Article
Medicine, General & Internal
Robin Carhart-Harris, Bruna Giribaldi, Rosalind Watts, Michelle Baker-Jones, Ashleigh Murphy-Beiner, Roberta Murphy, Jonny Martell, Allan Blemings, David Erritzoe, David J. Nutt
Summary: The study compared the efficacy of psilocybin and escitalopram in treating patients with major depressive disorder. While there was no significant difference in antidepressant effects between the two drugs at week 6, secondary outcomes generally favored psilocybin over escitalopram, though these results were not adjusted for multiple comparisons. Larger and longer trials are needed to further compare psilocybin with established antidepressants.
NEW ENGLAND JOURNAL OF MEDICINE
(2021)
Article
Immunology
Kristen M. Kelly, Jennifer A. Smith, Briana Mezuk
Summary: The study using Mendelian Randomization found a causal relationship between soluble interleukin-6 receptor and depression, potentially through different signaling pathways. The results suggest involvement of the IL-6 signaling pathway in depression and further research is needed.
BRAIN BEHAVIOR AND IMMUNITY
(2021)
Article
Clinical Neurology
Wonsuk Choi, Hee-Ju Kang, Ju-Wan Kim, Hee Kyung Kim, Ho-Cheol Kang, Ju-Yeon Lee, Sung-Wan Kim, Robert Stewart, Jae-Min Kim
Summary: The baseline serum IL-6 level and severity of anxiety symptoms can predict the outcome of antidepressant treatment. Patients with low IL-6 levels and mild anxiety symptoms are more likely to experience remission of depression.
JOURNAL OF AFFECTIVE DISORDERS
(2022)
Article
Veterinary Sciences
Karolina Drozdzewska, Judith Winter, Ann Kristin Barton, Roswitha Merle, Heidrun Gehlen
Summary: Feeding does not significantly affect b/pACTH levels, but pergolide has an effect on bACTH with little impact on pACTH. Further investigation into the impact of month and coat color on b/pACTH is needed for better interpretation of the results.
EQUINE VETERINARY JOURNAL
(2023)
Article
Clinical Neurology
Francisco Campos-Rodriguez, Jose Cordero-Guevara, Maria Isabel Asensio-Cruz, Angeles Sanchez-Armengol, Veronica Sanchez-Lopez, Elena Arellano-Orden, David Gozal, Miguel Angel Martinez-Garcia
Summary: In women with moderate-to-severe OSA, IL6 levels are independently associated with the presence of depression and correlate with depression scores. Low physical activity and higher ESS scores are also independent indicators of risk of depression in this population.
JOURNAL OF SLEEP RESEARCH
(2021)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Dominik Langgartner, Raphael Winkler, Jonas Brunner-Weisser, Nicolas Rohleder, Marc N. N. Jarczok, Harald Guendel, Katja Weimer, Stefan O. O. Reber
Summary: Ex vivo culturing of isolated PBMCs from individuals vaccinated with the COVID-19 vaccine BNT162b1 showed enhanced T cell response to the RBD of the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein. The study also investigated the long-lasting effects of COVID-19 vaccination on various physiological and immunological parameters. The results showed significant increases in IL-6 secretion in vaccinated individuals compared to non-vaccinated individuals.
SCIENTIFIC REPORTS
(2023)
Article
Clinical Neurology
Feng Fang, Beata Godlewska, Raymond Y. Cho, Sean I. Savitz, Sudhakar Selvaraj, Yingchun Zhang
Summary: This study investigated the effects of the antidepressant drug escitalopram on functional brain controllability in patients with major depressive disorder (MDD). The results showed that escitalopram treatment improved the brain controllability of MDD patients and predicted improvements in clinical scores.
JOURNAL OF AFFECTIVE DISORDERS
(2022)
Article
Oncology
Ann W. Silk, Brendan Curti, Jennifer Bryan, Tracie Saunders, Weichung Shih, Michael P. Kane, Phoebe Hannon, Christopher Fountain, Jessica Felcher, Andrew Zloza, Howard L. Kaufman, Janice M. Mehnert, David F. McDermott
Summary: This study aimed to evaluate the safety profile of high-dose interleukin-2 (HD IL-2) in combination with pembrolizumab for the treatment of unresectable or metastatic melanoma. The results showed that this combination therapy was feasible and well-tolerated in patients.
