Future Science OA最新文献

Aim: The COVID-19 pandemic underscores the need for expanded diagnostic tools to combat respiratory pathogens with pandemic potential, particularly in developing countries. This study aimed to create a Dot Blotting test utilizing IgY antibodies for acute respiratory infection diagnosis, with COVID-19 as the disease model.

Methods: Leghorn chickens were immunized with precipitated SARS-CoV-2 virus, and IgY antibodies were purified via ammonium sulfate precipitation and titrated by ELISA. Dot Blotting detected viral antigens in saliva samples, demonstrating efficacy comparable to ELISA tests.

Results: The IgY antibody was successfully produced and purified, obtaining a titration of 1:16,000. The ability of IgY to detect SARS-CoV-2 in clinical saliva samples showed promising results in terms of accuracy (91.3%), sensitivity (92.5%), specificity (90.0%), positive predictive value (PPV) (90.2%), negative predictive value (NPV) (92.3%), and Cohen's Kappa (0.825).

Conclusion: Chicken antibodies proved effective for early and accurate diagnosis of respiratory infections, including COVID-19. This study validates the efficacy of chicken antibodies in diagnosing respiratory infections, supporting pandemic response in developing nations. Expanding diagnostic capabilities is crucial for combating respiratory pathogens.

Patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) typically have an increased risk of thrombosis, especially at a younger age. The prognosis of those acute ischemic stroke (AIS) patients due to acute intracranial artery occlusion seems to be favorable; however, with few published reports. We report two cases of AIS that were treated with intravenous thrombolysis (IVT) and mechanical thrombectomy (MT) with a prior diagnosis of SLE and were treated with regular oral corticosteroids before the onset. During the 1-year follow-up, these two patients were able to live normally without experiencing another ischemic stroke or changing medication. SLE-associated strokes necessitate urgent attention, with prompt diagnosis and immediate therapeutic measures, including thrombolytic therapy or MT, being crucial for achieving favorable patient outcomes.

Aims: To investigate whether liposomal honokiol enhances the anti-tumor effect of bevacizumab (BEV) in glioblastoma (GBM) and explore its underlying mechanism.

Materials & methods: A U87 cell xenograft model in nude mice was used, with groups: model (M), M + liposomal honokiol (Lip-HNK), M + BEV, and M + Lip-HNK + BEV. Tumor volume, body weight, serum levels of VEGF, VEGFR, TNF-α, and Caspase-3, and expressions of autophagy-related (Beclin-1, LC3) and UPR-related (IRE1, GRP78) molecules in tumor tissues were detected.

Results: Compared with monotherapy, the combination of Lip-HNK and BEV significantly reduced tumor volume and tumor index, decreased serum levels of VEGF, VEGFR, and TNF-α, while increasing serum caspase-3. Further mechanistic studies showed that the combination of Lip-HNK and BEV significantly reduced the expression of Beclin-1, LC3, IRE1, and GRP78 in tumors.

Conclusions: Lip-HNK may promote the anti-GBM effect of BEV by inhibiting autophagy mediated by the UPR response.

Background: Prostate cancer is a major contributor to cancer-related mortality in men. High-risk patients, particularly those with biochemical recurrence (BCR) following radical prostatectomy (RP), face poor long-term outcomes. Adjuvant options such as radiotherapy, chemotherapy, and androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) have shown limited benefit in this setting.

Methods: This retrospective analysis evaluated the safety, feasibility, and efficacy of FK-PC101, an autologous immunomodulated tumor cell vaccine, in high-risk post-RP patients. Data were drawn from the FK002-2001 trial, a phase 1/2, non-randomized, open-label study conducted in Brazil. A total of 62 patients were included: 23 in the vaccine group and 39 controls. Primary endpoints were safety and feasibility; secondary endpoints included biochemical recurrence-free survival (BRFS) and overall survival (OS).

Results: The vaccine was well tolerated, with most adverse events being grade 1-2 local reactions. PSA recurrence at 4 years was significantly lower in the vaccine group (11.8%) when compared to controls (36.8%; P = 0.0453). OS did not differ significantly between groups. A higher rate of erectile dysfunction was observed in the vaccine group (P = 0.047).

Conclusion: FK-PC101 demonstrated safety and potential clinical benefit in reducing prostate specific antigen (PSA) recurrence after RP in high-risk prostate cancer patients. These findings support further evaluation in a randomized phase 2 trial.

Background: Finger replantation is a complex microsurgical procedure that requires optimal conditions for success. Understanding the knowledge and awareness of healthcare professionals regarding finger preservation and replantation can help improve outcomes for patients with amputated fingers.

Methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted among healthcare professionals, including clinical years medical students, surgical residents, and specialists. The survey assessed participants' knowledge of factors influencing the finger replantation success, the appropriate management of amputated fingers before surgery, the ideal time for replantation, and key considerations for finger preservation.

Results: Among 197 participants, 81.2% correctly identified finger replantation as a surgical procedure to reattach a severed finger. However, 9.6% incorrectly believed it was a technique to preserve the finger for later reattachment. The most frequently reported barriers to performing finger replantation included lack of training or expertise (78.2%), limited access to specialized surgical instruments (66.5%), and financial constraints (61.9%). Significant differences were found across professional groups regarding perceived barriers, particularly in terms of training, access to surgical instruments, and infrastructure.

Conclusion: While general knowledge of finger replantation is high, key misconceptions and barriers; like limited training, resources, and funding, persist. Improving education, infrastructure, and specialized programs is vital to expanding access and enhance outcomes.

