Tianjin Medical University

THURSDAY, March 20, 2025 -- Disruptions in amino acid and lipid metabolism may be biomarkers of tardive dyskinesia (TD), according to a study published online Feb. 21 in Schizophrenia Bulletin . Chenghao Lu, from the Mental Health Center of Tianjin Medical University in China, and colleagues explored biomarkers of TD through untargeted metabolomics for the early identification of TD in a study involving 84 patients with schizophrenia (SZ) with TD and 160 patients with SZ without TD. Fasting blood samples were collected from all patients; 699 metabolites were quantified and profiled. The researchers found that 57 metabolites exhibited significant changes in TD, mainly involving amino acids and lipids. These changes mostly affected the phenylalanine, tyrosine, and tryptophan pathway and the phenylalanine metabolism pathway. Negative relations to the total abnormal involuntary movement scale score were seen for N -acetyl-L-phenylalanine and succinylcarnitine. Five differential metabolites had area under the curve (AUC) values greater than 0.7 for diagnosing TD, with a combined AUC of 0.817. "These findings provide possible biomarkers for the diagnosis of TD, facilitating early recognition of TD," the authors write. "However, these preliminary results require validation in larger sample sizes and longitudinal studies."

Hospitals from China will be partaking in existing research in Singapore that aims to develop precise and personalised solutions to early detect and manage symptoms of cardiovascular diseases specific to the Asian population. Early this month, Kailuan General Hospital, Tianjin Medical University, and Tianjin Medical University General Hospital signed a memorandum of understanding to join the National University of Singapore Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine's (NUS Medicine) Project RESET. WHAT IT'S ABOUT The new Project RESET Parallel Cohort will particularly focus on subclinical cardiovascular diseases (SCVD), or asymptomatic conditions associated with higher risk of cardiovascular diseases that have become a growing concern among Asian populations. Tianjin Medical University reportedly has expertise in this research area. The four organisations will study data from a diverse, multi-ethnic cohort of Asians using multi-omics and big data to discover molecular, metabolic, and immunological markers of heart diseases. Besides filling gaps in the research of SCVD, their study will also contribute to developing "precise, personalised prevention and management strategies for cardiovascular conditions." Additionally, the organisations will conduct trials to test the effectiveness of AI and digital health interventions for detecting and treating cardiovascular conditions. THE LARGER TREND NUS Medicine launched the Project RESET in September last year. The five-year research project, funded by the Singaporean government, initially sought to track heart disease symptoms that go undetected in the majority of Singaporean people. At least 3 million individuals or half of the island city-state's population unknowingly have heart disease. Up to 80% of healthy individuals are reportedly unaware of the abnormal calcium build-up in their arteries while around four in 10 have fatty liver, which is also a key sign of heart disease. Project RESET then aims to discover new biomarkers of early heart disease; it also intends to pilot new methods and approaches to prevent the onset of cardiovascular diseases. Other national and private initiatives in Singapore are building big databases representing the diversity of the Asian population, contributing to precision medicine. The SG100K project, led by the government's Precision Health Research, is analysing big data – sequencing genomes of a hundred thousand individuals – to better understand various factors contributing to non-communicable diseases relevant to Asians. Private startup Mesh Bio has established a big multi-omics dataset that assists in generating insights into metabolic conditions related to the Asian population. Outside Singapore, India has also embarked on a population-wide initiative, led by the Indian Council of Medical Research , to collect and curate volumes of medical images representing the Indian people to support AI development. In September, the first comprehensive multi-omics database on cancer was also launched in India after fifteen years. The Indian Cancer Genome Atlas now provides initial access to clinically annotated data on DNA, RNA, and protein profiles of breast cancer patients.

WEDNESDAY, Nov. 20, 2024 -- High cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) is associated with better cognitive performance and lower dementia risk, according to a study published online Nov. 19 in the British Journal of Sports Medicine . Shuqi Wang, from the Tianjin Medical University in China, and colleagues examined the association of CRF with cognitive function and dementia risk, accounting for genetic predisposition for dementia. A total of 61,214 dementia-free participants within the U.K. Biobank, aged 39 to 70 years, were followed for up to 12 years. The CRF score was estimated using a six-minute submaximal exercise test and divided into age- and sex-standardized tertiles. The researchers found that high CRF was associated with better global cognitive function compared with low CRF (β = 0.05). Overall, 553 individuals developed dementia during the follow-up period. The incidence rate ratio was 0.60 for all dementia for high CRF versus low CRF; dementia onset was delayed by 1.48 years among people with high versus low CRF. Higher CRF attenuated all dementia risk by 35 percent among those with a moderate/high polygenic risk score (incidence rate ratio, 0.65). "Our findings suggest that maintaining favorable CRF could be a strategy for the prevention of dementia, even among people with a high genetic predisposition," the authors write. Abstract/Full Text Whatever your topic of interest, subscribe to our newsletters to get the best of Drugs.com in your inbox.