Stratified Impact of Therapies on Anaplastic Thyroid Cancer Outcomes in the Pre-Gene-Targeted Therapy Era.

Background: Anaplastic thyroid cancer (ATC) is a highly lethal disease, often diagnosed with advanced locoregional and distant metastases, resulting in a median survival of just 3-5 months. This study determines the stratified effectiveness of baseline treatments in all combinations, enabling precise prognoses prediction and establishing benchmarks for advanced therapeutic options.

Methods: The study extracted a cohort of pathologically confirmed ATC patients from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results program.

Preserved brain youthfulness: longitudinal evidence of slower brain aging in superagers.

Background: Superagers, older adults with exceptional cognitive abilities, show preserved brain structure compared to typical older adults. We investigated whether superagers have biologically younger brains based on their structural integrity.

Methods: A cohort of 153 older adults (aged 61-93) was recruited, with 63 classified as superagers based on superior episodic memory and 90 as typical older adults, of whom 64 were followed up after two years.

Correlations between postmortem quantitative MRI parameters and demyelination, axonal loss and gliosis in multiple sclerosis: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is frequently used to monitor disease progression in multiple sclerosis (MS). This study aims to systematically evaluate the correlation between MRI measures and histopathological changes, including demyelination, axonal loss, and gliosis, in the central nervous system of MS patients. We systematically reviewed post-mortem histological studies evaluating myelin density, axonal loss, and gliosis using quantitative imaging in MS.

In Vivo Confocal Microscopy for Automated Detection of Meibomian Gland Dysfunction: A Study Based on Deep Convolutional Neural Networks.

The objectives of this study are to construct a deep convolutional neural network (DCNN) model to diagnose and classify meibomian gland dysfunction (MGD) based on the in vivo confocal microscope (IVCM) images and to evaluate the performance of the DCNN model and its auxiliary significance for clinical diagnosis and treatment. We extracted 6643 IVCM images from the three hospitals' IVCM database as the training set for the DCNN model and 1661 IVCM images from the other two hospitals' IVCM database as the test set to examine the performance of the model. Construction of the DCNN model was performed using DenseNet-169.

Social Network Types in Autistic Adults and Its Associations with Mastery, Quality of Life, and Autism Characteristics.

Research shows heterogeneity in experiences of social contact and social networks in autistic adults. In this study, we aim to identify clusters of social support networks and investigate associations of clusters with mastery, quality of life, and autism characteristics. Autistic adults (N = 381; 45.

Efficacy, Safety, and Cost-effectiveness of Zinc Oxide Nanoparticles in Whitfield's Spirit Solution for Treating Superficial Fungal Foot Infections: A Randomized Controlled Trial.

Introduction: A novel antifungal formulation combining zinc oxide nanoparticles and Whitfield's spirit solution (ZnO-WFs) was developed to enhance the treatment of superficial fungal foot infections.

Methods: This 8-week, randomized, double-blinded controlled trial compared the efficacy, safety, and cost-effectiveness of ZnO-WFs with those of Whitfield's spirit solution (WFs) alone and a zinc oxide nanoparticle solution (ZnOs). Seventy of the 84 enrolled patients completed the trial.

Rethinking the residual approach: leveraging statistical learning to operationalize cognitive resilience in Alzheimer's disease.

Cognitive resilience (CR) describes the phenomenon of individuals evading cognitive decline despite prominent Alzheimer's disease neuropathology. Operationalization and measurement of this latent construct is non-trivial as it cannot be directly observed. The residual approach has been widely applied to estimate CR, where the degree of resilience is estimated through a linear model's residuals.

Effects of obstructive sleep apnea on nocturnal changes in blood pressure - a retrospective study.

To explore the effects of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) on nocturnal changes in blood pressure (BP), we enrolled 2037 participants who underwent polysomnography (PSG) between 2019 and 2020 and examined BP changes before and after sleep. BP was measured in the evening and the following morning using an electronic wrist sphygmomanometer in the supine position. The severity of OSA was determined by PSG and graded based on the apnea/hypopnea index (AHI).

