Longitudinal Fatigue Symptoms and Inflammatory Markers in African American Adults With Hypertension and Obstructive Sleep Apnea.

Background: There is a dearth of research inclusive of African American adults living with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) despite differences in symptom presentations compared to non-Hispanic White patient populations. Less is known regarding the potential effect of comorbidities, including hypertension, on commonly reported symptoms, such as fatigue, and their association with inflammatory biomarkers.

Objective: This longitudinal pilot study aimed to characterize fatigue symptom presentations among African American adults newly diagnosed with OSA and discern peripheral blood analytes linked to symptoms while accounting for co-occurring hypertension.

Three-dimensional printed models as an effective tool for the management of complex congenital heart disease.

Introduction: Three-dimensional printed models are widely used in the medical field for surgical and interventional planning. In the context of complex cardiovascular defects such as pediatric congenital heart diseases (CHDs), the adoption of 3D printed models could be an effective tool to improve decision-making. In this paper, an investigation was conducted into the characteristics of 3D printed models and their added value in understanding and managing complex pediatric congenital heart disease, also considering the associated cost.

Huge, invasive, and destructive endocarditis of the aortic valve and the aortic wall: a case report of an emergency but successful Ross-Konno operation in a child.

Background: forms Gram-positive cocci, is part of normal oropharyngeal and gastrointestinal flora, and is rarely involved in endocarditis in children population. Its special nutritional requirements and subacute clinical course may delay diagnosis and proper treatment, leading to life-threatening consequences.

Case Summary: We report a rare case of huge and destructive infective endocarditis (IE) of the aortic valve and the aortic wall in a 3-year-old child, in follow-up after surgical valvuloplasty for congenital aortic stenosis.

Comprehensive approach to cancer immunotherapy - Simultaneous targeting of myeloid-derived suppressor cells and cancer cells with AFP conjugates.

The immune system plays a pivotal role in combating diseases, including cancer, with monocytes emerging as key regulators of immune response dynamics. This article describes a novel strategy for cancer treatment centered on depleting myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSCs), to enhance the overall immune response while simultaneously targeting cancer cells directly. Alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) is an oncofetal protein that plays an important role in delivering nutrients to immature monocytes, embryonic, and cancer cells in a targeted manner.

Restless legs syndrome, periodic limb movements of sleep, and subclinical cardiovascular disease.

Unlabelled: Restless legs syndrome (RLS) and periodic limb movements of sleep (PLMS) have been variably implicated in risk for cardiovascular disease (CVD), but there is lack of consensus on these relationships. We sought to assess subclinical CVD measures and RLS/PLMS in a large cohort to further evaluate these associations. The Emory Center for Health Discovery and Well Being cohort is composed of employed adults, with subclinical CVD measures including endothelial function (flow-mediated vasodilation), microvascular function (reactive hyperemia index, RHI), arterial stiffness (pulse wave velocity and augmentation index), and carotid intima-media thickness (cIMT).

Distinctive whole-brain cell types predict tissue damage patterns in thirteen neurodegenerative conditions.

For over a century, brain research narrative has mainly centered on neuron cells. Accordingly, most neurodegenerative studies focus on neuronal dysfunction and their selective vulnerability, while we lack comprehensive analyses of other major cell types' contribution. By unifying spatial gene expression, structural MRI, and cell deconvolution, here we describe how the human brain distribution of canonical cell types extensively predicts tissue damage in 13 neurodegenerative conditions, including early- and late-onset Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, dementia with Lewy bodies, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, mutations in presenilin-1, and 3 clinical variants of frontotemporal lobar degeneration (behavioral variant, semantic and non-fluent primary progressive aphasia) along with associated three-repeat and four-repeat tauopathies and TDP43 proteinopathies types A and C.

Top-down threat bias in pain perception is predicted by higher segregation between resting-state networks.

Top-down processes such as expectations have a strong influence on pain perception. Predicted threat of impending pain can affect perceived pain even more than the actual intensity of a noxious event. This type of threat bias in pain perception is associated with fear of pain and low pain tolerance, and hence the extent of bias varies between individuals.

