Backbone assignment of the N-terminal domain of the A subunit of the Bacillus cereus GerI germinant receptor.

The nutrient germinant receptors (GRs) in spores of Bacillus species consist of a cluster of three proteins- designated A, B, and C subunits- that play a critical role in initiating the germination of dormant spores in response to specific nutrient molecules. The Bacillus cereus GerI GR is essential for inosine-induced germination; however, the roles of the individual subunits and the mechanism by which germinant binding activates GR function remain unclear. In this study, we report the backbone chemical shift assignments of the N-terminal domain (NTD) of the A subunit of GerI (GerIA).

Network Meta-Analysis: Comparison of Endoscopic Dysplasia Detection Technologies in Inflammatory Bowel Disease.

Background: Novel colorectal cancer endoscopic surveillance techniques for inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) have recently been developed.

Aims: Compare the efficacy of currently available techniques for dysplasia detection in colonic IBD.

Methods: We conducted a systematic literature search from inception to March 2024 for randomized controlled trials (RCTs) or prospective cohort studies enrolling adults with IBD and having surveillance colonoscopy for dysplasia screening.

SCN10A gene polymorphism is associated with pain sensitivity and postoperative analgesic effects in patients undergoing gynecological laparoscopy.

Background: Postoperative pain intensity is influenced by various factors, including genetic variations. The SCN10A gene encodes the Nav1.8 sodium channel protein, which is crucial for pain signal transmission in peripheral sensory neurons.

Body composition changes and clinical outcomes in pediatric cystic fibrosis during 24 months of lumacaftor ivacaftor therapy based on real-world data.

Clinical trials demonstrate the short-term efficacy of dual CFTR modulators, but long-term real-world data is limited. We aimed to investigate the effects of 24-month lumacaftor/ivacaftor (LUM/IVA) therapy in pediatric CF patients (pwCF). This observational study included pwCF homozygous for F508del mutation treated between 2021 and 2023.

The impact of cortical and subcortical volumes on major depression risk: A genetic study.

Objective: This study aimed to explore the causal relationship between brain cortical and subcortical structures and major depressive disorder (MDD) using the Mendelian Randomization (MR) method.

Methods: Single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) were used as instrumental variables to analyze subcortical brain volume, cortical thickness, and surface area as exposure factors, with MDD as the outcome. Multiple sensitivity analyses were conducted to validate the robustness of the results.

Open surgical treatment of a chronic traumatic arteriovenous fistula in the lower extremity: A case report.

Introduction And Importance: A traumatic arteriovenous fistula (TAVF) is a vascular injury where an artery and a vein become abnormally connected. Although endovascular intervention is often the first choice for TAVF, some special cases still require open surgery.

Case Presentation: A 65-year-old man developed a chronic AVF in the lower superficial femoral artery (SFA) one year after a farming accident.

Symptoms among patients with breast cancer undergoing endocrine therapy: Application of latent profile analysis and network analysis.

Purpose: To identify the subgroups and symptom networks associated with endocrine therapy in patients with breast cancer.

Methods: This study was a cross-sectional design using convenience sampling to select patients from a tertiary hospital in China. A total of 406 patients were invited to complete demographic and clinical questionnaires and the Chinese Breast Cancer Prevention Trial Symptom Scale was used to assess their symptoms.

Blood flow restriction-enhanced platelet-rich plasma: A pilot randomised controlled trial protocol.

Purpose: To assess platelet-rich plasma (PRP) changes in platelet and leucocyte count, insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1), and interleukin 6 (IL-6) concentration after bilateral low-load knee extensions under blood flow restriction (BFR).

Methods: The present randomised controlled trial protocol will include two groups: the intervention group, which will undergo bilateral knee extensions under BFR, and the control group, which will perform bilateral knee extensions without BFR. Participants will be randomly allocated in a 1:1 ratio.

Association of diethylhexyl phthalate exposure with serum thyroid hormone levels: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Objective: Evidence suggests that diethylhexyl phthalate (DEHP) may disrupt thyroid hormone homeostasis by targeting multiple components of the hypothalamic-pituitary-thyroid (HPT) axis, potentially harming human health. However, the relationship between DEHP exposure and thyroid function remains debated. We performed a meta-analysis to clarify the association between DEHP exposure and thyroid function.

Patient-reported Outcome Measures and Decision Regret After Prostate-specific Membrane Antigen-targeted Radioguided Surgery for Oligorecurrent Prostate Cancer.

Background And Objective: In patients with oligorecurrent prostate cancer (PCa), prostate-specific membrane antigen-targeted radioguided surgery (PSMA-RGS) prolongs treatment-free survival. Data on patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs) are lacking.

Methods: A retrospective assessment of validated PROMs (12-item Short Form Health Survey [SF-12], 26-item Expanded Prostate Index Composite, and Decision Regret Scale [DRS]) was performed before and after PSMA-RGS for oligorecurrent PCa.

The March to Health Equity and Justice in Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine.

Training programs in pulmonary and critical care medicine have greatly expanded in the past decade, yet they do not reflect the racial/ethnic and economic diversity of the United States, which has significant implications for health equity. The lack of representation across medical education is likely to worsen with the recent Supreme Court decision banning affirmative action. The authors review health disparities in pulmonary and critical care medicine, the relationship of the workforce to health equity, and 10 tactics for addressing this urgent public health issue.

Altered Sensorimotor Striatal Network Connectivity in Women With Anorexia Nervosa.

