Valvular Heart Disease-Related Mortality Between Middle- and High-Income Countries During 2000 to 2019.

Background: Valvular heart disease (VHD) management has evolved rapidly in recent decades, but disparities in health care access persist among countries with varying socioeconomic backgrounds.

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to investigate global mortality trends from VHD and assess the difference between middle- and high-income countries.

Methods: We obtained mortality data from the World Health Organization Mortality Database for VHD and its subgroups (rheumatic valvular disease [RVD], infective endocarditis [IE], aortic stenosis [AS], and mitral regurgitation [MR]) from 2000 to 2019.

A Scoping Review of Electronic Health Records-Based Screening Algorithms for Familial Hypercholesterolemia.

Background: Familial hypercholesterolemia (FH) is a common genetic disorder that is strongly associated with premature cardiovascular disease. Effective diagnosis and appropriate treatment of FH can reduce cardiovascular disease risk; however, FH is underdiagnosed. Electronic health record (EHR)-based FH screening tools have been previously described to enhance the detection of FH.

Promotion of Cardiovascular Health in Africa: The Alliance for Medical Research in Africa (AMedRA) Expert Panel.

This proposed scientific statement is focused on providing new insights regarding challenges and opportunities for cardiovascular health (CVH) promotion in Africa. The statement includes an overview of the current state of CVH in Africa, with a particular interest in the cardiometabolic risk factors and their evaluation through metrics. The statement also explains the main principles of primordial prevention, its relevance in reducing noncommunicable disease and the different strategies that have been effective worldwide.

Could Better-Quality Employment Improve Population Health? Findings From a Scoping Review of Multi-Dimensional Employment Quality Research and a Proposed Research Direction.

Background: Precarious employment, a specific part of the conceptual spectrum of employment quality (EQ), has been established as an important risk to individual and population health and well-being when compared to a standard employment circumstance. There remains a need, however, to explore whether and how EQ might be used as a tool to not only protect but also advance population health and well-being.

Methods: The purposes of this scoping review were to assess the analytic treatment of the multiple dimensions of EQ and the stances researchers take to characterize the state of knowledge of EQ that supports the idea that better EQ is a health-promoting factor.

Cholangioblastic Cholangiocarcinoma (NIPBL::NACC1 cholangiocarcinoma): Expanded Morphologic Spectrum and Further Genetic Characterization.

The cholangioblastic variant of intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma is a distinctive neoplasm that typically affects young women without underlying liver disease. Morphologically, it demonstrates solid, trabecular, and tubulocystic architecture, biphasic small cell-large cell cytology, and immunoreactivity for inhibin, neuroendocrine markers, and biliary but not hepatocellular markers. In 2021, our group identified a characteristic NIPBL::NACC1 gene fusion in cholangioblastic cholangiocarcinoma, and since then ~20 genetically confirmed cases have been reported in the literature.

Resolving tissue complexity by multimodal spatial omics modeling with MISO.

Spatial molecular profiling has provided biomedical researchers valuable opportunities to better understand the relationship between cellular localization and tissue function. Effectively modeling multimodal spatial omics data is crucial for understanding tissue complexity and underlying biology. Furthermore, improvements in spatial resolution have led to the advent of technologies that can generate spatial molecular data with subcellular resolution, requiring the development of computationally efficient methods that can handle the resulting large-scale datasets.

Preliminary Effectiveness of a Telehealth-Delivered Exercise Program in Older Adults Living With and Beyond Cancer: Retrospective Study.

Background: Exercise can attenuate the deleterious combined effects of cancer treatment and aging among older adults with cancer, yet exercise participation is low. Telehealth exercise may improve exercise engagement by decreasing time and transportation barriers; however, the utility of telehealth exercise among older adults with cancer is not well established.

Objective: We aimed to evaluate the preliminary effectiveness of a one-on-one, supervised telehealth exercise program on physical function, muscular endurance, balance, and flexibility among older adults with cancer.

Optimizing Surgical Strategies: A Systematic Review of the Effectiveness of Preoperative Arterial Embolization for Hypervascular Metastatic Spinal Tumors.

