Biomedical Journal最新文献

{"title":"Discrepant Treponemal Test Results: Identification of Associated Risk Factors Through Machine Learning Technology in 18-Year Electronic Medical Records and National Claims Data.","authors":"Hsin-Yao Wang, Ru-Fang Hu, Ting-Wei Lin, Wan-Ying Lin, Yu-Chiang Wang, Jang-Jih Lu, Yi-Ju Tseng","doi":"10.1016/j.bj.2025.100890","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bj.2025.100890","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Syphilis is a prevalent disease diagnosed primarily through serological tests. Although one confirmatory treponemal tests (TT), including Treponema pallidum particle agglutination (TPPA) or fluorescent treponema antibody absorption (FTA-Abs), is required for syphilis diagnosis, multiple TTs are commonly administered throughout the disease course. Discrepant TT results can cause confusion and delay treatment. In this study, we identified the clinical characteristics of patients with discrepant TT results and developed a machine learning tool to evaluate the risk of TT discrepancies.</p><p><strong>Materials and methods: </strong>In this retrospective cohort study, electronic health records were linked to national claims records collected from 2001 to 2018. Variables of interest in risk factor identification and machine learning model development included medical histories and demographic characteristics. The association between syphilis treatment and discrepant TT results was assessed.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Among 5,780 eligible patients tested for syphilis, 133 (2.30%) had discrepant TT results. HIV and AIDS were identified as prominent risk factors associated with discrepant TT results (adjusted odds ratio = 2.6, 95% confidence interval = 1.4-4.7). Patients with a top 5% risk probability in the LightGBM model were 10 times more likely than others to have discrepant TT results. TPPA was more likely than FTA-Abs to become negative after treatment among patients with discrepant TT results (odds ratio = 9.18, 95% confidence interval = 2.05-41.07).</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>Risk factor identification and machine learning model development can support the interpretation of serological tests for syphilis, enabling accurate diagnosis and clinical decision-making.</p>","PeriodicalId":8934,"journal":{"name":"Biomedical Journal","volume":" ","pages":"100890"},"PeriodicalIF":4.1,"publicationDate":"2025-07-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144681857","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"PAI-1 is a common driver of aging and diverse diseases.","authors":"Alireza Khoddam, Toshio Miyata, Douglas Vaughan","doi":"10.1016/j.bj.2025.100892","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bj.2025.100892","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 (PAI-1) is a key driver of aging and contributes to diverse pathologies. This review examines PAI-1's multifaceted contributions to aging. At the cellular level, PAI-1 amplifies senescence, exhausts stem cell niches, and disrupts metabolism. These cellular alterations translate into physiological decline: PAI-1 drives cardiovascular aging by promoting vascular senescence and arterial stiffening, contributes to cognitive decline by impairing amyloid-beta clearance, fuels cancer progression through angiogenesis and immune suppression, and exacerbates muscle atrophy by hindering regeneration. A rare loss-of-function SERPINE1 mutation extends lifespan, illustrating how lifelong PAI-1 reduction can positively impact the human healthspan. Looking forward, targeting PAI-1 with inhibitors could mitigate senescence, restore stem cell function, improve metabolic profile, enhance physiological health, and promise a longer healthspan.</p>","PeriodicalId":8934,"journal":{"name":"Biomedical Journal","volume":" ","pages":"100892"},"PeriodicalIF":4.1,"publicationDate":"2025-07-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144673894","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Vomocytosis of Cryptococcus neoformans from Macrophages: from discovery to current understanding.","authors":"Chinaemerem U Onyishi","doi":"10.1016/j.bj.2025.100891","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bj.2025.100891","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The entry of pathogens into host cells is a critical and widely appreciated step in host-pathogen interactions. While significant progress has been made in understanding the various mechanisms by which microbes are taken up by host cells, an appreciation of exit strategies remains limited. Nearly two decades ago, in 2006, two independent groups observed the non-lytic expulsion of the opportunistic fungal pathogen C. neoformans from macrophages, a process also termed vomocytosis. Over the years, various host and pathogen factors have been implicated in modulating vomocytosis; however, a clear understanding of the triggers, the downstream signaling cascades driving expulsion, and the consequences of vomocytosis on pathogenesis remain elusive. In this review, I provide a historical account of vomocytosis in macrophages, summarize our current understanding of its mechanism, discuss its biological significance, and offer suggestions for future research directions.