CNS macrophage contributions to myelin health.

Myelin is the membrane surrounding neuronal axons in the central nervous system (CNS), produced by oligodendrocytes to provide insulation for electrical impulse conduction and trophic/metabolic support. CNS dysfunction occurs following poor development of myelin in infancy, myelin damage in neurological diseases, and impaired regeneration of myelin with disease progression in aging. The lack of approved therapies aimed at supporting myelin health highlights the critical need to identify the cellular and molecular influences on oligodendrocytes.

An AI-guided screen identifies probucol as an enhancer of mitophagy through modulation of lipid droplets.

Failures in mitophagy, a process by which damaged mitochondria are cleared, results in neurodegeneration, while enhancing mitophagy promotes the survival of dopaminergic neurons. Using an artificial intelligence platform, we employed a natural language processing approach to evaluate the semantic similarity of candidate molecules to a set of well-established mitophagy enhancers. Top candidates were screened in a cell-based mitochondrial clearance assay.

Chronic oligodendrocyte injury in central nervous system pathologies.

Myelin, the membrane surrounding neuronal axons, is critical for central nervous system (CNS) function. Injury to myelin-forming oligodendrocytes (OL) in chronic neurological diseases (e.g.

Spontaneous Degenerative Aortic Valve Disease in New Zealand Obese Mice.

Background Degenerative aortic valve (AoV) disease and resulting aortic stenosis are major clinical health problems. Murine models of valve disease are rare, resulting in a translational knowledge gap on underlying mechanisms, functional consequences, and potential therapies. Naïve New Zealand obese (NZO) mice were recently found to have a dramatic decline of left ventricular (LV) function at early age.

Myocardial strain assessment using cardiovascular magnetic resonance imaging in recipients of implantable cardioverter defibrillators.

Background: Cardiovascular magnetic resonance (CMR) is increasingly used in the evaluation of patients who are potential candidates for implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (ICD) therapy to assess left ventricular (LV) ejection fraction (LVEF), myocardial fibrosis, and etiology of cardiomyopathy. It is unclear whether CMR-derived strain measurements are predictive of appropriate shocks and death among patients who receive an ICD. We evaluated the prognostic value of LV strain parameters on feature-tracking (FT) CMR in patients who underwent subsequent ICD implant for primary or secondary prevention of sudden cardiac death.

Antihypertensives and Statin Therapy for Primary Stroke Prevention: A Secondary Analysis of the HOPE-3 Trial.

Background And Purpose: The HOPE-3 trial (Heart Outcomes Prevention Evaluation–3) found that antihypertensive therapy combined with a statin reduced first stroke among people at intermediate cardiovascular risk. We report secondary analyses of stroke outcomes by stroke subtype, predictors, treatment effects in key subgroups.

Methods: Using a 2-by-2 factorial design, 12 705 participants from 21 countries with vascular risk factors but without overt cardiovascular disease were randomized to candesartan 16 mg plus hydrochlorothiazide 12.

Lowering cholesterol, blood pressure, or both to prevent cardiovascular events: results of 8.7 years of follow-up of Heart Outcomes Evaluation Prevention (HOPE)-3 study participants.

Aims: Rosuvastatin (10 mg per day) compared with placebo reduced major adverse cardiovascular (CV) events by 24% in 12 705 participants at intermediate CV risk after 5.6 years. There was no benefit of blood pressure (BP) lowering treatment in the overall group, but a reduction in events in the third of participants with elevated systolic BP.

The Temporal Relations of Traumatic Brain Injury, Victimization, Aggression, and Homelessness: A Developmental Trajectory.

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) occurs more frequently in homeless persons than the general public. Both homelessness and TBI have been linked to experiences of violence (e.g.

Challenges in multiple sclerosis care: Results from an international mixed-methods study.

Background: Disease-modifying treatment (DMT) selection for people with multiple sclerosis (MS) is challenging. Neurologists and advanced practice nurses (APNs) in MS care may be facing knowledge and confidence gaps when screening patients to initiate or switch between DMTs, assessing the safety of new DMTs and monitoring for adverse events. Healthcare providers are required to demonstrate enhanced patient communication skills, to share treatment decisions and assess treatment adherence.

Cardiac MRI assessment of the right ventricle pre-and post-kidney transplant.

Worsening renal function in chronic kidney disease correlates with worsening right ventricular (RV) systolic function. We evaluated the association between kidney transplantation (KT) and RV structure and systolic function, and the relationships between RV and left ventricular (LV) changes, blood pressure, and specific cardiac biomarkers, in patients with end-stage kidney disease using cardiac magnetic resonance imaging (CMR). In this prospective, multi-centre, cohort study, 39 adult patients on dialysis receiving KT and 42 patients eligible for, but not yet receiving KT, were recruited.

Availability, coverage, and scope of health information systems for kidney care across world countries and regions.

Background: Health information systems (HIS) are fundamental tools for the surveillance of health services, estimation of disease burden and prioritization of health resources. Several gaps in the availability of HIS for kidney disease were highlighted by the first iteration of the Global Kidney Health Atlas.

Methods: As part of its second iteration, the International Society of Nephrology conducted a cross-sectional global survey between July and October 2018 to explore the coverage and scope of HIS for kidney disease, with a focus on kidney replacement therapy (KRT).

Illustrated State-of-the-Art Capsules of the ISTH 2020 Congress.

The 2020 Congress of the International Society of Thrombosis and Haemostasis (ISTH) was held virtually July 12-15, 2019, due to the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic. The congress convenes annually to discuss clinical and basic topics in hemostasis and thrombosis. Each year, the program includes State of Art (SOA) lectures given by prominent scientists.

Clinical Outcomes Associated with Complex Infection in Patients with Cystic Fibrosis.

Little is known in contemporary cystic fibrosis (CF) cohorts about the outcomes after new species infections. To evaluate the changing epidemiology and clinical outcomes associated with species infections in persons with CF. A cohort study of children and adults with CF was conducted from 1997 to 2018 in Toronto, Canada.

Prothrombin, alone or in complex concentrates or plasma, reduces bleeding in a mouse model of blood exchange-induced coagulopathy.

Prothrombin complex concentrates (PCC) are fractionated plasma protein drugs that reverse warfarin anticoagulation. PCC may control more general bleeding. We sought to identify the dominant procoagulant factor in PCC in vivo.

Treating murine inflammatory diseases with an anti-erythrocyte antibody.

Treatment of autoimmune and inflammatory diseases typically involves immune suppression. In an opposite strategy, we show that administration of the highly inflammatory erythrocyte-specific antibody Ter119 into mice remodels the monocyte cellular landscape, leading to resolution of inflammatory disease. Ter119 with intact Fc function was unexpectedly therapeutic in the K/BxN serum transfer model of arthritis.