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3. |
- Arora, Anmol, et al.
(author)
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The value of standards for health datasets in artificial intelligence-based applications
- 2023
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In: Nature Medicine. - : NATURE PORTFOLIO. - 1078-8956 .- 1546-170X. ; 29, s. 2929-2938
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Artificial intelligence as a medical device is increasingly being applied to healthcare for diagnosis, risk stratification and resource allocation. However, a growing body of evidence has highlighted the risk of algorithmic bias, which may perpetuate existing health inequity. This problem arises in part because of systemic inequalities in dataset curation, unequal opportunity to participate in research and inequalities of access. This study aims to explore existing standards, frameworks and best practices for ensuring adequate data diversity in health datasets. Exploring the body of existing literature and expert views is an important step towards the development of consensus-based guidelines. The study comprises two parts: a systematic review of existing standards, frameworks and best practices for healthcare datasets; and a survey and thematic analysis of stakeholder views of bias, health equity and best practices for artificial intelligence as a medical device. We found that the need for dataset diversity was well described in literature, and experts generally favored the development of a robust set of guidelines, but there were mixed views about how these could be implemented practically. The outputs of this study will be used to inform the development of standards for transparency of data diversity in health datasets (the STANDING Together initiative). A systematic review, combined with a stakeholder survey, presents an overview of current practices and recommendations for dataset curation in health, with specific focuses on data diversity and artificial intelligence-based applications.
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4. |
- Ashton, Nicholas J., et al.
(author)
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Differential roles of Aβ42/40, p-tau231 and p-tau217 for Alzheimer's trial selection and disease monitoring.
- 2022
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In: Nature medicine. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 1546-170X .- 1078-8956. ; 28:12, s. 2555-2562
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Blood biomarkers indicative of Alzheimer's disease (AD) pathology are altered in both preclinical and symptomatic stages of the disease. Distinctive biomarkers may be optimal for the identification of AD pathology or monitoring of disease progression. Blood biomarkers that correlate with changes in cognition and atrophy during the course of the disease could be used in clinical trials to identify successful interventions and thereby accelerate the development of efficient therapies. When disease-modifying treatments become approved for use, efficient blood-based biomarkers might also inform on treatment implementation and management in clinical practice. In the BioFINDER-1 cohort, plasma phosphorylated (p)-tau231 and amyloid-β42/40 ratio were more changed at lower thresholds of amyloid pathology. Longitudinally, however, only p-tau217 demonstrated marked amyloid-dependent changes over 4-6years in both preclinical and symptomatic stages of the disease, with no such changes observed in p-tau231, p-tau181, amyloid-β42/40, glial acidic fibrillary protein or neurofilament light. Only longitudinal increases of p-tau217 were also associated with clinical deterioration and brain atrophy in preclinical AD. The selective longitudinal increase of p-tau217 and its associations with cognitive decline and atrophy was confirmed in an independent cohort (Wisconsin Registry for Alzheimer's Prevention). These findings support the differential association of plasma biomarkers with disease development and strongly highlight p-tau217 as a surrogate marker of disease progression in preclinical and prodromal AD, with impact for the development of new disease-modifying treatments.
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5. |
- Asnicar, Francesco, et al.
(author)
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Microbiome connections with host metabolism and habitual diet from 1,098 deeply phenotyped individuals
- 2021
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In: Nature Medicine. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 1078-8956 .- 1546-170X. ; 27:2, s. 321-332
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The gut microbiome is shaped by diet and influences host metabolism; however, these links are complex and can be unique to each individual. We performed deep metagenomic sequencing of 1,203 gut microbiomes from 1,098 individuals enrolled in the Personalised Responses to Dietary Composition Trial (PREDICT 1) study, whose detailed long-term diet information, as well as hundreds of fasting and same-meal postprandial cardiometabolic blood marker measurements were available. We found many significant associations between microbes and specific nutrients, foods, food groups and general dietary indices, which were driven especially by the presence and diversity of healthy and plant-based foods. Microbial biomarkers of obesity were reproducible across external publicly available cohorts and in agreement with circulating blood metabolites that are indicators of cardiovascular disease risk. While some microbes, such as Prevotella copri and Blastocystis spp., were indicators of favorable postprandial glucose metabolism, overall microbiome composition was predictive for a large panel of cardiometabolic blood markers including fasting and postprandial glycemic, lipemic and inflammatory indices. The panel of intestinal species associated with healthy dietary habits overlapped with those associated with favorable cardiometabolic and postprandial markers, indicating that our large-scale resource can potentially stratify the gut microbiome into generalizable health levels in individuals without clinically manifest disease.
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6. |
- Bellaver, B., et al.
