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A single Center study of the Symbol Digit Modalities test as a screening tool for cognitive impairment in Parkinson’s disease
No full textBackground: Parkinson’s Disease (PD) can include physical signs and possibly cognitive impairment, resulting from the convergence of pathologicalprocesses involving dopaminergic dysfunction, accumulation ofalpha-synuclein, cholinergic deficits, and disruption of otherneurotransmitter systems. We used screening tests to evaluate thecharacteristics of cognitive performance in patients with PD and to assess their validity compared tothe Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA). Methods: This is a natural history study of participants with PD and controls screened for possible cognitive impairment using the MoCA, Symbol Digit Modalities Test (SDMT), and King-Devick (KD). The groups were compared on performance and then factors associated with cognitive performance (age, diagnosis, and level of education) were analyzed to determine which best predicted test scores. Results: SDMT scores were lower in the PD group (Mean = 36.7 ± 12.4) compared to controls (Mean = 47.2 ± 11.0, p \u3c 0.001), but the MoCA (PD = 23.8 ± 3.5; Control = 25.5 ± 3.6, p = 0.02) and KD (PD = 70.1 ± 23.4 s; Control = 61.6 ± 17.5, p = 0.048) did not differentiate between groups after controlling for multiple comparisons. Age and diagnosis predicted SDMT raw scores and, as expected, only diagnosis remained significant after calculating T-scores based on published test norms. Age, education, and diagnosis predicted MoCA scores. Conclusions: The SDMT emerged as a promising screening tool to detect cognitive impairment in PD. The test’s age and education corrected norms controlled for those variables and left diagnosis as the only predictor of performance. The MoCA scores were predicted by age, education, and diagnosis suggesting the education correction of the MoCA did not fully account for the influence of demographic variables
OphthoACR (Ophthalmology Automated Chart Review): An AI-Powered Tool for Complete Automation of Ophthalmology Chart Reviews and Cohort Data Analysis
No full textPurpose: Retrospective chart reviews in ophthalmology are essential for gaining clinical insights, but they remain labor-intensive and prone to error. Despite digitization through electronic health records, extracting and interpreting lengthy, unstructured patient histories remains challenging, particularly in ophthalmology, which relies heavily on both imaging and text-based reports. We introduce OphthoACR, a Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act-compliant artificial intelligence (AI)-powered tool for automated chart review and cohort analyses in ophthalmology. Methods: OphthoACR was applied to extract 16 variables of increasing task difficulty from the complete chart histories of 91 patients who underwent secondary intraocular lens surgery at the Columbia University Irving Medical Center from January 2020 to August 2024, for a total of 5834 unique documents. The tool integrates a fine-tuned large language model into a robust pipeline to extract and contextualize unstructured clinical data, including operative reports and imaging documents. OphthoACR\u27s performance was compared to manual and AI-assisted chart reviews. Results: OphthoACR achieved 94% accuracy in extracting variables of interest, significantly outperforming manual review (83%). It demonstrated 97% specificity, 92% sensitivity, and a Cohen\u27s κ of 0.70, indicating robust agreement. Average time for OphthoACR to process a patient chart was 80 seconds, a 95% reduction compared to the manual review\u27s average of 25.2 minutes. For cohort-wide processing, the improvement was 99.9% due to parallel processing of patients\u27 charts. Conclusions: OphthoACR significantly improves the accuracy and efficiency of ophthalmology chart reviews, offering an unprecedented automated solution to analyze large patient cohorts. Translational Relevance: OphthoACR provides end-to-end automation of retrospective chart reviews, transforming the currently labor-intensive manual process into an efficient, accurate, and scalable solution that substantially enhances clinical research
The ZSF1 Rat Model of HFpEF Exhibits Sex-Dependent Differences in the Development of Diuretic Resistance to Furosemide.
