Loss of O6-Methylguanine-DNA Methyltransferase Protein Expression by Immunohistochemistry Is Associated With Response to Capecitabine and Temozolomide in Neuroendocrine Neoplasms.

Background: A recent prospective phase II study (ECOG-ACRIN E2211) demonstrated that MGMT deficiency was associated with a significant response to capecitabine and temozolomide (CAPTEM) in pancreatic neuroendocrine neoplasms (NENs); however, routine MGMT analysis in NENs was not recommended. Our study sought to demonstrate whether loss of MGMT protein expression is associated with improved overall survival (OS) in patients receiving CAPTEM for NENs from various tumor sites.

Materials And Methods: Paraffin-embedded tumor samples were evaluated by immunohistochemistry (IHC) using an MGMT monoclonal antibody.

Comparing the incidence of hypospadias across the United States: A contemporary analysis.

Introduction: Hypospadias is a common congenital malformation occurring in up to 80 in 10,00 live male births, with emerging evidence associating exogenous environmental exposures with increased disease incidence. Military personnel are at particularly higher risk for such exposures and indeed, the rate of hypospadias in infant males born to United States military servicewomen deployed during the Gulf War has been reported to be more than 5 times greater compared to undeployed female military personnel.

Objective: To characterize contemporary trends in hypospadias incidence in the general population as well as high risk groups such as males born from US servicewomen using the National Birth Defects Prevention Network.

Inhibition of prefrontal glutamatergic neuron activity during the recovery period following chronic stress disrupts fear memory in male rats: potential role of the infralimbic cortex.

Chronic stress typically leads to deficits in fear extinction. However, when a delay occurs from the end of chronic stress and the start of fear conditioning (a "recovery"), rats show improved context-cue discrimination, compared to recently stressed rats or nonstressed rats. The infralimbic cortex (IL) is important for fear extinction and undergoes neuronal remodeling after chronic stress ends, which could drive improved context-cue discrimination.

Premed Pressure: Examining whether premed students experience more academic stress compared to non-premeds.

Academic stress is one of the primary factors threatening university students' well-being and performance. Undergraduate students who are working towards applying to medical school, defined as being on the pre-medicine or "premed" pathway, are suspected to have higher academic stress compared to their peers who are not premed. However, what factors contribute to academic stress for premed students is not well understood.

Estradiol Levels are Differentially Associated with Pulse Wave Velocity in Trauma-exposed Premenopausal Women with and without PTSD.

Arterial stiffness is a well-known risk factor for cardiovascular disease. Although estradiol (E2) is known to be cardioprotective, the available data point to a growing cardiovascular disease risk in women before menopause due to post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The present study aimed to investigate the effects of E2 on arterial compliance in trauma-exposed premenopausal women, with and without a clinical diagnosis PTSD.

Unveiling emerging polycyclic aromatic compounds in the urban atmospheric particulate matter.

Despite the ubiquity and complexity of atmospheric polycyclic aromatic compounds (PACs), many of these compounds are largely unknown and lack sufficient toxicity data for comprehensive risk assessments. In this study, nontarget screening assisted by in-house and self-developed spectra databases was, therefore, employed to identify PACs in atmospheric particulate matter collected from multiple outdoor settings. Additionally, absorption, distribution, metabolism, excretion, and toxicity properties were evaluated to indicate PAC's overall abilities to cause adverse outcomes and incorporated into a novel health risk assessment model to assess their inhalation risks.

Early Childhood Concerns: Counseling on Sleep Issues, Thumb-Sucking, Picky Eating, School Readiness, and Oral Health.

Common early childhood concerns and behaviors include sleep issues, thumb-sucking, pacifier use, picky eating, school readiness, and oral health. Family physicians must recognize when these indicate an underlying disorder and offer constructive and evidence-based strategies to support healthy child development and family well-being. Behavioral interventions and education to address sleep issues can alleviate stress and decrease fatigue for the whole family.

Rapid radiation of a plant lineage sheds light on the assembly of dry valley biomes.

Southwest China is characterized by high plateaus, large mountain systems, and deeply incised dry valleys formed by major rivers and their tributaries. Despite the considerable attention given to alpine plant radiations in this region, the timing and mode of diversification of the numerous dry valley plant lineages remain unknown. To address this knowledge gap, we investigated the macroevolution of Isodon (Lamiaceae), a lineage commonly distributed in the dry valleys in southwest China and wetter areas of Asia and Africa.

Assessing the impact of messages about reduced nicotine cigar products among people who use little cigar and cigarillo: Insights from a discrete choice experiment.

Introduction: The U.S. Food and Drug Administration's (FDA) pursuit of a low nicotine standard for cigarettes raises concerns that a focus on cigarettes may encourage people to use other combusted tobacco products, undermining the policy's effectiveness.

Vascularized Iliac Crest Bone Graft for the Reconstruction of Anterior Vertebral Corpus Defects: A Literature Review and Cadaveric Feasibility Study.

Background: Vertebral body defects pose a significant challenge in spinal reconstructive surgery. Compression fractures of the vertebral corpus are typically treated with vertebral augmentation procedures. There are significant risks associated with the introduction of foreign material in the spine, including infection and pseudarthrosis.