Native Aortic Root Thrombosis in Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome: An Unusual Presentation (Soon after Atrial Septal Stenting) of a Relatively Unusual Complication-Experience and Literature Review with an Outlook to Diagnosis and Management.

We started with the experience of thrombus formation in the native aorta of a 3-year-old male child with hypoplastic left heart syndrome (HLHS) and severely hypoplastic but patent mitral and aortic valves after Glenn palliation, which occurred soon after left heart decompression by percutaneous stenting of the atrial septum. The diagnosis was incidental, with the child completely asymptomatic, and progressively subsided in a few days with heparin infusion and chronic warfarin therapy. We reviewed the incidence, diagnosis, and management of native aortic thrombosis in HLHS after different stages of Fontan palliation through a systematic literature search.

Performance of PROMIS Measures to Assess Fatigue and Sleep Symptom Severity Among African American Patients Newly Diagnosed With Obstructive Sleep Apnea.

This pilot study examined the concurrent validity of Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System (PROMIS), Short Form, measures with the longer Multidimensional Fatigue Inventory among patients living with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). A total of 26 African American patients living with prediabetes and newly diagnosed with OSA completed the six-item short form versions of PROMIS Fatigue and PROMIS Sleep Disturbance, and the longer 20-item Multidimensional Fatigue Inventory. Both PROMIS Fatigue and Sleep Disturbance scales demonstrated high reliability with Cronbach's α of .

Non-coding RNA-mediated epigenetic alterations in Grave's ophthalmopathy: A scoping systematic review.

Background: It is becoming more and more apparent that Grave's Ophthalmopathy (GO) pathogenesis may be aided by epigenetic processes such as DNA methylation modifications, histone tail covalent modifications, and non-coding RNA (ncRNA)-based epigenetic processes. In the present study, we aimed to focus more on the miRNAs rather than lncRNAs due to lack of investigations on these non-coding RNAs and their role in GO's pathogenesis.

Methods: A six-stage methodology framework and the PRISMA recommendation were used to conduct this scoping review.

Rigorous benchmarking of T-cell receptor repertoire profiling methods for cancer RNA sequencing.

The ability to identify and track T-cell receptor (TCR) sequences from patient samples is becoming central to the field of cancer research and immunotherapy. Tracking genetically engineered T cells expressing TCRs that target specific tumor antigens is important to determine the persistence of these cells and quantify tumor responses. The available high-throughput method to profile TCR repertoires is generally referred to as TCR sequencing (TCR-Seq).

Sleep insufficiency, circadian rhythms, and metabolomics: the connection between metabolic and sleep disorders.

Purpose: US adults who report experiencing insufficient sleep are more likely to suffer from metabolic disorders such as hyperlipidemia, diabetes, and obesity than those with sufficient sleep. Less is understood about the underlying molecular mechanisms connecting these phenomena. A systematic, qualitative review of metabolomics studies exploring metabolic changes in response to sleep insufficiency, sleep deprivation, or circadian disruption was conducted in accordance with PRISMA guidelines.

Obesity does not modify the effect of continuous positive airway pressure on insulin resistance in adults with obstructive sleep apnoea.

https://bit.ly/3CtX7jZ.

Examining the role of micronutrients on improving long COVID sleep-related symptoms.

Aims And Objectives: Long COVID is defined as the continuation of symptoms for four or more weeks after initial contraction of the virus. This review article examines the role of four select micronutrients (zinc, vitamins C, D and polyphenols) for their anti-inflammatory and therapeutic potential to improve sleep-related symptoms in persons with long COVID.

Background: Evidence suggests a link between long COVID and increased inflammation.

The effects of time-restricted eating on sleep, cognitive decline, and Alzheimer's disease.

