The latest medical research on General Medicine / Internal Medicine

The research magnet gathers the latest research from around the web, based on your specialty area. Below you will find a sample of some of the most recent articles from reputable medical journals about general medicine / internal medicine gathered by our medical AI research bot.

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OTULIN and Muller's morphs.

J Exp Med

In this issue of JEM, Davidson et al. (https://doi.org/10.1084/jem.20222171) and Takeda et al. (https://doi.org/10.1084/jem.20231941) independently...

A de novo dominant-negative variant is associated with OTULIN-related autoinflammatory syndrome.

J Exp Med

OTULIN-related autoinflammatory syndrome (ORAS), a severe autoinflammatory disease, is caused by biallelic pathogenic variants of OTULIN, a linear ...

Effects of the menstrual cycle on the performance of female football players. A systematic review.

Frontiers in Physiology

Women's football has been booming for a few years now, which has led to an increase in the expectation of the players' performance, leading to a more detailed study of women's physiology in the field of sports.

To analyze the scientific evidence on the influence of menstruation on the performance of female footballers, as well as to analyze the methodological quality of the studies included in this review.

The possible hormonal effects of the menstrual cycle phases on the performance of female footballers were analyzed. The databases used to conduct the searches were Pubmed, Scopus, Virtual Health Library, Web of Science, EBSCO and the Cochrane Library. All included studies met the inclusion criteria. The Cochrane risk of bias tool was used. This systematic review protocol was registered at the International Prospective Register of Systematic Reviews (PROSPERO: CRD42023390652).

A total of nine clinical trials were included in this review. A low quality of evidence was observed in the studies. Not all the results support the idea that the menstrual cycle phases can alter the performance of female footballers.

This systematic review shows that there is a great deal of controversy about the influence of the menstrual cycle phases on the performance of female footballers. Studies are focused on solely biological factors and gender is normally no part of those studies. Further research with larger samples, and taking not only biological but also sociological factors, are necessary to determine the effects of menstruation on the performance of female footballers.

UGLS: an uncertainty guided deep learning strategy for accurate image segmentation.

Frontiers in Physiology

Accurate image segmentation plays a crucial role in computer vision and medical image analysis. In this study, we developed a novel uncertainty gui...

Antihypertensive Medication and Fracture Risk in Older Veterans Health Administration Nursing Home Residents.

JAMA Internal Medicine

Limited evidence exists on the association between initiation of antihypertensive medication and risk of fractures in older long-term nursing home residents.

To assess the association between antihypertensive medication initiation and risk of fracture.

This was a retrospective cohort study using target trial emulation for data derived from 29 648 older long-term care nursing home residents in the Veterans Health Administration (VA) from January 1, 2006, to October 31, 2019. Data were analyzed from December 1, 2021, to November 11, 2023.

Episodes of antihypertensive medication initiation were identified, and eligible initiation episodes were matched with comparable controls who did not initiate therapy.

The primary outcome was nontraumatic fracture of the humerus, hip, pelvis, radius, or ulna within 30 days of antihypertensive medication initiation. Results were computed among subgroups of residents with dementia, across systolic and diastolic blood pressure thresholds of 140 and 80 mm Hg, respectively, and with use of prior antihypertensive therapies. Analyses were adjusted for more than 50 baseline covariates using 1:4 propensity score matching.

Data from 29 648 individuals were included in this study (mean [SD] age, 78.0 [8.4] years; 28 952 [97.7%] male). In the propensity score-matched cohort of 64 710 residents (mean [SD] age, 77.9 [8.5] years), the incidence rate of fractures per 100 person-years in residents initiating antihypertensive medication was 5.4 compared with 2.2 in the control arm. This finding corresponded to an adjusted hazard ratio (HR) of 2.42 (95% CI, 1.43-4.08) and an adjusted excess risk per 100 person-years of 3.12 (95% CI, 0.95-6.78). Antihypertensive medication initiation was also associated with higher risk of severe falls requiring hospitalizations or emergency department visits (HR, 1.80 [95% CI, 1.53-2.13]) and syncope (HR, 1.69 [95% CI, 1.30-2.19]). The magnitude of fracture risk was numerically higher among subgroups of residents with dementia (HR, 3.28 [95% CI, 1.76-6.10]), systolic blood pressure of 140 mm Hg or higher (HR, 3.12 [95% CI, 1.71-5.69]), diastolic blood pressure of 80 mm Hg or higher (HR, 4.41 [95% CI, 1.67-11.68]), and no recent antihypertensive medication use (HR, 4.77 [95% CI, 1.49-15.32]).

Findings indicated that initiation of antihypertensive medication was associated with elevated risks of fractures and falls. These risks were numerically higher among residents with dementia, higher baseline blood pressures values, and no recent antihypertensive medication use. Caution and additional monitoring are advised when initiating antihypertensive medication in this vulnerable population.

Individualized positive end-expiratory pressure reduces driving pressure in obese patients during laparoscopic surgery under pneumoperitoneum: a randomized clinical trial.

Frontiers in Physiology

During pneumoperitoneum (PNP), airway driving pressure (ΔPRS) increases due to the stiffness of the chest wall and cephalic shift of the diaphragm, which favors atelectasis. In addition, depending on the mechanical power (MP) formulas, they may lead to different interpretations.