Objective: Anorexia nervosa (AN) is associated with disturbances in reward processing, cognitive control, and body image perception, implicating striatal dysfunction. Evidence suggests that underweight may modulate brain function in AN. We aimed to investigate whole-brain resting-state functional connectivity (rsFC) of the striatum in patients with AN while controlling for the acute effects of underweight.

Differences in Perceived Versus Actual Sensory Perception in Avoidant/Restrictive Food Intake Disorder.

Background: Individuals with avoidant/restrictive food intake disorder (ARFID) self-report heightened sensitivity to taste and smell, but neither phenomenon has been systematically explored in the laboratory. We hypothesized that, compared to healthy controls (HC, n = 34), children, adolescents, and adults with full/subthreshold ARFID (n = 100; ages 9 to 23 years) would self-report heightened response to taste/smell stimuli and exhibit stronger bitter taste perception and heightened smell perception in performance-based tasks, and these differences would be especially prominent in those with the ARFID-sensory sensitivity presentation.

Method: We measured self-reported sensitivity to taste/smell with the adolescent/adult sensory profile (AASP).

Stroke Prevention in Hispanic Children with Sickle Cell Anemia: the SACRED trial.

Sickle cell anemia (SCA) is recognized globally, but little is known about affected Hispanic populations. In partnership with Dominican Republic, a Hispanic Caribbean Island with a large SCA population, a TCD screening program provided hydroxyurea to children with conditional velocities. Building local capacity, ten Dominican medical graduates were certified in TCD examinations and trained in hydroxyurea management.

A Case Report: Rosuvastatin Induced Rhabdomyolysis in an 80-Year-Old Female.

Rosuvastatin, a commonly prescribed lipid-lowering medication for primary and secondary prevention of cardiovascular disease, is generally considered safe with associated mortality benefits. Despite its overall safety profile, the drug is not without side effects. Statin-induced myopathy, a known complication, can manifest in 10-25% of cases, while more uncommon complications such as rhabdomyolysis occur in less than 0.

Meta analysis of resting frontal alpha asymmetry as a biomarker of depression.

This meta-analysis investigated resting frontal alpha asymmetry (FAA) as a potential biomarker for major depressive disorder (MDD). Studies included articles utilizing FAA measure involving EEG electrodes (F3/F4, F7/F8, or Fp1/Fp2) and covering both MDD and controls. Hedges' d was calculated from FAA means and standard deviations (SDs).

Prevalence and correlates of severe anxiety among front-line nurses during and after the COVID-19 pandemic: a large-scale multi-center study.

Background: Nurses have been at the forefront of the battle against the COVID-19 pandemic, facing extended work hours and heightened stress, predisposing them to psychological distress. This study aims to investigate the prevalence and correlates of severe anxiety among frontline nurses in China during and after the COVID-19 pandemic.

Methods: A large-scale multi-center survey was conducted from November to December 2022 and from April to July 2023.

Generalised anxiety disorder and its determinants amongst patients with diabetes in primary healthcare clinics: a cross-sectional study in Kuwait City, 2024.

Background: Anxiety disorders are the second most common mental health disorders in terms of disability-adjusted life years and years of life lost across all age groups. A bidirectional relationship between anxiety disorders and diabetes mellitus has been documented. This study aimed to determine the prevalence of anxiety and its associated factors among patients with diabetes receiving care at public primary care clinics in Kuwait during the first quarter of 2024.

Characterization of the genomic landscape in liver oligometastatic NSCLC.

Objectives: Emerging data have shown that local treatment could provide clinical benefit for non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients with oligometastasis. Liver metastases have the worst prognosis in advanced NSCLC, but the genomic characteristics of liver oligometastasis remain unclear. The aim of our study was to elucidate the molecular features of liver oligometastatic NSCLC.

The "gift of love" as a candidate mechanism of psychopathology and change in interpersonal reconstructive therapy for patients with high-acuity clinical needs.

A key mechanism of psychopathology and change proposed by the theory of interpersonal reconstructive therapy (IRT; Benjamin, 2003, 2018) is termed the "gift of love" (GOL). The GOL hypothesis is that wishes to receive love and acceptance from specific internalized attachment figures shape and maintain problem patterns and their associated symptoms for many patients across a wide range of psychopathology. According to IRT theory, optimal intervention is defined by therapist alignment, or "adherence," to a core algorithm of principles that are tailored individually and bring awareness to (a) attachment-based yearnings for love and acceptance from internalized figures and (b) how those yearnings shape and motivate current problems and symptoms.

Risk and Protective Factors for the Evolution of Subthreshold Depression During Early Adolescence.

Purpose: Subthreshold depression refers to a condition involving clinically significant depressive symptoms that fall short of meeting the diagnostic criteria for major depressive disorder (MDD). Identifying risk and protective factors associated with the progression of subthreshold depression in early life is essential for timely prevention. However, there is limited research on this topic among early adolescents.

Emotional Health of Transgender Youth 24 Months After Initiating Gender-Affirming Hormone Therapy.

Purpose: Limited data exist about the emotional health of transgender youth, either before or after initiation of gender-affirming hormone (GAH). The objectives were: (1) Investigate and verify the factor structure of the National Institutes of Health Toolbox Emotional Battery (NIHTB-EB) among trans and non-binary (TNB) youth; (2) Examine changes in emotional health over 24 months of GAH treatment; and (3) Examine the extent to which changes in emotional health were associated with improved appearance congruence (AC).

Methods: Study respondents were from Trans Youth Care - United States (TYCUS) study, an observational, prospective, longitudinal study of adolescents initiating GAH enrolled between 2016 and 2019.