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Canadian Journal of Kidney Health and... 2023Multiple large-scale genome-wide association meta-analyses studies have reliably identified an association between genetic variants within the gene and chronic kidney... (Review)
Review
PURPOSE OF REVIEW
Multiple large-scale genome-wide association meta-analyses studies have reliably identified an association between genetic variants within the gene and chronic kidney disease. This association extends to alterations in known markers of kidney disease including baseline estimated glomerular filtration rate, urinary albumin-to-creatinine ratio, and blood urea nitrogen. Yet, an understanding of the molecular mechanisms behind the association of SHROOM3 and kidney disease remains poorly communicated. We conducted a narrative review to summarize the current state of literature regarding the genetic and molecular relationships between SHROOM3 and kidney development and disease.
SOURCES OF INFORMATION
PubMed, PubMed Central, SCOPUS, and Web of Science databases, as well as review of references from relevant studies and independent Google Scholar searches to fill gaps in knowledge.
METHODS
A comprehensive narrative review was conducted to explore the molecular mechanisms underlying SHROOM3 and kidney development, function, and disease.
KEY FINDINGS
SHROOM3 is a unique protein, as it is the only member of the SHROOM group of proteins that regulates actin dynamics through apical constriction and apicobasal cell elongation. It holds a dichotomous role in the kidney, as subtle alterations in SHROOM3 expression and function can be both pathological and protective toward kidney disease. Genome-wide association studies have identified genetic variants near the transcription start site of the gene associated with chronic kidney disease. SHROOM3 also appears to protect the glomerular structure and function in conditions such as focal segmental glomerulosclerosis. However, little is known about the exact mechanisms by which this protection occurs, which is why SHROOM3 binding partners remain an opportunity for further investigation.
LIMITATIONS
Our search was limited to English articles. No structured assessment of study quality was performed, and selection bias of included articles may have occurred. As we discuss future directions and opportunities, this narrative review reflects the academic views of the authors.
PubMed: 38107159
DOI: 10.1177/20543581231212038 -
Cancer Causes & Control : CCC Oct 2023The incidence of Ewing sarcoma varies according to race and ethnicity, and genetic susceptibility is known to affect disease risk. Apart from these factors, the etiology... (Comparative Study)
Comparative Study
PURPOSE
The incidence of Ewing sarcoma varies according to race and ethnicity, and genetic susceptibility is known to affect disease risk. Apart from these factors, the etiology of Ewing sarcoma is largely unknown.
METHODS
We compared the birth characteristics of a population-based series of 556 Ewing sarcoma cases born in California in 1978-2015 and diagnosed in 1988-2015 with those of 27,800 controls selected from statewide birth records and frequency-matched to cases on the year of birth, using multivariable logistic regression models. We also assessed whether Ewing sarcoma clustered within families.
RESULTS
Compared to non-Hispanic White subjects, Black (odds ratio [OR] = 0.07, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.03-0.18), Asian (OR = 0.57, 95% CI 0.41-0.80), and Hispanic (OR = 0.73, 95% CI 0.62-0.88) individuals had a significantly lower risk of Ewing sarcoma. Race and ethnicity differences were more profound for metastatic Ewing sarcoma. Birthweight was also identified as a significant risk factor (OR = 1.09, 95% CI 1.00-1.18 for each 500 g increase in birthweight). A separate family-based cancer clustering analysis did not suggest any strong role for familial predisposition alleles.
CONCLUSIONS
This population-based study with minimal selection bias provides support for a role of accelerated fetal growth in the etiology of Ewing sarcoma in addition to more precise estimates of racial and ethnic variations in disease risk. This comparatively large analysis of birth characteristics and Ewing sarcoma in a multiethnic population should stimulate further investigations into genetic and environmental causes.
Topics: Female; Humans; Birth Weight; Ethnicity; Hispanic or Latino; Risk Factors; Sarcoma, Ewing; California; Black or African American; White; Asian
PubMed: 37335392
DOI: 10.1007/s10552-023-01737-4 -
Journal of Education and Health... 2024This study tried to make a quantitative and qualitative review of the scientific production of the mobilization of critical thinking in nursing and midwifery learning. (Review)
Review
BACKGROUND
This study tried to make a quantitative and qualitative review of the scientific production of the mobilization of critical thinking in nursing and midwifery learning.
MATERIALS AND METHODS
The search was carried out in the "Web of Science" and "PubMed" databases between 2001 and 2021, resulting in 43 articles using several keywords "critical thinking," "learning", "nursing," "midwifery". The study will be split into two parts: A quantitative review in the form of a bibliometric analysis and a qualitative one in the form of a literature review. The quality of the articles has been verified by assessing the risk of bias (selection bias, detection bias, and interpretation bias) and using the Standards for Quality Improvement Reporting Excellence method.
