Characteristics Associated With Positive Social Determinants of Health Screening in Patients Admitted to Pediatric Hospital Medicine.

Background And Objective: There is limited research on screening for social determinants of health (SDOH) in hospitalized pediatric patients. In this article, we describe patient characteristics related to SDOH screening in the hospital setting and examine relationships with acute care metrics.

Methods: This is a retrospective cohort study.

Pulsed Field Ablation Index-Guided Ablation for Lesion Formation: Impact of Contact Force and Number of Applications in the Ventricular Model.

Background: The effect of contact force (CF) on lesion formation is not clear during pulsed field ablation (PFA). The aim of this study was to evaluate the impact of CF, PFA, and their interplay through the PFA index (PF index) formula on the ventricular lesion size in swine.

Methods: PFA was delivered through the CF-sensing OMNYPULSE catheter.

Hydrogen peroxide-dependent oxidation of ERK2 within its D-recruitment site alters its substrate selection.

Extracellular signal-regulated kinases 1 and 2 (ERK1/2) are dysregulated in many pervasive diseases. Recently, we discovered that ERK1/2 is oxidized by signal-generated hydrogen peroxide in various cell types. Since the putative sites of oxidation lie within or near ERK1/2's ligand-binding surfaces, we investigated how oxidation of ERK2 regulates interactions with the model substrates Sub-D and Sub-F.

Evaluating the trophic transfer of PCBs from fish to humans: Insights from a synergism of environmental monitoring and physiologically-based pharmacokinetic modeling.

Accumulation of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) within fish tissues has prompted many states to issue consumption advisories. In Pennsylvania such advisories suggest one meal per month for most game species harvested from Lake Erie; however, these advisories do not account for the emergent properties of regional PCB mixtures, and the downstream accumulation of PCB congeners into human tissues is poorly documented. This study aimed to demonstrate the utility of pairing environmental monitoring with pharmacokinetic modeling for the purpose of estimating dietary PCB exposure in humans.

Aroma Profile Development in Beer Fermented with Azacca, Idaho-7, and Sultana Hops.

Hops are among the most costly and environmentally impactful raw materials used in brewing, yet they play a crucial role in the aroma of beer. However, predicting beer aroma based on hop variety or hopping method remains arduous. This is partly because hop oils are unique for each hop variety, and they may be biotransformed by yeast enzymes during fermentation.

Improved synthesis of deoxyalpinoid B and quantification of antileishmanial activity of deoxyalpinoid B and sulforaphane.

The total synthesis and antileishmanial activity of deoxyalpinoid B is reported via a cationic gold-catalyzed Meyer-Schuster rearrangement. The activity of deoxyalpinoid B and a known inducer of oxidative stress, sulforaphane, against Leishmania donovani and Leishmania infantatum are both reported for the first time. Both compounds exhibit potent antileishmanial activity against both species.

Evaluation of Peterson et al.: MAPK cascades don't work in silos: MAP3K cross-activation of MAPKs and the effect of crosstalk on cellular responses.

One snapshot of the peer review process for "Systematic Analysis of the MAPK Signaling Network Reveals MAP3K Driven Control of Cell Fate" (Peterson et al., 2022) appears below.

Modelling the Relationship Between Resilience to Depression and Recent Stressful Life Events in University Students.

Resilience, or successful coping with the experience of stressful life events (SLEs), protects against depression, but its operational mechanisms are unclear. Views diverge whether resilience intervenes as a trait or as a process of dynamic interactions of protective factors, such as self-esteem, social support and family cohesion. We evaluated five theoretically-based models of how resilience, defined as either a trait or a process, interacts with recent SLEs, to explain depressive symptomatology in 2434 university students.

Self-compassion, coping strategies and gender differences in psychology, counselling and psychotherapy practitioners during COVID-19: Lessons learnt.

Effective coping strategies can protect against the adverse effects of stress. This study investigated self-compassion's ability to predict approach and avoidance coping in psychology, counselling and psychotherapy practitioners (PCPPs) during COVID-19, and whether this differed between genders. To date, no research has investigated this relationship, despite positive associations being drawn in other populations.

Patient-centered mobile tuberculosis treatment support tools (TB-TSTs) to improve treatment adherence: A pilot randomized controlled trial exploring feasibility, acceptability and refinement needs.

Background: Digital adherence technologies hold promise to improve patient-centered tuberculosis (TB) monitoring, yet few studies have incorporated adherence monitoring or assessed patients' experiences with these technologies. We explored acceptability, feasibility, and refinement needs of the TB Treatment Support Tools (TB-TSTs) intervention linking a mobile app, a urine drug metabolite test, and interactive communication with a treatment supporter.

Methods: This pilot study was a parallel-designed single-center randomized controlled trial with exit interviews.

Efficient total synthesis of three alpinoids via the Au(I)-catalyzed Meyer-Schuster rearrangement.

The total syntheses of three structurally related natural products, deoxyalpinoid B, deoxyalpinoid A, and alpinoid F, are reported, and each features a Au(I)-catalyzed Meyer-Schuster rearrangement as the key step. The synthesis of alpinoid F is reported for the first time. The syntheses of these natural products, all of which exhibit potent anticancer activity, are readily amenable to the preparation of structural analogs.

