Experimental Medicine Research Articles

Disciples of Pasteur from Russia — 2

In 2022, a global scientific community noted the 200th anniversary of the outstanding scientist, one of founders of a science of microbiology Louis Pasteur. Pasteurs works promoted formation of the microbic theory and gave a momentum to a search of ways for prevention of infections, including hospital ones. Among Pasteurs disciples and colleagues are E. Ru, I.I. Mechnikov as well as many Russian scientists. Not all family names of Pasteurs disciples were revealed to a wide range of readers. Much of them returned home and to bring a marked contribution to development of microbiology and immunology in Russia. Here, we continue seek out and return biographies of the Russian scientists Louis Pasteurs disciples. Among Russian scientists who passed school of Pasteur Institute there may be mentioned many graduates of one of the oldest medical institutions of Russia Military Medical academy as well as associates of I.I. Mechnikov and N.F. Gamalei J.J. Bardach, S.I. Zlatogorov, N.I. Chistovich, L.A. Tarasevich; renowned surgeons V.A. Ratimov and V.A. Oppel, one of founders of Pasteur Institute in Saint Petersburg P.P. Maslakovets. Many Pasteurs followers took part in creating the institute resembling Pasteur Institute nowadays known as the Institute of Experimental Medicine. In the latter regard, we mention E.F. Shperk, V.I. Nedrigajlov, etc. Moreover, it is also necessary to note the first woman in Russia Doctor P.V. Tsiklinskuju who was awarded a title Professor of Bacteriology. Pasteurs disciples received theoretical and practical knowledge from their teacher and returned to own Fatherlands to fully serve with full dedication. They brought with new methods of scientific research and diagnostics of infectious diseases, used already known immune serums and vaccine preparations and developed their own similar agents to combat infections that were relevant in those years: rabies, plague, cholera, typhoid fever, tuberculosis. All Russian scientists, disciples of Louis Pasteur as well as its friend and colleague I.I. Mechnikov continued to serve to a society owing to great achievements in the field of microbiology by transferring own knowledge and experience to numerous disciples continuers of work of the great scientist Louis Pasteur. Many of them were immortalized in the names of research institutes, departments and laboratories.

The history of the Department of Pharmacology, Institute of Experimental Medicine (to the 100th anniversary of the department)

The Department of Pharmacology of the Institute of Experimental Medicine was established in the autumn of 1923 on the initiative of the institutes leadership. Professor Nikolai Pavlovich Kravkov (18651924), the most respected domestic pharmacologist at that time and the head of the Department of Pharmacology of the Military Medical Academy, was invited as the alleged head of the department. However, N.P. Kravkovs untimely death in April 1924 precluded the department from developing extensive research in Pharmacology. Professor Vladimir Vasilyevich Savich (18741936), a student of I.P. Pavlov who focused his main research on the effect of medicinal substances on the nervous regulation of the cardiovascular system, gastrointestinal tract, endocrine system, and water metabolism, led the department from 1924 to 1936. The mechanism of the direct impact of drugs and poisons on organs and tissues was studied using both isolated organs, notably endocrine glands, and classical conditioned reflex techniques. In 1936, the department was disbanded in connection with the death of the head (V.V. Savich) and the reorganization of the institutes structure. Professor S.V. Anichkov (18921981), who later became the Hero of Socialist Labor, laureate of the Lenin and State Prizes of the USSR, and academician of the USSR Academy of Medical Sciences, revived the department in 1948 and remained its permanent head until his death (in July 1981). Along with him were well-known researchers Professors V.M. Karasik, N.V. Khromov-Borisov, I.S. Zavodskaya (who led the department from 1981 to 1984), Y.S. Borodkin (who led the department from 1984 to 1992), N.A. Kharauzov, V.E. Ryzhenkov, N.S. Sapronov (who led the department from 1992 to 2011), P.P. Denisenko, and N.A. Losev. The main focus of the department from 1948 to 1984 was the integration of fundamental pharmacological advancements with the introduction of drugs into healthcare practice. Currently, the Department of Neuropharmacology. S.V. Anichkova is one of the largest research centers in Russia, focusing on fundamental research in Pharmacology. Professor P.D. Shabanov has been the head of the department since 2011. The department divided into four laboratories: the Laboratory of Chemistry and Pharmacology of Medicinal Products (led by Doctor of Medical Sciences, E.R. Bychkov), the Laboratory of General Pharmacology (led by Doctor of Biological Sciences, Prof. A.A. Lebedev), the Laboratory of Biochemical Pharmacology (led by Doctor of Medical Sciences, Prof. P.D. Shabanov), and the Laboratory of Synthesis and Nanotechnology of Medicinal Substances (led by Doctor of Biological Sciences, Prof. L.B. Piotrovsky).

