There is a strong relationship between heart failure (HF) and atrial fibrillation (AF): half of the patients with HF acquire AF. Recent studies discovered a genetic basis underlying AF, which demonstrated a strong heritable component to this disease.
Pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH), characterized by vasoconstriction and pulmonary vascular remodeling, has a 10% annual mortality rate among patients due to right heart failure. There are genetic variants known to impact the risk of PAH, but susceptibility from epigenetic changes is poorly understood.
Radiotherapy resistance and metastasis are among the top risk factors for refractory oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC), the mechanisms of which must be elucidated, plus there is a lack of biomarkers to predict response.
From previous reports, there is evidence that cancer cells overexpress inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate receptor-interacting protein-like 1 (ITPRIPL1) to evade the immune system and promote tumor growth. Tissue samples from patients with non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) were collected and used for studying the expression (intensity and extent) patterns of ITPRIPL1 and its diagnostic and prognostic value in this cancer type.
Researchers from West China Hospital of Sichuan University presented data from a study that aimed to investigate the associations between serum cystatin C (CysC) levels and the progression and survival of patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS).
University of Oxford scientists have presented data from deep proteomics of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) in search of proteins with diagnostic or prognostic value in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). Analysis was performed using CSF samples from 40 ALS patients, 15 controls (healthy individuals) and 8 mimicking conditions.
It is known that heterozygous mutations in the HBB gene, which encodes β-globin, are the cause of inherited β-thalassemia. A new case report describes a novel frameshift mutation in the HBB gene leading to a dominant form of β-thalassemia.
Researchers have defined an amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) reversal phenotype as having an initial diagnosis of ALS but subsequently showing a progressive and sustained clinical improvement, based on an unusual case they found.
MicroRNAs (miRNAs) play an important role in modulating neuronal stress responses, but their impact on neuroprotection has been poorly studied. Multiple sclerosis (MS) is the most common inflammatory disease affecting the central nervous system. Researchers have recently attempted to identify potential miRNAs that play a protective role in neuroinflammation.
Researchers from The Brigham and Women's Hospital presented data from a study that aimed to evaluate the role of somatic variants in drug-resistant mesial temporal lobe epilepsy (MTLE). High-coverage whole-exome sequencing was conducted using DNA samples derived from the hippocampus and paired brain tissue and/or blood samples.