Journal of investigative medicine : the official publication of the American Federation for Clinical Research
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In many COVID-19 survivors, symptoms continue for a long time. This study aims to examine the relationship between the long-term effects of COVID-19, levels of anxiety and depression, and suicidal ideation with sociodemographic factors and symptoms. A cross-sectional study was conducted on patients who came for control at least 3 months after having COVID-19 disease, in the stable period, and still have symptoms after COVID-19. ⋯ Both BAS and BDS scores were significantly higher in people with suicidality compared to others, and long-term symptoms were found to be statistically associated with this situation. Depression and anxiety are common in cases of long COVID. It is important for healthcare professionals to be aware of these potential mental health consequences, especially suicidality, and to provide appropriate support and interventions for individuals with long COVID.
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Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) ranks as the fifth most common neoplasm and the third leading cause of cancer-related deaths worldwide. Current serum biomarkers for HCC surveillance and early diagnosis, particularly alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) the most commonly used marker, lack satisfactory sensitivity and specificity, highlighting an urgent need for more effective markers with higher accuracy for early HCC detection. The downregulation of melanoma-associated antigen D1 (MAGE-D1) transcription plays a crucial role in apoptosis and inhibits cancer cell proliferation when expressed ectopically. ⋯ The performance of serum MAGED-1 expression in discrimination between HCC and chronic liver condition revealed an area under the curve (AUC) of 0.939 using the cutoff (0.752) yielded a sensitivity of 90%, specificity of 85%, and an accuracy of 91%. Evaluation of the diagnostic significance of MAGED-1 demonstrated an AUC value of 0.726, with a sensitivity of 63.6% and a specificity of 73.5%. In conclusion, MAGED-1 might be a specific and sensitive biomarker for HCC, potentially improving the malignancy diagnosis and prognosis.
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NKG2D chimeric antigen receptor (CAR)-modified T cells (NKG2D CAR-T cells) have been reported to be preclinically efficient in several tumors, but little is known whether NKG2D CAR-T cells co-expressing IL21 (IL21-NKG2D CAR-T cells) display greater antitumor activity in multiple myeloma (MM). In this study, the lentivirus has been produced for expression of the IL21 sequence linked to the extracellular NKG2D sequence with the signal peptide linked through the CD8α hinge-transmembrane domain to the 4-1BB molecule fused with the CD3-ζ chain signaling domain, and the engineered IL21-NKG2D CAR-T cells and NKG2D CAR-T cells were constructed. The CAR expression on CAR-T cells was assessed by flow cytometry, and the killing effects of CAR-T cells on MM were assessed by the cytotoxicity assay and ELISA assay. ⋯ Remarkably, we found that dexamethasone enhanced the cytotoxicity of IL21-NKG2D CAR-T cells on MM cells. Furthermore, IL21-NKG2D CAR-T cells also displayed significant anti-myeloma activity in vivo. In conclusion, IL21-NKG2D CAR-T cells had dramatic cytotoxicity on MM cells in vitro and in vivo, and a system to apply IL21-NKG2D CAR-T cells and low dosage of dexamethasone for the future study of the targeted therapy for MM has been established.
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Prostate cancer screening has presented a challenge to clinicians. Although the implementation of screening tests such as prostate-specific antigen (PSA) and digital rectal exam (DRE) has had a significant impact on prostate-cancer-specific mortality, these traditional screening tests have a relatively poor positive predictive value of clinically significant prostate cancer (CSPC), leading to unnecessary biopsies and treatment with a host of potential complications. Fortunately, much research has been done to optimize prostate cancer screening. This includes the Prostate, Lung, Colorectal, and Ovarian Cancer Screening Trial, which underwent a secondary analysis to identify an association between PSA level and CSPC, and the IP1-PROSTAGRAM Tri.
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Translational research moves scientific discoveries and innovations across the development spectrum for a particular target or disease, trying to bridge in a multidisciplinary fashion the gap between laboratory scientific discoveries and practical, real-world applications in medicine and in healthcare. Translational research aims to move research findings across settings, specific languages, methodologies, and study designs, from laboratory to clinical practice and ultimately into community- and population-level health benefits. In contrast, translational science is a distinct field, which evolved over time toward a systematic study and practice of operationalizing the translation of content from one language, ecosystem, environment, contextual landscape, culture, discipline, area, or domain into another. ⋯ Translational science often uses knowledge, operational frameworks, and specific capabilities borrowed from other specialties, disciplines, and fields such as operations management, implementation and dissemination science, quality improvement and management, project management, public health, intervention science, change management and leadership, decision science, design thinking, functional design, data science, communication and marketing science, etc. The main goal of this article is to open a series of thematic reviews in this journal, introducing the reader to the main definitions, contingencies, touchpoints, and overlapping areas between translational science and these related specialties, disciplines, and fields of study. Transdisciplinary capabilities borrowing from these related specialties can create a robust translational science machinery for health systems, research organizations, and innovation hubs.