Obesity and metabolic syndrome in a diverse pediatric kidney transplant population: which anthropometric measure best predicts arterial stiffness?

Background: Obesity and metabolic syndrome (MS) accelerate arterial stiffening, increasing cardiovascular (CV) risk after transplant. BMI is limited by inability to differentiate muscle, fat mass, and fat distribution patterns. The aim of this study was to identify the best anthropometric measure to detect arterial stiffness as assessed by pulse wave velocity (PWV) in a racially diverse pediatric transplant population.

Charcot as a collector and critic of the arts: Relationship of the 'founder of neurology' with various aspects of art.

In his teaching, Charcot often used artistic representations from previous centuries to illustrate the historical developments of various conditions, particularly hysteria, mainly with the help of his pupil Paul Richer. Charcot liked to draw portraits and sketches of colleagues during boring faculty meetings and students' examinations, including caricatures of himself and others, church sculptures, landscapes, soldiers, and so on. He also used this skill in his clinical and scientific work.

Anorectal malformation with rectoperineal fistula in males treated with a posterior rectal advancement anoplasty (PRAA) - report of early outcomes.

A novel modification of the cutback procedure, a posterior rectal advancement anoplasty (PRAA) for select male patients with an anorectal malformation and a rectoperineal fistula was recently described which incised only within the limits of the sphincteric ellipse and eliminated an anterior rectal dissection, thus avoiding any possibility of a urethral injury. This report provides longer term postoperative outcomes after PRAA. Method A retrospective, single institution study was performed examining male patients with a rectoperineal fistula between 1/2020-12/2023.

Stormwater controls for channel stability: Focusing on bed material transport prevents degradation.

The hydrologic benefits of catchment-scale implementation of stormwater control measures (SCMs) in mitigating the adverse effects of urbanization are well established. Nevertheless, recent studies indicate that the Unified Stormwater Sizing Criteria (USSC) regulations, mandating the combined use of distributed and storage stormwater controls, do not protect channel stability, despite their effectiveness in reducing runoff from impervious surfaces. The USSC are the basis of SCM design in 11 U.

Incidence and Prevalence of Post-COVID-19 Myalgic Encephalomyelitis: A Report from the Observational RECOVER-Adult Study.

Background: Myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS) may occur after infection. How often people develop ME/CFS after SARS-CoV-2 infection is unknown.

Objective: To determine the incidence and prevalence of post-COVID-19 ME/CFS among adults enrolled in the Researching COVID to Enhance Recovery (RECOVER-Adult) study.

Stress Management Program for Scanxiety in People With Advanced Lung Cancer: Intervention Adaptation and Stakeholder Feedback.

Background: Although scanxiety is common and impactful for people with advanced lung cancer, few interventions address this psychosocial concern.

Aims: To create a stress management program for scanxiety.

Methods: We conducted a structured intervention adaptation process guided by the ADAPT-ITT framework.

Treatment of focal anaplastic Wilms tumor: A report from the Children's Oncology Group AREN0321 and AREN03B2 studies.

Background: In the fifth National Wilms Tumor Study, patients received vincristine and dactinomycin (VA) without radiation for stage I focal anaplastic Wilms tumor (FAWT) and VA plus doxorubicin (DD4A) and radiation for stage II-IV FAWT. Four-year event-free survival (EFS) and overall survival (OS) for stage I FAWT were 67.5% and 88.

Evaluation of Intestinal Permeability Using Serum Biomarkers in Learning Early About Peanut Allergy Trial.

Background: Intestinal barrier dysfunction may lead to a break in tolerance and development of food allergy (FA). There is contradictory evidence on whether intestinal permeability (IP) is altered in IgE-mediated FA. Thus, we sought to determine whether IP differed between children with eczema who did (FA group) or did not (atopic controls, ACs) develop FA and whether peanut sensitization, allergy, and early introduction impacted IP using serum biomarkers zonulin, soluble CD14, and Intestinal Fatty Acid Binding Protein among randomly selected participants enrolled in the Learning Early About Peanut allergy trial.

Transcranial Doppler Arterial Pressure Gradient Is Associated With Delayed Infarction After Subarachnoid Hemorrhage.

Background And Purpose: While the pulsatility index (PI) measured by transcranial Doppler (TCD) has broader associations with outcomes in neurocritical care, its use in monitoring delayed cerebral infarction (DCI) in patients with aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) is not endorsed by current clinical guidelines. Recognizing that arterial pressure gradient (ΔP) can be estimated using PI, we investigated the potential significance of TCD-estimated ΔP.

Methods: In this observational study of 186 SAH patients, we recorded the mean cerebral blood flow velocity (mCBFV) and PI values from the middle cerebral artery, along with corresponding blood pressures.

Dosimetric and On-treatment Clinical Results of a Volumetric-based Skin-sparing Planning Technique for Patients Treated to the Breast and Chest Wall With Pencil-Beam Scanning Proton Therapy.

Purpose: This study evaluates the hypothesis that a volumetric skin-sparing planning technique (SSPT) will reduce acute dermatitis in patients treated to the breast or chest wall (CW) with proton pencil-beam scanning (PBS).

Methods And Materials: In January 2022, our center incorporated volumetric-based skin-sparing objectives in addition to skin hot spot evaluation as an SSPT. The SSPT incorporated an objective to limit the volume of a skin evaluation structure (skin-eval) receiving 95% of the prescription dose or more (V95%Rx) to ideally < 50%.

Sensitivity and Specificity of a Signaling Question for Surveillance of Cognitive Functioning in Pediatric Sickle Cell Disease.

Background: Sickle cell disease (SCD) confers neurological risks that contribute to cognitive and academic difficulties. Clinical guidelines state that cognition should be monitored using signaling questions. However, evidence is lacking regarding the extent to which signaling questions accurately identify children with cognitive issues.

