Connectivity in the Dorsal Visual Stream Is Enhanced in Action Video Game Players.

Action video games foster competitive environments that demand rapid spatial navigation and decision-making. Action video gamers often exhibit faster response times and slightly improved accuracy in vision-based sensorimotor tasks. However, the underlying functional and structural changes in the two visual streams of the brain that may be contributing to these cognitive improvements have been unclear.

Polypharmacy in older patients with asthma: hidden risks and opportunities for improvement.

Introduction: Polypharmacy can be considered the norm in elderly patients, because older individuals experience an increasing number of concomitant respiratory and non-respiratory diseases other than asthma, carrying the risk of drug-to-drug-interactions and drug-to-comorbidities interactions. In this context, asthma in older adults, conventionally aging >65 years of age, cannot be adequately managed without considering their individual characteristics, as these challenge the traditional therapeutic algorithms/management strategies commonly applied to younger populations.

Areas Covered: The current article aims at addressing pitfalls and advantages of current pharmacological strategies in older individuals with asthma.

Nasal Mucus Cytokines Are Correlated with Spirometry Measures in CRS Patients with Comorbid Asthma.

CRS patients with asthma show differential nasal mucus cytokine signatures based on endotype. IL-7 concentration is positively associated with higher %FEV1 and %FVC in CRS patients with asthma.

Endogenous Glucagon-Like Peptide-1 Receptor and Glucose-Dependent Insulinotropic Polypeptide Receptor Signaling Inhibits Aeroallergen-Induced Innate Airway Inflammation.

Background: Anti-inflammatory effects of incretin signaling through the glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor (GLP-1R) and the glucose-dependent insulinotropic polypeptide receptor (GIPR) in mice have been reported. Therefore, we hypothesized that signaling through the endogenous GLP-1R and the GIPR individually decreases allergic airway inflammation and that the combination of GLP-1R and GIPR signaling together additively inhibits allergen-induced lung and airway inflammation.

Methods: WT (C57BL/6J), GLP-1R knockout (KO), GIPR KO, and GLP-1R/GIPR double KO (DKO) mice were challenged intranasally with Alternaria alternata extract (Alt-Ext) or vehicle to evaluate the impact of signaling through these receptors on the innate allergen-induced inflammatory response that is primarily driven by group 2 innate lymphoid cells (ILC2).

Evaluation of waning of IgG antibody responses after rVSVΔG-ZEBOV-GP and Ad26.ZEBOV, MVA-BN-Filo Ebola virus disease vaccines: a modelling study from the PREVAC randomized trial.

rVSVΔG-ZEBOV-GP and Ad26.ZEBOV, MVA-BN-Filo are WHO-prequalified vaccination regimens against Ebola virus disease (EVD). Challenges associated with measuring long-term clinical protection warrant the evaluation of immune response kinetics after vaccination.

Androgen signaling restricts glutaminolysis to drive sex-specific Th17 metabolism in allergic airway inflammation.

Female individuals have an increased prevalence of many Th17 cell-mediated diseases, including asthma. Androgen signaling decreases Th17 cell-mediated airway inflammation, and Th17 cells rely on glutaminolysis. However, it remains unclear whether androgen receptor (AR) signaling modifies glutamine metabolism to suppress Th17 cell-mediated airway inflammation.

Impact of aesthetic surgery performed abroad on the Irish healthcare system.

Introduction: Aesthetic surgery tourism is a flourishing trend, and challenges often arise when patients return home with post-operative complications, necessitating follow-up care.

Methods: Between July 2021 and June 2023, we conducted a retrospective analysis of patients who presented with complications from aesthetic surgery tourism in two major teaching hospitals in Ireland.

Results: Thirty-three patients with a mean age of 41 years were identified.

Impact of metabolic and weight components on incident asthma using a real-world cohort.

Background: Obesity and metabolic dysregulation (MetD) have increasing prevalence and adversely affect asthma morbidity and therapeutic response.

Objective: To determine the role of weight and MetD on incident asthma in adulthood.

Methods: In a retrospective, longitudinal cohort of patients, we performed a time-to-asthma diagnosis analysis after a 3-year landmark period (t-t) during which weight and MetD components were evaluated.

