Evaluating the Effects of Sugar Shift Symbiotic on Microbiome Composition and LPS Regulation: A Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Study.

(1) Background: This study evaluated the effects of BiotiQuest Sugar Shift, a novel probiotic formulation, for its impact on gut microbiome composition and metabolic health in type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2D). T2D is characterized by chronic inflammation and gut microbiome imbalances, yet the therapeutic potential of targeted probiotics remains underexplored. (2) Methods: In a 12-week randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial, 64 adults with T2D received either Sugar Shift or placebo capsules twice daily.

Chronobiology in Paediatric Neurological and Neuropsychiatric Disorders: Harmonizing Care with Biological Clocks.

: Chronobiology has gained attention in the context of paediatric neurological and neuropsychiatric disorders, including migraine, epilepsy, autism spectrum disorder (ASD), attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Disruptions in circadian rhythms are associated with key symptoms such as sleep disturbances, mood dysregulation, and cognitive impairments, suggesting a potential for chronobiology-based therapeutic approaches. : This narrative review employs a systematic approach to identify relevant studies through searches of three major scientific databases, NCBI/PubMed, ScienceDirect, and Scopus, up to July 2024.

Comparative Analysis of Outcomes in Adult Spinal Deformity Patients with Proximal Junctional Kyphosis or Failure Initially Fused to Upper Versus Lower Thoracic Spine.

Patients with proximal junctional kyphosis (PJK) or failure (PJF) may demonstrate disparate outcomes and recovery when fused to the upper (UT) versus lower (LT) thoracic spine. Few studies have distinguished the reoperation and recovery abilities of patients with PJK or PJF when fused to the upper (UT) versus lower (LT) thoracic spine. Adult spine deformity patients ≥ 18 yrs with preoperative and 5-year (5Y) data fused to the sacrum/pelvis were included.

Meta-Analysis of MINIject vs. Two iStents as Standalone Treatment for Glaucoma with 24 Months of Follow-Up.

This study compares the long-term intraocular pressure (IOP)-lowering efficacy of standalone MINIject (iSTAR Medical, Belgium) suprachoroidal implantation and two iStent (Glaukos, CA, USA) trabecular bypass implantation using a systematic review and meta-analysis. Systematic review of standalone implantation of MINIject or iStent inject with at least 24 months of follow up. The mean and standard deviation of IOP and the number of IOP-lowering medications at baseline and at 24 months were extracted.

Air Pollution's Hidden Toll: Links Between Ozone, Particulate Matter, and Adolescent Depression.

Rising rates of depression among youth present a growing mental health crisis. Despite growing concerns regarding the risks of air pollution exposure on youth mental and physical health, associations between ambient air pollutants and depression have been largely overlooked in youth. In this cross-sectional study, we investigated associations between ozone, particulate matter, and depressive symptoms in adolescents across 224 Colorado census tracts (average age of 14.

Developing a coaching manual to provide human support for the Mothers and Babies Online (eMB) perinatal mental health intervention.

Background: Depression that occurs in pregnancy or postpartum (perinatal depression) impacts 1 in 5 mothers, yet access to effective and high-quality preventative interventions remains elusive for most. Digital interventions are a promising solution to this treatment gap because of the ubiquity of mobile devices and internet access. The Mothers and Babies Online Course (eMB) is an online adaptation of Mothers and Babies, an evidence-based preventative program for postpartum depression.

Material Hardship, Forced Displacement, and Negative Health Outcomes Among Unhoused People Who Use Drugs in Los Angeles, California and Denver, Colorado: A Latent Class Analysis.

Homelessness is a growing concern in the United States, especially among people who use drugs (PWUD). The degree of material hardship among this population may be linked to worse health outcomes. PWUD experiencing homelessness in urban areas are increasingly subjected to policies and social treatment, such as forced displacement, which may worsen material hardship.

Sexual Health Advocacy for Guys (SHAG): a randomized trial of the impact of a text-messaging program on HIV incidence and STI testing among a national sample of sexual minority cisgender adolescent and young adult men.

