Current and emerging PCSK9-directed therapies to reduce LDL-C and ASCVD risk: A state-of-the-art review.

Atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD) remains the leading cause of death worldwide. Lowering low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) levels is a primary strategy to reduce ASCVD risk. Although statin therapy remains the initial therapy of choice to reduce LDL-C and ASCVD risk, statin intolerance and suboptimal LDL-C lowering response prompts the need for additional non-statin therapies.

Simulation-Based Trauma-Informed Care Education Instills Empathy and Improves Clinician Practices Towards Refugee and Migrant Populations.

Introduction: Refugee and migrant communities carry histories wrought with trauma. These traumas and trauma-related responses often contribute to feelings of mistrust towards Western health care systems and can additionally foster negative clinician biases (conscious or unconscious) and attitudes towards these communities. Consequently, clinicians often fail to uncover underlying causes of poor health and distress for their refugee and migrant patients.

Relationship between medication regimen complexity and pharmacist engagement in fluid stewardship.

Disclaimer: In an effort to expedite the publication of articles, AJHP is posting manuscripts online as soon as possible after acceptance. Accepted manuscripts have been peer-reviewed and copyedited, but are posted online before technical formatting and author proofing. These manuscripts are not the final version of record and will be replaced with the final article (formatted per AJHP style and proofed by the authors) at a later time.

Expectancies for Alcohol Analgesia Among Emerging Adults: Confirmatory Factor Analysis, Reliability, and Validity.

Background: Alcohol and pain frequently co-occur and interact in a positive feedback loop that maintains and exacerbates both conditions. The Expectancies for Alcohol Analgesia (EAA) is a recently developed, single-factor measure that assesses the extent to which individuals expect alcohol will reduce their pain. Alcohol-related outcome expectancies motivate drinking and predict drinking trajectories among emerging adults (18-24).

Longevity of Deep Brain Stimulation in Essential Tremor: A Comparison of Omnidirectional and Directional Leads.

Background And Objectives: Patients undergoing thalamic ventral intermediate nucleus stimulation to treat essential tremor (ET) develop tolerance over time, requiring higher stimulation amplitudes that lead to more frequent battery changes and suboptimal tremor control. The study objective is to determine whether amplitude tolerance differs between patients with omnidirectional vs directional leads.

Methods: We conducted a retrospective analysis of ET patients with omnidirectional and directional leads implanted between 2005 and 2022.

Rewriting the Future of Transplant and Vascular Surgery: Survey Suggests Vascular Surgery Workforce Available to Increase Retention and Recruitment in Transplant.

Objectives: The specialties of vascular surgery and transplant surgery have had difficulties in recruitment and retention of professionals.

Materials And Methods: We e-mailed a 10-question survey to a distribution list compiled from peerreviewed vascular surgery journals and Professional online profiles associated with the vascular community. Respondents interested in transplant or in a kidney transplant-vascular curricula merger were labeled as "invested" in transplant.

The Survey of Barriers for Vaginal Access Surgery Study.

Study Objective: The primary objective of this study was to describe vaginal hysterectomy practice patterns as well as facilitators and inhibitors to performing vaginal hysterectomy among gynecologic surgeons. Secondary objectives were to describe facilitators and inhibitors to the teaching and training of vaginal hysterectomy.

Design: A quantitative analysis of an online survey and qualitative analyses of the one-on-one interviews with gynecologic surgeons were conducted.

RETRACTED: El-Far et al. Thymoquinone and Curcumin Defeat Aging-Associated Oxidative Alterations Induced by D-Galactose in Rats' Brain and Heart. 2021, , 6839.

The retracts the article "Thymoquinone and Curcumin Defeat Aging-Associated Oxidative Alterations Induced by D-Galactose in Rats' Brain and Heart" [...

An exploration of potential risk factors for gastroschisis using decision tree learning.

