Impact of Persistent Combat-Related PTSD on Heart Disease and Chronic Disease Comorbidity in Aging Vietnam Veterans.

Objectives: To assess combat and combat-related posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) as risk factors for heart disease and non-cardiac chronic disease comorbidity in deployed Vietnam veterans 50 years post-War.

Methods: A random sample of 735 Vietnam-deployed American Legionnaires was surveyed in 1984, 1998, and 2000 for combat exposure, probable PTSD, and history of diagnosed chronic illnesses.

Results: Twenty-eight percent reported a diagnosed heart condition; combat exposure in Vietnam was a significant predictor (OR = 1.

Genome-wide Machine Learning Analysis of Anosmia and Ageusia with COVID-19.

The COVID-19 pandemic has caused substantial worldwide disruptions in health, economy, and society, manifesting symptoms such as loss of smell (anosmia) and loss of taste (ageusia), that can result in prolonged sensory impairment. Establishing the host genetic etiology of anosmia and ageusia in COVID-19 will aid in the overall understanding of the sensorineural aspect of the disease and contribute to possible treatments or cures. By using human genome sequencing data from the University of Iowa (UI) COVID-19 cohort (N=187) and the National Institute of Health All of Us (AoU) Research Program COVID-19 cohort (N=947), we investigated the genetics of anosmia and/or ageusia by employing feature selection techniques to construct a novel variant and gene prioritization pipeline, utilizing machine learning methods for the classification of patients.

Examining the factor structure of the nine-item Avoidant/Restrictive Food Intake Disorder Screen in a national U.S. military veteran sample.

Disordered eating is a prevalent and relevant health concern that remains understudied among U.S. military veterans.

Trophic ecology of groundfishes in nearshore areas of the Gulf of Maine.

Ecosystem management requires an integrated understanding of ecological interactions. In the Gulf of Maine (GoM), trophic information pertaining to commercially important groundfishes and nearshore prey communities is lacking. We characterized nearshore communities and groundfish diets using data collected from nearshore surveys (864 bottom trawls and 3638 stomach samples of six groundfish species) conducted biannually (spring and fall) in Midcoast Maine and Penobscot Bay from 2012 to 2022.

Eating Disorders, Co-Morbid Disorders and Early Risk Factors Amongst Post-9/11 Veteran Men and Women.

Objective: To assess, by interview, the rates of eating disorders in a nationally representative sample of recent veterans, describe their DSM-5 eating disorder diagnoses and the occurrence of comorbid psychiatric disorders. To conduct an exploratory case-control analysis of previously documented and additional specific military risk factors before eating disorder onset to inform studies of prospective risk.

Method: Using a two-stage design, probable cases and controls were identified by screening questionnaires from a sample of 1494 veterans who completed a survey study and interviewed to establish case status and confirm probable co-morbid psychiatric diagnoses.

Does a delay of surgery due to a multidisciplinary screening process result in neuromuscular scoliosis curve progression in complex Cerebral Palsy?

Purpose: While surgical intervention of scoliosis in cerebral palsy (CP) patients has shown notable improvements in quality of life, the high risk of post-operative complications in CP patients necessitates careful preoperative optimization. A preoperative multidisciplinary (Multi-D) pathway at our tertiary pediatric hospital in effect since 2014 led to a significant reduction in mortality at one year. However, such a strategy delays surgery, potentially increasing the risk of curve progression.

Discovery of BBO-8520, a first-in-class direct and covalent dual inhibitor of GTP-bound (ON) and GDP-bound (OFF) KRASG12C.

Approved inhibitors of KRASG12C prevent oncogenic activation by sequestering the inactive, GDP-bound (OFF) form rather than directly binding and inhibiting the active, GTP-bound (ON) form. This approach provides no direct target coverage of the active protein. Expectedly, adaptive resistance to KRASG12C (OFF)-only inhibitors is observed in association with increased expression and activity of KRASG12C(ON).

