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New blood test checks for Alzheimer's and assesses progression, study
a year ago
- Researchers developed a blood test to detect Alzheimer's progression by measuring tau fragments (eMTBR-tau243) in blood.
- The test helps identify suitable drugs like donanemab and lecanemab for early-stage Alzheimer’s patients.
- Elevated eMTBR-tau243 levels correlate with cognitive impairment and dementia but not other conditions.
- The test is scientifically promising but requires further validation and simpler detection methods for routine use.
- Another study found the ratio of proteins YWHAG:NPTX2 in brain fluid predicts cognitive decline better than amyloid beta or tau levels.
- These findings could improve drug selection and clinical trial design for Alzheimer’s patients.
Don't Die of Heart Disease
a year ago
- Paul Graham highlights the future perception of current medical practices as barbaric for waiting until symptoms appear to diagnose serious conditions like heart disease and cancer.
- Heart disease is the leading cause of death, surpassing all cancers combined, but 80% of heart attacks are preventable with early risk prediction.
- Empirical's heart health program is now available in over 30 states, reaching more than 200 million people.
- The program offers a $190 test measuring 85+ biomarkers, including ApoB, Lp(a), cholesterol, triglycerides, and more, to assess heart health.
- Risk prediction models show how heart attack risk can change by age 70 based on lifestyle choices, with potential risk reduction of 50% or more.
- Personalized action plans are provided, focusing on biomarker-driven nutrition, medication, and exercise, proven to be twice as effective as generic dietary advice.
- Users can track meals by simply taking a photo, simplifying the process of following the tailored nutrition plan.
- Empirical aims to save one million people from heart disease by 2027, encouraging individuals to start the program or share it with loved ones.
A Dental Floss That Can Measure Stress
a year ago
- Researchers developed a floss pick system with built-in sensors to measure cortisol, a stress hormone, in real time.
- The device uses electropolymerized molecularly imprinted polymers (eMIPs) to accurately detect cortisol and other biomarkers in saliva.
- Potential applications include monitoring stress, diabetes, heart disease, cancer, and fertility by detecting multiple biomarkers simultaneously.
- The floss pick design is simple, resembling common floss picks, and uses capillary action to draw saliva into the sensor.
- eMIP technology allows for quick adaptation to detect new biomarkers without extensive bioengineering.
- While highly accurate for monitoring, saliva-based sensors are not intended for initial diagnosis due to individual variations.
- The team is working on commercializing the product through a startup.
- This innovation builds on previous thread-based sensor developments by the research team.
The Blood of Exceptionally Long-Lived People Suggests Key Differences
9 months ago
- Centenarians are the fastest-growing demographic group globally, with numbers doubling every decade since the 1970s.
- A recent study published in GeroScience identified common biomarkers in people who live past 90, including cholesterol and glucose levels.
- The study compared biomarker profiles of centenarians and shorter-lived peers, using data from 44,000 Swedes aged 64-99.
- Key findings include lower levels of glucose, creatinine, and uric acid in centenarians, with few extreme values in these biomarkers.
- Higher levels of glucose, creatinine, uric acid, and certain liver function markers were linked to decreased chances of becoming a centenarian.
- The study suggests a potential link between metabolic health, nutrition, and exceptional longevity, though lifestyle and genetic factors also play roles.
What body odour reveals about your health
8 months ago
- Body odour can reveal health conditions, including diseases like Parkinson's, diabetes, and cancer.
- Joy Milne, a retired nurse with hereditary hyperosmia, could smell Parkinson's disease in her husband and others.
- Scientists are developing diagnostic tools using scent biomarkers, such as gas chromatography-mass spectrometry for Parkinson's.
- Dogs have been trained to detect diseases like cancer, diabetes, and malaria with high accuracy through smell.
- Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) emitted by the body change with diseases, offering potential for early diagnosis.
- Research is underway to create artificial noses and other devices to detect diseases based on odour.
- Malaria-infected children emit a distinct smell that attracts mosquitoes, which could lead to new diagnostic tests.
- Joy Milne's ability has inspired research into non-invasive, early-stage diagnostic methods for Parkinson's disease.