FRONTIERS IN ONCOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Medicine, Research & Experimental
Okki Cho, Joong-Woon Lee, Han -Sol Kim, Young-Jin Jeong, Tae-Hwe Heo
Summary: In this study, the researchers investigated the inhibitory effects of chelerythrine (CHE) on IL-2 activity and its potential as an anticancer agent. They found that CHE selectively inhibited the interaction between IL-2 and IL-2R alpha and directly bound to IL-2. CHE inhibited the proliferation and signaling of CTLL-2 cells, suppressed IL-2 activity in different immune cells, and prevented the conversion of CD4+ T cells into regulatory T cells. In mouse models, CHE reduced tumor growth, upregulated the expression of IFN-gamma and cytotoxic molecules, and synergistically increased antitumor activity when combined with a PD-1 inhibitor.
Article
Clinical Neurology
Yang Li, Yuhang Xie, Yuhao Xu, Xian Xian, Ranchao Wang, Lili Cai, Guohai Li, Yuefeng Li
Summary: This study examined the impact of stressful life events (SLEs) on the susceptibility to depression. The results showed that individuals with abnormal IL-6-white matter differences were more likely to develop depression after SLEs. Females, lower annual household income, and lower exercise frequency were factors associated with an increased risk of developing these abnormal differences.
JOURNAL OF AFFECTIVE DISORDERS
(2022)
Article
Endocrinology & Metabolism
Gioia M. Guerrieri, Rivka Ben Dor, Xiaobai Li, Shau-Ming Wei, Pedro E. Martinez, Lynnette K. Neiman, David R. Rubinow, Peter J. Schmidt
Summary: Research examined HPA axis function in perimenopausal women with and without depression, finding no abnormalities associated with PMD compared to women without depression.
JOURNAL OF CLINICAL ENDOCRINOLOGY & METABOLISM
(2021)
Article
Immunology
Siu-Man Ng, Margaret X. C. Yin, Jessie S. M. Chan, Celia H. Y. Chan, Ted C. T. Fong, Ang Li, Kwok-Fai So, Lai-Ping Yuen, Jian-Ping Chen, Ka-Fai Chung, Cecilia L. W. Chan
Summary: The study showed that both Integrative Body-Mind-Spirit (IBMS) and Qigong interventions were effective in reducing depression and sleep disturbance, as well as lowering levels of proinflammatory cytokines IL-6 and IL-1 beta. The interventions also increased holistic well-being in participants, with effect sizes mostly in the medium magnitude range. Path analysis models revealed the predictive role of perceived stress in depression and sleep disturbance, as well as significant influence of depression and sleep disturbance on IL-6 and IL-1 beta levels. The findings support the efficacy of IBMS and Qigong interventions in relieving depression and sleep disturbance.
BRAIN BEHAVIOR AND IMMUNITY
(2022)
Article
Psychiatry
John-Jose Nunez, Yang S. Liu, Bo Cao, Benicio N. Frey, Keith Ho, Roumen Milev, Daniel J. Mueller, Susan Rotzinger, Claudio N. Soares, Valerie H. Taylor, Rudolf Uher, Sidney H. Kennedy, Raymond W. Lam
Summary: Depression is a complex disorder with a heterogeneous response to treatment. This study used machine learning to cluster patients with depression and found three distinct response patterns. The subjective mood state/anhedonia was identified as the core feature of response to escitalopram, but there were also other patterns related to neurovegetative symptoms, activation, and cognition.
PSYCHIATRY RESEARCH
(2023)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Annette Johansen, Sophia Armand, Pontus Plaven-Sigray, Arafat Nasser, Brice Ozenne, Ida N. Petersen, Sune H. Keller, Jacob Madsen, Vincent Beliveau, Kirsten Moller, Alexandra Vassilieva, Christelle Langley, Claus Svarer, Dea S. Stenbaek, Barbara J. Sahakian, Gitte M. Knudsen
Summary: This study investigated the effects of the SSRI escitalopram on synaptic plasticity. The findings suggest that daily intake of escitalopram for 3-5 weeks can lead to changes in brain synaptic plasticity, providing a biological explanation for the delayed treatment response commonly observed in patients treated with SSRIs.
