Secondhand vape exposure regulation of CFTR and immune function in cystic fibrosis.

Secondhand smoke exposure (SHSe) is a public health threat for people with cystic fibrosis (CF) and other lung diseases. Primary smoking reduces CFTR channel function, the causative defect in CF. We reported that SHSe worsens respiratory and nutritional outcomes in CF by disrupting immune responses and metabolic signaling.

Dispersal of influenza virus populations within the respiratory tract shapes their evolutionary potential.

Viral infections are characterized by dispersal from an initial site to secondary locations within the host. How the resultant spatial heterogeneity shapes within-host genetic diversity and viral evolutionary pathways is poorly understood. Here, we show that virus dispersal within and between the nasal cavity and trachea maintains diversity and is therefore conducive to adaptive evolution, whereas dispersal to the lungs gives rise to population heterogeneity.

A Strategic Approach to Shift Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Culture in Physical Therapy Education.

Background And Purpose: Efforts focused on racial and ethnic diversity in Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) programs have been prioritized to increase enrollment of Underrepresented in Medicine (URiM) individuals. While increasing diversity is a positive step, this Program took strategic action to embed Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI)-informed principles into all program areas. This holistic approach catalyzed a cultural shift that reflects a deepened commitment to the society we serve.

Time-Varying Spatial Propagation of Brain Networks in fMRI Data.

Spontaneous neural activity coherently relays information across the brain. Several efforts have been made to understand how spontaneous neural activity evolves at the macro-scale level as measured by resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rsfMRI). Previous studies observe the global patterns and flow of information in rsfMRI using methods such as sliding window or temporal lags.

Assessing fecal contamination from human and environmental sources using as an indicator in rural eastern Ethiopian households-a cross-sectional study from the EXCAM project.

Introduction: Enteric pathogens are a leading causes of diarrheal deaths in low-and middle-income countries. The Exposure Assessment of Infections in Rural Ethiopia (EXCAM) project, aims to identify potential sources of bacteria in the genus and, more generally, fecal contamination of infants during the first 1.5 years of life using as indicator.

Education Research: Making a Tweetorial Fly: Features of Educational Social Media Posts Associated With High Sharing and Engagement.

Background And Objectives: Social media platforms such as X (formerly Twitter) are increasingly used in medical education. Characteristics of tweetorials (threaded teaching posts) associated with higher degrees of engagement are unknown. We sought to understand features of neurology-themed tweetorials associated with high sharing and engagement.

Dengue virus and Zika virus alter endoplasmic reticulum-mitochondria contact sites to regulate respiration and apoptosis.

During infection, dengue virus (DENV) and Zika virus (ZIKV), two (ortho)flaviviruses of public health concern worldwide, induce alterations of mitochondria morphology to favor viral replication, suggesting a viral co-opting of mitochondria functions. Here, we performed an extensive transmission electron microscopy-based quantitative analysis to demonstrate that both DENV and ZIKV alter endoplasmic reticulum-mitochondria contact sites (ERMC). This correlated at the molecular level with an impairment of ERMC tethering protein complexes located at the surface of both organelles.

Clinical outcomes from blended care therapy for anxiety and depression in the year after treatment.

Background: Scalable evidence-based treatments for anxiety and depression, such as blended care therapy (BCT) that integrate digital tools are effective, but reporting on long-term outcomes is limited.

Method: This pragmatic observational study examined the symptom stability and trajectories of individuals in the year following engagement in a BCT program. Participants included adults with clinical anxiety and/or depression measured by the Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7 (GAD-7) or Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9).

Combined technique versus stent-retriever alone: Interaction analysis of angioarchitectural and technical features.

Introduction: We aimed to explore if anatomical and technical features could interact and favor the chances of reperfusion according to the treatment strategy: combined technique (CoT) of mechanical thrombectomy (MT) with contact aspiration and stent-retriever (SR) versus SR alone.

Methods: Retrospective analysis of a prospective MT database for carotid terminus or MCA-M1 occlusion, first-line SR alone or CoT, and angiographic run with SR deployed on the first pass. The primary analysis involved the interaction between clinical and angiographic characteristics and first-line MT modality on first-pass effect (FPE; first pass eTICI2c-3).

DISCOntinuation of disease-modifying therapies in MS: The DISCOMS extension trial.

Background: In the DISCOMS (DISCOntinuation of disease-modifying therapies (DMTs) in multiple sclerosis (MS)) randomized clinical trial, we could not demonstrate that discontinuing MS DMTs in older, stable adults was not inferior to continuing DMTs. Relapses were rare in both groups, and most new disease activity was one to two new brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) lesions unassociated with clinical changes.

Objective/aims: Describe results of the DISCOMS extension study.

Advancing Ethical Considerations for Data Science in Injury and Violence Prevention.

Data science is an emerging field that provides new analytical methods. It incorporates novel data sources (eg, internet data) and methods (eg, machine learning) that offer valuable and timely insights into public health issues, including injury and violence prevention. The objective of this research was to describe ethical considerations for public health data scientists conducting injury and violence prevention-related data science projects to prevent unintended ethical, legal, and social consequences, such as loss of privacy or loss of public trust.

Cinnamaldehyde impacts key cellular signaling pathways for induction of programmed cell death in high-grade and low-grade human glioma cells.

Objective: Primary tumors of the brain and a large percent of malignant brain tumors are gliomas. Gliomas comprise high-grade gliomas like glioblastoma multiforme (GBMs), many of which have mutation in the tumor suppressor p53 gene and low-grade gliomas (LGGs). LGGs can progress to GBMs due to various factors.