(author)
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Astrocyte reactivity influences amyloid-beta effects on tau pathology in preclinical Alzheimer's disease
- 2023
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In: Nature Medicine. - 1078-8956. ; 29:7
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Cross-sectional and longitudinal analyses of tau pathology in preclinical Alzheimer's disease reveal that tau tangles accumulate as a function of amyloid-beta burden only in individuals positive for an astrocyte reactivity biomarker. An unresolved question for the understanding of Alzheimer's disease (AD) pathophysiology is why a significant percentage of amyloid-beta (A beta)-positive cognitively unimpaired (CU) individuals do not develop detectable downstream tau pathology and, consequently, clinical deterioration. In vitro evidence suggests that reactive astrocytes unleash A beta effects in pathological tau phosphorylation. Here, in a biomarker study across three cohorts (n = 1,016), we tested whether astrocyte reactivity modulates the association of A beta with tau phosphorylation in CU individuals. We found that A beta was associated with increased plasma phosphorylated tau only in individuals positive for astrocyte reactivity (Ast(+)). Cross-sectional and longitudinal tau-positron emission tomography analyses revealed an AD-like pattern of tau tangle accumulation as a function of A beta only in CU Ast(+) individuals. Our findings suggest astrocyte reactivity as an important upstream event linking A beta with initial tau pathology, which may have implications for the biological definition of preclinical AD and for selecting CU individuals for clinical trials.
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10. |
- Berry, Sarah E., et al.
(author)
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Human postprandial responses to food and potential for precision nutrition
- 2020
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In: Nature Medicine. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 1078-8956 .- 1546-170X. ; 26:6, s. 964-973
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Metabolic responses to food influence risk of cardiometabolic disease, but large-scale high-resolution studies are lacking. We recruited n = 1,002 twins and unrelated healthy adults in the United Kingdom to the PREDICT 1 study and assessed postprandial metabolic responses in a clinical setting and at home. We observed large inter-individual variability (as measured by the population coefficient of variation (s.d./mean, %)) in postprandial responses of blood triglyceride (103%), glucose (68%) and insulin (59%) following identical meals. Person-specific factors, such as gut microbiome, had a greater influence (7.1% of variance) than did meal macronutrients (3.6%) for postprandial lipemia, but not for postprandial glycemia (6.0% and 15.4%, respectively); genetic variants had a modest impact on predictions (9.5% for glucose, 0.8% for triglyceride, 0.2% for C-peptide). Findings were independently validated in a US cohort (n = 100 people). We developed a machine-learning model that predicted both triglyceride (r = 0.47) and glycemic (r = 0.77) responses to food intake. These findings may be informative for developing personalized diet strategies. The ClinicalTrials.gov registration identifier is NCT03479866.
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14. |
- Bulten, W, et al.
(author)
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Artificial intelligence for diagnosis and Gleason grading of prostate cancer: the PANDA challenge
- 2022
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In: Nature medicine. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 1546-170X .- 1078-8956. ; 28:21, s. 154-
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Artificial intelligence (AI) has shown promise for diagnosing prostate cancer in biopsies. However, results have been limited to individual studies, lacking validation in multinational settings. Competitions have been shown to be accelerators for medical imaging innovations, but their impact is hindered by lack of reproducibility and independent validation. With this in mind, we organized the PANDA challenge—the largest histopathology competition to date, joined by 1,290 developers—to catalyze development of reproducible AI algorithms for Gleason grading using 10,616 digitized prostate biopsies. We validated that a diverse set of submitted algorithms reached pathologist-level performance on independent cross-continental cohorts, fully blinded to the algorithm developers. On United States and European external validation sets, the algorithms achieved agreements of 0.862 (quadratically weighted κ, 95% confidence interval (CI), 0.840–0.884) and 0.868 (95% CI, 0.835–0.900) with expert uropathologists. Successful generalization across different patient populations, laboratories and reference standards, achieved by a variety of algorithmic approaches, warrants evaluating AI-based Gleason grading in prospective clinical trials.
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15. |
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16. |
- Callen, Michael, et al.
(author)
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COVID-19 vaccine acceptance and hesitancy in low- and middle-income countries
- 2021
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In: Nature Medicine. - : Springer Nature. - 1546-170X .- 1078-8956. ; 27:8, s. 1385-1394
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Widespread acceptance of COVID-19 vaccines is crucial for achieving sufficient immunization coverage to end the global pandemic, yet few studies have investigated COVID-19 vaccination attitudes in lower-income countries, where large-scale vaccination is just beginning. We analyze COVID-19 vaccine acceptance across 15 survey samples covering 10 low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) in Asia, Africa and South America, Russia (an upper-middle-income country) and the United States, including a total of 44,260 individuals. We find considerably higher willingness to take a COVID-19 vaccine in our LMIC samples (mean 80.3%; median 78%; range 30.1 percentage points) compared with the United States (mean 64.6%) and Russia (mean 30.4%). Vaccine acceptance in LMICs is primarily explained by an interest in personal protection against COVID-19, while concern about side effects is the most common reason for hesitancy. Health workers are the most trusted sources of guidance about COVID-19 vaccines. Evidence from this sample of LMICs suggests that prioritizing vaccine distribution to the Global South should yield high returns in advancing global immunization coverage. Vaccination campaigns should focus on translating the high levels of stated acceptance into actual uptake. Messages highlighting vaccine efficacy and safety, delivered by healthcare workers, could be effective for addressing any remaining hesitancy in the analyzed LMICs. © 2021, The Author(s).
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17. |
- Chng, Kern Rei, et al.
