The Financial Impact of Ehlers-Danlos Syndromes on Patients in the United States in 2022.

Objective: To determine the financial impact of Ehlers-Danlos syndromes (EDS) on patients in the United States by examining the medical expenses incurred by patients.

Patients And Methods: We used a convenience sample approach and disseminated a self-reported survey questionnaire to individuals with EDS via patient advocacy organizations and support groups across the country, social media, and health professionals from April 1, 2023, to December 31, 2023. The survey focused on the out-of-pocket medical expenses incurred by patients.

Facilitating a More Diverse Workforce: The Value of Mentorship in Cardiothoracic Surgery.

Background: Cardiothoracic surgery (CTS) is one of the least diverse surgical specialties in both gender and race. Aside from the inherent benefits of a diverse working environment, mitigating this diversity gap improves patient care. Mentorship is important for creating a diverse, nurturing environment for trainees.

Histology and Lung Nodule Fluorescence in Intraoperative Molecular Imaging With Pafolacianine.

Background: Intraoperative molecular imaging (IMI) uses a cancer-targeted fluorescent agent injected into patients to localize tumor nodules. Pafolacianine is a folate receptor (FR)-targeted near-infrared fluorescent probe. Almost 10% of patients have false negative fluorescence findings intraoperatively.

Left Atrial Appendage Autograft for Anomalous Origin of Left Coronary Artery From Pulmonary Artery.

A novel interposition technique is presented in which a pediatric patient underwent reimplantation of the anomalous origin of the left coronary artery from the pulmonary artery into the aorta by creation of an extension using an autograft of the left atrial appendage. The advantage of this technique is that the autograft remains patent and lies anatomically without tension over the pulmonary artery as demonstrated in the follow-up computed tomography angiogram.

Adeno-Associated Virus 8 and 9 Myofibre Type/Size Tropism Profiling Reveals Therapeutic Effect of Microdystrophin in Canines.

Background: Adeno-associated virus (AAV) 8 and 9 are in clinical trials for treating neuromuscular diseases such as Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD). Muscle consists of myofibres of different types and sizes. However, little is known about the fibre type and fibre size tropism of AAV in large mammals.

Evolving trends in novel sleep tracking and sleep testing technology publications between 2020-2022.

Study Objectives: To update sleep medicine providers regarding (1) published research on the uses and performance of novel sleep tracking and testing technologies (2) the use of artificial intelligence to acquire and process sleep data and (3) research trends and gaps regarding the development and/or evaluation of these technologies.

Methods: Medline and Embase electronic databases were searched for studies utilizing screening and diagnostic sleep technologies, published between 2020 and 2022 in journals focusing on human sleep. Studies' quality was determined based on the Study Design criteria of The Oxford Centre for Evidence-Based Medicine Levels of Evidence.

Effects of Long-Term Storage on the Isotopic Compositions of Different Types of Environmental Waters.

Rationale: Fog, dew, and rain are crucial for sustaining ecosystem functions, especially in water-limited regions. However, they are subject to isotopic changes during storage due to their usual small sample volumes and inherent sensitivity to atmospheric particulates. Understanding long-term storage effects on these water samples is essential for ensuring isotopic integrity.

Return of Clinically Actionable Pharmacogenetic Results From Molecular Tumor Board DNA Sequencing Data: Workflow and Estimated Costs.

Pharmacogenetic testing can prevent severe toxicities from several oncology drug therapies; it also has the potential to improve the outcomes from supportive care drugs. Paired tumor and germline sequencing is increasingly common in oncology practice; these include sequencing of pharmacogenes, but the germline pharmacogenetic variants are rarely included in the clinical reports, despite many being clinically actionable. We established an informatics workflow to evaluate the clinical sequencing results for pharmacogenetic variants.

Human migrations, anthropogenic changes, and insect-borne diseases in Latin America.

