The Surgeon's Role in Disaster and Counterterrorism Medicine.

Medical and surgical care remain a critical feature of disaster preparedness. The evolution of modern warfare introduces elements manifesting as both domestic and foreign terrorism. The fields of disaster and counterterrorism medicine continue to evolve in response to these looming threats.

Survey of chemical unfolding complexity as a unique stability assessment assay for monoclonal antibodies.

Seventy-two intentionally sequence-diverse antibody variable regions were selected, expressed as IgG1 antibodies, and evaluated by chemical unfolding to survey the complexities of denaturant induced unfolding behavior. A two-transition fit well described the curves and uncovered a wide range of sensitivities to denaturant. Four general types of unfolding curves were observed: balanced traces (each transition responsible for half of the total unfolding curve), low-unfolding traces (first transition is a majority of the unfolding curve), high-unfolding traces (the second transition is the majority of the unfolding curve), and coincident traces (the two transitions are found close to each other, approximating a single transition).

Resting Heart Rate and Incident Atrial Fibrillation in Black Adults in the Jackson Heart Study.

Importance: Resting heart rate (RHR) is a widely available measure of cardiovascular fitness that has been associated with several cardiovascular outcomes. RHR has previously been associated with the risk of atrial fibrillation (AF) among individuals of European ancestry, but little is known about this association in Black adults.

Objective: To evaluate the association between RHR and incident AF in a large community-based sample of Black adults, independently of established risk factors.

Use of web-based decision support to improve informed choice for chemoprevention: a qualitative analysis of pre-implementation interviews (SWOG S1904).

Background: Women with high-risk breast lesions, such as atypical hyperplasia (AH) or lobular carcinoma in situ (LCIS), have a 4- to tenfold increased risk of breast cancer compared to women with non-proliferative breast disease. Despite high-quality data supporting chemoprevention, uptake remains low. Interventions are needed to break down barriers.

Sacituzumab Govitecan in patients with breast cancer brain metastases and recurrent glioblastoma: a phase 0 window-of-opportunity trial.

Sacituzumab Govitecan (SG) is an antibody-drug conjugate that has demonstrated efficacy in patients with TROP-2 expressing epithelial cancers. In a xenograft model of intracranial breast cancer, SG inhibited tumor growth and increased mouse survival. We conducted a prospective window-of-opportunity trial (NCT03995706) at the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio to examine the intra-tumoral concentrations and intracranial activity of SG in patients undergoing craniotomy for breast cancer with brain metastases (BCBM) or recurrent glioblastoma (rGBM).

A Large-Scale Genome-Wide Study of Gene-Sleep Duration Interactions for Blood Pressure in 811,405 Individuals from Diverse Populations.

Although both short and long sleep duration are associated with elevated hypertension risk, our understanding of their interplay with biological pathways governing blood pressure remains limited. To address this, we carried out genome-wide cross-population gene-by-short-sleep and long-sleep duration interaction analyses for three blood pressure traits (systolic, diastolic, and pulse pressure) in 811,405 individuals from diverse population groups. We discover 22 novel gene-sleep duration interaction loci for blood pressure, mapped to 23 genes.

Epigenome-wide DNA Methylation Association Study of CHIP Provides Insight into Perturbed Gene Regulation.

With age, hematopoietic stem cells can acquire somatic mutations in leukemogenic genes that confer a proliferative advantage in a phenomenon termed "clonal hematopoiesis of indeterminate potential" (CHIP). How these mutations confer a proliferative advantage and result in increased risk for numerous age-related diseases remains poorly understood. We conducted a multiracial meta-analysis of epigenome-wide association studies (EWAS) of CHIP and its subtypes in four cohorts (N=8196) to elucidate the molecular mechanisms underlying CHIP and illuminate how these changes influence cardiovascular disease risk.

Polycomb Repressor Complex 1 (PRC1) in ovarian cancer: A scoping literature review.

