Early menarche is associated with disordered eating-results from a National Youth Survey.

Background: Disordered eating (DE) is highly prevalent among adolescents, though its definition varies. The association between DE and early pubertal maturation (EPM) remains underexplored in Israel, and has not been sufficiently examined using the widely-used SCOFF questionnaire. This study examines these associations in adolescents.

Hypertension at diagnosis of coarctation of the aorta as a risk factor for recoarctation.

Background: Coarctation of the aorta (CoA) is a narrowing of the aorta that affects 5-8% of congenital heart defects. Treatment options include surgical repair or transcatheter management with endovascular stenting or balloon dilatation. Late complications after operative repair include systemic hypertension, aortic valve abnormalities, aortic aneurysm, and recoarctation.

Long-term safety and efficacy of Oleogel-S10 (birch bark extract) in epidermolysis bullosa: 24-month results from the Phase III EASE Study.

Background: Epidermolysis bullosa (EB) is a group of rare, severe, genetic disorders characterised by persistent skin fragility and open wounds. EB manifests as cutaneous and mucosal blistering, erosions and impaired wound healing.

Objectives: To determine the long-term efficacy, tolerability and safety of Oleogel-S10 (birch bark extract) in dystrophic (DEB) and junctional (JEB) EB in the 24-months open-label phase (OLP) of the EASE study.

Assessment of complications in adjacent natural teeth compared to contralateral teeth in single posterior implant cases.

Osseointegrated dental implants represent a successful treatment modality for partial and complete edentulism. However, concerns persist regarding their impact on adjacent natural teeth. Conflicting literature exists regarding complications such as caries, mobility, and fractures in neighboring teeth, with few studies comparing these effects with those observed in contralateral natural teeth.

Multidimensional vulnerability and financial risk protection in health in contexts of protracted conflict: Evidence from the Occupied Palestinian Territory.

This paper proposes a multidimensional vulnerability index for a setting of protracted conflict, which is applied to study the relationship between financial vulnerability and catastrophic healthcare expenditure (CHE) incidence in the Occupied Palestinian Territory in 2018. We find that our index better captures the extent of financial risk protection in health compared to conventional measures of financial welfare. Results indicate that the most vulnerable groups experience a significantly higher likelihood of incurring CHE, and this likelihood is increased for those living in the West Bank compared to the Gaza Strip.

Sleep Trajectory of Hospitalized Medically Ill Older Adults: Do Sleep Medications Make a Difference?

Study Objectives: Sleep disturbances are prevalent during acute hospitalization in medically ill older patients, with undesirable outcomes. Sleep medication use is common, but its effectiveness is questionable. This study explored the trajectory of sleep parameters from home to hospital and assessed the impact of sleep medication use, considering covariates such as physical symptom burden.

Expression Profile of MicroRNAs in Breast Milk of Women With Inflammatory Bowel Disease: Correlation With Disease Activity and Medical Treatments.

Background: Although most inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) medications are considered safe during pregnancy, their impact on microRNAs (miRNAs) in breast milk is largely unknown. MiRNAs in milk, carried by milk-derived extracellular vesicles (MDEs), are transmitted to the newborn's gut to regulate genes. Aberrant miRNA expression profiles have been found in IBD within tissue, blood, and feces, but data on mother's milk are scarce.

Electroencephalography in Clinical Practice: Neurology Professionals' Views on Optimal Standards of Care.

Purpose: Delivering optimal care to patients with seizures and epilepsy requires all EEGs to be interpreted accurately and reliably. This study investigated neurology professionals' opinions on the ideal standards for EEG in clinical care.

Methods: We developed an anonymous e-survey targeting practicing and trainee neurologists focused on participants' demographics, clinical practice characteristics, and views on optimal EEG standards of care-including whether an EEG certification test is needed and whether postresidency/fellowship training in EEG/epilepsy is necessary for neurologists who interpret outpatient/routine EEGs in practice.

Multiple mutations in polyketide synthase led to disruption of Psittacofulvin production across diverse parrot species.

Polyketide synthases (PKSs) are crucial multidomain enzymes in diverse natural product biosynthesis. Parrots use a type I PKS to produce a unique pigment called psittacofulvin in their feathers. In domesticated budgerigars and lovebirds, the same amino acid substitution (R644W) within malonyl/acetyltransferase (MAT) domain of this enzyme has been shown to cause the blue phenotype with no psittacofulvin pigmentation, proposing a strong evolutionary constraint on the mechanism.

Association between early ondansetron use and the risk of sepsis in intensive care unit patients: a secondary data of the Medical Information Mart for Intensive Care IV database.

Objective: This study planned to analyse the association between ondansetron use within 24 hours before intensive care unit (ICU) admission to within 48 hours after ICU admission and the risk of sepsis in ICU patients.

Design: A cohort study.

Setting And Participants: Data of 65 366 participants in Medical Information Mart for Intensive Care IV from ICU in the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center.