Rapid urbanization and migration in Latin America have intensified exposure to insect-borne diseases. Malaria, Chagas disease, yellow fever, and leishmaniasis have historically afflicted the region, while dengue, chikungunya, and Zika have been described and expanded more recently. The increased presence of synanthropic vector species and spread into previously unaffected areas due to urbanization and climate warming have intensified pathogen transmission risks.

Cancer-related health behaviors during the COVID 19 pandemic in geographically diverse samples across the US.

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic involved business closures (e.g., gyms), social distancing policies, and prolonged stressful situations that may have impacted engagement in health behaviors.

A response time-based mixture item response theory model for dynamic item-response strategies.

Educational researchers have a long-lasting interest in the strategies examinees employ when responding to items in an assessment. Mixture item response theory (IRT) modeling is a popular class of approaches to studying examinees' item-response strategies. In the present study, we introduce a response time (RT)-based mixture IRT model for flexible modeling of examinee-and-item-specific item-response strategies.

Direct View of Gate-Tunable Miniband Dispersion in Graphene Superlattices Near the Magic Twist Angle.

Superlattices from twisted graphene mono- and bilayer systems give rise to on-demand many-body states such as Mott insulators and unconventional superconductors. These phenomena are ascribed to a combination of flat bands and strong Coulomb interactions. However, a comprehensive understanding is lacking because the low-energy band structure strongly changes when an electric field is applied to vary the electron filling.

Controlling Microparticle Aspect Ratio via Photolithography for Injectable Granular Hydrogel Formation and Cell Delivery.

Granular hydrogels are injectable and inherently porous biomaterials assembled through the packing of microparticles. These particles typically have a symmetric and spherical shape. However, recent studies have shown that asymmetric particles with high aspect ratios, such as fibers and rods, can significantly improve the mechanics, structure, and cell-guidance ability of granular hydrogels.

ASPIRIN-TRIGGERED LIPOXIN A4 REDUCES NEUROPATHIC PAIN AND ANXIETY-LIKE BEHAVIOURS IN MALE DIABETIC RATS: ANTINOCICEPTIVE ENHANCEMENT BY CANNABINOID RECEPTOR AGONISTS.

Neuropathy is the most common complication of diabetes, leading to painful symptoms like hyperalgesia. Current treatments for diabetic painful neuropathy often prove inadequate, necessitating the exploration of new pharmacological approaches. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the potential antinociceptive effect of aspirin-triggered lipoxin A4 (ATL), a specialized pro-resolving lipid mediator, when administered alone or in combination with cannabinoid agonists, to alleviate diabetic neuropathic pain.

More than skin deep: Embracing the role of estheticians for health promotion and community collaboration.

Introduction: Pubic hair removal (PHR) is a common practice, and many seek PHR from a skincare professional, or esthetician. Estheticians occupy a unique role in which they often have deep, trusting relationships and well-established rapport with their clientele, whereby they could serve as trusted providers of skin and beauty expertise, but also health promotion partners/facilitators. The purpose of this study is to explore the frequency of esthetician involvement regarding 7 potentially concerning health-related symptoms on their clients' skin and examine estheticians' comfort engaging in discussions about health, knowledge regarding these health issues, and interest in being more formally involved in their clients' health.

Preparing Surrogates for Decision-Making: Development and Pilot Testing of PREPARE For THEIR Care.

Context: Surrogate decision-makers have expressed the need for better preparation around communication and medical decision-making.

Objectives: This mixed-methods feasibility study aimed to assess the feasibility and usability of an online program to prepare surrogates for their role.

Methods: We developed a 2-part program for surrogates called PREPARE For THEIR Care with a diverse group of Community Advisory Board members and caregivers recruited from the National Patient Advocacy Foundation.

Endoscopic Ultrasound-Guided Drainage of Intra-Abdominal Abscess Using 15-mm vs. 10-mm Lumen-Apposing Metal Stents: An International Case-Matched Study.

Background And Aims: Efficacy and safety of EUS-guided placement of lumen-apposing metal stents (LAMS) has been reported yet advantage of using 15-mm LAMS over 10-mm LAMS yet to be explored.