Background: Disparities in sexually transmitted infections (STI) including human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) among sexual minority boys and young men are substantial. Effective HIV and STI prevention programs that include access to pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) medication do not consistently include younger sexual minority men. Text-messaging programs for HIV prevention have been associated with increases in HIV testing among sexual minority adolescent boys, but these programs have not incorporated a focus on PrEP or STIs beyond HIV.

Autogene cevumeran with or without atezolizumab in advanced solid tumors: a phase 1 trial.

Effective targeting of somatic cancer mutations to enhance the efficacy of cancer immunotherapy requires an individualized approach. Autogene cevumeran is a uridine messenger RNA lipoplex-based individualized neoantigen-specific immunotherapy designed from tumor-specific somatic mutation data obtained from tumor tissue of each individual patient to stimulate T cell responses against up to 20 neoantigens. This ongoing phase 1 study evaluated autogene cevumeran as monotherapy (n = 30) and in combination with atezolizumab (n = 183) in pretreated patients with advanced solid tumors.

The inability to predict futility in hemorrhaging trauma patients using 4-hour transfusion volumes and rates.

Background: Blood shortages and utilization stewardship have motivated the trauma community to evaluate futility cutoffs during massive transfusions (MTs). Recent single-center studies have confirmed meaningful survival in ultra-MT (≥20 U) and super-MT (≥50 U), while others advocate for earlier futility cut points. We sought to evaluate whether transfusion volume and intensity cut points could predict 100% mortality in a multicenter analysis.

Propensity Score Analysis of Possible Medication Effects on Outcomes in Patients With Systemic Right Ventricles.

Background: Patients with systemic right ventricle (SRV), either d-transposition of the great arteries following an atrial switch procedure or congenitally corrected transposition of the great arteries, develop severe right ventricular dysfunction, prompting appropriate medical therapy. However, the efficacy of beta-blockers and angiotensin receptor blockers or angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors (ACEI) in SRV patients is unproven.

Objectives: The objective of this study was to determine the effects of ACEI/ARB and beta-blockers on outcomes in SRV patients after accounting for likely cofounders affecting their use.

Comparative Analysis of Injury and Illness Rates Among Team USA Athletes at the Tokyo 2020 Summer Olympic and Paralympic Games.

Background: Previous research has reported higher rates of both injury and illness among Paralympic athletes compared with Olympic athletes during the Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games, but no studies have directly compared injury and illness incidence between Olympic and Paralympic athletes competing in a Summer Games.

Purpose: To compare injury and illness rates between Olympic and Paralympic Team USA athletes competing in the Tokyo 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

Study Design: Descriptive epidemiology study.

Vanzacaftor-tezacaftor-deutivacaftor versus elexacaftor-tezacaftor-ivacaftor in individuals with cystic fibrosis aged 12 years and older (SKYLINE Trials VX20-121-102 and VX20-121-103): results from two randomised, active-controlled, phase 3 trials.

Background: The goal of cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) modulators is to reach normal CFTR function in people with cystic fibrosis. Vanzacaftor-tezacaftor-deutivacaftor restored CFTR function in vitro and in phase 2 trials in participants aged 18 years and older resulting in improvements in CFTR function, as measured by sweat chloride concentrations and lung function as measured by spirometry. We aimed to evaluate the efficacy and safety of vanzacaftor-tezacaftor-deutivacaftor compared with standard of care elexacaftor-tezacaftor-ivacaftor in individuals with cystic fibrosis aged 12 years and older.

Splenectomy versus angioembolization for severe splenic injuries in a national trauma registry: To save, or not to save, the spleen, that is the question.

Background: The use of angioembolization as a first approach for treating severe, blunt splenic injuries has increased recently, yet evidence showing its superiority to immediate splenectomy is lacking. We compared the prognosis of angioembolization versus splenectomy in patients presenting hemodynamically unstable with high-grade, image-confirmed, blunt splenic injuries in a nationally representative dataset.