</p>","PeriodicalId":8934,"journal":{"name":"Biomedical Journal","volume":" ","pages":"100891"},"PeriodicalIF":4.1,"publicationDate":"2025-07-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144667000","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Photodynamic therapy-induced inflammation and adverse effects: An updated review.","authors":"Kave Moloudi, Heidi Abrahamse, Blassan P George","doi":"10.1016/j.bj.2025.100889","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bj.2025.100889","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Photodynamic therapy (PDT) is a non-invasive medical treatment that uses a photosensitizing agent and light to treat various medical conditions and ophthalmology including chronic central serous chorioretinopathy, cancer, skin disorders, and infections. Local inflammation in tumor environment after PDT can be effective in eliciting an immune response to improve treatment efficiency but it causes some early and long-term side effects in local and surround tissues, resulting leads to incidental effects and unwilling consequences such as pain, erythema and infection. Moreover, the mechanism of inflammation in PDT is not clear. Employment of non-optimized protocol including cytotoxic photosensitizer (PS) and fluence and fluence rate during PDT can bring biased outcomes for patients in terms of inflammation and treatment. In PDT, the minimum cytotoxicity and side effects of normal tissue depend on several factors, including the type and location of the tumor to be treated, the PS used, laser power, oxygen level, tumor properties and the patient's individual characteristics. Therefore, careful consideration and adjustment of these parameters are essential for achieving successful PDT outcome. However, in this topical review, various databases, including PubMed, ScienceDirect, and Google Scholar, were used to find relevant studies for this purpose. We highlighted various parameters that influence on cytotoxicity and inflammation response of normal tissue after PDT. Additionally, various pathways that PDT induced inflammation summarized as well as associated side effects have been categorized and finally, we proposed some factors to reduce the side effects and cytotoxicity to the normal tissue in future.</p>","PeriodicalId":8934,"journal":{"name":"Biomedical Journal","volume":" ","pages":"100889"},"PeriodicalIF":4.1,"publicationDate":"2025-07-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144658272","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Linking Mitochondrial Dysfunction, Hormonal Decline, and Aging to Cancer Development.","authors":"Yu-Hsiang Lin, Kuo-Jen Lin, Jau-Yuan Chen","doi":"10.1016/j.bj.2025.100887","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bj.2025.100887","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":8934,"journal":{"name":"Biomedical Journal","volume":" ","pages":"100887"},"PeriodicalIF":4.1,"publicationDate":"2025-07-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144616122","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Geography, Genes, and Germs: An Evolutionary Entanglement.","authors":"Aila Akosua Kattner","doi":"10.1016/j.bj.2025.100888","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bj.2025.100888","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>This journal issue presents an article on genomic surveillance and phylogenetic analysis for monitoring SARS-CoV-2, alongside reviews of recent advances in the treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma and gastric cancer, and current insights into mpox. It includes a perspective on the role of extended reality techniques in pediatric neurosurgery, as well as updates on cleft care and the relationship between mitochondrial bioenergetics and iron. Further contributions explore the link between metastatic potential and cytidine deaminase, miRNA targets involved in hypertrophy and fibrosis during cardiac remodeling, and new deep-learning models for predicting response to cardiac resynchronization therapy. The expression of connexin gap junction proteins in atrial fibrillation is examined in detail, along with a retrospective study on enteral autonomy in pediatric short bowel syndrome. The issue concludes with novel insights into the rare genetic disorder Bietti crystalline dystrophy.