Introduction to the thematic issue on infectious diseases: Highlights of the Brazilian virology conference 2022 and International Experimental Biology and Medicine Conference (IEBMC), Brazil 2022.

Introduction to the thematic issue on infectious diseases: Highlights of the Brazilian virology conference 2022 and International Experimental Biology and Medicine Conference (IEBMC), Brazil 2022.

Use of Alginate Polymer Polysaccharide Hemostatic Hydrogel 
 in the Treatment of Simulated Bleeding Stomach Defects

The aim of the study was to develop in vivo technique and study the potential of alginate polymer polysaccharide hemostatic hydrogel application in the treatment of experimental bleeding stomach ulcers.Materials and methods. The in vivo experiment was conducted in the Laboratory of Experimental Surgery, the Research Institute of Experimental Biology and Medicine, N.N. Burdenko Voronezh State Medical University. Twelve healthy laboratory animals (dog) weighed 7-10.5 kg were selected for the study. Each animal was exposed to two bleeding stomach defects: one of which was experimental, and the other was control. Bleeding arrest in the experimental group of animals was carried out by insufflation of powdered alginate polymer polysaccharide hemostatic for a bleeding defect (Patent RF №2762120). Control stomach defects were not subjected to endoscopic treatment. The results of the experimental study were evaluated according to the following parameters: the time of experimental bleeding arrest, the presence of repeated bleeding, the timing and quality of healing simulated defects.Results. Experimental studies have demonstrated that the alginate polymer polysaccharide hemostatic hydrogel applied in the endoscopic treatment of simulated bleeding stomach defects can significantly (P=0.000001) reduce the time of experimental bleeding, from 26.5(25.3-32.0) sec to 6.0(4.0-8.0) sec, and helps to reduce the regeneration time of experimental defects from 14.5(13.5-16.5) days up to 8.0(7.5-8.5) days (P=0.000001), while improving the quality of their healing.Conclusion. Thus, the use of alginate polymer polysaccharide hemostatic hydrogel is an effective method of treating simulated bleeding stomach defects.

Artificial intelligence for neurodegenerative experimental models.

Experimental models are essential tools in neurodegenerative disease research. However, the translation of insights and drugs discovered in model systems has proven immensely challenging, marred by high failure rates in human clinical trials. Here we review the application of artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) in experimental medicine for dementia research. Considering the specific challenges of reproducibility and translation between other species or model systems and human biology in preclinical dementia research, we highlight best practices and resources that can be leveraged to quantify and evaluate translatability. We then evaluate how AI and ML approaches could be applied to enhance both cross-model reproducibility and translation to human biology, while sustaining biological interpretability. AI and ML approaches in experimental medicine remain in their infancy. However, they have great potential to strengthen preclinical research and translation if based upon adequate, robust, and reproducible experimental data. There are increasing applications of AI in experimental medicine. We identified issues in reproducibility, cross-species translation, and data curation in the field. Our review highlights data resources and AI approaches as solutions. Multi-omics analysis with AI offers exciting future possibilities in drug discovery.