We present an atypical case of a 62-year-old female diagnosed with pulmonary mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue (p-MALT) lymphoma, which uniquely manifested as a singular cystic lesion in the lung. Diagnostic evaluations, including comprehensive imaging, bronchoscopy, and CT-guided lung biopsy, revealed this uncommon radiological presentation. Detailed histopathological and immunohistochemical assessments further supported the diagnosis. To determine the extent of the disease, systemic evaluations, such as whole-body PET-CT, gastroscopy, colonoscopy, and bone marrow biopsy, were conducted, confirming its localized nature. Following the definitive diagnosis, the patient underwent a rituximab-centric therapeutic regimen, which yielded significant clinical improvement. This case highlights the importance of recognizing distinctive cystic lung features in p-MALT lymphoma and the indispensable role of holistic diagnostic approaches in guiding precise therapeutic and prognostic decisions.

Background: Previous observational studies have examined the association between educational attainment (EA) and low back pain (LBP), intervertebral disc degeneration (IVDD), and sciatica. However, research is limited, and these findings are susceptible to reverse causality and confounding factors.

Methods: A two‑sample Mendelian randomization (MR) approach was applied to evaluate the associations of EA with LBP, IVDD, and sciatica, using publicly available summary statistics from large genome‑wide association studies (EBI, UK Biobank, and FinnGen) of European ancestry populations. A series of sensitivity analyses was conducted to assess the robustness of the findings.

Results: Higher genetically predicted educational attainment was associated with a lower risk of LBP, IVDD, and sciatica, although the effect magnitudes varied across cohorts. Protective associations were more evident in the FinnGen dataset, whereas results from the UK Biobank (UKB) and European Bioinformatics Institute (EBI) were directionally consistent but not statistically significant. The overall findings remained robust across multiple MR methods, with minimal evidence of pleiotropy.

Conclusions: Our findings suggest that higher educational attainment may have a protective effect against common spine-related disorders. Enhancing education‑related resources could support early prevention and reduce the population burden associated with these conditions.

Objective: To explore the causal link between genetic predisposition for elevated lactate levels and heart failure (HF) via Mendelian randomization (MR), and investigate lactate-related genetic mechanisms and mediating pathways.

Methods: Lactate and HF summary data were from genome-wide association studies (GWAS). MR analyses used inverse variance weighting (IVW) as the main method; cardiac imaging trait MR focused on UK Biobank data. Mediation analysis examined CD20⁺ memory B cells' role in NUP50-HF pathway.

Results: MR showed that genetically predicted elevated lactate causally increased HF risk independent of hypoperfusion (reverse causality excluded) and reduced left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF), implying a cardiac function-impairment pathway. NUP50, a key lactate-related gene, positively associated with HF. Its HF effect was partially mediated by CD20⁺ memory B cells; both independently linked to HF risk.

Conclusion: Elevated lactate may increase HF risk via impaired cardiac function. NUP50 and other lactate-related genes may regulate HF risk (NUP50 partially via CD20⁺ memory B cells), highlighting lactate and its genetic pathways as potential HF prevention/treatment targets.

Purpose: We aimed to identify the pathogenic variants of homologous recombination (HR) genes and analyze the correlation between the pathogenic variants and clinical characteristics in Chinese breast cancer patients.

Methods: A cohort of 178 breast cancer patients participated in this study. We assessed genomic alterations using a 23-gene panel, which includes most of the HR-related genes and DNA mismatch repair (MMR) gene, through next-generation sequencing. The pathogenicity of variants was determined based on the American College of Medical Genetics and Genomics standards and guidelines. The correlation between these pathogenic variants and the clinical characteristics of the patients was investigated.

Results: 26 pathogenic variants, including one novel suspected pathogenic variant, were detected in 28 (15.7%) patients. These variants occurred in 7 HR-related genes: BRCA1, BRCA2, PALB2, RAD51D, RAD50, BRIP1, and ATM. The frequency of BRCA1 variants was higher in the younger group (8.9%) compared to the older group (2.6%), while the trend was reversed for BRCA2 (3.0% vs. 7.8%). All three patients with the pathogenic variant (p.Lys91fs) in RAD51D were diagnosed with triple-negative breast cancer.

Conclusions: HR-gene testing in breast cancer could help to find new suspected pathogenic variants and increase the clinical benefit of multi-gene testing for breast cancer.

Background: Cancer, influenced by genetics and the environment, involves anoikis, a cell death mechanism upon extracellular matrix detachment crucial for metastasis. Understanding this relationship is key for therapy. We analyze cancer and anoikis trends using bibliometrics.

Methods: A search was conducted from Web of Science Core, PubMed, Scopus and non-English databases such as the CNKI (inception- 21 December 2024). Data analysis employed Microsoft Excel, VOSviewer, CiteSpace, R software, and the online platform (https://bibliometric.com/).

Results: 2510 publications were retrieved, with a significant increase in the last decade. China led, the University of Texas system was productive, and the Oncogene Journal was popular. Breast, and colorectal cancers were frequently studied. Among them, representative tumor-related mechanisms were identified, commonalities such as (EMT, ECM, autophagy) and respective specific mechanisms were summarized.

Conclusion: This bibliometric analysis highlights rapid advances in anoikis research in cancer, emphasizing EMT and FAK pathways' translational potential, guiding targeted therapies, and improving cancer treatment outcomes.