High Cirrhosis Surgical Volume Centers have Reduced Postoperative Mortality in Patients with Cirrhosis Undergoing Major Surgery.

Patients with cirrhosis have increased surgical risk and require care team expertise. We explored the association between center cirrhosis surgical volume and post-operative mortality in a large VA dataset. In this retrospective cohort study of 14,500 major surgeries in patients with cirrhosis, we found in adjusted analysis that high-volume centers (>16 surgeries in past year) had a 36% reduced hazard of post-operative mortality through 90 days versus low-volume centers (<9 surgeries in past year; hazard ratio 0.

Single cell approaches define neural stem cell niches and identify microglial ligands that can enhance precursor-mediated oligodendrogenesis.

Here, we used single cell RNA sequencing and single cell spatial transcriptomics to characterize the forebrain neural stem cell (NSC) niche under homeostatic and injury conditions. We defined the dorsal and lateral ventricular-subventricular zones (V-SVZs) as two distinct neighborhoods and showed that, after white matter injury, NSCs are activated to make oligodendrocytes dorsally for remyelination. This activation is coincident with an increase in transcriptionally distinct microglia in the dorsal V-SVZ niche.

A paradigm shift for evaluating natural attenuation of radioactive iodine in soils and sediments: Species-specific mechanisms and pathways.

The primary approach to assessing monitored natural attenuation (MNA) is currently based on a conceptual model utilizing the total contaminant concentrations, assuming a single aqueous species. However, many contaminants, such as metals and radionuclide - including iodine, can exist in multiple species that behave chemically differently in the environment and can exist simultaneously. For example, radioiodine often occurs concurrently as three major aqueous species: iodide (I), iodate (IO), and organo-I, which undergo distinct attenuation pathways and exhibit markedly different mobility and geochemical behavior.

A critical evaluation of psilocybin-assisted therapy protocol components from clinical trial patients, facilitators, and caregivers.

Psilocybin-assisted therapy (PAT) is an experimental treatment with transformative promise. Developing standards for PAT psychotherapy protocols is a priority, but psychotherapeutic protocol components of PAT have been subjected to little rigorous research. This study was designed to assess protocol components in a trial of PAT.

Are women really (not) more talkative than men? A registered report of binary gender similarities/differences in daily word use.

Women are widely assumed to be more talkative than men. Challenging this assumption, Mehl et al. (2007) provided empirical evidence that men and women do not differ significantly in their daily word use, speaking about 16,000 words per day (WPD) each.

Mortality, Hepatic Decompensation, and Cardiovascular Outcomes in Lean vs. Non-lean MASLD Cirrhosis: A Veterans Affairs Cohort Study.

Background And Aims: Metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD) has a global prevalence of 25%. Studies on incident liver and cardiovascular outcomes in lean (Body mass index: BMI < 25 kg/m, or < 23 kg/m for Asians) vs. non-lean individuals with MASLD have reported mixed results.

Repetitive injury induces phenotypes associated with Alzheimer's disease by reactivating HSV-1 in a human brain tissue model.

Infection with herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) in the brains of carriers increases the risk of Alzheimer's disease (AD). We previously found that latent HSV-1 in a three-dimensional in vitro model of -heterozygous human brain tissue was reactivated in response to neuroinflammation caused by exposure to other pathogens. Because traumatic brain injury also causes neuroinflammation, we surmised that brain injury might similarly reactivate latent HSV-1.

Exploring the Relationship Between Combined, Acetabular, and Femoral Version on Postoperative Outcomes 2 Years After Hip Arthroscopy for Femoroacetabular Impingement Syndrome.

Background: Many studies have examined the prevalence of acetabular version (AV) and femoral version (FV) abnormalities and their effect on patient-reported outcomes (PROs) after hip arthroscopy for femoroacetabular impingement syndrome (FAIS), but few have explored the prevalence and influence of combined version (CV) abnormalities.

Purpose: To (1) describe the distribution of AV, FV, and CV in the largest cohort to date and (2) determine the relationship between AV, FV, and CV and PROs after hip arthroscopy for FAIS.

Study Design: Cohort study; Level of evidence, 3.