Promoting Health Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion in Medical and Scientific Writing and Publishing of Research: A Statement from the Inaugural Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Advocacy Team of the Journal of General Internal Medicine.

The Journal of General Internal Medicine (JGIM) has a long-standing history of publishing manuscripts focused on health equity and is committed to diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) in scientific writing and publishing. This is extremely important in the current climate where false narratives and attacks on DEI and health equity are rampant. To demonstrate their commitment to DEI and health equity, the JGIM Editors-in-Chief created an inaugural DEI Advocacy Team.

Predictors of Post-Acute Sequelae of COVID-19 in a Diverse Urban Population.

Background: Post-acute sequelae of SARS-CoV-2 infection (PASC) are ongoing, relapsing, or new symptoms present at least 3 months after infection. Predictors of PASC, particularly across diverse racial and ethnic groups, remain unclear.

Objectives: Assess the prevalence of PASC 1 year after infection, examining differences in PASC prevalence by the social construct of race.

Exploring factors associated with Kidney Disease Quality of Life in patients with advanced chronic kidney disease: the Reach-J CKD cohort study.

Background: Although several studies have examined the Kidney Disease Quality of Life (KDQOL) in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD), the factors associated with kidney-related symptoms have not been fully explored.

Methods: This nationwide multicenter cohort study enrolled 2248 patients. To identify the factors associated with each item or the three KDQOL domains, such as burden of kidney disease, symptoms/problems of kidney disease, and impact of kidney disease on daily life, multiple regression analysis was performed using baseline data.

The application of the technique for dorsal median sulcus mapping in intramedullary space occupying surgery: a single-center experience.

Purpose: To investigate the technique for dorsal median sulcus (DMS) mapping and assess its application value in preserving dorsal columnn (DC) function during intramedullary space occupying surgery based on a single-center experience.

Methods: A retrospective analysis was conducted on 41 cases of intramedullary spinal cord tumor admitted to the Department of Neurosurgery at the First Affiliated Hospital of Xiamen University from March 2017 to August 2023. All included cases underwent intraoperative electrophysiological monitoring, and were divided into a study group (n = 18) and a control group (n = 23), based on whether DMS mapping technique was utilized.

Sleeve Gastrectomy and Gastric Bypass Impact in Patient's Metabolic, Gut Microbiome, and Immuno-inflammatory Profiles-A Comparative Study.

Background: Bariatric surgery is the most long-term effective treatment option for severe obesity. The role of gut microbiome (GM) in either the development of obesity or in response to obesity management strategies has been a matter of debate. This study aims to compare the impact of two of the most popular procedures, sleeve gastrectomy (SG) and Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (GB), on metabolic syndrome parameters and gut bacterial microbiome and in systemic immuno-inflammatory response.

Alcohol drinking leads to sex-dependent differentiation of T cells.

Objective: Global per capita alcohol consumption is increasing, posing significant socioeconomic and medical challenges also due to alcohol-related traumatic injuries but also its biological effects. Trauma as a leading cause of death in young adults, is often associated with an increased risk of complications, such as sepsis and multiple organ failure, due to immunological imbalances. Regulatory T cells play a crucial role in maintaining immune homeostasis by regulating the inflammatory response.

Quality of orthodontic care in an academic setting in the Middle East.

Assessment of the quality of orthodontic care in a UAE-based orthodontic postgraduate training institution was conducted using multiple indices, including the Peer Assessment Rating (PAR), American Board of Orthodontics Objective Grading System (ABO-OGS), and Index of Complexity Outcome and Need (ICON). Retrospective evaluation of pre- and post-treatment records of patients (n = 201) treated with fixed orthodontic appliances was performed by two examiners Statistical analysis assessed the influence of gender, type of malocclusion, need for extraction, missed appointments and number of treating residents on treatment duration. The average numerical reduction of the PAR and ICON scores at the start and end of the treatment were 17.

A nomogram based on trauma-induced coagulopathy for predicting hospital mortality in multi-trauma patients: a retrospective study.

