surgery, and Division of Nephrology, Department of Medicine, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA. Electronic address:

Objective: Current literature reports conflicting findings regarding the effect of diabetes mellitus (DM) on outcomes of abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) repair. In this study we examined the effect of DM and its management on outcomes after open AAA repair (OAR) and endovascular AAA repair (EVAR).

Methods: We identified all patients undergoing OAR or EVAR for infrarenal AAA between 2003 and 2018 in the Vascular Quality Initiative registry data linked with Medicare claims.

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Article Synopsis
  • The Delphi consensus aimed to clarify management practices for abdominal aortic aneurysms (AAAs) due to conflicting data in previous literature.
  • A group of 44 experts anonymously discussed six key topics over three rounds, achieving a 100% response rate.
  • Key findings included the agreement on minimum case volume for AAA repairs, the effectiveness of screening programs, lifelong surveillance after repair, and the consideration of screening for women smokers at 65, but no consensus on certain repair thresholds or thrombosis prevention was reached.
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CD8 + T-cell deficiency protects mice from abdominal aortic aneurysm formation in response to calcium chloride 2.

J Hypertens

November 2024

Department of Cardiology and Hypertension, Jilin Provincial Key Laboratory of Stress and Cardiovascular Disease, Yanbian University Hospital.

Objective: Abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) is an aneurysm-like dilated and highly fatal cardiovascular disease. CD8 + T cells have been shown to be critical for vascular pathological processes, but the contribution of these lymphocytes to vascular diseases remains elusive.

Methods And Results: Eight-week-old male wildtype (CD8 +/+ ) and Cd8a knockout (CD8 -/- ) mice were used in a calcium chloride 2 (CaCl 2 )-induced experimental AAA model.

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  • * A consensus among medical professionals led to the creation of a standardized PSMA PET/CT reporting template, aimed at streamlining communication between radiologists and referring physicians.
  • * The proposed template includes essential details like treatment history, tumor uptake information, and incidental findings, which are intended to improve the clarity and utility of imaging reports in patient management.
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The rise of endovascular repair for abdominal, thoracoabdominal, and thoracic aortic aneurysms.

J Vasc Surg

January 2025

Division of Vascular and Endovascular Surgery, Department of Surgery, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA. Electronic address:

Background: Given changes in intervention guidelines and the growing popularity of endovascular treatment for aortic aneurysms, we examined the trends in admissions and repairs of abdominal aortic aneurysms (AAAs), thoracoabdominal aortic aneurysms (TAAAs), and thoracic aortic aneurysms (TAAs).

Methods: We identified all patients admitted with ruptured aortic aneurysms and intact aortic aneurysms repaired in the Nationwide Inpatient Sample between 2004 and 2019. We then examined the use of open, endovascular, and complex endovascular repair (OAR, EVAR, and cEVAR) for each aortic aneurysm location (AAA, TAAA, and TAA), alongside their resulting in-hospital mortality, over time.

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  • The study investigated the effectiveness of nivolumab, an immunotherapy drug, used before and after surgery in patients with high-risk renal cell carcinoma compared to traditional surgery alone.
  • It was a randomized phase 3 trial involving 819 patients across multiple sites in the US and Canada, who were assigned to either the nivolumab plus surgery group or surgery only group.
  • The primary outcome measured was recurrence-free survival, with safety being assessed for all patients who started treatment, and the trial has been officially closed to new participants.
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Leptomeningeal metastases (LM) are increasingly becoming recognized as a treatable, yet generally incurable, complication of advanced cancer. As modern cancer therapeutics have prolonged the lives of patients with metastatic cancer, specifically in patients with parenchymal brain metastases, treatment options, and clinical research protocols for patients with LM from solid tumors have similarly evolved to improve survival within specific populations. Recent expansions in clinical investigation, early diagnosis, and drug development have given rise to new unanswered questions.

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Background: There is good evidence that elevated amyloid-β (Aβ) positron emission tomography (PET) signal is associated with cognitive decline in clinically normal (CN) individuals. However, it is less well established whether there is an association between the Aβ burden and decline in daily living activities in this population. Moreover, Aβ-PET Centiloids (CL) thresholds that can optimally predict functional decline have not yet been established.

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Mutations in Facial-Onset Sensory and Motor Neuronopathy.

Neurol Genet

June 2024

From the Department of Neurology (V.P.-M.), Massachusetts General Hospital/Harvard Medical School; Department of Neurology (V.P.-M.), MassGeneral Institute for Neurodegenerative Diseases (MIND); Department of Neurology (S.B.), Massachusetts General Hospital; Department of Neurology (A.A.A.), Brigham Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA.

Objectives: Facial-onset sensory and motor neuronopathy (FOSMN) is a rare neuromuscular disorder characterized by progressive facial sensory impairment followed by motor dysfunction in a rostro-caudal distribution. FOSMN is clinically and pathologically associated with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and frontotemporal dementia (ALS/FTD). In contrast to ALS/FTD, the genetic profile of patients with FOSMN and the role of genetic testing are poorly defined.

