Open Reading Frame brings together a selection of recent publication highlights from elsewhere in the open access ecosystem. This week we take a look at the past few weeks in medicine.
Understanding TB pathogenesis
Tuberculosis (TB) is a global public health threat, and it is important to understand the factors influencing TB transmission to develop preventive strategies. There are several strains of Mycobacterium tuberculosis – the bacterium responsible for causing the disease – which are thought to vary in their ability to spread and cause disease. Now, research carried out in Malawi has used whole genome sequencing along with other techniques to construct transmission networks for different lineages of M. tuberculosis using every available sample collected over a 15-year period. The analysis revealed that different M. tuberculosis lineages varied in their ability to cause disease after infecting an individual, and that the number of TB cases occurring due to recent infection has declined substantially in the last 15 years. This large study provides evidence for differences in transmission patterns and pathogenesis between different M. tuberculosis lineages, which should aid in future TB control efforts.
Guerra-Assunção et al. eLife
Anticoagulant therapy in kidney disease patients
Low molecular weight heparins (LMWH) are anticoagulant drugs used to treat thrombotic events. Some studies have suggested that patients with kidney disease may have increased bleeding risk when taking LMWH. In a systematic review and meta-analysis, authors from the US and India evaluated these safety concerns. The researchers analyzed randomized controlled trials comparing LMWH with unfractionated heparin (UH) for treating thrombotic events in patients with end-stage renal disease. Combining the results from nineteen studies, no significant differences in bleeding complications were observed between the two anticoagulants. While these results suggest that LMWH are as safe as UH in patients with kidney disease, the authors caution that the studies included in the meta-analysis were of poor quality, so more research is needed to confirm the optimal anticoagulant treatment for patients with kidney disease.
Shantha et al. PeerJ
New method for detecting protein expression in myeloma
Multiple myeloma is the second most common type of B cell cancer. While drug treatments are effective in some patients, the disease remains incurable in others, and there is an urgent need to develop novel personalized therapies. Overexpression of chemokine receptor‐4 (CXCR4), a G protein-coupled receptor normally residing on immune cells, has been linked to poor prognosis in myeloma and other cancer types, and is currently under investigation as a therapeutic target. Now, scientists in Germany have developed a new molecular imaging technique to monitor CXCR4 expression in patients with myeloma. The CXCR4 probe [68Ga]Pentixafor was tested in cell lines, mouse models, and patients with advanced myeloma, and the probe allowed high quality visualization of the protein when patients underwent a positron emission tomography (PET) scan. Using this imaging technique could allow non-invasive detection of CXCR4 expression in patients with myeloma and other diseases in the future, meaning that CXCR4‐directed therapeutic approaches could be targeted to those likely to respond.
Philipp‐Abbrederis et al. EMBO Molecular Medicine
FGF 1 associated with prognosis in gastric cancer
Fibroblast growth factor 1 (FGF1) protein expression is associated with prognosis in several cancer types, including ovarian cancer, breast cancer, and bladder cancer. Now, researchers in China have shown that this protein also has clinical significance in gastric adenocarcinoma. Analyzing samples from 178 patients with the disease, the authors found that FGF1 protein expression is higher in tumor tissue than non-cancerous tissue, and is associated with adenocarcinoma metastasis and poor overall survival. These results suggest that FGF1 can be considered a prognostic factor in gastric adenocarcinoma, and should be investigated as a therapeutic target.
NQ et al. OncoTargets and Therapy
Is childhood obesity affected by familial CVD?
The prevalence of childhood obesity has risen dramatically in recent years, and is linked to severe comorbidities including dyslipidemia, type 2 diabetes, hypertension and cardiovascular disease (CVD). Obesity in family members has been linked to obesity in children, and a new study has been conducted in Denmark to assess the effect of familial predisposition to cardiovascular complications on childhood obesity. Analyzing information from over 1400 obese children, the authors found that children with familial predisposition to type 2 diabetes were more likely to be obese, and obese girls with familial obesity were more likely to lose weight than those without such a family history. No association was found between other familial predispositions, including hypertension, thromboembolism and dyslipidemia, and childhood obesity. These findings highlight a potential link between familial diabetes and obesity in children, but largely suggest that the success of weight loss interventions in children is unlikely to be affected by familial predisposition to obesity-related cardiovascular complications.
Nielsen et al. PLOS One
Are school-based smoking interventions effective?
Tobacco smoking is the leading cause of preventable death worldwide, and approximately two-thirds of smokers start before reaching the age 18. School-based interventions to stop young people from smoking therefore have the potential to improve public health and prevent many deaths. In a systematic review and meta-analysis, 50 randomized controlled trials of school-based smoking prevention curricula were assessed to determine the impact of these interventions on adolescents remaining never-smokers at follow-up. While no significant effect was seen at one year follow-up, pooling data from trials with the longest follow-up revealed a 12 percent reduction in starting smoking for those given school-based interventions compared with controls. The authors conclude that policymakers should implement only those interventions with proven effectiveness, and ensure that appropriate programs are used in schools to help prevent young people from smoking.
Thomas et al. BMJ Open
Written by Claire Barnard, Deputy Editor for BMC Medicine
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