Hugging for the Good of Humanity. People Joining the Free Hugs Campaign at Fandom Conventions Have Lighter, less Dark, and More Prosocial Personalities.

The Free Hugs campaign and the phenomenon of people offering "Free Hugs" is becoming increasingly popular today, especially at concerts, festivals, and fandom conventions. However, such offers may cause some people to worry about the huggers' motivations. The study aimed to investigate the level of the Dark and Light Triad and Big Five personality traits in huggers and non-huggers.

Psychological differences in food addiction and binge eating in a general Polish population.

The aim of the study was to identify the prevalence of food addiction (FA) and binge eating (BE) in a general Polish population, to explore the differences between these constructs, and to examine psychological differences among FA, BE, and FA + BE groups. 2123 participants completed the questionnaires: Yale Food Addiction Scale 2.0, Binge Eating Scale, The PTSD Checklist for DSM-5, Life Events Checklist, Adverse Childhood Experiences, Short UPPS-P scale (impulsive traits), Dutch Eating Behavior Questionnaire and Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale - 21 items.

Neurophysiological gradient in the Parkinsonian subthalamic nucleus as a marker for motor symptoms and apathy.

Sensing-based deep brain stimulation should optimally consider both the motor and neuropsychiatric domain to maximize quality of life of Parkinson's disease (PD) patients. Here we characterize the neurophysiological properties of the subthalamic nucleus (STN) in 69 PD patients using a newly established neurophysiological gradient metric and contextualize it with motor symptoms and apathy. We could evidence a STN power gradient that holds most of the spectral information between 5 and 30 Hz spanning along the dorsal-ventral axis.

Thalamic deep brain stimulation for central poststroke pain syndrome: an international multicenter study.

Objective: The effectiveness and optimal stimulation site of deep brain stimulation (DBS) for central poststroke pain (CPSP) remain elusive. The objective of this retrospective international multicenter study was to assess clinical as well as neuroimaging-based predictors of long-term outcomes after DBS for CPSP.

Methods: The authors analyzed patient-based clinical and neuroimaging data of previously published and unpublished cohorts from 6 international DBS centers.

Sarcopenia may increase cisplatin toxicity in bladder cancer patients with borderline renal function.

Objectives: To assess whether the effect of sarcopenia on neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC) toxicity is modified by borderline renal function (estimated glomerular filtration rate [eGFR] 40-65 mL/min) and whether sarcopenia and borderline renal function are independently associated with NAC toxicity risk.

Patients And Methods: All patients with muscle-invasive bladder cancer (MIBC) who underwent radical cystectomy (RC) between 2010 and 2022, with available cross-sectional imaging prior to NAC initiation, were included. Skeletal mass was measured from axial computed tomography images obtained at the level of the L3 vertebral body, using Aquarius Intuition software.

"Legislative Impact and Persistent Disparities: Post-Mastectomy Breast Reconstruction Rates in the United States Among 224,506 Patients".

Background: Breast reconstruction following mastectomy for the treatment of breast cancer restores form and enhances patient satisfaction. The Affordable Care Act (ACA) of 2010 aimed to impact trends in breast reconstruction, but recent information regarding racial and ethnic disparities is lacking.

Methods: We analyzed National Surgical Quality Improvement Program (NSQIP) data spanning 2005-2022 to investigate the impact of ACA on racial and ethnic diversity in immediate breast reconstruction post-mastectomy.

The Daydream Spectrum: The Role of Emotional Dysregulation, Internalized Stigma and Self-Esteem in Maladaptive Daydreaming Among Adults With ADHD, ASD, and Double Diagnosis.

Objective: Maladaptive daydreaming (MD) is characterized by vivid, excessive fantasy activity that becomes prioritized over other activities and may result in avoidant coping strategies. Little is known about the relationship between MD and internalized stigma in the neurodivergent sample. The current study aimed to examine emotional dysregulation, escapism and self-perception (self-esteem and internalized stigma) as potential determinants of MD in three groups: adults on the autism spectrum, with ADHD, and both diagnoses ("AuDHD"), including their neurodivergent symptoms (autistic traits, empathizing, ADHD symptoms).

Insight into the Course of the Ferrier Rearrangement Used to Obtain Untypical Diosgenyl Saponins.

The Ferrier rearrangement was utilized to obtain 2,3-unsaturated diosgenyl glycosides. This reaction proceeded with high stereoselectivity, yielding mostly saponins with an α configuration (hexoses) or predominantly with a β configuration (pentoses). The diversity of the glycals used and the glycosides obtained enabled a deep discussion of the Ferrier rearrangement mechanism.

The Addis Ababa toxicology curriculum project: educational needs assessment for the toxicology modules of an emergency medicine training program.

Background: The Toronto Addis Ababa Academic Collaboration in Emergency Medicine (TAAAC-EM) is a bi-institutional partnership between the University of Toronto (UofT) and Addis Ababa University (AAU) focused on addressing the need for emergency medicine (EM) postgraduate training and care in Ethiopia. Toxicology is a key competency in EM. EM physicians are often the first and sole clinicians to identify and treat patients presenting with a wide range of intoxications.

Prevalence of self-reported voice and swallowing complaints in an outpatient geriatric population.

Background: Older adults suffer from increased rates of dysphagia and dysphonia, both of which have a profound effect on quality of life and are often underdiagnosed. We sought to better understand the prevalence of these complaints and the potential utility of a patient-reported screening program in a geriatrics clinic.

