Isolated Sagittal Craniosynostosis and Open or Endoscopic Cranial Vault Remodeling: An Evaluation of Developmental Outcomes.

Background: Craniosynostosis, a condition involving the premature fusion of cranial sutures, can impair brain development and potentially lead to developmental delays. This study compares open cranial vault remodeling versus endoscopic strip craniectomy treatment for isolated sagittal craniosynostosis, primarily focusing on development outcomes.

Methods: A retrospective cohort study was conducted at a tertiary pediatric surgery center, involving all 45 patients treated surgically for isolated sagittal craniosynostosis from 2013 to 2024.

Goal-Directed Rehabilitation Versus Standard Care for Individuals with Hereditary Cerebellar Ataxia: A Multicenter, Single-Blind, Randomized Controlled Superiority Trial.

Objective: Rehabilitation is thought to reduce ataxia severity in individuals with hereditary cerebellar ataxia (HCA). This multicenter, randomized controlled superiority trial aimed to examine the efficacy of a 30-week goal-directed rehabilitation program compared with 30 weeks of standard care on function, ataxia, health-related quality of life, and balance in individuals with an HCA.

Methods: Individuals with an autosomal dominant or recessive ataxia (aged ≥15 years) were enrolled at 5 sites in Australia.

Does the geographic region of plastic surgery away rotations influence residency match success by region?

Introduction: Integrated plastic surgery is consistently one of the most competitive residency specialties to successfully match. Students, advisors, and mentors are constantly looking for strategies to increase the odds of successfully matching. Away rotations (AR) give students and residency programs a chance to experience each other and get a gage of program fit and gives the student ability to show interest in a geographic region.

Confronting Craniosynostosis: Maternal Concerns, Challenges, and Coping for their Children.

Objective: The study objective was to characterize shared online experiences surrounding craniosynostosis.

Methods: Isolated and syndromic craniosynostosis-related consecutive posts (N = 700) made by patients and caregivers were extracted from TikTok and Instagram between 2017-2024. A cross-sectional qualitative analysis following guidelines for practical thematic analysis was performed.

Using the theoretical domains framework to identify the sociocultural barriers and enablers to access and use of primary and maternal healthcare services by rural Bangladeshi women: a qualitative study.

In Bangladesh, increasing the use of primary healthcare (PHC) and maternal healthcare (MHC) services is the main focus of achieving the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal-3, ensuring healthy lives and wellbeing for all. However, little is known about the sociocultural barriers and enablers to accessing and using PHC and MHC services among rural Bangladeshi women. This qualitative study aimed to identify sociocultural barriers and enablers to accessing and using PHC and MHC services among Bangladeshi rural women by using the Theoretical Domains Framework (TDF).

α1 S1928 Phosphorylation of Ca1.2 Channel Controls Vascular Reactivity and Blood Pressure.

Background: Increased vascular Ca1.2 channel function causes enhanced arterial tone during hypertension. This is mediated by elevations in angiotensin II/protein kinase C signaling.

Device-based 24-hour movement behaviours in adult phase III cardiac rehabilitation service-users during the COVID-19 pandemic: a mixed-methods prospective observational study.

Purpose: To examine changes in device-based 24-hour movement behaviours (MB), and facilitators and barriers to physical activity (PA) and exercise, during remotely-delivered cardiac rehabilitation (RDCR).

Materials And Methods: This prospective observational study used wrist-worn GENEActiv accelerometers to assess MB of 10 service-users (63 ± 10 years) at the start, middle, and end of three-months of RDCR. Barriers and facilitators to PA and exercise were explored through self-report diaries and analysed using content analysis.

14-3-3 promotes sarcolemmal expression of cardiac Ca 1.2 and nucleates isoproterenol-triggered channel super-clustering.

Unlabelled: The L-type Ca channel (Ca 1.2) is essential for cardiac excitation-contraction coupling. To contribute to the inward Ca flux that drives Ca -induced-Ca -release, Ca 1.

Development of an Instrument to Assess Health and Social Care Professionals' Knowledge and Attitudes Towards Later-Life Intimacy and Sexuality (HSCP-KALLIS): A Delphi Study.

Aims: We aimed to ascertain the content validity of an instrument to assess health and social care professionals' knowledge and attitudes towards later-life intimacy and sexuality (HSCP-KALLIS).

Background: For older adults, intimacy and sexuality are important in maintaining their quality of life and well-being. However, addressing these needs remains challenging for health and social care professionals, particularly for nursing staff providing 24-h direct care to older people with dementia or those identified as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, intersex or queer/questioning individuals.

Exploring the Religious Practice of Langar as a Route to Health Promotion in the Sikh Community in Northern England: A Qualitative Study.

Cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes are prevalent among UK South Asians. Langar is a Sikh religious food practice that could be important in dietary health promotion. This study explored perceptions of langar, its role in health, readiness and strategies for change and whether Gurdwaras (Sikh place of worship) are able to support change.

Development of an outcome indicator framework for a universal health visiting programme using routinely collected data.

Background: Universal health visiting has been a cornerstone of preventative healthcare for children in the United Kingdom (UK) for over 100 years. In 2016, Scotland introduced a new Universal Health Visiting Pathway (UHVP), involving a greater number of contacts with a particular emphasis on the first year, visits within the home setting, and rigorous developmental assessment conducted by a qualified Health Visitor. To evaluate the UHVP, an outcome indicator framework was developed using routine administrative data.