RESULTS AND OBSERVATIONS
The selected articles were the subject of a quantitative study leading to several results: chronology of publications, types of publications, number of publications, top journals of publications, etc. The same articles have been processed to produce a full qualitative review of the experimental studies.
CONCLUSION
The results showed that the total and annual articles need to be higher. Experimental studies, especially quasi-experimental, are far higher than reviews or descriptive studies. The qualitative research showed a controversial relationship between critical thinking and learning improvement.
PubMed: 38549646
DOI: 10.4103/jehp.jehp_528_23 -
Radiation Oncology (London, England) Aug 2023Definitive concurrent chemoradiotherapy (dCCRT) is suggested as the standard treatment for cervical esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (CESCC). This retrospective...
Elective nodal irradiation versus involved-field irradiation for stage II-IV cervical esophageal squamous cell carcinoma patients undergoing definitive concurrent chemoradiotherapy: a retrospective propensity study with 8-year survival outcomes.
BACKGROUND
Definitive concurrent chemoradiotherapy (dCCRT) is suggested as the standard treatment for cervical esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (CESCC). This retrospective propensity study compared the 8-year survival outcomes and acute treatment toxicities of these patients treated with elective nodal irradiation (ENI) versus involved-field irradiation (IFI).
MATERIALS AND METHODS
Patients with stage II-IV CESCC treated with dCCRT at the Fourth Hospital of Hebei Medical University between January 1, 2007 and December 31, 2020 were enrolled in the study. All the patients were restaged according to the American Joint Commission 8th edition criteria. The propensity score matching (PSM) was used to minimize the effects of treatment selection bias and potential confounding factors including sex, age, ECOG score, clinical T stage, clinical N stage, clinical TNM stage and radiation dose between the ENI group and IFI group. Survival and the prognostic factors were evaluated.
RESULTS
The 131 eligible patients underwent ENI (60 patients, 45.8%) or IFI (71 patients, 54.2%). The median follow-up time was 91.1 months (range, 23.8-182.0 months) for all the patients. The median OS, 1-, 3-, 5-, and 8-year OS rates were 44.4 months, 87.8%, 55.1%, 38.3%, and 27.2%, respectively. After PSM, there were 49 patients in each group. The median OS, 1-, 3-, 5-, and 8-year OS rates for ENI and IFI group were 32.0 months, 83.7%, 48.5%, 38.5% and 31.1% versus 45.2 months, 89.8%, 52.5%, 37.5%, 26.1%, respectively (P = 0.966; HR 0.99, 95% CI 0.61-1.61). Similar locoregional control was obtained in both groups. The tendency of leukocytopenia and neutropenia was higher in ENI than in IFI (59.2% vs. 38.8%; P = 0.068 and 30.6% vs. 14.3%; P = 0.089) at the end of dCCRT.
CONCLUSION
Cervical esophageal squamous cell carcinoma patients undergoing definitive concurrent chemoradiotherapy has a satisfactory prognosis with organ conservation. The involved-field irradiation might be a better alternative owing to similar overall survival outcomes and local control with less toxicity of myelosuppression.
Topics: Humans; Female; Esophageal Squamous Cell Carcinoma; Esophageal Neoplasms; Retrospective Studies; Chemoradiotherapy; Carcinoma, Squamous Cell; Uterine Cervical Neoplasms; Breast Neoplasms; Leukopenia
PubMed: 37641149
DOI: 10.1186/s13014-023-02332-2 -
International Journal of Environmental... Oct 2023Prospective longitudinal studies mainly conclude on a causal role of e-cigarettes in the initiation of cigarettes in flagrant contradiction with conclusions drawn from... (Review)
Review
UNLABELLED
Prospective longitudinal studies mainly conclude on a causal role of e-cigarettes in the initiation of cigarettes in flagrant contradiction with conclusions drawn from epidemiology and other studies showing a sharp decline in cigarette use in parallel with the spread of e-cigarette use. This systematic review explores the reasons for this discrepancy.
METHODS
Among 84 publications on e-cigarette/cigarette association in adolescents identified in the Medline database from 2011 to 2022, 23 concern 22 never-smoker longitudinal sub-cohorts.