High grade serous carcinoma (HGSC) is the most common and the deadliest histologic subtype of epithelial ovarian cancer. HGSC is a therapeutic challenge, as it recurs in 80 % of patients diagnosed, often as chemoresistant disease. The mechanism of this chemoresistance is not fully elucidated, but it is partly attributed to the ability of HGSC to maintain a stem-like phenotype that enables development of resistance to current therapies.

Plasma proteins associated with plant-based diets: Results from the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities (ARIC) study and Framingham Heart Study (FHS).

Background & Aims: Plant-based diets are associated with a lower risk of chronic diseases. Large-scale proteomics can identify objective biomarkers of plant-based diets, and improve our understanding of the pathways that link plant-based diets to health outcomes. This study investigated the plasma proteome of four different plant-based diets [overall plant-based diet (PDI), provegetarian diet, healthful plant-based diet (hPDI), and unhealthful plant-based diet (uPDI)] in the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities (ARIC) Study and replicated the findings in the Framingham Heart Study (FHS) Offspring cohort.

Extended Realities for Sensorially Diverse Children.

Learning space for children with different sensory needs, nowadays, can be interactive, multisensory experiences, designed collaboratively by 1) specialists in special-needs learning, 2) extended realities (XR) technologists, and 3) sensorial diverse children, to provide the motivation, challenge, and development of key skills. While traditional audio and visual sensors in XR are challenging for XR applications to meet the needs of visually and hearing impaired sensorial-diverse children, our research goes a step ahead by integrating sensory technologies including haptic, tactile, kinaesthetic, and olfactory feedback that was well received by the children. Our research also demonstrates the protocols for 1) development of a suite of XR-applications; 2) methods for experiments and evaluation; and 3) tangible improvements in XR learning experience.

Efficacy of Community-Delivered PEERS® for Adolescents: Increases in Social Skills and Decreases in Social Anxiety and Loneliness.

Purpose: PEERS® for Adolescents is an evidence-based social skills training program developed for individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), which is now widely implemented by community providers in clinics and schools. However, majority of past efficacy studies on PEERS® were conducted in controlled research settings, with limited information about its effectiveness when delivered in the community. We sought to examine the effects of PEERS® on social functioning and mental health outcomes when delivered in an outpatient autism specialty clinic.

Peritonsillar Abscess and Post-aspiration Bleed Identified with Point-of-care Ultrasound Using Endocavitary Probe: A Case Report.

Introduction: Peritonsillar abscesses form between the tonsillar capsule, the superior constrictor, and palatopharyngeus muscles. Physicians traditionally make this diagnosis clinically; however, ultrasound allows clinicians to further identify and differentiate between peritonsillitis, peritonsillar abscess, and phlegmon formation. By increasing both the sensitivity and specificity, ultrasound improves the diagnostic accuracy for patients with peritonsillar abscesses.

Physical Activity, Cardiovascular Status, Mortality, and Prediabetes in Hispanic and Non-Hispanic Adults.

Importance: Data are limited on the association of physical activity (PA) with incident cardiovascular disease (CVD) and mortality in prediabetes, especially in racial and ethnic minority groups, including Hispanic and Latino populations.

Objective: To determine the association of PA with incident CVD and mortality by prediabetes status among Hispanic or Latino and non-Hispanic adults.

Design, Setting, And Participants: This cohort study included data from 2 cohorts of adults with prediabetes or normoglycemia who were free of CVD at baseline visit: the Hispanic Community Health Study/Study of Latinos (HCHS/SOL) from baseline examination through 2017, with median (IQR) follow-up of 7.

High Throughput Plasma Proteomics and Risk of Heart Failure and Frailty in Late Life.

Importance: Heart failure (HF) and frailty frequently coexist and may share a common pathobiology, although the underlying mechanisms remain unclear. Understanding these mechanisms may provide guidance for preventing and treating both conditions.

Objective: To identify shared pathways between incident HF and frailty in late life using large-scale proteomics.

Validation of the Safety and Efficacy of Apixaban as Postoperative Thromboembolism Prophylaxis for Patients with Gynecologic Malignancies.

