Relationships Between Recent Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) and Somatic Symptoms in Adolescence.

Early identification and interventions are imperative for mitigating the harmful effects of adverse childhood experiences (ACEs). Nonetheless, a substantial barrier persists in identifying adolescents experiencing ACEs. One understudied avenue for early identification of ACEs is through the examination of somatic symptoms endorsed by adolescents.

De novo and inherited dominant variants in U4 and U6 snRNAs cause retinitis pigmentosa.

The U4 small nuclear RNA (snRNA) forms a duplex with the U6 snRNA and, together with U5 and ~30 proteins, is part of the U4/U6.U5 tri-snRNP complex, located at the core of the major spliceosome. Recently, recurrent variants in the U4 RNA, transcribed from the gene, and in at least two other genes were discovered to cause neurodevelopmental disorder.

Compositional transformations can reasonably introduce phenotype-associated values into sparse features.

It was recently argued that an analysis of tumor-associated microbiome data is invalid because features that were originally very sparse (genera with mostly zero read counts) became associated with the phenotype following batch correction. Here, we examine whether such an observation should necessarily indicate issues with processing or machine learning pipelines. We show counterexamples using the centered log ratio (CLR) transformation, which is often used for analysis of compositional microbiome data.

Optimal sparsity in autoencoder memory models of the hippocampus.

Storing complex correlated memories is significantly more efficient when memories are recoded to obtain compressed representations. Previous work has shown that compression can be implemented in a simple neural circuit, which can be described as a sparse autoencoder. The activity of the encoding units in these models recapitulates the activity of hippocampal neurons recorded in multiple experiments.

Proposed resources required for a comprehensive program for CCT CHD imaging.

Background: Cardiac Computed Tomography (CCT) is increasingly used for evaluation of congenital heart disease (CHD) in patients of all ages. Pediatric and adult congenital heart disease (ACHD) surgical programs require high quality CCT imaging as part of the multimodality imaging support expected of comprehensive care centers. Despite these expectations, there are no benchmarks or defined programmatic elements specific to the performance of CCT in patients with CHD.

Report of a Work Group on Nonverbal Learning Disability: Consensus Criteria for Developmental Visual-Spatial Disorder, a Reconceptualization of Nonverbal Learning Disability for DSM Consideration.

Objective: Although extant research points to NonVerbal Learning Disability (NVLD) as a distinct disorder, it is not included in the diagnostic nomenclatures, and there is heterogeneity in how it is defined. We formed a working group to gain consensus on a standard DSM type definition for NVLD, a necessary first step for proposing its inclusion in future DSMs and renamed the disorder to better reflect the core deficit - visual-spatial problems.

Method: An iterative process was used to reach consensus on a DSM style criteria set that reconceptualizes NVLD as Developmental Visual-Spatial Disorder (DVSD).

Prenatal exposure to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, reduced hippocampal subfield volumes, and word reading.

Reading difficulties and exposure to air pollution are both disproportionately high among youth living in economically disadvantaged contexts. Critically, variance in reading skills in youth living in higher socioeconomic status (SES) contexts largely derives from genetic factors, whereas environmental factors explain more of the variance in reading skills among youth living in lower SES contexts. Although reading research has focused closely on the psychosocial environment, little focus has been paid to the effects of the chemical environment.

The effects of early enteral feeding, fortification, and rapid feeding advancement in extremely low birth weight infants.

Background: Preterm infants are at risk for necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC) and sepsis. Optimal strategies of preterm feeding to achieve full enteral feeding early with minimal duration of central lines without increasing the risk of NEC remain uncertain. We aimed to evaluate if new enteral feeding strategies reflecting early initiation, fortification, and more rapid advancement is beneficial without increasing the risk of NEC.

Multidrug-resistant Gram-negative bacterial infections.

Multidrug-resistant Gram-negative bacterial infections cause significant morbidity and mortality globally. These pathogens easily acquire antimicrobial resistance (AMR), further highlighting their clinical significance. Third-generation cephalosporin-resistant and carbapenem-resistant Enterobacterales (eg, Escherichia coli and Klebsiella spp), multidrug-resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and carbapenem-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii are the most problematic and have been identified as priority pathogens.

Inflammatory biomarkers profiles and cognition among older adults.

Inflammation plays a major role in cognitive aging. Most studies on peripheral inflammation and cognitive aging focused on selected major inflammatory biomarkers. However, inflammatory markers are regulated and influenced by each other, and it is therefore important to consider a more comprehensive panel of markers to better capture diverse immune pathways and characterize the overall inflammatory profile of individuals.

Metabolism-driven chromatin dynamics: Molecular principles and technological advances.

