Upsala journal of medical sciences
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Higher circulating levels of tumor necrosis factor (TNF) alpha receptors 1 (TNFR1) and 2 (TNFR2) are associated with increased long-term mortality and impaired kidney function. ⋯ TNFR2 was associated with mortality, but TNFR1 was not, although showing a borderline value. Neither TNFR1 nor TNFR2 predicted decline in kidney function. TNFR1 and TNFR2 portray interesting aspects in patients with CKD, but the clinical utility seems limited.
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Metastatic neuroendocrine carcinoma (NEC) is associated with short survival. Other than platinum-based chemotherapy, there is no clear standard regimen. Current guidelines suggest that combination treatment with BRAF-inhibitors should be considered for patients with BRAF V600E-mutated NEC. However, since only eight such patients have been reported in the literature, our object was to confirm the validity of this recommendation. ⋯ BRAF-mutated NEC is sensitive to treatment with BRAF- and MEK-inhibitor combination. These results further support that DNA sequencing should be considered as standard of care in NECs to screen for potential treatment targets.
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Myotonic dystrophy type 1 (DM1) is a monogenetic disease affecting many organs. Gastrointestinal symptoms are prevalent and of considerable consequences for affected individuals. The life expectancy is shortened and the objective of the study is to evaluate if gastrointestinal symptoms can predict the outcome of the disease. ⋯ Albeit prevalent and of considerable clinical consequence, gastrointestinal symptoms are not correlated to survival in myotonic dystrophy type 1.
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Open-angle glaucoma (OAG) is a leading cause of irreversible blindness. There are no prospective studies on the risk of developing blindness in both eyes in individuals with definite OAG. ⋯ In this study of blindness in newly diagnosed OAG in a Swedish population, approximately one in 10 patients progressed to bilateral blindness caused by the disease. Old age and male sex were identified as significant risk factors.
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This study aimed to assess the cellular localization and expression levels of hypoxia-inducible factor (HIF) -α proteins (specifically HIF-1α, HIF-2α, and HIF-3α) that play a role in the hypoxia pathway and to determine their correlation with clinicopathological parameters and patient survival in renal cell carcinoma (RCC). ⋯ The expression levels of the three primary HIF-α proteins were found to be higher in the nucleus than in the cytoplasm. Furthermore, the results indicated that HIF-3α and HIF-1α expression levels were significant univariate factors associated with CSS in patients with clear cell RCC. These results highlight the critical role that HIF-3α and HIF-1α play in the hypoxia pathway.