Thalamic deep brain stimulation for central poststroke pain syndrome: an international multicenter study.

Objective: The effectiveness and optimal stimulation site of deep brain stimulation (DBS) for central poststroke pain (CPSP) remain elusive. The objective of this retrospective international multicenter study was to assess clinical as well as neuroimaging-based predictors of long-term outcomes after DBS for CPSP.

Methods: The authors analyzed patient-based clinical and neuroimaging data of previously published and unpublished cohorts from 6 international DBS centers.

Curvature Dependence of Gravitational-Wave Tests of General Relativity.

High-energy extensions to general relativity modify the Einstein-Hilbert action with higher-order curvature corrections and theory-specific coupling constants. The order of these corrections imprints a universal curvature dependence on observations while the coupling constant controls the deviation strength. In this Letter, we leverage the theory-independent expectation that modifications to the action of a given order in spacetime curvature (Riemann tensor and contractions) lead to observational deviations that scale with the system length scale to a corresponding power.

Disentangling Sources of Momentum Fluctuations in Xe+Xe and Pb+Pb Collisions with the ATLAS Detector.

High-energy nuclear collisions create a quark-gluon plasma, whose initial condition and subsequent expansion vary from event to event, impacting the distribution of the eventwise average transverse momentum [P([p_{T}])]. Disentangling the contributions from fluctuations in the nuclear overlap size (geometrical component) and other sources at a fixed size (intrinsic component) remains a challenge. This problem is addressed by measuring the mean, variance, and skewness of P([p_{T}]) in ^{208}Pb+^{208}Pb and ^{129}Xe+^{129}Xe collisions at sqrt[s_{NN}]=5.

Metallic Bonding in Close-Packed Structures: Structural Frustration from a Hidden Gauge Symmetry.

Based on its simple valence electron configuration, we may expect lithium to have straightforward physical properties that are easily explained. However, solid lithium, when cooled below 77 K, develops a complex structure that has been debated for decades. A close parallel is found in sodium below 36 K where the crystal structure still remains unresolved.

The gap between surgeon goal and achieved sagittal alignment in adult cervical spine deformity surgery.

Objective: Malalignment following cervical spine deformity (CSD) surgery can negatively impact outcomes and increase complications. Despite the growing ability to plan alignment, it remains unclear whether preoperative goals are achieved with surgery. The objective of this study was to assess how good surgeons are at achieving their preoperative goal alignment following CSD surgery.

Optimizing Virtual Follow-Up Care: Realist Evaluation of Experiences and Perspectives of Patients With Breast and Prostate Cancer.

Background: Virtual follow-up (VFU) has the potential to enhance cancer survivorship care. However, a greater understanding is needed of how VFU can be optimized.

Objective: This study aims to examine how, for whom, and in what contexts VFU works for cancer survivorship care.

The moral web of accessibility to medical assistance in dying: Reflections from the Canadian context.

In this paper, we reflect on factors that seem to have influenced the accessibility of medical assistance in dying (MAID) in the Canadian context. Since legalization in 2016, the uptake of MAID has increased rapidly to equal or exceed rates in other countries. In that MAID implementation involves numerous ethical/moral complexities, we consider four factors that appear to have influenced this growth.

Oxylipin Profiling of Airway Structural Cells Is Unique and Modified by Relevant Stimuli.

Oxylipins, diverse lipid mediators derived from fatty acids, play key roles in respiratory physiology, but the contribution of lung structural cells to this diverse profile is not well understood. This study aimed to characterize the oxylipin profiles of airway smooth muscle (ASM), lung fibroblasts (HLF), and epithelial (HBE) cells and define how they shift when they are exposed to stimuli related to contractility, fibrosis, and inflammation. Using HPLC-MS/MS, 162 oxylipins were measured in baseline media from cultured human ASM, HLF, and HBE cells as well as after stimulation with modulators of contractility and central regulators of fibrosis/inflammation.

Risk Factors for Proliferative Vitreoretinopathy in a Large Clinical Database.

