Clinical Characteristics and Outcomes of Patients With Heart Failure With Preserved Ejection Fraction and With Reduced Ejection Fraction According to the Prognostic Nutritional Index: Findings From PARADIGM-HF and PARAGON-HF.

Background: The importance of nutritional status is underappreciated in patients with heart failure (HF). This study aimed to describe the range of the prognostic nutrition index (PNI), and the clinical characteristics and outcomes according to PNI, in patients with HF with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF) and reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF). The primary outcome was the composite of HF hospitalization or cardiovascular death.

AGA Clinical Practice Update on Screening and Surveillance in Individuals at Increased Risk for Gastric Cancer in the United States: Expert Review.

Description: Gastric cancer (GC) is a leading cause of preventable cancer and mortality in certain US populations. The most impactful way to reduce GC mortality is via primary prevention, namely Helicobacter pylori eradication, and secondary prevention, namely endoscopic screening and surveillance of precancerous conditions, such as gastric intestinal metaplasia (GIM). An emerging body of evidence supports the possible impact of these strategies on GC incidence and mortality in identifiable high-risk populations in the United States.

Overview of Alzheimer's Disease Neuroimaging Initiative and future clinical trials.

The overall goal of the Alzheimer's Disease Neuroimaging Initiative (ADNI) is to optimize and validate biomarkers for clinical trials while sharing all data and biofluid samples with the global scientific community. ADNI has been instrumental in standardizing and validating amyloid beta (Aβ) and tau positron emission tomography (PET) imaging. ADNI data were used for the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval of the Fujirebio and Roche Elecsys cerebrospinal fluid diagnostic tests.

A human-like glutaminase-free asparaginase is highly efficacious in ASNS leukemia and solid cancer mouse xenograft models.

L-asparaginase (L-ASNase) is crucial in treating pediatric acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), but its use is hampered by side effects from the immunogenicity and L-glutaminase (L-GLNase) co-activity of FDA-approved bacterial L-ASNases, often leading to treatment discontinuation and poor outcomes. The toxicity of these L-ASNases makes them especially challenging to use in adult cancer patients. To overcome these issues, we developed EBD-200, a humanized guinea pig L-ASNase with low Km and no L-GLNase activity, eliminating glutamine-related toxicity.

Investigating the impact of oral health status on the prevalence of falls among caregivers and non-caregivers in the United States: A retrospective study.

Objective: Examining the association between oral health and the prevalence of falls among US caregivers.

Background: There is a scarcity of research on the association between oral health status and the prevalence of falls among older adults and caregivers.

Materials And Methods: Data from the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) surveys from 2016 to 2020 were analyzed.

Neuropsychological Symptoms and Functional Capacity in Older Adults with Chronic Pain.

The impact of chronic pain on neuropsychological functioning of older adults is under-studied. The present study examined the relationship between chronic pain, depression, anxiety, cognition, and functional capacity in community-dwelling older adults (ages 60-89) who completed an outpatient neuropsychological evaluation ( = 452). Psychometrically sound and validated measures were used to assess depression (Geriatric Depression Scale [GDS]), anxiety (Beck Anxiety Inventory [BAI]), cognitive functioning (the Mini Mental Status Exam [MMSE] and the Repeatable Battery for the Assessment of Neuropsychological Status [RBANS]), and functional capacity (Texas Functional Living Scale [TFLS] and Instrumental Activities of Daily Living Questionnaire [IADL]).

Retest reliability and reliable change of community-dwelling Black/African American older adults with and without mild cognitive impairment using NIH Toolbox-Cognition Battery and Cogstate Brief Battery for laptop.

Objective: With the increased use of computer-based tests in clinical and research settings, assessing retest reliability and reliable change of NIH Toolbox-Cognition Battery (NIHTB-CB) and Cogstate Brief Battery (Cogstate) is essential. Previous studies used mostly White samples, but Black/African Americans (B/AAs) must be included in this research to ensure reliability.

