Int J Med Sci
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Review
Great Expectations: Induced pluripotent stem cell technologies in neurodevelopmental impairments.
Somatic cells such as skin fibroblasts, umbilical cord blood, peripheral blood, urinary epithelial cells, etc., are transformed into induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) by reprogramming technology, a milestone in the stem-cell research field. IPSCs are similar to embryonic stem cells (ESCs), exhibiting the potential to differentiate into various somatic cells. Still, the former avoid problems of immune rejection and medical ethics in the study of ESCs and clinical trials. ⋯ The process provided samples and the impetus for developing drugs and developing treatment plans for neurodevelopmental disorders. Here, this article mainly introduced the development of iPSCs, the currently established iPSCs disease models, and artificial organoids related to neurodevelopmental impairments. This technology will promote our understanding of neurodevelopmental impairments and bring great expectations to children with neurological disorders.
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Meta Analysis
MicroRNAs as potential biomarkers for the diagnosis of Traumatic Brain Injury: A systematic review and meta-analysis.
Background: Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is a sudden trauma on the head, in which severe TBI (sTBI) is usually associated with death and long-term disability. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are potential biomarkers of diverse diseases, including TBI. However, few systematic reviews and meta-analyses have been conducted to determine the clinical value of miRNAs expression in TBI patients. ⋯ The AUC of miRNAs in severe TBI was 0.97, with 91% sensitivity and 92% specificity. Conclusion: This systematic review and meta-analysis demonstrated that miRNAs could be potential diagnostic markers in TBI patients. MiRNAs detected in blood and brain tissue display high accuracy for TBI diagnosis.
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Review
Insights into the theranostic value of precision medicine on advanced radiotherapy to breast cancer.
Breast cancer is the most common cancer in women worldwide. "Breast cancer" encompasses a broad spectrum of diseases (i.e., subtypes) with significant epidemiological, clinical, and biological heterogeneity. Each of these subtypes has a different natural history and prognostic profile. Although tumour staging (TNM classification) still provides valuable information in the overall management of breast cancer, the current reality is that clinicians must consider other biological and molecular factors that directly influence treatment decision-making, including extent of surgery, indication for chemotherapy, hormonal therapy, and even radiotherapy (and treatment volumes). ⋯ Although precision medicine has been much discussed in the last five years or so, the concept remains somewhat ambiguous, and it often appear to be used as a "catch-all" term. The present review aims to clarify the meaning of this term and, more importantly, to critically evaluate the role and impact of precision medicine on breast cancer radiotherapy. Finally, we will discuss the current and future of precision medicine in radiotherapy.
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Meta Analysis Comparative Study
Comparison of survival outcomes between primary and secondary muscle-invasive bladder cancer: An updated meta-analysis.
Objective: Studies have showed that different follow-up starting points might potentially impact the comparison between primary (PMIBC) and secondary muscle-invasive bladder cancer (SMIBC), but the only previous meta-analysis did not differentiate the follow-up starting points of included studies. With more trials published, we aim to update the meta-analysis comparing PMIBC and SMIBC. Methods: PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Library and ClinicalTrial.gov. systematically searched. ⋯ In terms of OM and recurrence, outcomes were pooled only after RC, which both turned out to be higher for SMIBC (OM: HR 1.50, 95%CI 1.30-1.73, P<0.00001, I2=0%; Recurrence: HR 1.66, 95%CI 1.36-2.02, P<0.00001, I2=48%). No obvious publication bias was observed from funnel plot. Conclusion: The current study suggested SMIBC had higher risk of CSM, OM and recurrence after RC, but lower risk of CSM after initial diagnosis.
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Objective: To evaluate the characteristics at admission of patients with moderate COVID-19 in Wuhan and to explore risk factors associated with the severe prognosis of the disease for prognostic prediction. Methods: In this retrospective study, moderate and severe disease was defined according to the report of the WHO-China Joint Mission on COVID-19. Clinical characteristics and laboratory findings of 172 patients with laboratory-confirmed moderate COVID-19 were collected when they were admitted to the Cancer Center of Wuhan Union Hospital between February 13, 2020 and February 25, 2020. ⋯ The six features included interleukin-6, high-sensitivity cardiac troponin I, procalcitonin, high-sensitivity C-reactive protein, chest distress and calcium level. Conclusions: With the data collected at admission, the combination of one clinical characteristic and five laboratory findings contributed the most to the discrimination between the two groups with a linear kernel support vector machine classifier. These factors may be risk factors that can be used to perform a prognostic prediction regarding the severity of the disease for patients with moderate COVID-19 in the early stage of the disease.