Dementia Care Research and Psychosocial Factors.

Background: Black Americans (BAs), Hispanics/Latinos (H/Ls), and Africans (As) face a disproportionate burden of aging and Alzheimer's Disease and Related Dementias (AD/ADRD), coupled with underrepresentation in research. Further, researchers also report a lack of compliance on sensitive social determinants of health data for AD/ADRD research. For instance, the PRAPARE tool reports a low completion rate in community and clinical settings.

Dementia Care Research and Psychosocial Factors.

Background: African Americans (AA) are underrepresented in Alzheimer's disease (AD) brain donation research, making up approximately 2% of brain donations to the National Alzheimer's Coordinating Center (NACC). Focus groups were conducted to obtain qualitative information to expand upon survey data that was collected previously to gain additional insights into the attitudes of Black∖AA individuals toward brain donation and perceptions of medical research.

Method: A brain donation focus group facilitator guide was created based upon earlier survey findings.

Dementia Care Practice.

Background: Behavioural and psychological symptoms in dementia (BPSD) are common, can be distressing for persons living with dementia (PLWD), and challenging for caregivers and clinicians. There are few updated clinical practice guidelines available to assist clinicians with the assessment and management of BPSD, including deprescribing of medications. The Canadian Coalition for Seniors' Mental Health (CCSMH) developed Canadian clinical practice guidelines on the assessment and management of BPSD to address these needs.

Improving Patient Experience by Understanding Barriers and Incentives to Telehealth Adoption Among Physicians at a Large Academic Medical Center.

Patients benefit from and appreciate the option to use telehealth with their providers. Such patient expectations have therefore led to new questions about the factors that affect providers' willingness to adopt telehealth as part of their clinical practice. We interviewed 19 physicians across four specialties with differential rates of telehealth use (Psychiatry, Anesthesiology, Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation [PM&R], and Ophthalmology) to discern the barriers and incentives to telehealth adoption among physicians.

FAP-Targeted SPECT/CT and PET/CT Imaging for Breast Cancer Patients.

Breast cancer presents a significant global health challenge, necessitating continued innovation in diagnostic and therapeutic approaches. Recent advances have led to the identification of cancer-associated fibroblasts, which are highly prevalent in breast cancers and express fibroblast activation proteins (FAPs), as critical targets. FAP-specific radiotracers, when used with PET/CT and SPECT/CT, have significant potential for improving early breast cancer detection, staging, treatment response monitoring, and therapeutic intervention.

Medical large language models are vulnerable to data-poisoning attacks.

The adoption of large language models (LLMs) in healthcare demands a careful analysis of their potential to spread false medical knowledge. Because LLMs ingest massive volumes of data from the open Internet during training, they are potentially exposed to unverified medical knowledge that may include deliberately planted misinformation. Here, we perform a threat assessment that simulates a data-poisoning attack against The Pile, a popular dataset used for LLM development.

Image Guidance is Associated with Improved Freedom From Recurrence After Superficial Radiation Therapy for Nonmelanoma Skin Cancer.

Purpose: This is the first study to quantify the 2-year freedom from recurrence for individuals with nonmelanoma skin cancer (NMSC) such as basal cell carcinoma (BCC), squamous cell carcinoma (SCC), and squamous carcinoma in situ (SCCIS) treated with image guided superficial radiation therapy (IGSRT) versus SRT without image guidance.

Methods And Materials: This retrospective cohort study evaluates the 2-year freedom recurrence rate of NMSCs treated by IGSRT (March 2016 to January 2022) and compares it to existing data on NMSCs treated by SRT via 1 sample proportion tests. Individuals >18 years old with biopsy-proven SCC, SCCIS, and/or BCC treated with IGSRT were included in the study, and 1602 patients/2880 treated lesions were followed until January 14, 2022.

Deconstructing the Monolith: An Educational Module for Understanding Disparities Within Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander Populations.

