Sphingolipid profiling as a biomarker of type 2 diabetes risk: evidence from the MIDUS and PREDIMED studies.

Background: Type 2 diabetes (T2D) has become a worldwide pandemic. While ceramides may serve as intermediary between obesity-related lipotoxicity and T2D, the relationship with simple glycosphingolipids remains uncertain. The aim of this study was to characterize the associations between blood glycosphingolipid and ceramide species with T2D and to identify a circulating sphingolipid profile that could serve as novel biomarker for T2D risk.

Lipidomic Signature of Healthy Diet Adherence and Its Association with Cardiometabolic Risk in American Adults.

Background: The aim of this study was to identify the blood lipidomic profile associated with a healthy eating pattern in a middle-aged US population sample and to determine its relationship with metabolic disorders and cardiovascular risk (CVR).

Methodology: Self-reported information about diet and blood samples were obtained from 2114 adult participants in the Midlife in the United States study (MIDUS). Food intake data were used to design a Healthy Diet Index (MIDUS-HEI) and to evaluate the predictive value by examining its association with health variables.

MouseGoggles: an immersive virtual reality headset for mouse neuroscience and behavior.

Small-animal virtual reality (VR) systems have become invaluable tools in neuroscience for studying complex behavior during head-fixed neural recording, but they lag behind commercial human VR systems in terms of miniaturization, immersivity and advanced features such as eye tracking. Here we present MouseGoggles, a miniature VR headset for head-fixed mice that delivers independent, binocular visual stimulation over a wide field of view while enabling eye tracking and pupillometry in VR. Neural recordings in the visual cortex validate the quality of image presentation, while hippocampal recordings, associative reward learning and innate fear responses to virtual looming stimuli demonstrate an immersive VR experience.

Vice Chairs of Education in Obstetrics and Gynecology: Prevalence, Scope, and Ongoing Challenges.

Objective: To estimate the prevalence of the Vice Chair of Education (VCE) role in obstetrics and gynecology (OBGYN) departments and to describe the demographics, responsibilities, resource allocation, and challenges faced by individuals in this role.

Design: A 2-part survey was developed with the Association of Professors of Gynecology and Obstetrics (APGO) Member Engagement Workgroup.

Setting: National survey.

Extortion experiences of recent adult immigrants from Latin America: self-reported prevalence, associated costs, and current mental health.

Violence across Latin America is an increasingly important factor influencing migration to the US. A particular form of violence that is experienced by many Latinx migrants is extortion. This research analyzes the extortion experiences of Latinx immigrant adults arriving at the US southern border and the impact these experiences have on mental health.