A Hamster Model for the Evaluation of Marburg Virus Countermeasures.

Wild-type filoviruses including Marburg virus (MARV) cause disease in humans, nonhuman primates, and some immunodeficient mouse strains but generally not in immunocompetent rodents and ferrets. However, disease in immunocompetent rodents can be achieved by serial passaging of the virus as demonstrated by the mouse-, hamster-, and guinea pig-adapted strains of MARV, which often cause lethal disease in the respective rodent species. These disease models present valuable first screening models for medical countermeasure evaluation against MARV, including monoclonal antibody therapies and vaccines.

Respiratory Therapy Leaders' Perceptions of Value of Respiratory Care Services.

Background: Respiratory care departments are experiencing an increased need to demonstrate value in the care they deliver. Value efficiency is a concept that incorporates the value of individual treatments into the normal operations of a department. The purpose of this study was to describe respiratory care leaders' attitudes about the value of services provided by respiratory care departments.

Predictors of study dropout in cognitive-behavioural therapy with a trauma focus for post-traumatic stress disorder in adults: An individual participant data meta-analysis.

Background: Available empirical evidence on participant-level factors associated with dropout from psychotherapies for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is both limited and inconclusive. More comprehensive understanding of the various factors that contribute to study dropout from cognitive-behavioural therapy with a trauma focus (CBT-TF) is crucial for enhancing treatment outcomes.

Objective: Using an individual participant data meta-analysis (IPD-MA) design, we examined participant-level predictors of study dropout from CBT-TF interventions for PTSD.

Correlation Between Medical School Performance and Receiving Awards in General Surgery Residency.

Importance: It is uncertain whether current measures of achievement during medical school predict exceptional performance during surgical residency. One surrogate of excellence during residency may be awards, especially those given for teaching and annual overall accomplishment.

Objective: Determine whether markers of superior performance during medical school documented in the Electronic Residency Application Service (ERAS) application and student record correlated with receiving awards during residency.

Determination of Protein-Ligand Binding Affinities by Thermal Shift Assay.

Quantification of protein-ligand interactions is crucial for understanding the protein's biological function and for drug discovery. In this study, we employed three distinct approaches for determination of protein-ligand binding affinities by a thermal shift assay using a single ligand concentration. We present the results of the comparison of the performance of the conventional curve fitting (CF) method and two newly introduced methods - assuming zero heat capacity change across small temperature ranges (ZHC) and utilizing the unfolding equilibrium constant (UEC); the latter has the advantage of reducing calculations by obtaining the unfolding equilibrium constant directly from the experimental data.

Associations between avoidant/restrictive food intake disorder profiles and trauma exposure in veteran men and women.

Objective: Trauma exposure, particularly interpersonal trauma, is prevalent among individuals with eating disorders (EDs), and trauma exposure and the subsequent development of posttraumatic stress disorder have been associated with poorer outcomes for ED treatment. To our knowledge, there are no published investigations of trauma exposure among individuals with avoidant/restrictive food intake disorder (ARFID), a new diagnosis introduced by the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders-5. We investigated associations between trauma exposure and ARFID profiles in a sample of U.

Inhibition of Sirtuin Deacylase Activity by Peroxynitrite.

Sirtuins are a class of enzymes that deacylate protein lysine residues using NAD as a cosubstrate. Sirtuin deacylase activity has been historically regarded as protective; loss of sirtuin deacylase activity potentially increases susceptibility to aging-related disease development. However, which factors may inhibit sirtuins during aging or disease is largely unknown.

Structural and Biochemical Characterization of Aminoglycoside Nucleotidyltransferase(6)-Ib From Campylobacter fetus subsp. fetus.

Aminoglycoside antibiotics have played a critical role in the treatment of both Gram-negative and Gram-positive bacterial infections. However, antibiotic resistance has severely compromised the efficacy of aminoglycosides. A leading cause of aminoglycoside resistance is mediated by bacterial enzymes that inactivate these drugs via chemical modification.