Introduction: Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander (AANHPI) people represent one of the largest and most rapidly growing groups in the United States and are often aggregated as a homogeneous, rather than diverse, population in medical research and education. Currently, few educational interventions focus on the disaggregation of AANHPI patient populations and the improvement of knowledge about health disparities that affect AANHPI patients.

Methods: We developed, implemented, and facilitated a workshop for medical students to address AANHPI health disparities, adaptable for in-person and online formats.

Prevalence of Depression in Older Adults and the Potential Protective Role of Volunteering: Findings From the LongROAD Study.

Background: As the US population continues to age, depression and other mental health issues have become a significant challenge for healthy aging. Few studies, however, have examined the prevalence of depression in community-dwelling older adults in the United States.

Methods: Baseline data from the Longitudinal Research on Aging Drivers study were analyzed to examine the prevalence and correlates of depression in a multisite sample of community-dwelling adults aged 65-79 years who were enrolled and assessed between July 2015 and March 2017.

Aspirin and Hemocompatibility After LVAD Implantation in Patients With Atherosclerotic Vascular Disease: A Secondary Analysis From the ARIES-HM3 Randomized Clinical Trial.

Importance: The Aspirin and Hemocompatibility Events With a Left Ventricular Assist Device in Advanced Heart Failure (ARIES-HM3) study demonstrated that aspirin may be safely eliminated from the antithrombotic regimen after HeartMate 3 (HM3 [Abbott Cardiovascular]) left ventricular assist device (LVAD) implantation. This prespecified analysis explored whether conditions requiring aspirin (prior percutaneous coronary intervention [PCI], coronary artery bypass grafting [CABG], stroke, or peripheral vascular disease [PVD]) would influence outcomes differentially with aspirin avoidance.

Objective: To analyze aspirin avoidance on hemocompatibility-related adverse events (HRAEs) at 1 year after implant in patients with a history of CABG, PCI, stroke, or PVD.

The breast cancer genetic testing experience: probing the potential utility of an online decision aid in risk perception and decision making.

Background: Despite the association of pathogenic variants (PVs) in cancer predisposition genes with significantly increased risk of breast cancer (BC), uptake of genetic testing (GT) remains low, especially among ethnic minorities. Our prior study identified that a patient decision aid, RealRisks, improved patient-reported outcomes (including worry and perceived risk) relative to standard educational materials. This study examined patients' GT experience and its influence on subsequent actions.

The potential impact of optimal blood pressure treatment intensity to reduce disparities in dementia between Black and White individuals.

Background: Black adults have higher dementia risk than White adults. Whether tighter population-level blood pressure (BP) control reduces this disparity is unknown.

Objective: Estimate the impact of optimal BP treatment intensity on racial disparities in dementia.

Machine Learning Models for 3-Month Outcome Prediction Using Radiomics of Intracerebral Hemorrhage and Perihematomal Edema from Admission Head Computed Tomography (CT).

: Intracerebral hemorrhages (ICH) and perihematomal edema (PHE) are respective imaging markers of primary and secondary brain injury in hemorrhagic stroke. In this study, we explored the potential added value of PHE radiomic features for prognostication in ICH patients. : Using a multicentric trial cohort of acute supratentorial ICH ( = 852) patients, we extracted radiomic features from ICH and PHE lesions on admission non-contrast head CTs.

Corrigendum to "Image-guided superficial radiation therapy has superior 2-year recurrence probability to Mohs micrographic surgery" [Clin. Transl. Radiat. Oncol. 43 (2023) 100678].

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1016/j.ctro.

A multiplex method for rapidly identifying viral protease inhibitors.

With current treatments addressing only a fraction of pathogens and new viral threats constantly evolving, there is a critical need to expand our existing therapeutic arsenal. To speed the rate of discovery and better prepare against future threats, we establish a high-throughput platform capable of screening compounds against 40 diverse viral proteases simultaneously. This multiplex approach is enabled by using cellular biosensors of viral protease activity combined with DNA-barcoding technology, as well as several design innovations that increase assay sensitivity and correct for plate-to-plate variation.