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ACR Appropriateness Criteria® Screening for Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm.

J Am Coll Radiol

June 2024

Specialty Chair, Brigham & Women's Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts.

Abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) is a significant vascular disease found in 4% to 8% of the screening population. If ruptured, its mortality rate is between 75% and 90%, and it accounts for up to 5% of sudden deaths in the United States. Therefore, screening of AAA while asymptomatic has been a crucial portion of preventive health care worldwide.

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Background: Management strategies for metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC) have rapidly shifted in recent years. As novel imaging and therapeutic approaches have made their way to the clinic, providers are encountering increasingly challenging clinical scenarios, with limited guidance from the current literature.

Materials And Methods: The US Prostate Cancer Conference (USPCC) is a multidisciplinary meeting of prostate cancer experts intended to address the many challenges of prostate cancer management.

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Purpose: Castration-sensitive prostate cancer (CSPC) is a complex and heterogeneous condition encompassing a range of clinical presentations. As new approaches have expanded management options, clinicians are left with myriad questions and controversies regarding the optimal individualized management of CSPC.

Materials And Methods: The US Prostate Cancer Conference (USPCC) multidisciplinary panel was assembled to address the challenges of prostate cancer management.

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Article Synopsis
  • Lower left atrial (LA) function is linked to higher risk of cardiovascular issues, and this study explores how cumulative systolic blood pressure (cSBP) impacts LA strain in older adults with normal LA size.
  • The research included 3,859 participants with data collected from 1987 to 2013, finding that each 10 mm Hg increase in cSBP correlates with a slight reduction in LA function, although these effects diminish when considering left ventricular (LV) health.
  • The study concludes that while higher cumulative blood pressure is associated with lower LA strain, especially in those with normal LV function, the primary impact seems to stem from blood pressure's influence on heart muscle function.
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Adenosine kinase inhibition protects mice from abdominal aortic aneurysm via epigenetic modulation of VSMC inflammation.

Cardiovasc Res

September 2024

Vascular Biology Center, Medical College of Georgia, Augusta University, 1460 Laney Walker Blvd, Augusta, GA 30912, USA.

Aims: Abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) is a common, serious vascular disease with no effective pharmacological treatment. The nucleoside adenosine plays an important role in modulating vascular homeostasis, which prompted us to determine whether adenosine kinase (ADK), an adenosine metabolizing enzyme, modulates AAA formation via control of the intracellular adenosine level, and to investigate the underlying mechanisms.

Methods And Results: We used a combination of genetic and pharmacological approaches in murine models of AAA induced by calcium chloride (CaCl2) application or angiotensin II (Ang II) infusion to study the role of ADK in the development of AAA.

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Objective: Cumulative, probability-based metrics are regularly used to measure quality in professional sports, but these methods have not been applied to health care delivery. These techniques have the potential to be particularly useful in describing surgical quality, where case volume is variable and outcomes tend to be dominated by statistical "noise." The established statistical technique used to adjust for differences in case volume is reliability-adjustment, which emphasizes statistical "signal" but has several limitations.

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Colchicine Blocks Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm Development by Maintaining Vascular Smooth Muscle Cell Homeostasis.

Int J Biol Sci

April 2024

Department of Cardiology, Guangdong Cardiovascular Institute, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Hypertension, Guangdong Provincial People's Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China.

Development of non-surgical treatment of human abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) has clinical significance. Colchicine emerges as an effective therapeutic regimen in cardiovascular diseases. Yet, whether colchicine slows AAA growth remain controversy.

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Long-term costs to Medicare associated with endovascular and open repairs of infrarenal and complex abdominal aortic aneurysms.

J Vasc Surg

July 2024

Division of Vascular and Endovascular Surgery, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA. Electronic address:

Objective: The vast majority of patients with abdominal aortic aneurysms (AAAs) undergoing repairs receive endovascular interventions (EVARs) instead of open operations (OARs). Although EVARs have better short-term outcomes, OARs have improved longer-term durability and require less radiographic follow-up and monitoring, which may have significant implications on health care economics surrounding provision of AAA care nationally. Herein, we compared costs associated with EVAR and OAR of both infrarenal and complex AAAs.

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Article Synopsis
  • - Recent trials indicate that PD-1-directed immunotherapy, specifically pembrolizumab, may help some patients with anal squamous cell carcinoma, but there is a need for reliable biomarkers to predict who will respond to the treatment.
  • - In a phase II clinical trial involving 32 patients, the objective response rate (ORR) to pembrolizumab was low at 9.4%, with a median progression-free survival of only 2.2 months, and most patients showed low levels of beneficial immune cells.
  • - Some patients had long-term responses to pembrolizumab, with one patient lasting over 5 years, particularly those with HPV-positive tumors and no liver metastases, but challenges remain due to ongoing HPV infection
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