Training Future Physician-Scientists in Social Sciences and Humanities.

MD/PhD programs have traditionally prioritized the biomedical sciences, training physician-scientists skilled at advancing medical knowledge. Yet, with health disparities increasingly traced to social determinants of health (SDOH), a broader approach-one that integrates "non-traditional" fields such as the social sciences and humanities (SSH)-is essential. Significant challenges persist at three levels: (1) at the structural and systemic levels, where funding mechanisms like the NIH's Medical Scientist Training Program (MSTP) prioritize biomedical fields, limiting support for SSH fields; (2) at the institutional level, where curricula and resources remain narrowly aligned with biomedical timelines, leaving SSH trainees without adequate support; and (3) at the individual level, where the demands of SSH research often clash with the broader structure of MD/PhD programs, creating unique hurdles.

National Trends in Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Mortality from Mechanical Complications of Cardiac Valves and Grafts (1999-2020).

: The volume of cardiac valve and coronary artery revascularization procedures is rising in the United States. This cross-sectional study explores ethnic disparities in mortality in cardiac surgery attributed to mechanical failures of implantable heart valves and coronary artery grafts. : We used the CDC Wide-Ranging Online Data for Epidemiologic Research Multiple Causes of Death database to identify patients whose single cause of death was categorized by complications of cardiovascular prosthetic devices, implants, and grafts (ICD-10 code T82) between 1999 and 2020.

Keystone bacterial groups dominate Escherichia coli O157:H7 survival in long-term reclaimed water headwater stream.

Escherichia coli (E. coli) O157:H7 is a highly pathogenic zoonotic bacterium, with water serving as a key medium for its environmental transmission. However, the survival characteristics of E.

Association of Preoperative Walking Speed With 1-Year Outcomes After Hip Arthroscopy for Femoroacetabular Impingement Syndrome.

Background: Previous studies have identified demographic, radiographic, and intraoperative predictors of outcomes after hip arthroscopy for femoroacetabular impingement syndrome, yet few studies have identified whether preoperative gait metrics can predict outcomes.

Hypothesis: Increased preoperative step count, walking speed, step length, and gait symmetry will be associated with better outcomes after surgery.

Study Design: Retrospective cohort study.

Impact of donor obesity on outcomes of donation after circulatory death heart transplantation.

Background: In the setting of the obesity epidemic and donor organ shortage in the United States, there is a growing need to expand the donor organ eligibility criteria for orthotopic heart transplantation (OHT). Donation after circulatory death (DCD) has emerged as a promising solution, but the outcomes with obese donor hearts in DCD OHT remains unknown.

Methods: Using the United Network for Organ Sharing registry between 2019 and 2024, recipients of DCD OHT were stratified into 3 donor obesity categories by body mass index (BMI): underweight/normal (BMI <25 kg/m), overweight (BMI 25-30 kg/m), and obese (BMI >30 kg/m).

National trends in drug overdose mortality among Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander populations.

Purpose: To analyze drug overdose mortality trends among Asian American and Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander (AANHPI) populations.

Methods: We obtained data on drug overdose deaths and population totals from CDC WONDER and the American Community Survey (2018-2022). Crude mortality rates per 100,000 were calculated overall and by sex, U.

Direct development of microalgae-bacterial granular sludge system by seeding pre-made microalgae-dewatered sludge granules: Performance and mechanism analysis.

Microalgae-bacterial granular sludge (MBGS) process has great potential in achieving carbon neutrality and energy neutrality, but rapidly cultivating MBGS remains challenging. To address this challenge, this study proposes a new strategy to develop MBGS systems using pre-made granules from microalgae and dewatered sludge. The results indicate that using pre-made microalgae-dewatered sludge granules (M-DSG) as inoculants can directly develop MBGS system, with M-DSG maintaining a relatively stable granular structure, and ultimately achieving pollutant removal efficiencies of 94.

Deciphering basic and key traits of bio-pollutants in a long-term reclaimed water headwater urban stream.

Reclaimed water has been recognized as a stable water resource for ecological replenishment in riverine environment. However, information about the bio-pollutants spatial and temporal distributions and the associated risk in this environment remains insufficient. Herein, the bio-pollutant profile in a long-term reclaimed water headwater urban stream, including antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs), mobile genetic elements and pathogens, were revealed by metagenomics.

Virus-prokaryote interactions assist pollutant removal in constructed wetlands.

