Impact of digital screen media activity on functional brain organization in late childhood: Evidence from the ABCD study.

The idea that the increased ubiquity of digital devices negatively impacts neurodevelopment is as compelling as it is disturbing. This study investigated this concern by systematically evaluating how different profiles of screen-based engagement related to functional brain organization in late childhood. We studied participants from a large and representative sample of young people participating in the first two years of the ABCD study (ages 9-12 years) to investigate the relations between self-reported use of various digital screen media activity (SMA) and functional brain organization.

Race, Ethnicity, and Ancestry in Clinical Pathways: A Framework for Evaluation.

Clinical algorithms, or "pathways," promote the delivery of medical care that is consistent and equitable. Race, ethnicity, and/or ancestry terms are sometimes included in these types of guidelines, but it is unclear if this is appropriate for clinical decision-making. At our institution, we developed and applied a structured framework to determine whether race, ethnicity, or ancestry terms identified in our clinical pathways library should be retained, modified, or removed.

Advances in preeclampsia testing.

Preeclampsia is a multisystem hypertensive disorder and one of the leading causes of maternal and fetal morbidity and mortality. The clinical hallmarks such as hypertension and proteinuria, and additional laboratory tests currently available including liver enzyme testing, are neither specific nor sufficiently sensitive. Therefore, biomarkers for timely and accurate identification of patients at risk of developing preeclampsia are extremely valuable to improve patient outcomes and safety.

Polymer versus Titanium Clips in Laparoscopic Cholecystectomy.

Background: Surgical clips are commonly used during laparoscopic cholecystectomy for cystic duct and artery ligation. Titanium and polymer clips are the two most common types used for this indication. Given the cost-saving potential, design advantages, and decreased incidence of complications associated with polymer clips, we sought to study whether there is a clinically significant difference in outcome between polymer and titanium clips in laparoscopic cholecystectomy.

Divergence in the Saccharomyces Species' Heat Shock Response Is Indicative of Their Thermal Tolerance.

The Saccharomyces species have diverged in their thermal growth profile. Both Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Saccharomyces paradoxus grow at temperatures well above the maximum growth temperature of Saccharomyces kudriavzevii and Saccharomyces uvarum but grow more poorly at lower temperatures. In response to thermal shifts, organisms activate a stress response that includes heat shock proteins involved in protein homeostasis and acquisition of thermal tolerance.

Surgical Approach and Reoperation Risk in Intermittent Exotropia in the IRIS Registry.

Importance: There is no consensus on the optimal surgical treatment for children with intermittent exotropia (IXT).

Objective: To compare the 5-year reoperation rates for children with IXT treated with horizontal muscle strabismus surgery using bilateral lateral rectus recession (BLR) vs unilateral lateral rectus recession with medial rectus resection (RR).

Design, Setting, And Participants: This cohort study examined data obtained from the Intelligent Research in Sight (IRIS) Registry on 7482 children (age, <18 years) with IXT who underwent horizontal eye muscle strabismus surgery between January 1, 2013, and December 31, 2017.

Techniques to assess reproductive status in adult female American alligators (Alligator mississippiensis) using laparoscopic examination.

This protocol describes a minimally invasive surgical technique and approach to successfully examine the gonads of live female American alligators as part of a reproductive examination used in conservation medicine and biology. Best practices are based on examination of over 80 American alligators in the last two years adapting principles derived from other reptilian megafauna species. This protocol is designed for appropriately qualified veterinarians and biologists working in the field.

Widefield swept-source optical coherence tomography angiography metrics associated with neovascular glaucoma in patients with proliferative diabetic retinopathy.

Purpose: To explore the association between widefield swept-source optical coherence tomography angiography (WF SS-OCTA) metrics, including nonperfusion area (NPA) and neovascularization (NV), and presence of neovascular glaucoma (NVG) in patients with proliferative diabetic retinopathy (PDR).

Methods: A prospective, cross-sectional study was conducted from November 2018 to February 2020. A total of 85 eyes of 60 PDR patients without NVG and 9 eyes of 8 PDR patients with NVG were included.

Rapid nongenomic estrogen signaling controls alcohol drinking behavior.

Ovarian-derived estrogen is a key modulator of numerous physiological processes via genomic and nongenomic mechanisms, including signaling non-canonically at membrane-associated estrogen receptors in the brain to rapidly regulate neuronal function. However, the mechanisms mediating estrogen regulation of behaviors such as alcohol consumption remain unclear. Early alcohol drinking confers greater risk for alcohol use disorder in women than men, and binge alcohol drinking is correlated with high circulating estrogen levels, but a causal role for estrogen signaling in driving alcohol drinking in gonadally-intact animals has not been established.

Design of efficient artificial enzymes using crystallographically-enhanced conformational sampling.

The ability to create efficient artificial enzymes for any chemical reaction is of great interest. Here, we describe a computational design method for increasing catalytic efficiency of enzymes to a level comparable to their natural counterparts without relying on directed evolution. Using structural ensembles generated from dynamics-based refinement against X-ray diffraction data collected from crystals of Kemp eliminases HG3 (/ 125 M s) and KE70 (/ 57 M s), we design from each enzyme ≤10 sequences predicted to catalyze this reaction more efficiently.

