Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is a chronic autoimmune disease characterized by involvement of multiple organ systems, leading to significant morbidity and mortality. Among its complications, pulmonary hypertension (PH) is uncommon yet particularly serious, affecting approximately 4-5% of patients. If not identified and treated early, PH can result in life-threatening outcomes. The development of PH in SLE is driven by a complex interplay of factors, including immune-mediated endothelial injury, chronic inflammation, and thrombosis, which collectively contribute to vascular remodeling and elevated pulmonary arterial pressure. The symptoms of PH, such as shortness of breath, fatigue, and chest discomfort, are often nonspecific, complicating timely diagnosis. Diagnostic evaluation typically begins with echocardiography as a non-invasive screening tool, while right heart catheterization remains the gold standard for confirming the diagnosis. Effective management of PH in SLE requires a comprehensive approach, incorporating immunosuppressive therapy to control underlying SLE activity with targeted PH treatments, including vasodilators, endothelin receptor antagonists, and phosphodiesterase-5 inhibitors. Despite therapeutic advances, the prognosis for patients with SLE-associated PH remains poor, highlighting the importance of early detection and optimal management. The current research efforts are focused on identifying novel biomarkers and enhancing imaging techniques to facilitate earlier diagnosis and more effective treatment. This review highlights the urgent need for heightened clinical vigilance and prompt intervention to improve outcomes for patients with this challenging condition.

Ischemic heart disease remains the leading cause of death worldwide, yet current therapies cannot restore lost myocardium. Heart transplantation is the only curative treatment, but it is limited by donor shortages and the risk of immune rejection. These challenges have prompted exploration of regenerative strategies designed to support repair or replacement of injured cardiac tissue. This review outlines advances across different levels of intervention. At the cellular level, stem and progenitor populations such as mesenchymal, cardiac, and induced pluripotent stem cells have been explored for their regenerative potential. Tissue engineering approaches, including scaffolds, patches, and injectable hydrogels, aim to enhance cell survival and integration. At a broader scale, organ-level strategies such as decellularization-recellularization and bioprinting represent emerging frontiers. By bringing together these complementary directions, the review highlights how progress in cardiac regeneration spans from cells to whole organs, while also emphasizing the key hurdles that continue to shape their translation.

Idiopathic inflammatory myopathies (IIM) are a heterogeneous group of autoimmune diseases that primarily affect the muscles and skin but may also involve other organs, including the lungs, heart, and joints. They are rare compared to other autoimmune inflammatory rheumatic diseases. There have been changes in their classification criteria with the recognition that numerous autoantibodies play a role in disease pathogenesis. IIMs are currently classified into five main types: Dermatomyositis, polymyositis, overlap syndromes and antisynthetase syndrome, immune-mediated necrotizing myopathy, and inclusion body myositis. Autoantibodies implicated in IIMs are categorized as myositis-specific antibodies (MSA) or myositis-associated antibodies. Each MSA is associated with specific clinical and pathological features. Identifying these antibodies during diagnosis is valuable for both the treatment and prognostic assessment. For example, anti-Mi2 positivity is associated with milder disease courses and favorable treatment responses. Anti-MDA5 positivity is closely associated with rapidly progressive interstitial lung disease. In contrast, anti-TIF1-γ and anti-NXP2 antibodies are important risk factors for the development of malignancy. Early diagnosis and treatment are crucial for disease control. Most patients respond well to corticosteroids, while methotrexate or azathioprine are commonly used as corticosteroid-sparing drugs. If necessary, more potent immunosuppressive, biological agents, and intravenous immunoglobulin can be used. In this review, we summarized the recent advances in the understanding and management of IIMs over the last 10 years.

High-throughput sequencing (HTS) has revolutionized tumor immunology by enabling precise dissection of tumor-immune interactions, directly informing the development of precision immunotherapies. This review highlights key advances in HTS technologies—including whole genome sequencing (WGS), RNA sequencing, assay for transposase-accessible chromatin using sequencing, and single-cell immunogenomics (scTCR-seq/scBCR-seq)—and their clinical translation in personalized cancer vaccines, engineered T-cell therapies, and combination regimens. We discuss how these tools decode tumor-specific mutations, immune evasion mechanisms, and therapeutic targets, while addressing challenges in data standardization, sample processing, and computational integration. Emerging breakthroughs such as spatial multiomics, real-time monitoring, and artificial intelligence-driven discovery are transforming the field by enabling dynamic, personalized treatment strategies. Finally, we outline future directions to overcome current barriers and expand equitable access to HTS-driven precision immunotherapies.

