Preventive effect of rehabilitation training therapy on muscle quality in patients with stroke: A retrospective study

A retrospective analysis was conducted in 45 patients with stroke. All patients received three weeks of rehabilitation training. Body composition was examined using Bio-impedance analysis methods before and after training. Barthel index was used to evaluate activities of daily living before and after the intervention. After rehabilitation training, total body water, muscle mass, protein content, inorganic salt content, and skeletal muscle content were increased while body fat content and body fat percentage were significantly decreased. Barthel Index scores showed that the ability of daily living was improved after rehabilitation. In conclusion, rehabilitation training therapy may have protective effects on sarcopenia in patients with stroke. Keywords: Stroke, sarcopenia, rehabilitation training

PathoClock and PhysioClock in mice recapitulate human multimorbidity and heterogeneous aging

Background: Multimorbidity is a public health concern and an essential component of aging and healthspan but understudied because investigative tools are lacking that can be translatable to capture similarities and differences of the aging process across species and variability between individuals and individual organs. Methods: To help address this need, body organ disease number (BODN) borrowed from human studies was applied to C57BL/6 (B6) and CB6F1 mouse strains at 8, 16, 24, and 32 months of age, as a measure of systems morbidity based on pathology lesions to develop a mouse PathoClock resembling clinically-based Body Clock in humans, using Bayesian inference. A mouse PhysioClock was also developed based on measures of physiological domains including cardiovascular, neuromuscular, and cognitive function in the same two mouse strains so that alignment with BODN was predictable. Results: Between- and within-age variabilities in PathoClock and PhysioClock, as well as between-strain variabilities. Both PathoClock and PhysioClock correlated with chronological age more strongly in CB6F1 than C57BL/6. Prediction models were then developed, designated as PathoAge and PhysioAge, using regression models of pathology and physiology measures on chronological age. PathoAge better predicted chronological age than PhysioAge as the predicted chronological and observed chronological age for PhysioAge were complex rather than linear. Conclusion: PathoClock and PhathoAge can be used to capture biological changes that predict BODN, a metric developed in humans, and compare multimorbidity across species. These mouse clocks are potential translational tools that could be used in aging intervention studies. Keywords: Multimorbidity, aging, pathology, physiology, pathoClock, physioClock, pathoAge, physioAge

Mechanisms of autophagy regulation by adiponectin

Adiponectin is a multifunctional adipocytokine produced predominantly by adipocytes, with potent antiinflammatory, insulin-sensitizing, and cytoprotective properties. Autophagy is a lysosome-dependent self-degradative process that mediates the degradation of damaged organelles, invading pathogens and protein aggregates, thus maintaining cellular homeostasis. Adiponectin performs different biological functions by regulating autophagy. This review attempts to elucidate the biological responses and potential mechanisms underlying adiponectin-induced autophagy, with an aim to guide the identification of new therapeutic targets of related diseases. Keywords: Adiponectin, adiponectin receptors, autophagy

Advances in targeting programmed cell death 1/programmed cell death-ligand 1 therapy for hematological malignancies

Programmed cell death 1 (PD-1) and programmed cell death-ligand 1 (PD-L1) are important immune checkpoints, and their interactions can mediate immune suppression in the tumor microenvironment. Targeting PD-1 and PD-L1 are immune checkpoint inhibitors that bind to PD-1 and PD-L1, respectively, to block the signal pathway between the two and increase the immune response. They are widely used in tumor treatment and have good efficacies for malignant melanoma, renal cell carcinoma, and non-small cell lung cancer, among others. In addition, for hematological malignancies, studies targeting PD-1 and PD-L1 have achieved gratifying results. This article briefly reviews the mechanisms of action and clinical and hematological malignancy applications of targeting PD-1 and PD-L1. Keywords: PD-1, PD-L1, mechanism of action, hematological malignancy

