MAFLD: Exploring the Systemic Effects Beyond Liver.

Metabolic dysfunction-associated fatty liver disease (MAFLD) is a growing global health concern which is driven by the increasing prevalence of diabetes and obesity. MAFLD is characterized by excessive fat accumulation in the liver, which encompasses a range of conditions, from simple hepatic steatosis to more severe forms. This condition is associated with various complications, including chronic kidney disease (CKD), Cardiovascular Disease (CVD), liver cirrhosis, and even malignancy.

A Qualitative Analysis of Immigrant Latinx Housecleaners' Experiences of How Power Relations With "Employers" Influence Working Conditions in New York City: The Safe and Just Cleaners Study.

Background: Housecleaning work has been characterized as precarious employment with unstable work hours, arbitrary and low pay and benefits, and exposures to chemical, physical, and psychosocial stressors. Understanding how interpersonal power dynamics between workers and clients, a component of precarious work, contributes to work exposures can inform and improve prevention programs.

Methods: We used reflexive thematic analysis of data from seven focus groups with Latinx immigrant housecleaners in New York City to explore workers' experience of interpersonal power dynamics with their clients-whom they referred to as their "employers"-and its influences on working conditions.

The New-Meaning Objection: A Reply to Nicolò D'Agruma.

In our paper, "The reference of proper names" (2018), we raised and rebutted the "New-Meaning" objection to our methodology. Our rebuttal rested on theoretical considerations and experimental results. In "Do the Gödel vignettes involve a new descriptivist meaning?", Nicolò D'Agruma provides an interesting argument against our theoretical considerations (but does not address the experimental evidence).

The hypercapnic environment on the International Space Station (ISS): A potential contributing factor to ocular surface symptoms in astronauts.

With increasing advancements and efforts towards space exploration, there is a pressing need to understand the impacts of spaceflight on astronauts' health. Astronauts have reported signs and symptoms of dry eye disease upon traveling to the International Space Station (ISS), thus necessitating an evaluation of the factors that contribute to the onset of spaceflight associated dry eye disease. Prior literature describes the hypercapnic environment of the ISS; however, the link between the high CO levels and astronauts' symptoms of dry eye disease remains unexplored.

Insights From Diverse Perspectives on Social Media Messages to Inform Young Adults With Cancer About Clinical Trials: Focus Group Study.

Background: Low rates of adolescent and young adult (YA; aged 15-39 y) clinical trial enrollment (CTE), particularly among underserved groups, have resulted in a lack of standardized cancer treatments and follow-up guidelines for this group that may limit improvement in cancer treatments and survival outcomes for YAs.

Objective: To understand and address unique barriers to CTE, we conducted focus groups to learn about informational, financial, and psychosocial needs of YAs surrounding CTE and identify strategies to address these barriers.

Methods: We conducted 5 focus groups in 2023 among a diverse sample of YA patients from across the United States.

The Society of Thoracic Surgeons National Intermacs Database Risk Model for Durable Left Ventricular Assist Device Implantation.

Background: Statistical risk models for durable left ventricular assist device (LVAD) implantation inform candidate selection, quality improvement, and evaluation of provider performance. We developed a 90-day mortality risk model utilizing The Society of Thoracic Surgeons National Intermacs Database (STS Intermacs).

Methods: STS Intermacs was queried for primary durable LVAD implants from 1/ 2019 - 9/2023.

Greenhouse gas emission dynamics and trajectories in urban water supply and wastewater systems.

Urban water utilities are significant energy users and also key actors in decarbonisation. However, the integrated perspective of urban water supply and wastewater system emissions, the relevant driving forces, and the boundaries of inclusions or exclusions, are rarely discussed. This is due to widely disaggregated data, and complex issues regarding the boundary of the system being investigated.

Correlation Between Postoperative Complications and Number of Colorectal Liver Metastases Resected.

Introduction: This study aimed to describe the relationship between the number of colorectal liver metastases (CRLM) resected and the rate of postoperative complications and to determine a threshold level, if any, for which the risk of postoperative complications outweighs the benefit of resection of metastatic disease.

Methods: This is a retrospective analysis of the American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Program database from 2019 to 2021. Patients were divided into three major groups: one to two, three to four, and more than five CRLM.

Biofiltration for odor mitigation in water resource recovery facilities.

Odor emissions, primarily from anthropogenic activities like waste treatment and industrial processes, pose significant challenges in urban areas, particularly near water resource recovery facilities. While these emissions are generally not toxic, they can adversely affect community wellbeing and investment, prompting stricter regulations in some regions. For example, New York State's hydrogen sulfide guidelines are more stringent than federal standards.

Mastering rectal cancer MRI: From foundational concepts to optimal staging.

MRI plays a critical role in the local staging, restaging, surveillance, and risk stratification of patients, ensuring they receive the most tailored therapy. As such, radiologists must be familiar not only with the key MRI findings that influence management decisions but also with the appropriate MRI protocols and structured reporting. Given the complexity of selecting the optimal therapy for each patient-which often requires multidisciplinary discussions-radiologists should be well-versed in relevant treatment strategies and surgical terms, understanding their significance in guiding patient care.

Evaluating Clinician Experience in Health Care Transition: Results From Six Health Systems.

Purpose: There is a paucity of evidence examining clinician experiences with structured health-care transition (HCT) programs. Among HCT Learning Collaborative participants, this study describes clinician experiences with implementation of a structured HCT process: Got Transition's 6 Core Elements.

Methods: Representative members from 6 health systems designed a survey to collect clinician feedback regarding HCT and demographic and practice information.

Predictors, patterns, and correlates of moderate-severe psychological distress among New York City College Students during Waves 2-4 of COVID-19.