The rise of promotional communicative functions in medical research article abstracts: a diachronic (1940–2022) perspective

Academic genres are not static, but they may change according to the values and demands of the particular discourse communities that shape them. This paper explores the research article (RA) abstract, a relevant informative and promotional genre that exhibits the prevalent rhetorical practices of a specific disciplinary community. From a diachronic perspective, our purpose is to examine how these practices have evolved over time. To this end, using a genre-based approach, we have analysed the rhetorical moves and steps of 180 RA abstracts published in the Journal of Experimental Medicine, over a period of nine decades (1940–2022). The findings revealed that the abstracts have increasingly become more promotional in terms of the persuasive rhetorical strategies that the authors use to enhance the contribution of their research. This is seen in the fact that the texts of more recent decades present a growing number of promotional communicative functions, mainly the moves/steps that claim the importance of the research topic and state the implications or significance of research. This study can have pedagogical implications for English for research publication purposes (ERPP) practitioners and early career researchers who seek to publish in international medical journals.

Research misconduct in hospitals is spreading: A bibliometric analysis of retracted papers from Chinese university-affiliated hospitals

Abstract Purpose The number of retracted papers from Chinese university-affiliated hospitals is increasing, which has raised much concern. The aim of this study is to analyze the retracted papers from university-affiliated hospitals in mainland China from 2000 to 2021. Design/methodology/approach Data for 1,031 retracted papers were identified from the Web of Science Core collection database. The information of the hospitals involved was obtained from their official websites. We analyzed the chronological changes, journal distribution, discipline distribution and retraction reasons for the retracted papers. The grade and geographic locations of the hospitals involved were explored as well. Findings We found a rapid increase in the number of retracted papers, while the retraction time interval is decreasing. The main reasons for retraction are plagiarism/self-plagiarism (n=255), invalid data/images/conclusions (n=212), fake peer review (n=175) and honesty error(n=163). The disciplines are mainly distributed in oncology (n=320), pharmacology & pharmacy (n=198) and research & experimental medicine (n=166). About 43.8% of the retracted papers were from hospitals affiliated with prestigious universities. Research limitations This study fails to differentiate between retractions due to honest error and retractions due to research misconduct. We believe that there is a fundamental difference between honest error retractions and misconduct retractions. Another limitation is that authors of the retracted papers have not been analyzed in this study. Practical implications This study provides a reference for addressing research misconduct in Chinese university-affiliated hospitals. It is our recommendation that universities and hospitals should educate all their staff about the basic norms of research integrity, punish authors of scientific misconduct retracted papers, and reform the unreasonable evaluation system. Originality/value Based on the analysis of retracted papers, this study further analyzes the characteristics of institutions of retracted papers, which may deepen the research on retracted papers and provide a new perspective to understand the retraction phenomenon.

Examining the Malleability of Negative Views of Aging, Self-Efficacy Beliefs, and Behavioral Intentions in Middle-Aged and Older Adults.

This study examined the malleability of a tripartite cluster of purported mechanistic variables targeted in a 4-week intervention program designed to improve adults' engagement in physical activity. The targeted cluster of purported mechanisms consisted of negative views of aging (NVOA), self-efficacy beliefs, and behavioral intentions. A randomized single-blind control group design was used to implement the AgingPLUS program in a sample of middle-aged and older adults (N = 335; Mage = 60.1 years; SDage = 8.3 years; age range 45-75 years). Using an intention-to-treat approach and analyses of covariance adjusting for participants' baseline scores, findings showed significant improvements in the purported mechanistic variables both at the immediate (Week 4) and delayed posttest (Week 8) in the treatment group but not in the control group. These improvements were for the most part maintained until 8-month postrandomization, although to a smaller extent. Specifically, participants in the AgingPLUS group showed significant improvements in NVOA, self-efficacy beliefs, and behavioral intentions compared to the Health Education control group. Standardized effect sizes for statistically significant effects were variable and ranged from small (d = -0.23) to large (d = 0.80). Effect sizes showed some decay of the intervention at the 8-month posttest. Taken together, the findings supported the efficacy of the AgingPLUS program and showed that variables representing the purported mechanisms of the intervention were significantly moved in a positive direction. In doing so, the AgingPLUS program met a major requirement of the experimental medicine approach to behavior change interventions. NCT0329948.

