Advances in Atrial Fibrillation Management: A Guide for General Internists.

Atrial fibrillation (AF) is the most common sustained cardiac arrhythmia, impacting approximately 6.1 million adults in the United States, with projections to increase two-fold by 2030. AF significantly increases the risk of stroke and other adverse cardiovascular events, leading to increased morbidity and mortality.

Impact of Vitamin D Levels on Progression-Free Survival and Response to Neoadjuvant Chemotherapy in Breast Cancer Patients: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Breast cancer remains the leading cause of cancer-related deaths among women despite advances in early detection. Neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NACT) is now standard for early-stage BC, with vitamin D (VD) emerging as a potential prognostic biomarker considering its positive pleiotropic effects. This review and meta-analysis assess the impact of baseline VD levels on outcomes in BC patients undergoing NACT.

Systematic Review-Based Treatment Algorithm for the Multidisciplinary Treatment of Lung Cancer Bone Metastases.

The prognosis for patients with lung cancer bone metastases has improved with the use of novel systemic agents. These patients might need surgery or radiotherapy to alleviate symptoms or maintain function. However, there is currently no disease specific algorithm to guide multidisciplinary decisions.

Effects of the Interaction Between Oxidative Balance Score and Polygenic Risk Scores on Incidence of Metabolic Syndrome in Middle-Aged Korean Adults.

Oxidative stress is implicated in insulin resistance, obesity, and metabolic syndromes (MetSs). However, the interplay between oxidative stress and genetic predisposition during the development of MetS remains unclear. In this study, we aimed to investigate the effects of the interaction between oxidative balance score (OBS) and polygenic risk score (PRS) on the incidence of MetS in middle-aged Korean adults.

The Bioaccumulation, Fractionation and Health Risk of Rare Earth Elements in Wild Fish of Guangzhou City, China.

In this study, the total content of REEs ranged from 1.32 to 67.74 μg/kg, with a predominant presence of light REEs.

Ethnic Differences in the Association Between Cognitive Performance and Informant-rated Cognitive Decline.

Objectives: It is unknown whether cognitive test scores are equivalently associated with informant-rated cognitive decline across culturally and linguistically diverse older adults. We examined the association between cognitive domain scores on the Harmonized Cognitive Assessment Protocol (HCAP) and informant-rated cognitive decline in a harmonized population-based sample of older adults.

Design, Setting, And Participants: We combined data from the HCAP sub-study of the Health and Retirement Study (HRS; 2016) and the Brain Attack Surveillance in Corpus Christi-Cognitive (BASIC-C; 2018-2020) study.

Prognostic significance of preoperative prognostic nutritional index in hepatocellular carcinoma after curative hepatectomy: a meta-analysis and systemic review.

Background: The Prognostic Nutritional Index (PNI), which reflects both nutritional and immune status, has emerged as a potential predictor of survival outcomes in cancer patients. However, its role in forecasting the prognosis of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) following curative hepatectomy remains unclear. To further investigate the association between PNI and survival outcomes in HCC patients, we conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Clonal hematopoiesis of indeterminate potential and the risk of pulmonary embolism: an observational study.

Background: Pulmonary embolism causes a substantial burden of morbidity and mortality. Although there are several well-established risk factors for pulmonary embolism, a substantial proportion of cases cannot be attributed to provoked or known risk factors. Accumulating evidence has suggested an association of clonal hematopoiesis of indeterminate potential (CHIP) with the risk of arterial thromboembolism.

A study evaluation framework for measuring cognition. Lessons learned in cross-national contexts from four English-speaking aging cohorts.

The Harmonized Cognitive Assessment Protocol (HCAP) is a detailed battery assessing cognition among older people used by studies across the world. Data harmonization is a key priority for HCAP studies. We used a mixed-methods approach using established theories from the existing literature detailing the methodologies of longitudinal studies and from the implementation of HCAP in four English-speaking studies adopting the same protocol.

Evaluating the Risk of Comorbidity Onset in Elderly Patients After a Cancer Diagnosis.

Background: Cancer is a critical disease that affects a person physically, mentally, socially, and in many other aspects. During the treatment stage of cancer, patients suffer from various health complexities, especially elderly people, which might result in the onset of other diseases development of a comorbid condition. Several studies have shown comorbidity plays a crucial role in cancer survival.