</p>","PeriodicalId":8934,"journal":{"name":"Biomedical Journal","volume":" ","pages":"100888"},"PeriodicalIF":4.1,"publicationDate":"2025-07-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144616121","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Drug Repurposing Targeting miRNA-mRNA Networks to Mitigate Areca Nut-Induced Head and Neck Cancer.","authors":"Hung-Han Huang, Joseph T Chang, Guo-Rung You, Yi-Chen Li, Yi-Fang Huang, Yu-Chen Huang, Eric Yi-Liang Shen, Yin-Ju Chen, Ching-Chi Chiu, Ann-Joy Cheng","doi":"10.1016/j.bj.2025.100886","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bj.2025.100886","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Areca nut is a significant risk factor for head and neck cancer (HNC), yet its molecular mechanisms, particularly miRNA-mediated regulation, remain poorly understood. This study investigates the regulatory networks underlying areca nut-induced HNC and explores therapeutic strategies through computational drug repurposing.</p><p><strong>Materials and methods: </strong>Arecoline was used to assess its effects on invasion, migration, and cisplatin resistance in HNC cells and normal keratinocytes. Differentially expressed miRNAs and mRNAs were identified using high-throughput profiling, followed by integrative network analysis using TCGA-HNSC dataset and multiMiR. OncoPredict was used for drug repurposing to identify therapeutic agents targeting dysregulated miRNA-mRNA networks.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Arecoline exposure promoted invasion and cisplatin resistance, with more pronounced effects in normal keratinocytes, indicating a potential role in early tumorigenesis. Integrative transcriptomic analysis revealed a miRNA-mRNA regulatory network comprising 1,971 oncogenes, 604 tumor suppressors, 35 oncogenic miRNA (OncomiRs), and 36 tumor suppressive miRNA (TSmiRs) regulating pathways related to cell motility and stress response. A tumor-suppressive network with miR-212-3p as a central hub and an oncogenic network modulated by miR-410 and miR-1-3p as critical hubs were identified. Drug repurposing analysis identified four potential therapeutic candidates (MK-2206, BYL-719, MG-132, and FGIN-1-27), with MK-2206 emerging as the most promising. MK-2206 effectively reversed arecoline-induced miRNA-mRNA dysregulation, mitigated malignant phenotypes, and selectively targeted HNC cells while sparing normal keratinocytes.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>This integrative approach elucidates areca nut-driven carcinogenesis through miRNA-mRNA interactions and highlights MK-2206 as a promising therapeutic strategy for areca nut-associated HNC.</p>","PeriodicalId":8934,"journal":{"name":"Biomedical Journal","volume":" ","pages":"100886"},"PeriodicalIF":4.1,"publicationDate":"2025-07-08","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144607207","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"ShinySC: an R/Shiny-based desktop application for seamless analysis of scRNA-Seq data.","authors":"Po-Jung Huang, Fang-Yu Tsai, Yi-Ju Wu, Yi-Chen Weng, Chi-Ching Lee, Sin-Hong Shih, Shih Sheng Jiang","doi":"10.1016/j.bj.2025.100885","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bj.2025.100885","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) enables detailed profiling of cellular heterogeneity, but complex workflows and diverse data formats limit accessibility for clinicians and researchers without programming expertise.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>We introduce ShinySC, an R/Shiny-based desktop application designed to streamline comprehensive scRNA-seq analysis through an intuitive graphical interface. ShinySC supports various input formats, including 10x Genomics, Seurat, Scanpy, BD Rhapsody, and CellView. The tool integrates essential analytical procedures such as quality control, normalization, dimensionality reduction, clustering, marker gene identification, batch correction, differential expression analysis, and trajectory inference. Notably, ShinySC implements multiple automatic cell-type annotation methods-reference-based (SingleR), marker-based (ScType, scCATCH), and GPT-based (GPTCelltype)-with features for side-by-side comparison and manual label refinement. Benchmarking indicates robust performance for datasets containing up to 200,000 cells on standard desktop systems with 64 GB RAM, with analysis duration dependent on specific tasks and annotation methods. Demonstrative analyses of PBMC and interferon-stimulated datasets confirm ShinySC's efficacy in accurately annotating cell types and capturing condition-specific transcriptional dynamics.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>ShinySC provides a unified, user-friendly, and scalable platform for scRNA-seq analysis explicitly tailored for non-programming users. It surpasses existing limitations by accommodating multiple data formats, employing versatile annotation strategies, and generating high-quality, publication-ready figures. Available freely across Windows, macOS, and Linux platforms, ShinySC enhances the accessibility and reproducibility of single-cell transcriptomic research.