Prevalence of mutations in common tumour types in Northern England and comparable utility of national and international Trial Finders

PurposeTumour genomic profiling is of increasing importance in early phase trials to match patients to targeted therapeutics. Mutations vary by demographic group; however, regional differences are not characterised. This was investigated by comparing mutation prevalence for common cancers presenting to Newcastle Experimental Cancer Medicine Centre (ECMC) to The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) and utility of trial matching modalities.MethodsDetailed clinicogenomic data were obtained for patients presenting September 2017–December 2020. Prevalence of mutations in lung, colorectal, breast and prostate cancer was compared to TCGA GDC Data Portal. Experimental Cancer (EC) Trial Finder utility in matching trials was compared to a Molecular Tumour Board (MTB) and commercial sequencing reports.ResultsOf 311 patients with advanced cancer, this consisted of lung (n = 131, 42.1%), colorectal (n = 44, 14.1%), breast (n = 36, 11.6%) and prostate (n = 18, 5.6%). More than one mutation was identified in the majority (n = 260, 84%). Significant prevalence differences compared to TCGA were identified, including a high prevalence of EGFR in lung (P = 0.001); RB1 in breast (P = 0.0002); and multiple mutations in prostate cancer. EC Trial Finder demonstrated significantly different utility than sequencing reports in identifying trials (P = 0.007).ConclusionsRegional differences in mutations may exist with advanced stage accounting for prevalence of specific mutations. A national Trial Finder shows utility in finding targeted trials whilst commercial sequencing reports may over-report ‘actionable’ mutations. Understanding local prevalence and trial availability could increase enrolment onto matched early phase trials.

Accelerating HIV vaccine development through meaningful engagement of local scientists and communities.

There is a need to conduct multiple experimental medicine trials in regions with significant burden of disease to ensure the global relevance of vaccines under development including the African context. African scientists can support accelerated HIV vaccine development by leading EMVTs in the region in a complementary fashion to global efforts and augment evidence generated to optimize and advance relevant vaccines towards licensure. The ADVANCE program enables EMVTs, where local scientists lead trial implementation and immunogenicity endpoint analysis of promising vaccine approaches. Concerted efforts towards scientific collaboration, enhancing specific clinical and lab capacity, and improving ethical and regulatory systems to review EMVTs in Africa will be catalytic. Appropriate engagement of local communities and stakeholders will be equally important, and the field needs to refine existing research literacy approaches to effectively partner with communities around current complex scientific approaches. Review of inclusion of relevant populations in early research is also needed. African scientists and communities can help accelerate HIV vaccine development through stronger global collaboration. Now is the time for bold investments to enable the conduct of innovative EMVTs in Africa where the eventual vaccines will have the greatest impact.

Experimenting with Humans and Animals: from Aristotle to Crispr, second edition

Experimenting with Humans and Animals: from Aristotle to Crispr, second edition

An insight on chronopharmacology and its application in pharmacotherapy

Abstract Numerous pathophysiological conditions change over the course of a day. The biological rhythms that many physiological processes go through include the sleep-wake rhythm and metabolism. Chronopharmacology is a branch of science that studies the effects of various treatments on internal balance and biological timings. Chronopharmacology can aid with drug dose optimization problems, such as enhancing effectiveness or minimizing side effects. The metabolic fate of a pharmaceutical substance in a human is not stable throughout time. Thus, there is growing interest in chronotherapeutics in the fields of experimental biology, medicine, pharmacy, and medication delivery. Utilizing the timing of medicine consumption, this knowledge and the abundance of data should be used wisely to maximize the drug’s safety and efficacy. The goal of optimizing pharmacotherapy in accordance with the fundamental principles of clinical pharmacology is to maximize methodological individualism, assuring the highest level of efficacy and security for the patient’s treatment. This essay provides a succinct review of chronopharmacology, including its several subfields, the effects it has on the body’s various systems, and a general explanation of chronopharmacotherapeutics.

On the earliest descriptions of the uremic syndrome in medical literature.

