Reliably quantifying the severity of social symptoms in children with autism using ASDSpeech.

Several studies have demonstrated that the severity of social communication problems, a core symptom of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), is correlated with specific speech characteristics of ASD individuals. This suggests that it may be possible to develop speech analysis algorithms that can quantify ASD symptom severity from speech recordings in a direct and objective manner. Here we demonstrate the utility of a new open-source AI algorithm, ASDSpeech, which can analyze speech recordings of ASD children and reliably quantify their social communication difficulties across multiple developmental timepoints.

A new phylogenetic framework for the genus Kalanchoe (Crassulaceae) and implications for infrageneric classification.

Background And Aims: Kalanchoe is a diverse genus in the Crassulaceae, with centres of diversity in Madagascar and sub-Saharan Africa. The genus is known for its popularity in horticulture, its use as a model system for research on CAM photosynthesis and vegetative reproduction, its high invasive potential, and its use in traditional medicine. The genus-rank circumscription and infrageneric classification of Kalanchoe have been the subject of debate for centuries, especially regarding the status and rank of what is now treated as K.

Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the experiences of underrepresented-in-medicine women applicants to surgical residency.

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic brought additional challenges to the 2020-2021 application cycle. The objective of this study was to explore how such challenges altered the perceptions/motivations/concerns of applicants to surgical fields, particularly those self-identifying as women underrepresented-in-medicine (UiM).

Methods: An anonymous mixed-methods survey was electronically distributed to all medical student members of the Association of Women Surgeons between 10/1/2020-12/31/2020.

Artemisinin Alleviates Astrocyte Overactivation and Neuroinflammation by Modulating the IRE1/NF-κB Signaling Pathway in In Vitro and In Vivo Alzheimer's Disease Models.

Recent studies have shown that neuroinflammation and heightened glial activity, particularly astrocyte overactivation, are associated with Alzheimer's disease (AD). Abnormal accumulation of amyloid-beta (Aβ) induces endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress and activates astrocytes. Artemisinin (ART), a frontline anti-malarial drug, has been found to have neuroprotective properties.

Individualized transfusion decisions to minimize adverse cardiovascular outcomes in patients with acute myocardial infarction and anemia.

Background: Risk-benefit tradeoffs between restrictive versus liberal red blood cell transfusion strategies may vary across individuals. This exploratory analysis aimed to derive and evaluate individualized treatment effects of defined transfusion strategies in patients with acute MI and anemia with the goal of minimizing adverse cardiovascular outcomes.

Methods: This study analyzed 3,447 (98.

Targeting Dormant Disseminated Tumor Cells and their Permissive Niche by Pro-Resolving Mediators Derived from Resolution-Phase Macrophages.

Metastatic breast cancer (BC) can recur years after initial treatments and arise from quiescent disseminated tumor cells (QDTC) that resist conventional therapies. To date there are no treatments to target QDTCs. Previously, the fibrotic-like niche (FLN) enriched with Type I collagen (Col-I) was shown to be required for the switch of QDTC to overt metastases.

Validation of BEST-CLI among patients undergoing primary bypass or angioplasty with or without stenting for chronic limb-threatening ischemia.

Background: BEST-CLI established the superiority of single-segment great saphenous vein (ssGSV) conduits for revascularization in patients with CLTI; however, the generalizability of these data is unknown. Thus, we aimed to validate the long-term results of open surgical bypass (BPG) versus angioplasty with or without stenting (PTA/S) using the BEST-CLI inclusion and randomization criteria.

Methods: All patients undergoing a first-time lower extremity revascularization for CLTI at our institution from 2005 to 2022 were retrospectively reviewed.

Stigma towards functional disability and anxiety among patients with cancer: The moderating role of physicians' behaviors.

Objective: To explore the moderating role of physicians' behaviors in medical encounters with cancer patients in the association between physicians' public stigma towards functional disability and post-meeting patient anxiety.

Methods: A three time-point prospective nested study was conducted between November 2019 and July 2022 in two medical centres. Before the medical encounters, 32 physicians completed the Disability Attitudes in Health Care Scale, and 150 adult cancer patients completed the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI), pre and post medical encounters.

Subjective trauma perception as a Distinctive predictor of somatization and disability during the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine.

Objectives: This study examines the association between the Subjective Traumatic Outlook (STO), somatization, and physical and mental aspects of disability during wartime in Ukraine. It highlights the STO's role in emphasizing the perceptual component of trauma as a screening tool, distinguishing somatic symptoms alongside physical and psychological disability.

Method: A national sample of 1895 Ukrainians affected by the Russian invasion completed the International Trauma Questionnaire (ITQ), the Somatic Symptom Scale-8 (SSS-8), the World Health Organization Disability Assessment Schedule (WHODAS), and the STO.

Daily participation in preterm-born children: An exploratory and comparative study.

Background: Preterm birth, particularly with lower gestational age and respiratory complications, can impact neurodevelopmental outcomes and participation in daily activities. Understanding how these children engage in everyday tasks, particularly from the perspective of their parents, is critical for assessing long-term health outcomes and quality of life.

Objectives: This study aims to assess parental perceptions of participation and daily performance in children born preterm, comparing early preterm infants with and without chronic lung disease, late preterms, and term-born children.

Progress report on multiple endocrine neoplasia type 1.

Multiple endocrine neoplasia type 1 (MEN1) syndrome is an autosomal dominant disorder caused by a germline pathogenic variant in the MEN1 tumor suppressor gene. Patients with MEN1 have a high risk for primary hyperparathyroidism (PHPT) with a penetrance of nearly 100%, pituitary adenomas (PitAd) in 40% of patients, and neuroendocrine neoplasms (NEN) of the pancreas (40% of patients), duodenum, lung, and thymus. Increased MEN1-related mortality is mainly related to duodenal-pancreatic and thymic NEN.

