Percent Body Fat and Weight Status of Youth Participating in Pediatric Weight Management Programs in the Pediatric Obesity Weight Evaluation Registry.

Factors associated with change in percent body fat (%BF) of children in pediatric weight management (PWM) care may differ from those associated with change in weight status. To describe %BF and weight status at initial visits to 14 PWM sites, identify differences by sex, and evaluate factors associated with change over 6 months. Initial visits of 2496 males and 2821 females aged 5-18 years were evaluated.

Scoping Review of Pediatric Primary Care Educational Literature.

Primary care pediatrics is an important element of pediatric training at all levels, yet trainees often lack clinical competence in this area. This scoping review sought to identify the current research available related to pediatric primary care education for medical students and residents and gaps/areas for improvement. Searches were completed on PubMed MEDLINE, Embase, Scopus, and MedEdPORTAL using the search terms "pediatrics," "education," "curricula," and "primary care.

The Mediation Pathway Linking Dental Caries and Academic Performance in Children.

Introduction: There is little discussion in the literature on the pathway linking oral health problems and academic performance (AP) in children. This study investigated the hypothesis that the influence of dental caries on academic performance is mediated through toothache and impacted sleep and study activities.

Methods: This cross-sectional study on children aged 12-14 years collected data on the exposure (decayed tooth index), outcome (school examination results), and mediator (school absence due to toothache, and oral health impact on sleep and study performances using the Child-Oral Impact on Daily Performance instrument) variables.

3D human foreskin model for testing topical formulations of sildenafil citrate.

Sildenafil citrate is an approved drug used for the treatment of erectile dysfunction and premature ejaculation. Despite a widespread application, sildenafil citrate shows numerous adverse cardiovascular effects in high-risk patients. Local transdermal drug delivery of this drug is therefore being explored as an interesting and noninvasive alternative administration method that avoids adverse effects arised from peak plasma drug concentrations.

Antibody Deficiency in Patients with Biallelic KARS1 Mutations.

Biallelic KARS1 mutations cause KARS-related diseases, a rare syndromic condition encompassing central and peripheral nervous system impairment, heart and liver disease, and deafness. KARS1 encodes the t-RNA synthase of lysine, an aminoacyl-tRNA synthetase, involved in different physiological mechanisms (such as angiogenesis, post-translational modifications, translation initiation, autophagy and mitochondrial function). Although patients with immune-hematological abnormalities have been individually described, results have not been collectively discussed and functional studies investigating how KARS1 mutations affect B cells have not been performed.

High-throughput screening as a drug repurposing strategy for poor outcome subgroups of pediatric B-cell precursor Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia.

Although a great cure rate has been achieved for pediatric BCP-ALL, approximately 15% of patients do not respond to conventional chemotherapy and experience disease relapse. A major effort to improve the cure rates by treatment intensification would result in an undesirable increase in treatment-related toxicity and mortality, raising the need to identify novel therapeutic approaches. High-throughput (HTP) drug screening enables the profiling of patients' responses in vitro and allows the repurposing of compounds currently used for other diseases, which can be immediately available for clinical application.

Comparison of Oral Health-Related Quality of Life scores in children treated for early childhood caries under general and local anesthesia: a quasi-experimental study.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to compare the changes in oral health-related quality of life (OHRQoL) scores in children treated for Early Childhood Caries (ECC) under general (GA) and local anesthesia (LA).

Methods: A quasi-experimental study was carried out on 73 children, with 37 in the GA group and 36 in the LA group. The early childhood oral health impact scale (ECOHIS) was used to measure OHRQoL, with the type of anesthesia (LA or GA) serving as the explanatory variable.

Supine Versus Prone Percutaneous Nephrolithotomy (PCNL): A Single Surgeon's Experience.

Introduction: Percutaneous nephrolithotomy (PCNL) is one of the greatest advances in the field of urology and has been considered the gold standard in the treatment of renal calculi of more than 2 cm in size. While both the supine and prone positions offer their unique advantages, it is still being debated which position offers the most in terms of surgical outcomes. We have evaluated the two approaches in terms of operative time, success rate, stone clearance rate, safety, and complications.

Associations between mental health challenges, sexual activity, alcohol consumption, use of other psychoactive substances and use of COVID-19 preventive measures during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic by adults in Nigeria.

Background: The aims of this study were to assess: 1) the associations among sexual activity, alcohol consumption, use of other psychoactive substances and mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic; and 2) the associations between COVID-19 preventive measures, alcohol consumption and use of psychoactive substances.