MOLECULAR PSYCHIATRY
(2023)
Article
Psychiatry
Galia Bahadori-Birgani, Shahram Molavynejad, Mahbobe Rashidi, Fereshteh Amiri, Elham Maraghi, Bahman Dashtbozorgi, Zulvikar Syambani Ulhaq, Gholamreza Alizadeh-Attar
Summary: This study aimed to determine the association of physical, mental, and psychological problems with the levels of interleukin-1 and -6 in COVID-19 patients. The analysis of the data showed a significant correlation between interleukin-1 and -6 levels and physical indices and psychological problems. The conclusion is that the levels of interleukin-1 and -6 can be used to estimate the severity of physical and psychological symptoms in COVID-19 patients.
FRONTIERS IN PSYCHIATRY
(2023)
Article
Oncology
Alicia C. McDonald, Jeremy Gernand, Nathaniel R. Geyer, Hongke Wu, Yanxu Yang, Ming Wang
Summary: The study found that higher ambient air concentrations of arsenic and cadmium were associated with lower overall and prostate cancer-specific survival among prostate cancer cases. These associations were observed in the total population and stratified by geographical region. Reducing exposure to arsenic and cadmium could potentially decrease prostate cancer deaths.
Article
Immunology
Nadia H. Khan, Nadine G. Rouphael, Lindsey R. Baden, Daniel S. Graciaa
Summary: While the development of SARS-CoV-2 vaccines was rapid, challenges in development and implementation remain. Trained immunity through BCG vaccination offers a potential intervention to protect vulnerable populations and preserve health system capacity before targeted vaccines are available.
Article
Mathematical & Computational Biology
Chixiang Chen, Tonghui Yu, Biyi Shen, Ming Wang
Summary: The paper proposes a new estimation framework that combines secondary outcomes with traditional survival models to improve parameter estimation efficiency. Extensive simulation studies and real-life applications demonstrate the method's higher accuracy and efficiency in detecting risk factors.
BIOMETRICAL JOURNAL
(2023)
Article
Biology
Changgee Chang, Zhiqi Bu, Qi Long
Summary: Electronic health records (EHRs) provide opportunities for precision medicine, but sharing data is a challenge. We propose a method that aggregates data from external sites by treating it as missing data. We also suggest incorporating posterior samples from remote sites to improve parameter estimates.
Article
Statistics & Probability
Kan Chen, Siyu Heng, Qi Long, Bo Zhang
Summary: One central goal of observational study design is to incorporate non-experimental data into an approximate randomized controlled trial using statistical matching. However, residual imbalance due to imperfect matching of observed covariates often persists. This article presents two generic classes of exact statistical tests for a biased randomization assumption and introduces a quantity called residual sensitivity value (RSV) as a means to quantify the level of residual confounding due to imperfect matching of observed covariates in a matched sample. The proposed methodology is demonstrated through a re-examination of a famous observational study.
JOURNAL OF COMPUTATIONAL AND GRAPHICAL STATISTICS
(2023)
Article
Biology
Chixiang Chen, Ming Wang, Shuo Chen
Summary: Many studies collect secondary outcomes that are highly correlated with the primary endpoint. These secondary outcomes are often analyzed separately from the main analysis. However, these secondary outcomes can be used to improve the efficiency of the main analysis. We propose a method called multiple information borrowing (MinBo) that utilizes secondary data to enhance the estimation precision in the main analysis. Theoretical and case studies demonstrate that MinBo outperforms existing methods in terms of efficiency gain. We apply MinBo to assess risk factors for hypertension using data from the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities study.
Article
Oncology
Robin Taylor Wilson, Susan E. Safford, Quinn T. Ostrom, Ming Wang, Alicia C. McDonald, Anna C. Salzberg, Jill S. Barnholtz-Sloan, John P. Richie
Summary: In this cross-sectional study, little is known regarding factors associated with calcitriol and the calcitriol-24,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3-calcifediol proportion ratio (C24CPR). The study found that calcitriol and C24CPR were both significantly, positively, and monotonically associated with West African genetic ancestry proportion (WGA). These findings suggest that C24CPR may be more suitable for personalized medicine.
