High-dimensional multiple imputation (HDMI) for partially observed confounders including natural language processing-derived auxiliary covariates.

Multiple imputation (MI) models can be improved with auxiliary covariates (AC), but their performance in high-dimensional data remains unclear. We aimed to develop and compare high-dimensional MI (HDMI) methods using structured and natural language processing (NLP)-derived AC in studies with partially observed confounders. We conducted a plasmode simulation with acute kidney injury as outcome and simulated 100 cohorts with a null treatment effect, incorporating creatinine labs, atrial fibrillation (AFib), and other investigator-derived confounders in the outcome generation.

The Taiwan-ADNI workflow toward integrating plasma p-tau217 into prediction models for the risk of Alzheimer's disease and tau burden.

Introduction: We integrated plasma biomarkers from the Taiwan Alzheimer's Disease Neuroimaging Initiative and propose a workflow to identify individuals showing amyloid-positive positron emission tomography (PET) with low/intermediate tau burden based on [18F]Florzolotau PET-based quantification.

Methods: We assessed 361 participants across the Alzheimer's disease (AD) and non-AD continuum and measured plasma phosphorylated tau (p-tau)217, p-tau181, amyloid beta (Aβ)42/40 ratio, neurofilament light chain, and glial fibrillary acidic protein levels at two medical centers. We evaluated the diagnostic potential of these biomarkers.

Optimally Miscible Polymer Bulk-Heterojunction-Particles for Nonsurfactant Photocatalytic Hydrogen Evolution.

Mini-emulsion and nanoprecipitation techniques relied on large amounts of surfactants, and unresolved miscibility issues of heterojunction materials limited their efficiency and applicability in the past. Through our molecular design and developed surfactant-free precipitation method, we successfully fabricated the best miscible bulk-heterojunction-particles (BHJP) ever achieved, using donor () and acceptor () polymers. The structural similarity ensures optimal miscibility, as supported by the interaction parameter of the / blend is positioned very close to the binodal curve.

Probabilistic medical predictions of large language models.

Large Language Models (LLMs) have shown promise in clinical applications through prompt engineering, allowing flexible clinical predictions. However, they struggle to produce reliable prediction probabilities, which are crucial for transparency and decision-making. While explicit prompts can lead LLMs to generate probability estimates, their numerical reasoning limitations raise concerns about reliability.

Macrophage-hitchhiked, effervescence-induced nanoemulsions for enhanced oral chemotherapy and immunotherapy: Impact on absorption route.

Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is a highly lethal cancer. Paclitaxel (PTX), typically administered intravenously (IV) as chemotherapy, shows promise for triggering immunogenic cell death (ICD) and may serve as a potential immunotherapy. This study introduces an oral PTX delivery method using an enteric-coated gelatin capsule containing capric acid oil and an effervescent agent, optionally with decylamine-conjugated β-glucans (DA-βGlus).

Potential Roles of Hypoxia-Inducible Factor-1 in Alzheimer's Disease: Beneficial or Detrimental?

The major pathological characteristics of Alzheimer's disease (AD) include senile plaques and neurofibrillary tangles (NFTs), which are mainly composed of aggregated amyloid-beta (Aβ) peptide and hyperphosphorylated tau protein, respectively. The excessive production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and neuroinflammation are crucial contributing factors to the pathological mechanisms of AD. Hypoxia-inducible factor-1 (HIF-1) is a transcription factor critical for tissue adaption to low-oxygen tension.

Assessing methods to ascertain persistence and adherence of oral anticoagulants in patients with atrial fibrillation.

Background: Persistence and adherence to oral anticoagulants (OACs) is crucial for its effectiveness in stroke prevention in atrial fibrillation (AF). We aimed to assess the impact of different ascertainment methods on estimated persistence rates.

Methods: We conducted a retrospective cohort study based on the Medicare claims data (01/01/2013-12/31/2019).

Prospective Monitoring of New Drugs in Older Adults with and without Frailty: Near-Real-Time Assessment of Effectiveness and Safety of Oral Anticoagulants in Medicare Data.

Background And Objective: Prospective sequential analyses after a new drug approval allow proactive surveillance of new drugs. In the current study, we demonstrate feasibility of frailty-specific sequential analyses for dabigatran, rivaroxaban, and apixaban versus warfarin.

Methods: We partitioned Medicare data from 2011 to 2020 into datasets based on calendar year following the date of drug approval.

Relationships among tumor necrosis factor-alpha levels, beta-amyloid accumulation, and hippocampal atrophy in patients with late-life major depressive disorder.

Background: Major depressive disorder (MDD) is characterized by hippocampal volume reduction, impacting cognitive function. Inflammation, particularly elevated tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) levels, is consistently implicated in MDD pathophysiology. This study investigates the relationships between TNF-α levels, hippocampal volume, beta-amyloid (Aβ) burden, and cognitive abilities in MDD patients, aiming to illuminate the complex interplay among inflammatory markers, pathology indicators, structural brain alterations, and cognitive performance in non-demented MDD individuals.

Differences in Topography of Individual Amyloid Brain Networks by Amyloid PET Images in Healthy Control, Mild Cognitive Impairment, and Alzheimer's Disease.

Amyloid plaques, implicated in Alzheimer's disease, exhibit a spatial propagation pattern through interconnected brain regions, suggesting network-driven dissemination. This study utilizes PET imaging to investigate these brain connections and introduces an innovative method for analyzing the amyloid network. A modified version of a previously established method is applied to explore distinctive patterns of connectivity alterations across cognitive performance domains.

Patients with dementia or frailty undergoing major limb amputation have poor outcomes.

Objective: Major lower limb amputation is a disfiguring operation associated with impaired mobility and high near-term mortality. Informed decision-making regarding amputation requires outcomes data. Despite the co-occurrence of both chronic limb-threatening ischemia (CLTI) and Alzheimer's disease and related dementias (ADRD), there is sparse data on the outcomes of major limb amputation in this population and the impact of frailty.

How virtue, competence, and dominance conjointly shape status attainment at work: Integrating person-centered and variable-centered approaches.

Status researchers have recognized virtue, competence, and dominance as distinct, viable routes to attaining status. While acknowledging that these routes could be compatible and may not operate independently, prior research relying on a variable-centered perspective has largely neglected their potentially complex interactions. This article integrates a person-centered perspective with the variable-centered perspective to explore how different routes conjointly shape workplace status.

Rapid-Test Kit for Cardiac Troponin I: A Reliable Enzyme-Linked-Immuno-Substrate-Assay-Based Biosensor for Daily-Use Naked-Eye Detection and Pharmacokinetic Studies for Myocardial Infarction in Cardiovascular Disease.

Myocardial infarction (MI) is a severe cardiovascular event that can lead to death. Cardiac troponin I (cTnI) is an MI biomarker in the circulation system; however, methods for detecting cTnI protein require substantial time, tedious operations, an expensive reader for translating signals, and a lot of reagents. This study aims to create a cTnI protein test kit with results easily distinguished by color differences, explicitly focusing on the resolution between different concentrations that eyes can discern.