The Use of Long-term Antibiotics for Suppression of Bacterial Infections.

Suppressive antibiotic therapy is prescribed when a patient has an infection that is presumed to be incurable by a defined course of therapy or source control. The cohort receiving suppressive antibiotic therapy is typically highly comorbid and the infections often involve retained prosthetic material. In part due to a lack of clear guidelines regarding the use of suppressive antibiotics, and in part due to the complex nature of the infections in question, patients are often prescribed suppressive antibiotics for extremely long, if not indefinite, courses.

Reduced Fascicle Area Demonstrated in Ilioinguinal Nerves Resected from Primary Inguinal Herniorrhaphy Patients as Evidence of Compression Neuropathy.

Methods: 30 male patients with primary inguinal hernias undergoing primary inguinal herniorrhaphy were prospectively recruited for ilioinguinal nerve resection and evaluation. Three samples of the resected ilioinguinal nerve (proximal, canal, and distal) were evaluated using Masson's trichrome stain to measure fascicle and total nerve cross-sectional area and detect changes in collagen.

Results: The fascicle cross-sectional area in the canal segment was significantly decreased compared to the proximal control with a large effect size observed ( = 0.

A genome-wide cytotoxicity screen of cluster F1 mycobacteriophage Girr reveals novel inhibitors of Mycobacterium smegmatis growth.

Over the past decade, thousands of bacteriophage genomes have been sequenced and annotated. A striking observation from this work is that known structural features and functions cannot be assigned for >65% of the encoded proteins. One approach to begin experimentally elucidating the function of these uncharacterized gene products is genome-wide screening to identify phage genes that confer phenotypes of interest like inhibition of host growth.

Exploring Trends in Immediate Postresidency Career Paths: A Multi-year Analysis of Plastic Surgery Resident Graduates Across the United States.

Background: Plastic surgery is one of the most diverse specialties in medicine. Because of the competitiveness of plastic surgery residency, applicants are entering the field with increased experience and more developed interests in specific specialties. Programs and prospective applicants may find it beneficial to know trends in the career paths of recent graduates.

A Novel Feature from Instrumented Utensils for Clinical Assessment of Friedreich Ataxia.

Friedreich Ataxia (FRDA) is an inherited disorder that affects the cerebellum and other regions of the human nervous system. It causes impaired movement that affects quality and reduces lifespan. Clinical assessment of movement is a key part of diagnosis and assessment of severity.

A Study of Upper-Limb Motion using Kinematic Measures for Clinical Assessment of Cerebellar Ataxia.

Cerebellar Ataxia (CA) is a group of diseases affecting the cerebellum, which is responsible for movement coordination. It causes uncoordinated movements and can also impact balance, speech, and eye movements. There are no approved disease-modifying medications for CA, so clinical studies to assess potential treatments are crucial.

A Bayesian Network Approach for Friedreich Ataxia Severity Classification using Probability Modelling.

Friedreich ataxia (FRDA) requires an objective measure of severity to overcome the shortcoming of clinical scales when applied to trials for treatments. This is hindered due to the rarity of the disease resulting in small datasets. Further, the published quantitative measures for ataxia do not incorporate or underutilise expert knowledge.

Modified Recurrence Quantification Analysis for Objective Assessment of Cerebellar Ataxia.

Cerebellar Ataxia (CA) is a neurological condition that affects coordination, balance and speech. Assessing its severity is important for developing effective treatment and rehabilitation plans. Traditional assessment methods involve a clinician instructing a person with ataxia to perform tests and assigning a severity score based on their performance.

Machine Learning-Based Scoring System to Predict the Risk and Severity of Ataxic Speech Using Different Speech Tasks.

The assessment of speech in Cerebellar Ataxia (CA) is time-consuming and requires clinical interpretation. In this study, we introduce a fully automated objective algorithm that uses significant acoustic features from time, spectral, cepstral, and non-linear dynamics present in microphone data obtained from different repeated Consonant-Vowel (C-V) syllable paradigms. The algorithm builds machine-learning models to support a 3-tier diagnostic categorisation for distinguishing Ataxic Speech from healthy speech, rating the severity of Ataxic Speech, and nomogram-based supporting scoring charts for Ataxic Speech diagnosis and severity prediction.

Application of single wrist-wearable accelerometry for objective motor diary assessment in fluctuating Parkinson's disease.

Advanced Parkinson's disease (PD) is characterized by motor fluctuations including unpredictable oscillations remarkably impairing quality of life. Effective management and development of novel therapies for these response fluctuations largely depend on clinical rating instruments such as the widely-used PD home diary, which are associated with biases and errors. Recent advancements in digital health technologies provide user-friendly wearables that can be tailored for continuous monitoring of motor fluctuations.

At-Home Blood Pressure Measurements Provide Better Assessments of Orthostatic Hypotension in Parkinson's Disease.

Orthostatic hypotension (OH) is common in Parkinson's Disease (PD). It is intermittent, exacerbated by stressors including meals, medications, and dehydration, and frequently is unrecognized. Although intermittent, assessment is usually by a single "in clinic" BP measurement.