(author)
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Cartography of opportunistic pathogens and antibiotic resistance genes in a tertiary hospital environment
- 2020
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In: Nature Medicine. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 1078-8956 .- 1546-170X. ; 26, s. 941-951
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Although disinfection is key to infection control, the colonization patterns and resistomes of hospital-environment microbes remain underexplored. We report the first extensive genomic characterization of microbiomes, pathogens and antibiotic resistance cassettes in a tertiary-care hospital, from repeated sampling (up to 1.5 years apart) of 179 sites associated with 45 beds. Deep shotgun metagenomics unveiled distinct ecological niches of microbes and antibiotic resistance genes characterized by biofilm-forming and human-microbiome-influenced environments with corresponding patterns of spatiotemporal divergence. Quasi-metagenomics with nanopore sequencing provided thousands of high-contiguity genomes, phage and plasmid sequences (>60% novel), enabling characterization of resistome and mobilome diversity and dynamic architectures in hospital environments. Phylogenetics identified multidrug-resistant strains as being widely distributed and stably colonizing across sites. Comparisons with clinical isolates indicated that such microbes can persist in hospitals for extended periods (>8 years), to opportunistically infect patients. These findings highlight the importance of characterizing antibiotic resistance reservoirs in hospitals and establish the feasibility of systematic surveys to target resources for preventing infections. Spatiotemporal characterization of microbial diversity and antibiotic resistance in a tertiary-care hospital reveals broad distribution and persistence of antibiotic-resistant organisms that could cause opportunistic infections in a healthcare setting.
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18. |
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19. |
- Das, A., et al.
(author)
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Genomic predictors of response to PD-1 inhibition in children with germline DNA replication repair deficiency
- 2022
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In: Nature Medicine. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 1078-8956 .- 1546-170X. ; 28:1, s. 125-135
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Cancers arising from germline DNA mismatch repair deficiency or polymerase proofreading deficiency (MMRD and PPD) in children harbour the highest mutational and microsatellite insertion–deletion (MS-indel) burden in humans. MMRD and PPD cancers are commonly lethal due to the inherent resistance to chemo-irradiation. Although immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) have failed to benefit children in previous studies, we hypothesized that hypermutation caused by MMRD and PPD will improve outcomes following ICI treatment in these patients. Using an international consortium registry study, we report on the ICI treatment of 45 progressive or recurrent tumors from 38 patients. Durable objective responses were observed in most patients, culminating in a 3 year survival of 41.4%. High mutation burden predicted response for ultra-hypermutant cancers (>100 mutations per Mb) enriched for combined MMRD + PPD, while MS-indels predicted response in MMRD tumors with lower mutation burden (10–100 mutations per Mb). Furthermore, both mechanisms were associated with increased immune infiltration even in ‘immunologically cold’ tumors such as gliomas, contributing to the favorable response. Pseudo-progression (flare) was common and was associated with immune activation in the tumor microenvironment and systemically. Furthermore, patients with flare who continued ICI treatment achieved durable responses. This study demonstrates improved survival for patients with tumors not previously known to respond to ICI treatment, including central nervous system and synchronous cancers, and identifies the dual roles of mutation burden and MS-indels in predicting sustained response to immunotherapy. © 2022, The Author(s).
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20. |
- Ding, Xue Bing, et al.
(author)
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Impaired meningeal lymphatic drainage in patients with idiopathic Parkinson’s disease
- 2021
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In: Nature Medicine. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 1078-8956 .- 1546-170X. ; 27:3, s. 411-418
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Animal studies implicate meningeal lymphatic dysfunction in the pathogenesis of neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s disease and Parkinson’s disease (PD). However, there is no direct evidence in humans to support this role1–5. In this study, we used dynamic contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging to assess meningeal lymphatic flow in cognitively normal controls and patients with idiopathic PD (iPD) or atypical Parkinsonian (AP) disorders. We found that patients with iPD exhibited significantly reduced flow through the meningeal lymphatic vessels (mLVs) along the superior sagittal sinus and sigmoid sinus, as well as a notable delay in deep cervical lymph node perfusion, compared to patients with AP. There was no significant difference in the size (cross-sectional area) of mLVs in patients with iPD or AP versus controls. In mice injected with α-synuclein (α-syn) preformed fibrils, we showed that the emergence of α-syn pathology was followed by delayed meningeal lymphatic drainage, loss of tight junctions among meningeal lymphatic endothelial cells and increased inflammation of the meninges. Finally, blocking flow through the mLVs in mice treated with α-syn preformed fibrils increased α-syn pathology and exacerbated motor and memory deficits. These results suggest that meningeal lymphatic drainage dysfunction aggravates α-syn pathology and contributes to the progression of PD.
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23. |
- Evans, Brittany E., 1982-, et al.
(author)
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Urban living and mental health
- 2023
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In: Nature Medicine. - : Nature Publishing Group. - 1078-8956 .- 1546-170X. ; 29:6, s. 1322-1323
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)
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24. |
- Ferrat, L.A., et al.
