Severe periodontitis is associated with the serum levels of hypersensitive C reactive protein and lipoprotein-associated phospholipase A2 in the patients of acute ischemic stroke

BackgroundPeriodontitis is associated with the pathogenesis of atherosclerotic plaque, and hypersensitive C reactive protein (hs-CRP) and lipoprotein-associated phospholipase A2 (Lp-PLA2) are the serum biomarkers of the stability of atherosclerotic plaque. Whether periodontitis is associated with the serum level of hs-CRP and Lp-PLA2 of acute ischemic stroke remains unclear.Material and MethodsWe recruited 103 cases with acute ischemic stroke within 7 days after stroke onset. Pocket depth and clinical attachment loss were assessed by oral examination to define the severe periodontitis. Demographic information including gender, age and body weight index, income level, education level, past medical history include smoking history, drinking history, ischemic stroke history, coronary heart disease, hypertension, diabetes and hyperlipidemia were collected, and serum biomarkers including white blood cell (WBC), fibrinogen, total cholesterol (TC), triglyceride (TG), lower density lipoprotein (LDL-C), high density lipoprotein (HDL-C), hs-CRP, HemoglobinA1c (HbAlc), Homocysteine (HCY) and Lp-PLA2 were tested.Results65 (63.1%) cases were diagnosed as severe periodontitis. Severe periodontitis group showed more male, age, drinking history, higher levels of hs-CRP and Lp-PLA2. Multivariate logistic regression showed that severe periodontitis was were significantly associated with hs-CRP (OR = 2.367, 95%CI: 1.182–4.738; P = .015) and Lp-PLA2 (OR = 2.577, 95% CI: 1.010–6.574; P = .048).ConclusionsSevere periodontitis is independently associated with the serum Level of hs-CRP and Lp-PLA2 in patients with acute ischemic stroke. Whether the improvement of periodontitis could decrease the occurrence and re-occurrence of ischemic stroke by stablizating atherosclerotic plaque need be further studied in future.     

Medication Adherence App for Food Pantry Clients With Diabetes: A Feasibility Study

Low-income food pantry clients are unable to adhere to the diet and physical activity recommendations of the American Diabetes Association. The aim of the study is to test the feasibility of using a mobile phone app to improve diabetes medication adherence. Clients with uncontrolled type 2 diabetes were enrolled in a mobile phone app featuring 70 days of text message reminders and incentives. The app and the 4-item Morisky Medication Adherence Scale evaluated medication adherence. Clinically significant medication adherence of 93% was achieved with use of the app. Phone app use is feasible among urban low-income clients to improve medication adherence.     

Actualización de las recomendaciones de medidas de prevención y aislamiento frente al SARS-CoV-2 en las unidades de diálisis: un posicionamiento de la Sociedad Española de Nefrología

SARS-CoV-2 pandemic has changed across the last 2 years. The development and approval of SARS-CoV-2 vaccines and the emergence of new variants has opened up a new scenario. On this regard, Spanish Society of Nephrology (S.E.N.) Council considers that an update of the previous recommendations should be performed. In the present statement, and taking into account the current epidemiological situation, are included updated recommendations of protection and isolation for patients on dialysis programs.     

Combining CAPRA-S With Tumor IDC/C Features Improves the Prognostication of Biochemical Recurrence in Prostate Cancer Patients

Background: Intraductal carcinoma and cribriform (IDC/C) tumor features are well-established prognosticators of biochemical recurrence (BCR), metastasis, and prostate cancer (PCa)-specific mortality. However, approximately 70% of PCa patients undergoing a radical prostatectomy are IDC/C negative, yet up-to 20% of these patients progress and experience BCR. Thus, tumor histopathologic characteristics such as IDC/C alone are limited in their ability to predict disease progression. Conversely, several nomograms such as Cancer of the Prostate Risk Assessment-Surgery (CAPRA-S) have been developed to aid in the prognostication of BCR, but not yet widely applied in clinical settings. Materials and methods: In this study, we assessed the combined prognostic utility of IDC/C, and CAPRA-S for BCR in 3 PCa patient cohorts. Results: CAPRA-S+IDC/C improved the predictive accuracy of BCR in all 3 cohorts (P < .001). Specifically, among IDC/C negative cases, CAPRA-S improved the prognostication of BCR in low-risk (Cohort 1; P < .001, Cohort 2; P < .001, Cohort 3; P = .003), intermediate (Cohort 1; P < .001, Cohort 2; P = .006, Cohort 3; P = .03) and high-risk (Cohort 1-3; P < .001) patients. Conversely, IDC/C improved the prognostication of BCR among CAPRA-S low-risk (Cohorts 1; P < .001 and Cohort 3; P = .003) patients. Conclusion: Our results suggest the investigation of histopathological IDC/C features in CAPRA-S low-risk patients and conversely, nomogram CAPRA-S among IDC/C negative patients improves the identification of patients likely to experience BCR, which would otherwise be missed through current assessment regimens. These patients can be offered more intensive monitoring and adjuvant therapies upfront to circumvent the development of recurrent cancer or overtreatment at the time of surgery.     

