Heparanase 2 Modulation Inhibits HSV-2 Replication by Regulating Heparan Sulfate.

The host enzyme heparanase (HPSE) facilitates the release of herpes simplex virus type 2 (HSV-2) from target cells by cleaving the viral attachment receptor heparan sulfate (HS) from infected cell surfaces. HPSE 2, an isoform of HPSE, binds to but does not possess the enzymatic activity needed to cleave cell surface HS. Our study demonstrates that HSV-2 infection significantly elevates HPSE 2 protein levels, impacting two distinct stages of viral replication.

Machine Learning and Statistical Analyses of Sensor Data Reveal Variability Between Repeated Trials in Parkinson's Disease Mobility Assessments.

Mobility tasks like the Timed Up and Go test (TUG), cognitive TUG (cogTUG), and walking with turns provide insights into the impact of Parkinson's disease (PD) on motor control, balance, and cognitive function. We assess the test-retest reliability of these tasks in 262 PD participants and 50 controls by evaluating machine learning models based on wearable-sensor-derived measures and statistical metrics. This evaluation examines total duration, subtask duration, and other quantitative measures across two trials.

The Role of Phytochemicals in Managing Neuropathic Pain: How Much Progress Have We Made?

Neuropathic pain is a complex and debilitating condition resulting from nerve damage, characterized by sensations such as burning, tingling, and shooting pain. It is often associated with conditions such as multiple sclerosis (MS), Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS), and diabetic polyneuropathy. Conventional pain therapies frequently provide limited relief and are accompanied by significant side effects, emphasizing the need to explore alternative treatment options.

Project Initiate: A Clinical Feasibility Trial of Equitable Access to Early Neurodevelopmental Therapy.

Despite evidence of the effectiveness of early intervention (EI) programs, eligible infants often experience delays in initiation of services or fail to receive services entirely. Disparities have been documented, including lower enrollment rates for infants with public insurance. The objective of this pilot study was to evaluate the feasibility of initiating home physical therapy (PT) services promptly after neonatal or cardiac intensive care unit (NICU/CICU) discharge for infants with public insurance and to assess early motor outcomes for children who received study therapy compared with a standard of care group.

Safety Concerns in Neurological Clinical Trials: A Challenge That the FDA Must Resolve.

Monoclonal antibodies approved by the FDA, lecanemab, donanemab, and aducanumab, are failing to meet the expected efficacy to treat early Alzheimer's disease, and aducanumab has been recalled. : Recently, it was reported that the clinical trials of these antibodies may have violated patient's rights and subjected them to high, likely lethal risk. The challenge with developing antibodies to treat neurological disorders is their poor blood-brain barrier (BBB) penetration if the antibody must enter the brain, resulting in almost negligible brain bioavailability, requiring high dosing that can be toxic.

Within- and Between-Person Correlates of Affect and Sleep Health Among Health Science Students.

Background/objectives: To examine the relationships between state affect and sleep health at within- and between-person levels among health science students.

Methods: A correlational design was used and 54 health science students were included. The participants completed baseline and 7-day ambulatory assessments in a free-living setting.

The Role of Cardiac Troponin and Other Emerging Biomarkers Among Athletes and Beyond: Underlying Mechanisms, Differential Diagnosis, and Guide for Interpretation.

Cardiovascular (CV) disease remains the leading cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide, highlighting the necessity of understanding its underlying molecular and pathophysiological pathways. Conversely, physical activity (PA) and exercise are key strategies in reducing CV event risks. Detecting latent CV conditions in apparently healthy individuals, such as athletes, presents a unique challenge.

Preschool and Me: Educational-clinical linkage to improve health equity for children with developmental delays and disabilities from historically marginalized communities.

Societal and structural inequities have resulted in longstanding health care disparities among Black, Latino/a/e, and low-income preschool children with developmental delays and disabilities (PCw/DD), depriving them of educational and therapeutic services that improve future academic, economic, and health outcomes. To address this issue, we developed Preschool and Me (PreM), a community-clinical linkage (CCL) implemented within healthcare settings serving historically marginalized communities. This novel CCL, an educational-medical linkage model, aims to increase access to school-based services for PCw/DD.

Trends in Payments for Ambulatory Surgery Center Facility Fees and Surgeon Professional Fees for Hip and Knee Arthroplasty.

Background: Ambulatory Surgery Centers (ASCs) have been shown to deliver high-quality care to patients at major cost savings to the healthcare system. The objective of this investigation was to examine trends in the Medicare facility and surgeon professional fee payments for hip and knee arthroplasty.

Methods: Publicly available Medicare data was analyzed to determine professional and facility fee payments for unicompartmental knee arthroplasty (UKA), total knee arthroplasty (TKA), and total hip arthroplasty (THA) to ASCs and hospitals between 2018 and 2024.

Revision Unicompartmental Knee Arthroplasty: Worse Than a Primary, But Better Than a Revision Total Knee Arthroplasty.

Background: Revision of a unicompartmental to a total knee arthroplasty (TKA) is often compared to primary TKA with regard to its technical difficulty and complication rates. We sought to compare medical and surgical complications following revision unicompartmental knee arthroplasty (UKA) to those following primary TKA and aseptic revision TKA.

Methods: A national administrative claims database was queried for patients undergoing revision UKA between 2010 and 2019.

Sources of HIV information and women's HIV knowledge in Southwest Sumba Indonesia: a cross-sectional study with mediation analysis.

Background: Despite multiple years of government HIV educational efforts, the growing trend of new cases among women in Indonesia runs parallel with their seemingly overall lack of comprehensive knowledge about HIV. A major prevention challenge for the Indonesian government lies in delivering HIV prevention education across the world's largest archipelago. This study investigates comprehensive HIV knowledge among reproductive-age women in Southwest Sumba, Indonesia, and the sources through which they report having learned about HIV along with potential mediators of the relationship between socioeconomic status (SES) and HIV knowledge.

