Bmc Med
-
A critical and challenging process in immunotherapy is to identify cancer patients who could benefit from immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs). Exploration of predictive biomarkers could help to maximize the clinical benefits. Eph receptors have been shown to play essential roles in tumor immunity. However, the association between EPH gene mutation and ICI response is lacking. ⋯ EPHA7-MUT successfully predicted better clinical outcomes in ICI-treated patients across multiple cancer types, indicating that EPHA7-MUT could serve as a potential predictive biomarker for immune checkpoint inhibitors.
-
Although there are many clinical and molecular biomarkers in acute myeloid leukemia (AML), the novel and reliable biomarkers are still required to predict the overall survival at the time of disease diagnosis. ⋯ Our data demonstrates that hsa_circ_0075451 expression may independently contribute to the poor prognosis of AML and present a novel therapeutic target.
-
SARS-CoV-2 has induced a worldwide pandemic and subsequent non-pharmaceutical interventions (NPIs) to control the spread of the virus. As in many countries, the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic in Germany has led to a consecutive roll-out of different NPIs. As these NPIs have (largely unknown) adverse effects, targeting them precisely and monitoring their effectiveness are essential. We developed a compartmental infection dynamics model with specific features of SARS-CoV-2 that allows daily estimation of a time-varying reproduction number and published this information openly since the beginning of April 2020. Here, we present the transmission dynamics in Germany over time to understand the effect of NPIs and allow adaptive forecasts of the epidemic progression. ⋯ The estimated fraction of immunized population by August 2020 warns of a renewed outbreak upon release of measures. A low detection rate prolongs the delay reaching a low case incidence number upon release, showing the importance of an effective testing-quarantine strategy. We show that real-time monitoring of transmission dynamics is important to evaluate the extent of the outbreak, short-term projections for the burden on the healthcare system, and their response to policy changes.
-
Sex hormones have been suggested to play a role in colorectal cancer (CRC), but their influence on early initiation of CRC remains unknown. ⋯ The findings suggest a potential role of sex hormones, particularly SHBG, in early colorectal carcinogenesis.
-
It is estimated that the COVID-19 pandemic will drastically increase all forms of malnutrition. Of particular concern, yet understated, is the potential to increase the double burden of malnutrition (DBM) epidemic. This coexistence of undernutrition together with overweight and obesity, or diet-related non-communicable disease (NCD), within low- to middle-income countries (LMICs) is increasing rapidly. Although multiple factors contribute to the DBM, food insecurity (FI) and gut microbiota dysbiosis play a crucial role. Both under- and overnutrition have been shown to be a consequence of food insecurity. The gut microbiota has also been recently implicated in playing a role in under- and overnutrition, with altered community structure and function common to both. The pandemic has already caused significant shifts in food availability which has immediate effects on the gut microbiome. In this opinion paper, we discuss how COVID-19 may indirectly exacerbate the DBM through food insecurity and the gut microbiome. ⋯ Low- to mid-income countries will likely see an increase in the DBM epidemic. Providing access to nutritious foods and protecting individuals' gut microbiome to "flatten the curve" of the DBM trajectory should be prioritized.