Diagnostic accuracy in coronary CT angiography analysis: artificial intelligence versus human assessment.

Background: Visual assessment of coronary CT angiography (CCTA) is time-consuming, influenced by reader experience and prone to interobserver variability. This study evaluated a novel algorithm for coronary stenosis quantification (atherosclerosis imaging quantitative CT, AI-QCT).

Methods: The study included 208 patients with suspected coronary artery disease (CAD) undergoing CCTA in Perfusion Imaging and CT Coronary Angiography With Invasive Coronary Angiography-1.

Intra-Individual Stable Isotope Variation Tracks Brazilian Contemporary Dietary and Nutritional Transition.

Introduction: Contemporary dietary and nutritional transitions are commonplace, but difficult to study directly. In Brazil, and Latin America, this generalized process, leading to current obesity and malnutrition problems, started more than four decades ago. Although body weight and food availability are used to measure changes, not much information on food consumption and nutrition exist.

Molecular Epidemiology and Clinical Aspects of Dermatophytosis in Guiyang, Southwest China (2017-2023): A Single-Institution Retrospective Study.

Epidemiological studies combining taxonomic and clinical data have been limited globally, particularly Guiyang, the most under-developed economic provincial capital city in southwestern China. A retrospective analysis was performed of dermatophyte epidemiology involving all culture-positive cases received between May 2017 and May 2023 at the Affiliated Hospital of Guizhou Medical University. Phylogenetic analysis was conducted on 391 dermatophyte isolates collected from patients using the rDNA internal transcribed spacer sequences.

Using a Group Stimulus Preference Assessment to Design an Effective Group Contingency.

Unlabelled: The purpose of this study was to extend the limited research on group stimulus preference assessment (SPA) procedures. The study occurred in two sections of a middle school special education classroom and included 20 students with multi-categorical disabilities. A paired stimulus group SPA was used to identify a preference hierarchy for each class, and results were validated using single case designs in which baseline conditions were compared to group contingency conditions with alternating sessions of the highest-preferred (high-p) and lowest-preferred (low-p) consequences.

The Financial Impact of Ehlers-Danlos Syndromes on Patients in the United States in 2022.

Objective: To determine the financial impact of Ehlers-Danlos syndromes (EDS) on patients in the United States by examining the medical expenses incurred by patients.

Patients And Methods: We used a convenience sample approach and disseminated a self-reported survey questionnaire to individuals with EDS via patient advocacy organizations and support groups across the country, social media, and health professionals from April 1, 2023, to December 31, 2023. The survey focused on the out-of-pocket medical expenses incurred by patients.

Mortality After Pediatric Cardiac Surgery in Patients From Disadvantaged Neighborhoods.

Background: Disadvantaged socioeconomic status correlates with adverse outcomes for patients with congenital heart disease. We examined individual and neighborhood characteristics associated with adverse short-term surgical outcomes and investigated potential drivers of disparities.

Methods: Single-center retrospective analysis collected clinical and demographic information on cardiovascular surgery patients over a 15-year period (2007-2022) from the District of Columbia metropolitan area.

Moving toward universal health coverage with a national health insurance program: A scoping review and narrative synthesis of experiences in eleven low- and lower-middle income countries.

Universal Health Coverage (UHC) aims to provide access to quality health services to all while avoiding financial hardship. Strategies can include establishing a national health insurance scheme (NHIS). However, variations in the progress exist among countries with an NHIS.

Predictive Methods and Probabilistic Mapping of Subcortical Brain Components in Fossil Carnivora.

Paleoneurology reconstructs the evolutionary history of nervous systems through direct observations from the fossil record and comparative data from extant species. Although this approach can provide direct evidence of phylogenetic links among species, it is constrained by the availability and quality of data that can be gleaned from the fossil record. Here, we sought to translate brain component relationships in a sample of extant Carnivora to make inferences about brain structure in fossil species.

Ischemic Jejunitis as a Late Complication of Roux-en-Y Gastric Bypass.

The rising prevalence of obesity has led to a substantial investment in the advancement of treatment options for the disease and its comorbid conditions including lifestyle, pharmacologic, and procedural interventions. In this study, we describe a patient with a history of Roux-en-Y gastric bypass who was diagnosed with ischemic jejunitis on upper endoscopy because of the development of an internal hernia, a known late complication of bariatric surgery. This case highlights the diagnostic utility of endoscopy in postgastric bypass complications and the need for safer alternatives to surgery that have the potential to achieve significant weight loss such as bariatric endoscopic therapies.

Fresh vs. frozen: pregnancy outcomes and treatment efficacy between fresh embryo transfer vs. untested freeze-all cycles.

Objective: To compare pregnancy outcomes after single blastocyst embryo transfer among patients whose first autologous embryo transfer was either a fresh embryo transfer or a frozen embryo transfer (FET) after a freeze-all, in the absence of preimplantation genetic testing for aneuploidy (PGT-A).

Design: A multicenter retrospective cohort analysis.

Setting: National multicenter fertility practice.

Autonomous Reef Monitoring Structures (ARMS) as a tool to uncover neglected marine biodiversity: two new Solenogastres (Mollusca, Aplacophora) from the Gulf of Mexico.

Solenogastres is a group of mollusks with evolutionary and ecological importance. Nevertheless, their diversity is underestimated and knowledge about the distribution of the approximately 300 formally described species is limited. Factors that contribute to this include their small size and frequent misidentification by non-specialists.

The Role of Perceived Neighborhood Factors and the Built Environment on Depression and Stress Among Latinas on US-Mexico Border.

Neighborhood factors and the built environment (e.g., sidewalks, bike lanes and public transportation) are important social determinants of mental health.