Meeting Gaps in the Public Health Workforce During Emergencies: How a Nongovernmental Organization Supported Critical Staffing Needs in the COVID-19 Response.

The public health workforce continues to experience staff shortages, which hampered the ability of US state, tribal, local, and territorial health departments to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic. In April 2020, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) awarded $45 million to the CDC Foundation to provide field assignees to support these health departments. To expand these efforts, the CDC provided an additional $20 million in May 2021 for vaccination efforts and $200 million in June 2021 to support COVID-19 response and general infrastructure support.

Radiotherapy dose escalation using pre-treatment diffusion-weighted imaging in locally advanced rectal cancer: a planning study.

Objectives: Diffusion-weighted MRI (DWI) may provide biologically relevant target volumes for dose-escalated radiotherapy in locally advanced rectal cancer (LARC). This planning study assessed the dosimetric feasibility of delivering hypofractionated boost treatment to intra-tumoural regions of restricted diffusion prior to conventional long-course radiotherapy.

Methods: Ten patients previously treated with curative-intent standard long-course radiotherapy (50 Gy/25#) were re-planned.

Weight Loss Interventions for Adults With Obesity-Related Asthma.

Obesity is a common asthma comorbidity in adults, contributing to higher patient morbidity and mortality. Conversely, weight loss can reduce the impact of obesity on asthma and improve patient outcomes by diverse mechanisms including modulating airway inflammation, reducing oxidative stress, and improving lung function. Multiple lifestyle, nonpharmacological, pharmacological, and surgical interventions are effective at reducing weight in the general population.

Five draft genome assemblies from Bacillaceae isolated from a degraded wetland environment.

We isolated five Bacillaceae from a degraded wetland environment and sequenced their genomes using Illumina NextSeq. Here, we report draft genome sequences of SC119, strain SC120, strain SC123, strain SC124, and strain SC127. The genomes range between 3,657,353 and 5,772,725 bp with % GC between 37.

Parenting of siblings in Latinx families during middle childhood.

Parents' management of their children's sibling relationships, or sibling-focused parenting, has substantial theoretical and practical importance but is rarely studied. This study's goals were to describe dimensions of sibling-focused parenting and to examine sociocultural resources and challenges as potential correlates among Latinx mothers and fathers in 262 families with two children in middle childhood. Families were recruited from 11 public elementary schools, and caregivers (248 mother figures; 118 father figures) participated in a home visit and phone interviews at the onset of the study.

Merkel cell carcinoma recurrence risk estimation is improved by integrating factors beyond cancer stage: A multivariable model and web-based calculator.

Background: Merkel cell carcinoma (MCC) recurs in 40% of patients. In addition to stage, factors known to affect recurrence risk include: sex, immunosuppression, unknown primary status, age, site of primary tumor, and time since diagnosis.

Purpose: Create a multivariable model and web-based calculator to predict MCC recurrence risk more accurately than stage alone.

Twelve tips for medical educators to optimize their curricula vitae.

A good curriculum vitae (CV) highlights medical educators' academic achievements and supports their professional goals. Many faculty struggle with timely updates and strategic formatting. These twelve tips will help medical educators optimize their CV to best showcase their strengths and accomplishments.

Association of GLP-1 Receptor Agonists with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease Exacerbations among Patients with Type 2 Diabetes.

Patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and type 2 diabetes (T2D) have worse clinical outcomes compared with patients without metabolic dysregulation. GLP-1 (glucagon-like peptide 1) receptor agonists (GLP-1RAs) reduce asthma exacerbation risk and improve FVC in patients with COPD. To determine whether GLP-1RA use is associated with reduced COPD exacerbation rates, and severe and moderate exacerbation risk, compared with other T2D therapies.

Liraglutide pretreatment attenuates sepsis-induced acute lung injury.

There are no effective targeted therapies to treat acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). Recently, the commonly used diabetes and obesity medications, glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) receptor agonists, have been found to have anti-inflammatory properties. We, therefore, hypothesized that liraglutide pretreatment would attenuate murine sepsis-induced acute lung injury (ALI).