The COVID-19 pandemic may have exacerbated mental health conditions by introducing and/or modifying stressors, particularly in university populations. We examined longitudinal patterns, time-varying predictors, and contemporaneous correlates of moderate-severe psychological distress (MS-PD) among college students. During 2020-2021, participants completed self-administered questionnaires quarterly (T1 = 562, T2 = 334, T3 = 221, and T4 = 169).

Ethnicity predicts long-term depressive symptom patterns in older adults with type 2 diabetes.

Objectives: Depression is a chronic disorder that significantly affects functional decline in older adults, especially those with type 2 diabetes (T2D). Ethnic groups may experience different depression risks and severities, yet the effect of ethnicity on depression trajectories and specific dimensions in older adults with T2D remains largely unexamined. We examined the longitudinal associations of ethnicity with depression and its specific dimensions over time in older Ashkenazi and non-Ashkenazi Jews with T2D.

Intranasal oxytocin for apathy in people with frontotemporal dementia (FOXY): a multicentre, randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled, adaptive, crossover, phase 2a/2b superiority trial.

Background: No treatments exist for apathy in people with frontotemporal dementia. Previously, in a randomised double-blind, placebo-controlled, dose-finding study, intranasal oxytocin administration in people with frontotemporal dementia improved apathy ratings on the Neuropsychiatric Inventory over 1 week and, in a randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled, crossover study, a single dose of 72 IU oxytocin increased blood-oxygen-level-dependent signal in limbic brain regions. We aimed to determine whether longer treatment with oxytocin improves apathy in people with frontotemporal dementia.

The Anatomy of Gossip: Dissecting Dynamics and Impacts in Surgical Residency.

Background: Gossip, defined by social scientists as "evaluative talk about an absent third party," is anecdotally pervasive yet poorly understood in surgical residency programs. Gossip is known to have both positive and negative impacts. This study sought to deconstruct the role of gossip in surgical residency and evaluate its impact through the lens of surgical residents.

Extreme heat risk and the potential implications for the scheduling of football matches at the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

Climate change is making extreme heat events more frequent and intense. This negatively impacts many aspects of society, including organised sport. As the world's most watched sporting event, the FIFA World Cup commands particular attention around the threat of extreme heat.

Herpesvirus Infections After Chimeric Antigen Receptor T-Cell Therapy and Bispecific Antibodies: A Review.

In this narrative review, we explore the burden and risk factors of various herpesvirus infections in patients receiving chimeric antigen receptor T-cell (CAR-T) therapy or bispecific antibodies (BsAb) for the treatment of hematologic malignancies. Antiviral prophylaxis for herpes simplex/varicella zoster viruses became part of the standard of care in this patient population. Breakthrough infections may rarely occur, and the optimal duration of prophylaxis as well as the timing of recombinant zoster immunization remain to be explored.

Flunarizine as a Candidate for Drug Repurposing Against Human Pathogenic Mammarenaviruses.

Lassa fever (LF), a viral hemorrhagic fever disease with a case fatality rate that can be over 20% among hospitalized LF patients, is endemic to many West African countries. Currently, no vaccines or therapies are specifically licensed to prevent or treat LF, hence the significance of developing therapeutics against the mammarenavirus Lassa virus (LASV), the causative agent of LF. We used in silico docking approaches to investigate the binding affinities of 2015 existing drugs to LASV proteins known to play critical roles in the formation and activity of the virus ribonucleoprotein complex (vRNP) responsible for directing replication and transcription of the viral genome.

Plant Compounds Inhibit the Growth of W12 Cervical Precancer Cells Containing Episomal or Integrant HPV DNA; Tanshinone IIA Synergizes with Curcumin in Cervical Cancer Cells.

This study explores the effects of plant compounds on human papillomavirus (HPV)-induced W12 cervical precancer cells and bioelectric signaling. The aim is to identify effective phytochemicals, both individually and in combination, that can prevent and treat HPV infection and HPV associated cervical cancer. Phytochemicals were tested using growth inhibition, combination, gene expression, RT PCR, and molecular docking assays.

Dietary Interventions, Supplements, and Plant-Derived Compounds for Adjunct Vitiligo Management: A Review of the Literature.

Vitiligo is a chronic autoimmune pigmentation disorder shaped by a complex interplay of genetic predispositions and environmental triggers. While conventional therapies-phototherapy, corticosteroids, and immunosuppressants-can be effective, their benefits are often partial and temporary, with recurrence common once treatment stops. As such, there is increasing interest in exploring complementary approaches that may offer a more sustainable impact.

Facilitation of Tumor Stroma-Targeted Therapy: Model Difficulty and Co-Culture Organoid Method.

Tumors, as intricate ecosystems, comprise oncocytes and the highly dynamic tumor stroma. Tumor stroma, representing the non-cancerous and non-cellular composition of the tumor microenvironment (TME), plays a crucial role in oncogenesis and progression, through its interactions with biological, chemical, and mechanical signals. This review aims to analyze the challenges of stroma mimicry models, and highlight advanced personalized co-culture approaches for recapitulating tumor stroma using patient-derived tumor organoids (PDTOs).

Stereoelectronic Effect of Protecting Groups on the Stability of Galactosyl Donor Intermediates.

Using methods of DFT, we investigated the effect of electron withdrawing and electron donating groups on the relative stability of tentative glycosyl donor reaction intermediates. The calculation shows that by changing the stereoelectronic properties of the protecting group, we can influence the stability of the dioxolenium type of intermediates by up to 10 kcal mol, and that by increasing nucleophillicity of the 4--Bz group, the dioxolenium intermediate becomes more stable than a triflate-donor pair. We exploited this mechanism to design galactosyl donors with custom protecting groups on O2 and O4, and investigated the outcome of the reaction with cyclohexanol.