Method: Participants were B/AA consensus-confirmed healthy controls (HCs) (n = 49) or mild cognitive impairment (MCI) (n = 34) adults 60-85 years that completed NIHTB-CB and Cogstate for laptop at two timepoints within 4 months.

Hydroxyurea blunts mitochondrial energy metabolism and osteoblast and osteoclast differentiation exacerbating trabecular bone loss in sickle cell mice.

Sickle cell disease (SCD) is a severe hematological disorder characterized by erythrocyte sickling that causes significant morbidity and mortality. Skeletal complications of SCD include a high incidence of bone loss, especially in vertebrae, leading to fragility fractures that contribute to disease burden. Whether hydroxyurea (HU), a front-line therapy for SCD ameliorates bone disease has not been established.

Endoscopic Approaches for Managing Small Intestinal Disease.

The endoscopic evaluation and management of small intestinal diseases continue to evolve and expand. The advent of small bowel wireless capsule endoscopy and deep enteroscopy with either a double- or single-balloon enteroscope now allows complete endoscopic visualization of the entire small intestine and enables access for endoscopic interventions such as biopsies or hemostasis for most of the small bowel. New endoscopic techniques are available to treat proximal malignant small bowel obstruction, including intraluminal stents and endoscopic gastrojejunal stents.

A Case of Rapidly Progressive Glomerulonephritis Associated With Metastatic Melanoma.

Pauci-immune glomerulonephritis is a rapidly progressive form of glomerulonephritis. It is distinguished from other rapidly progressive glomerular diseases by the lack of immune deposits seen on renal biopsy, hence the name "pauci-immune." We present a case of pauci-immune glomerulonephritis in a patient with a history of malignancy that was treated with chemotherapy.

OXA β-lactamases from spp. are membrane bound and secreted into outer membrane vesicles.

β-lactamases from Gram-negative bacteria are generally regarded as soluble, periplasmic enzymes. NDMs have been exceptionally characterized as lipoproteins anchored to the outer membrane. A bioinformatics study on all sequenced β-lactamases was performed that revealed a predominance of putative lipidated enzymes in the Class D OXAs.

Molecular epidemiology and clinical characterization of carbapenemase-producing Enterobacter spp. from an international cohort.

Background: Despite the global public health threat posed by carbapenem-resistant Enterobacter spp., clinical and molecular epidemiological studies on international isolates remain scarce. Historically, the taxonomy of Enterobacter has been challenging, limiting our understanding of the clinical characteristics and outcomes of carbapenemase-producing Enterobacter spp.

Trends in Gestational Weight Gain and Prepregnancy Obesity in South Carolina, 2015-2021.

Introduction: We examined trends in prepregnancy obesity and gestational weight gain, with a focus on racial and ethnic differences, before and during the COVID-19 pandemic in South Carolina.

Methods: Hospital and emergency department discharge codes were linked to birth certificates. Prepregnancy obesity was defined as a body mass index (kg/m) of 30 or higher.

Active Monitoring With or Without Endocrine Therapy for Low-Risk Ductal Carcinoma In Situ: The COMET Randomized Clinical Trial.

Importance: Active monitoring for low-risk ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) of the breast has been proposed as an alternative to guideline-concordant care, but the safety of this approach is unknown.

Objective: To compare rates of invasive cancer in patients with low-risk DCIS receiving active monitoring vs guideline-concordant care.

Design, Setting, And Participants: Prospective, randomized noninferiority trial enrolling 995 women aged 40 years or older with a new diagnosis of hormone receptor-positive grade 1 or grade 2 DCIS without invasive cancer at 100 US Alliance Cancer Cooperative Group clinical trial sites from 2017 to 2023.

Behind Amor Blunt Trauma Lung and Liver Strains From Indenter Loading Via Finite Element Modeling.

