Emotional well-being in transition-age adults with pediatric-onset disabilities: A cross-sectional study.

Purpose/objective: The transition from childhood to adulthood often involves emotional challenges. These problems may be especially prominent for transition-age adults (TAA) with pediatric-onset disabilities, although there are currently few studies that speak to this. The aim of this study is to characterize depressive symptoms and the association with family functioning in a sample of TAA with pediatric-onset disabilities.

Association between meningioma consistency and surgical outcomes.

Objective: Tumor consistency, or fibrosity, affects the ability to optimally resect meningiomas, especially with recent trends evolving toward minimally invasive approaches. The authors' team previously validated a practical 5-point scale for intraoperative grading of meningioma consistency. The impact of meningioma consistency on surgical management and outcomes, however, has yet to be explored.

Unidirectional and bidirectional causation between smoking and blood DNA methylation: evidence from twin-based Mendelian randomisation.

Cigarette smoking is associated with numerous differentially-methylated genomic loci in multiple human tissues. These associations are often assumed to reflect the causal effects of smoking on DNA methylation (DNAm), which may underpin some of the adverse health sequelae of smoking. However, prior causal analyses with Mendelian Randomisation (MR) have found limited support for such effects.

Evaluating the Equivalency of Teletesting and the Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Measures of Reading Achievement in a Clinically Referred Sample.

Objective: The COVID-19 pandemic highlighted the need to build an evidence base to support teletesting as an equivalent modality for standardized neuropsychological assessment. As such, the purpose of this study was twofold. First, this study evaluated teletesting equivalency of standardized reading achievement measures during COVID-19 in children ages 6-16.

Machine Learning Approaches to Predict Alcohol Consumption from Biomarkers in the UK Biobank.

Background: Measuring and estimating alcohol consumption (AC) is important for individual health, public health, and Societal benefits. While self-report and diagnostic interviews are commonly used, incorporating biological-based indices can offer a complementary approach.

Methods: We evaluate machine learning (ML) based predictions of AC using blood and urine-derived biomarkers.

Donor derived cell free DNA in lung transplant recipients rises in setting of allograft instability.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the correlation between longitudinal monitoring of donor-derived cell free DNA (dd-cfDNA) in lung transplant recipients and a "gold standard" of existing tools (pulmonary function testing, radiographic imaging, laboratory and bronchoscopy data, clinical judgment) to assess allograft function.

Methods: 24 consecutive transplant recipients were prospectively enrolled in this study measuring dd-cfDNA levels monthly in the first year after bilateral lung transplant. Blinded clinical adjudications were performed at the same timepoints to categorize allograft function as stable (FEV1 within 10% of prior value or when compared to best two averaged post-transplant values) or unstable.

Social and Polygenic Risk Factors for Time to Comorbid Diagnoses in Individuals with Substance Use Disorders: A Phenome-Wide Survival Analysis.

Importance: Persons with substance use disorders (SUD) often suffer from additional comorbidities, including psychiatric conditions and physical health problems. Researchers have explored this overlap in electronic health records (EHR) using phenome wide association studies (PheWAS) to characterize how different indicators are related to all conditions in an individual's EHR. However, analyses have been largely cross-sectional in nature.

Health Care, Educational, and Vocational Transitions in Young Adults With Pediatric-Onset Disabilities: Associations With Social Determinants of Health.

Objective: We aim to describe health care, vocational, and educational transitions in young adults with pediatric-onset disabilities and to examine the associations with social determinants of health and depressive symptoms.

Design: This cross-sectional study used multinomial and binary logistic regression to examine the associations of sociodemographic factors and depressive symptoms with health care, educational, and vocational transitions.

Setting: Participants were recruited from outpatient specialty clinics in a rehabilitation medicine department at a quaternary academic children's hospital.

Pediatric to Adult Care Transition in the Hospital Context (PATCH) Tool: A Novel Tool to Assess Pediatric Institutional Guidelines for Inpatient Care of Adults.

Objective: The growing number of adults with childhood onset chronic conditions (COCC) is reflected in the increase of adult-aged admissions to pediatric institutions. Despite national bodies advising pediatric institutions to have a pediatric to adult health care transition (HCT) policy, little guidance is available on if or how to include inpatient care. We sought to create a framework-based Pediatric to Adult Transitional Care in the Hospital Context (PATCH) tool to assess how inpatient care of adults is addressed in pediatric institutional guidelines or policies (hereafter guidelines) as a first step towards informing future PATCH guideline development.

Evaluation of imputation performance of multiple reference panels in a Pakistani population.

Genotype imputation is crucial for genome-wide association studies (GWASs), but reference panels and existing benchmarking studies prioritize European individuals. Consequently, it is unclear which publicly available reference panel should be used for Pakistani individuals, and whether ancestry composition or sample size of the panel matters more for imputation accuracy. Our study compared different reference panels to impute genotype data in 1,814 Pakistani individuals, finding the best performance balancing accuracy and coverage with meta-imputation with TOPMed and the expanded 1000 Genomes (ex1KG) reference.

Mesenteric Visceral Lipectomy (MVL) Improves Glucose Tolerance in Type 2 Diabetes Patients: A Pilot Study.

Context: Increased mesenteric visceral fat is associated with the metabolic syndrome, insulin resistance, and type 2 diabetes.

Methods: Using Targeted Cell Separation and Extraction Technology (TC-SET), we examined the effect of removal of intra-abdominal fat, specifically small bowel mesenteric fat, on glycemic control and insulin sensitivity in 7 obese, poorly controlled type 2 diabetic individuals (HbA1c = 8.9±0.

Unsupervised discovery of family specific vocal usage in the Mongolian gerbil.