No full textDifferential Metabolite Profiles Associated with HIV in KSHV Seropositive Individuals and Overlapping Signatures in Kaposi Sarcoma
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Identification of Key Tumor miRNA Expression Biomarkers Associated with Aggressive Prostate Cancer
No full textAssociation between dental floss use, dental visits, and a five-year Alzheimer\u27s disease risk prediction score among United States adults aged 65 years and older
No full textBackgroundAlzheimer\u27s disease (AD) imposes substantial societal and healthcare burdens. Emerging evidence links poor oral hygiene to AD risk, but further research is still required to clarify this link.ObjectiveTo examine the associations between dental floss use, regular dental visits, and their combined effects on 5-year AD risk among United States (US) adults aged ≥65.MethodsA cross-sectional analysis included 3356 adults aged 65 + from NHANES (2013-2018). Predicted five-year AD risk scores (0-44) combined sociodemographic, psychological, behavioral, and medical factors, categorized as low (0-20) or high risk (21-44) groups. Dental floss use and past-year dental visits were assessed. Associations were evaluated using weighted logistic regression models to account for complex survey design and US representativeness.ResultsHigher rates of dental floss use and past-year dental visits were each associated with lower predicted 5-year AD risk scores. After adjustment, flossing reduced the odds of high predicted risk by 32% (OR = 0.68, 95% CI: 0.56-0.84) and dental visits by 28% (OR = 0.72, 95% CI: 0.58-0.90). Compared to those with neither behavior, participants who flossed alone (OR = 0.63, 95% CI: 0.48-0.83), had dental visits only (OR = 0.69, 95% CI: 0.52-0.92), or engaged in both behaviors (OR = 0.58, 95% CI: 0.45-0.74) showed progressively lower odds of being classified in the high predicted risk group.ConclusionsRegular dental flossing and visits were independently associated with reduced predicted 5-year AD risk, with partially additive effects when combined, supporting routine oral hygiene promotion as a potential preventive strategy in older adults
HER3 promotes triple-negative breast cancer progression by upregulating PHF8 via miR-34b-5p-dependent mechanism
No full textTriple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) is one of the most aggressive subtypes of breast cancer, with limited targeted treatment options and poor clinical outcomes. HER3 has recently emerged as a promising therapeutic target, with HER3-directed antibody–drug conjugates advancing to Phase III clinical trials for non-small cell lung cancer. However, the downstream molecular mechanisms by which HER3 promotes TNBC progression remain poorly defined. In this study, we uncovered a previously unrecognized HER3/miR-34b-5p/PHF8 signaling axis that drives TNBC cell proliferation and tumor growth. Mechanistically, HER3 activation suppresses the tumor-suppressive microRNA miR-34b-5p, resulting in the upregulation of the histone demethylase PHF8 (KDM7B), which in turn represses the expression of the CDK inhibitor p27Kip1 and facilitates G1–S cell cycle progression. Functional studies using shRNA-mediated knockdown and overexpression systems demonstrate that PHF8 is a critical downstream effector of HER3. PHF8 depletion phenocopied HER3 knockdown, inducing G1 arrest and suppressing colony formation and proliferation in multiple TNBC cell lines, while PHF8 overexpression rescued the inhibitory effects of HER3 loss. Furthermore, orthotopic xenograft models revealed that enforced PHF8 expression restored tumor growth suppressed by HER3 silencing in vivo. Clinically, HER3 and PHF8 expression levels were positively correlated in TNBC tissue specimens, and TCGA dataset analyses indicated that the HER3/miR-34b-5p/PHF8 axis is significantly associated with poor survival outcomes in breast cancer patients. Collectively, our findings establish a novel epigenetic regulatory circuit through which HER3 drives TNBC progression and lay the groundwork for future therapeutic strategies aimed at disrupting HER3–epigenetic crosstalk in TNBC
Advancing Peptide-Based Vaccines Against Candida: A Comparative Perspective on Liposomal and Synthetic Formulations
No full textThe growing threat of multidrug-resistant fungal pathogens, especially Candida auris, has underscored the need for effective antifungal vaccines. This commentary highlights recent advances in peptide-based vaccination using the SNAP (Spontaneous Nanoliposome Antigen Presentation) platform, focusing on the FM-SNAP vaccine, a bivalent liposomal formulation targeting the surface-expressed peptides fructose bisphosphate aldolase (Fba) and methionine synthase (Met6). Compared to earlier constructs such as MP12, FM-SNAP achieves superior immunogenicity and long-lasting protection at lower antigen doses. It elicits balanced Th1/Th2 cytokine responses and demonstrates durable efficacy in both immunocompetent and complement-deficient mouse models. The platform\u27s compatibility with clinically approved adjuvants (MPLA and QS-21), modular peptide design, and potential for multi-pathogen applications underscores its translational promise. FM-SNAP exemplifies a next-generation vaccine strategy that is both scalable and adaptable for high-risk immunocompromised populations