Living plastics from plasticizer-assisted thermal molding of silk protein.

The pursuit of materials, particularly plastics, with a minimal ecological footprint throughout their circular lifecycle, is crucial for advancing sustainable materials development. Living materials composed of embedded yet active organisms can leverage endogenous biotic resources to achieve functional materials that align with sustainability goals. However, current living material systems face challenges such as weak mechanical properties, limited environmental adaptability, and restricted cellular functionality.

Why most research based on the Reading the Mind in the Eyes Test is unsubstantiated and uninterpretable: A response to Murphy and Hall (2024).

Murphy and Hall (2024) present two criticisms of our review of construct validity evidence reporting practices for the Reading the Mind in the Eyes Test (RMET; Higgins, Kaplan, Deschrijver, & Ross, 2024). Namely, they argue that we conflated poor reporting practices with poor validity and that our conclusions about the validity of RMET scores relied too heavily on structural validity evidence at the cost of external validity evidence. Moreover, they argue that the existing external and structural validity evidence indicates that RMET scores are generally valid for assessing emotion recognition ability.

Validation and Epidemiologic Definition of the Novel Steatotic Liver Disease Nomenclature in a National United States Cohort With Cirrhosis.

Background & Aims: Novel steatotic liver disease (SLD) definitions were introduced in 2023. Accurate and meaningful classifications using clinical data are needed to study interventions and outcomes.

Methods: In a national cohort of Veterans with cirrhosis and imaging-confirmed steatosis, 7 algorithms differentially emphasizing cardiometabolic risk factors (CMRFs) and alcohol exposure were developed to define alcohol-associated liver disease (ALD), metabolic dysfunction associated SLD (MASLD), and MASLD with increased alcohol intake (MetALD).

Validation and expansion of Baveno VII criteria for cACLD and CSPH based on liver stiffness and platelet count: Correlation with risk of hepatic decompensation and death.

Background And Aims: Recently proposed "Rule-of-Five" criteria define compensated advanced chronic liver disease (cACLD) and clinically significant portal hypertension (CSPH) using liver stiffness (LS) and platelet count. We aimed to validate these criteria by determining whether they are associated with risk of adverse outcomes.

Approach And Results: Patients without prior hepatic decompensation or HCC who underwent LS and platelet measurements (n = 17,076) were categorized as follows: no cACLD (LS: 2.

Editorial Commentary: Acetabular Cartilage Delamination in Patients Having Femoroacetabular Impingement Syndrome Surgery Requires a Single-Stage Solution.

Acetabular cartilage delamination (ACD) can result in focal chondral defects, increasing contact stresses and contributing to osteoarthritis. This is commonly associated with femoroacetabular impingement, particularly with cam deformities due to shearing of the cam on the acetabulum. Additionally, ACD associated with labral tears or chondrolabral separation, when untreated, can compromise labral repair outcomes.

Photoplethysmography as a noninvasive surrogate for microneurography in measuring stress-induced sympathetic nervous activation - A machine learning approach.

The sympathetic nervous system (SNS) is essential for the body's immediate response to stress, initiating physiological changes that can be measured through sympathetic nerve activity (SNA). While microneurography (MNG) is the gold standard for direct SNA measurement, its invasive nature limits its practical use in clinical settings. This study investigates the use of multi-wavelength photoplethysmography (PPG) as a non-invasive alternative for SNA measurement.

An Efficient Biosynthetic System for Developing Functional Silk Fibroin-Based Biomaterials.

Long historical evolution and domestication endow silkworms with the super ability to synthesize and secrete massive silk proteins using silk glands. The major component of this secretion consists of silk fibroin, considered a promising biomaterial for tissue repairs and engineering. To further expand the utility of this unique protein, there is a continuing need for silk fibroin functionalization.

Agonism of the glutamate receptor GluK2 suppresses dermal mast cell activation and cutaneous inflammation.

