The gut microbiome modifies the associations of short- and long-term physical activity with body weight changes.

Background: The gut microbiome regulates host energy balance and adiposity-related metabolic consequences, but it remains unknown how the gut microbiome modulates body weight response to physical activity (PA).

Methods: Nested in the Health Professionals Follow-up Study, a subcohort of 307 healthy men (mean[SD] age, 70[4] years) provided stool and blood samples in 2012-2013. Data from cohort long-term follow-ups and from the accelerometer, doubly labeled water, and plasma biomarker measurements during the time of stool collection were used to assess long-term and short-term associations of PA with adiposity.

Prospective Study of Avocado Consumption and Cancer Risk in U.S. Men and Women.

Unlabelled: Avocados contain nutrients and phytochemicals that make it promising for cancer prevention, and chemopreventive properties have been demonstrated in prior studies. Prospective studies on avocado consumption and cancer risk have yet to be conducted. This study included data from 45,289 men in the Health Professionals Follow-Up Study (HPFS, 1986-2016) and 67,039 women in the Nurses' Health Study (NHS, 1986-2014).

Association of plant-based diet index with prostate cancer risk.

Background: Plant-based diets are associated with multiple health benefits and a favorable environmental impact. For prostate cancer, previous studies suggest a beneficial role of specific plant-based foods (e.g.

Aspirin use and prostate tumor angiogenesis.

Purpose: Aspirin use has been shown to be associated with reduced risk of aggressive prostate cancer, although the mechanisms are not fully understood.

Methods: We examined associations between regular aspirin use and prostate tumor angiogenesis among 572 men from the Health Professionals Follow-up Study. Participants reported aspirin use on biennial questionnaires.

Prenatal and Perinatal Factors and Risk of Cancer in Middle and Older Adulthood among Men.

Background: Prenatal factors have been associated with risk of cancers later in life, although studies in men have largely been case-control and focused on birth size only.

Methods: We used data from 5,845 men in the Health Professionals Follow-up Study (HPFS) to prospectively examine associations between several prenatal and perinatal factors and incident adult cancer risk. In 1994, mothers of participants reported information on characteristics and behaviors related to their pregnancy with their sons.

Insulinemic and Inflammatory Dietary Patterns and Risk of Prostate Cancer.

Background: Hyperinsulinemia and inflammation are inter-related pathways that link diet with the risk of several chronic diseases. Evidence suggests that these pathways may also increase prostate cancer risk.

Objective: To determine whether hyperinsulinemic diet and inflammatory diet are associated with prostate cancer incidence and mortality.

The association of diabetes with risk of prostate cancer defined by clinical and molecular features.

Background: To prospectively examine the association between diabetes and risk of prostate cancer defined by clinical and molecular features.

Methods: A total of 49,392 men from the Health Professionals Follow-up Study (HPFS) were followed from 1986 to 2014. Data on self-reported diabetes were collected at baseline and updated biennially.

Associations of plasma trimethylamine N-oxide, choline, carnitine, and betaine with inflammatory and cardiometabolic risk biomarkers and the fecal microbiome in the Multiethnic Cohort Adiposity Phenotype Study.

Background: Trimethylamine N-oxide (TMAO), a compound derived from diet and metabolism by the gut microbiome, has been associated with several chronic diseases, although the mechanisms of action are not well understood and few human studies have investigated microbes involved in its production.

Objectives: Our study aims were 1) to investigate associations of TMAO and its precursors (choline, carnitine, and betaine) with inflammatory and cardiometabolic risk biomarkers; and 2) to identify fecal microbiome profiles associated with TMAO.

Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional analysis using data collected from 1653 participants (826 men and 827 women, aged 60-77 y) in the Multiethnic Cohort Study.

Presenting Complications to a Reconstructive Urologist After Masculinizing Genital Reconstructive Surgery.

Objective: To evaluate the presenting complications of patients to reconstructive urologists after masculinizing gender affirming genital reconstructive surgery (GRS) performed elsewhere.

Methods: We identified patients who underwent revision surgery by one of the co-authors for sequelae of masculinizing GRS. We reviewed patient demographics, medical history, details of prior GRS, and complications from GRS.

Postoperative Imaging Patterns of Pediatric Nephrolithiasis: Opportunities for Improvement.

Purpose: Imaging following surgical intervention for nephrolithiasis is important to define operative success and ensure the absence of silent obstruction. We assessed nationwide postoperative imaging patterns in children undergoing ureteroscopy and shock wave lithotripsy.

Materials And Methods: We reviewed the MarketScan® Commercial Claims and Encounters database from 2007 to 2013 for patients 1 to 18 years old undergoing ureteroscopy or shock wave lithotripsy.

Temporal Variability and Stability of the Fecal Microbiome: The Multiethnic Cohort Study.

Background: Measurement reliability and biological stability need to be considered when developing sampling protocols for population-based fecal microbiome studies.

Methods: Stool samples were collected biannually over a 2-year period and sequenced for the V1-V3 region of the 16S rRNA gene in 50 participants from the Multiethnic Cohort Study. We evaluated the temporal stability of the fecal microbiome on a community level with permutational multivariate analysis of variance (PERMANOVA), as well as on taxa and diversity measures with intraclass correlation coefficients.