CANCER EPIDEMIOLOGY BIOMARKERS & PREVENTION
(2023)
Article
Oncology
Savanna G. Ledford, Jennifer L. Moss, Steven Alles, Ming Wang, Fritz C. Kessler, Benjamin Marks, Amr S. Soliman, Monika D. Joshi, Eugene J. Lengerich
Summary: Cancer patients are at higher risk for severe COVID-19 outcomes and should adhere to preventive measures. The Health Belief Model was used to identify factors associated with adherence to and advocacy for COVID-19 recommendations among cancer patients. Survey results showed that perceived benefits, perceived barriers, and cues-to-action were positively associated with adherence or advocacy, while perceived susceptibility and self-efficacy were negatively associated.
JOURNAL OF CANCER EDUCATION
(2023)
Article
Mathematical & Computational Biology
Menglu Liang, Zheng Li, Liang Li, Vernon M. Chinchilli, Lijun Zhang, Ming Wang
Summary: In the field of cardiovascular disease, accurately evaluating the prognosis of patients and dynamically predicting the risk of death by considering historical recurrent events can improve medical decisions and lead to better health care outcomes.
STATISTICS IN MEDICINE
(2023)
Letter
Oncology
Xinhe Shan, Qi Long, Alfred L. Garfall, Sandra P. Susanibar-Adaniya
BLOOD CANCER JOURNAL
(2023)
Article
Oncology
Marcia M. M. Tan, Dario M. M. Villamar, Clarissa Huard, Lian Nicholson, Heidy N. N. Medina, Patricia I. I. Moreno
Summary: This study examined the facilitators and barriers to successful advance care planning (ACP) conversations among Black women with breast cancer from the perspective of providers and community health workers (CHWs). The study found that stigma and time constraints were major barriers for providers, while CHWs had the potential to bridge the gap between patients and providers. However, they lacked the necessary tools and skills due to the lack of affordable ACP trainings.
Article
Oncology
Melanie Potiaumpai, Erica A. Schleicher, Ming Wang, Kristin L. Campbell, Kathleen Sturgeon, Kathryn H. Schmitz
Summary: Exercise can improve chemotherapy completion rate by reducing toxicities. Patients with breast cancer had higher completion rate compared with gastrointestinal cancer and pancreatic cancer. Every 2.72 unit increase in exercise adherence led to a 7% decrease in chemotherapy completion rate for GI patients.
Article
Cardiac & Cardiovascular Systems
Andrew W. Gardner, Polly S. Montgomery, Ming Wang, Menglu Liang
Summary: This randomized controlled trial compared the long-term effects of different exercise programs on symptomatic participants with peripheral artery disease. The study found that a long-term home exercise program (HEP) and transitioning from short-term supervised exercise therapy (SET) to HEP (SET/HEP) were both effective in improving peak walking time and exercise time-to-minimum calf muscle oxygen saturation. These improvements were also correlated with each other.
JOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN HEART ASSOCIATION
(2023)
Article
Medicine, Research & Experimental
Nicholas L. Hudock, Kyle Mani, Chachrit Khunsriraksakul, Vonn Walter, Larissa Nekhlyudov, Ming Wang, Eric J. Lehrer, Maria R. Hudock, Dajiang J. Liu, Daniel E. Spratt, Nicholas G. Zaorsky
Summary: This study analyzed trends in metastatic cancer incidence, survival rates, and the locations cancer spreads to. It found that the incidence of metastatic cancer has been decreasing and is expected to continue to decrease until 2040. Common sites of metastasis include the lung, liver, brain, and bone. The study also predicts an increase in long-term survival for patients with metastatic cancer by 2040. This research is important for planning future healthcare resources and policy.
COMMUNICATIONS MEDICINE
(2023)
Article
Oncology
Marcia M. Tan, Anna Veluz-Wilkins, Paulina Styrczula, Shambreia McBrayer
Summary: There is a clear lack of knowledge and practice in tobacco cessation among non-physician healthcare professionals in the U.S., highlighting the need for training programs to improve their capabilities.