Methods: We queried the 2017-2022 Trauma Quality Improvement Program database for adults with blunt splenic injury abbreviated injury scale = 4-5, with arrival systolic blood pressure <90 mm Hg, and treated with either angioembolization or splenectomy <6 hours of arrival after a computed tomography scan.

Sweat chloride reflects CFTR function and correlates with clinical outcomes following CFTR modulator treatment.

Background: Highly effective CFTR modulators improve CFTR function and lead to dramatic improvements in health outcomes in many people with cystic fibrosis (pwCF). The relationship between measures of CFTR function, such as sweat chloride concentration, and clinical outcomes in pwCF treated with CFTR modulators is poorly defined. We conducted analyses to better understand the relationships between sweat chloride and CFTR function in vitro, and between sweat chloride and clinical outcomes following CFTR modulator treatment.

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.

Microfragmented Adipose Tissue Has No Advantage Over Platelet-Rich Plasma and Bone Marrow Aspirate Injections for Symptomatic Knee Osteoarthritis: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.

Background: Microfragmented adipose tissue has been proposed for intra-articular treatment of knee osteoarthritis. There are little data comparing the outcomes of treatment between microfragmented adipose tissue and other biological treatments.

Purpose: To perform a systematic review and meta-analysis comparing microfragmented aspirated fat injections to other orthobiologics, hyaluronic acid, and corticosteroid injections for symptomatic knee osteoarthritis.

Comparison of two interferon-gamma release assays for pediatric tuberculosis infection.

Introduction: Identifying tuberculosis infection (TBI) using interferon-gamma release assays (IGRAs) is a primary component of clinical and public health efforts to prevent pediatric tuberculosis. Pediatric data comparing the two IGRAs in the United States are very limited. We compared the performance of the two IGRAs among a large pediatric cohort tested for TBI and assessed whether discordance might be due to quantitative results close to test cut-off values.

Youth Homelessness in Denver, Colorado: 2017-2021.

Objectives: Homelessness is a public health crisis in the United States, yet homelessness prevalence, especially among children and youth, is not well understood. In this study, we use an indirect estimation method known as multiple systems estimation to further evaluate prevalence of youth experiencing homelessness in Denver, Colorado.

Methods: We performed a multiple systems estimation ("capture-recapture") analysis to estimate annual homelessness among youth aged 14 to 17 years in the city and county of Denver, Colorado from 2017 to 2021.

Feasibility of at-Home Sleep Monitoring in Adolescents with and without Concussion.

Background: Poor sleep is associated with longer recovery following adolescent concussion, making the longitudinal assessment of sleep important for monitoring recovery and identifying sleep disruptions. An important consideration for successful monitoring of sleep following concussion is the feasibility and adherence of a given sleep monitoring tool when used in an at-home environment. Understanding the usability of different sleep monitoring tools is essential for determining their applicability for longitudinal assessment in an ecologically valid environment.

Precision Medicine for Pulmonary Vascular Disease: The Future Is Now (2023 Grover Conference Series).

Pulmonary vascular disease is not a single condition; rather it can accompany a variety of pathologies that impact the pulmonary vasculature. Applying precision medicine strategies to better phenotype, diagnose, monitor, and treat pulmonary vascular disease is increasingly possible with the growing accessibility of powerful clinical and research tools. Nevertheless, challenges exist in implementing these tools to optimal effect.

Pseudo-endocrine Disorders: Recognition, Management, and Action.

"Pseudo-endocrine disorders" refer to proposed conditions that have never been scientifically proven to exist but, due to widespread misinformation available on the internet and other media, are relatively commonly diagnosed and treated with equally unproven and sometimes dangerous treatments. Adrenal fatigue is a nonexistent condition that supposedly results from adrenal exhaustion and atrophy due to chronic stress and has been promoted as a potential explanation for a variety of symptoms. Testing consists of nonvalidated online surveys and salivary cortisol profiles while treatment is not evidence-based at best and can be dangerous.