Purpose: Proliferative vitreoretinopathy (PVR) is the leading cause of surgical failure following rhegmatogenous retinal detachment (RRD). In this study, we aimed to explore ocular and systemic risk factors for PVR due to RRD in a large patient database.

Methods: Patients who have a diagnosis of RRD and PVR, and who have been seen in the last seven years prior to analysis (January 2015-February 2023) were identified in the Vestrum Health database.

The American Clinical Neurophysiology Society Guideline on Indications for Continuous Electroencephalography Monitoring in Neonates.

Purpose: Continuous EEG (cEEG) monitoring is increasingly used in the management of neonates with seizures. There remains debate on what clinically relevant information can be gained from cEEG in neonates with suspected seizures, at high risk for seizures, or with definite seizures, as well as the use of cEEG for prognosis in a variety of conditions. In this guideline, we address these questions using American Clinical Neurophysiology Society structured methodology for clinical guideline development.

Renal Tubule-Specific Angiotensinogen Deletion Attenuates SGLT2 Expression and Ameliorates Diabetic Kidney Disease in Murine Models of Type 1 Diabetes.

The role of the intrarenal renin-angiotensin system (iRAS) in diabetic kidney disease (DKD) progression remains unclear. In this study, we generated mice with renal tubule-specific deletion of angiotensinogen (Agt; RT-Agt-/-) in both Akita and streptozotocin (STZ)-induced mouse model of diabetes. Both Akita RT-Agt-/- and STZ-RT-Agt-/- mice exhibited significant attenuation of glomerular hyperfiltration, urinary albumin/creatinine ratio, glomerulomegaly and tubular injury.

Image segmentation with traveling waves in an exactly solvable recurrent neural network.

We study image segmentation using spatiotemporal dynamics in a recurrent neural network where the state of each unit is given by a complex number. We show that this network generates sophisticated spatiotemporal dynamics that can effectively divide an image into groups according to a scene's structural characteristics. We then demonstrate a simple algorithm for object segmentation that generalizes across inputs ranging from simple geometric objects in grayscale images to natural images.

Organic carbon dry deposition outpaces atmospheric processing with unaccounted implications for air quality and freshwater ecosystems.

Dry deposition is an important yet poorly constrained process that removes reactive organic carbon from the atmosphere, making it unavailable for airborne chemical reactions and transferring it to other environmental systems. Using an aircraft-based measurement method, we provide large-scale estimates of total gas-phase organic carbon deposition rates and fluxes. Observed deposition rates downwind of large-scale unconventional oil operations reached up to 100 tC hour, with fluxes exceeding 0.

PtpA protein from Mycobacterium avium subsp. paratuberculosis as a potential marker of rheumatoid arthritis in humans.

Studies have noted the connection between Mycobacterium avium subspecies paratuberculosis (MAP) and autoimmunity. MAP is an intracellular pathogen that infects and multiplies in macrophages. To overcome the hostile environment elicited by the macrophage, MAP secretes a battery of virulence factors to neutralize the toxic effects of the macrophage.

De novo transcriptome assembly and discovery of drought-responsive genes in white spruce (Picea glauca).

Forests face an escalating threat from the increasing frequency of extreme drought events driven by climate change. To address this challenge, it is crucial to understand how widely distributed species of economic or ecological importance may respond to drought stress. In this study, we examined the transcriptome of white spruce (Picea glauca (Moench) Voss) to identify key genes and metabolic pathways involved in the species' response to water stress.

An exploratory review of resiliency assessments after brain injury.

Background: People with brain injury can have lower resiliency compared to the general public. Yet, resiliency facilitates positive processes to negotiate adversity after brain injury. Therefore, measuring resiliency after a brain injury is important.

Current food trade helps mitigate future climate change impacts in lower-income nations.

The risk of national food supply disruptions is linked to both domestic production and food imports. But assessments of climate change risks for food systems typically focus on the impacts on domestic production, ignoring climate impacts in supplying regions. Here, we use global crop modeling data in combination with current trade flows to evaluate potential climate change impacts on national food supply, comparing impacts on domestic production alone (domestic production impacts) to impacts considering how climate change impacts production in all source regions (consumption impact).

