Pediatric Transplant and Cellular Therapy Consortium RESILIENT Conference on Pediatric Chronic Graft-versus-Host Disease Survivorship after Hematopoietic Cell Transplantation: Part II. Organ Dysfunction and Immune Reconstitution Considerations for children with chronic GVHD after Hematopoietic Cell Transplantation.

While highly morbid forms of chronic graft versus host disease (cGVHD) and severe late effects of allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplant (HCT) can impact children and adults alike, unique considerations arise in pediatric cases regarding diagnosis, monitoring, treatment, and likelihood of resolution. As children can present with atypical features of cGVHD, and with more significant disease due to inability to communicate symptoms, they may be at increased risk for highly morbid forms of cGVHD and incur greater subsequent late effects, which may be more pronounced in those with underlying chromosomal breakage syndromes, with higher prevalence in pediatric HCT recipients. The long-term effects of cGVHD and its therapies include impaired immune reconstitution, leading to increased risks of infection and secondary malignant neoplasms.

Ambient Air Pollution and COPD: The Multiethnic Cohort Study.

Rationale: Globally, in 2019, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) was the third leading cause of death. While tobacco smoking is the predominant risk factor, the role of long-term air pollution exposure in increasing risk of COPD remains unclear. Moreover, there are few studies that have been conducted in racial and ethnic minoritized and socioeconomically diverse populations, while accounting for smoking history and other known risk factors.

Pegloticase and Methotrexate Cotherapy in Patients With Uncontrolled Gout With Prior Pegloticase Monotherapy Failure: Findings of an Open-Label Trial.

Objective: Patients with uncontrolled gout have few treatment options. Pegloticase lowers serum urate (SU) levels, but antidrug antibodies limit SU-lowering response and increase infusion reaction (IR) risk. Methotrexate (MTX) cotherapy increases pegloticase response rates and lowers IR risk in pegloticase-naïve patients.

Industry affiliation influence on randomized controlled trials for platelet-rich plasma in the treatment of lateral epicondylitis: a systematic review.

Background: Explicit funding and industry affiliation are believed to potentially impact medical research. There have been an increasing number of studies that have evaluated this relationship. The purpose of this study is to determine whether industry affiliation influences the outcomes of randomized controlled trials that investigate the effectiveness of platelet-rich plasma (PRP) in the treatment of lateral epicondylitis.

Concurrent management of vitiligo and acquired disorders of hyperpigmentation: a comprehensive literature review and current practice gaps.

Few studies discuss the co-management of vitiligo and acquired hyperpigmentation disorders (AHD) such as melasma, erythema dyschromicum perstans, post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation, drug-induced hyperpigmentation, and lichen planus pigmentosus. This review discusses clinical studies examining co-management strategies and identifies current practice gaps. Dermatology Life Quality Index scores are higher in individuals with vitiligo or melasma.

Dual modes of DNA N-methyladenine maintenance by distinct methyltransferase complexes.

Stable inheritance of DNA N-methyladenine (6mA) is crucial for its biological functions in eukaryotes. Here, we identify two distinct methyltransferase (MTase) complexes, both sharing the catalytic subunit AMT1, but featuring AMT6 and AMT7 as their unique components, respectively. While the two complexes are jointly responsible for 6mA maintenance methylation, they exhibit distinct enzymology, DNA/chromatin affinity, genomic distribution, and knockout phenotypes.

Prenatal exposure to per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) from contaminated water and risk of childhood cancer in California, 2000-2015.

Background: Few studies have investigated associations between per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) and childhood cancers. Detectable levels of PFAS in California water districts were reported in the Third Unregulated Contaminant Monitoring Rule for 2013-2015.

Methods: Geocoded residences at birth were linked to corresponding water district boundaries for 10,220 California-born children (aged 0-15 years) diagnosed with cancers (2000-2015) and 29,974 healthy controls.

Lipoprotein(a), high-sensitivity c-reactive protein, homocysteine and cardiovascular disease in the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis.

Background And Aims: Elevated lipoprotein(a) [Lp(a)], high-sensitivity C-Reactive Protein (hs-CRP), and total homocysteine (tHcy) are associated with atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD) risk. This study investigated the individual and joint associations of Lp(a), hs-CRP and tHcy with coronary heart disease (CHD) and stroke.

Methods: This study was conducted in the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis (MESA) cohort (2000-2017) (CHD analytic = 6,676; stroke analytic = 6,674 men and women).

Treatment-Emergent Major Adverse Cardiovascular and Thromboembolic Events were Infrequent During Clinical Trials of Pegloticase.

Objectives: Long-term maintenance of serum urate (SU) levels <6 mg/dl reduces gout flare frequency. However, urate-lowering therapy (ULT) initiation can induce gout flare. The incidence of thromboembolic (TE) and cardiovascular (CV) events has been shown to increase in the 30 and 120 days following gout flare, respectively; therefore, the question of ULT initiation increasing patient risk for CV/TE events has been raised.

Repurposing of a gill gene regulatory program for outer ear evolution.

How novel structures emerge during evolution has long fascinated biologists. A dramatic example is how the diminutive bones of the mammalian middle ear arose from ancestral fish jawbones. In contrast, the evolutionary origin of the outer ear, another mammalian innovation, remains a mystery, in part because it is supported by non-mineralized elastic cartilage rarely recovered in fossils.