Multi-trauma presents significant challenges due to the complexity of injuries and high mortality rates. Early identification and intervention are crucial for improving outcomes in these critically injured patients. This retrospective study analyzed clinical data from multi-trauma patients admitted to the emergency department of Huiyang Sanhe Hospital between January 10, 2020, and September 30, 2022.

A genome-wide atlas of human cell morphology.

A key challenge of the modern genomics era is developing empirical data-driven representations of gene function. Here we present the first unbiased morphology-based genome-wide perturbation atlas in human cells, containing three genome-wide genotype-phenotype maps comprising CRISPR-Cas9-based knockouts of >20,000 genes in >30 million cells. Our optical pooled cell profiling platform (PERISCOPE) combines a destainable high-dimensional phenotyping panel (based on Cell Painting) with optical sequencing of molecular barcodes and a scalable open-source analysis pipeline to facilitate massively parallel screening of pooled perturbation libraries.

Identification of ubiquitination-related key biomarkers and immune infiltration in Crohn's disease by bioinformatics analysis and machine learning.

Crohn's disease (CD) is a chronic inflammatory bowel disease with an unknown etiology. Ubiquitination plays a significant role in the pathogenesis of CD. This study aimed to explore the functional roles of ubiquitination-related genes in CD.

Black-vs-white racial disparities in 30-day outcomes following primary and revisional metabolic and bariatric surgery: a MBSAQIP database analysis.

Background: Previous studies have demonstrated Black-vs-White disparities in postoperative outcomes following primary metabolic and bariatric surgery (MBS). With the rising prevalence of MBS, it is important to examine racial disparities using quality indicators in primary and revisional procedures. This study explores Black-vs-White disparities in postoperative outcomes following primary and revisional MBS.

Implementation of intraoperative procedures to prevent anastomotic leak in low anterior rectal resections: a pilot study for a novel technique to evaluate anastomotic vascularization.

Introduction: Altered vascular microcirculation is recognized as a risk factor for anastomotic leakage (AL) in colorectal surgery. However, few studies evaluated its impact on AL using different devices, with heterogeneous results. The present study reported the initial experience measuring gut microcirculatory density and flow with the aid of incidence dark-field (IDF) videomicroscopy (Cytocam, Braedius, Amsterdam, The Netherlands) comparing its operative outcome using a propensity score matching (PSM) model based on age, gender, and Charlson Comorbidity Index (CCI).

Long-term liver outcomes after metabolic surgery in compensated cirrhosis due to metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis.

No therapy has been shown to reduce the risk of major adverse liver outcomes (MALO) in patients with cirrhosis due to metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis (MASH). The Surgical Procedures Eliminate Compensated Cirrhosis In Advancing Long-term (SPECCIAL) observational study compared the effects of metabolic surgery and nonsurgical treatment in patients with obesity and compensated histologically proven MASH-related cirrhosis. Using a doubly robust estimation methodology to balance key baseline characteristics between groups, the time-to-incident MALO was compared between 62 patients (68% female) who underwent metabolic surgery and 106 nonsurgical controls (71% female), with a mean follow-up of 10.

Estimating future heat-related and cold-related mortality under climate change, demographic and adaptation scenarios in 854 European cities.

Previous health impact assessments of temperature-related mortality in Europe indicated that the mortality burden attributable to cold is much larger than for heat. Questions remain as to whether climate change can result in a net decrease in temperature-related mortality. In this study, we estimated how climate change could affect future heat-related and cold-related mortality in 854 European urban areas, under several climate, demographic and adaptation scenarios.

The lean body mass to visceral fat mass ratio is negatively associated with cardiometabolic disorders: a cross-sectional study.

The literature has documented conflicting and inconsistent associations between muscle-to-fat ratios and metabolic diseases. Additionally, different adipose tissues can have contrasting effects, with visceral adipose tissue being identified as particularly harmful. This study aimed to explore the relationship between the ratio of the lean mass index (LMI) to the visceral fat mass index (VFMI) and cardiometabolic disorders, including dyslipidemia, hypertension, and diabetes, as previous research on this topic is lacking.