Modern Medical Laboratory Journal

Mitochondrial replacement therapy (MRT), also known as mitochondrial donation, is a cutting-edge reproductive technology aimed at preventing the transmission of certain mitochondrial diseases from parent to child. Mitochondria are essential components of cells responsible for generating energy, and when they malfunction, it can lead to severe health issues.

MRT involves the transfer of healthy mitochondria from a donor to an individual or couple who carries mitochondrial DNA mutations or abnormalities. This technique offers hope to families affected by mitochondrial diseases, as it allows them to have healthy children while minimizing the risk of passing on these genetic conditions.
 

There are two primary techniques used in mitochondrial replacement therapy:

a. Pronuclear Transfer: This method involves transferring the nuclear DNA from the intended parents' embryo into a donor embryo that has had its nuclear DNA removed. The resulting embryo contains the intended parents' nuclear DNA and healthy mitochondria from the donor.

b. Maternal Spindle Transfer: In this technique, the nucleus is removed from the intended mother's egg before it is fertilized. The nucleus is then transferred into a donor egg that has had its nucleus removed. This reconstructed egg, with the intended mother's nuclear DNA and healthy mitochondria from the donor, is fertilized with sperm.
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There are different types of brain hemorrhages, including:

1. Intracerebral hemorrhage: This occurs when blood vessels within the brain rupture and bleed into the surrounding tissue.

2. Subarachnoid hemorrhage: This type of hemorrhage involves bleeding into the space between the brain and the tissues that cover it.

3. Epidural hemorrhage: It occurs when bleeding occurs between the skull and the outermost covering of the brain (dura mater).

4. Subdural hemorrhage: This involves bleeding between the dura mater and the brain's surface.

Accuracy in diagnosing the presence and type of intracranial hemorrhage is a critical part of effective treatment. Diagnosis is often an urgent procedure requiring review of medical images by highly trained specialists and sometimes necessitating confirmation through clinical history, vital signs, and laboratory examinations. The process is complicated and requires immediate identification for optimal treatment.​​​​​​ Artificial intelligence (AI) can play a valuable role in assisting with the diagnosis of brain hemorrhage, a potentially life-threatening condition. 
 

Here are a few ways AI can contribute to the diagnosis of brain hemorrhage:

1. Medical imaging analysis: AI algorithms can be trained to analyze medical imaging scans, such as computed tomography (CT) or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), to detect signs of brain hemorrhage. These algorithms can quickly and accurately identify abnormalities, such as bleeding, in the brain.

2. Pattern recognition: AI models can be trained on large datasets of brain hemorrhage cases, enabling them to recognize patterns and features that may indicate the presence of a hemorrhage. By comparing new cases to this trained knowledge, AI systems can provide insights and flag potential cases for further review by medical professionals.

3. Decision support: AI can assist healthcare professionals by providing decision support systems based on established clinical guidelines and protocols. By inputting patient data, such as symptoms, medical history, and laboratory results, AI algorithms can offer recommendations or probabilities regarding the likelihood of a brain hemorrhage, helping doctors make more informed decisions.

4. Risk assessment: AI can help in predicting the risk of brain hemorrhage in certain patient populations. By analyzing vast amounts of patient data, including demographics, medical history, and lifestyle factors, AI models can identify risk factors and calculate individualized risk scores. This information can aid in early intervention and preventive measures.
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Lupus is an autoimmune disease. That means the immune system, which is supposed to fight infection, is attacking healthy tissue instead. The disease can cause inflammation and pain in any part of the body, although it commonly affects the skin, joints, and internal organs. It’s estimated that 1.5 million people in the United States have lupus, most between the ages of 15 and 44. Since lupus can’t be cured, doctors work on managing the disease and treating its symptoms.

There are different types of lupus, including:

• Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), which can cause acute or chronic inflammation in multiple organs or organ systems in the body; it is the focus of new strategies for care.
• Chronic cutaneous lupus, which is limited to the skin, but can progress to SLE.
• Drug-induced lupus syndromes, which are caused by certain drugs. They may be mild or severe, but generally improve after the medication is stopped. These syndromes can often be diagnosed based on symptoms and laboratory testing.
• Neonatal lupus, which affects infants of women with lupus as either a rash or, more rarely, irregular heart rhythms. Skin symptoms typically disappear six months after delivery. Changes in heart rhythm require specialized cardiac care.

One clue that leads lupus specialists to suspect a patient may have the disease is evidence of inflammation in several organ systems, such as the skin, blood vessels, and joints.

Beyond that, there is range of symptoms that can occur in different combinations. Some people have heard of the red, butterfly-shaped rash over the cheeks and nose that is associated with lupus—but many patients don’t get that rash, and in people who do, it doesn’t always mean lupus. 
Although systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is generally a polygenic autoimmune disease, the discovery of monogenic lupus cases and rare pathogenic variants has provided important insights into disease mechanisms, including important roles of complement, type I interferons and B cell survival. There is accumulating evidence that patients with SLE display phenotypes that are consistent with increased TLR7 signalling associated with elevated IgD⁻CD27⁻ double-negative B cells and, more specifically, the CXCR5⁻CD11c⁺ subset (also known as DN2 B cells or age-associated B cells (ABCs)) in the peripheral blood, and excessive accumulation of extrafollicular helper T cells. in a research study, scientists describe the action of a de novo TLR7 single-residue gain-of-function (GOF) variant that increases the affinity of TLR7 for guanosine and cGMP, causing enhanced TLR7 activation and childhood-onset SLE.
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Cancer is one of the leading causes of death worldwide and according to studies by the American Cancer Society, has been known as the second leading cause of death in the United States. Various types of cancer can affect different tissues. In this regard, the World Health Organization(WHO)  has listed lung, breast, colorectal, prostate, skin cancer( non-melanoma), and stomach as the most common types of cancer in the world in 2018, respectively. World Cancer Day, February 4th, aims to promote awareness of cancer as a public health issue and to strengthen actions toward improving access to quality care, screening, early detection, treatment and palliative care. This year’s theme marks the second year of the campaign “close the care gap” which is about understanding the inequities in cancer care and taking actions to make the necessary progress in addressing them. On World Cancer Day 2023, various activities will take place globally, including the "5k Challenge" by the Union for International Cancer Control (UICC), encouraging individuals from all backgrounds to participate in activities such as running, cycling, swimming, hiking or walking to symbolize closing the gap in care. Additionally, there will be "21-day challenges" for individuals to create new healthy habits, raise awareness about cervical cancer, and educate themselves about inequalities in accessing cancer services. 

5k Challenge:
Close a loop of 5 kilometres by running, cycling, swimming, walking, hiking...you get the idea! Once you’ve completed the challenge, post your accomplishment on Instagram, TikTok, or the channel of your choice and nominate 5 of your friends to do the same and help spread the word! 
21-day challenges:
for people to create new positive healthy habits, help eliminate cervical cancer or educate themselves and speak out about inequities in accessing cancer services.
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