Thermal ecology of the Mexican Garter Snake (): temporal and spatial variations.

Heterogeneous environments provide different daily and seasonal thermal conditions for snakes, resulting in temporal and spatial variations in body temperature (Tb). This study analyzes the Tb of in the forest and grassland of a Mexican locality through daily and seasonal profiling. The patterns were obtained from seminatural enclosures in the field with a point sampling strategy to analyze temporal and spatial variations in Tb.

Comparison of sample characteristics of Wisconsin Alzheimer's Disease Research Center participants with the Wisconsin state population-An evaluation of the recruitment effort.

Introduction: Understanding how a research sample compares to the population from which it is drawn can help inform future recruitment planning. We compared the Wisconsin Alzheimer's Disease Research Center (WADRC) participant sample to the Wisconsin state population (WI-pop) on key demographic, social exposome, and vascular risk measures.

Methods: The WADRC sample included 930 participants.

Three-dimensional convolutional neural network for leak detection and localization in smart water distribution systems.

Smart meters such as advanced metering infrastructure (AMI) can significantly improve identifying realistic sized leaks in water distribution networks (WDNs). However, to date, detection/localization methods for AMI systems are extremely limited. In this study, to examine the benefits of using AMIs for leak detection within distribution network, a three-dimensional (3D) convolutional neural network (CNN) deep learning (DL) model is proposed that can account for temporally and spatially distributed information of pressures.

Piezo Ion Channels and Their Association With Haptic Technology Use: A Narrative Review.

The recent identification of Piezo ion channels demonstrating a mechano-sensitive impact on neurons revealed distinct Piezo-1 and 2 types. While Piezo-1 predominates in neurons linked to non-sensory stimulation, such as pressure in blood vessels, Piezo-2 predominates in neurons linked to sensory stimulation, such as touch. Piezo-1 and 2 have a major bidirectional impact on transient receptor potential (TRP) ion channels, and TRPs also impact neurotransmitter release.

Modeling aerobic granules in continuously flowing wastewater-treatment processes.

Continuously flowing wastewater-treatment processes can be configured for biological and physical selection to form and retain large biological aggregates (LBAs), along with suspended biomass that contains ordinary biological flocs and biomass that has detached from the LBAs. Suspended biomass and LBAs have different solids residence times (SRTs) and mass-transport resistances. Here, mathematical sub-models that describe metabolic processes, a 1-D biofilm, and spherical carriers that can migrate throughout a wastewater-treatment process were combined to simulate a full-scale demonstration train having anaerobic, anoxic, and oxic zones, as well as side-stream enhanced biological phosphorus removal.

Impact of an Oregon health policy aimed at strengthening adolescent linkage to outpatient mental health care from the emergency department.

Background: Oregon introduced a state policy, HB 3090, on October 6, 2017, which increased requirements on emergency departments (EDs) to improve transitions to outpatient mental health care. The objective of this study was to examine the policy's impact among low-income adolescent patients who face severe barriers to follow-up.

Methods: This was a retrospective cohort study of visits by Medicaid enrollees ages 14-18 presenting to any Oregon ED for a mental health concern between January 1, 2016, and December 31, 2019.

Estimated Burden of Metabolic Dysfunction-Associated Steatotic Liver Disease in US Adults, 2020 to 2050.

Importance: Metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD) is the most common cause of chronic liver disease and is projected to become the leading indication for liver transplant (LT) in the US. Understanding its clinical burden can help to identify opportunities for prevention and treatment.

Objective: To project the burden of MASLD in US adults from 2020 to 2050.

Unveiling an ancient whole-genome duplication event in Stentor, the model unicellular eukaryotes.

Whole-genome duplication (WGD) events are widespread across eukaryotes and have played a significant role in moulding the genetic architectures of diverse organisms. In the present study, the newly sequenced genome of a giant ciliated protist, Stentor roeselii, provides an opportunity for the analysis of the collinearity and retention of reciprocal best-hit genes between two Stentor species. As a main result, we have unveiled a previously undetected ancient WGD event shaping the genome of its congener, Stentor coeruleus, a model protist used in cytological and evolutionary studies.

Distinct molecular and clinical features of specific variants of KRAS codon 12 in pancreatic adenocarcinoma.

PURPOSE Oncogenic mutations in KRAS have been identified in > 85% of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) cases. G12D, G12V, and G12R are the most frequent variants. Using large clinical and genomic databases, this study characterizes prognostic and molecular differences between KRAS variants, focusing on KRAS G12D and G12R.

Cost-Effectiveness of Noninvasive Colorectal Cancer Screening in Community Clinics.

Importance: Several noninvasive tests for colorectal cancer screening are available, but their effectiveness in settings with low adherence to screening and follow-up colonoscopy is not well documented.

Objective: To assess the cost-effectiveness of and outcomes associated with noninvasive colorectal cancer screening strategies, including new blood-based tests, in a population with low adherence to screening and ongoing surveillance colonoscopy.

Design, Setting, And Participants: The validated microsimulation model used for the decision analytical modeling study projected screening outcomes from 2025 to 2124 for a simulated cohort of 10 million individuals aged 50 years in 2025 and representative of a predominantly Hispanic or Latino patient population served by a Federally Qualified Health Center in Southern California.