BRAT1 - a new therapeutic target for glioblastoma.

Glioblastoma (GBM), the most malignant primary brain tumor in adults, has poor prognosis irrespective of therapeutic advances due to its radio-resistance and infiltrative growth into brain tissue. The present study assessed functions and putative druggability of BRCA1-associated ATM activator 1 (BRAT1) as a crucial factor driving key aspects of GBM, including enhanced DNA damage response and tumor migration. By a stable depletion of BRAT1 in GBM and glioma stem-like (GSC) cell lines, we observed a delay in DNA double-strand break repair and increased sensitivity to radiation treatment, corroborated by in vitro and in vivo studies demonstrating impaired tumor growth and invasion.

CPT® Codes for MRI Safety - A User's Guide.

The magnetic fields of the MR environment present unique safety challenges. Medical implants and retained foreign bodies can prevent patients from undergoing MR imaging due to interactions between the magnetic fields of the MR environment and the implant or foreign body. These hazards can be addressed through careful MR safety screening and MR examination customization, often allowing these patients with implants to undergo management-altering MR imaging.

Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Is Associated With Endothelial Dysfunction in Women With HIV.

Background: HIV induced endothelial dysfunction (ED) contributes to cardiovascular disease (CVD) in women with HIV (WWH). Although psychosocial stress has been implicated in the development of CVD in HIV, its impact on ED in WWH remains unknown.

Objectives: The authors hypothesized that posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and HIV interact to contribute to ED in WWH.

Synopsis of the 2023 US Department of Veterans Affairs and US Department of Defense Clinical Practice Guideline for the Management of Bipolar Disorder.

The US Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and Department of Defense (DOD) Work Group revised the 2013 VA/DOD Clinical Practice Guideline (CPG) for the Management of Bipolar Disorder (BD). This paper reviews the 2023 CPG and its development process, including how recommendations were made for evidence-based treatment in BD. Subject experts and key stakeholders developed 20 key questions and reviewed the published literature after a systematic search using the PICOTS (population, intervention, comparator, outcomes, timing of outcomes measurement, and setting) method.

Perfusion estimation from dynamic non-contrast computed tomography using self-supervised learning and a physics-inspired U-net transformer architecture.

Purpose: Pulmonary perfusion imaging is a key lung health indicator with clinical utility as a diagnostic and treatment planning tool. However, current nuclear medicine modalities face challenges like low spatial resolution and long acquisition times which limit clinical utility to non-emergency settings and often placing extra financial burden on the patient. This study introduces a novel deep learning approach to predict perfusion imaging from non-contrast inhale and exhale computed tomography scans (IE-CT).

Displaced cortical vein sign on CT in infants: a reliable predictor to distinguish low-attenuation subdural collections from benign enlargement of subarachnoid spaces.

Differentiating benign enlargement of subarachnoid spaces (BESS) from low-attenuation subdural collections on CT imaging of infants can be challenging. This distinction is crucial in infants, as subdural collections may raise the concern for abusive head trauma (AHT). To evaluate the utilization of the displaced cortical vein sign on CT as a predictor of pathological subdural collections confirmed by MRI and to assess the reproducibility of this finding among radiologists with different levels of clinical experience.

Multi-Institutional Analysis of Pancreatoduodenectomy for Nonfamilial Periampullary Adenoma: A Novel Risk Score to Guide Shared Decision-Making.

Introduction: Pancreatoduodenectomy (PD) may occasionally be indicated for complete removal of periampullary (duodenal and ampullary) adenomas (PAs). As compared with malignant indications, PD for benign or pre-malignant disease is often associated with increased morbidity. While the Spigelman classification assesses malignancy risk for familial adenomatous polyposis (FAP)-related duodenal adenomas, no malignancy risk score (MRS) exists for non-FAP related PAs.

Consensus Recommendations for the Management of Neurosarcoidosis: A Delphi Survey of Experts Across the United States.

Background And Objectives: Neurosarcoidosis poses a diagnostic and management challenge due to its rarity, phenotypic variability, and lack of randomized controlled studies to guide treatment selection. Recommendations for management based on expert opinion are useful in clinical practice and provide a framework for designing prospective studies.

Methods: In this Delphi survey study, specialists with experience in managing patients with neurosarcoidosis were invited to anonymously complete 2 surveys about key elements of evaluation, diagnosis, treatment, monitoring, and long-term management of neurosarcoidosis.

Machine learning for estimating and comparing clinical rules for treating diarrheal illness with antibiotics.

Acute diarrheal disease is one of the leading causes of death in children under age 5, disproportionately impacting children in low-resource settings. Many of these cases are caused by bacteria and therefore could respond to antibiotic treatment; however, the benefits of widely prescribing antibiotics must be weighed against the risks for the emergence of microbial resistance. These challenges present the opportunity for developing individualized treatment guidelines for diarrheal disease.

Generation and Characterization of a Knockout Mouse of an Enhancer of .

Genomic studies of autism and other neurodevelopmental disorders have identified several relevant protein-coding and noncoding variants. One gene with an excess of protein-coding variants is that also is the gene underlying the Hypotonia, Ataxia, and Delayed Development Syndrome (HADDS). In previous work, we have identified noncoding variants in an enhancer of called hs737 and further showed that there was an enrichment of deletions of this enhancer in individuals with neurodevelopmental disorders.