Journal of investigative medicine : the official publication of the American Federation for Clinical Research
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As no vaccines are 100% effective at preventing illness, COVID-19 vaccine breakthrough cases are expected. We here aim to review the most recent literature on COVID-19 vaccine breakthrough infections. SARS-CoV-2 breakthrough infections are, in general, rare. Age may still be a factor in SARS-CoV-2 infections in immunized individuals.
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Breast cancer (BC) is the most common cancer affecting women worldwide. In 2021, the estimated number of new breast cancer cases was 281 550 and about 43 500 women died from metastatic breast cancer (mBC). For women aged 20-59 years, mBC remains the leading cause of cancer death and is, therefore, an important public health concern. ⋯ Even with the major progress that has been made in understanding the biology of BC, challenges such as resistance frequency to therapies, unknown efficacy, concerns for safety of drug combination and toxicities still remain high. Therefore, a new targeted and more selective treatment approaches are the need of the hour. In this review, we aim to outline the most recently approved medications in treatment of Her2-positive and triple-negative breast cancers.
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The intact telomere structure is essential for the prevention of the chromosome end-to-end fusions and maintaining genomic integrity. The maintenance of telomere length is critical for cellular homeostasis. The shortening of telomeres has been reported in patients with chronic liver diseases. ⋯ In this brief report, we observed evidence of telomere shortening without changes in the telomerase activity in the liver of patients with alcoholic hepatitis and alcoholic cirrhosis when compared with controls. The alterations in the genes associated with telomere binding proteins were only observed in patients with alcoholic cirrhosis. Future studies are required to determine the mechanism of how alcohol affects the length of the telomere and if the shortening impacts the disease progression in ALD.
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Vinpocetine exerts pharmacological effects against cardiovascular diseases, while few studies focused on its roles in cancer. The present study investigated the roles of vinpocetine in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and its relationship with cisplatin resistance. A549 cisplatin-resistant cells (A549/DDP) and nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 (Nrf2)-overexpressing cell lines were established. 3-(4,5-Dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-5-(3-carboxymethoxyphenyl)-2-(4-sulfophenyl)-2H-tetrazolium assay was conducted to determine cell viability. ⋯ Interestingly, the overexpression of Nrf2 abolished the antiproliferative effects of vinpocetine on NSCLC cells. In vivo data suggested that vinpocetine (50 mg/kg) inhibited tumor growth and enhanced the antitumor effects of cisplatin in the NSCLC cell tumor-bearing model. Vinpocetine enhances cisplatin sensitivity of NSCLC cells in part by suppressing Nrf2 signaling.
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Dysglycemia is a common complication in hospitalized patients and has been suggested to play a significant role in the pathology and virulence of patients with bacteremia. The literature evaluating this relationship in critically ill patients, however, is limited. This retrospective, single-center cohort study aimed to investigate the relationship of glycemic control with 28-day intensive care unit (ICU)-free days in critically ill patients with bacteremia. ⋯ Of the survivors, no difference was seen with TIR status and the number of ICU-free days (p=0.780). These findings demonstrate that glycemic control may increase the likelihood of being liberated from the ICU within a 28-day period, which the authors attributed to increased survival. However, of the patients who left the ICU, glycemic control was not associated with a significant difference in the number of ICU-free days.