Thyroid Autoimmunity During Universal Salt Iodisation-Possible Short-Term Modulation with Longer-Term Stability.

Universal salt iodisation (USI) plays an essential role in the provision of iodine (I) to populations worldwide. Countries adopting USI programmes, adhering to strict criteria laid down by expert organisations such as the Iodine Global Network, are estimated to have reduced the prevalence of I deficiency by 75% (protecting 720 million individuals worldwide). Despite this success, doubts have been raised as to the desirability of continuing such programmes because of (a) the need to reduce salt intake for cardiovascular prevention and (b) the induction of thyroid autoimmunity.

Clinical and Radiological Features of an Adenovirus Type 7 Outbreak in Split-Dalmatia County, Croatia, 2022-2023.

Human adenoviruses (HAdVs) are known to be highly contagious pathogens. They are commonly associated with mild respiratory infections in young children but can also cause severe life-threatening infections. Human adenovirus types 4 and 7 have frequently been reported to cause pneumonia in immunocompetent youths and adults.

The Anti-AGEing and RAGEing Potential of Isothiocyanates.

Isothiocyanates (ITCs), found in edible plants such as cruciferous vegetables, are a group of reactive organo-sulfur phytochemicals produced by the hydrolysis of precursors known as glucosinolates. ITCs have been studied extensively both in vivo and in vitro to define their therapeutic potential for the treatment of chronic health conditions. Therapeutically, they have shown an intrinsic ability to inhibit oxidative and inflammatory phenotypes to support enhanced health.

Inhibiting De Novo Biosynthesis of Ceramide by L-Cycloserine Can Prevent Light-Induced Retinal Degeneration in Albino BALB/c Mice.

Retinal degenerative diseases lead to irreversible vision loss due to photoreceptor cell death, driven by complex genetic and environmental factors. Ceramide, a sphingolipid metabolite, emerges as a critical mediator in the apoptotic cascade associated with retinal degeneration. Our previous work demonstrated L-Cycloserine's ability to protect photoreceptor-derived cells from oxidative stress by inhibiting the de novo ceramide pathway and thus prompting further investigation on its effect in the in vivo retina.

Evaluating the Accuracy of the SIL Score for Predicting the Sepsis Mortality in Emergency Department Triages: A Comparative Analysis with NEWS and SOFA.

Sepsis is a disease with a high mortality rate, which emphasizes the importance of developing tools for the early identification of high-risk patients and to initiate timely treatments to reduce mortality. The SIL score is a scale that uses the shock index and arterial lactate level to identify early on the patients that are at a high risk of in-hospital mortality due to sepsis. The purpose of this study was to validate the SIL score as a tool for estimating the probability of sepsis in-hospital mortality from the triage room in emergency departments.

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.

Three-Dimensional Ultrasound for Physical and Virtual Fetal Heart Models: Current Status and Future Perspectives.

Congenital heart defects (CHDs) are the most common congenital defect, occurring in approximately 1 in 100 live births and being a leading cause of perinatal morbidity and mortality. Of note, approximately 25% of these defects are classified as critical, requiring immediate postnatal care by pediatric cardiology and neonatal cardiac surgery teams. Consequently, early and accurate diagnosis of CHD is key to proper prenatal and postnatal monitoring in a tertiary care setting.

Pemafibrate Induces a Low Level of PPARα Agonist-Stimulated mRNA Expression of ANGPTL4 in ARPE19 Cell.

To elucidate the unidentified roles of a selective peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor α (PPARα) agonist, pemafibrate (Pema), on the pathogenesis of retinal ischemic diseases (RID)s, the pharmacological effects of Pema on the retinal pigment epithelium (RPE), which is involved in the pathogenesis of RID, were compared with the pharmacological effects of the non-fibrate PPARα agonist GW7647 (GW). For this purpose, the human RPE cell line ARPE19 that was untreated (NT) or treated with Pema or GW was subjected to Seahorse cellular metabolic analysis and RNA sequencing analysis. Real-time cellular metabolic function analysis revealed that pharmacological effects of the PPARα agonist actions on essential metabolic functions in RPE cells were substantially different between Pema-treated cells and GW-treated cells.

