by Melissa Rohman and Olivia Dimmer, Northwestern University Notch3 deficiency results in vascular dysfunction due to impaired contractility. Immunofluorescence of phosphorylated myosin light chain 2 (pMLC2–red). White arrows highlight alpha-SMA (green), yellow arrows highlight pMLC (red). Credit: Luisa Iruela-Arispe, Ph.D./Northwestern University Decreased activity of a specific signaling pathway in brain vessels was linked to a...
Finding and targeting a tumor’s sweet spot to eradicate aggressive form of leukemia
by University of Birmingham Credit: Cell Reports (2023). DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2023.113568 A highly aggressive common form of leukemia which is activated by mutations in signaling molecules is maintained by a web of regulatory proteins downstream of these signals. New research published in Cell Reports shows that a complex network of interacting genes activated by this altered signaling...
CAR T-Cell Therapy: A Cure for Systemic Autoimmune Diseases?
SAN DIEGO — CD19-directed chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy, which has transformed the treatment landscape for B-cell malignancies, is now showing great promise in at least three distinct autoantibody-dependent autoimmune diseases. A single infusion of autologous CD19-directed CAR T-cell therapy led to persistent, drug-free remission in 15 patients with life-threatening systemic lupus erythematosus, idiopathic...
AI-Aided Stethoscope Beats PCP in Detecting Valvular HD
A digital stethoscope that uses artificial intelligence (AI) is better at detecting heart murmurs associated with clinically significant valvular heart disease (VHD) than is a primary care physician (PCP) using a traditional stethoscope, a new study shows. photo of Dr Moshe A. RancierDr Moshe A. Rancier The results suggest collecting relevant sounds through a stethoscope...
GLP-1 RAs for CVD: Are Cardiologists Ready?
The positive results from the SELECT trial for the glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists (GLP-1 RAs) were hailed as ushering in a “new era for patients with obesity.” In the trial of overweight and obese patients with cardiovascular disease (CVD), but no diabetes, semaglutide showed meaningful reductions in cardiovascular death, myocardial infarction, and stroke compared with...
Groundbreaking hip-focused physical therapy reduces low back pain
First-of-its-kind clinical trial emphasizes precision medicine for older adults often overlooked in musculoskeletal research Grant and Award Announcement UNIVERSITY OF DELAWARE UNIVERSITY OF DELAWARE PROFESSOR GREGORY HICKS, A RESEARCH CHAMPION AIMING TO IMPROVE THE HEALTH OF OLDER ADULTS, IS SHOWN MONITORING TREATMENT WITH PHYSICAL THERAPIST NATASHA LOBO AT THE PHYSICAL THERAPY CLINIC ON UD’S SCIENCE,...
New way to prompt blood vessel growth shows promise for rescuing limbs at risk
by Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center Critical limb ischemia (CLI), the end-stage condition of peripheral artery disease (PAD), is increasing worldwide. Diabetes, smoking (Buerger disease), and auto-immune diseases all can cause CLI. A new study led by experts at Cincinnati Children’s and Kanazawa University in Japan shows, in mice, that transplanting human stem cells from fat...
Heart failure causally linked to chronic kidney disease
by Elana Gotkine Heart failure is causally associated with chronic kidney disease (CKD), according to a study published online Dec. 11 in PLOS ONE. Junyu Zhang, from Hunan University of Chinese Medicine in Changsha, China, and colleagues used data from European populations, including 930,014 controls and 47,309 cases of heart failure from the HERMES consortium...
Changes in biochemical, hematological parameters seen before IBD diagnosis
by Elana Gotkine Changes in multiple biochemical and hematological parameters occur up to eight years before diagnosis of Crohn disease and up to three years before diagnosis of ulcerative colitis, according to a study published in the Nov. 21 issue of Cell Reports Medicine. Marie Vibeke Vestergaard, from Aalborg University in Copenhagen, Denmark, and colleagues...
Viral Persistence and Serotonin Reduction Can Cause Long COVID Symptoms, Penn Medicine Research Finds
PHILADELPHIA—Patients with long COVID – the long-term symptoms like brain fog, fatigue, or memory loss in the months or years following COVID-19 – can exhibit a reduction in circulating levels of the neurotransmitter serotonin, according to new research published today in Cell. The study, led by researchers from the Perelman School of Medicine at the...