Quantifying absolute treatment effect heterogeneity for time-to-event outcomes across different risk strata: divergence of conclusions with risk difference and restricted mean survival difference.

Background: Risk-based analyses are increasingly popular for understanding heterogeneous treatment effects (HTE) in clinical trials. For time-to-event analyses, the assumption that high-risk patients benefit most on the clinically important absolute scale when hazard ratios (HRs) are constant across risk strata might not hold. Absolute treatment effects can be measured as either the risk difference (RD) at a given time point or the difference in restricted mean survival time (ΔRMST) which aligns more closely with utilitarian medical decision-making frameworks.

First Report of Causing Collar Rot of gilo in Ghana.

African eggplant (Solanum aethiopicum gilo group) is a nutritious vegetable widely commercialized in Ghana. In the 2021 planting season (May-July), collar rot symptoms were observed on African eggplant on a farm at Domeabra, Legon, and Okumaning in the Central (N5° 48' 11″, W1° 26' 48″), Greater Accra (N5° 39' 34″, W0° 11' 34″) and Eastern (N6° 8' 34″, W0° 55' 59″) regions of Ghana, respectively. Disease incidence was 8-15% in the different farms.

Printed versus heat-polymerized resin for occlusal devices: Evaluation of physical and mechanical properties after brushing and microbial adhesion.

Purpose: To evaluate the physical and mechanical properties after brushing and microbial adhesion of printed resins (PRs) and heat-polymerized resins (HRs) for occlusal devices (ODs).

Materials And Methods: Knoop microhardness and roughness were evaluated in three measurements before and after brushing with detergent or dentifrice. Flexural strength and modulus of elasticity were assessed by 3-point bending, and the adhesion of Candida albicans and Streptococcus mutans was evaluated by colony-forming units per milliliter (CFU/mL) and metabolic activity using the XTT assay only without brushing.

Mean arterial pressure at the initiation of continuous renal replacement therapy as a prognostic indicator in patients with acute kidney injury.

Background: Acute kidney injury (AKI) is a common complication in critically ill patients, with approximately 5% requiring continuous renal replacement therapy (CRRT). This study investigated the relationship between mean arterial pressure (MAP) and 28- and 90-day mortality in critically ill AKI patients treated with CRRT.

Methods: This secondary analysis of a bicenter, retrospective, observational study included patients with AKI who were treated with CRRT from January 2009 to September 2016.

Effectiveness of AZD7442 (Tixagevimab/Cilgavimab) for Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis Against COVID-19 Hospitalization in Israel During the Omicron Sub-Variant Time Period.

Introduction: The effectiveness of AZD7442 (tixagevimab/cilgavimab) against COVID-19 hospitalizations was determined at 3 and 6 months among immunocompromised individuals in Israel during different variant circulations.

Methods: This was a retrospective cohort study using data from Clalit Health Services in Israel. Immunocompromised individuals eligible to receive AZD7442 300 mg between 15 February and 11 December 2022 were identified.

Anti-PD-1 amplifies costimulation in melanoma-infiltrating T1-like Foxp3 regulatory T cells to alleviate local immunosuppression.

Background: Immune checkpoint inhibitors targeting programmed cell death protein-1 (PD-1) are the first line of treatment for many solid tumors including melanoma. PD-1 blockade enhances the effector functions of melanoma-infiltrating CD8 T cells, leading to durable tumor remissions. However, 55% of patients with melanoma do not respond to treatment.

Diabetes, Subclinical Myocardial Injury or Stress and Risk of Heart Failure Subtypes: The Jackson Heart Study.

Objective: To assess the extent to which the concomitant presence of subclinical myocardial injury or stress and diabetes affects the risk of heart failure (HF) subtypes.

Research Design And Methods: The Jackson Heart Study included Black adults, categorized based on diabetes status, high-sensitivity cardiac troponin I (hs-cTnI), and brain natriuretic peptide (BNP) levels. Subclinical myocardial injury was defined as hs-cTnI ≥4 ng/L in women and ≥6 ng/L in men, and subclinical myocardial stress as BNP ≥35 pg/mL.

Differences in Clinical Profiles and Biologic Treatment Approaches for Autoimmune Rheumatic Diseases Across Regions in Mexico: An Analysis of the BIOBADAMEX Cohort.

