A review of the safety and efficacy of current COVID-19 vaccines
This study reviewed the efficacy/effectiveness, immunogenicity, and safety profile of the 12 most progressed COVID-19 vaccines and discussed the challenges and prospects of the vaccine-based approaches in a global crisis. Overall, most of the current vaccines have shown safety and efficacy/effectiveness during actual clinical trials or in the real-world studies, indicating a development of pandemic control. However, many challenges are faced by pandemic control in terms of maximizing the effect of vaccines, such as rapid vaccine coverage, strategies to address variants with immune escape capability, and surveillance of vac...
Source: Frontiers of Medicine - February 3, 2022 Category: General Medicine Source Type: research
Lung function and air pollution exposure in adults with asthma in Beijing: a 2-year longitudinal panel study
This study followed 112 patients with asthma at 3-month intervals for 2 years. The pollutant exposure of the participants was estimated using the inverse distance weight method. The participants were divided into three groups according to their lung function level at every visit. A linear mixed-effect model was applied to predict the change in lung function with each unit change in pollution concentration. Exposure to carbon monoxide (CO) and particles less than 2.5 micrometers in diameter (PM2.5) was negatively associated with large airway function in participants. In the severe group, exposure to chronic sulfur dioxide (...
Source: Frontiers of Medicine - January 26, 2022 Category: General Medicine Source Type: research
Atypical manifestations of acute coronary syndrome — throat discomfort: a multi-center observational study
AbstractTo present the clinical characteristics and the misdiagnosis rate of acute coronary syndrome manifested primarily as throat discomfort, we conducted a multicentric and retrospective study in the cardiology and otorhinolaryngology departments. Records of patients with primary complaint of throat discomfort, absence of chest pain at onset, and an ultimate diagnosis of acute coronary syndrome, as well as patients with pharyngitis (as controls) were collected from May 2015 to April 2016. The patients ’ main manifestations were compared. Logistic regression results showed that chest tightness, dyspnea, perspiring, and...
Source: Frontiers of Medicine - January 24, 2022 Category: General Medicine Source Type: research
Innate immune checkpoint Siglec10 in cancers: mining of comprehensive omics data and validation in patient samples
AbstractSialic acid binding Ig-like lectin 10 (Siglec10) is a member of innate immune checkpoints that inhibits the activation of immune cells through the interaction with its ligand CD24 on tumor cells. Here, by analyzing public databases containing 64 517 patients of 33 cancer types, we found that the expression ofSiglec10 was altered in 18 types of cancers and was associated with the clinical outcomes of 11 cancer types. In particular,Siglec10 was upregulated in patients with kidney renal clear cell carcinoma (KIRC) and was inversely associated with the prognosis of the patients. In 131 KIRC patients of our settings, Si...
Source: Frontiers of Medicine - January 24, 2022 Category: General Medicine Source Type: research
Long-term correction of hemorrhagic diathesis in hemophilia A mice by an AAV-delivered hybrid FVIII composed of the human heavy chain and the rat light chain
In conclusion, the application of the hybrid FVIII (hHC + rLC) via an AAV-delivered gene therapy substantially improved the hemorrhagic diathesis of the HA mice. These data might be of help to the development of optimized FVIII expression cassette for HA gene therapy. (Source: Frontiers of Medicine)
Source: Frontiers of Medicine - January 17, 2022 Category: General Medicine Source Type: research
Decellularized extracellular matrix mediates tissue construction and regeneration
AbstractContributing to organ formation and tissue regeneration, extracellular matrix (ECM) constituents provide tissue with three-dimensional (3D) structural integrity and cellular-function regulation. Containing the crucial traits of the cellular microenvironment, ECM substitutes mediate cell —matrix interactions to prompt stem-cell proliferation and differentiation for 3D organoid constructionin vitro or tissue regenerationin vivo. However, these ECMs are often applied generically and have yet to be extensively developed for specific cell types in 3D cultures. Cultured cells also produce rich ECM, particularly stromal...
Source: Frontiers of Medicine - December 28, 2021 Category: General Medicine Source Type: research
Distinct gene expression pattern of RUNX1 mutations coordinated by target repression and promoter hypermethylation in acute myeloid leukemia
This study revealed the distinct gene expression pattern ofRUNX1 mutations and the underlying mechanisms in AML development. (Source: Frontiers of Medicine)
Source: Frontiers of Medicine - December 27, 2021 Category: General Medicine Source Type: research
CAR T-cell immunotherapy: a powerful weapon for fighting hematological B-cell malignancies
AbstractThe current standard of care in hematological malignancies has brought considerable clinical benefits to patients. However, important bottlenecks still limit optimal achievements following a current medical practice. The genetic complexity of the diseases and the heterogeneity of tumor clones cause difficulty in ensuring long-term efficacy of conventional treatments for most hematological disorders. Consequently, new treatment strategies are necessary to improve clinical outcomes. Chimeric antigen receptor T-cell (CAR T) immunotherapy opens a new path for targeted therapy of hematological malignancies. In this revi...