</p><p><strong>Availability: </strong>http://tardis.cgu.edu.tw/ShinySC.</p>","PeriodicalId":8934,"journal":{"name":"Biomedical Journal","volume":" ","pages":"100885"},"PeriodicalIF":4.1,"publicationDate":"2025-07-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144558931","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Associations with Lip Cant and Facial Midline Correction Following Bimaxillary Surgery in Class III Asymmetry: A CBCT-Based Analysis.","authors":"Chih-Ling Lin, Yun-Fang Chen, Ying-An Chen, Chuan-Fong Yao, Tong Xi, Yu-Fang Liao, Yu-Ray Chen","doi":"10.1016/j.bj.2025.100877","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bj.2025.100877","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>This study evaluated the outcomes of bimaxillary surgery for class III asymmetry and lip cant, and identified factors associated with lip cant and facial midline correction.</p><p><strong>Materials and methods: </strong>Fifty adult patients (22 females, 28 males; mean age: 24.8 ± 5.1 years) with class III asymmetry and lip cant who underwent bimaxillary surgery were prospectively and consecutively analyzed. Cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT) scans obtained preoperatively and at postoperative follow-up were superimposed to assess surgical jaw movements in six degrees of freedom and their effects on lip cant and facial midline symmetry.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Significant reductions were observed in lip cant (1.6 ± 1.6 mm), lower lip deviation (2.4 ± 1.7 mm), chin deviation (5.8 ± 4.2 mm), and facial midline deviation (9.7 ± 7.2 mm). Multiple linear regression analysis identified mandibular roll correction (β = 0.456, P < 0.01) and pre-treatment lip cant severity (β = 0.394, P < 0.01) as significant factors of lip cant reduction. Additionally, chin shift (β = 0.495, P < 0.01) and mandibular shift (β = 0.461, P < 0.01) were significant factors of facial midline correction.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>Bimaxillary surgery significantly improved lip cant and facial midline deviation in patients with class III asymmetry and lip cant. Mandibular roll correction and pre-treatment lip cant severity were key factors associated with lip cant correction, while chin and mandibular shift correction were associated with facial midline improvement.</p>","PeriodicalId":8934,"journal":{"name":"Biomedical Journal","volume":" ","pages":"100877"},"PeriodicalIF":4.1,"publicationDate":"2025-06-12","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144293273","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Influence of acupuncture twisting parameters on analgesic effects mediated by mast cells in AA rat models.","authors":"Yi Yu, Yi-Xuan Wang, Xuan Qiao, Ying-Chen Li, Yu-Hang Liu, Zouqin Huang, Wei Yao","doi":"10.1016/j.bj.2025.100876","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bj.2025.100876","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Acupuncture has been recognized for its potential effectiveness in pain relief without the side effects commonly associated with pharmaceutical treatments. This study investigates the effects of various acupuncture twisting parameters on analgesia using an acute adjuvant-induced arthritis (AA) rat model, focusing on the roles of mast cell activation, histamine (HIS) release, and local neural pathways. Utilizing robot-assisted acupuncture, we varied rotation angles (60°-360°) and frequencies (0.5-2.5 Hz) to evaluate their influence on pain modulation. The pain threshold recovery ratio (PTRR) was used to quantify the analgesic effect. The optimal combination of a 180° rotation angle and 1.0 Hz frequency resulted in the strongest analgesic effect, as indicated by increased PTRR and elevated mast cell degranulation rates (MCdR). Additionally, local HIS injections replicated the analgesic effects of acupuncture, whereas administration of an H1 receptor antagonist and lidocaine reduced these effects, highlighting the essential roles of HIS and local nerve conduction in acupuncture-induced analgesia. This study demonstrates the existence of optimal acupuncture parameters for achieving maximal analgesic effects in rat models, and elucidates the critical role of mast cell-mediated neural pathways, thus providing insights into optimizing acupunctire's clinical application in pain management.</p>","PeriodicalId":8934,"journal":{"name":"Biomedical Journal","volume":" ","pages":"100876"},"PeriodicalIF":4.1,"publicationDate":"2025-06-04","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144246247","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}