Discovery and Evaluation of Biomarkers for Triple-Negative Breast Cancer Subtypes Uncovers Patient Stratification and Targeted Therapeutic Strategies - PubMed
3 months ago
- Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) is highly heterogeneous and aggressive, lacking biomarkers and targeted therapies.
- Researchers identified basal identity genes to refine TNBC subclassification, leading to the discovery of true basal TNBC (tB-TNBC), linked to poorer prognosis.
- High-throughput screening identified dasatinib as a promising treatment for tB-TNBC, showing efficacy in patient-derived xenograft models.
- TAGLN was found to be a predictive biomarker for dasatinib response, influencing drug sensitivity.
- The study supports using basal markers for TNBC stratification and highlights dasatinib as a targeted therapy for tB-TNBC patients.
Development and Internal Validation of a Pretransplant Biomarker Panel for Mortality Prediction Following Liver Transplant - PubMed
3 months ago
- Development of a pretransplant biomarker panel (Liver Immune Frailty Index - LIFI) to predict post-liver transplant (LT) mortality.
- Identified key biomarkers (fractalkine and MMP3) associated with 1-year post-LT mortality.
- LIFI stratifies patients into low, moderate, and high risk with 1-year mortality rates of 1.9%, 10.3%, and 63.6% respectively.
- LIFI demonstrated strong discrimination (C statistic, 0.83) and was linked to post-LT infections, longer hospital stays, and reduced survival.
- Offers a preoperative tool to refine transplant candidacy and improve outcomes.
Biomarkers for Cardiovascular Drug Development: JACC State-of-the-Art Review - PubMed
3 months ago
- Biomarkers are crucial for cardiovascular, kidney, and metabolic drug development, aiding in diagnosis, risk stratification, and safety monitoring.
- Few biomarkers significantly influence trial design or regulatory decisions, with even fewer meeting surrogate endpoint criteria.
- A context-of-use framework is proposed, assessing biomarkers through analytical readiness and clinical/statistical validation.
- The review highlights the importance of preanalytical, analytical, and postanalytical variability in biomarker assessment.
- Discordance between biological plausibility and treatment-induced changes is noted, with examples like albuminuria and natriuretic peptides.
- Biomarkers can guide dose selection, enrich populations, and support adaptive design decisions in clinical trials.
- Regulatory perspectives from major agencies are summarized, with examples of successful and unsuccessful biomarker uses.
- Practical barriers include analytical variability, operational burden, and limited commercial incentives.
- Proposed solutions include standardized assays, harmonized data standards, open access platforms, and cross-trial biobanks.
Evolving strategies in prostate cancer: Emerging approaches and unmet needs from the Bridging the Gaps in Prostate Cancer expert panel - PubMed
3 months ago
- Expansion of treatment options for prostate cancer has improved survival outcomes but raised questions about optimal treatment levels based on individual prognosis and quality of life.
- Multidisciplinary experts discussed current controversies in prostate cancer care, focusing on biomarker-guided assessment, imaging, and systemic therapy.
- Key topics included genomic biomarkers, AI-guided tools for high-risk localized disease, management of biochemical recurrence, and treatment escalation for metastatic hormone-sensitive PC.
- Radiopharmaceutical therapy for metastatic castration-resistant PC and the role of imaging in extraprostatic disease were highlighted.
- Lifestyle interventions to optimize survivorship and the need for ongoing research to optimize risk-based treatment and therapy sequencing were emphasized.
- Unresolved questions remain about biomarker-based risk stratification, PSMA-PET imaging, and balancing treatment-related toxicity with PC-related death risks.
Integrative transcriptomic and machine learning analysis identifies PYCARD and IFI30 as immune-lysosomal biomarkers of ANCA-associated glomerulonephritis - PubMed
3 months ago
- Study identifies PYCARD and IFI30 as immune-lysosomal biomarkers for ANCA-associated glomerulonephritis (ANCA-GN).
- Transcriptomic data from GEO datasets (GSE104948 and GSE108109) were analyzed using methods like batch correction, consensus clustering, WGCNA, and machine learning.
- Two distinct subtypes of ANCA-GN were identified, with 131 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) specific to subtypes and 143 DEGs distinguishing ANCA-GN from controls.
- PYCARD and IFI30 showed strong diagnostic accuracy (AUC >0.9) and correlation with CD8+ T-cell infiltration.
- A diagnostic nomogram validated the clinical utility of PYCARD and IFI30 (AUC >0.9).
- Functional enrichment highlighted phagocytosis and immune signaling pathways in ANCA-GN.