Background: The vertebral column is the most common site of bony metastasis. When indicated, surgical resection of hypervascular metastatic lesions may be complicated by significant blood loss, the need for blood transfusion, and incomplete tumor resection due to poor visualization and premature abortion of the operation. In select cases, preoperative arterial embolization of hypervascular metastatic tumors may help minimize intraoperative bleeding and reduce operative times.

The impact of neoadjuvant therapy in patients with left-sided resectable pancreatic cancer: an international multicenter study.

Purpose: To assess the association between neoadjuvant therapy and overall survival (OS) in patients with left-sided resectable pancreatic cancer (RPC) compared to upfront surgery.

Background: Left-sided pancreatic cancer is associated with worse OS compared to right-sided pancreatic cancer. Although neoadjuvant therapy is currently seen as not effective in patients with RPC, current randomized trials included mostly patients with right-sided RPC.

From Hero to Zero: A Single Center Retrospective Review of the Utility of Routine Physical Crossmatching.

Pre-transplantation HLA antibody testing is necessary to assess compatibility between donor and recipient pairs. Over the past decade, the virtual crossmatch (VXM) has replaced the physical crossmatch (PXM) as the main assessment of pre-transplant histocompatibility. At our center, most transplants have proceeded based solely on the VXM, followed by a retrospective PXM.

Rethinking the rise of early onset gastrointestinal cancers: a call to action.

Since the early 1990s, there has been a dramatic rise in gastrointestinal cancers diagnosed in patients under age 50 for reasons that remain poorly understood. The most significant change has been the increase in incidence rates of early-onset colorectal cancer, especially rates of left-sided colon and rectal cancers. Increases in gastric, pancreatic, and other gastrointestinal cancer diagnoses have further contributed to this trend.

ApoE3 R136S binds to Tau and blocks its propagation, suppressing neurodegeneration in mice with Alzheimer's disease.

PSEN1 E280A carrier for the APOE3 Christchurch variant (R136S) is protected against Alzheimer's disease (AD) symptoms with a distinct anatomical pattern of Tau pathology. However, the molecular mechanism accounting for this protective effect remains incompletely understood. Here, we show that the ApoE3 R136S mutant strongly binds to Tau and reduces its uptake into neurons and microglia compared with ApoE3 wild type (WT), diminishing Tau fragmentation by asparagine endopeptidase (AEP), proinflammatory cytokines by Tau pre-formed fibrils (PFFs) or β-amyloid (Aβ), and neurotoxicity.

Defining the Cost of Arthroscopic Rotator Cuff Repair: A Multicenter, Time-Driven Activity-Based Costing and Cost Optimization Investigation.

Background: Rotator cuff repair (RCR) is a frequently performed outpatient orthopaedic surgery, with substantial financial implications for health-care systems. Time-driven activity-based costing (TDABC) is a method for nuanced cost analysis and is a valuable tool for strategic health-care decision-making. The aim of this study was to apply the TDABC methodology to RCR procedures to identify specific avenues to optimize cost-efficiency within the health-care system in 2 critical areas: (1) the reduction of variability in the episode duration, and (2) the standardization of suture anchor acquisition costs.

Blood Culture Use in Medical and Surgical Intensive Care Units and Wards.

Importance: Blood culture (BC) use benchmarks in US hospitals have not been defined.

Objective: To characterize BC use in adult intensive care units (ICUs) and wards in US hospitals.

Design, Setting, And Participants: A retrospective cross-sectional study of BC use in adult medical ICUs, medical-surgical ICUs, medical wards, and medical-surgical wards from acute care hospitals from the 4 US geographic regions was conducted.

Hypomorphic RAG2 Deficiency Promotes Selection of Self-Reactive B Cells.

Reduced function or hypomorphic variants in recombination-activating genes (RAG) 1 or 2 result in a broad clinical phenotype including common variable immunodeficiency (CVID) and even adult-onset disease. Milder RAG variants are less characterized. Here we describe the longitudinal course of a milder combined RAG deficiency in 3 of 7 siblings sharing the same RAG2 mutations over a 50-year study.

Retrospective discrimination of PNES and epileptic seizure types using blood RNA signatures.