(author)
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A combined risk score enhances prediction of type 1 diabetes among susceptible children
- 2020
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In: Nature Medicine. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 1546-170X .- 1078-8956. ; 26:8, s. 1247-1255
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Type 1 diabetes (T1D)-an autoimmune disease that destroys the pancreatic islets, resulting in insulin deficiency-often begins early in life when islet autoantibody appearance signals high risk1. However, clinical diabetes can follow in weeks or only after decades, and is very difficult to predict. Ketoacidosis at onset remains common2,3 and is most severe in the very young4,5, in whom it can be life threatening and difficult to treat6-9. Autoantibody surveillance programs effectively prevent most ketoacidosis10-12 but require frequent evaluations whose expense limits public health adoption13. Prevention therapies applied before onset, when greater islet mass remains, have rarely been feasible14 because individuals at greatest risk of impending T1D are difficult to identify. To remedy this, we sought accurate, cost-effective estimation of future T1D risk by developing a combined risk score incorporating both fixed and variable factors (genetic, clinical and immunological) in 7,798 high-risk children followed closely from birth for 9.3 years. Compared with autoantibodies alone, the combined model dramatically improves T1D prediction at ≥2 years of age over horizons up to 8 years of age (area under the receiver operating characteristic curve ≥ 0.9), doubles the estimated efficiency of population-based newborn screening to prevent ketoacidosis, and enables individualized risk estimates for better prevention trial selection.
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26. |
- Fromentin, S., et al.
(author)
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Microbiome and metabolome features of the cardiometabolic disease spectrum
- 2022
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In: Nature Medicine. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 1078-8956 .- 1546-170X. ; 28:2, s. 303-314
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- By studying individuals along a spectrum of cardiometabolic disease and adjusting for effects of lifestyle and medication, this investigation identifies alterations of the metabolome and microbiome from dysmetabolic conditions, such as obesity and type 2 diabetes, to ischemic heart disease. Previous microbiome and metabolome analyses exploring non-communicable diseases have paid scant attention to major confounders of study outcomes, such as common, pre-morbid and co-morbid conditions, or polypharmacy. Here, in the context of ischemic heart disease (IHD), we used a study design that recapitulates disease initiation, escalation and response to treatment over time, mirroring a longitudinal study that would otherwise be difficult to perform given the protracted nature of IHD pathogenesis. We recruited 1,241 middle-aged Europeans, including healthy individuals, individuals with dysmetabolic morbidities (obesity and type 2 diabetes) but lacking overt IHD diagnosis and individuals with IHD at three distinct clinical stages-acute coronary syndrome, chronic IHD and IHD with heart failure-and characterized their phenome, gut metagenome and serum and urine metabolome. We found that about 75% of microbiome and metabolome features that distinguish individuals with IHD from healthy individuals after adjustment for effects of medication and lifestyle are present in individuals exhibiting dysmetabolism, suggesting that major alterations of the gut microbiome and metabolome might begin long before clinical onset of IHD. We further categorized microbiome and metabolome signatures related to prodromal dysmetabolism, specific to IHD in general or to each of its three subtypes or related to escalation or de-escalation of IHD. Discriminant analysis based on specific IHD microbiome and metabolome features could better differentiate individuals with IHD from healthy individuals or metabolically matched individuals as compared to the conventional risk markers, pointing to a pathophysiological relevance of these features.
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27. |
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28. |
- Gao, Y, et al.
(author)
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Ancestral SARS-CoV-2-specific T cells cross-recognize the Omicron variant
- 2022
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In: Nature medicine. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 1546-170X .- 1078-8956. ; 28:3, s. 472-
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The emergence of the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) Omicron (B.1.1.529) variant of concern (VOC) has destabilized global efforts to control the impact of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Recent data have suggested that B.1.1.529 can readily infect people with naturally acquired or vaccine-induced immunity, facilitated in some cases by viral escape from antibodies that neutralize ancestral SARS-CoV-2. However, severe disease appears to be relatively uncommon in such individuals, highlighting a potential role for other components of the adaptive immune system. We report here that SARS-CoV-2 spike-specific CD4+ and CD8+ T cells induced by prior infection or BNT162b2 vaccination provide extensive immune coverage against B.1.1.529. The median relative frequencies of SARS-CoV-2 spike-specific CD4+ T cells that cross-recognized B.1.1.529 in previously infected or BNT162b2-vaccinated individuals were 84% and 91%, respectively, and the corresponding median relative frequencies for SARS-CoV-2 spike-specific CD8+ T cells were 70% and 92%, respectively. Pairwise comparisons across groups further revealed that SARS-CoV-2 spike-reactive CD4+ and CD8+ T cells were functionally and phenotypically similar in response to the ancestral strain or B.1.1.529. Collectively, our data indicate that established SARS-CoV-2 spike-specific CD4+ and CD8+ T cell responses, especially after BNT162b2 vaccination, remain largely intact against B.1.1.529.
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29. |
- Gaziano, Liam, et al.
(author)
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Actionable druggable genome-wide Mendelian randomization identifies repurposing opportunities for COVID-19
- 2021
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In: Nature Medicine. - : Springer Nature. - 1078-8956 .- 1546-170X. ; 27:4
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Large-scale Mendelian randomization and colocalization analyses using gene expression and soluble protein data for 1,263 actionable druggable genes, which encode protein targets for approved drugs or drugs in clinical development, identify IFNAR2 and ACE2 as the most promising therapeutic targets for early management of COVID-19. Drug repurposing provides a rapid approach to meet the urgent need for therapeutics to address COVID-19. To identify therapeutic targets relevant to COVID-19, we conducted Mendelian randomization analyses, deriving genetic instruments based on transcriptomic and proteomic data for 1,263 actionable proteins that are targeted by approved drugs or in clinical phase of drug development. Using summary statistics from the Host Genetics Initiative and the Million Veteran Program, we studied 7,554 patients hospitalized with COVID-19 and >1 million controls. We found significant Mendelian randomization results for three proteins (ACE2, P = 1.6 x 10(-6); IFNAR2, P = 9.8 x 10(-11) and IL-10RB, P = 2.3 x 10(-14)) using cis-expression quantitative trait loci genetic instruments that also had strong evidence for colocalization with COVID-19 hospitalization. To disentangle the shared expression quantitative trait loci signal for IL10RB and IFNAR2, we conducted phenome-wide association scans and pathway enrichment analysis, which suggested that IFNAR2 is more likely to play a role in COVID-19 hospitalization. Our findings prioritize trials of drugs targeting IFNAR2 and ACE2 for early management of COVID-19.