Iron Deficiency Anemia Associated With Acid-Modifying Medications: Two Cases and Literature Review

Iron deficiency anemia is often listed among potential adverse effects of gastric acid-suppressive medications, given that gastric acidity promotes intestinal absorption of nonheme iron. Additionally, the antacid calcium carbonate can inhibit iron absorption. However, there is little direct clinical evidence that proton-pump inhibitors, histamine-2 receptor antagonists, or calcium carbonate cause iron deficiency anemia. Most case reports have had substantial limitations (e.g., minimal follow-up and presence of other causes of iron deficiency), and retrospective cohort studies have lacked sufficient patient-specific detail to make strong causal inferences. We present 2 cases—both with detailed, prospective 10-year follow-up—in which combinations of proton-pump inhibitors, histamine-2 receptor antagonists and calcium carbonate were clearly associated with development of iron deficiency anemia. Overt iron-deficiency anemia is probably uncommon in patients who use acid-modifying medications and who have no other conditions that predispose to iron deficiency. Nevertheless, clinicians should be aware of this potential complication, given widespread use of these agents.     

A prime-boost concept using a T-cell epitope-driven DNA vaccine followed by a whole virus vaccine effectively protected pigs in the pandemic H1N1 pig challenge model

Influenza A virus (IAV) vaccines in pigs generally provide homosubtypic protection but fail to prevent heterologous infections. In this pilot study, the efficacy of an intradermal pDNA vaccine composed of conserved SLA class I and class II T cell epitopes (EPITOPE) against a homosubtypic challenge was compared to an intramuscular commercial inactivated whole virus vaccine (INACT) and a heterologous prime boost approach using both vaccines. Thirty-nine IAV-free, 3-week-old pigs were randomly assigned to one of five groups including NEG-CONTROL (unvaccinated, sham-challenged), INACT-INACT-IAV (vaccinated with FluSure XP® at 4 and 7 weeks, pH1N1 challenged), EPITOPE-INACT-IAV (vaccinated with PigMatrix EDV at 4 and FluSure XP® at 7 weeks, pH1N1 challenged), EPITOPE-EPITOPE-IAV (vaccinated with PigMatrix EDV at 4 and 7 weeks, pH1N1 challenged), and a POS-CONTROL group (unvaccinated, pH1N1 challenged). The challenge was done at 9 weeks of age and pigs were necropsied at day post challenge (dpc) 5. At the time of challenge, all INACT-INACT-IAV pigs, and by dpc 5 all EPITOPE-INACT-IAV pigs were IAV seropositive. IFNγ secreting cells, recognizing vaccine epitope-specific peptides and pH1N1 challenge virus were highest in the EPITOPE-INACT-IAV pigs at challenge. Macroscopic lung lesion scores were reduced in all EPITOPE-INACT-IAV pigs while INACT-INACT-IAV pigs exhibited a bimodal distribution of low and high scores akin to naïve challenged animals. No IAV antigen in lung tissues was detected at necropsy in the EPITOPE-INACT-IAV group, which was similar to naïve unchallenged pigs and different from all other challenged groups. Results suggest that the heterologous prime boost approach using an epitope-driven DNA vaccine followed by an inactivated vaccine was effective against a homosubtypic challenge, and further exploration of this vaccine approach as a practical control measure against heterosubtypic IAV infections is warranted.     

The magnitude and timing of recalled immunity after breakthrough infection is shaped by SARS-CoV-2 variants

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The oncogenic impact of RNF2 on cell proliferation,invasion and migration through EMT on mammary carcinoma

Mammary carcinoma (MC) is one of most common malignancy in women, and ring finger protein 2 (RNF2) possesses various roles in vast human tumors. In MC tissues as well as in cell lines RNF2 exhibited high expression, had significant association with tumor size, lymph node status, TNM stage, patients’ poor survival, and promoted cell proliferation, colony formation, cell migration and invasion of MC cell lines which was mediated by downregulation of E-cadherin protein. These data reveal that RNF2 protein plays a vital role in the development of MC and may be a potential therapy target of MC.     

A DNA vaccine expressing an optimized secreted FAPα induces enhanced anti-tumor activity by altering the tumor microenvironment in a murine model of breast cancer

Cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs), major components of the tumor microenvironment (TME), promote tumor growth and metastasis and inhibit the anti-tumor immune response. We previously constructed a DNA vaccine expressing human FAPα, which is highly expressed by CAFs, to target these cells in the TME, and observed limited anti-tumor effects in the 4T1 breast cancer model. When the treatment time was delayed until tumor nodes formed, the anti-tumor effect of the vaccine completely disappeared. In this study, to improve the safety and efficacy, we constructed a new FAPα-targeted vaccine containing only the extracellular domain of human FAPα with a tissue plasminogen activator signal sequence for enhanced antigen secretion and immunogenicity. The number of CAFs was more effectively reduced by CD8⁺ T cells induced by the new vaccine. This resulted in decreases in CCL2 and CXCL12 expression, leading to a significant decrease in the ratio of myeloid-derived suppressor cells in the TME. Moreover, when mice were treated after the establishment of tumors, the vaccine could still delay tumor growth. To facilitate the future application of the vaccine in clinical trials, we further optimized the gene codons and reduced the homology between the vaccine and the original sequence, which may be convenient for evaluating the vaccine distribution in the human body. These results indicated that the new FAPα-targeted vaccine expressing an optimized secreted human FAPα induced enhanced anti-tumor activity by reducing the number of FAPα⁺ CAFs and enhancing the recruitment of effector T cells in the 4T1 tumor model mice.