Indications of a ferromagnetic quantum critical point in [Formula: see text].

We investigate the previously observed superconductivity in ferromagnetic SmN in the context of the breakdown of order between two magnetic phases. Nitrogen vacancy doped SmN[Formula: see text] is a semiconductor which lies in the intermediary between ferromagnetic SmN and anti-ferromagnetic Sm. Optical data reported here corroborate the prediction that electrical transport is mediated by Sm 4f defect states, and electrical transport measurements characterise the metal-insulator transition over the doping range.

Test-retest repeatability and agreement of the quantitative contrast sensitivity function test: towards the validation of a new clinical endpoint.

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to investigate test-retest reliability and agreement of the quantitative contrast sensitivity function test (qCSF) in the retina clinic.

Methods: A total of 121 right eyes of 121 patients were tested and consecutively re-tested with qCSF in the retina clinic. Outcomes included area under the logarithm of contrast sensitivity function curve (AULCSF), contrast acuity, and contrast sensitivity thresholds at 1-18 cycles per degree (cpd).

Associations of quantitative contrast sensitivity with wide-field swept-source optical coherence tomography angiography in retinal vein occlusion.

Purpose: To investigate associations between contrast sensitivity (CS) and vascular metrics on wide-field swept-source optical coherence tomography angiography (WF-SS-OCTA) in patients with retinal vein occlusion (RVO).

Methods: This prospectively recruited, cross-sectional observational study included RVO patients who underwent quantitative CS function (qCSF) testing and WF-SS-OCTA using 3 × 3, 6 × 6, and 12 × 12 mm angiograms on the same day. The study measured several qCSF outcomes and WF-SS-OCTA vascular metrics, including vessel density (VD), vessel skeletonized density (VSD), and foveal avascular zone (FAZ).

Targeting hedgehog-driven mechanisms of drug-resistant cancers.

Due to the cellular plasticity that is inherent to cancer, the acquisition of resistance to therapy remains one of the biggest obstacles to patient care. In many patients, the surviving cancer cell subpopulation goes on to proliferate or metastasize, often as the result of dramatically altered cell signaling and transcriptional pathways. A notable example is the Hedgehog (Hh) signaling pathway, which is a driver of several cancer subtypes and aberrantly activated in a wide range of malignancies in response to therapy.

The UNITE database for molecular identification and taxonomic communication of fungi and other eukaryotes: sequences, taxa and classifications reconsidered.

UNITE (https://unite.ut.ee) is a web-based database and sequence management environment for molecular identification of eukaryotes.

The structure of aggressive personality.

Objective: We sought to factor analyze a broad array of aggression measures to identify a comprehensive, coherent factor structure for this construct.

Background: Measures and models of trait aggression have multiplied to the point of incoherence.

Method: In Study 1, a diverse sample of 922 undergraduates completed a battery of items acquired from 42 self-report aggression questionnaires.

14-Gauge Coaxial Bone Needle Leads to Superior Results When Injecting Calcinosis Cutis.

Calcinosis cutis can occur idiopathically or be associated with injury, metabolic disease, and different rheumatologic diseases such as scleroderma and dermatomyositis.

Assessing the performance of international laboratories analysing the stable isotope composition (δ N, δ O, δ O) of nitrate in environmental waters.

Rationale: Stable-isotope analyses of nitrate (NO ) in various water sources are crucial for understanding nitrogen pollution and its impact on aquatic ecosystems. We evaluated the accuracy and precision of stable-isotope analyses of nitrate conducted by international laboratories.

Methods: Six samples with nitrate (2 mg L NO -N) were sent to 47 laboratories.

Profiling disease burden and Borrelia seroprevalence in Canadians with complex and chronic illness.

Lyme disease, caused by vector-borne Borrelia bacteria, can present with diverse multi-system symptoms that resemble other conditions. The objective of this study was to evaluate disease presentations and Borrelia seroreactivity in individuals experiencing a spectrum of chronic and complex illnesses. We recruited 157 participants from Eastern Canada who reported one or more diagnoses of Lyme disease, neurological, rheumatic, autoimmune, inflammatory, gastrointestinal, or cardiovascular illnesses, or were asymptomatic and presumed healthy.

A Guide to Expanding the Use of Buprenorphine Beyond Standard Initiations for Opioid Use Disorder.

Buprenorphine has become an important medication in the context of the ongoing opioid epidemic. However, complex pharmacologic properties and varying government regulations create barriers to its use. This narrative review is intended to facilitate buprenorphine use-including non-traditional initiation methods-by providers ranging from primary care providers to addiction specialists.

Feasibility, acceptability, and usability of implementing a medical device-related pressure injury algorithm for critically ill patients using non-invasive ventilation.

Objectives: Describe the feasibility, acceptability, and usability of implementing a nurse-led intervention to prevent medical device-related pressure injury in critical care patients using non-invasive ventilation during hospitalization.

Study Design: A quality improvement project, using a descriptive single-arm study design with convenience sampling.

Setting And Participants: This study was conducted at a Midwestern medical center with 640 beds (two hospital campuses).