Utility of Clinical Features in Identifying Electrographic Seizures in Hospitalized Patients Admitted for Non-Neurological Diagnoses.

Importance: Electrographic seizures (ESz) are seizures without prominent motor activity diagnosed with electroencephalogram and are a common complication in critically ill patients with alterations of consciousness. Previous studies suggested clinical signs, including ocular movement abnormalities, facial/periorbital twitching, or remote seizure risk factors, are sensitive for presence of ESz.

Objectives: To assess the utility of clinical features in identifying ESz in critically ill patients with alterations of consciousness.

The Performance of Flash Replenishment Contrast-Enhanced Ultrasound for the Qualitative Assessment of Kidney Lesions in Patients with Chronic Kidney Disease.

We investigated the accuracy of CEUS for characterizing cystic and solid kidney lesions in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD). Cystic lesions are assessed using Bosniak criteria for computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI); however, in patients with moderate to severe kidney disease, CT and MRI contrast agents may be contraindicated. Contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) is a safe alternative for characterizing these lesions, but data on its performance among CKD patients are limited.

Desensitization and remission after peanut sublingual immunotherapy in 1- to 4-year-old peanut-allergic children: A randomized, placebo-controlled trial.

Background: Prior studies of peanut sublingual immunotherapy (SLIT) have suggested a potential advantage with younger age at treatment initiation.

Objective: We studied the safety and efficacy of SLIT for peanut allergy in 1- to 4-year-old children.

Methods: Peanut-allergic 1- to 4-year-old children were randomized to receive 4 mg peanut SLIT versus placebo.

Multiple Imputation for Partial Recording Periodontal Examination Protocols.

Aim: Partial-mouth recording protocols often result in underestimation of population prevalence and extent of periodontitis. We posit that multiple imputation of measures such as clinical attachment loss for nonselected tooth sites in partial-mouth samples can reduce bias in periodontitis estimates.

Methods: Multiple imputation for correlated site-level dichotomous outcomes in a generalized estimating equations framework is used to impute site-level binary indicators for clinical attachment loss exceeding a fixed threshold in partial-mouth samples.

Pregnancy-related factors may signal additional protection or risk of future cardiovascular diseases.

Background: Cardiovascular disease (CVD) guidelines recommend using the Pooled Cohort Equation (PCE) to assess 10-year CVD risk based on traditional risk factors. Pregnancy-related factors have been associated with future CVD. We examined the contribution of two pregnancy-related factors, (1) history of a low birthweight (LBW) infant and (2) breastfeeding to CVD risk accounting for traditional risk factors as assessed by the PCE.

Assessment of COVID-19 Molecular Testing Capacity in Jordan: A Cross-Sectional Study at the Country Level.

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic control measures rely on the accurate and timely diagnosis of infected individuals. Real-time polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) remains the gold-standard method for laboratory diagnosis of the disease. Delayed diagnosis due to challenges that face laboratories performing COVID-19 testing can hinder public health control measures.

Power calculations for the sequential parallel comparison design with continuous outcomes.

In the sequential parallel comparison design (SPCD) in stage 1, placebo subjects are randomized between placebo and an experimental therapy. In stage 2, stage 1 placebo non-responders are re-randomized between placebo and an experimental therapy. We give the formula for power/sample size calculations for two test statistics for the SPCD.

Suboptimal Comparison of Partitions.

The distinction between classification and clustering is often based on a priori knowledge of classification labels. However, in the purely theoretical situation where a data-generating model is known, the optimal solutions for clustering do not necessarily correspond to optimal solutions for classification. Exploring this divergence leads us to conclude that no standard measures of either internal or external validation can guarantee a correspondence with optimal clustering performance.

Aptamers Chemistry: Chemical Modifications and Conjugation Strategies.

Soon after they were first described in 1990, aptamers were largely recognized as a new class of biological ligands that can rival antibodies in various analytical, diagnostic, and therapeutic applications. Aptamers are short single-stranded RNA or DNA oligonucleotides capable of folding into complex 3D structures, enabling them to bind to a large variety of targets ranging from small ions to an entire organism. Their high binding specificity and affinity make them comparable to antibodies, but they are superior regarding a longer shelf life, simple production and chemical modification, in addition to low toxicity and immunogenicity.

Outflow Facility in Tube Shunt Fenestration.

Aim: Determination of the effect of varying fenestration technique, and simulated patch graft on outflow facility for Baerveldt tube.

Materials And Methods: Silicone tubing similar to Baerveldt implant (AMO, Santa Ana, CA) with different fenestrations techniques was connected to a digital manometer in a closed system with a fluid-filled syringe on a stand to adjust pressure. The venting slits included: (A) 4 piercings with 7-0 TG140-8 needle; (B) a 2-mm slit with a 15° blade; (C) 4 piercings with a 15° blade; (D) 9-0 Nylon on CS140-6 needle with suture stenting the fenestration.

Mucus Hydration in Subjects with Stable Chronic Bronchitis: A Comparison of Spontaneous and Induced Sputum.

Mucus hydration is important in mucus clearance and lung health. This study sought to test the relative utility of spontaneous sputum (SS) versus the reasonably noninvasive induced sputum (IS) samples for measurement of mucus hydration. SS and IS samples were collected over a 2-day study interval.

