Life sciences
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Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer-related mortality worldwide. Treatment with immunotherapy has made a significant impact on the outcomes for those patients suffering from lung cancer and its usage is currently an established treatment modality. Immune checkpoint inhibition that has blocking antibodies which target cytotoxic T-lymphocyte antigen-4 (CTLA-4) along with the programmed cell death protein 1 (PD-1) pathway [programmed death - 1/programmed death-ligand 1 (PD-L1)] have shown promising results for numerous malignancies. ⋯ Despite such benefits, treatment with immune checkpoint inhibitors is associated with a unique pattern of immune-related adverse effects or side effects. Also, resistance is routinely developing in patients treated with immune checkpoint inhibitors. The current review provides an overview of immune checkpoint inhibitor treatment in lung cancer, its resistance, and adverse effects.
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The prevalence of autoimmune diseases (ADs) has increased over the past few decades. Vitamin D deficiency is a common factor in many of these diseases, whose etiology remains poorly understood. ⋯ Most studies show that adequate supplementation can prevent and improve the development of some of these diseases, although the optimal vitamin D dose remains controversial. We highlight the importance of measuring serum vitamin D levels of the population and developing strategies to improve and maintain levels with no health risks.