From Atrial Small-conductance Calcium-activated Potassium Channels to New Antiarrhythmics.

Despite significant advances in its management, AF remains a major healthcare burden affecting millions of individuals. Rhythm control with antiarrhythmic drugs or catheter ablation has been shown to improve symptoms and outcomes in AF patients, but current treatment options have limited efficacy and/or significant side-effects. Novel mechanism-based approaches could potentially be more effective, enabling improved therapeutic strategies for managing AF.

Continuous risk monitoring and management of heart failure: Rationale and design of the ALLEVIATE-HF trial.

Aims: Early identification and management of worsening heart failure (HF) is necessary to prevent disease progression and hospitalizations. The ALLEVIATE-HF (Algorithm Using LINQ Sensors for Evaluation and Treatment of Heart Failure) trial is a prospective, randomized, controlled, double-blind, multicentre trial that aims to assess the safety and efficacy of using the Reveal LINQ™ insertable cardiac monitor (ICM) in patients with HF to continuously monitor and evaluate HF risk status and guide timely interventions.

Methods: The ICM algorithm uses parameters derived from electrocardiogram (atrial fibrillation [AF], ventricular rate during AF, heart rate variability, and night heart rate), three-axis accelerometer (patient activity duration), and subcutaneous bioimpedance (fluid volume, respiration rate).

CDC WONDER: Trends in diabetes mellitus mortality in the United States from 1968 to 2021.

This study analyzes U.S. diabetes mortality trends from 1968 to 2019 using CDC WONDER data.

Methods to Adjust for Confounding in Test-Negative Design COVID-19 Effectiveness Studies: Simulation Study.

Background: Real-world COVID-19 vaccine effectiveness (VE) studies are investigating exposures of increasing complexity accounting for time since vaccination. These studies require methods that adjust for the confounding that arises when morbidities and demographics are associated with vaccination and the risk of outcome events. Methods based on propensity scores (PS) are well-suited to this when the exposure is dichotomous, but present challenges when the exposure is multinomial.

Engineered Immunomodulatory Extracellular Vesicles from Epithelial Cells with the Capacity for Stimulation of Innate and Adaptive Immunity in Cancer and Autoimmunity.

Extracellular vesicles (EVs) are generated in all cells. Systemic administration of allogenic EVs derived from epithelial and mesenchymal cells has been shown to be safe, despite carrying an array of functional molecules, including thousands of proteins. To address whether epithelial cell-derived EVs can be modified to acquire the capacity to induce an immune response, we engineered 293T EVs to harbor the immunomodulatory molecules CD80, OX40L, and PD-L1.

Natural and Bioengineered Extracellular Vesicles in Diagnosis, Monitoring and Treatment of Cancer.

Extracellular vesicles (EVs) are cell derived nanovesicles which are implicated in both physiological and pathological intercellular communication, including the initiation, progression, and metastasis of cancer. The exchange of biomolecules between stromal cells and cancer cells via EVs can provide a window to monitor cancer development in real time for better diagnostic and interventional strategies. In addition, the process of secretion and internalization of EVs by stromal and cancer cells in the tumor microenvironment (TME) can be exploited for delivering therapeutics.

Machine perfusion strategies in Liver Transplantation: A systematic review, pairwise, and network meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.

Background: Machine perfusion (MP), including hypothermic oxygenated machine perfusion (HOPE), dual HOPE, normothermic machine perfusion (NMP), NMP ischemia-free liver transplantation (NMP-ILT), and controlled oxygenated rewarming (COR), is increasingly being investigated to improve liver graft quality from extended criteria donors and donors after circulatory death and expand the donor pool. This network meta-analysis investigates the comparative efficacy and safety of various liver MP strategies versus traditional static cold storage (SCS).

Methods: We searched PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, and Cochrane Controlled Register of Trials for randomized controlled trials (RCTs) comparing liver transplantation (LT) outcomes between SCS and MP techniques.

"It's Like You're Feeding Your Child Twice": Barriers and Facilitators to Human Milk Feeding Children With Cystic Fibrosis.

Background: Cystic Fibrosis Foundation guidelines recommend human milk (HM) as the ideal source of nutrition for children with CF (cwCF). Despite known pulmonary and nutritional benefits, fewer cwCF ever receive HM compared to the general population. Early nutrition choices are preference-sensitive, yet little is known about the factors that impede or sustain HM feeding among parents of cwCF.

Distinct single cell transcriptional profile in CD4+ T-lymphocytes among obese children with asthma.

Obesity is a risk factor for asthma morbidity, associated with less responsiveness to inhaled corticosteroids. CD4+ T-cells are central to the immunology of asthma and may contribute to the unique obese asthma phenotype. We sought to characterize the single cell CD4+ Transcriptional profile differences in obese children with asthma compared to normal weight children with asthma.

New approaches in childhood IgE-mediated food allergy treatment.

Purpose Of Review: This review aims to provide an overview of the current and future treatment options for children with food allergies (FAs), highlighting the latest research findings and the potential impact of these new approaches on improving patients' and caregivers' quality of life.

Recent Findings: In the last decade, many promising approaches have emerged as an alternative to the standard avoidance of the culprit food with the risk of severe accidental reactions. Desensitization through oral immunotherapy has been introduced in clinical settings as a therapeutic approach, and more recently also omalizumab.

Sudden cardiac death associated with fatty liver disease.

Background: Fatty liver disease or steatotic liver disease (SLD) affects 25% of the global population and has been associated with heart disease. However, there is a lack of postmortem studies in the context of sudden cardiac death (SCD).

Objectives: To investigate the relationship between SLD and SCD.

