Biomedicines

Background/Objectives: BK polyomavirus (BKPyV) establishes lifelong, asymptomatic persistence but frequently reactivates in renal transplant recipients, contributing to significant post-transplant morbidity. Although humoral responses are routinely monitored, the role of cellular immunity in viral control remains incompletely characterized. This study aimed to characterize BKPyV-specific T-cell r…

Bacillus Calmette–Guérin (BCG)-unresponsive non-muscle-invasive bladder cancer (NMIBC) is a high-risk disease state for which early radical cystectomy remains the guideline-supported oncologic reference in surgically fit patients. Bladder-sparing therapy is necessary for patients ineligible for or declining cystectomy, but it is a preference-sensitive trade-off rather than an equivalent alternati…

Background: We assessed the prognostic value of the pan-immune–inflammation value (PIV), systemic immune–inflammation index (SII), lung immune prognostic index (LIPI), and c-reactive protein–albumin–lymphocyte (CALLY) index in advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) treated with first-line immune checkpoint inhibitor (ICI)-based therapy. Methods: This multicenter retrospective study included …

High-throughput metagenomic sequencing and advances in mucosal immunology have refuted the traditional physiological concept of a sterile respiratory tract. The oral cavity has been recognized as a dynamic determinant of systemic health. As in other parts of the body, recent studies also suggest that pulmonary health may be linked to oral health. Under eubiotic conditions, the oral microbiome mai…

Background and objectives: At King Hussein Cancer Center, peripheral blood stem cell (PBSC) collections in healthy allogeneic donors are typically initiated on day 4 of granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF) mobilization, contingent upon circulating CD34+ cell counts (≥20 CD34+/µL). In cases where counts are suboptimal, collections are typically deferred to day 5. Research method: We condu…

Objectives: Eligibility for Lutetium-177 labeled prostate-specific membrane antigen ([177Lu]Lu-PSMA) radioligand therapy depends on PSMA PET/CT interpretation and may vary across observers and centres. We aimed to identify imaging and clinical correlates of VISION-like PSMA PET-defined eligibility and to compare exploratory clinical, PET-based, and combined models. Materials and Methods: Seventy-…

Background: Mature microRNAs (miRNAs) have been implicated in inflammation and fibrosis and are associated with the pathogenesis of renal dysfunction. miRNAs are single-stranded RNAs approximately 22 nucleotides in length that can posttranscriptionally modify mRNA by base-pairing with its complementary sequences leading to the silencing of mRNA. Methods: We assessed circulating levels of miRNAs i…

Background: Atopic dermatitis (AD) is a persistent and recurring skin disease characterized by epidermal barrier dysfunction, immune dysregulation, and elevated expression of proinflammatory mediators. We investigated the anti-inflammatory potential of polynucleotides (PN), highly purified DNA biopolymers isolated from salmonid gonads, in keratinocyte and macrophage activation models. Methods: RA…

Despite substantial progress in biomarker discovery and multi-omics profiling, several features of Alzheimer’s disease (AD), including prolonged compensated states, heterogeneous clinical trajectories, and marked stage-dependent therapeutic responses, remain difficult to integrate into a single mechanistic framework. In this review, we propose an integrative and testable conceptual framework that…

Background/Objectives: Although SARS-CoV-2 infection is usually mild in children, some develop severe respiratory disease (RD) or multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children (MIS-C). We evaluated long-term respiratory symptoms, pulmonary function, and cardiopulmonary exercise performance in children recovering from SARS-CoV-2-related RD and MIS-C. Methods: This single-center prospective observa…

Background/Objectives: Schlafen 11 (SLFN11) encodes a DNA damage response protein implicated in sensitivity to DNA-damaging therapies and has been proposed as a predictive biomarker in several malignancies. This study aimed to characterize SLFN11 expression and evaluate its prognostic and predictive significance in locally advanced rectal cancer (LARC). Methods: Publicly available datasets were i…

Background: Pulmonary fibrosis is a chronic and progressive disease characterized by excessive deposition of extracellular matrix and scarring of lung tissue, resulting in a gradual decline in respiratory function. Despite advances in understanding its pathogenesis, effective therapeutic options remain limited. This study aimed to evaluate the antifibrotic effects of concentrated polyphenolic ext…

Background/Objectives: Antinuclear antibody testing by indirect immunofluorescence on HEp-2 cells (ANA-IIF) remains the reference test for systemic autoimmune rheumatic diseases (SARD). However, complete serological characterization requires integration with extractable nuclear antigen (ENA) screening, antigen-specific solid-phase assays (SPA), and confirmatory indirect immunofluorescence (IIF) t…

Background/Objectives: Loss of phosphatase and tensin homolog (PTEN) activity is a frequent feature of non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC), and epigenetic repression may contribute to its reduced expression. This study investigated the effects of 5-aza-2′-deoxycytidine (5-aza-dC) on PTEN, DNA methyltransferase 1 (DNMT1), PTEN promoter methylation-specific amplification patterns, and miR-148a-3p ex…

Background: Acute kidney injury (AKI) is a severe clinical syndrome characterized by metabolic stress and profound inflammation. However, the landscape of lactylation-associated molecular alterations and their potential relevance in AKI remain incompletely understood. Methods: Bulk transcriptomes (GSE30718) were analyzed using the limma package, weighted gene co-expression network analysis (WGCNA…

Background/Objectives: Ischemia-reperfusion injury (IRI) contributes significantly to cardiomyocyte death following myocardial infarction, largely through sustained inflammatory signaling. This study aimed to identify stress-responsive deubiquitinating enzymes involved in cardiomyocyte injury under ischemic stress. Methods: HL-1 cardiomyocytes were subjected to oxygen-glucose deprivation and reox…

Geographic atrophy (GA) represents the advanced, non-neovascular (dry) form of age-related macular degeneration (AMD), a chronic, progressive, and currently irreversible neurodegenerative disease of the retina. The clinical consequences of GA are severe; it is characterized by the insidious, expanding loss of the retinal pigment epithelium (RPE), the overlying photoreceptors, and the underlying c…

Background: As a key regulator of centrosome duplication, polo-like kinase 4 (PLK4) is abnormally overexpressed in various tumors and has emerged as an important target for the development of antitumor drugs. Methods: In this study, based on the lead compound ZSL-M001 (PLK4 IC50 = 3.0 μM) previously obtained by our research group, we designed and synthesized 28 novel quinazoline-based PLK4 inhibi…

Sphingolipids, essential structural components of biological membranes, form a framework that maintains their stability and fluidity. In addition to their structural function, these lipids and their metabolites participate in regulating multiple cellular processes, including proliferation, differentiation, gene expression, and apoptosis, thereby contributing to the maintenance of oral homeostasis…

Background: The mechanisms underlying central nervous system oxygen toxicity (CNS-OT), which manifests as generalized seizures, remain poorly understood, thereby limiting the utility of hyperbaric oxygen therapy and deep-sea diving. This study investigates the distinct contributions of ionotropic N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) and alpha-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazolepropionic acid (AMPA) gluta…