Source: Frontiers of Medicine - December 18, 2021 Category: General Medicine Source Type: research
Hyperglycemic memory in diabetic cardiomyopathy
AbstractCardiovascular diseases account for approximately 80% of deaths among individuals with diabetes mellitus, with diabetic cardiomyopathy as the major diabetic cardiovascular complication. Hyperglycemia is a symptom that abnormally activates multiple downstream pathways and contributes to cardiac hypertrophy, fibrosis, apoptosis, and other pathophysiological changes. Although glycemic control has long been at the center of diabetes therapy, multicenter randomized clinical studies have revealed that intensive glycemic control fails to reduce heart failure-associated hospitalization and mortality in patients with diabet...
Source: Frontiers of Medicine - December 18, 2021 Category: General Medicine Source Type: research
Apigenin alleviates neomycin-induced oxidative damage via the Nrf2 signaling pathway in cochlear hair cells
This study provided evidence of the protective effect of apigenin on cochlear hair cells and its underlying mechanism. (Source: Frontiers of Medicine)
Source: Frontiers of Medicine - December 18, 2021 Category: General Medicine Source Type: research
Status of hyperhomocysteinemia in China: results from the China Stroke High-risk Population Screening Program, 2018
AbstractA nationwide survey was conducted from October 2018 to September 2019 to assess the prevalence of hyperhomocysteinemia (Hhcy) and its influencing factors in China. A standardized questionnaire was used to collect information. Hhcy was defined as the level of serum homocysteine (HCY) ⩾ 15.0µmol/L. The H-type hypertension (HHYP) was defined as hypertension with an elevated serum HCY 15.0µmol/L). Finally, 110 551 residents ⩾ 40 years of age from 31 provinces in the mainland of China were included. Overall, the median serum HCY level was 10.9µmol/L (interquartile range 7.9– 15.1). A total of 28 633 participant...
Source: Frontiers of Medicine - December 10, 2021 Category: General Medicine Source Type: research
Loss of monocarboxylate transporter 1 aggravates white matter injury after experimental subarachnoid hemorrhage in rats
This study confirmed that the loss of MCT1 may be one of the mechanisms of white matter damage after SAH and may be caused by the negative regulation of miR-29b and miR-124. MCT1 may be involved in the neurological improvement of rehabilitation training after SAH. (Source: Frontiers of Medicine)
Source: Frontiers of Medicine - December 6, 2021 Category: General Medicine Source Type: research
Emerging immunological strategies: recent advances and future directions
AbstractImmunotherapy plays a compelling role in cancer treatment and has already made remarkable progress. However, many patients receiving immune checkpoint inhibitors fail to achieve clinical benefits, and the response rates vary among tumor types. New approaches that promote anti-tumor immunity have recently been developed, such as small molecules, bispecific antibodies, chimeric antigen receptor T cell products, and cancer vaccines. Small molecule drugs include agonists and inhibitors that can reach the intracellular or extracellular targets of immune cells participating in innate or adaptive immune pathways. Bispecif...
Source: Frontiers of Medicine - December 6, 2021 Category: General Medicine Source Type: research
Penetrance estimation of PRRT2 variants in paroxysmal kinesigenic dyskinesia and infantile convulsions
The objective of this study was to estimate the penetrance ofPRRT2 and determine its influencing factors. We screened 222 PKD index patients and their available relatives, identified 39 families with pathogenic or likely pathogenic (P/LP)PRRT2 variants via Sanger sequencing, and obtained 184 PKD/BFIE/ICCA families with P/LPPRRT2 variants from the literature. Penetrance was estimated as the proportion of affected variant carriers.PRRT2 penetrance estimate was 77.6% (95% confidence interval (CI) 74.5% –80.7%) in relatives and 74.5% (95% CI 70.2%–78.8%) in obligate carriers. In addition, we first observed that penetrance ...
Source: Frontiers of Medicine - November 26, 2021 Category: General Medicine Source Type: research
Various brain-eating amoebae: the protozoa, the pathogenesis, and the disease
AbstractAmong various genera of free-living amoebae prevalent in nature, some members are identified as causative agents of human encephalitis, in whichNaegleria fowleri followed byAcanthamoeba spp. andBalamuthia mandrillaris have been successively discovered. As the three dominant genera responsible for infections,Acanthamoeba andBalamuthia work as opportunistic pathogens of granulomatous amoebic encephalitis in immunocompetent and immunocompromised individuals, whereasNaegleria induces primary amoebic meningoencephalitis mostly in healthy children and young adults as a more violent and deadly disease. Due to the lack of ...
Source: Frontiers of Medicine - November 26, 2021 Category: General Medicine Source Type: research