Detection of alteration in carotid artery volumetry using standard-of-care computed tomography surveillance scans following unilateral radiation therapy for early-stage tonsillar squamous cell carcinoma survivors: a cross-sectional internally-matched carotid isodose analysis.

Aim: This study leveraged standard-of-care CT scans of patients receiving unilateral radiotherapy (RT) for early tonsillar cancer to detect volumetric changes in the carotid arteries, and determine whether there is a dose-response relationship.

Methods: Disease-free cancer survivors (>3 months since therapy and age > 18 years) treated with intensity modulated RT for early (T1-2, N0-2b) tonsillar cancer with pre- and post-therapy contrast-enhanced CT scans available were included. Patients treated with definitive surgery, bilateral RT, or additional RT before the post-RT CT scan were excluded.

Sodium-glucose cotransporter 2 inhibitors in patients with type 2 diabetes and myocardial infarction undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background: Sodium-glucose cotransporter 2 inhibitors (SGLT2i) have shown benefits in improving cardiovascular (CV) outcomes in patients with heart failure (HF) and may mitigate symptom progression in myocardial infarction (MI). However, their effectiveness in patients with type 2 diabetes and MI undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) is unclear.

Methods: To identify eligible studies, a comprehensive search of electronic databases, PubMed, Cochrane Library, Scopus and Embase, was conducted from inception until May 2024.

Risk and Prognosis of Hepatocellular Carcinoma in Mexican Americans with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus.

Introduction: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) disproportionately affects Hispanic persons with higher age-specific incidence and increased mortality rates compared to non-Hispanic Whites. These high rates of incidence and mortality may be explained by the variation in risk factors. Given the high prevalence of type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM) among the Hispanic population, we aimed to assess the risk and prognosis of HCC in Mexican Americans with type 2 DM with consideration of treatment for DM.

Shaping the Future of "Cardio-Kidney-Metabolic" Health: Insights From The Texas Heart Institute's 2024 Cardiometabolic Syndrome Conference.

At the Texas Heart Institute's 2024 Cardiometabolic Syndrome Conference, held on August 23, 2024, experts from diverse academic fields spoke about novel initiatives for addressing the worsening projections for cardiometabolic syndrome. Four major areas in which innovation is ongoing were highlighted: technology, policy, population health, and lifestyle and behavioral modification. This article presents a brief contextualization, summary, and analysis of the novel initiatives being implemented in each of these 4 areas to address cardiometabolic syndrome.

Acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS): from mechanistic insights to therapeutic strategies.

Acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) is a clinical syndrome of acute hypoxic respiratory failure caused by diffuse lung inflammation and edema. ARDS can be precipitated by intrapulmonary factors or extrapulmonary factors, which can lead to severe hypoxemia. Patients suffering from ARDS have high mortality rates, including a 28-day mortality rate of 34.

The utilization of microbial cell-free DNA next-generation sequencing for the detection of human herpesvirus-8 in a quaternary care center.

Background: Human herpesvirus-8 (HHV8) can present with cutaneous or extracutaneous manifestations. While violaceous skin lesions characterize cutaneous Kaposi sarcoma, extracutaneous HHV8 is challenging to diagnose due to nonspecific symptoms.

Objectives: We evaluated the role of microbial cell-free DNA next-generation sequencing (mcfDNA NGS) in diagnosing HHV8-related illness.

Understanding the bidirectional association between obesity and risk of psychological distress and depression in young adults in the US: available evidence, knowledge gaps, and future directions.

While the physical health effects of obesity are well-characterized, an emerging branch of research has shown that obesity additionally plays a critical role in one's mental health. Young adults, in a pivotal transition phase in their lives, may be particularly prone to the concurrent effects of obesity and adverse mental health outcomes. The purpose of this review is to comprehensively examine existing data regarding the connection between obesity and two widely validated measures of mental health: psychological distress and depression.

Yale-Brown Obsessive-Compulsive Scale Modified for Body Dysmorphic Disorder: Factor Structure and Construct Validity of Subfactors.

The Yale-Brown Obsessive-Compulsive Scale modified for Body Dysmorphic Disorder (BDD-YBOCS) is a semi-structured interview designed to assess the severity of current BDD. The aim of the study was to examine the factor structure and construct validity of the BDD-YBOCS. The sample included 366 adults with BDD who completed the BDD-YBOCS and other measures of BDD severity/impairment, psychiatric distress (i.

Body mass index and sleep disorders after moderate-to-severe traumatic brain injury - a national TBI model systems study.

Objective: To examine the relationship between body mass index (BMI), newly developed sleep disorders and functional outcome after moderate-to-severe traumatic brain injury (msTBI).

Methods: Retrospective data from the TBI Model Systems National Database was analyzed, focusing on the independent association between BMI, sleep disorder diagnosis, and functional outcome as measured by the Extended Glasgow Outcome Scale (GOSE) at 1-year post-injury. Linear and logistic regression were used.

Development of Progressively Earth-Independent Medical Operations to Enable NASA Exploration Missions.

-The National Aeronautics and Space Administration's (NASA's) transition from operations in low-Earth orbit to long-duration missions to the Moon and Mars necessitates the development of progressively Earth-independent medical operations (EIMO) to support crews and reduce overall mission risk. Previous work has defined and laid the foundation for EIMO, but further development of the concept is required to prepare for future exploration missions. -NASA's Exploration Medical Capability element organized a series of 5 technical interchange meetings from 2023 to 2024, which included internal (NASA) and external subject-matter experts in human spaceflight, health technology, and austere medicine to create a framework for developing the technologies and procedures necessary to maintain human health and performance in a progressively Earth-independent fashion.