Methods: This was a secondary analysis of data collected from adults in Nigeria between July and December 2020. The variables extracted included change in sexual activity, alcohol consumption and use of other psychoactive substances, COVID-19 preventive behaviors (wearing face masks, washing hands, physical distancing), anxiety, depression, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and sociodemographic variables (age, sex, education, HIV status, employment status).

CD271 activation prevents low to high-risk progression of cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma and improves therapy outcomes.

Background: Cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma (cSCC) is the second most prevalent form of skin cancer, showing a rapid increasing incidence worldwide. Although most cSCC can be cured by surgery, a sizeable number of cases are diagnosed at advanced stages, with local invasion and distant metastatic lesions. In the skin, neurotrophins (NTs) and their receptors (CD271 and Trk) form a complex network regulating epidermal homeostasis.

Associations between depression, fear of COVID-19 infection and students' self-care measures used during the first wave of the pandemic.

Background: COVID-19 lockdown resulted in the closure of schools with associated problems. The aim of this study was to determine the associations between depression, fear of contracting COVID-19 infection and the use of self-care measures by college students during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Methods: This was a cross-sectional study that collected data from undergraduate and postgraduate college students 18 years and older from 152 countries between June and December 2020.

A multi-country study of the associations between HIV vulnerability status, perception of COVID-19 related stigma and post-traumatic stress symptoms during the first wave of the pandemic.

Background: This study investigated the associations between COVID-19 related stigma and post-traumatic stress symptoms (PTSS); and the associations between PTSS and COVID-19 related stigma, HIV status, COVID-19 status and key HIV population status.

Methods: This was a secondary analysis of data of 12,355 study participants generated through an online survey that recruited adults from 152 countries between July and December 2020. The dependent variables were COVID-19-related stigma and PTSS.

Silent agonists for α7 nicotinic acetylcholine receptors.

We discuss models for the activation and desensitization of α7 nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChRs) and the effects of efficacious type II positive allosteric modulators (PAMs) that destabilize α7 desensitized states. Type II PAMs such as PNU-120596 can be used to distinguish inactive compounds from silent agonists, compounds that produce little or no channel activation but stabilize the non-conducting conformations associated with desensitization. We discuss the effects of α7 nAChRs in cells of the immune system and their roles in modulating inflammation and pain through what has come to be known as the cholinergic anti-inflammatory system (CAS).

Elucidating the impact of dental caries, pain and treatment on academic performance in children.

Background: The evidence for the impact of oral health on academic performance is still unclear.

Aim: To assess the impact of oral health conditions on poor academic performance in schoolchildren by including a range of clinical and self-reported OH measures in a modified cross-sectional study.

Design: This study was carried out on schoolchildren aged 12-14 years in Jazan, Saudi Arabia, using a stratified and randomised cluster sampling method.

Factors associated with an increase in tobacco use and alcohol drinking during the COVID-19 pandemic: A cross-sectional study of data from 105 countries.

Introduction: The COVID-19 pandemic has inevitably led to monumental challenges, and alcohol drinking and tobacco use have unlikely been spared. This cross-sectional survey reports on factors associated with an increase in alcohol drinking and tobacco use during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Methods: An online survey conducted in 2020, generated data from 14899 adults residing in 105 countries.

Relationship between oral lesions and severe SARS-CoV-2 infection in intensive care unit patients.

Objective: Oral lesions received increased attention as likely new signs or secondary manifestations of COVID-19. Therefore, we clinically examined oral cavity of patients with COVID-19 and investigated oral lesions and patient comorbidities as possible risk factors of COVID-19 disease outcome.

Methods: From January to March 2022, a prospective study was conducted by recruiting all COVID-19 patients admitted to the Intensive Care Unit and Respiratory Intensive Care Unit of Maxi-Emergencies Hospital in Bari, Italy.

Fear of contagion, emotional stress and coping strategies used by adults during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic in Nigeria.

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has induced high levels of stress. The aim of the study was to assess the relationship between emotional stress (COVID-19 related fear, anger, frustration, and loneliness) and the use of coping strategies among adults in Nigeria during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Methods: Data from adults aged 18 years and above were collected through an online survey from July to December 2020.

Is self-reported depression, HIV status, COVID-19 health risk profile and SARS-CoV-2 exposure associated with difficulty in adhering to COVID-19 prevention measures among residents in West Africa?

Background: The aim of this study was to determine whether self-reported depression, coronavirus disease of 2019 (COVID-19) health risk profile, HIV status, and SARS-CoV-2 exposure were associated with the use of COVID-19 prevention measures.

Methods: This survey collected data electronically between June 29 and December 31, 2020 from a convenient sample of 5050 adults 18 years and above living in 12 West African countries. The dependent variables were: social distancing, working remotely, difficulty obtaining face masks and difficulty washing hands often.