Objective: Being Mexico a very diverse developing country, the access to health care varies among geographical regions. We aimed to assess the differences in clinical features and treatment prescription in 3 regions of Mexico using data from the Mexican Adverse Events Registry (BIOBADAMEX).

Methods: We included all BIOBADAMEX patients from 2016 to 2023, compared the prescription patterns, the sociodemographic, clinical, and treatment characteristics between the northern (NR), central (CR), and southern regions (SR), and addressed the treatment survival by calculating hazards ratios (HRs).

The association of cholesterol levels with memory and memory change over a 14-year period in a US national cohort.

Introduction: The impact of cholesterol on late-life cognition remains controversial. We investigated the association of high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) and non-HDL-C with memory in a nationally representative cohort.

Methods: Health and Retirement Study (HRS) participants ( = 13,258) aged 50+ (mean age: 67.

Follicular Helper T-cell Lymphoma With Hodgkin/Reed-Sternberg-Like Cells Versus Classic Hodgkin Lymphoma: A Comparative Study.

Lymphomas of T-follicular helper origin (T-follicular helper-cell lymphoma [TFHL]) are often accompanied by an expansion of B-immunoblasts, occasionally with Hodgkin/Reed-Sternberg-like (HRS-like) cells, making the differential diagnosis with classic Hodgkin lymphoma (CHL) difficult. We compared the morphologic, immunophenotypic, and molecular features of 15 TFHL and 12 CHL samples and discussed 4 challenging cases of uncertain diagnosis. Compared with CHL, TFHL disclosed more frequent sparing of subcortical sinuses, high-endothelium venule proliferation, dendritic cell meshwork expansion, T-cell atypia, and aberrant T-cell immunophenotype.

Stomatal and Hydraulic Redundancy Allows Woody Species to Adapt to Arid Environments.

Functional redundancy is considered a pivotal mechanism for maintaining the adaptability of species by preventing the loss of key functions in response to dehydration. However, we still lack a comprehensive understanding of the redundancy of leaf hydraulic systems along aridity gradients. Here, photosynthesis (A), stomatal conductance (g) and leaf hydraulic conductance (K) during dehydration were measured in 20 woody species from a range of aridity index (AI) conditions and growing in a common garden to quantify stomatal redundancy (SR), the extent of stomatal opening beyond the optimum required for maximum photosynthesis (A), leaf hydraulic redundancy (HR), and the extent of leaf hydraulic conductance (K) beyond the optimum required for maximum g (g).

The impact of the triglyceride-glucose index on the deterioration of kidney function in patients with cardiovascular-kidney-metabolic syndrome: insight from a large cohort study in China.

Background: The triglyceride-glucose (TyG) index has emerged as a credible surrogate indicator of insulin resistance in recent years. This study aimed to investigate the relationship between the TyG index and the deterioration of kidney function in patients with cardiovascular-kidney-metabolic (CKM) syndrome.

Methods: In this retrospective cohort study from China, 27,407 hospitalized patients with stage 1-4 CKM syndrome were consecutively included.

Association Between Platelet-Albumin-Bilirubin Grade and the 30-Day Mortality in Patients with Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome: Evidence from the MIMIC-IV Database.

Background: The platelet-albumin-bilirubin (PALBI) grade is a comprehensive assessment index of liver function. Liver dysfunction is a key determinant of the pathogenesis and resolution of acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), which affects the prognosis of patients.

Aims: To evaluate the association of PALBI grade with the risk of 30-day mortality in patients with ARDS.

Calcium/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II α and β differentially regulate mammalian sleep.

While sleep is important, our understanding of its molecular mechanisms is limited. Over the last two decades, protein kinases including Ca/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II (CaMKII) α and β have been implicated in sleep regulation. Of all the known mouse genetic mutants, the biggest changes in sleep is reported to be observed in adult mice with sgRNAs for Camk2b injected into their embryos: sleep is reduced by approximately 120 min (mins) over 24 h (hrs).

Periodontal Care Is Associated With a Lower Risk of Dialysis Initiation in Middle-Aged Patients With Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus: A 6-Year Follow-Up Cohort Study Based on a Nationwide Healthcare Database.

Objective: To investigate the association between dental attendance with periodontal care and the risk of dialysis initiation in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2D).

Methods: This retrospective cohort study used data from the Japan Medical Data Center (JMDC) claims database (January 2015 to August 2022). Patients with T2D, aged 40-74, were included.