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30. |
- Geoerger, B., et al.
(author)
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Enasidenib treatment in two individuals with D-2-hydroxyglutaric aciduria carrying a germline IDH2 mutation
- 2023
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In: Nature Medicine. - 1078-8956. ; 29:6
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- D-2-hydroxyglutaric aciduria type II (D2HGA2) is a severe inborn disorder of metabolism caused by heterozygous R140 mutations in the IDH2 (isocitrate dehydrogenase 2) gene. Here we report the results of treatment of two children with D2HGA2, one of whom exhibited severe dilated cardiomyopathy, with the selective mutant IDH2 enzyme inhibitor enasidenib. In both children, enasidenib treatment led to normalization of D-2-hydroxyglutarate (D-2-HG) concentrations in body fluids. At doses of 50 mg and 60 mg per day, no side effects were observed, except for asymptomatic hyperbilirubinemia. For the child with cardiomyopathy, chronic D-2-HG inhibition was associated with improved cardiac function, and for both children, therapy was associated with improved daily functioning, global motility and social interactions. Treatment of the child with cardiomyopathy led to therapy-coordinated changes in serum phospholipid levels, which were partly recapitulated in cultured fibroblasts, associated with complex effects on lipid and redox-related gene pathways. These findings indicate that targeted inhibition of a mutant enzyme can partly reverse the pathology of a chronic neurometabolic genetic disorder. In a study of two children with the metabolic condition D-2-hydroxyglutaric aciduria type II, the drug enasidenib, developed as a selective mutant IDH2 inhibitor for treatment of acute myeloid leukemia, had beneficial effects on cardiac and neurodevelopmental abnormalities, indicating the potential for the repurposing of this drug for this hereditary condition.
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31. |
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32. |
- Hansson, Oskar
(author)
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Biomarkers for neurodegenerative diseases
- 2021
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In: Nature Medicine. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 1078-8956 .- 1546-170X. ; 27:6, s. 954-963
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Research review (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Biomarkers for neurodegenerative diseases are needed to improve the diagnostic workup in the clinic but also to facilitate the development and monitoring of effective disease-modifying therapies. Positron emission tomography methods detecting amyloid-β and tau pathology in Alzheimer’s disease have been increasingly used to improve the design of clinical trials and observational studies. In recent years, easily accessible and cost-effective blood-based biomarkers detecting the same Alzheimer’s disease pathologies have been developed, which might revolutionize the diagnostic workup of Alzheimer’s disease globally. Relevant biomarkers for α-synuclein pathology in Parkinson’s disease are also emerging, as well as blood-based markers of general neurodegeneration and glial activation. This review presents an overview of the latest advances in the field of biomarkers for neurodegenerative diseases. Future directions are discussed regarding implementation of novel biomarkers in clinical practice and trials.
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34. |
- Holst, Anders G., et al.
(author)
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Inhibition of the KCa2 potassium channel in atrial fibrillation: a randomized phase 2 trial
- 2023
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In: Nature Medicine. - 1078-8956 .- 1546-170X.
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Existing antiarrhythmic drugs to treat atrial fibrillation (AF) have incomplete efficacy, contraindications and adverse effects, including proarrhythmia. AP30663, an inhibitor of the KCa2 channel, has demonstrated AF efficacy in animals; however, its efficacy in humans with AF is unknown. Here we conducted a phase 2 trial in which patients with a current episode of AF lasting for 7 days or less were randomized to receive an intravenous infusion of 3 or 5 mg kg−1 AP30663 or placebo. The trial was prematurely discontinued because of slow enrollment during the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic. The primary endpoint of the trial was cardioversion from AF to sinus rhythm within 90 min from the start of the infusion, analyzed with Bayesian statistics. Among 59 patients randomized and included in the efficacy analyses, the primary endpoint occurred in 42% (5 of 12), 55% (12 of 22) and 0% (0 of 25) of patients treated with 3 mg kg−1 AP30663, 5 mg kg−1 AP30663 or placebo, respectively. Both doses demonstrated more than 99.9% probability of superiority over placebo, surpassing the prespecified 95% threshold. The mean time to cardioversion, a secondary endpoint, was 47 (s.d. = 23) and 41 (s.d. = 24) minutes for 3 mg kg−1 and 5 mg kg−1 AP30663, respectively. AP30663 caused a transient increase in the QTcF interval, with a maximum mean effect of 37.7 ms for the 5 mg kg−1 dose. For both dose groups, no ventricular arrhythmias occurred and adverse event rates were comparable to the placebo group. AP30663 demonstrated AF cardioversion efficacy in patients with recent-onset AF episodes. KCa2 channel inhibition may be an attractive mechanism for rhythm control of AF that should be studied further in randomized trials. ClinicalTrials.gov registration: NCT04571385 .