Patients >18 years of age with body mass index >35 kg/m2 were included in a single-center randomized controlled trial during their admission for bariatric surgery by abdominal laparoscopy. Intra-abdominal pressure was set at 15 mmHg at the pneumoperitoneum time point (PNP). After the recruitment maneuver, the lowest respiratory system elastance (ERS) was detected during the positive end-expiratory pressure (PEEP) step-wise decrement. Patients were randomized to the 1) CTRL group: ventilated with PEEP of 5 cmH2O and 2) PEEPIND group: ventilated with PEEP value associated with ERS that is 5% higher than its lowest level. Respiratory system mechanics and mean arterial pressure (MAP) were assessed at the PNP, 5 min after randomization (T1), and at the end of the ventilation protocol (T2); arterial blood gas was assessed at PNP and T2. ΔPRS was the primary outcome. Three MP formulas were used: MPA, which computes static PEEP × volume, elastic, and resistive components; MPB, which computes only the elastic component; and MPC, which computes static PEEP × volume, elastic, and resistive components without inspiratory holds.

Twenty-eight patients were assessed for eligibility: eight were not included and 20 patients were randomized and allocated to CTRL and PEEPIND groups (n = 10/group). The PEEPIND ventilator strategy reduced ΔPRS when compared with the CTRL group (PEEPIND, 13 ± 2 cmH2O; CTRL, 22 ± 4 cmH2O; p < 0.001). Oxygenation improved in the PEEPIND group when compared with the CTRL group (p = 0.029), whereas MAP was comparable between the PEEPIND and CTRL groups. At the end of surgery, MPA and MPB were correlated in both the CTRL (rho = 0.71, p = 0.019) and PEEPIND (rho = 0.84, p = 0.020) groups but showed different bias (CTRL, -1.9 J/min; PEEPIND, +10.0 J/min). At the end of the surgery, MPA and MPC were correlated in both the CTRL (rho = 0.71, p = 0.019) and PEEPIND (rho = 0.84, p = 0.020) groups but showed different bias (CTRL, -1.9 J/min; PEEPIND, +10.0 J/min).

Individualized PEEP was associated with a reduction in ΔPRS and an improvement in oxygenation with comparable MAP. The MP, which solely computes the elastic component, better reflected the improvement in ΔPRS observed in the individualized PEEP group.

The protocol was registered at the Brazilian Registry of Clinical Trials (U1111-1220-7296).

Exploring the role of pyroptosis in the pathogenicity of heart disease.

Frontiers in Physiology

Cell death is an essential cellular mechanism that ensures quality control and whole-body homeostasis. Various modes of cell death have been studie...

An 8-month adapted motor activity program in a young CMT1A male patient.

Frontiers in Physiology

It is unclear whether prolonged periods of training can be well tolerated. In Charcot-Marie Tooth disease (CMT). We report the effects of an 8-month, adapted motor activity (AMA) program in a 16-years-old CMT1A male patient. The program included strength, mobility, and balance training (two sessions per week, 1 h per session).

Walking ability and walking velocity (Six-Minute Walking Test-6MWT, Ten Meters Walking Test-10 mW T), balance (Y-Balance Test-YBT, Berg Balance Scale-BBS), functional mobility (Short Physical Performance Battery-Short physical performance battery), fatigue (Checklist Individual strength questionnaire - CIS20R), health and quality of life (Short Form Health Survey 36 questionnaire-SF-36) were evaluated in three moments: before (T0), after 5 (T1) and 8 (T2) months of adapted motor activity. Dorsal and plantar foot flexion strength (Maximal Voluntary Contraction-maximum voluntary contraction) and neuromuscular functions (Electromyography-sEMG, interpolated twitch technique-ITT) were measured at T1 and T2.

Relative to T0, an amelioration of walking ability (6MWT, +9,3%) and balance (with improvements on Y-balance composite normalized mean reach of the right and left limb of 15,3% and 8,5%, respectively) was appreciable. Relative to T1, an increase in foot strength in three out of four movements (right plantar flexion, +39,3%, left plantar flexion, +22,7%, left dorsal flexion, 11,5%) was observed. Concerning voluntary muscle activation, a greater recruitment in the left, unlike right, medial gastrocnemius was observed.

Results suggest the safety of an 8-month AMA program in a young patient affected by CMT1A.

Wearable device for continuous sweat lactate monitoring in sports: a narrative review.

Frontiers in Physiology

In sports science, the use of wearable technology has facilitated the development of new approaches for tracking and assessing athletes' performanc...

Disturbed flow regulates protein disulfide isomerase A1 expression via microRNA-204.

Frontiers in Physiology

Redox processes can modulate vascular pathophysiology. The endoplasmic reticulum redox chaperone protein disulfide isomerase A1 (PDIA1) is overexpr...

Synthetic soldiers: Turning T cells into immortal warriors.

J Exp Med

The creation of synthetic T cell states has captivated the field of cell-based therapies. Wang et al. (https://doi.org/10.1084/jem.20232368) descri...

Human inherited PD-L1 deficiency is clinically and immunologically less severe than PD-1 deficiency.

J Exp Med

We previously reported two siblings with inherited PD-1 deficiency who died from autoimmune pneumonitis at 3 and 11 years of age after developing o...