The effects of nonignorable missing data on label-free mass spectrometry proteomics experiments.

An idealized version of a label-free discovery mass spectrometry proteomics experiment would provide absolute abundance measurements for a whole proteome, across varying conditions. Unfortunately, this ideal is not realized. Measurements are made on peptides requiring an inferential step to obtain protein level estimates.

Divergent Specificity Development of IgG1 and IgG4 Autoantibodies in Endemic Pemphigus Foliaceus (Fogo Selvagem).

We have shown that although the IgG response in fogo selvagem (FS) is mainly restricted to desmoglein (Dsg) 1, other keratinocyte cadherins are also targeted by FS patients and healthy control subjects living in the endemic region of Limão Verde, Brazil (endemic controls). Evaluating nonpathogenic IgG1 and pathogenic IgG4 subclass responses to desmosomal proteins may reveal important differences between pathogenic and nonpathogenic responses, and how these differences relate to the pathogenic IgG4 response and resultant FS. In this study, we tested by ELISA >100 sera from each FS patient, endemic control, and nonendemic control for IgG1 and IgG4 autoantibodies to keratinocyte cadherins besides Dsg1.

Accelerating high-dimensional clustering with lossless data reduction.

Motivation: For cluster analysis, high-dimensional data are associated with instability, decreased classification accuracy and high-computational burden. The latter challenge can be eliminated as a serious concern. For applications where dimension reduction techniques are not implemented, we propose a temporary transformation which accelerates computations with no loss of information.

Row versus column correlations: avoiding the ecological fallacy in RNA/protein expression studies.

Biomedical researchers are often interested in computing the correlation between RNA and protein abundance. However, correlations can be computed between rows of a data matrix or between columns, and the results are not the same. The belief that these two types of correlation are estimating the same phenomenon is a special case of a well-known logical error called the ecological fallacy.

Cancer Risk after Fat Transfer: A Multicenter Case-Cohort Study.

Background: Fat transfer is an increasingly popular method for refining postmastectomy breast reconstructions. However, concern persists that fat transfer may promote disease recurrence. Adipocytes are derived from adipose-derived stem cells and express adipocytokines that can facilitate active breast cancer cells in laboratory models.

Occupational exposure to pesticides and occurrence of the chromosomal translocation t(14;18) among farmers in Jordan.

Background: An increased incidence of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL) has been reported in farmers and other occupational groups working with pesticides. In these individuals, an increased prevalence of the chromosomal translocation t(14;18)(q32;q21), one of the most common chromosomal abnormalities in NHL, has been detected in peripheral blood lymphocytes. This translocation juxtaposes the antiapoptotic BCL2 protein to the immunoglobulin heavy chain gene locus (IGH) leading to overexpression of BCL2.

QuantFusion: Novel Unified Methodology for Enhanced Coverage and Precision in Quantifying Global Proteomic Changes in Whole Tissues.

Single quantitative platforms such as label-based or label-free quantitation (LFQ) present compromises in accuracy, precision, protein sequence coverage, and speed of quantifiable proteomic measurements. To maximize the quantitative precision and the number of quantifiable proteins or the quantifiable coverage of tissue proteomes, we have developed a unified approach, termed QuantFusion, that combines the quantitative ratios of all peptides measured by both LFQ and label-based methodologies. Here, we demonstrate the use of QuantFusion in determining the proteins differentially expressed in a pair of patient-derived tumor xenografts (PDXs) representing two major breast cancer (BC) subtypes, basal and luminal.

Phase 2 Trial of De-intensified Chemoradiation Therapy for Favorable-Risk Human Papillomavirus-Associated Oropharyngeal Squamous Cell Carcinoma.

Purpose: To perform a prospective, multi-institutional, phase 2 study of a substantial decrease in concurrent chemoradiation therapy (CRT) intensity as primary treatment for favorable-risk, human papillomavirus-associated oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma.

Methods And Materials: The major inclusion criteria were: (1) T0 to T3, N0 to N2c, M0; (2) human papillomavirus or p16 positive; and (3) minimal/remote smoking history. Treatment was limited to 60 Gy intensity modulated radiation therapy with concurrent weekly intravenous cisplatinum (30 mg/m(2)).

Alloimmunization is associated with older age of transfused red blood cells in sickle cell disease.

Red blood cell (RBC) alloimmunization is a significant clinical complication of sickle cell disease (SCD). It can lead to difficulty with cross-matching for future transfusions and may sometimes trigger life-threatening delayed hemolytic transfusion reactions. We conducted a retrospective study to explore the association of clinical complications and age of RBC with alloimmunization in patients with SCD followed at a single institution from 2005 to 2012.

The Relationship of Mucus Concentration (Hydration) to Mucus Osmotic Pressure and Transport in Chronic Bronchitis.

Rationale: Chronic bronchitis (CB) is characterized by persistent cough and sputum production. Studies were performed to test whether mucus hyperconcentration and increased partial osmotic pressure, in part caused by abnormal purine nucleotide regulation of ion transport, contribute to the pathogenesis of CB.

Objectives: We tested the hypothesis that CB is characterized by mucus hyperconcentration, increased mucus partial osmotic pressures, and reduced mucus clearance.