Uremic syndrome refers to the clinical manifestations of renal failure (acute or chronic) that results from the accumulation of several endogenous toxins normally excreted by the kidneys and can be fatal unless the primary cause is addressed and the toxins removed by dialysis. A historical description of the syndrome is traditionally believed to start in the 18th - 19th century through seminal works in the field of experimental medicine. This account, however, ignores the possibility of clinical apperception of this syndrome in ancient medical literatures. The Sushruta Samhita (SS), a Sanskrit text whose authorship is attributed to the legendary ancient Indian surgeon Sushruta (6th century BC), is well known for its pioneering descriptions of several surgical procedures, even though its contribution to the fields of internal medicine and especially nephrology is detailed. Prameha, a term that first appears in the SS, and subsequently in later historical Ayurvedic (traditional Indian medicine) texts, denotes a multi-systemic disease syndrome impacting the neurological, cardiac, dermatological, and gastrointestinal systems that is recognized through its intimate association with urinary abnormalities such as hematuria, frothy urine, or glycosuria. This construct is highly consistent with uremic syndrome originating from multiple renal disease processes such as acute glomerulonephritis, nephrotic syndrome, diabetes mellitus, etc. Furthermore, medical treatment of prameha, as detailed in the original text, reflects several recently validated approaches to managing chronic kidney disease, supporting the hypothesis that this historical entity may be one of the earliest descriptions of uremic syndrome in medical history.

Hematological changes in descendants of animals irradiated in different doses

An urgent problem today is not only the study of changes in the stability of the genome of somatic cells, the clarification of the mechanisms of its destabilization under the influence of a complex of environmental factors, including radiation, but also the study of the possibility of hereditary transmission of these changes. In the modern experimental and clinical medicine, the most important problem is the harmful effect of ionizing radiation on the descendants of irradiated parents and the specifics of the effect of radiation on the developing organism. An important aspect of the problem of long-term post-radiation effects is the state of reproductive function and health of the descendants of the irradiated population, due to the physiological characteristics inherent to the mother and child - high sensitivity to the action of ionizing radiation, the consequences of which may manifest after a long period of imaginary well-being. The purpose of the work is to investigate the dynamics of body weight and hematological indiexes in the descendants of intact sexually mature animals and descendants born to animals irradiated at different doses, which were exposed to radiation at a dose of 1.0 Gy. The authors revealed that in descendants born to animals irradiated at different doses, which were exposed to radiation at a dose of 1.0 Gy, it was established that by the 30th day after irradiation at a dose of 1.0 Gy, the general condition of pup rats born from animals irradiated at a dose of 0.5 Gy and exposed to irradiation at a dose of 1.0 Gy is satisfactory against the background of an insignificant decrease in the body weight. This also applies to pup rats born to animals irradiated at a dose of 1.0 Gy, whose general condition slightly improves compared to the previous period of the study. The data obtained showed in the peripheral blood after 1 day in the descendants born to animals irradiated at a dose of 0.5 Gy, after irradiation at a dose of 1.0 Gy, a reduced content of hemoglobin and erythrocytes against the background of an increase in the content of platelets, leukocytes, lymphocytes and reticulocytes in comparison with non-irradiated animals, which was maintained throughout the experiment. Pronounced changes in hematological parameters were observed in the descendants born to animals irradiated at a dose of 1.0 Gy, which were exposed to total γ-irradiation at a dose of 1.0 Gy. The authors suppose their data are in favour of the pronounced adaptationof organisms’ regulatiory systems to ionizing irradiation effect that, firstly, outline the adaptative physiologcal mechanisms and, secondly, show the main launches of pathophysiologcial mechamisns in case of irradiation-induced hematological changes.

Translational research updates in female health anesthesiology: a narrative review.