Background: Venous thromboembolism is a preventable complication of gynecologic cancer surgery that leads to postoperative morbidity and mortality. This study compared apixaban with enoxaparin to identify whether apixaban had the same safety and efficacy for patients undergoing gynecologic cancer surgery.

Methods: The study identified patients with a gynecologic malignancy who underwent surgery and were prescribed apixaban at discharge between June 2020 and April 2023.

Prediction of individual lifetime cardiovascular risk and potential treatment benefit: development and recalibration of the LIFE-CVD2 model to four European risk regions.

Aims: The 2021 European Society of Cardiology prevention guidelines recommend the use of (lifetime) risk prediction models to aid decisions regarding initiation of prevention. We aimed to update and systematically recalibrate the LIFEtime-perspective CardioVascular Disease (LIFE-CVD) model to four European risk regions for the estimation of lifetime CVD risk for apparently healthy individuals.

Methods And Results: The updated LIFE-CVD (i.

Current use of estrogen-containing oral contraceptives or hormone therapy and risk of COVID-19 infection and hospitalization: a population-based cohort study.

The association between current use of oral contraceptives (OCs) among women younger than 50 years (n = 306 541), and hormone therapy (HT) among women aged 50 years or older (n = 323 203), and coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) infection and hospitalization was evaluated in this population-based cohort. Current OC/HT use was recorded monthly using prescription dispensing data. COVID-19 infections were identified from March 2020 through February 2021.

A general framework for developing computable clinical phenotype algorithms.

Objective: To present a general framework providing high-level guidance to developers of computable algorithms for identifying patients with specific clinical conditions (phenotypes) through a variety of approaches, including but not limited to machine learning and natural language processing methods to incorporate rich electronic health record data.

Materials And Methods: Drawing on extensive prior phenotyping experiences and insights derived from 3 algorithm development projects conducted specifically for this purpose, our team with expertise in clinical medicine, statistics, informatics, pharmacoepidemiology, and healthcare data science methods conceptualized stages of development and corresponding sets of principles, strategies, and practical guidelines for improving the algorithm development process.

Results: We propose 5 stages of algorithm development and corresponding principles, strategies, and guidelines: (1) assessing fitness-for-purpose, (2) creating gold standard data, (3) feature engineering, (4) model development, and (5) model evaluation.

Making Informed Choices On Incorporating Chemoprevention into carE (MiCHOICE, SWOG 1904): Design and methods of a cluster randomized controlled trial.

Introduction: Women with atypical hyperplasia (AH) or lobular carcinoma in situ (LCIS) have a significantly increased risk of breast cancer, which can be substantially reduced with antiestrogen therapy for chemoprevention. However, antiestrogen therapy for breast cancer risk reduction remains underutilized. Improving knowledge about breast cancer risk and chemoprevention among high-risk patients and their healthcare providers may enhance informed decision-making about this critical breast cancer risk reduction strategy.

Chronic corticosterone exposure in rats induces sex-specific alterations in hypothalamic reelin fragments, MeCP2, and DNMT3a protein levels.

Women are disproportionately affected by stress-related disorders like depression. In our prior research, we discovered that females exhibit lower basal hypothalamic reelin levels, and these levels are differentially influenced by chronic stress induced through repeated corticosterone (CORT) injections. Although epigenetic mechanisms involving DNA methylation and the formation of repressor complexes by DNA methyl-transferases (DNMTs) and Methyl-CpG binding protein 2 (MeCP2) have been recognized as regulators of reelin expression in vitro, there is limited understanding of the impact of stress on the epigenetic regulation of reelin in vivo and whether sex differences exist in these mechanisms.

Time-dependent antidepressant-like effects of reelin and ketamine in the repeated-corticosterone model of chronic stress.

There is an urgent need for novel antidepressants, given that approximately 30% of those diagnosed with depression do not respond adequately to first-line treatment. Additionally, monoaminergic-based antidepressants have a substantial therapeutic time-lag, often taking months to reach full therapeutic effect. Ketamine, an N-methyl-d-aspartate receptor (NMDAR) antagonist is the only current effective rapid-acting antidepressant, demonstrating efficacy within hours and lasting up to two weeks with an acute dose.