- Immune profiling revealed significant upregulation of 20 immune cell types in ANCA-GN.
- Findings suggest mitophagy-immune crosstalk drives ANCA-GN progression, offering novel targets for clinical intervention.
Blood-based biomarkers for Alzheimer's disease: Advances in early detection and monitoring of age-related neurodegeneration - PubMed
3 months ago
- Alzheimer's disease (AD) accounts for over 60% of dementia cases globally, with prevalence projected to exceed 100 million by 2050.
- Traditional diagnostic methods like CSF analysis and neuroimaging are limited by invasiveness, high costs, and accessibility issues.
- Blood-based biomarkers such as p-tau217, p-tau181, NfL, GFAP, and amyloid-β42/40 ratio show high diagnostic accuracy, with p-tau217 achieving AUC values >0.93.
- These biomarkers can detect pathological changes 15-20 years before symptom onset, with plasma p-tau217 levels increasing over 8.5% annually during preclinical stages.
- Dried blood spots (DBS) offer superior representation of brain-derived substances and, combined with ultrasensitive technologies like Simoa and mass spectrometry, enable femtomolar-level detection.
- Challenges remain in assay standardization and population-specific validation, but integrating blood biomarkers with DBS technology could revolutionize early AD detection and intervention.
Impact of blood p-tau217 testing on diagnosis and diagnostic confidence in cognitive disorders: a real-world clinical study - PubMed
3 months ago
- Blood biomarker p-tau217 improves diagnostic accuracy and confidence in Alzheimer's disease (AD) pathology.
- Study involved 200 patients with cognitive symptoms in general neurology and memory unit settings.
- 25.5% of patients had a change in diagnostic category post p-tau217 testing.
- Diagnostic confidence significantly increased from 6.90 to 8.49 after receiving p-tau217 results.
- Post-biomarker diagnosis was maintained in 94.5% of cases, showing high accuracy.
- P-tau217 testing is feasible and impactful in real-world clinical settings across all stages of cognitive decline.
Immune-related biomarkers for major depressive disorder identified via integrated bioinformatics and machine learning - PubMed
3 months ago
- Major depressive disorder (MDD) lacks reliable biomarkers for early diagnosis.
- Integrated bioinformatics and machine learning identified 122 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) in MDD, enriched in immune and inflammatory pathways.
- Four hub genes (DDIT4, DHRS9, FKBP5, GPER) were consistently selected by machine learning, showing high diagnostic accuracy (AUC 0.82-0.91).
- These genes are predominantly expressed in immune cells and validated in a chronic unpredictable mild stress (CUMS) rat model.
- Single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) confirmed upregulation of these genes in specific immune cell subtypes.
- The study provides insights into immune mechanisms underlying MDD and a framework for precision diagnosis and personalized intervention.
Plasma biomarker progression across the Alzheimer's disease amyloid beta and tau positron emission tomography trajectories - PubMed
3 months ago
- Plasma biomarkers were studied to detect amyloid beta (Aβ) and tau in Alzheimer's disease using PET imaging.
- Tau phosphorylated at threonine 217 (pTau217) showed significant increases across Aβ and tau levels.
- pTau217/Aβ42 ratio had high accuracy in predicting Aβ status with minimal intermediate zone participants.
- Biomarkers demonstrated utility in predicting Aβ and tau PET but had varied responses to Aβ and tau aggregation.
- Several authors disclosed conflicts of interest, including affiliations with pharmaceutical companies.
Anifrolumab Treatment Leads to Rapid Reduction in Urinary Biomarkers of Intrarenal Inflammation in Lupus Nephritis: Results from the Phase 2 TULIP-LN Trial - PubMed
3 months ago
- Anifrolumab, an approved SLE treatment, was studied in the TULIP-LN phase 2 trial for lupus nephritis (LN).
- The trial showed anifrolumab significantly reduced urinary biomarkers CD163 and MCP-1 by Week 12 compared to placebo.
- Standard therapy alone eventually reduced biomarker levels by Week 48, but more slowly than anifrolumab.
- Anifrolumab was superior to placebo in reducing proteomic inflammatory signatures, regardless of responder status.
- The findings suggest anifrolumab may accelerate resolution of intrarenal inflammation, potentially preventing kidney damage.
Clinical and biological markers of electroconvulsive therapy effectiveness: a narrative review - PubMed
3 months ago
- ECT is highly effective for severe or pharmacotherapy-resistant psychiatric disorders.
- Clinical markers like higher age, psychotic symptoms, and absence of personality disorders predict better ECT response in depressive disorders.