Methods: International, retrospective, case-matched study of patients with intra-abdominal abscess who underwent EUS-guided drainage with 15-mm (case) and 10-mm (control) LAMS between 03/2019 and 09/2022.

Results: 51 patients underwent EUS-guided drainage using LAMS [15-mm 29 (57%), 10-mm 22 (43%)].

Evaluating ADHD medication trial representativeness: a Swedish population-based study comparing hypothetically trial-eligible and trial-ineligible individuals.

Background: Randomised controlled trials (RCTs) evaluating ADHD medications often use strict eligibility criteria, potentially limiting generalisability to patients in real-world clinical settings. We aimed to identify the proportion of individuals with ADHD who would be ineligible for medication RCTs and evaluate differences in treatment patterns and clinical and functional outcomes between RCT-eligible and RCT-ineligible individuals.

Methods: We used multiple Swedish national registries to identify individuals with ADHD, aged at least 4 years at the age of diagnosis, initiating pharmacological treatment between Jan 1, 2007, and Dec 31, 2019, with follow-up up to Dec 31, 2020.

Postprandial inflammation across the aging spectrum.

Objectives: Postprandial inflammation post-high-fat meals may be linked to cardiovascular disease (CVD). CVD incidence increases with age; however, whether older adults experience greater postprandial inflammation remains unclear. We examined whether analyzing age categorically versus continuously influenced relationships between age and postprandial inflammatory measures.

Replay as a Basis for Backpropagation Through Time in the Brain.

How episodic memories are formed in the brain is a continuing puzzle for the neuroscience community. The brain areas that are critical for episodic learning (e.g.

Systematic Review: Efficacy of Medical Therapy on Outcomes Important to Pediatric Patients with X-Linked Hypophosphatemia.

Objective: To examine the evidence addressing the management of X-linked hypophosphatemia (XLH) in children to inform treatment recommendations.

Methods: We searched Embase, MEDLINE, Web of Science, and Cochrane Central up to May 2023. Eligible studies included RCTs and observational studies of individuals less than 18yrs with clinically or genetically confirmed XLH.

Predicting high-performance decathlon career best.

The decathlon is a 10-event discipline in the sport of track and field, typically offered only for men at the elite level of competition (heptathlon is the complementary event for women). It is composed of 10 distinct events contested over 2 days. Using event-specific coefficients, marks are converted to scores, which sum to produce an overall score.

DigiLoCS: A leap forward in predictive organ-on-chip simulations.

Digital twins, driven by data and mathematical modelling, have emerged as powerful tools for simulating complex biological systems. In this work, we focus on modelling the clearance on a liver-on-chip as a digital twin that closely mimics the clearance functionality of the human liver. Our approach involves the creation of a compartmental physiological model of the liver using ordinary differential equations (ODEs) to estimate pharmacokinetic (PK) parameters related to on-chip liver clearance.

An interprofessional model to improve LGBTQ+ specific cultural competence in dental and pharmacy students.

Background: Disproportionate access to healthcare services among the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer or Questioning and others (LGBTQ+) population can be partially attributed to the lack of cultural competence among healthcare providers. The aim of this study was to evaluate the impact of an interprofessional model in improving cultural competence and clinical preparedness among dental and pharmacy students for providing LGBTQ+ specific care.

Methodology: This study is a retrospective observational study which used a novel interprofessional model of three different LGBTQ+ focused educational interventions within a group of dental and pharmacy students.

A Qualitative Assessment of Barriers, Facilitators, and Outcomes in a Simulation-Based Collaborative Quality Improvement Program: The ImPACTS Project.

Objectives: ImPACTS (Improving Acute Care Through Simulation) is a collaborative simulation-based program partnering pediatric specialty centers ("hubs") with general emergency departments (GEDs) to improve pediatric acute care. Objective measurements of ImPACTS, such as evaluating Pediatric Readiness Score (PRS) and simulation-based outcome improvements, have been reported previously. Barriers to and facilitators of program involvement and the downstream effects of the program have not been previously described.