Activation of dermal mast cells through the Mas-related G protein-coupled receptor B2 receptor (MrgprB2 in mice and MrgprX2 in humans) is a key component of numerous inflammatory skin diseases, including dermatitis and rosacea. Sensory neurons actively suppress mast cell activation through the regulated release of glutamate, resulting in reduced expression of as well as genes associated with proteins found in mast cell granules. To determine whether exogenous glutamate receptor agonism could suppress mast cell function, we determined that mast cells have relatively selective expression of the glutamate receptor ionotropic, kainate 2 (GluK2).

Synergistic label-free fluorescence imaging and miRNA studies reveal dynamic human neuron-glial metabolic interactions following injury.

Neuron-glial cell interactions following traumatic brain injury (TBI) determine the propagation of damage and long-term neurodegeneration. Spatiotemporally heterogeneous cytosolic and mitochondrial metabolic pathways are involved, leading to challenges in developing effective diagnostics and treatments. An engineered three-dimensional brain tissue model comprising human neurons, astrocytes, and microglia is used in combination with label-free, two-photon imaging and microRNA studies to characterize metabolic interactions between glial and neuronal cells over 72 hours following impact injury.

Selective Biofilm Inhibition through Mucin-Inspired Engineering of Silk Glycopolymers.

Mucins are key components of innate immune defense and possess remarkable abilities to manage pathogenic microbes while supporting beneficial ones and maintaining microbial homeostasis at mucosal surfaces. Their unique properties have garnered significant interest in developing mucin-inspired materials as novel therapeutic strategies for selectively controlling pathogens without disrupting the overall microbial ecology. However, natural mucin production is challenging to scale, driving the need for simpler materials that reproduce mucin's bioactivity.

Temporary Nanoencapsulation of Human Intestinal Organoids Using Silk Ionomers.

Human intestinal organoids (HIOs) are vital for modeling intestinal development, disease, and therapeutic tissue regeneration. However, their susceptibility to stress, immunological attack, and environmental fluctuations limits their utility in research and therapeutic applications. This study evaluated the effectiveness of temporary silk protein-based layer-by-layer (LbL) nanoencapsulation technique to enhance the viability and functions of HIOs against common biomedical stressors, without compromising their native functions.

Search for CP-Violating Neutrino Nonstandard Interactions with the NOvA Experiment.

This Letter reports a search for charge-parity (CP) symmetry violating nonstandard interactions (NSI) of neutrinos with matter using the NOvA Experiment, and examines their effects on the determination of the standard oscillation parameters. Data from ν_{μ}(ν[over ¯]_{μ})→ν_{μ}(ν[over ¯]_{μ}) and ν_{μ}(ν[over ¯]_{μ})→ν_{e}(ν[over ¯]_{e}) oscillation channels are used to measure the effect of the NSI parameters ϵ_{eμ} and ϵ_{eτ}. With 90% CL the magnitudes of the NSI couplings are constrained to be |ϵ_{eμ}|≲0.

Survival Benefit From Corticosteroids in Severe Alcohol-associated Hepatitis Attributed to Clinical and Treatment Differences in a Large Multicenter Cohort.

Introduction: Corticosteroids are recommended by multiple society guidelines for the treatment of severe alcohol-associated hepatitis (AH). However, their use remains controversial due to inconsistent studies regarding their survival benefit.

Methods: This was a retrospective cohort study of first-time hospitalizations for severe AH (Maddrey discriminant function ≥ 32) admitted to the Veterans Health Administration between January 3, 2005, and December 5, 2020, (i) evaluating the effect of corticosteroid therapy on all-cause survival, (ii) characterizing the clinical and psychosocial factors associated with corticosteroid use, and (iii) determining the effect of duration of corticosteroid therapy on all-cause survival among treatment-responsive patients (Lille score < 0.

Distinct metabolic phenotype renders β-catenin mutant hepatocellular carcinoma susceptible to treatment-induced ischemia.

Background & Aims: Transarterial chemoembolization (TACE) is the most common treatment for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) worldwide; however, response rates and durability vary widely. With the growing armamentarium of therapies for HCC patients, identifying predictors of response to TACE has become increasingly important for a patient population with limited hepatic reserve. We hypothesized that a distinct metabolic phenotype associated with β-catenin pathway mutations render HCC tumors more susceptible to TACE-induced ischemia.