Coping With COVID-19: Perspectives of Caregivers of Children and Young People With Chronic Kidney Disease.

Background: Caregivers of children and young people with chronic kidney disease (CKD) face challenging circumstances on a daily basis; however, the difficulties they experienced during the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as potentially positive experiences, are not yet fully understood. The aim of this study was to explore the pandemic-related experiences of these caregivers.

Methods: Twelve caregivers were recruited from a hospital-based pediatric renal program; eight families were posttransplant.

The Identification of the Mitochondrial DNA Polymerase γ (Mip1) of the Entomopathogenic Fungus .

Replication of the mitochondrial (mt) genome in filamentous fungi is under-studied, and knowledge is based mainly on data from yeasts and higher eukaryotes. In this study, the mitochondrial DNA polymerase γ (Mip1) of the entomopathogenic fungus is characterized and analyzed with disruption experiments and its in silico interactions with key proteins implicated in mt gene transcription, i.e.

A 3-Month Modified Basketball Exercise Program as a Health-Enhancing Sport Activity for Middle-Aged Individuals.

Recreational team sports have received great acceptance lately, in different populations, indicating encouraging results in health-related quality of life. This study examined the efficacy of a 3-month basketball exercise program on selected indices of health (body mass-BM, body fat-BF, blood pressure-BP), functional capacity (flexibility of lower and upper limbs, balance), and physical fitness (maximum strength of lower limbs, trunk and handgrip, aerobic capacity) in middle-aged individuals. Forty middle-aged individuals (males and females; 40-55 years old) were randomly divided into (a) exercise (EG; = 20) and (b) control groups (CG; = 20).

Transoesophageal echocardiography beyond the echo-laboratory. An expert consensus paper of the working group of echocardiography of the hellenic society of cardiology.

Transoesophageal echocardiography (TOE) is a well-established and valid imaging modality, providing more accurate and of higher quality information than transthoracic echocardiography (TTE) for several specific diagnoses and recently a useful guide of an increasing number of catheter-based and surgical interventions. The present paper represents an effort by the Echocardiography Working Group (WG) of the Hellenic Society of Cardiology to state the essential steps of the TOE exam performed beyond the echo lab: a) in the operating rooms intraoperatively during either transcatheter interventions, or cardiothoracic surgery and b) in the intensive care unit for critically ill patients' monitoring. This paper includes information and tips and tricks about the pre-procedural evaluation, the procedural echocardiographic guidance, and post-procedural evaluation of the result and potential complications.

Practical guidance and clinical applications of transoesophageal echocardiography. A position paper of the working group of echocardiography of the Hellenic Society of Cardiology.

Transoesophageal echocardiography (TOE) is a well-established imaging modality, providing more accurate and of higher quality information than transthoracic echocardiography (TTE) for a wide spectrum cardiac and extra-cardiac diseases. The present paper represents an effort by the Echocardiography Working Group (WG) of the Hellenic Cardiology Society to state the essential steps of the typical TOE exam performed in echo lab. This is an educational text, describing the minimal requirements and the preparation of a meticulous TOE examination.

Improved classroom and child outcomes through mental health consultation in New York City subsidized early care and education programs.

This paper describes the evaluation of one year of infant/early childhood mental health consultation (IECMHC) in subsidized early care and education settings provided by the New York City Early Childhood Mental Health Network. The evaluation examined direct and indirect outcomes of IECMHC including (1) improved classroom practices by ECE teachers, and (2) improved social, emotional, and behavioral outcomes among children in the classroom. The study also reviewed child attributes that might have moderated outcomes.

Newborn Screening.

The goal of newborn screening is to identify medical conditions that can cause significant morbidity and/or mortality if not treated early in life. Pediatricians often play a vital role in the initial disclosure of newborn screening results and coordination of confirmatory testing, treatment, and referral to specialty care. The goal of this article is to provide an overview of current newborn screening in the United States, focusing on the various disorders, their manifestations, the newborn screening process, the confirmatory testing, and treatments.

The Role of Myocardial Perfusion Imaging in the Prediction of Major Adverse Cardiovascular Events at 1 Year Follow-Up: A Single Center's Experience.

Background: Myocardial perfusion imaging via single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT MPI) is a well-established method of diagnosing coronary artery disease (CAD). The purpose of this study was to assess the role of SPECT MPI in predicting major cardiovascular events.

Methods: The study population was composed of 614 consecutive patients (mean age: 67 years, 55% male) referred for SPECT MPI due to symptoms of stable CAD.

Evaluation of the lignocellulose degradation potential of Mediterranean forests soil microbial communities through diversity and targeted functional metagenomics.

The enzymatic arsenal of several soil microorganisms renders them particularly suitable for the degradation of lignocellulose, a process of distinct ecological significance with promising biotechnological implications. In this study, we investigated the spatiotemporal diversity and distribution of bacteria and fungi with 16S and Internally Trascribed Spacer (ITS) ribosomal RNA next-generation-sequencing (NGS), focusing on forest mainland and insular habitats of Greece. We analyzed samples during winter and summer periods, from different soil depths, and we applied optimized and combined targeted meta-omics approaches aiming at the peroxidase-catalase family enzymes to gain insights into the lignocellulose degradation process at the soil microbial community level.

Child Maltreatment Reporting Practices by a Person Most Knowledgeable for Children and Youth: A Rapid Scoping Review.

Child maltreatment is a global public health and child rights crisis made worse by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. While understanding the breadth of the child maltreatment crisis is foundational to informing prevention and response efforts, determining accurate estimates of child maltreatment remains challenging. Alternative informants (parents, caregivers, a Person Most Knowledgeable-PMK) are often tasked with reporting on children's maltreatment experiences in surveys to mitigate concerns associated with reporting child maltreatment.