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35. |
- Horie, Kanta, et al.
(author)
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CSF MTBR-tau243 is a specific biomarker of tau tangle pathology in Alzheimer’s disease
- 2023
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In: Nature Medicine. - 1078-8956. ; 29:8, s. 1954-1963
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Aggregated insoluble tau is one of two defining features of Alzheimer’s disease. Because clinical symptoms are strongly correlated with tau aggregates, drug development and clinical diagnosis need cost-effective and accessible specific fluid biomarkers of tau aggregates; however, recent studies suggest that the fluid biomarkers currently available cannot specifically track tau aggregates. We show that the microtubule-binding region (MTBR) of tau containing the residue 243 (MTBR-tau243) is a new cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) biomarker specific for insoluble tau aggregates and compared it to multiple other phosphorylated tau measures (p-tau181, p-tau205, p-tau217 and p-tau231) in two independent cohorts (BioFINDER-2, n = 448; and Knight Alzheimer Disease Research Center, n = 219). MTBR-tau243 was most strongly associated with tau-positron emission tomography (PET) and cognition, whereas showing the lowest association with amyloid-PET. In combination with p-tau205, MTBR-tau243 explained most of the total variance in tau-PET burden (0.58 ≤ R 2 ≤ 0.75) and the performance in predicting cognitive measures (0.34 ≤ R 2 ≤ 0.48) approached that of tau-PET (0.44 ≤ R 2 ≤ 0.52). MTBR-tau243 levels longitudinally increased with insoluble tau aggregates, unlike CSF p-tau species. CSF MTBR-tau243 is a specific biomarker of tau aggregate pathology, which may be utilized in interventional trials and in the diagnosis of patients. Based on these findings, we propose to revise the A/T/(N) criteria to include MTBR-tau243 as representing insoluble tau aggregates (‘T’).
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36. |
- Huang, XG, et al.
(author)
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The landscape of mRNA nanomedicine
- 2022
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In: Nature medicine. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 1546-170X .- 1078-8956. ; 28:11, s. 2273-2287
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)
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37. |
- Janelidze, Shorena, et al.
(author)
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Plasma P-tau181 in Alzheimer's disease: relationship to other biomarkers, differential diagnosis, neuropathology and longitudinal progression to Alzheimer's dementia
- 2020
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In: Nature Medicine. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 1078-8956 .- 1546-170X. ; 26, s. 379-386
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Plasma phosphorylated tau181 (P-tau181) might be increased in Alzheimer's disease (AD), but its usefulness for differential diagnosis and prognosis is unclear. We studied plasma P-tau181 in three cohorts, with a total of 589 individuals, including cognitively unimpaired participants and patients with mild cognitive impairment (MCI), AD dementia and non-AD neurodegenerative diseases. Plasma P-tau181 was increased in preclinical AD and further increased at the MCI and dementia stages. It correlated with CSF P-tau181 and predicted positive Tau positron emission tomography (PET) scans (area under the curve (AUC) = 0.87-0.91 for different brain regions). Plasma P-tau181 differentiated AD dementia from non-AD neurodegenerative diseases with an accuracy similar to that of Tau PET and CSF P-tau181 (AUC = 0.94-0.98), and detected AD neuropathology in an autopsy-confirmed cohort. High plasma P-tau181 was associated with subsequent development of AD dementia in cognitively unimpaired and MCI subjects. In conclusion, plasma P-tau181 is a noninvasive diagnostic and prognostic biomarker of AD, which may be useful in clinical practice and trials. Plasma P-tau18 level increased with progression of Alzheimer's disease (AD) and differentiated AD dementia from other neurodegenerative diseases, supporting its further development as a blood-based biomarker for AD.
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38. |
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39. |
- Jhund, Pardeep S., et al.
(author)
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Dapagliflozin across the Range of Ejection Fraction in Patients with Heart Failure : A Patient-Level, Pooled Meta-Analysis of DAPA-HF and DELIVER.
- 2022
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In: Nature medicine. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 1078-8956 .- 1546-170X. ; 28:9, s. 1956-1964
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Whether the sodium-glucose cotransporter 2 inhibitor dapagliflozin reduces the risk of a range of morbidity and mortality outcomes in patients with heart failure regardless of ejection fraction is unknown. A patient-level pooled meta-analysis of two trials testing dapagliflozin in participants with heart failure and different ranges of left ventricular ejection fraction ($<$/=40% and $>$40%) was pre-specified to examine the effect of treatment on endpoints that neither trial, individually, was powered for and to test the consistency of the effect of dapagliflozin across the range of ejection fractions. The pre-specified endpoints were: death from cardiovascular causes; death from any cause; total hospital admissions for heart failure; and the composite of death from cardiovascular causes, myocardial infarction or stroke (major adverse cardiovascular events (MACEs)). A total of 11,007 participants with a mean ejection fraction of 44% (s.d. 14%) were included. Dapagliflozin reduced the risk of death from cardiovascular causes (hazard ratio (HR) 0.86, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.76-0.97; P = 0.01), death from any cause (HR 0.90, 95% CI 0.82-0.99; P = 0.03), total hospital admissions for heart failure (rate ratio 0.71, 95% CI 0.65-0.78; P $<$ 0.001) and MACEs (HR 0.90, 95% CI 0.81-1.00; P = 0.045). There was no evidence that the effect of dapagliflozin differed by ejection fraction. In a patient- level pooled meta-analysis covering the full range of ejection fractions in patients with heart failure, dapagliflozin reduced the risk of death from cardiovascular causes and hospital admissions for heart failure (PROSPERO: CRD42022346524).