RESULTS
A link between e-cigarette experimentation at T1 and cigarette initiation at T2 is reported in sub-cohort analyses of never-smokers (AOR: 1.41 to 8.30). However, studies exclude 64.3% of T1 e-cigarette experimenters (because of dual-use) and 74.1% of T2 cigarette experimenters. With this study design, e-cigarettes contribute only to 5.3% of T2 cigarette experimentation, casting major doubt on the external validity of results and authors' conclusions that e-cigarettes have a significant effect on the initiation of cigarettes () at the population level. This sub-cohort design prohibits highlighting any , which is the most likely mechanism accounting for the competition between these two products.
CONCLUSIONS
While nicotine abstinence remains the best medical option, over-regulation of e-cigarettes because of misinterpretation of longitudinal study results may be detrimental to public health and tobacco control.
Topics: Humans; Adolescent; Longitudinal Studies; Electronic Nicotine Delivery Systems; Smokers; Prospective Studies; Tobacco Products; Vaping
PubMed: 37887674
DOI: 10.3390/ijerph20206936 -
Single Lung Transplant for Secondary Pulmonary Hypertension: The Right Option for the Right Patient.Journal of Clinical Medicine Oct 2023: The optimal treatment for Secondary Pulmonary Hypertension from End-Stage Lung Disease remains controversial. Double Lung Transplantation is widely regarded as the... (Review)
Review
: The optimal treatment for Secondary Pulmonary Hypertension from End-Stage Lung Disease remains controversial. Double Lung Transplantation is widely regarded as the treatment of choice as it eliminates all diseased parenchyma and introduces a large volume of physiologically normal allograft. By comparison, the role of single lung transplantation for pulmonary hypertension (PAH) is less clear. The remaining diseased lung will limit clinical improvements and permit downstream sequelae; including residual cough, recurrent infection, and continued pulmonary hypertension. But not every patient can undergo DLT. Advanced age, frailty, co-morbid conditions, and limited availability of organs will all affect surgical candidacy and can offset the benefits of double lung procedures. Studies that compare SLT and DLT do not commonly explore the utility of single lung procedures even though multiple theoretical advantages exist; including reduced waiting times, less waitlist mortality, fewer surgical complications, and lower operative mortality. Worse, multiple forms of publication and selection bias may favor DLT in registry-based studies. In this review, we present the prevailing literature on single and double lung transplants in patients with secondary pulmonary hypertension and clarify the potential utility of these procedures. A PubMed search for English-language articles exploring single and double lung transplants in the setting of secondary pulmonary hypertension was conducted from 1990 to 2023. Key words included "single lung transplant", "double lung transplant", "pulmonary hypertension", "rejection", "complications", "extracorporeal membranous oxygenation", "death", and all appropriate Boolean operators. We prioritized research from retrospective studies that evaluated clinical outcomes from single centers. The question is not whether DLT is better at resolving lung disease; instead, we must ask if SLT is an acceptable form of therapy in a select group of high-risk patients. Further research should focus on how best to identify recipients that may benefit from each type of procedure, and the clinical utility of perioperative VA ECMO.
PubMed: 37959256
DOI: 10.3390/jcm12216789 -
Biometrics Sep 2023Integrative analyses based on statistically relevant associations between genomics and a wealth of intermediary phenotypes (such as imaging) provide vital insights into...
Integrative analyses based on statistically relevant associations between genomics and a wealth of intermediary phenotypes (such as imaging) provide vital insights into their clinical relevance in terms of the disease mechanisms. Estimates for uncertainty in the resulting integrative models are however unreliable unless inference accounts for the selection of these associations with accuracy. In this paper, we develop selection-aware Bayesian methods, which (1) counteract the impact of model selection bias through a "selection-aware posterior" in a flexible class of integrative Bayesian models post a selection of promising variables via ℓ -regularized algorithms; (2) strike an inevitable trade-off between the quality of model selection and inferential power when the same data set is used for both selection and uncertainty estimation. Central to our methodological development, a carefully constructed conditional likelihood function deployed with a reparameterization mapping provides tractable updates when gradient-based Markov chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) sampling is used for estimating uncertainties from the selection-aware posterior. Applying our methods to a radiogenomic analysis, we successfully recover several important gene pathways and estimate uncertainties for their associations with patient survival times.