Purpose: Despite a wealth of research, the etiology of the abdominal wall defect gastroschisis remains largely unknown. The strongest known risk factor is young maternal age. Our objective was to conduct a hypothesis-generating analysis regarding gastroschisis etiology using random forests.

Evaluation of clinical trials addressing supportive care measures for management of acute and chronic radiation toxicities.

Purpose: Radiation therapy can cause acute and long-term side effects despite advances in treatment delivery techniques. While significant research has been conducted to prevent the occurrence of toxicity, there is a need for evidence-based supportive care measures to manage radiation side effects. This analysis aims to examine the current state of supportive care trials in radiation oncology and identify areas that require further study.

The Neutrophil-Lymphocyte Ratio in Pediatric Preseptal and Orbital Infectious Cellulitis.

Purpose: The neutrophil-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) is an important biomarker in a variety of systemic conditions, though its role in orbital disease remains unclear. We sought to investigate the utility of the NLR in distinguishing orbital cellulitis (OC) from preseptal cellulitis (PC) in a pediatric population.

Methods: The earliest available NLRs of immunocompetent pediatric patients who presented to the emergency department with OC and PC were calculated from a single institution's database.

Value of Platelet-to-Lymphocyte and Monocyte-to-Lymphocyte Ratios in Differentiating Idiopathic Orbital Inflammation From Orbital Infectious Disease.

Purpose: Monocyte-lymphocyte ratio (MLR) and platelet-lymphocyte ratio (PLR) are emerging biomarkers; they have not been widely utilized in orbital disease. This study investigated the role of these ratios in distinguishing orbital inflammation from infection.

Methods: A retrospective review of medical records was conducted to identify adult patients who presented acutely to a single emergency department at an academic medical center and were diagnosed with serologically and biopsy-proven idiopathic orbital inflammation (IOI, n = 9), orbital cellulitis (OC, n = 14), or necrotizing fasciitis (NF, n = 12).

Therapeutic effects of Huangqi formula (Eefooton) in chronic kidney disease: clinical research and narrative literature review.

Objective: The study aimed to assess the clinical effects of employing the Huangqi formula (Eefooton; EFT) for chronic kidney disease (CKD) treatment. A narrative literature review was undertaken to elucidate the specific ingredients of EFT and their potential impact on renal health.

Methods: A retrospective observational study investigated EFT treatment in outpatients with stable CKD (stages 3B to 5) from March 2019 to March 2021.

Henry Hun and his family: Three foundational stories in the history of nineteenth-century American neurology, Part II. Edward Hun (1842-1880) and the beginnings of neurological research in nineteenth-century America.

Edward Reynolds Hun is easily eclipsed by his father, Thomas (1808-1896), and his younger brother, Henry (1854-1924), in historical accounts of the evolution of neurology as a clinical specialty and academic discipline in nineteenth-century America. His early educational pathway, including a postgraduate year in Paris, was typical for sons of the wealthy seeking a medical degree. On his return from Europe, he embarked on a research career in neuropsychiatry seeking to uncover biochemical and pathological underpinnings for psychiatric disorders.

Piperine attenuates cancer-associated pain induced by microglial activation via increasing miR-150-50p.

Aim: Severe painful neuropathy often occurs in cancer patients receiving chemotherapy. Emerging evidence has demonstrated that microglia contribute to the occurrence and development of cancer-associated pain. This study aimed to investigate the mechanisms by which piperine influences cancer-associated pain induced by microglia activation.

Gα12 and Gα13 proteins are required for transforming growth factor-β-induced myofibroblast differentiation.

Myofibroblast differentiation, characterized by accumulation of cytoskeletal and extracellular matrix proteins by fibroblasts, is a key process in wound healing and pathogenesis of tissue fibrosis. Transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β) is the most powerful known driver of myofibroblast differentiation. TGF-β signals through transmembrane receptor serine/threonine kinases that phosphorylate Smad transcription factors (Smad2/3) leading to activation of transcription of target genes.