In nature, animal vocalizations can provide crucial information about identity, including kinship and hierarchy. However, lab-based vocal behavior is typically studied during brief interactions between animals with no prior social relationship, and under environmental conditions with limited ethological relevance. Here, we address this gap by establishing long-term acoustic recordings from Mongolian gerbil families, a core social group that uses an array of sonic and ultrasonic vocalizations.

Having more resilience factors only gets you so far in the context of neighborhood disadvantage: understanding differential predictors of internalizing symptoms and body mass index in youth with spina bifida.

Objective: The primary aim of this study was to determine if neighborhood disadvantage predicted internalizing symptoms and body mass index (BMI) in youth with spina bifida (SB), while accounting for several sociodemographic factors. We also explored whether resilience factors helped explain associations between neighborhood disadvantage and internalizing symptoms or neighborhood disadvantage and BMI.

Methods: Participants (n = 69, Mage=14.

Virtual reality anatomy trainer turns teaching endobronchial ultrasound inside-out.

Background: Traditional approaches for learning anatomy for curvilinear endobronchial ultrasound (EBUS) require learners to mentally visualize structures relative to the position of the bronchoscope. Virtual reality (VR) can demonstrate anatomy from the perspective of bronchoscopic tools.

Research Question: Does the use of a VR anatomy trainer for teaching EBUS-associated anatomy improve procedural performance compared to traditional methods?

Study Design And Methods: In this randomized, cross-over study design, subjects studied EBUS-related anatomy during two sequential sessions using a VR trainer and a traditional modality (two-dimensional pictures (2D) or a three-dimensional model (3D)).

Session 5: Protein Degraders.

The so-called undruggable space is an exciting area of potential growth for drug development. Undruggable proteins are defined as those unable to be targeted via conventional small molecule drugs. New modalities are being developed to potentially target these proteins.

Informatics innovation to provide return of value to participant communities in the All of Us Research Program.

Objectives: The All of Us Research Program harnesses advances in technology, science, and engagement for precision medicine research. We describe informatics innovations which support that goal and return value to the participant cohort and community.

Materials And Methods: Research data from the All of Us Research Program are available to authorized users on the All of Us Researcher Workbench.

An online driving decision aid for older drivers reduces ambivalence and regret about driving decisions: Randomized trial.

Background: Decisions about driving cessation can be stressful for older adults. We tested effects of a driving decision aid (DDA) on psychosocial outcomes among older drivers during two-year follow-up.

Methods: Multisite randomized controlled trial of licensed drivers ages ≥70 with at least one diagnosis associated with increased likelihood of driving cessation, without significant cognitive impairment.

Phosphatidylethanol measures in patients with severe COVID-19-associated respiratory failure identify a subset with alcohol misuse.

Background: Clinical trials in patients with COVID-19 have exclusively used self- or proxy-reporting to characterize alcohol consumption. The aim of this study was to measure an objective biomarker of recent alcohol use in patients hospitalized with severe COVID-19-associated respiratory failure who were enrolled in an investigational clinical trial to determine the prevalence of alcohol misuse, and to explore the relationship of alcohol use with outcomes.

Methods: We conducted a substudy of patients enrolled in the multicenter, phase 2, adaptive platform design, Investigation of Serial Studies to Predict Your Therapeutic Response with Imaging And molecular Analysis in COVID-19 trial (ClinicalTrials.

Patient-Reported Outcomes in Childhood Moyamoya Arteriopathy.

Background: Little is known about quality of life, sleep, and mental health in children with moyamoya arteriopathy (MMA). A better understanding of patient-reported outcomes may lead to improved treatment.

Methods: Patients with MMA <26 years old and their caretakers completed validated, age-appropriate questionnaires including the Pediatric Quality of Life (PedsQL) Inventory and Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System (PROMIS) measuring health-related quality of life, sleep, anxiety, depression, and overall health.

Apical integrins as a switchable target to regulate the epithelial barrier.

Tight junctions regulate epithelial barrier function and have been shown to be influenced by multiple classes of proteins. Apical integrins have been identified as potential regulators of epithelial barrier function; however, only indirect approaches have been used to measure integrin regulation of the epithelial barrier. Here, we used polymeric nanowires conjugated with anti-integrin β1 antibodies to specifically target apically localized integrins in either their closed or open conformation.

Four-Week GLP Immunotoxicity Assessment of Lactoferrin Alpha Produced by in Sprague-Dawley Rats.

Oral toxicity and toxicokinetic properties of human lactoferrin (LF) alpha produced in (effera™) were investigated in adult Sprague-Dawley rats over a 28-day period under good laboratory practice conditions. Main study dosing used groups of 10 rats/sex/dose, and a secondary study evaluating toxicokinetic parameters used 6 rats/sex/dose. The vehicle control group received sodium citrate buffer, test groups received daily doses of 200, 600, and 2000 mg of effera™ per kg body weight, and the comparative control group received 2000 mg bovine LF (bLF)/kg body weight per day.

Aging and the visual perception of rigid and nonrigid motion.

Nonrigid forms of motion are commonplace in everyday life. Given previously documented age-related deteriorations in various tasks involving motion (discriminating speed, identifying motion direction, etc.), an experiment was conducted to evaluate the potential effect of age upon the visual ability to detect rigid and nonrigid object motion.

The Effect of the "Safety in Dementia" Online Tool to Assist Decision Making for Caregivers of Persons With Dementia and Access to Firearms : A Randomized Trial.

Background: Caregivers face challenges (including competing desires to prevent injury, respect autonomy, and avoid conflict) when addressing firearm access by community-dwelling persons with Alzheimer disease and related dementias (ADRD).

Objective: To test the effect of the online Safety in Dementia (SiD) decision aid on caregivers' decision making about firearm access for people with ADRD.

Design: Prospective 2-group randomized trial with longitudinal follow-up.