Females represent 49.6% of the global population and constitute a significant proportion of surgical patients and hospital admissions. Little is known about the bi-directional effects of sex and anesthetics or the impact of anesthetic interventions on long-term female health outcomes. Sex differences in pain pathways can influence pain experience and treatment effectiveness. The impact of anesthetic management on the recurrence of breast cancer is poorly understood, as are the long-term consequences of cardiovascular disease and safe and effective treatments in pregnancy. This review aims to outline recent advances in translational science in female health anesthesiology research and highlight critical research opportunities in pain, cancer outcomes, and cardiovascular disorders. We searched PubMed and summarized relevant articles published in English between December 2021 and June 2022. Studies reveal sex differences in pain pathways and highlight the importance of sex as a biological variable in experimental designs and translational medicine. Sex differences have also been observed in side effects attributed to opioid analgesics. We summarize some of the neural circuits that might underlie these differences. In the perioperative setting, specific anesthetics are implicated in metastatic seeding potential and acute and chronic pain outcomes, suggesting the importance of anesthetic selection in comprehensive care during oncologic surgery. In the peridelivery setting, preeclampsia, a cardiovascular disorder of pregnancy, affects maternal outcomes; however, biomarkers can risk-stratify females at risk for preeclampsia and hold promise for identifying the risk of adverse neurological and other health outcomes. Research that builds diagnostic and predictive tools in pain and cardiovascular disease will help anesthesiologists minimize sex-related risks and side effects associated with anesthetics and peri-hospital treatments. Sex-specific anesthesia care will improve outcomes, as will the provision of practical information to patients and clinicians about the effectiveness of therapies and behavioral interventions. However, more research studies and specific analytic plans are needed to continue addressing sex-based outcomes in anesthesiology.

Study of morphological transformation and features of vascular blood flow of the wall of the small and large intestine in the simulation of ischemia in the experiment

Introduction. Ischemia of the small and large intestine of various degree was simulated in 45 sexually mature male rats of the Wistar line weighing 150-200 g on the basis of the Department of Experimental Medicine with vivarium at Privolzhsky Research Medical University. Аim. To present in an experiment the effect of different degrees of occlusive ischemia on the morphological transformation of the intestinal wall and the level of changes in blood flow.Materials and methods. The anesthetized animals underwent a median laparotomy with subsequent differentiation of the intestinal divisions: the jejunal section was selected in the small intestine, the ascending section was selected in the large intestine. With the help of a nylon thread (5-0), the blood supplying arcades of these zones were ligated and further exposed for 40, 60 and 120 minutes. During the indicated periods of ischemia, the average rate of blood supply in capillary microvessels located at a depth of 0.5-1.0 mm was estimated in relative units on 1.0 mm2-area (LACC-02, NPP Lazma, Russia). After the assessment of vascular blood flow was completed, ischemic intestinal areas were sampled for morphological examination. The study results were processed using Excel application and STADIA statistical package. Results. In the course of study, the authors registered clear relationships between blood flow parameters in different parts of the intestine and the duration of ischemia. Local trophic disturbance was combined with a transformation in the histoarchitectonics of the intestinal wall. It is noted that adaptive-regenerative mechanisms provide tissue stress reduction in 120 min. due to compensatory mechanisms of blood supply contributing to the restoration of the "villus-crypt" system of the mucous membrane.Conclusion. Thus, in case of local ischemia in the small and large intestine, the tissue structure is restored due to adaptive mechanisms of blood supply, this preserves the viability and functionality of the intestinal wall.

Profound structural conservation of chemically cross-linked HIV-1 envelope glycoprotein experimental vaccine antigens

Chemical cross-linking is used to stabilize protein structures with additional benefits of pathogen and toxin inactivation for vaccine use, but its use has been restricted by the potential for local or global structural distortion. This is of particular importance when the protein in question requires a high degree of structural conservation for inducing a biological outcome such as the elicitation of antibodies to conformationally sensitive epitopes. The HIV-1 envelope glycoprotein (Env) trimer is metastable and shifts between different conformational states, complicating its use as a vaccine antigen. Here we have used the hetero-bifunctional zero-length reagent 1-Ethyl-3-(3-Dimethylaminopropyl)-Carbodiimide (EDC) to cross-link two soluble Env trimers, selected well-folded trimer species using antibody affinity, and transferred this process to good manufacturing practice (GMP) for experimental medicine use. Cross-linking enhanced trimer stability to biophysical and enzyme attack. Cryo-EM analysis revealed that cross-linking retained the overall structure with root-mean-square deviations (RMSDs) between unmodified and cross-linked Env trimers of 0.4–0.5 Å. Despite this negligible distortion of global trimer structure, we identified individual inter-subunit, intra-subunit, and intra-protomer cross-links. Antigenicity and immunogenicity of the trimers were selectively modified by cross-linking, with cross-linked ConS retaining bnAb binding more consistently than ConM. Thus, the EDC cross-linking process improves trimer stability whilst maintaining protein folding, and is readily transferred to GMP, consistent with the more general use of this approach in protein-based vaccine design.

