A randomized phase 2 study of efmarodocokin alfa, an IL-22 agonist, versus vedolizumab in patients with ulcerative colitis.

Background And Aims: Efmarodocokin alfa is an interleukin (IL)-22 agonist, with favorable pharmacokinetic (PK) properties and an acceptable safety profile. This study further explored the therapeutic potential of efmarodocokin alfa compared to vedolizumab in patients with ulcerative colitis (UC).

Methods: This randomized phase 2 trial evaluated the efficacy, safety, PK, and pharmacodynamics of 3 doses of efmarodocokin alfa administered intravenously every 4 weeks (30 μg/kg [n=43], 60 μg/kg [n=44], and 90 μg/kg [n=43]) compared with placebo (n=22) and with vedolizumab (n=43) in the treatment of moderate to severe UC.

Functional outcomes in children and adolescents with neurodisability accessing music therapy: A scoping review.

Aim: To determine the evidence for functional outcomes experienced by a population with paediatric neurodisability (such as acquired brain injury, cerebral palsy, spinal cord injury, and other neurological disorders), who access music therapy through neurorehabilitation services across the rehabilitation spectrum.

Method: Using scoping review methodology of the JBI and the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-Analyses extension for Scoping Reviews (PRISMA-ScR), a systematic search was conducted across eight databases and expert knowledge users were consulted. Articles were screened by title and abstract, and data from eligible studies were categorized using the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health: Children and Youth version (ICF-CY).

Fine-grained Fidgety Movement Classification using Active Learning.

Typically developing infants, between the corrected age of 9-20 weeks, produce fidgety movements. These movements can be identified with the General Movement Assessment, but their identification requires trained professionals to conduct the assessment from video recordings. Since trained professionals are expensive and their demand may be higher than their availability, computer vision-based solutions have been developed to assist practitioners.

Impact of Medical Trainees on Efficiency and Productivity in the Emergency Department: Systematic Review and Narrative Synthesis.

Introduction: Effective medical education must balance clinical service demands for institutions and learning needs of trainees. The question of whether these are competing demands or can serve complementary roles has profound impacts on graduate medical education, ranging from funding decisions to the willingness of community-based hospitals and physicians to include learners at their clinical sites. Our objective in this article was to systematically review the evidence on the impact of medical trainees on productivity and efficiency in the emergency department (ED).

Promoter Hypomethylation Is Associated With Mucosal Inflammation in IBD and Anti-TNF Response.

Background And Aims: Inflammatory bowel diseases (IBDs) are chronic inflammatory conditions influenced heavily by environmental factors. DNA methylation is a form of epigenetic regulation linking environmental stimuli to gene expression changes and inflammation. Here, we investigated how DNA methylation of the tumor necrosis factor (TNF) promoter differs between inflamed and uninflamed mucosa of IBD patients, including anti-TNF responders and nonresponders.

Iron: Life's primeval transition metal.

Modern life requires many different metal ions, which enable diverse biochemical functions. It is commonly assumed that metal ions' environmental availabilities controlled the evolution of early life. We argue that evolution can only explore the chemistry that life encounters, and fortuitous chemical interactions between metal ions and biological compounds can only be selected for if they first occur sufficiently frequently.

Nurse perspectives on the assessment of emergency medicine residents: A qualitative study.

Background: Multisource and 360-degree feedback are emerging methods in the medical education assessment literature. Nursing feedback in particular has been identified as a point of emphasis regarding what medical education leadership would most value for incorporating into their evaluations. There is no currently accepted tool for multisource feedback in the emergency department (ED).

Behavior Change Techniques Involved in Physical Activity Interventions for Children With Chronic Conditions: A Systematic Review.

Background: Behavior change techniques (BCTs) have been extensively used in physical activity interventions for children, however, no systematic reviews have synthesized their effects.

Purpose: The present review aimed to identify the most promising BCTs used in physical activity interventions associated with (i) increased physical activity behavior and (ii) positive psychosocial outcomes in children with chronic conditions.

Methods: A systematic search of 6 databases identified 61 articles as eligible for inclusion.

Nanoscale optical nonreciprocity with nonlinear metasurfaces.

Optical nonreciprocity is manifested as a difference in the transmission of light for the opposite directions of excitation. Nonreciprocal optics is traditionally realized with relatively bulky components such as optical isolators based on the Faraday rotation, hindering the miniaturization and integration of optical systems. Here we demonstrate free-space nonreciprocal transmission through a metasurface comprised of a two-dimensional array of nanoresonators made of silicon hybridized with vanadium dioxide (VO).

Pseudogestational Sac Delaying Diagnosis of Ectopic Pregnancy: A Case Report.

Background: Diagnosis of ectopic pregnancy can be complicated by nonspecific laboratory and radiographic findings. The multiple alternative diagnoses must be weighed against each other based on the entire clinical presentation.

Case Report: We present a case of a 20-year-old woman who arrived to the Emergency Department (ED) with abdominal pain and ended up being transferred for an Obstetrics evaluation of a possible heterotopic pregnancy.

Increasing Access To Perinatal Mental Health Care: The Perinatal Psychiatry Access Program Model.

