Identifying Dynamic Patterns of Polypharmacy for Patients with Dementia from Primary Care Electronic Health Records: A Machine Learning Driven Longitudinal Study

 is unclear how medication use evolved before diagnosis of dementia (DoD). This study aims to identify varied patterns of polypharmacy before DoD, their prevalence and possible complications. We collected primary care e-health records for 33,451 dementia patients in Wales from 1990 to 2015. The medication uses in every 5-year period along with 20-years prior to… Continue reading Identifying Dynamic Patterns of Polypharmacy for Patients with Dementia from Primary Care Electronic Health Records: A Machine Learning Driven Longitudinal Study

Older adults with lower working memory capacity benefit from transcranial direct current stimulation when combined with working memory training: A preliminary study

Aging is a very diverse process: successful agers retain most cognitive functioning, while others experience mild to severe cognitive decline. This decline may eventually negatively impact one’s everyday activities. Therefore, scientists must develop approaches to counteract or, at least, slow down the negative change in cognitive performance of aging individuals. Combining cognitive training and transcranial… Continue reading Older adults with lower working memory capacity benefit from transcranial direct current stimulation when combined with working memory training: A preliminary study

The unlikelihood effect: When knowing more creates the perception of less.

People face increasingly detailed information related to a range of risky decisions. To aid individuals in thinking through such risks, various forms of policy and health messaging often enumerate their causes. Whereas some prior literature suggests that adding information about causes of an outcome increases its perceived likelihood, we identify a novel mechanism through which… Continue reading The unlikelihood effect: When knowing more creates the perception of less.

RORβ modulates a gene program that is protective against articular cartilage damage

Osteoarthritis (OA) is the most prevalent chronic joint disease which increases in frequency with age eventually impacting most people over the age of 65. OA is the leading cause of disability and impaired mobility, yet the pathogenesis of OA remains unclear. Treatments have focused mainly on pain relief and reducing joint swelling. Currently there are… Continue reading RORβ modulates a gene program that is protective against articular cartilage damage

Smartphone as an electronic stethoscope: factors influencing heart sound quality 

Smartphones are equipped with a high-quality microphone which may be used as an electronic stethoscope. We aim to investigate the factors influencing quality of heart sound recorded using a smartphone by non-medical users.Methods and resultsAn app named Echoes was developed for recording heart sounds using iPhone. Information on phone version and users’ characteristics including sex,… Continue reading Smartphone as an electronic stethoscope: factors influencing heart sound quality 

The γδ IEL effector API5 masks genetic susceptibility to Paneth cell death

Loss of Paneth cells and their antimicrobial granules compromises the intestinal epithelial barrier and is associated with Crohn’s disease, a major type of inflammatory bowel disease. Non-classical lymphoid cells, broadly referred to as intraepithelial lymphocytes (IELs), intercalate the intestinal epithelium. This anatomical position has implicated them as first-line defenders in resistance to infections, but their… Continue reading The γδ IEL effector API5 masks genetic susceptibility to Paneth cell death

Evaluation of Early Ketamine Effects on Belief-Updating Biases in Patients With Treatment-Resistant Depression

Key Points Question  What are the effects of ketamine on belief updating in patients with treatment-resistant depression (TRD)? Findings  This case-control study in patients with TRD showed that belief updating became more optimistically biased as soon as 4 hours after a first ketamine infusion. This early cognitive effect of ketamine was formalized by stronger asymmetrical reinforcement learning… Continue reading Evaluation of Early Ketamine Effects on Belief-Updating Biases in Patients With Treatment-Resistant Depression

Ovarian cancer cell fate regulation by the dynamics between saturated and unsaturated fatty acids

SignificanceUnsaturated fatty acids are critical for maintaining membrane fluidity, cellular signaling, and lipid storage. Stearoyl-CoA desaturase (SCD) regulates the dynamics between saturated and unsaturated fatty acids. How SCD is involved in cancer cell fate decisions remains incompletely understood. Here, we leveraged transcriptomics, lipidomics, and single-cell stimulated Raman scattering microscopy to show that increased levels of… Continue reading Ovarian cancer cell fate regulation by the dynamics between saturated and unsaturated fatty acids

Psychological resilience in older adults with type 2 diabetes from the Look AHEAD Trial

BackgroundThere is growing interest in identifying factors associated with healthy aging. This cross-sectional study evaluated associations of psychological resilience with factors associated with aging in older adults with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM).MethodsParticipants were 3199 adults (72.2 ± 6.2 years of age, 61% female, 61% White, body mass index [BMI] = 34.2 ± 8.2 kg/m2) with T2DM enrolled in Look AHEAD (a multi-site… Continue reading Psychological resilience in older adults with type 2 diabetes from the Look AHEAD Trial