Topics: Humans; Bayes Theorem; Algorithms; Likelihood Functions; Phenotype; Markov Chains; Monte Carlo Method
PubMed: 35973786
DOI: 10.1111/biom.13740 -
Journal of Cachexia, Sarcopenia and... Dec 2023Metabolic acidosis unfavourably influences the nutritional status of patients with non-dialysis dependent chronic kidney disease (CKD) including the loss of muscle mass... (Meta-Analysis)
Meta-Analysis Review
Metabolic acidosis unfavourably influences the nutritional status of patients with non-dialysis dependent chronic kidney disease (CKD) including the loss of muscle mass and functionality, but the benefits of correction are uncertain. We investigated the effects of correcting metabolic acidosis on nutritional status in patients with CKD in a systematic review and meta-analysis. A search was conducted in MEDLINE and the Cochrane Library from inception to June 2023. Study selection, bias assessment, and data extraction were independently performed by two reviewers. The Cochrane risk of bias tool was used to assess the quality of individual studies. We applied random effects meta-analysis to obtain pooled standardized mean difference (SMD) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs). We retrieved data from 12 intervention studies including 1995 patients, with a mean age of 63.7 ± 11.7 years, a mean estimated glomerular filtration rate of 29.8 ± 8.8 mL/min per 1.73 m , and 58% were male. Eleven studies performed an intervention with oral sodium bicarbonate compared with either placebo or with standard care and one study compared veverimer, an oral HCl-binding polymer, with placebo. The mean change in serum bicarbonate was +3.6 mEq/L in the intervention group and +0.4 mEq/L in the control group. Correcting metabolic acidosis significantly improved muscle mass assessed by mid-arm muscle circumference (SMD 0.35 [95% CI 0.16 to 0.54], P < 0.001) and functionality assessed with the sit-to-stand test (SMD -0.31 [95% CI -0.52 to 0.11], P = 0.003). We found no statistically significant effects on dietary protein intake, handgrip strength, serum albumin and prealbumin concentrations, and blood urea nitrogen. Correcting metabolic acidosis in patients with CKD improves muscle mass and physical function. Correction of metabolic acidosis should be considered as part of the nutritional care for patients with CKD.
Topics: Humans; Male; Middle Aged; Aged; Female; Dietary Proteins; Hand Strength; Renal Insufficiency, Chronic; Acidosis; Muscles
PubMed: 37728018
DOI: 10.1002/jcsm.13330 -
JMIR Mental Health Oct 2023Depression and anxiety are common and debilitating mental disorders with severe negative repercussions at both individual and societal levels. Although virtual reality...
BACKGROUND
Depression and anxiety are common and debilitating mental disorders with severe negative repercussions at both individual and societal levels. Although virtual reality (VR) has emerged as a safe and effective tool for the treatment of anxiety disorders, studies of the therapeutic application of VR to treat depression are more limited.
OBJECTIVE
The purpose of this study was to test whether a novel type of individualized VR (iVR) can be used to improve self-compassion and decrease depressive symptoms and to evaluate the usability and acceptability of this approach, as rated by participants. The iVR system was designed and developed based on the feedback obtained from a previous study, with improved appearance and feel of the avatar and enhanced graphical quality.
METHODS
A total of 36 young adult participants were recruited from a university community social media site. Participants were aware that the study was investigating a treatment for depression but were not recruited based on depression diagnosis. Participants were asked to complete 2 iVR sessions, spaced 2 weeks apart. At baseline and upon completion of each iVR session, participants were asked to complete validated measures of self-compassion and depression. Upon completion of both iVR sessions, additional measures were administered to assess participants' perceptions about the perceived usability and system acceptability of the iVR approach.
RESULTS
Self-compassion was assessed at the beginning of session 1 (preintervention baseline) and at the end of session 1 (postintervention assessment). Owing to COVID-19 constraints, 36% (13/36) of the participants were unable to complete the follow-up iVR session. Self-compassion was assessed again for the remaining 64% (23/36) of the participants at the end of session 2 (postintervention assessment). Within-group analyses revealed that self-compassion was significantly increased at the end of both session 1 (P=.01) and session 2 (P=.03) relative to baseline. There was also a nonsignificant trend for depressive symptoms to be low at the end of session 2 relative to baseline. Both quantitative and qualitative participant data supported the iVR approach as being acceptable and usable.
CONCLUSIONS
Although these data must be treated as preliminary owing to the small sample size and potential selection bias, the data provide encouraging initial evidence that iVR might be a useful tool to enhance self-compassion and reduce depressive symptoms, highlighting the need for randomized controlled trials in the future.
PubMed: 37782537
DOI: 10.2196/47617 -
Science Advances Oct 2023People with booster vaccinations appear more prone to reinfection than those with primary series vaccination only; however, selection bias in the study design... (Review)
Review
People with booster vaccinations appear more prone to reinfection than those with primary series vaccination only; however, selection bias in the study design complicates interpretation.
Topics: Humans; Selection Bias; Immunization, Secondary
PubMed: 37792936
DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.adk5668