Increasing Use of Intensive Care Unit for Odontogenic Infection Over One Decade: Incidence and Predictors.

Purpose: To determine whether intensive care unit (ICU) admissions for odontogenic infections have increased during the past decade and whether certain clinical features are associated with a greater rate of ICU admission.

Materials And Methods: The data from patients undergoing surgery for odontogenic infections at the Royal Brisbane and Women's Hospital in the 24 month from January 2003 to December 2004 were compared with those from patients treated from January 2013 to December 2014. A χ analysis was used to compare the demographic, admission, and clinical patient data in each cohort.

Neonatal Circumcision and Urinary Tract Infections in Infants With Hydronephrosis.

Background: Boys with urinary tract abnormalities may derive a greater benefit from newborn circumcision for prevention of urinary tract infection (UTI) than the general population. However, the effect of newborn circumcision on UTI is not well characterized across the etiological spectrum of hydronephrosis. We hypothesized that boys with an early diagnosis of hydronephrosis who undergo newborn circumcision will have reduced rates of UTI.

Follow-up imaging after acute evaluations for pediatric nephrolithiasis: Trends from a National database.

Background: Overuse of computed tomography (CT) in the initial evaluation of children with upper urinary tract calculi (UUTC) has been well documented. Follow-up imaging patterns, however, remain undefined. Sequential imaging following an acute episode of UUTC represents additional opportunity for enacting good imaging stewardship, with the optimal goal to reduce unnecessary radiation exposure and cost while ensuring appropriate follow-up.

Variable Resource Utilization in the Prenatal and Postnatal Management of Isolated Hydronephrosis.

Objective: To characterize contemporary resource utilization and medical outcomes for infants with antenatal hydronephrosis and their mothers from a national claims database. We hypothesize that management of isolated hydronephrosis (IHN) varies widely, with decreased imaging following the 2010 Society for Fetal Urology Consensus Statement.

Materials And Methods: Using MarketScan claims from 2007 to 2013, we identified infants 0-12 months of age with hydronephrosis and linked mothers.

Use of medical expulsive therapy in children: An assessment of nationwide practice patterns and outcomes.

Introduction: Early data support the use of medical expulsive therapy (MET) in children. However, little is known regarding use or outcomes associated with MET outside of pediatric-specific practices. Using a national administrative dataset, we sought to characterize utilization patterns of MET as well as assess outcomes associated with MET exposure.

Characterization of the gut microbiome in epidemiologic studies: the multiethnic cohort experience.

Purpose: The development of next-generation sequencing and accompanying bioinformatics tools has revolutionized characterization of microbial communities. As interest grows in the role of the human microbiome in health and disease, so does the need for well-powered, robustly designed epidemiologic studies. Here, we discuss sources of bias that can arise in gut microbiome research.

On RNA-RNA interaction structures of fixed topological genus.

Interacting RNA complexes are studied via bicellular maps using a filtration via their topological genus. Our main result is a new bijection for RNA-RNA interaction structures and a linear time uniform sampling algorithm for RNA complexes of fixed topological genus. The bijection allows to either reduce the topological genus of a bicellular map directly, or to lose connectivity by decomposing the complex into a pair of single stranded RNA structures.

A meta-analysis of endoscopic versus conventional open radial artery harvesting for coronary artery bypass graft surgery.

Objective: The radial artery has been demonstrated to provide superior long-term patency outcomes compared with saphenous veins for selected patients who undergo coronary artery bypass graft surgery. Recently, endoscopic radial artery harvesting has been popularized to improve cosmetic and perioperative outcomes. However, concerns have been raised regarding the effects on long-term survival and graft patency of this relatively novel technique.

Shapes of interacting RNA complexes.

Shapes of interacting RNA complexes are studied using a filtration via their topological genus. A shape of an RNA complex is obtained by (iteratively) collapsing stacks and eliminating hairpin loops. This shape projection preserves the topological core of the RNA complex, and for fixed topological genus there are only finitely many such shapes.

Diet, the gut microbiome, and epigenetics.

Increasingly, the gut microbiome is implicated in the etiology of cancer, not only as an infectious agent but also by altering exposure to dietary compounds that influence disease risk. Whereas the composition and metabolism of the gut microbiome is influenced by diet, the gut microbiome can also modify dietary exposures in ways that are beneficial or detrimental to the human host. The colonic bacteria metabolize macronutrients, either as specialists or in consortia of bacteria, in a variety of diverse metabolic pathways.

The influence of anti-infective periodontal treatment on C-reactive protein: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.

Background: Periodontal infections are hypothesized to increase the risk of adverse systemic outcomes through inflammatory mechanisms. The magnitude of effect, if any, of anti-infective periodontal treatment on systemic inflammation is unknown, as are the patient populations most likely to benefit. We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) to test the hypothesis that anti-infective periodontal treatment reduces systemic c-reactive protein (CRP).

Age-related synaptic loss of the medial olivocochlear efferent innervation.

Age-related functional decline of the nervous system is consistently observed, though cellular and molecular events responsible for this decline remain largely unknown. One of the most prevalent age-related functional declines is age-related hearing loss (presbycusis), a major cause of which is the loss of outer hair cells (OHCs) and spiral ganglion neurons. Previous studies have also identified an age-related functional decline in the medial olivocochlear (MOC) efferent system prior to age-related loss of OHCs.