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41. |
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42. |
- Kiiskinen, Tuomo, et al.
(author)
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Genetic predictors of lifelong medication-use patterns in cardiometabolic diseases
- 2023
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In: Nature Medicine. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 1078-8956 .- 1546-170X. ; 29:1, s. 209-218
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Little is known about the genetic determinants of medication use in preventing cardiometabolic diseases. Using the Finnish nationwide drug purchase registry with follow-up since 1995, we performed genome-wide association analyses of longitudinal patterns of medication use in hyperlipidemia, hypertension and type 2 diabetes in up to 193,933 individuals (55% women) in the FinnGen study. In meta-analyses of up to 567,671 individuals combining FinnGen with the Estonian Biobank and the UK Biobank, we discovered 333 independent loci (P < 5 × 10–9) associated with medication use. Fine-mapping revealed 494 95% credible sets associated with the total number of medication purchases, changes in medication combinations or treatment discontinuation, including 46 credible sets in 40 loci not associated with the underlying treatment targets. The polygenic risk scores (PRS) for cardiometabolic risk factors were strongly associated with the medication-use behavior. A medication-use enhanced multitrait PRS for coronary artery disease matched the performance of a risk factor-based multitrait coronary artery disease PRS in an independent sample (UK Biobank, n = 343,676). In summary, we demonstrate medication-based strategies for identifying cardiometabolic risk loci and provide genome-wide tools for preventing cardiovascular diseases.
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43. |
- Kinyoki, Damaris, et al.
(author)
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Anemia prevalence in women of reproductive age in low- and middle-income countries between 2000 and 2018
- 2021
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In: Nature Medicine. - : Springer Nature. - 1078-8956 .- 1546-170X. ; 27:10, s. 1761-1782
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Anemia is a globally widespread condition in women and is associated with reduced economic productivity and increased mortality worldwide. Here we map annual 2000-2018 geospatial estimates of anemia prevalence in women of reproductive age (15-49 years) across 82 low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), stratify anemia by severity and aggregate results to policy-relevant administrative and national levels. Additionally, we provide subnational disparity analyses to provide a comprehensive overview of anemia prevalence inequalities within these countries and predict progress toward the World Health Organization's Global Nutrition Target (WHO GNT) to reduce anemia by half by 2030. Our results demonstrate widespread moderate improvements in overall anemia prevalence but identify only three LMICs with a high probability of achieving the WHO GNT by 2030 at a national scale, and no LMIC is expected to achieve the target in all their subnational administrative units. Our maps show where large within-country disparities occur, as well as areas likely to fall short of the WHO GNT, offering precision public health tools so that adequate resource allocation and subsequent interventions can be targeted to the most vulnerable populations.
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44. |
- Kinyoki, DK, et al.
(author)
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Mapping local patterns of childhood overweight and wasting in low- and middle-income countries between 2000 and 2017
- 2020
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In: Nature medicine. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 1546-170X .- 1078-8956. ; 26:5, s. 750-759
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- A double burden of malnutrition occurs when individuals, household members or communities experience both undernutrition and overweight. Here, we show geospatial estimates of overweight and wasting prevalence among children under 5 years of age in 105 low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) from 2000 to 2017 and aggregate these to policy-relevant administrative units. Wasting decreased overall across LMICs between 2000 and 2017, from 8.4% (62.3 (55.1–70.8) million) to 6.4% (58.3 (47.6–70.7) million), but is predicted to remain above the World Health Organization’s Global Nutrition Target of <5% in over half of LMICs by 2025. Prevalence of overweight increased from 5.2% (30 (22.8–38.5) million) in 2000 to 6.0% (55.5 (44.8–67.9) million) children aged under 5 years in 2017. Areas most affected by double burden of malnutrition were located in Indonesia, Thailand, southeastern China, Botswana, Cameroon and central Nigeria. Our estimates provide a new perspective to researchers, policy makers and public health agencies in their efforts to address this global childhood syndemic.
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45. |
- Krogvold, Lars, et al.