- Biomarkers at genetic/epigenetic, immune inflammatory, and brain imaging levels show promise in predicting ECT response.
- Genetic studies indicate higher genetic risk in patients referred for ECT, but predictive value of polygenic risk scores remains inconsistent.
- Combining clinical features and biomarkers may help define subgroups of psychiatric disorders and predict treatment outcomes.
- Specific clinical symptoms and inflammatory markers (e.g., IL-6, CRP) may indicate differential response to ECT.
Deep cervical lymphatic-venous anastomosis attenuates cognitive dysfunction and biomarker abnormalities in severe Alzheimer's disease: A prospective single-arm study - PubMed
3 months ago
- Deep cervical lymphatic-venous anastomosis (dcLVA) was studied for its efficacy in severe Alzheimer's disease (AD).
- 139 severe AD patients underwent dcLVA, with cognitive function and biomarkers evaluated over a 6-month follow-up.
- Postoperative improvements included modestly elevated Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) scores and reductions in ADL, NPI, NPI-D, and SDI scores.
- Biomarker analyses showed decreased CSF Aβ42, Aβ40, and p-Tau levels postoperatively, with increased plasma concentrations of these markers.
- No deaths or serious procedure-related adverse events occurred during the 6-month follow-up.
- dcLVA may offer clinical benefits in severe AD, including attenuation of neuropsychiatric dysfunctions and potential slowing of symptom progression.
Molecular features of human pathological tau distinguish tauopathy-associated dementias - PubMed
3 months ago
- Pathological tau protein in Alzheimer's disease (AD) accumulates post-translational modifications (PTMs), reflecting disease severity and progression.
- FLEXITau, a quantitative mass spectrometry-based proteomics platform, was used to analyze tau protein from 203 human subjects across various neurodegenerative diseases.
- Distinct molecular features of pathological tau were identified for each disease, enabling molecular disease stratification.
- The study identifies potential disease-specific biomarkers and therapeutic targets for tauopathies.
- Findings provide critical quantitative information for pharmacokinetic modeling in therapeutic and disease mechanism studies.
Biomarker heterogeneity and efficacy of durvalumab plus carboplatin/paclitaxel followed by durvalumab with or without olaparib in patients with mismatch repair proficient endometrial cancer: explorato
3 months ago
- Exploratory analyses of the DUO-E/GOG-3041/ENGOT-EN10 trial focused on biomarker heterogeneity and efficacy of durvalumab plus carboplatin/paclitaxel followed by durvalumab with or without olaparib in mismatch repair proficient (pMMR) endometrial cancer.
- The trial demonstrated significant progression-free survival (PFS) benefits with durvalumab-based treatments compared to carboplatin/paclitaxel alone in advanced/recurrent endometrial cancer.
- Biomarkers such as PD-L1 expression, BRCA1/BRCA2 mutations, homologous recombination repair genes, DNA polymerase epsilon, and TP53 mutations were evaluated in 486 out of 575 pMMR patients, with 84% positive for at least one biomarker.
- PD-L1 positivity (67%) and TP53 mutations (59%) were the most prevalent biomarkers in the pMMR subpopulation.
- Endometrioid (52%) and serous (27%) histologies were the most common tumor types in the biomarker-known subpopulation.
- Exploratory analyses showed improved PFS hazard ratios for durvalumab and durvalumab plus olaparib arms across multiple biomarker and histological subgroups, with durvalumab plus olaparib showing greater benefit in most subgroups.
- The pMMR subpopulation exhibited high heterogeneity with frequent biomarker and histology overlap.
- Consistent with the primary analysis, durvalumab plus olaparib enhanced PFS benefits over durvalumab alone across various biomarker and histological subgroups.
Blood-based AT(N) biomarkers for Alzheimer's disease and frontotemporal lobar degeneration in Latin America - PubMed
3 months ago
- Blood-based AT(N) biomarkers can distinguish Alzheimer's disease (AD) and frontotemporal lobar degeneration (FTLD) in Latin American populations.
- Plasma Aβ42/Aβ40 ratios were reduced, while phosphorylated tau (p-tau217, p-tau181) and neurofilament light chain (NfL) levels were elevated in both AD and FTLD, with NfL showing greater increases in FTLD.
- Classification models achieved ROC AUCs of 83% for AD and 88% for FTLD, with improved accuracy (89% for AD and 95% for FTLD) when combined with neuroimaging and cognitive measures.
- The study highlights the underrepresentation of Latin America in biomarker research despite its genetic and environmental heterogeneity.
- Meta-analyses confirmed consistency of biomarker performance across different Latin American countries.
- Biomarker alterations correlated with executive, memory, and global cognitive impairment.