Halal Pharmaceutical Trend: A Bibliometric Analysis

Halal pharmaceuticals involve drugs, medicinal ingredients, traditional medicines, and cosmetics that contain permitted ingredients and are produced according to Islamic rules and regulations. The purpose of this research was to identify the types and sources of halal pharmaceutical documents published in PubMed from 2001 to 2021, as well as the most productive halal pharmaceutical authors and the keywords and topics associated with this field. The method used is bibliometric analysis with the VOS viewer application evaluated studies with halal pharmaceutical keywords. After analyzing all of the 369 documents, it was found that 44.15% of them were articles, 39.3% reviews, 7.3% meta-analyses, and 5.7% systematic reviews. The most significant documents were from Advancer in Experimental Medicine and Biology, followed by Molecules, Life Sciences, and Phytotherapy Research. Publications increased significantly, reaching 157 in 2020 and 101 in 2021. The most published authors were Sahebkar with 221 documents, Jamialahmadit with 63 papers, and Sathyapalan with 41 documents. The most common keywords were human, animal, and male, while the trending topics were COVID-19, degenerative diseases, and curcumin.

MJM MedTalks (S01E04 & S01E05): A Conversation with Dr. John Hughes

The McGill Journal of Medicine (MJM) MedTalks podcast aims to share knowledge and advice with trainees in medicine and the health sciences through interviews with members of the medical community at McGill University and beyond on their careers, research, advocacy, and more. In this episode, Masha (Maryia) Samuel, MJM podcast team member and MSc student in Experimental Medicine interviews Dr. John Hughes, family physician and Assistant Professor at the McGill University Faculty of Medicine. In the first part of the interview, they discuss Dr. Hughes’ early training, his work on an Advanced Crew Medical System, and his involvement in space medicine. In the second part of the interview, they discuss the development of an electronic health record and Dr. Hughes' vision for the future of patient-doctor medical encounters. The episode is rounded off by Dr. Hughes’ advice for medical trainees and junior researchers. The show notes include a glossary of terms, links to publications, images, and videos referenced in the episode, and a transcript of Dr. Hughes and Masha Samuel’s conversation.

DOTATOC PET/CT imaging of a typical carcinoid tumor in a human ex-vivo perfused lung lobe.

The use of Isolated lung perfusion (ILP), combined with medical imaging modalities such as positron emission tomography-computed tomography (PET/CT), provides real-time visualization of tumors in ventilated and perfused vital lung tissue. This experiment intends to show the feasibility and benefits of using ILP combined with PET/CT imaging. Following lung surgery on a 49-year-old male, his left lower lobectomy specimen, which held a typical carcinoid tumor, was preserved on normothermic ILP. Gallium-68-Edotreotide ([68Ga]-DOTATOC) was administered into the ILP circuit, and dynamic emission data from PET/CT was acquired. ILP was carried out for 120 minutes. Near physiologic gas exchange and glucose metabolism were preserved throughout the experiment. The time activity curves (TAC) of 5 different volumes of interest (VOI) showed notable differences in tracer uptake over time. The peripheral area of the carcinoid exhibited delayed but high somatostatin receptor agonist uptake compared to the surrounding parenchyma and the intrapulmonary artery. However, the central area of the carcinoid showed very low [68Ga]-DOTATOC uptake. This experiment demonstrates the potential of ILP combined with PET/CT for kinetic modeling in experimental nuclear medicine imaging. By providing visualization of tracer uptake in perfused lung tissue, this model could potentially improve our understanding of tumor physiology and molecular imaging.