Responding to stakeholder needs to engage rehabilitation professionals in the delivery of evidence-based health programming for adults with osteoarthritis.

Although there are many evidence-based programs that promote healthy lifestyles and symptom modification for people with osteoarthritis, their delivery in rehabilitation clinical settings in the United States is limited. These programs can be a primary component of treatment or a discharge option to facilitate long-term mobility and pain management. The purpose of this perspective article is to describe a delivery model that brings one arthritis-appropriate, evidence-based intervention, the Arthritis Foundation's Walk With Ease program, to older adults seeking physical therapy related to their osteoarthritis.

Myocardial perfusion imaging single photon emission computed tomography may detect silent myocardial ischemia in patient with epilepsy.

Background: The aim of the present study was to compare the myocardial perfusion imaging (MPI) with [99mTc]tetrofosmin stress - rest single-photon emission computer tomography (SPECT) of patients with epilepsy with matched control individuals.

Material And Methods: All 29 adult epileptic patients were receiving antiepileptic drugs (AEDs) for epilepsy. Thirty-two individuals matched for gender and age consisted of the control group.

Health care consequences of hospitalization with Clostrioides difficile infection: a propensity score matching study.

Background: Clostridiodies difficile infection (CDI) has been characterized by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) as an urgent public health threat and a major concern in hospital, outpatient and extended-care facilities worldwide.

Methods: A retrospective cohort study of patients aged ≥ 18 hospitalized with CDI in New York State (NYS) between January 1, 2014-December 31, 2016. Data were extracted from NY Statewide Planning and Research Cooperative (SPARCS) and propensity score matching was performed to achieve comparability of the CDI (exposure) and non-CDI (non-exposure) groups.

Prospective F-18 FDOPA PET Imaging Study in Human PD.

Purpose: We present the findings of our final prospective study submitted to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for New Drug Application (NDA) approval for the use of 3,4-dihydroxy-6-[18F]fluoro-l-phenylalanine (F-18 FDOPA) positron emission tomography (PET) imaging for Parkinson's disease (PD).

Allosteric interactions prime androgen receptor dimerization and activation.

The androgen receptor (AR) is a nuclear receptor that governs gene expression programs required for prostate development and male phenotype maintenance. Advanced prostate cancers display AR hyperactivation and transcriptome expansion, in part, through AR amplification and interaction with oncoprotein cofactors. Despite its biological importance, how AR domains and cofactors cooperate to bind DNA has remained elusive.

Transcobalamin receptor deficiency in seven asymptomatic patients ascertained through newborn screening.

We report seven cases from our clinic with transcobalamin receptor deficiency (TCRD). None of our cases have experienced health issues or metabolic decompensation. All have experienced typical growth and development throughout childhood, with our oldest case now 10 years old.

Anti-inflammatory and anti-thrombotic properties of lipid bioactives from the entomopathogenic fungus Beauveria bassiana.

In the present work the entomopathogenic fungus B. bassiana lipids were studied against the potent pro-inflammatory and thrombotic mediators implicated in several disorders, platelet-activating factor (PAF) and thrombin. Bioactivities of lipid extracts from B.

Elderly patients with non-cardiac admissions and elevated high-sensitivity troponin: the prognostic value of renal function.

Background: High-sensitivity cardiac troponin (hs-cTn) levels are frequently elevated in elderly patients presenting to the emergency department for non-cardiac events. However, most studies on the role of elevated hs-cTn in elderly populations have investigated the prognostic value of hs-cTn in patients with a specific diagnosis or have assessed the relationship between hs-cTn and comorbidities.

Aim: To investigate the in-hospital prognosis of consecutive elderly patients admitted to the Internal Medicine Department with acute non-cardiac events and increased hs-cTnI levels.

Search for Low-Mass Axion Dark Matter with ABRACADABRA-10 cm.

Two of the most pressing questions in physics are the microscopic nature of the dark matter that comprises 84% of the mass in the Universe and the absence of a neutron electric dipole moment. These questions would be resolved by the existence of a hypothetical particle known as the quantum chromodynamics (QCD) axion. In this work, we probe the hypothesis that axions constitute dark matter, using the ABRACADABRA-10 cm experiment in a broadband configuration, with world-leading sensitivity.

One-step separation system of bio-functional lipid compounds from natural sources.

Lipids are a very heterogeneous class of biomolecules with distinct structures and functions. Total lipids (TLs) obtained from natural sources are regularly further separated into lipid subclasses, with the two major ones being the polar lipids (PLs) and neutral lipids (NLs). Traditional analytical methods for fractionating TLs into NLs, PLs, and their subclasses, usually comprise difficult, costly and time-consuming steps.

Cardiotoxicity screening of long-term, breast cancer survivors-The CAROLE (Cardiac-Related Oncologic Late Effects) Study.

Background: Long-term breast cancer survivors are at risk for cardiotoxicity after treatment, but there is insufficient evidence to provide long-term (~10 years) cardiovascular disease (CVD) screening recommendations. We sought to evaluate a tri-modality CVD screening approach.

Methods: This single-arm, feasibility study enrolled 201 breast cancer patients treated ≥6 years prior without CVD at diagnosis.

Silent severe myocardial ischemia in a past illicit drug user imaged with myocardial perfusion scintigraphy.

Patients with illicit drug use may have deleterious acute and chronic cardiac effects. We present a case of a 42-year-old man, former alcohol and various illicit drugs user, who was admitted to the psychiatric unit for management of psychosis. Because of his previous drug and alcohol history, a cardiological evaluation was performed which revealed silent severe myocardial ischemia detected by myocardial perfusion imaging (MPI).