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#biomarkers

New blood test checks for Alzheimer's and assesses progression, study

Don't Die of Heart Disease

A Dental Floss That Can Measure Stress

The Blood of Exceptionally Long-Lived People Suggests Key Differences

What body odour reveals about your health

Discovery and Evaluation of Biomarkers for Triple-Negative Breast Cancer Subtypes Uncovers Patient Stratification and Targeted Therapeutic Strategies - PubMed

Development and Internal Validation of a Pretransplant Biomarker Panel for Mortality Prediction Following Liver Transplant - PubMed

Biomarkers for Cardiovascular Drug Development: JACC State-of-the-Art Review - PubMed

Evolving strategies in prostate cancer: Emerging approaches and unmet needs from the Bridging the Gaps in Prostate Cancer expert panel - PubMed

Integrative transcriptomic and machine learning analysis identifies PYCARD and IFI30 as immune-lysosomal biomarkers of ANCA-associated glomerulonephritis - PubMed

Blood-based biomarkers for Alzheimer's disease: Advances in early detection and monitoring of age-related neurodegeneration - PubMed

Impact of blood p-tau217 testing on diagnosis and diagnostic confidence in cognitive disorders: a real-world clinical study - PubMed

Immune-related biomarkers for major depressive disorder identified via integrated bioinformatics and machine learning - PubMed

Plasma biomarker progression across the Alzheimer's disease amyloid beta and tau positron emission tomography trajectories - PubMed

Anifrolumab Treatment Leads to Rapid Reduction in Urinary Biomarkers of Intrarenal Inflammation in Lupus Nephritis: Results from the Phase 2 TULIP-LN Trial - PubMed

Clinical and biological markers of electroconvulsive therapy effectiveness: a narrative review - PubMed

Deep cervical lymphatic-venous anastomosis attenuates cognitive dysfunction and biomarker abnormalities in severe Alzheimer's disease: A prospective single-arm study - PubMed

Molecular features of human pathological tau distinguish tauopathy-associated dementias - PubMed

Biomarker heterogeneity and efficacy of durvalumab plus carboplatin/paclitaxel followed by durvalumab with or without olaparib in patients with mismatch repair proficient endometrial cancer: explorato

Blood-based AT(N) biomarkers for Alzheimer's disease and frontotemporal lobar degeneration in Latin America - PubMed