Prediction of Fluorophore Brightness in Designed Mini Fluorescence Activating Proteins.

The de novo computational design of proteins with predefined three-dimensional structure is becoming much more routine due to advancements both in force fields and algorithms. However, creating designs with functions beyond folding is more challenging. In that regard, the recent design of small beta barrel proteins that activate the fluorescence of an exogenous small molecule chromophore (DFHBI) is noteworthy.

Strategies for Multiplexed Biosensor Imaging to Study Intracellular Signaling Networks.

Signal transduction processes are a necessary component of multicellular life, and their dysregulation is the basis for a host of syndromes and diseases. Thus, it is imperative that we discover the complex details of how signal transduction processes result in specific cellular outcomes. One of the primary mechanisms of regulation over signaling pathways is through spatiotemporal control.

Determinants of pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) persistence in a high-risk population in Central Florida.

Orlando has the second highest HIV incidence in the USA. Tenofovir disoproxil fumarate/emtricitabine is approved as pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) to minimize HIV transmission. Our study describes the PrEP care continuum and factors impacting PrEP persistence during the first year of PrEP care at a sexual health clinic in Orlando.

Foreign Body Esophageal Perforation Leading to Multifocal Brain Abscesses: A Case Report.

Background: Among those aged 5 years or younger, foreign bodies are the fourth most common pediatric exposure reported to the American Association of Poison Control Centers. Although the majority of ingested foreign bodies pass through the gastrointestinal tract without complication, those that do not spontaneously pass can lead to a number of serious complications, such as gastrointestinal obstruction or perforation, which can be complicated by bleeding from aortoesophageal fistula, secondary mediastinitis, peritonitis, esophageal or gastrointestinal fistula formation, and abscesses.

Case Report: We present the case of a 10-month-old child who presented with new-onset focal seizure in the setting of multiple brain abscesses, ultimately found to be due to esophageal perforation from a retained, metallic esophageal foreign body.

Leclercia adecarboxylata: An Emerging Pathogen Among Pediatric Infections.

is a gram-negative bacillus of the Enterobacteriaceae family. It is a rare human pathogen that is often acquired via wound and/or contact with aquatic environment. Although multiple cases of infections are described in the adult population, few have been documented in pediatrics.

Signaling diversity enabled by Rap1-regulated plasma membrane ERK with distinct temporal dynamics.

A variety of different signals induce specific responses through a common, extracellular-signal regulated kinase (ERK)-dependent cascade. It has been suggested that signaling specificity can be achieved through precise temporal regulation of ERK activity. Given the wide distrubtion of ERK susbtrates across different subcellular compartments, it is important to understand how ERK activity is temporally regulated at specific subcellular locations.

Scrotal abscess after a perforated appendicitis.

Although perforated appendicitis in pediatric patients can result in a diverse array of complications, scrotal abscess is a rarely documented phenomenon. We present a case of acute scrotum after laparoscopic appendectomy. A retrospective review of prior literature on scrotal abscess secondary to perforated appendicitis was performed via PubMed to review the clinical presentation, etiology, type of treatment and outcome of pediatric patients.

Engineered nanoparticles for systemic siRNA delivery to malignant brain tumours.

Improved delivery materials are needed to enable siRNA transport across biological barriers, including the blood-brain barrier (BBB), to treat diseases like brain cancer. We engineered bioreducible nanoparticles for systemic siRNA delivery to patient-derived glioblastoma cells in an orthotopic mouse tumor model. We first utilized a newly developed biomimetic in vitro model to evaluate and optimize the performance of the engineered bioreducible nanoparticles at crossing the brain microvascular endothelium.

Endogenous, regulatory cysteine sulfenylation of ERK kinases in response to proliferative signals.

ERK-dependent signaling is key to many pathways through which extracellular signals are transduced into cell-fate decisions. One conundrum is the way in which disparate signals induce specific responses through a common, ERK-dependent kinase cascade. While studies have revealed intricate ways of controlling ERK signaling through spatiotemporal localization and phosphorylation dynamics, additional modes of ERK regulation undoubtedly remain to be discovered.

Electrical neuromodulation of the cervical spinal cord facilitates forelimb skilled function recovery in spinal cord injured rats.

Enabling motor control by epidural electrical stimulation of the spinal cord is a promising therapeutic technique for the recovery of motor function after a spinal cord injury (SCI). Although epidural electrical stimulation has resulted in improvement in hindlimb motor function, it is unknown whether it has any therapeutic benefit for improving forelimb fine motor function after a cervical SCI. We tested whether trains of pulses delivered at spinal cord segments C6 and C8 would facilitate the recovery of forelimb fine motor control after a cervical SCI in rats.

Ursodeoxycholic acid inhibits TNFα-induced IL-8 release from monocytes.

Monocytes are critical to the pathogenesis of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) as they infiltrate the mucosa and release cytokines that drive the inflammatory response. Ursodeoxycholic acid (UDCA), a naturally occurring bile acid with anti-inflammatory actions, has been proposed as a potential new therapy for IBD. However, its effects on monocyte function are not yet known.