The effects of war-related experiences on mental health symptoms of individuals living in conflict zones: a longitudinal study.

On October 7, 2023, a large-scale attack in southern Israel and the subsequent war resulted in extensive loss of life and injuries, with many individuals experiencing traumatic losses, such as family members or close friends being killed or kidnapped. This study aims to longitudinally examine its effects on mental health, specifically, clinical symptoms of anxiety, depression, and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). We anticipated greater symptom severity among individuals who experienced traumatic loss, were forcibly displaced, or suffered income loss, as well as among women and members of ethnic minorities.

Insufficient LGBTQ+ education across disciplines suggested by national survey of health professionals in training.

Health professionals often feel underprepared to treat patients who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and/or queer (LGBTQ+). Additionally, lack of access to professionals who are knowledgeable about LGBTQ+ inclusive care contributes to the myriad of health disparities experienced by LGBTQ+ communities. This cross-sectional survey study explores the preparedness of healthcare profession trainees for caring for LGBTQ+ patients by quantifying the hours and quality of training health profession trainees receive in LGBTQ+ education across disciplines.

Medication Withdrawal With Normal or Near-normal Histology in Ulcerative Colitis is Associated With Clinical Relapse.

Goals: We sought to understand the clinical course and risk of dysplasia in persons with UC who achieve near or complete normalization of histology.

Background: Histologic remission and normalization in ulcerative colitis (UC) is associated with improved clinical outcomes. We sought to understand the clinical course and risk of dysplasia in persons with UC who achieve near or complete normalization of histology.

Sebaceous carcinoma in immunosuppressed patients: a narrative review.

Sebaceous carcinoma is a rare cutaneous malignancy of sebaceous glands, but it is up to 25-fold more common in immunosuppressed individuals. In this narrative review, we examine the current literature on the pathogenesis, incidence, risk factors, prognosis, treatment, and surveillance of sebaceous carcinoma in immunosuppression and highlight practical considerations for providers who care for these patients. Increased incidence may be related to decreased immune surveillance, susceptibility to an unknown viral trigger, microsatellite instability, immunosuppressive medications, and unmasking of occult Muir-Torre Syndrome.

Creation of a Multimodal Telemedicine Curriculum for Preclinical Medical Students.

Introduction: In 2020, the AAMC created telemedicine competencies to guide curriculum and assessment development. Most available curricula are designed for clinical medical students or graduate trainees, and few offer opportunities for individualized, timely feedback and participation in pediatric simulated encounters.

Methods: We designed a hybrid curriculum to provide preclinical medical students with the knowledge and skills necessary to perform telemedicine encounters.

Obesity and the development of Parkinson's disease within the Framingham Heart study cohort.

Objective: To determine the role of obesity in the development of Parkinson's disease (PD).

Background: Obesity has been reported to be both a risk factor for PD, as well as potentially protective. The Framingham Heart Study (FHS) is a multigenerational longitudinal cohort study that was started in 1948, which is well-known for its cardiovascular health studies.

Acromegaly: diagnostic challenges and individualized treatment.

Introduction: Acromegaly is due in almost all cases to a GH-secreting pituitary tumor. GH and IGF-1 excesses lead to its multi-system clinical manifestations and comorbidities. Acromegaly is under-diagnosed and typically presents with advanced disease.

Preventing disease progression in schizophrenia: What are we waiting for.

Despite research advances and progress in health care, schizophrenia remains a debilitating and costly disease. Onset occurs typically during youth and can lead to a relapsing and ultimately chronic course with persistent symptoms and functional impairment if not promptly and properly treated. Consequently, over time, schizophrenia causes substantial distress and disability for patients, their families and accrues to a collective burden to society.