Journal of investigative medicine : the official publication of the American Federation for Clinical Research
-
Atrial fibrillation (AF) frequently occurs concurrently with heart failure (HF). The two conditions can exacerbate each other, resulting in higher morbidity and mortality. In our analysis, we evaluated mortality trends related to AF in individuals with underlying HF. ⋯ Our results demonstrate existing disparities among age, gender, racial, and geographic subgroups related to AF mortality among individuals with comorbid HF. Although decreased overall mortality was observed within younger populations compared to older populations, the prominent AAPC seen in younger populations warrants further investigation. Detection of AF among younger adults with comorbid HF should prompt the intensification of preventative and treatment measures.
-
The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, which emerged in late 2019, has caused millions of infections and fatalities globally, disrupting various aspects of human society, including socioeconomic, political, and educational systems. One of the key challenges during the COVID-19 pandemic is accurately predicting the clinical development and outcome of the infected patients. In response, scientists and medical professionals globally have mobilized to develop prognostic strategies such as risk scores, biomarkers, and machine learning models to predict the clinical course and outcomes of COVID-19 patients. ⋯ Our model outperforms the clinical predictive models regarding patient mortality risk and classification in the literature. Therefore, we conclude that our robust model can help healthcare professionals to manage COVID-19 patients more effectively. We expect that early prediction of COVID-19 patients and preventive interventions can reduce the mortality risk of patients.
-
The immune microenvironment plays an important role in the regulation of diseases. The characterization of the cellular composition of immune cell infiltrates in diseases and respective models is a major task in pathogenesis research and diagnostics. ⋯ Accordingly, we developed a robust, rapid RT-qPCR-based approach to determine and quantify the abundance of prominent immune cell populations such as T cells, helper T (Th) cells, cytotoxic T cells, Th1 cells, B cells, and macrophages in mouse tissues. The results were independently validated by the gold standards IHC and FACS in corresponding tissues and showed high concordance.
-
The FK506-binding protein (FKBP5) plays significant roles in mediating stress responses by interacting with glucocorticoids, participating in adipogenesis, and influencing various cellular pathways throughout the body. In this review, we described the potential role of FKBP5 in the pathogenesis of two common chronic liver diseases, metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD), and alcohol-associated liver disease (ALD). We provided an overview of the FK-binding protein family and elucidated their roles in cellular stress responses, metabolic diseases, and adipogenesis. We explored how FKBP5 may mechanistically influence the pathogenesis of MASLD and ALD and provided insights for further investigation into the role of FKBP5 in these two diseases.
-
Acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) is the second most common acute leukemia in adults with a poor prognosis with relapsed or refractory (R/R) B-cell lineage ALL (B-ALL). Anti-CD19 chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy has shown excellent response rates in RR B-ALL, but most patients relapse due to poor persistence of CAR T-cell therapy or other tumor-associated escape mechanisms. ⋯ In this review, we will discuss novel CAR targets, CAR constructs, and various strategies to boost CARs for the treatment of RR B-ALL. In addition, we discuss a few novel strategies developed to reduce the side effects of CAR.