Cells integrate metabolic information into core molecular processes such as transcription to adapt to environmental changes. Chromatin, the physiological template of the eukaryotic genome, has emerged as a sensor and rheostat for fluctuating intracellular metabolites. In this review, we highlight the growing list of chromatin-associated metabolites that are derived from diverse sources.

A tale of two strands: Decoding chromatin replication through strand-specific sequencing.

DNA replication, a fundamental process in all living organisms, proceeds with continuous synthesis of the leading strand by DNA polymerase ε (Pol ε) and discontinuous synthesis of the lagging strand by polymerase δ (Pol δ). This inherent asymmetry at each replication fork necessitates the development of methods to distinguish between these two nascent strands in vivo. Over the past decade, strand-specific sequencing strategies, such as enrichment and sequencing of protein-associated nascent DNA (eSPAN) and Okazaki fragment sequencing (OK-seq), have become essential tools for studying chromatin replication in eukaryotic cells.

Revitalizing Innovation: Addressing the Effects of the Downturn in Venture Capital for Cardiovascular Devices.

Venture capital (VC) plays a critical role in driving advancements in medical device innovations through its investment in early-stage companies. However, a concerning trend has emerged over the past decade: a decline in interest from VC funds toward investing in medical devices. Particularly alarming is the more than 50% decrease in investment in early-stage medical device development over the span of 2 decades.

A Framework for Behavioral Health Integration in the Program of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly (PACE).

Background: The Program of All-inclusive Care for the Elderly (PACE) is a comprehensive care model that aims to promote aging in the home and community for older adults who are nursing-home eligible needs-wise. Older adults experience age-related barriers to accessing behavioral health (BH) services. PACE programs play an important role in providing all-inclusive health care for individuals over 55 who are dually eligible for Medicaid and Medicare.

Intentions to Use PrEP Among a National Sample of Transgender and Gender-Expansive Youth and Emerging Adults: Examining Gender Minority Stress, Substance Use, and Gender Affirmation.

Transgender and gender-expansive young people, ages 13-24 years, experience disproportionate HIV risk yet are among those with the lowest US PrEP uptake rates (< 10%). Factors influencing PrEP outcomes for this population are poorly understood. This study examines the effects of gender minority stressors, gender affirmation, and heavy substance use on their PrEP outcomes using data from the CDC's 2018 START study (N = 972).

Recommendations for mitochondria transfer and transplantation nomenclature and characterization.

Intercellular mitochondria transfer is an evolutionarily conserved process in which one cell delivers some of their mitochondria to another cell in the absence of cell division. This process has diverse functions depending on the cell types involved and physiological or disease context. Although mitochondria transfer was first shown to provide metabolic support to acceptor cells, recent studies have revealed diverse functions of mitochondria transfer, including, but not limited to, the maintenance of mitochondria quality of the donor cell and the regulation of tissue homeostasis and remodelling.

Racial discrimination among women seeking breast cancer care.

Discrimination can contribute to worse health outcomes, but its prevalence in breast cancer is not well studied. We aimed to understand how women with stage I-III breast cancer faced discrimination in health care and everyday settings through the Everyday Discrimination Scale, cross-sectional survey. 296 women, 178 (60%) Non-Hispanic White (NHW), 76 (26%) Non-Hispanic Black (NHB), and 42 (14%) Hispanic participated.

PET/CT with Myocardial Blood Flow Assessment Is Prognostic of Cardiac Allograft Vasculopathy Progression and Clinical Outcomes.

Cardiac allograft vasculopathy (CAV) causes impaired blood flow in both epicardial vessels and microvasculature and remains a leading cause of posttransplant morbidity and mortality. This study examined the prognostic value and outcomes of CAV, assessed by N-ammonia PET/CT myocardial perfusion imaging in heart transplant recipients. PET/CT and invasive coronary angiography (ICA) were graded using validated scales.

Muscle-derived myostatin is a major endocrine driver of follicle-stimulating hormone synthesis.

Myostatin is a paracrine myokine that regulates muscle mass in a variety of species, including humans. In this work, we report a functional role for myostatin as an endocrine hormone that directly promotes pituitary follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) synthesis and thereby ovarian function in mice. Previously, this FSH-stimulating role was attributed to other members of the transforming growth factor-β family, the activins.

Dietary Inflammatory Score and Incident Heart Failure in the Reasons for Geographic and Racial Differences in Stroke (REGARDS) Study.

Background: Inflammation plays a key role in the development of heart failure (HF), and diet is a known modifiable factor that modulates systemic inflammation. The dietary inflammatory score (DIS) is a tool to quantify the inflammatory components of diet. We sought to determine whether the DIS is associated with incident HF events.