Method Evaluation of the QuidelOrtho Diagnostics Vitros NT-proBNP II Assay.

N-terminal-proBNP (NT-proBNP) is a biomarker released into the blood in response to heart failure, reflecting the extent of cardiac stress and damage. QuidelOrtho Diagnostics released its latest reformulation of its NT-proBNP assay, the Vitros NT-proBNP II assay. This study aims to evaluate the analytical performance of the Vitros NT-proBNP II assay.

Multi-ancestry GWAS of severe pregnancy nausea and vomiting identifies risk loci associated with appetite, insulin signaling, and brain plasticity.

While most pregnancies are affected by nausea and vomiting, hyperemesis gravidarum (HG) is at the severe end of the clinical spectrum and is associated with dehydration, undernutrition, and adverse maternal, fetal, and child outcomes. Herein we performed a multi-ancestry genome-wide association study (GWAS) of severe nausea and vomiting of pregnancy of 10,974 cases and 461,461 controls across European, Asian, African, and Latino ancestries. We identified ten significantly associated loci, of which six were novel (, , , , , and , and confirmed previous genome-wide significant associations with risk genes , , , and .

Addressing the unmet need in NSCLC progression with advances in second-line therapeutics.

Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer mortality globally, with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) accounting for 85% of cases. Despite advancements in first-line treatments such as immunotherapy and targeted therapies, resistance to these treatments is common, creating a significant unmet need for effective second-line therapies. This review evaluates current and emerging second-line therapeutic options for advanced or metastatic NSCLC, focusing on their efficacy and potential to improve patient outcomes.

Nicotine and cannabis vaping among early high school adolescents: Disparities of use across sociodemographic characteristics and associations with psychosocial factors.

This study examines whether adolescent nicotine and cannabis vaping types (i.e., nicotine-only, cannabis-only, and dual use) differ across sociodemographic and school characteristics (e.

FISPGHAN statement on the global public health impact of metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease.

As rates of obesity rise worldwide, incidence of metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD), formerly referred to as nonalcoholic fatty liver disease, is increasing, worsening the burden of healthcare systems. The council of the Federation of International Societies for Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology, and Nutrition (FISPGHAN) identified the topic of MASLD epidemiology, treatment, and prevention as a global priority issue to be addressed by an expert team, with the goal to describe feasible and evidence-based actions that may contribute to reducing MASLD risk. The FISPGHAN member societies nominated experts in the field.

Renal Juxtaglomerular Cell Tumors Exhibit Distinct Genomic and Epigenomic Features and Lack Recurrent Gene Fusions: Comprehensive Molecular Analysis of a Multi-institutional Series.

Juxtaglomerular cell tumor (JxGCT) is a rare type of renal neoplasm demonstrating morphologic overlap with some mesenchymal tumors such as glomus tumor (GT) and solitary fibrous tumor (SFT). Its oncogenic drivers remain elusive, and only a few cases have been analyzed with modern molecular techniques. In prior studies, loss of chromosomes 9 and 11 appeared to be recurrent.

Primary versus Secondary Immune Thrombocytopenia (ITP): A Meeting Report from the 2023 McMaster ITP Summit.

The McMaster Immune Thrombocytopenia (ITP) Summit, held on October 27, 2023, was an educational seminar from leading experts in immune thrombocytopenia and related disorders geared toward hematologists, internists, immunologists, and clinical and translational scientists. The focus of the Summit was to review the mechanisms, diagnosis, and treatment of primary versus secondary ITP. Specific objectives were to describe the unique features of secondary ITP, and to review its mechanisms in the context of autoimmune disease and infection.

Improving PD-1 blockade plus chemotherapy for complete remission of lung cancer by nanoPDLIM2.

Immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) and their combination with other therapies such as chemotherapy, fail in most cancer patients. We previously identified the PDZ-LIM domain-containing protein 2 (PDLIM2) as a bona fide tumor suppressor that is repressed in lung cancer to drive cancer and its chemo and immunotherapy resistance, suggesting a new target for lung cancer therapy improvement. In this study, human clinical samples and data were used to investigate genetic and epigenetic changes in lung cancer.

Psychosocial needs and outcomes of adults with spina bifida: A scoping review, 1974-2023.

Limited evidence exists that serves to guide the field of practice and research pertaining to the long-term issues and needs of adults with spina bifida. Understanding the lived experience of adults with spina bifida has lagged behind considerably resulting in limited evidence-based guidance for individuals with spina bifida and their families and the health care professionals who provide services to this population. Given the paucity of knowledge of the lived experience as it pertains to adulthood, this scoping review was undertaken.

Clinicopathologic Study of 28 Cases of Tubulocystic Renal Cell Carcinoma: Is It Time to Reclassify It as a Tubulocystic Renal Cell Tumor?

Tubulocystic renal cell carcinoma (TC-RCC) is uncommon and is defined by exclusive tubulocystic growth. Its clinicopathology is still evolving. Twenty-eight cases of so-defined TC-RCC were studied for clinicopathology as well as, in some cases, immunohistochemistry.