As a vital part of microbial communities, viruses in constructed wetlands (CWs) remain poorly explored, yet they could significantly affect pollutant removal. Here, two pilot-scale CWs were built to investigate the viral community under different hydraulic loading rates (HLRs) using in-depth metagenomic analysis. Gene-sharing networks suggested that the CWs were pools of unexplored viruses.

Empowering Global Health Systems to Protect, Promote and Support Optimal Breastfeeding.

Breastfeeding is a critical public health strategy for optimal child development and maternal health across the life course. The 2021 Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries and Risk Factors Study reveals that, despite reductions in mortality and disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) attributed to suboptimal breastfeeding practices-namely, non-exclusive breastfeeding during the first 6 months or early discontinuation within the first 2 years-low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) continue to bear a staggering 50-fold higher burden compared to high-income nations. This inequity signals a pressing global health priority.

Study protocol: Cerebral autoregulation, brain perfusion, and neurocognitive outcomes after traumatic brain injury -CAPCOG-TBI.

Background: Moderate-severe traumatic brain injury (msTBI) stands as a prominent etiology of adult disability, with increased risk for cognitive impairment and dementia. Although some recovery often occurs within the first year post-injury, predicting long-term cognitive outcomes remains challenging, partly due to the significant pathophysiological heterogeneity of TBI, including acute cerebrovascular injury. The primary aim of our recently funded study, cerebral autoregulation, brain perfusion, and neurocognitive outcomes after traumatic brain injury (CAPCOG-TBI), is to determine if acute cerebrovascular dysfunction after msTBI measured using multimodal non-invasive neuromonitoring is associated with cognitive outcome at 1-year post-injury.

Real-Time Visualization of Infiltration and Retention of Microplastics with Different Shapes in Porous Media.

Infiltration and retention of microplastics in porous media are important for understanding their fate in environments and formulating treatment measures. Given porous media opacity, knowledge is usually obtained indirectly by monitoring microplastic concentration in the effluent and measuring microplastic distribution after removing grains in layers. In this study, real-time visualization of infiltration and retention of microplastics in porous media under vertical water flow is performed using an improved reflective index matching method, considering the different shapes and densities of microplastics and size ratios between microplastics and grains.

Impacts of climate change on urban stormwater runoff quantity and quality in a cold region.

Climate change poses significant challenges to urban environments affecting both flood risks and stormwater pollutant loadings. However, studies on variations in stormwater runoff quantity and quality in cold regions, which are highly sensitive to climate change, are notably limited. Integrating climatic, hydrologic, and hydraulic modelling, the study assesses the potential impacts of climate change on stormwater runoff volume and pollutant dynamics in a Canadian urban watershed (Calgary).

Experimental study of liquid drop impact on granular medium: Drop spreading/splashing and particle ejection.

The impact of a liquid drop on a granular medium is a common phenomenon in nature and engineering. The possible splashing droplets and ejected particles could pose a risk of pathogen transmission if the water source or granular medium is contaminated. This work studies the liquid drop impact on the granular medium using high-speed photography and considers the effects of liquid properties, drop impact characteristics, and granular medium properties.

Evaluation of gradient diffusion in vitro susceptibility testing of Aerococcus urinae.

Objective: Aerococcus urinae antimicrobial susceptibility testing can be performed via broth microdilution with Mueller-Hinton broth supplemented with lysed horse blood. We sought to compare this with the commonly used gradient diffusion method.

Methods: We compared broth microdilution with Mueller-Hinton broth supplemented with lysed horse blood and gradient diffusion via Mueller-Hinton agar supplemented with sheep blood for 190 A.

Effects of mixed land use on urban stormwater quality under different rainfall event types.

The joint effect of mixed land uses and rainfall event types was studied using a two-year field monitoring program in four urban catchments in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. Event mean concentration (EMC) and event pollutant load (EPL) were employed to evaluate the total suspended sediment (TSS), nitrogen and phosphorus. The correlation analysis showed that most nitrogen and phosphorus components (except for NO/NO and TDP) predominantly exist in particulate form in the study areas.

Causalized Convergent Cross Mapping and Its Implementation in Causality Analysis.

Rooted in dynamic systems theory, convergent cross mapping (CCM) has attracted increased attention recently due to its capability in detecting linear and nonlinear causal coupling in both random and deterministic settings. One limitation with CCM is that it uses both past and future values to predict the current value, which is inconsistent with the widely accepted definition of causality, where it is assumed that the future values of one process cannot influence the past of another. To overcome this obstacle, in our previous research, we introduced the concept of causalized convergent cross mapping (cCCM), where future values are no longer used to predict the current value.