Medicine
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Observational Study
Cardiac autonomic regulation following a 246-km mountain ultra-marathon: An observational study.
Physical exercise requires integrated autonomic and cardiovascular adjustments to maintain homeostasis. We aimed to observe acute posture-related changes in blood pressure, and apply a portable noninvasive monitor to measure the heart index for detecting arrhythmia among elite participants of a 246-km mountain ultra-marathon. Nine experienced ultra-marathoners (8 males and 1 female) participating in the Run Across Taiwan Ultra-marathon in 2018 were enrolled. ⋯ A statistically significant increase was observed in both the high-sensitivity troponin T (P = .028; d = 1.97), and N-terminal proB-type natriuretic peptide (P = .028; d = 2.91) levels postrace compared to prerace. In conclusion, significant alterations in blood pressure and heart rate were observed in the standing position, and postexercise (postural) hypotension occurred among ultra-marathoners. The incidence of premature ventricular complexes was higher after the race than before.
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In the tumor microenvironment (TME), CD8+ T cells showed stage exhaustion due to the continuous stimulation of tumor antigens. To evaluate the status of CD8+ T cells and reverse the exhaustion is the key to evaluate the prognosis and therapeutic effect of tumor patients. The aim of this study was to establish a prognostic signature that could effectively predict prognosis and response to immunotherapy in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). ⋯ The low-risk group had higher immune scores, matrix scores, and ESTIMATE scores, and significantly increased expression levels of most immune checkpoint genes in the low-risk group. Therefore, patients with lower risk scores benefit more from immunotherapy. The combination of the 3 transcription factors can evaluate the exhaustion state of CD8+ T cells in the TME, laying a foundation for evaluating the TME and immunotherapy efficacy in patients with HCC.
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Though years of education have been connected to nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), the exact mechanism underlying this linkage is still unknown. To investigate the causal association between years of education and NAFLD, we will use a 2-sample Mendelian randomization (MR) technique. : Genome-wide association studies data on years of education (n = 766,345) and genome-wide association studies data on nonaffiliated mental illness (n = 778,614) were screened for genetic variations as instrumental variables in the Mr-Base database. MR-Egger regression, weighted median, and inverse variance weighted were used in the MR analysis. ⋯ Among the sensitivity analyses were the following: the MR-Egger intercept test revealed P > .05, suggesting that there was no horizontal pleiotropy in the MR analysis and that the inverse variance weighted results were trustworthy; the Cochran Q test revealed P > .05, suggesting that there was no heterogeneity between the 2 samples; Funnel plot results demonstrated that there was no bias in the link between the measure of variability and the impact size. Leave-1-out analysis results demonstrated that no 1 single nucleotide polymorphism had a significant effect on the study's results, showing that the MR results were stable. This study has investigated the connection between years of education and NAFLD, offering novel suggestions for NAFLD treatment and prevention.
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To investigate the role of TopBP1-interacting checkpoint and replication regulator (TICRR) in the tumorigenesis and prognosis of lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD) patients. Wilcoxon signed-rank test and logistic regression were utilized to analyze the relationship between clinical characteristics and TICRR expression in LUAD from TCGA dataset. Kaplan-Meier plots and Cox regressions were used to assess the impact of TICRR impact on prognosis. ⋯ Interestingly, ssGSEA analysis showed that TICRR expression correlated with multiple immune cell types, such as Th2 cell, TFH cell, mast cell, iDC, eosinophils, and dendritic cell. Lastly, the KM-plotters indicated that LUAD patients with high TICRR expression obtained worse life expectancy (P < .001). TICRR has proven to be a valuable tool in predicting disease progression and prognosis in patients with LUAD, thereby establishing itself as a fitting biomarker for forecasting overall survival (OS) of LUAD patients.
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The potential relationship between the gut microbiota and prostate cancer, possibly influenced by immune cells, remains unclear. This study employed the mediation Mendelian randomization (MR) technique to investigate the causal link between the gut microbiota, immune cells, and prostate cancer. Data on immune cell activity were sourced from Valeria Orrù's research, whereas the genome-wide association study outcome dataset was obtained from the Integrative Epidemiology Unit database. ⋯ The sensitivity analysis verified the robustness of the above results. Mediation analysis demonstrated that CD39+Tregs partially mediate the causal relationship between Bifidobacterium and prostate cancer. This study demonstrates that Bifidobacterium inhibits prostate cancer progression through CD39+Tregs as mediators, providing new ideas and approaches for the treatment and prevention of prostate cancer.