Digit ratios and their asymmetries as risk factors of developmental instability and hospitalization for COVID-19

COVID-19 presents with mild symptoms in the majority of patients but in a minority it progresses to acute illness and hospitalization. Here we consider whether markers for prenatal sex hormones and postnatal stressors on developmental instability, i.e. digit ratios and their directional and unsigned asymmetries, are predictive of hospitalization. We focus on six ratios: 2D:3D;… Continue reading Digit ratios and their asymmetries as risk factors of developmental instability and hospitalization for COVID-19

Genome-wide analysis of 53,400 people with irritable bowel syndrome highlights shared genetic pathways with mood and anxiety disorders

Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) results from disordered brain-gut interactions. Identifying susceptibility genes could highlight the underlying pathophysiological mechanisms. We designed a digestive health questionnaire for UK Biobank and combined identified cases with IBS with independent cohorts. We conducted a genome-wide association study with 53,400 cases and 433,201 controls and replicated significant associations in a 23andMe… Continue reading Genome-wide analysis of 53,400 people with irritable bowel syndrome highlights shared genetic pathways with mood and anxiety disorders

Light exposure during sleep impairs cardiometabolic function

SignificanceAmbient nighttime light exposure is implicated as a risk factor for adverse health outcomes, including cardiometabolic disease. However, the effects of nighttime light exposure during sleep on cardiometabolic outcomes and the related mechanisms are unclear. This laboratory study shows that, in healthy adults, one night of moderate (100 lx) light exposure during sleep increases nighttime… Continue reading Light exposure during sleep impairs cardiometabolic function

Clinically translatable cytokine delivery platform for eradication of intraperitoneal tumors

AbstractProinflammatory cytokines have been approved by the Food and Drug Administration for the treatment of metastatic melanoma and renal carcinoma. However, effective cytokine therapy requires high-dose infusions that can result in antidrug antibodies and/or systemic side effects that limit long-term benefits. To overcome these limitations, we developed a clinically translatable cytokine delivery platform composed of… Continue reading Clinically translatable cytokine delivery platform for eradication of intraperitoneal tumors

New-onset of vitiligo in a child following COVID-19 vaccination

Since January 2020, the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has been a global health emergency. Vaccination is a critical measure for containing the spread of COVID-19. At the end of 2020, several vaccines became available. Multiple adverse events (AEs) have been reported with all the available COVID-19 vaccines. This report describes a case of vitiligo in a… Continue reading New-onset of vitiligo in a child following COVID-19 vaccination

Pancreatic islet cryopreservation by vitrification achieves high viability, function, recovery and clinical scalability for transplantation

Pancreatic islet transplantation can cure diabetes but requires accessible, high-quality islets in sufficient quantities. Cryopreservation could solve islet supply chain challenges by enabling quality-controlled banking and pooling of donor islets. Unfortunately, cryopreservation has not succeeded in this objective, as it must simultaneously provide high recovery, viability, function and scalability. Here, we achieve this goal in… Continue reading Pancreatic islet cryopreservation by vitrification achieves high viability, function, recovery and clinical scalability for transplantation

Ocular Manifestations after Receiving COVID-19 Vaccine: A Systematic Review

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has had profound and lasting consequences since 2019. Although vaccines against COVID-19 have been developed and approved under emergency use authorization, various adverse events have also been reported after COVID-19 vaccination. This review was undertaken to help clinicians recognize the possible manifestations and systemic pathogenesis, especially those related to… Continue reading Ocular Manifestations after Receiving COVID-19 Vaccine: A Systematic Review

Serum folate deficiency and the risks of dementia and all-cause mortality: a national study of old age

The association between serum folate deficiency and the risk of dementia in old age is unclear, perhaps owing to small sample sizes, the competing risk of mortality or reverse causation. Objective To examine the associations between serum folate deficiency and the risks of incident dementia and all-cause mortality in a large national sample of older… Continue reading Serum folate deficiency and the risks of dementia and all-cause mortality: a national study of old age

Blood Pressure Hyperreactivity to Standing: a Predictor of Adverse Outcome in Young Hypertensive Patients

The prognostic significance and the mechanisms of blood pressure (BP) hyperreactivity to standing remain controversial. This study aims to evaluate the association of orthostatic hyperreactivity with major adverse cardiovascular and renal events in a cohort of young hypertensive subjects. We studied 1207 untreated subjects screened for stage I hypertension with a mean age of 33.1±8.6… Continue reading Blood Pressure Hyperreactivity to Standing: a Predictor of Adverse Outcome in Young Hypertensive Patients