The influence of workload on muscle fatigue, tissue properties, and postural stability in older and younger workers.

Demographic aging and extended working lives have prompted interest in the physiological changes that occur with age, particularly in the lumbar spine. Age-related declines in muscle quality and intervertebral disc alterations may reduce muscular endurance, strength, and postural stability, potentially increasing the risk of musculoskeletal injuries in older workers. As experienced workers play an important role in addressing labor shortages, understanding the impact of age-related physiological changes on the biomechanical properties of the lumbar spine is key to ensure safe and sustainable employment for aging individuals.

Age-related disparities in national maternal mortality trends: A population-based study.

Objective: An upward trend in maternal age has been observed in the United States (US) over the last twenty years. The study objective was to examine the association of maternal age with maternal mortality in the US and examine temporal trends in mortality by maternal age.

Methods: A retrospective population-based analysis in the US between 2000-2019 was conducted using records from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's "Mortality Multiple Cause" and "Birth Data" files.

Perceived racial discrimination, resilience, and oral health behaviours of adolescents with immigrant backgrounds.

Introduction: Unmet oral health needs remain a significant issue among immigrant adolescents, often exacerbated by experiences of racial discrimination. This study aimed to examine the associations between perceived discrimination and oral health behaviours in adolescents with immigrant backgrounds and explore the potential moderating role of resilience on this association.

Methods: Ethical approval for this cross-sectional study was obtained from the University of Alberta Research Ethics Board.

Intergovernmental or fully independent? Designing a scientific panel on evidence for action against antimicrobial resistance.

Effective global action against antimicrobial resistance (AMR) relies on the successful synthesis and translation of rigorous scientific evidence into policy and practice. Despite a call in 2019 by the Interagency Coordination Group on AMR to establish a policy-science interface, and the reaffirmation to establish a scientific panel in the 2024 Political Declaration on Antimicrobial Resistance, no authoritative entity currently exists that synthesizes the scientific evidence on AMR and outlines policy options based on the best scientific insight. A Scientific Panel on Evidence for Action against AMR (SPEA) could address this gap, as well as contribute to additional governance gaps in the space of AMR, by facilitating better global coordination and cooperation; establishing real-time evidence to guide policy actions; and monitoring progress towards any globally agreed upon AMR goals and targets.

Variability of Psoriatic Arthritis Impact of Disease questionnaire (PsAID12) thresholds in psoriatic arthritis: data from the ReFlaP study.

Objectives: To explore thresholds for the Psoriatic Arthritis (PsA) Impact of Disease questionnaire (PsAID12) score against disease activity measures in an observational setting, in patients with PsA.

Methods: The baseline data from the ReFlaP observational, prospective, multicentre and international study was used (NCT03119805). Cutoffs for PsAID12 were determined against disease activity scores, defining disease impact states (ie remission, low impact, moderate impact and high impact).

Visualization of Syntrophic Benzene-Fermenting ORM2 in a Methanogenic Enrichment Culture Using Fluorescence In Situ Hybridization.

Benzene degradation under anoxic conditions was first reported more than 25 years ago; however, the activation mechanism in the absence of oxygen remains elusive. Progress has been hindered by the difficulty in cultivating anaerobic benzene-degrading enrichment cultures. Our laboratory has sustained a methanogenic enrichment culture harboring ORM2, a benzene fermenter distinct from any known genus but related to other known or predicted benzene degraders.

The Virtual Client Experience Survey for Mental Health and Addictions: Revalidation of a Survey to Measure Client and Family Experiences of Virtual Care.

Background: The onset of the COVID-19 pandemic precipitated a rapid shift to virtual care in health care settings, inclusive of mental health care. Understanding clients' perspectives on virtual mental health care quality will be critical to informing future policies and practices.

Objective: This study aimed to outline the process of redesigning and validating the Virtual Client Experience Survey (VCES), which can be used to evaluate client and family experiences of virtual care, specifically virtual mental health and addiction care.