Perinatal psychiatry access programs offer a scalable approach to building the capacity of perinatal professionals to identify, assess, and treat mental health conditions. Little is known about access programs' implementation and the relative merits of differing approaches. We conducted surveys and semistructured interviews with access program staff and reviewed policy and procedure documents from the fifteen access programs that had been implemented in the United States as of March 2021, when the study was conducted.

Roadmap for Optical Metasurfaces.

Metasurfaces have recently risen to prominence in optical research, providing unique functionalities that can be used for imaging, beam forming, holography, polarimetry, and many more, while keeping device dimensions small. Despite the fact that a vast range of basic metasurface designs has already been thoroughly studied in the literature, the number of metasurface-related papers is still growing at a rapid pace, as metasurface research is now spreading to adjacent fields, including computational imaging, augmented and virtual reality, automotive, display, biosensing, nonlinear, quantum and topological optics, optical computing, and more. At the same time, the ability of metasurfaces to perform optical functions in much more compact optical systems has triggered strong and constantly growing interest from various industries that greatly benefit from the availability of miniaturized, highly functional, and efficient optical components that can be integrated in optoelectronic systems at low cost.

Digital Modeling on Large Kernel Metamaterial Neural Network.

Deep neural networks (DNNs) utilized recently are physically deployed with computational units (e.g., CPUs and GPUs).

promoter hypomethylation is associated with mucosal inflammation in IBD and anti-TNF response.

Background And Aims: Inflammatory Bowel Diseases (IBD) are chronic inflammatory conditions influenced heavily by environmental factors. DNA methylation is a form of epigenetic regulation linking environmental stimuli to gene expression changes and inflammation. Here, we investigated how DNA methylation of the promoter differs between inflamed and uninflamed mucosa of IBD patients, including anti-TNF responders and non-responders.

Spontaneous Coronary Artery Dissection: A Case Series Reviewing Typical Presentations of an Atypical Pathology.

Introduction: Spontaneous coronary artery dissection (SCAD) is a rare cause of myocardial infarction. Patients suffering SCAD are often young women without typical risk factors for atherosclerotic heart disease. Clinicians should maintain a high index of suspicion for SCAD.

Broadband and large-aperture metasurface edge encoders for incoherent infrared radiation.

The prevalence of computer vision systems necessitates hardware-based approaches to relieve the high computational demand of deep neural networks in resource-limited applications. One solution would be to off-load low-level image feature extraction, such as edge detection, from the digital network to the analog imaging system. To that end, this work demonstrates incoherent, broadband, low-noise optical edge detection of real-world scenes by combining the wavefront shaping of a 24-mm aperture metasurface with a refractive lens.

Recommendations for Method Development and Validation of qPCR and dPCR Assays in Support of Cell and Gene Therapy Drug Development.

The emerging use of qPCR and dPCR in regulated bioanalysis and absence of regulatory guidance on assay validations for these platforms has resulted in discussions on lack of harmonization on assay design and appropriate acceptance criteria for these assays. Both qPCR and dPCR are extensively used to answer bioanalytical questions for novel modalities such as cell and gene therapies. Following cross-industry conversations on the lack of information and guidelines for these assays, an American Association of Pharmaceutical Scientists working group was formed to address these gaps by bringing together 37 industry experts from 24 organizations to discuss best practices to gain a better understanding in the industry and facilitate filings to health authorities.

Research delivery secondments: A scoping review.

Aim: To explore and summarise published literature with regards to secondments to clinical research and to identify the gaps in research to inform further work.

Design: Systematic scoping review.

Method: A scoping review was undertaken in accordance with the Patterns, Advances, Gaps, Evidence and Research framework.

Increased Activity of MAPKAPK2 within Mesenchymal Cells as a Target for Inflammation-Associated Fibrosis in Crohn's Disease.

Background: Mesenchymal stromal cells are suggested to play a critical role in Crohn's disease [CD]-associated fibrosis. MAPKAPK2 [MK2] has emerged as a potential therapeutic target to reduce inflammation in CD. However, the cell-specific pattern of phospho-MK2 activation and its role in CD-associated fibrosis are unknown.

A mechanistic biomarker investigation of fialuridine hepatotoxicity using the chimeric TK-NOG Hu-liver mouse model and in vitro micropatterned hepatocyte cocultures.

Fialuridine (FIAU) is a nucleoside-based drug that caused liver failure and deaths in a human clinical trial that were not predicted by nonclinical safety studies. A recent report concluded that a TK-NOG humanized liver (hu-liver) mouse model detected human-specific FIAU liver toxicity, and broader use of that model could improve drug safety testing. We further evaluated this model at similar dose levels to assess FIAU sensitivity and potential mechanistic biomarkers.

Multichannel meta-imagers for accelerating machine vision.

Rapid developments in machine vision technology have impacted a variety of applications, such as medical devices and autonomous driving systems. These achievements, however, typically necessitate digital neural networks with the downside of heavy computational requirements and consequent high energy consumption. As a result, real-time decision-making is hindered when computational resources are not readily accessible.