Integrating Chronic Disease Management and Harm Reduction for Youth with Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis Amid Canada's Overdose Crisis.

Juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) is a chronic autoimmune condition in children that often requires long-term pain management, which can include opioid use. In the context of Canada's ongoing overdose crisis, youth with JIA face risks due to potential opioid dependency and exposure to toxic drug supplies. This commentary proposes an integrated approach combining chronic disease management with harm reduction strategies specifically tailored for JIA patients.

Current Stroke Solutions Using Artificial Intelligence: A Review of the Literature.

Introduction: In recent years, artificial intelligence (AI) has emerged as a transformative tool for enhancing stroke diagnosis, aiding treatment decision making, and improving overall patient care. Leading AI-driven platforms such as RapidAI, Brainomix, and Viz.ai have been developed to assist healthcare professionals in the swift and accurate assessment of stroke patients.

Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors in Glioblastoma IDHwt Treatment: A Systematic Review.

Purpose: A glioblastoma (GBM) is a primary brain tumor with significant unmet therapeutic needs. Immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) have marked therapeutic benefits in many different cancers but have yet to show benefit for most GBM patients in phase III trials.

Methods: A systematic review querying ClinicalTrials.

Metoprolol vs diltiazem for atrial fibrillation with rapid ventricular rate: Systematic review and meta-analysis of adverse events.

Background: Intravenous (IV) diltiazem and metoprolol are commonly used to achieve rate control for atrial fibrillation with RVR (Afib with RVR), and are both recommended as first-line by current guidelines. While prior studies investigated the efficacy of these medications, there is little evidence available regarding the risk of adverse events (AEs) with their use.

Methods: We identified randomized controlled trials (RCT) and observational studies reporting rates of AEs following administration of IV diltiazem and metoprolol for Afib with RVR by searching PubMed, SCOPUS, EMBASE, and Cochrane Library.

Prognostic significance of serum complement activation, neutrophil extracellular traps and extracellular DNA in newly diagnosed epithelial ovarian cancer.

Purpose: We observed that the tumor microenvironment (TME) in metastatic epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC) and in other solid tumors can reprogram normal neutrophils to acquire a complement-dependent suppressor phenotype characterized by inhibition of stimulated T cell activation. This study aims to evaluate whether serum markers of neutrophil activation and complement at diagnosis of EOC would be associated with clinical outcomes.

Experimental Design: We conducted a two-center prospective study of patients with newly diagnosed EOC (N = 188).

Comparison of Ultrasound Characteristics of Peripapillary Hyperreflective Ovoid Mass-Like Structures (PHOMS) and Optic Disc Drusen in Children.

Background: In children, pseudopapilledema is frequently caused by peripapillary hyperreflective ovoid mass-like structures (PHOMS) or optic disc drusen (ODD). While enhanced depth imaging (EDI) OCT can identify both, lack of cooperation, especially from younger children due to the duration of testing, often necessitates the use of B-scan ultrasound (BSUS). This study investigated whether PHOMS are hyperreflective on BSUS and if BSUS can differentiate PHOMS from ODD.

Effect of psilocybin versus escitalopram on depression symptom severity in patients with moderate-to-severe major depressive disorder: observational 6-month follow-up of a phase 2, double-blind, randomised, controlled trial.

Background: Psilocybin therapy (PT) produces rapid and persistent antidepressant effects in major depressive disorder (MDD). However, the long-term effects of PT have never been compared with gold-standard treatments for MDD such as pharmacotherapy or psychotherapy alone or in combination.

Methods: This is a 6-month follow-up study of a phase 2, double-blind, randomised, controlled trial involving patients with moderate-to-severe MDD.

