Fight Aging! Newsletter, December 25th 2023
This study generates a comprehensive single-cell transcriptomic atlas of human atherosclerosis including 118,578 high-quality cells from atherosclerotic coronary and carotid arteries. By performing systematic benchmarking of integration methods, we mitigated data overcorrection while separating major cell lineages. Notably, we define cell subtypes that have not been previously identified from individual human atherosclerosis scRNA-seq studies.
Besides characterizing granular cell-type diversity and communication, we leverage this atlas to provide insights into smooth muscle cell (SMC) modulation. We integrate genome...
Source: Fight Aging! - December 24, 2023 Category: Research Authors: Reason Tags: Newsletters Source Type: blogs
Sizes of Immune Cell Subsets Correlate with Human Mortality
In this study, we found that T cells and natural killer (NK) cells with low expression of CD56 were inversely associated with mortality while neutrophils were positively associated with mortality. In addition, we found myeloid dendritic cells to be nominally associated with a reduced odds of mortality, and CD4+ effector memory T cells and IgD- memory B cells to be nominally associated with increased mortality odds.
Several previous studies have shown a positive association between neutrophils and mortality and our study confirmed these previous findings. The number of neutrophils are preserved in older adults though...
Source: Fight Aging! - December 22, 2023 Category: Research Authors: Reason Tags: Daily News Source Type: blogs
Medical ethics dilemma: a hemodialysis decision
An excerpt from The Committee Will Kill You Now. “You couldn’t get her niece to budge on the hemodialysis decision?” Harper sank into the resident lounge’s threadbare couch and kicked up her feet. “Nope.” Noah slumped in the chair across from her. It was late afternoon, and he’d almost finished checking off the tasks on
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Medical ethics dilemma: a hemodialysis decision originally appeared in KevinMD.com. (Source: Kevin, M.D. - Medical Weblog)
Source: Kevin, M.D. - Medical Weblog - November 9, 2023 Category: General Medicine Authors: Jennifer Lycette, MD Tags: Conditions Nephrology Source Type: blogs
A woman in her 60s with large T-waves. Are they hyperacute, hyperkalemic, or something else?
Case written by Brandon Friedman M.D., edits by MeyersA woman in her 60s with a history of chronic atrial fibrillation on Eliquis, ESRD on hemodialysis, type-II diabetes mellitus, prior CVA, hypertension, and hyperlipidemia presented to the emergency department with multiple complaints after missing dialysis. She described a feeling of general unwellness, diarrhea, right-sided abdominal pain, bilateral leg pain, bilateral leg swelling, and diffuse itching. She missed her last two dialysis appointments, with her last session occurring one week prior to presentation. On initial assessment, she was found to be tachycard...
Source: Dr. Smith's ECG Blog - May 1, 2023 Category: Cardiology Authors: Pendell Source Type: blogs
Top Healthcare Hazards for 2023
Communication gaps with recalls of home-use medical devices tops the list of healthcare hazards in 2023, according to the latest report from ECRI, the nation’s largest non-profit patient safety organization. Other hazards that made ECRI’s top 10 list of healthcare hazards in 2023 include: failure to manage cybersecurity risks in cloud-based clinical systems, defective single-use medical devices, and inappropriate use of automated dispensing cabinet overrides.
Home healthcare is a growing trend and the experts at ECRI are concerned that patients are not receiving safety notices, warnings, and recalls for the dev...
Source: EMR and HIPAA - January 25, 2023 Category: Information Technology Authors: Colin Hung Tags: Ambulatory Clinical Communication and Patient Experience Healthcare IT Hospital - Health System at-home medical devices CPAP Recall ECRI healthcare hazards Home Healthcare Marcus Schabacker medical device recalls medical device saf Source Type: blogs
What is pulmonary edema? Cardiology Basics
Pulmonary edema is collection of fluid within the lung alveoli.
The most important cause of pulmonary edema is heart failure, specifically, left ventricular failure. Pulmonary edema can also occur when there is fluid overload in the body as in renal failure.
Other causes of pulmonary edema are mitral stenosis, pulmonary venous obstruction and increased permeability of the pulmonary capillaries. Increased permeability of the pulmonary capillaries occurs in noncardiogenic pulmonary edema – e.g. adult respiratory distress syndrome or ARDS.
Sudden breathlessness is the most important symptom of pulmonary edema as the lungs ...
Source: Cardiophile MD - October 8, 2022 Category: Cardiology Authors: Johnson Francis Tags: General Cardiology Source Type: blogs
Chest pain + troponin of 1600 + LBBB + 6mm ST elevation = occlusion MI, right?
This case is by Jesse McLaren (@ECGCases), with comments by Smith and GrauerA 50 year-old with CAD and ESRD went to their regular hemodialysis appointment complaining of two days of exertional chest pain. The patient was sent to the ED when high-sensitivity Troponin I returned at 1,526 ng/L (normal<26 in males,<16 in females). They were painfree on arrival, with BP 180/70 and other vitals normal. What do you think? There ’s sinus rhythm with LBBB and appropriate discordant ST changes: there’s no concordant ST elevation, no concordant ST depression in V1-3, and no excessive discordance...