Objectives: The ability to differentiate epileptic- and non-epileptic events is challenging due to a lack of reliable molecular seizure biomarker that provide a retrospective diagnosis. Here, we use next generation sequencing methods on whole blood samples to identify changes in RNA expression following seizures.

Methods: Blood samples were obtained from 32 patients undergoing video electroencephalogram (vEEG) monitoring.

Patent Ductus Arteriosus Morphology Changes in Preterm Neonates Undergoing Transcatheter Device Closure.

Evaluate patent ductus arteriosus (PDA) morphology changes in the preterm neonate undergoing transcatheter PDA closure (TCPC). We propose the type F ductus is associated with lower corrected gestational age (CGA) and improved TCPC outcomes. Retrospective review of premature neonates undergoing TCPC at a large volume institution from November 2020 to November 2023.

NNFit: A Self-Supervised Deep Learning Method for Accelerated Quantification of High- Resolution Short Echo Time MR Spectroscopy Datasets.

Purpose To develop and evaluate the performance of NNFit, a self-supervised deep-learning method for quantification of high-resolution short echo-time (TE) echo-planar spectroscopic imaging (EPSI) datasets, with the goal of addressing the computational bottleneck of conventional spectral quantification methods in the clinical workflow. Materials and Methods This retrospective study included 89 short-TE whole-brain EPSI/GRAPPA scans from clinical trials for glioblastoma (Trial 1, May 2014-October 2018) and major-depressive-disorder (Trial 2, 2022- 2023). The training dataset included 685k spectra from 20 participants (60 scans) in Trial 1.

Exploring itch in hidradenitis suppurativa with lessons from atopic dermatitis and psoriasis.

Itch is a prominent symptom in many cutaneous disorders, including atopic dermatitis (AD), prurigo nodularis, and psoriasis. Itch is also a common but overlooked concern in patients with hidradenitis suppurativa (HS). Currently, the mechanisms underlying itch in HS remain unclear.

ETV2/ER71 regulates hematovascular lineage generation and vascularization through an H3K9 demethylase, KDM4A.

ETV2/ER71, an ETS (E-twenty six) transcription factor, is critical for hematopoiesis and vascular development. However, research about the molecular mechanisms behind ETV2-mediated gene transcription is limited. Herein, we demonstrate that ETV2 and KDM4A, an H3K9 demethylase, regulate hematopoietic and endothelial genes.

Customizable large-scale HPLC fraction collection using low-cost 3D printing.

High-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) is an invaluable technique that has been used for many decades for the separation of various molecules. The reproducible collection of eluates from these systems has been significantly improved via its automation by fraction collection systems. Current commercially available fraction collectors are not easily customizable, incompatible with other platforms, and come with a large cost barrier making them inaccessible to many researchers.

Criticality is Associated with Future Psychotherapy Response in Patients with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder-A Pilot Study.

Background: Trauma-focused psychotherapy is treatment of choice for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). However, about half of patients do not respond. Recently, there is increased interest in brain criticality, which assesses the phase transition between order and disorder in brain activity.

Real-World Outcomes in Patients with Advanced Penile Squamous Cell Carcinoma Receiving Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors: A Single Institution Experience.

Introduction: Advanced penile squamous cell carcinoma (pSCC) is a rare and aggressive malignancy with a poor prognosis and an unmet need for biomarkers. We performed a retrospective evaluation of real-world efficacy, safety outcomes, and baseline inflammatory biomarkers in patients with advanced pSCC treated with immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs).

Methods: We performed a retrospective review of patients with advanced pSCC who received ICIs from 2012 to 2023 at the Winship Cancer Institute of Emory University in Atlanta, GA.

Development of an agenda for research and action on climate change and health in the Caribbean.

This paper delineates the development of the Caribbean Research for Action Agenda which aims to empower Caribbean Small Island Developing States to reduce their vulnerabilities to the effects of climate change on health. The Caribbean Research for Action Agenda emerged from collaboration between nongovernmental organizations, academic institutions, and multilateral agencies that organized a conference on climate change and health in the Caribbean. This Agenda was formulated by prioritizing research areas, synthesizing evidence from conference presentations and scientific literature, and holding consultations with stakeholders and experts.