Diabetic Kidney Disease.

Diabetic kidney disease is a leading cause of kidney failure worldwide and is easily detectable with screening examination. Diabetes causes hyperfiltration and activation of the renin-angiotensin aldosterone system by hemodynamic changes within the nephron, which perpetuates damaging physiology. Diagnosis is often clinical after detection of heavy proteinuria in a patient with diabetes,but can be confirmed by observation of histologic stages on kidney biopsy.

Association of binge alcohol use with functional outcomes among individuals with COVID-19 infection.

Aims: Alcohol consumption along with negative sequelae from excess alcohol intake increased during the COVID-19 pandemic. We evaluated the association between binge alcohol use and long-term functional outcomes among COVID-19-positive individuals.

Methods: Using a prospective, longitudinal, multisite cohort study design, we evaluated the association between binge alcohol use and mental and physical functional outcomes using Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System (PROMIS)-29 scores three and six months postinfection.

Comparing pulsed field ablation with very high-power and high-power short-duration radiofrequency ablation for atrial fibrillation: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background: Catheter ablation is a key treatment for atrial fibrillation (AF), with high-power, very high-power short-duration and pulsed field ablation (PFA) being efficient options. However, direct comparisons between these techniques are lacking.

Objective: We performed a systematic review and meta-analysis, which included predominantly observational studies (four retrospective and one prospective study), to compare PFA and High-power short-duration (HPSD) and very high-power short-duration (vHPSD) radiofrequency (RF) ablation in patients with AF.

Targeting molecular pathways to control immune checkpoint inhibitor toxicities.

Immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) have transformed cancer treatment but are frequently associated with immune-related adverse events (irAEs). This article offers a novel synthesis of findings from both preclinical and clinical studies, focusing on the molecular mechanisms driving irAEs across diverse organ systems. It examines key immune cells, such as T cell subsets and myeloid cells, which are instrumental in irAE pathogenesis, alongside an in-depth analysis of cytokine signaling [interleukin (IL)-6, IL-17, IL-4), interferon γ (IFN-γ), IL-1β, tumor necrosis factor α (TNF-α)], integrin-mediated interactions [integrin subunits αITGA)4 and ITGB7], and microbiome-related factors that contribute to irAE pathology.

Clinical Outcomes for Workers' Compensation versus Commercially Insured Patients Following Ambulatory Lumbar Decompression: A Cohort Matched Analysis with Two-Year Follow-Up.

Objective: To evaluate outcomes for workers' compensation (WC) versus commercially insured (CI) patients undergoing lumbar decompression (LD) at an ambulatory surgical center (ASC).

Methods: This is a retrospective cohort study utilizing propensity score matched groups. Patients undergoing elective LD at an ASC with two-year follow-up were identified and grouped based on insurance type (WC or CI).

Proximity to traffic is associated with worse symptom severity in patients with chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyps.

Background: Environmental exposures may be associated with increased severity of chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS). However, research examining associations of traffic related air pollution with CRS is limited. The purpose of this study was to determine the association between residential traffic proximity and CRS with nasal polyposis (CRSwNP) severity in an existing database of adults in the United States.

Using Serum Metabolomic Signatures to Investigate Effects of Acupuncture on Pain-Fatigue-Sleep Disturbance in Breast Cancer Survivors.

Background/objectives: Acupuncture is an efficacious integrative therapy for treating pain, fatigue, and sleep disturbance (the psychoneurological symptom cluster) in breast cancer survivors. However, the mechanisms underlying its effects remain unclear, and related metabolomics studies are limited. This study aimed to examine serum metabolite changes after acupuncture and their relationships to symptom improvement.

Demographic Profiles, Etiological Spectrum, and Anatomical Locations of the Post-Hepatic Obstructive Jaundice in Adult Population in Hadhramout Region in Yemen.

Background: Obstructive jaundice is a common health challenge in daily clinical practice caused by a heterogeneous group of benign and malignant conditions in or around extrahepatic bile ducts. This study aimed to investigate the causes of obstructive jaundice, analyze the age and sex distribution, and report the locations of obstruction.

Methods: This was a retrospective study of electronic records of patients diagnosed with obstructive jaundice in the Hadhramout region in Yemen.

Sex Differences in Pain Scores and Medication Consumption for Chronic Non-Cancer Pain.

Background: Chronic pain is defined as any persistent or recurring pain lasting longer than 3 months that significantly affects a person's quality of life. Millions worldwide are impacted by chronic pain, but its subjective nature makes it difficult to quantify and compare between individuals.

Methods: This retrospective analysis aimed to examine the differences in pain perception and reporting between male and female patients, as well as how their pain was managed.

Perioperative therapies and techniques to enhance penile dimensional and functional outcomes following inflatable penile prosthesis implantation: a contemporary 10-year systematic review.

Implantation of inflatable penile prosthesis should be considered as a definitive treatment of erectile dysfunction. However, the sole procedure might not allow for optimal dimensional and functional outcomes. The aim of this study was to systematically review the literature and present the findings on the optimal choice of perioperative methods, surgical techniques, and pharmacotherapy to improve penile length, curvature, and erectile function.

A mechanistic, functional, and clinical perspective on targeting CD70 in cancer.

The oncoimmunology research has witnessed notable advancements in recent years. Reshaping the tumor microenvironment (TME) approach is an effective method to improve antitumor immune response. The T cell-mediated antitumor response is crucial for favorable therapeutic outcomes in several cancers.