High Intensity Physician-Based Service Use for Mental Health Concerns in a General-Population Sample of Children and Youth: Utilisation des services de haute intensité dispensés par des médecins pour les problèmes de santé mentale dans un échantillon d'enfants et de jeunes de la population générale.

Objective: To examine factors associated with high intensity physician-based mental health care services in a population-based sample of children and youth in Ontario, Canada.

Methods: Data from the 2014 Ontario Child Health Study (OCHS) were linked at the person-level to longitudinal health administrative databases containing physician contacts in outpatient settings, emergency departments and hospitals. Our analytical sample (15.

Buprenorphine and postpartum contraception utilization among people with opioid use disorder: a multi-state analysis.

Background: The postpartum period provides an opportunity for birthing people with opioid use disorder (OUD) to consider their future reproductive health goals. However, the relationship between the use of medication for opioid use disorder (MOUD) and contraception utilization is not well understood. We used multistate administrative claims data to compare contraception utilization rates among postpartum people with OUD initiating buprenorphine (BUP) versus no medication (psychosocial services receipt without MOUD (PSY)) in the United States (US).

Medical therapy to treat obesity and optimize fertility in women of reproductive age: a narrative review.

Background: Overweight and obesity-chronic illnesses in which an increase in body fat promotes adipose tissue dysfunction and abnormal fat mass resulting in adverse metabolic, biomechanical, and psychosocial health consequences-negatively impact female fertility. Adverse conception outcomes are multifactorial, ranging from poor oocyte quality and implantation issues to miscarriages and fetal health issues. However, with the advent of novel pharmacologic agents, significant weight loss can be achieved, improving the chances of healthy pregnancies, and their use should be considered during periconceptual counseling.

Co-occurring Psychopathology in Children With and Without Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD): Differences by Sex in the ECHO Cohorts.

Purpose: Our goals were to: 1) examine the occurrence of behavioral and emotional symptoms in children on the autism spectrum in a large national sample, stratifying by sex, and 2) evaluate whether children with increased autism-related social communication deficits also experience more behavioral and emotional problems.

Methods:  Participants (n = 7,998) were from 37 cohorts from the Environmental influences on Child Health Outcomes (ECHO) Program. Cross-sectional information on demographic factors, parent-report of an ASD diagnosis by clinician, Social Responsiveness Scale (SRS) scores, and Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL) scores were obtained for children aged 2.

Metabolic rewiring in skin epidermis drives tolerance to oncogenic mutations.

Skin epithelial stem cells correct aberrancies induced by oncogenic mutations. Oncogenes invoke different strategies of epithelial tolerance; while wild-type cells outcompete β-catenin-gain-of-function (βcatGOF) cells, Hras cells outcompete wild-type cells. Here we ask how metabolic states change as wild-type stem cells interface with mutant cells and drive different cell-competition outcomes.

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.

Integrated proteogenomic characterization of ampullary adenocarcinoma.

Ampullary adenocarcinoma (AMPAC) is a rare and heterogeneous malignancy. Here we performed a comprehensive proteogenomic analysis of 198 samples from Chinese AMPAC patients and duodenum patients. Genomic data illustrate that 4q loss causes fatty acid accumulation and cell proliferation.

The Art of Clinical Negotiation.

The art of clinical negotiation is an important, yet underappreciated aspect of medicine. Key components of negotiation include the need to consider principles over personalities, to explore all options before deciding on the best course, to realize if consensus cannot be achieved then compromise may still be possible, to work from evidence to incorporate contextual factors, and to stay evidence based. These principles can be helpful in many settings, including contract negotiation, drug pricing, and research.

Impact of Post-Traumatic Epilepsy on Mental Health and Multidimensional Outcome and Quality of Life: An NIDILRR TBIMS Study.

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) and subsequent post-traumatic epilepsy (PTE) often impair daily activities and mental health (MH), which contribute to long-term TBI-related disability. PTE also affects driving capacity, which impacts functional independence, community participation, and satisfaction with life (SWL). However, studies evaluating the collective impact of PTE on multidimensional outcomes are lacking.