Safety and efficacy of the Novavax vaccine—a narrative review

Mass vaccination programs are a public health priority for managing the global coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic. The NVX-CoV2373 vaccine is being developed by Novavax. It consists of a SARS-CoV-2 spike glycoprotein subunit (NVX-CoV2373), which has been shown to have structural stability with pH and temperature perturbations, and the saponin-based Matrix-M adjuvant, which is added to enhance the B- and T-cell-mediated immune response. Animal studies in mice, olive baboons, and cynomolgus macaques demonstrated the potential of this vaccine in protecting the respiratory tract against COVID-19. Subsequent phase 1 and 2 trials then confirmed its safety and the dose-sparing potential of Matrix-M. The results led to the use of a low dose (5 μg) of NVX-CoV2373 in phase 3 trials. In a phase 3 trial involving 14,039 participants, the vaccine efficacy rate was 89.7% (prevention of symptomatic infection). Local and systemic adverse events were mild and self-limiting; commonly reported symptoms included injection-site pain and tenderness, headache, myalgia, and fatigue. A subgroup study confirmed the safety and efficacy of co-administering the NVX-CoV2373 vaccine and the seasonal influenza vaccine. Overall, the vaccine has been found to be safe and effective, meeting the minimum vaccine efficacy rate of 50% to be considered for COVID-19 vaccine emergency use listing approval. Keywords: Clinical trials, COVID-19, COVID-19 vaccine, immunology

The unrecognized potential of pet cats for studying aging and age-related diseases

Old cats develop chronic diseases similar to diseases in older people. One-fourth of American households own cats, and almost half are more than 7 years old. Cats share the same environment and are exposed to many of the same chemical stresses. In addition, genomic diversity and population stratification are similar to that occurring in people. With these comparative features, the aging cat represents a geroscience model to investigate the pathogenesis and therapeutic interventions for aging. However, cats are generally not recognized as a translational model for aging research mainly because of the lack of knowledge and appreciation within the scientific community. In addition, cat owners are not aware of any research programs designed to enhance healthy aging in their pets because none exist. Much work is needed to inform and educate the scientific community as well as cat owners about the power of aging cats as a transformative model to investigate aging and age-related diseases that will benefit both human and feline health. Keywords: Aging cats, age-related diseases, healthy aging, geroscience

Association of anemia with rehabilitation outcomes for subacute geriatric rehabilitation patients in a secondary hospital in malaysia

Background: To evaluate the effects of anemia on rehabilitation outcomes for geriatric subjects in the Taiping Hospital subacute geriatric rehabilitation ward. Methods: This was a retrospective study with 126 subjects that compared the change in the modified Barthel Index score of anemic and non-anemic subjects. Results: In the study, 43.7% of subjects were anemic. Among anemic subjects, 45.5% were Malay, 38.2% were Chinese, 14.5% were Indian, and 1% were others. The median (Interquartile (IQR)) modified Barthel Index (MBI) on admission for anemic and non-anemic subjects was insignificantly different, at 47 (29, 63) and 36 (21, 59), respectively (P = 0.059). The median (IQR) of MBI improvement for non-anemic subjects was found to be significantly higher than for anemic subjects, which were 14 (5, 26) and 8 (1, 18; P = 0.021). Subjects with hemoglobin (hb) ≥ 9 g/dL were significantly associated with MBI improvement of more than 20, P = 0.009. Simple linear regression found that the P-values were not significant for albumin, creatinine, the Charlson comorbidity index, or the clinical frailty scale; hence, they were not significantly associated with rehabilitation outcome. Conclusions: The study suggested that non-anemic subjects showed significant MBI improvement. Our study also suggested that judicious practices to target a hb threshold of 9 g/dL might be able to improve a subject’s functional outcome. These results should encourage further research with a larger elderly population to provide insights and awareness for the need to treat anemia in rehabilitation subjects. Keywords: Geriatric, anemia, rehabilitation, modified barthel index

Progress on the study of fibroblast growth factors as novel therapeutics in post-stroke cognitive impairment

Post-stroke cognitive impairment (PSCI) is one of the most common complications after stroke, which severely affects the daily life abilities and social function of patients. Fibroblast growth factor (FGF), as a regulator of homeostasis, participates in the regulation of cell metabolism and hormone secretion, and can increase cerebral blood flow and promote nerve repair which improves PSCI. Here, we will conduct a review on the typing, characteristics, and mechanism of action of FGF to further understand its function and mechanism in PSCI