Alcohol addiction is a complex psycho-physiological disorder affecting neurotransmitter release and nerve impulses in multiple central nervous system regions, causing severe physical and mental harm and societal burden. Existing treatments (medication, psychotherapy, traditional Chinese medicine) have limitations, including poor control of alcohol craving, high re-drinking rates, inadequate improvement of comorbid symptoms (anxiety, depression, cognitive decline), and issues such as non-specific drug targeting and subjective bias in psychotherapy. Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS), a non-invasive physical therapy with advantages of painlessness, safety, and minimal side effects, has shown efficacy in neuropsychiatric disorders such as depression and cognitive decline. Although its application in alcohol addiction is in the early stage, clinical trials indicate that it can reduce alcohol craving and re-drinking rates. This review summarizes the pathogenesis of alcohol addiction and the clinical efficacy of rTMS, aiming to provide a reference for its promotion in substance addiction treatment.

Hypertension is associated with an increased rate of progression of chronic kidney disease (CKD) to end-stage renal disease. It predicts mortality and adverse cardiovascular outcomes in both pre-dialysis CKD patients and those on renal replacement therapy. Thus, judicious use of antihypertensives and good blood pressure (BP) control may reduce morbidity and mortality among these patients. This study aims to assess the determinants of BP control and antihypertensive drug use patterns in CKD patients. A cross-sectional analytical study was conducted among CKD patients presenting to Lagos State University Teaching Hospital between April 2023 and January 2024. Recruited patients were classified into CKD stages 3-5, based on the estimated glomerular filtration rate. Clinical data were collected using a structured, interviewer-administered questionnaire. A total of 163 CKD patients were recruited into this study with a mean age of 54.04 ± 14.47 years. A history of hypertension and diabetes was found in 85.9% and 26.4% of the recruited patients, respectively. Poor BP control was observed in 50% of the subjects. Calcium channel blockers were the most frequently prescribed antihypertensive medications across CKD stages (p=0.046), while anemia and elevated serum creatinine levels were associated with poor BP control. These findings emphasize the importance of addressing anemia and elevated serum creatinine levels in the management of CKD patients.

The functional development of the fetal brain is critical for long-term health, yet current diagnostic tools lack the capability to examine it effectively. This paper presents a non-invasive method for extracting fetal brain signals using abdominal recordings obtained before elective cesarean sections, with neonatal brain activity recorded post-delivery serving as a reference. The recorded abdominal signals were preprocessed using digital filters and separated into independent components using the blind source separation technique: Independent component analysis. These components were analyzed to identify potential fetal brain signals based on their similarity to postnatal brain activity and dissimilarity to maternal cardiac signals, which are the primary source of interference in abdominal recordings. Features related to time and frequency characteristics were extracted, and a feature selection was conducted to identify the most informative ones. Preliminary results using simulated data demonstrated effective signal separation, with some segments closely resembling postnatal brain activity in spectral features. Low-frequency bands showed the strongest potential for distinguishing fetal brain activity from maternal interference. This approach demonstrates a feasible pathway for non-invasive fetal brain monitoring with implications for early detection of neurological development issues.

The core pathological characteristics of Alzheimer’s disease (AD) are characterized by the deposition of β-amyloid plaques and the formation of tau protein neurofibrillary tangles. Clinical diagnosis predominantly relies on cerebrospinal fluid analysis or positron emission tomography. However, these methods are associated with the risks of invasive procedures and significant cost constraints. Mass spectrometry, with its high sensitivity (reaching the femtogram level) and capability for multiplex detection, facilitates not only the precise quantification of AD biomarkers in blood but also offers a cost-effective solution. This review systematically elucidates the advancements in the clinical application of mass spectrometry technology for risk assessment, early diagnosis, and therapeutic monitoring of AD. It also highlights recent breakthroughs in identifying novel blood biomarkers using mass spectrometry technology and a multi-omics integration strategy.

Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is a chronic metabolic disorder characterized by elevated blood glucose levels. Moringa oleifera leaves contain bioactive compounds that may contribute to glycemic regulation. This study aims to evaluate the effect of Moringa leaf extract on fasting blood glucose levels in patients with T2DM. A randomized controlled trial was conducted among 240 participants diagnosed with T2DM. The intervention group (n = 120) received 500 mg Moringa capsules twice daily for 30 days, while the control group (n = 120) received standard care without herbal supplementation. Fasting blood glucose was measured at baseline and after 30 days of intervention. The results demonstrated a significant reduction in fasting blood glucose in the intervention group, from 187.3 mg/dL to 132.6 mg/dL (p<0.001). In contrast, the control group showed a slight, non-significant decrease from 184.9 mg/dL to 179.2 mg/dL (p=0.072). Between-group analysis confirmed a significant difference in outcomes (p<0.001). These findings indicate that M. oleifera supplementation may serve as a beneficial adjunct therapy in improving glycemic control among patients with T2DM.