To determine behind armor blunt trauma (BABT) injury criteria, experiments have been conducted by launching blunt projectiles at live swine at velocities up to 65 meters per second (m/s) using one type of indenter design. To ensure the generalizability of the developed injury criteria, additional tests with different indenter designs are needed. The objectives of this study were to evaluate the kinematics and injury parameters from two indenter designs using human body finite element modeling.

The MYO1B and MYO5B motor proteins and the sorting nexin SNX27 regulate apical targeting of membrane mucin MUC17 in enterocytes.

A dense glycocalyx, composed of the megaDalton-sized membrane mucin MUC17, coats the microvilli in the apical brush border of transporting intestinal epithelial cells, called enterocytes. The formation of the MUC17-based glycocalyx in the mouse small intestine occurs at the critical suckling-weaning transition. The glycocalyx extends 1 µm into the intestinal lumen and prevents the gut bacteria from directly attaching to the enterocytes.

Experimental Induction of Anti-Muscarinic Type-3-Receptor Extracellular Loop Antibodies by Immunization with 4-Hydroxy-2-nonenal Modified Ro60 and Unmodified Ro60.

Objective: Sjögren's Disease (SjD) subjects have decreased lacrimal/salivary gland function. Studies have proposed that autoantibodies targeting G-protein-coupled muscarinic acetylcholine-type-3-receptor (M3R) are potential clinical markers for SjD. We hypothesized that rabbits/mice immunized with 4-hydroxy-2-nonenal (HNE)-modified/unmodified Ro60 will develop an autoimmunity, specifically a SjD phenotype, thus expressing increased levels of anti-M3R antibodies.

Ongoing evolution of SARS-CoV-2 drives escape from mRNA vaccine-induced humoral immunity.

With the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic 4 years ago, viral sequencing continues to document numerous individual mutations in the viral spike protein across many variants. To determine the ability of vaccine-mediated humoral immunity to combat continued SARS-CoV-2 evolution, we construct a comprehensive panel of pseudoviruses harboring each individual mutation spanning 4 years of the pandemic to understand the fitness cost and resistance benefits of each. These efforts identify numerous mutations that escape from vaccine-induced humoral immunity.

The first use of "lupus" as a disease.

Objectives: Describe the history of the use of the term "lupus" as a disease and to point out the inaccuracies of previous lupus historical articles and correct the historical record.

Methods: An exhaustive review of Medieval and later texts regarding the use of the term "lupus" as it was used for the name of a disease as well as personal communications with Medieval experts who have studied this topic.

Results: There are three possible first uses of "lupus" as a disease: an affidavit written in 963 AD by Eraclius (Bishop of Liège, Belgium), in a 12th century historical account of the Bishop of Liège, falsely ascribed to the 9th century Bishop Herbernus, or in an 1170 AD letter written by Pierre de Blois about the death of archbishop Stephan du Perche.

Evoking stable and precise tactile sensations via multi-electrode intracortical microstimulation of the somatosensory cortex.

Tactile feedback from brain-controlled bionic hands can be partially restored via intracortical microstimulation (ICMS) of the primary somatosensory cortex. In ICMS, the location of percepts depends on the electrode's location and the percept intensity depends on the stimulation frequency and amplitude. Sensors on a bionic hand can thus be linked to somatotopically appropriate electrodes, and the contact force of each sensor can be used to determine the amplitude of a stimulus.

Trends in Management of Malignant Bowel Obstructions: A Longitudinal Analysis of the National Inpatient Sample.

Introduction: Malignant bowel obstructions (MBO) are complex, heterogeneous disease processes which can be managed with surgical or endoscopic interventions. Patients with MBO often have advanced metastatic disease and poor functional status, which makes it difficult for providers to determine the best treatment strategy.

Methods: Patients with urgent or emergent admissions and a primary or secondary ICD-9/ICD-10 diagnosis of bowel obstruction with an additional diagnosis of disseminated cancer were identified from the National Inpatient Sample (2000-2017).