The Impact of a Metformin Recall on Patient Hemoglobin A1c Levels at a VA Network.

Background: In May 2020, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) asked 5 pharmaceutical companies to voluntarily recall some formulations of metformin due to contamination. This observational study sought to provide insight changes in hemoglobin A (HbA) levels when veterans switched to alternative antihyperglycemic agents following the recall.

Methods: This study included veterans aged ≥ 18 years with type 2 diabetes who were receiving health care from Veterans Integrated Service Network 6 and had an active metformin sustained-action (SA) prescription as of June 1, 2020.

Derivations of the Total Radiation Belt Electron Content.

We present multiple derivations of the Total Radiation Belt Electron Content (TRBEC), an indicator of the global number of electrons that instantaneously occupy the radiation belts. Derived from electron flux measurements, the TRBEC reduces the spatial information into a scalar quantity that concisely describes global aspects of the system. This index provides a simple, global, and long-term assessment of the radiation belts that enables systematic analysis.

Metabolic adaptation following gastric bypass surgery: results from a 2-year observational study.

Background/objectives: Metabolic adaptation is the lowering of basal metabolic rate (BMR) beyond what is predicted from changes in fat mass (FM) and fat-free mass (FFM) and may hamper weight-loss progression. It is unclear whether metabolic adaptation occurs following gastric bypass surgery (GBP) and if it persists. The aim of this study was to evaluate the reduction in BMR that is not explained by changes in body composition in patients following GBP compared to a weight-stable comparator group.

Associations between sex, systemic iron and inflammatory status and subcortical brain iron.

Brain iron increases in several neurodegenerative diseases are associated with disease progression. However, the causes of increased brain iron remain unclear. This study investigates relationships between subcortical iron, systemic iron and inflammatory status.

Amygdala TDP-43 pathology is associated with behavioural dysfunction and ferritin accumulation in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.

Background: Cognitive and behavioural symptoms associated with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and frontotemporal spectrum disorders (ALSFTSD) are thought to be driven, at least in part, by the pathological accumulation of TDP-43.

Methods: Here we examine tissue from six brain regions associated with cognitive and behavioural symptoms in a cohort of 30 people with sporadic ALS (sALS), a proportion of which underwent standardized neuropsychological behavioural assessment as part of the Edinburgh Cognitive ALS Screen (ECAS).

Results: Overall, the behavioural screen performed as part of the ECAS predicted accumulation of pathological phosphorylated TDP-43 (pTDP-43) with 100% specificity and 86% sensitivity in behaviour-associated brain regions.