A prospective ecological momentary assessment study of an ayahuasca retreat: exploring the salutary impact of acute psychedelic experiences on subacute affect and mindfulness skills in daily life.

Rationale: To examine the acute effects of ayahuasca use and their relationship to sub-acute changes in affect and mindfulness in a non-clinical sample, addressing the need for a better understanding of ayahuasca's immediate and short-term impacts as interest in its use grows.

Objectives: Using prospective ecological assessment, this study investigates how ayahuasca used at a 4-day retreat affects positive/negative affect and mindfulness skills in daily living compared to pre-retreat. Additionally, we explore acute psychedelic experiences during the ayahuasca retreat, assessed retrospectively 1-2 days post-retreat, as potential mechanisms for theorized effects in daily living post-retreat.

Self-Compassion and Psychosocial Well-Being After Traumatic Births: Caring for the Midwife.

Introduction: Midwives report high rates of exposure to traumatic births that can negatively affect their psychosocial well-being. Self-compassion can be considered as a tool to promote psychosocial well-being. The aim of this study was to assess the prevalence of midwives' exposure to traumatic births and explore midwives' self-compassion and its correlation to their psychosocial well-being in relation to experiences of traumatic births.

Inter-Rater Disagreements in Applying the Montreal Classification for Crohn's Disease: The Five-Nations Survey Study.

Background: The Montreal classification has been widely used in Crohn's disease since 2005 to categorize patients by the age of onset (A), disease location (L), behavior (B), and upper gastrointestinal tract and perianal involvement. With evolving management paradigms in Crohn's disease, we aimed to assess the performance of gastroenterologists in applying the Montreal classification.

Methods: An online survey was conducted among participants at an international educational conference on inflammatory bowel diseases.

Impact of severe intra-abdominal adhesions on early maternal complications following cesarean delivery.

Objective: The rising rates of cesarean delivery (CD), which are a leading cause of intra-abdominal adhesions, represent a major concern for maternal health. We aimed to describe early maternal complications following CD in women with severe intra-abdominal adhesions.

Methods: A prospective observational study was conducted at a university-affiliated tertiary medical center (January 2021 and March 2023) in Israel.

The association between preterm delivery and autism spectrum disorder in childhood: A retrospective cohort study.

Background: Prematurity complications are a leading cause of mortality and morbidity in offspring, including adverse neurodevelopmental outcomes. The association between preterm birth (PTB) and autism spectrum disorder (ASD) remains debated.

Objective: To investigate the association between PTB and ASD diagnosis during childhood.

Safety and Efficacy of Deutetrabenazine at High versus Lower Daily Dosages in the ARC-HD Study to Treat Chorea in Huntington Disease.

Background: Huntington disease (HD) is a progressive neurodegenerative disease that causes psychiatric and neurological symptoms, including involuntary and irregular muscle movements (chorea). Chorea can disrupt activities of daily living, pose safety issues, and may lead to social withdrawal. The vesicular monoamine transporter 2 inhibitors tetrabenazine, deutetrabenazine, and valbenazine are approved treatments that can reduce chorea.

Age-related differences in information, but not task control in the color-word Stroop task.

Older adults were found to struggle with tasks that require cognitive control. One task that measures the ability to exert cognitive control is the color-word Stroop task. Almost all studies that tested cognitive control in older adults using the Stroop task have focused on one type of control - Information control.

Incremental accumulation of linguistic context in artificial and biological neural networks.

Large Language Models (LLMs) have shown success in predicting neural signals associated with narrative processing, but their approach to integrating context over large timescales differs fundamentally from that of the human brain. In this study, we show how the brain, unlike LLMs that process large text windows in parallel, integrates short-term and long-term contextual information through an incremental mechanism. Using fMRI data from 219 participants listening to spoken narratives, we first demonstrate that LLMs predict brain activity effectively only when using short contextual windows of up to a few dozen words.

Improvement of stereopsis following strabismus surgery in adults: a retrospective analysis.

Objective: Adults who undergo strabismus surgery, in addition to cosmesis, could benefit from improved stereopsis. This improvement is associated with the performance of motor skill tasks in young adults; they reduce the risk of tripping or falling during everyday locomotion and improve reading efficiency. This study aimed to assess stereopsis level after strabismus surgery in adults who underwent strabismus surgery for any reason.

International Symposium on Ruminant Physiology: The involvement of the endocannabinoid system in metabolic and inflammatory responses in dairy cows during negative energy balance.

The endocannabinoid system (ECS) is involved in the regulation of energy metabolism, immune function and reproduction in mammals. The ECS is consisted of the endocannabinoid (eCB) ligands, enzymes, and cannabinoid receptors. In mammals, the cannabinoid-1 receptor (CB1/CNR1) is expressed in the central nervous system and in peripheral tissues; and its activation increases anabolic processes.

Omega-3 fatty acids supplementation from late pregnancy to early lactation attenuates the endocannabinoid system and immune proteome in preovulatory follicles and endometrium of Holstein dairy cows.

Activation of the endocannabinoid system (ECS) elicits negative effects on the reproductive system in mammals. Omega-3 (n-3) fatty acid (FA) supplementation lowers ECS activation and has anti-inflammatory effects. Thus, we hypothesized that supplementing cows with n-3 FA will downregulate components of the ECS and immune system in preovulatory follicles and in the endometrium.