Source: Dr. Smith's ECG Blog - March 31, 2022 Category: Cardiology Authors: Jesse McLaren Source Type: blogs
An elderly woman with shortness of breath and an ECG that helps understand it
Written by Pendell Meyers, edits by Smith and GrauerOne of my fantastic residents brought me an ECG on shift and asked for my interpretation without any context:What do you think?I responded that it looks like chronic right ventricular hypertrophy. This is due to the QRS morphology and axis including incomplete RBBB pattern in V1, precordial R wave progression reversal, matching deep S waves in leftward leads I and aVL, very rightward limb lead axis including R wave in aVR. See Ken Grauer ' s comments below where he points out that the tall P-wave in lead II is diagnostic of right atrial enlargement, which supp...
Source: Dr. Smith's ECG Blog - March 6, 2022 Category: Cardiology Authors: Pendell Source Type: blogs
Increasing Representation of People of Color in Medtech: Interview with Kwame Ulmer, Co-Founder of MedTech Color
Medtech Color is a non-profit organization that aims to increase the representation of people of color within the medtech industry. The organization sets out to achieve this by creating networking opportunities, highlighting the barriers faced by black and brown people within the medtech industry, and increasing access to venture capital funding.
The organization reports that less than 1% of venture capital funding is received by black entrepreneurs. To help address this, Medtech Color runs an annual Pitch Competition, where early-stage startups with black and brown founders compete for a variety of a...
Source: Medgadget - March 4, 2022 Category: Medical Devices Authors: Conn Hastings Tags: Exclusive Society Source Type: blogs
Mural endocarditis
Vegetations in infective endocarditis are usually situated on the valves. If they are located on the walls of the cardiac chambers, it is known as mural endocarditis [1]. When mural endocarditis occurs without any cardiac structural abnormalities like ventricular septal defects, it is called primary mural endocarditis [2]. Primary mural endocarditis is extremely rare.
Left atrial mural endocarditis usually occurs due to the jet lesion of mitral regurgitation [1,3]. Left atrial mural endocarditis is usually picked up by trans esophageal echocardiography. Vegetations are mostly located just distal to the mitral orifice betw...
Source: Cardiophile MD - October 31, 2021 Category: Cardiology Authors: Prof. Dr. Johnson Francis Tags: General Cardiology Source Type: blogs
Fight Aging! Newsletter, October 4th 2021
In conclusion, premature thymic involution and chronic inflammation greatly contribute to increased morbidity and mortality in CKD patients. Mechanisms are likely to be multiple and interlinked. Even when the quest to fountain of youth is a pipe dream, there are many scientific opportunities to prevent or to, at least in part, reverse CKD-related immune senescence. Further studies should precisely define most important pathways driving premature immune ageing in CKD patients and best therapeutic options to control them.
Extending Life Without Extending Health: Vast Effort Directed to the Wrong Goals
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Source: Fight Aging! - October 3, 2021 Category: Research Authors: Reason Tags: Newsletters Source Type: blogs
Chronic Kidney Disease and an Accelerated Aging of the Immune System
In conclusion, premature thymic involution and chronic inflammation greatly contribute to increased morbidity and mortality in CKD patients. Mechanisms are likely to be multiple and interlinked. Even when the quest to fountain of youth is a pipe dream, there are many scientific opportunities to prevent or to, at least in part, reverse CKD-related immune senescence. Further studies should precisely define most important pathways driving premature immune ageing in CKD patients and best therapeutic options to control them. (Source: Fight Aging!)
Source: Fight Aging! - September 29, 2021 Category: Research Authors: Reason Tags: Medicine, Biotech, Research Source Type: blogs
Wide and weird
Written by Clare Gunn MD, peer reviewed by Smith, Meyers, BraceyA 74-year-old female presented to the ER after a trip and fall (unclear if purely mechanical or due to possible unsteadiness) causing her to cut her leg. Due to chronic anticoagulation for atrial fibrillation, she could not stop the bleeding, so she came the ED. On arrival she is found to be hypoxemic requiring four liters of oxygen via nasal cannula. While getting her leg wound repaired, the patient was also evaluated for hypoxemia and tachycardia and was found to have this ECG:What do you think?Here was her most recent prior ECG on file for comparison:...
Source: Dr. Smith's ECG Blog - August 27, 2021 Category: Cardiology Authors: Pendell Source Type: blogs
Hypotension, altered mental status, and aVR sign - activate the cath lab?
ConclusionsSTE-aVR with multilead ST depression was associated with acutely thrombotic coronary occlusion in only 10% of patients. Routine STEMI activation in STE-aVR for emergent revascularization is not warranted, although urgent, rather than emergent, catheterization appears to be important. (Source: Dr. Smith's ECG Blog)
Source: Dr. Smith's ECG Blog - July 21, 2021 Category: Cardiology Authors: Pendell Source Type: blogs
Treatment of infective endocarditis
Discussion of whole list of options of antimicrobials for different varieties of endocarditis is quite a large topic. This discussion is only a broad outline of the antimicrobial treatment of infective endocarditis, meant mainly for exam purpose rather than actual clinical treatment. References to more detailed guidelines have been provided for those who wish to learn more.
Inoculum Effect
High microbial density as in vegetations cause less antimicrobial activity of some antimicrobial agents. This is known as inoculum effect and has been documented with β-lactams and glycopeptides but not linezolid, in the treatment of St...
Source: Cardiophile MD - July 16, 2021 Category: Cardiology Authors: Prof. Dr. Johnson Francis Tags: Cardiology Source Type: blogs