According to the United Nations, by 2050, one in six individuals will be over age 65 globally, and one in four people would be aged 65 and older in western countries. The unprecedented growth of the aging population is associated with increased age-related disorders like Alzheimer's disease (AD) and Mild cognitive impairment (MCI). To date, no cure is known for AD, thus lifestyle interventions including calorie restriction (CR) and time-restricted eating (TRE) are proposed as potential approach to delay the onset and progression of the disease.

Sleep duration and biomarkers of inflammation in African American and white participants with a parental history of Alzheimer's disease.

Introduction: African Americans (AA)s have worse inflammation, worse sleep, and a greater incidence of Alzheimer's disease (AD) compared to whites; however, no studies have examined associations between biomarkers, sleep, and cognition, and differences by race.

Methods: Seventy-six cognitively normal, middle aged (45-65 years) adults with a parental history of AD were included in this study. Associations between biomarkers (tumor necrosis factor-α [TNF-α], interleukin-10 [IL-10], intercellular adhesion molecule-1 [ICAM-1],, and C-reactive protein [CRP]) and self-reported sleep or cognition measures, were assessed.

Transcatheter closure of "Surgical" ostium secundum atrial septal defects with GORE® Cardioform ASD Occluder.

Objective: To evaluate the GORE® Cardioform ASD Occluder (GCA)(WL Gore & Associates) device for closure of ostium secundum atrial septal defects (ASDs) with predicted indication for surgical correction.

Background: Closure of large ASD in small children by transcatheter approach is still challenging. This study evaluated the results of GCA in this subset of patients in a tertiary referral center.

Multimodality Approach to a Complex Scimitar Syndrome: How Advanced Diagnostics Can Guide Therapeutic Strategies.

We report an unusual association of scimitar syndrome with right diaphragmatic hernia, left-sided aortic arch with "aberrant right subclavian artery" in a 2-year-old boy who underwent stepwise transcatheter occlusion of a significant aortopulmonary collateral followed by surgical treatment for the repair of the diaphragmatic hernia and esophageal compression. ().

Sphinganine is associated with 24-h MAP in the non-sleepy with OSA.

Introduction: Excessive daytime sleepiness is a debilitating symptom of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) linked to cardiovascular disease, and metabolomic mechanisms underlying this relationship remain unknown. We examine whether metabolites from inflammatory and oxidative stress-related pathways that were identified in our prior work could be involved in connecting the two phenomena.

Methods: This study included 57 sleepy (Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS) ≥ 10) and 37 non-sleepy (ESS < 10) participants newly diagnosed and untreated for OSA that completed an overnight in-lab or at home sleep study who were recruited from the Emory Mechanisms of Sleepiness Symptoms Study (EMOSS).

Role of cardiac MRI in the prediction of pre-Fontan end-diastolic ventricular pressure.

Background: Growing evidence has emphasised the importance of ventricular performance in functionally single-ventricle patients, particularly concerning diastolic function. Cardiac MRI has been proposed as non-invasive alternative to pre-Fontan cardiac catheterisation in selected patients.

Aim Of The Study: To identify clinical and cardiac magnetic resonance predictors of high pre-Fontan end-diastolic ventricular pressure.

[The development of health preservation technologies: from individual to family approach].

Unlabelled: The actuality of considered problem is in the fact that many medical social problems of preserving and improving population health can be resolved by the family and with its support. The purpose of the study is to substantiate scientifically priority of family approach in development of National health preservation system in actual conditions.

Materials And Methods: The national and foreign electronic databases were investigated to find publications concerning transformation of matrimonial relations, effect of family on health and need in health preservation technologies at each stage of its development.

Left ventricular vortex analysis by high-frame rate blood speckle tracking echocardiography in healthy children and in congenital heart disease.

Background: High-frame rate blood speckle tracking (BST) echocardiography is a new technique for the assessment of intracardiac flow. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the characteristics of left ventricular (LV) vortices in healthy children and in those with congenital heart disease (CHD).

Methods: Characteristics of LV vortices were analyses based on 4-chamber BST images from 118 healthy children (median age 6.