(author)
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Pleconaril and ribavirin in new-onset type 1 diabetes: a phase 2 randomized trial
- 2023
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In: Nature Medicine. - : NATURE PORTFOLIO. - 1078-8956 .- 1546-170X. ; 29, s. 2902-2908
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Previous studies showed a low-grade enterovirus infection in the pancreatic islets of patients with newly diagnosed type 1 diabetes (T1D). In the Diabetes Virus Detection (DiViD) Intervention, a phase 2, placebo-controlled, randomized, parallel group, double-blind trial, 96 children and adolescents (aged 6-15 years) with new-onset T1D received antiviral treatment with pleconaril and ribavirin (n = 47) or placebo (n = 49) for 6 months, with the aim of preserving beta cell function. The primary endpoint was the mean stimulated C-peptide area under the curve (AUC) 12 months after the initiation of treatment (less than 3 weeks after diagnosis) using a mixed linear model. The model used longitudinal log-transformed serum C-peptide AUCs at baseline, at 3 months, 6 months and 1 year. The primary endpoint was met with the serum C-peptide AUC being higher in the pleconaril and ribavirin treatment group compared to the placebo group at 12 months (average marginal effect = 0.057 in the linear mixed model; 95% confidence interval = 0.004-0.11, P = 0.037). The treatment was well tolerated. The results show that antiviral treatment may preserve residual insulin production in children and adolescent with new-onset T1D. This provides a rationale for further evaluating antiviral strategies in the prevention and treatment of T1D. European Union Drug Regulating Authorities Clinical Trials identifier: 2015-003350-41. Results from the DiViD Intervention, a phase 2 randomized, placebo-controlled trial, showed that antiviral treatment with pleconaril and ribavirin for 6 months resulted in higher endogenous insulin production in children and adolescents with new-onset type 1 diabetes.
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46. |
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47. |
- Li, Q., et al.
(author)
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Obesity and hyperinsulinemia drive adipocytes to activate a cell cycle program and senesce
- 2021
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In: Nature Medicine. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 1078-8956 .- 1546-170X. ; 27, s. 1941-1953
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Obesity is considered an important factor for many chronic diseases, including diabetes, cardiovascular disease and cancer. The expansion of adipose tissue in obesity is due to an increase in both adipocyte progenitor differentiation and mature adipocyte cell size. Adipocytes, however, are thought to be unable to divide or enter the cell cycle. We demonstrate that mature human adipocytes unexpectedly display a gene and protein signature indicative of an active cell cycle program. Adipocyte cell cycle progression associates with obesity and hyperinsulinemia, with a concomitant increase in cell size, nuclear size and nuclear DNA content. Chronic hyperinsulinemia in vitro or in humans, however, is associated with subsequent cell cycle exit, leading to a premature senescent transcriptomic and secretory profile in adipocytes. Premature senescence is rapidly becoming recognized as an important mediator of stress-induced tissue dysfunction. By demonstrating that adipocytes can activate a cell cycle program, we define a mechanism whereby mature human adipocytes senesce. We further show that by targeting the adipocyte cell cycle program using metformin, it is possible to influence adipocyte senescence and obesity-associated adipose tissue inflammation. Studies in mature human adipocytes demonstrate that obesity and hyperinsulinemia can induce reentry into the cell cycle and induce senescence.
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48. |
- Lindahl, Bertil, 1957-, et al.
(author)
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A new clinical classification of acute myocardial infarction
- 2023
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In: Nature Medicine. - : Springer Nature. - 1078-8956 .- 1546-170X. ; 29:9, s. 2200-2205
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The existence of a universal definition of myocardial infarction-which involves classification into multiple subtypes-has promoted the use of standard diagnostic criteria across the world. However, this classification has not been applied consistently in practice and is perceived by some as too complicated. Where there is diagnostic uncertainty, patients have worse outcomes. This uncertainty has also impacted on the validity of the diagnosis of myocardial infarction in clinical trials. To address these issues and to encourage clinicians to recognize that different mechanisms of myocardial infarction have differing treatment implications, we propose an alternative clinical classification for consideration; one that recognizes that myocardial infarction can arise spontaneously, secondary to another condition, or as a complication of a cardiac procedure. This classification is aligned with clinical practice and proposes more objective and specific diagnostic criteria that, if agreed by international consensus, could reduce diagnostic uncertainty in practice and research. The current definition of myocardial infarction is applied inconsistently, with implications for patients and research; here, the authors propose a new definition and call for further research and consensus.
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50. |
- Meijnikman, A. S., et al.
(author)
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Microbiome-derived ethanol in nonalcoholic fatty liver disease
- 2022
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In: Nature Medicine. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 1078-8956 .- 1546-170X. ; 28:10, s. 2100-2106
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- A new study examines microbiome-generated ethanol in individuals with and without nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), concluding that microbial ethanol might contribute to pathogenesis in some patients with NAFLD. To test the hypothesis that the gut microbiota of individuals with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) produce enough ethanol to be a driving force in the development and progression of this complex disease, we performed one prospective clinical study and one intervention study. Ethanol was measured while fasting and 120 min after a mixed meal test (MMT) in 146 individuals. In a subset of 37 individuals and in an external validation cohort, ethanol was measured in portal vein blood. In an intervention study, ten individuals with NAFLD and ten overweight but otherwise healthy controls were infused with a selective alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH) inhibitor before an MMT. When compared to fasted peripheral blood, median portal vein ethanol concentrations were 187 (interquartile range (IQR), 17-516) times higher and increased with disease progression from 2.1 mM in individuals without steatosis to 8.0 mM in NAFL 21.0 mM in nonalcoholic steatohepatitis. Inhibition of ADH induced a 15-fold (IQR,1.6- to 20-fold) increase in peripheral blood ethanol concentrations in individuals with NAFLD, although this effect was abolished after antibiotic treatment. Specifically, Lactobacillaceae correlated with postprandial peripheral ethanol concentrations (Spearman's rho, 0.42; P < 10(-5)) in the prospective study. Our data show that the first-pass effect obscures the levels of endogenous ethanol production, suggesting that microbial ethanol could be considered in the pathogenesis of this highly prevalent liver disease.
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