Bmc Med
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High-sensitivity cardiac troponin testing is a promising tool for cardiovascular risk prediction, but whether serial testing can dynamically predict risk is uncertain. We evaluated the trajectory of cardiac troponin I in the years prior to a cardiovascular event in the general population, and determine whether serial measurements could track risk within individuals. ⋯ Cardiac troponin I concentrations increased in those dying from cardiovascular disease compared to those surviving or dying from other causes over the preceding decades. Serial cardiac troponin testing in the general population has potential to track future cardiovascular risk.
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Articular injection of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) has been applied to treat knee osteoarthritis (kOA), but its clinical outcomes are controversial. This study investigated whether an articular inflammatory microenvironment (AIM) impacts MSC-based therapy in a rat model of kOA. ⋯ This study thus clarifies recent clinical findings while also suggesting a means to overcome any detrimental effects of MSC-based therapy while improving its efficacy.
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The impact of immunosuppressive therapies on the efficacy of vaccines to SARS-CoV-2 is not completely clarified. We analyzed humoral and T cell-mediated response after COVID-19 mRNA vaccine in immunosuppressed patients and patients with common variable immunodeficiency disease (CVID). ⋯ Patients treated with abatacept showed an impaired humoral immune response to two doses of COVID-19 vaccine. The third vaccine dose has been demonstrated to be useful to induce a more robust antibody response to balance an impaired T cell-mediated one. All patients, exposed to different immunosuppressive drugs, were able to produce specific CD4-activated T cells, after spike proteins stimulation.
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Genomic technologies have become routine in the surveillance and monitoring of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, as evidenced by the millions of SARS-CoV-2 sequences uploaded to international databases. Yet the ways in which these technologies have been applied to manage the pandemic are varied. ⋯ Our commentary is aimed at health professionals and decision-makers who might not be familiar with genetic technologies, how they can be used, and why this is an area with great potential to assist in disease detection and tracking now and in the future.