Methods: Using an IRB-approved cross-sectional survey and retrospective cohort design, we recruited participants from a population of new patients seeking care at an academic geriatrics clinic.

Quality of Life after Deep Brain Stimulation in Parkinson's Disease: Does the Target Matter?

Background: Deep brain stimulation (DBS) of the subthalamic nucleus (STN) and globus pallidus internus (GPi) is an accepted therapy for Parkinson's disease (PD) with disabling motor complications. For elderly patients with poorer cognition and postural instability, GPi has been proposed as the preferable DBS target based on expert opinion, arguing GPi-DBS may be less complicated by depression, apathy, worsened verbal fluency, and executive dysfunction, resulting in greater improvement in quality of life (QoL). However, data supporting such patient-tailored approach are lacking.

Virtual Compared With In-Office Postoperative Visits After Urogynecologic Surgery: A Randomized Controlled Trial.

Objective: To compare patient satisfaction, health care resource utilization, and adverse events among patients receiving a virtual video compared with in-office postoperative visit after urogynecologic surgery. We hypothesized that virtual video visits would be noninferior to in-office visits.

Methods: This was a randomized noninferiority clinical trial of patients undergoing surgery for pelvic organ prolapse and urinary incontinence at a single academic tertiary referral center.

Women at the top: a qualitative study of women in leadership positions in emergency medicine in Canada.

Objectives: For the last two decades, more than half of Canadian medical students have been women, with an increasing number of medical trainees choosing emergency medicine as their careers. Despite a proportional increase of women in full-time faculty positions in emergency medicine, women are still underrepresented in leadership. The purpose of this study is to explore the experiences of women leaders in emergency medicine to identify common themes that may have contributed to their acquisition of leadership roles.

Factors associated with initiation of pharmacological therapy and treatment changes in postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome.

Purpose: Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome (POTS) is a heterogenous disorder of the autonomic nervous system that is often disabling. There are no FDA-approved therapies for the treatment of this condition. While some patients recover with baseline non-pharmacological intervention, others require repeated trials of off-label pharmacological therapies.

Academic Productivity of Applicant and Program as Predictors of a Future Academic Career in Neurosurgery.

Background And Objectives: Academic productivity is viewed as a critical objective factor for a neurosurgery residency applicant. There has been a consistent rise in academic productivity over the last decade, but a lack of consistent data on the utility of this in helping neurosurgery residency programs identify which applicants will enter academic neurosurgery. This cross-sectional study evaluates the predictiveness of academic productivity before and during residency on career choice, both independent and dependent of training environment.

Body morphometry may predict parastomal hernia following radical cystectomy with ileal conduit.

Objective: To investigate whether preoperative body morphometry analysis can identify patients at risk of parastomal hernia (PH), which is a common complication after radical cystectomy (RC).

Patients And Methods: All patients who underwent RC between 2010 and 2020 with available cross-sectional imaging preoperatively and at 1 and 2 years postoperatively were included. Skeletal muscle mass and total fat mass (FM) were determined from preoperative axial computed tomography images obtained at the level of the L3 vertebral body using Aquarius Intuition software.

Parenchymal obliteration by renal masses: Functional and oncologic implications.

Objectives: Most renal tumors merely displace nephrons while others can obliterate parenchyma in an invasive manner. Substantial parenchymal volume replacement (PVR) by renal cell carcinoma (RCC) may have oncologic implications; however, studies regarding PVR remain limited. Our objective was to evaluate the oncologic implications associated with PVR using improved methodology including more accurate and objective tools.

Designing next-generation subscalp devices for seizure monitoring: A systematic review and meta-analysis of established extracranial hardware.

Implantable brain recording and stimulation devices apply to a broad spectrum of conditions, such as epilepsy, movement disorders and depression. For long-term monitoring and neuromodulation in epilepsy patients, future extracranial subscalp implants may offer a promising, less-invasive alternative to intracranial neurotechnologies. To inform the design and assess the safety profile of such next-generation devices, we estimated extracranial complication rates of deep brain stimulation (DBS), cranial peripheral nerve stimulation (PNS), responsive neurostimulation (RNS) and existing subscalp EEG devices (sqEEG), as proxy for future implants.

Effectiveness of the 2023-2024 Formulation of the COVID-19 Messenger RNA Vaccine.

Background: The purpose of this study was to evaluate whether the 2023-2024 formulation of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) messenger RNA vaccine protects against COVID-19.

Methods: Cleveland Clinic employees when the 2023-2024 formulation of the COVID-19 messenger RNA vaccine became available to employees were included. Cumulative incidence of COVID-19 over the following 17 weeks was examined prospectively.

Conformational preferences of guanine-containing threose nucleic acid building blocks in B3LYP studies.

In this paper, detailed and systematic gas-phase B3LYP conformational studies of four monomers of threose nucleic acid (TNA) with guanine attached at the C1' atom and bearing different substituents (OH, OP(=O)OH and OCH) in the C2' and C3' positions of the α-l-threofuranose moiety are presented. All exocyclic single-bond (χ, ε and γ) rotations, as well as the ν-ν endocyclic torsion angles, were taken into consideration. Three (threoguanosines TG1-TG3) or two (TG4) energy minima were found for the rotation about the χ torsion angle.