Evolution and factors associated with pediatric post-traumatic stress disorder 1 year after mild traumatic brain injury: a prospective, longitudinal study.

Mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) can lead to lasting adverse outcomes, including post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) or post-traumatic stress symptoms (PTSS). This study examined whether PTSD and PTSS can occur even after mTBI and tracked the evolution of PTSD in the long term. A total of 85 youth post-mTBI (median age: 10.

Building Public Health Quantitative Methods Capacity and Networks in sub-Saharan Africa: An Evaluation of a Faculty Training Program.

Introduction: There is a shortage of individuals trained in using quantitative methods in biomedical research in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). Improving public health in SSA requires new ways to promote quantitative knowledge and skills among faculty in biomedical research and better-integrated network systems of support.

Methods: We describe the development, implementation, and evaluation of an innovative faculty training and support program in SSA from December 2017-June 2020, using courses in monitoring and evaluation, data management, and complex surveys as prototypical examples.

Early and delayed STAT1-dependent responses drive local trained immunity of macrophages in the spleen.

Trained immunity (TI) is the process wherein innate immune cells gain functional memory upon exposure to specific ligands or pathogens, leading to augmented inflammatory responses and pathogen clearance upon secondary exposure. While the differentiation of hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) and reprogramming of bone marrow (BM) progenitors are well-established mechanisms underpinning durable TI protection, remodeling of the cellular architecture within the tissue during TI remains underexplored. Here, we study the effects of peritoneal Bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG) administration to find TI-mediated protection in the spleen against a subsequent heterologous infection by the Gram-negative pathogen Typhimurium (.

Predicting metabolic syndrome: Machine learning techniques for improved preventive medicine.

Metabolic syndrome (MetS) has a significant impact on health. MetS is the umbrella term for a group of interdependent metabolic threats that contribute to the emergence of diseases that can lead to death. This study was designed to better predict the risks associated with MetS to enable medical personnel to make more optimal preventive medical decisions.

Unveiling the Electrical Properties of Hyaluronan-Coated Cancer Extracellular Vesicles Using Correlative Scanning Probe Microscopy-Based Nano-Electrical Modes.

Cancer cells produce extracellular vesicles (EVs) coated with an anionic sugar polymer, hyaluronan (HA), in the extracellular matrix. Hyaluronan is an established cancer biomarker in several cancer types. In this work, we thoroughly investigated the electrical properties of HA-coated EVs using advanced scanning probe microscopy (SPM) based nanoelectrical modes, which include EFM (electrostatic force microscopy), KPFM (Kelvin probe force microscopy), PFM (piezoresponse force microscopy) and C-AFM (conductive atomic force microscopy).

Percutaneous VT Ablation via RA-to-LV Access in Patients With Double Mechanical Valves: A Multicenter Registry.

Background: In patients with mechanical aortic and mitral valves requiring catheter ablation of ventricular tachycardia (VT), a technique for access from the right atrium (RA) to the left ventricle (LV) via puncture of the inferoseptal process of the LV was previously described in a single-center series.

Objectives: This study sought to report the multicenter experience of VT ablation using this novel LV access approach.

Methods: We assembled a multicenter registry of patients with double mechanical valves who underwent VT ablation with RA-to-LV access.

ESMO Global Consortium Study on the availability, out-of-pocket costs, and accessibility of cancer medicines: 2023 update.

Background: The availability and affordability of safe, effective cancer therapies are core requirements for effective cancer control. Global disparities exist in access, however, yielding unequal cancer outcomes. The goal of this study was to provide updated data regarding the formulary availability, out-of-pocket costs, and accessibility of cancer medicines in countries across the full spectrum of economic development areas.

Validation of clearcalc for efficient patient specific QA.

Uganda's only radiotherapy center is a very busy facility treating about 210 patients daily on three linear accelerators making it sometimes hard to have machine time for pretreatment QAs. This study was aimed at validating an independent calculation software, ClearCalc (ICS) for second checks of the treatment planning system (TPS) calculations. The validation of ICS started with simple phantom test plans consisting of square, irregular, open and wedged fields designed in the TPS and measured in phantoms.

The Clinical Neuroscience of Lucid Dreaming.

During most dreams, the dreamer does not realize that they are in a dream. In contrast, lucid dreaming allows to become aware of the current state of mind, often accompanied by considerable control over the ongoing dream episode. Lucid dreams can happen spontaneously or be induced through diverse behavioural, cognitive or technological strategies.

Lung Clearance Index: A Sensitive Measure of Airway Function Improvement in Adolescents After Weight Loss from Bariatric Surgery.

Background: Morbid obesity in adolescents impacts respiratory function, often leading to reduced lung volume and obstructive ventilatory defects. However, standard spirometric values frequently remain within normal ranges.

Objectives: We hypothesized that Lung Clearance Index (LCI) is a more sensitive marker for detecting airway dysfunction in adolescents with morbid obesity than conventional lung function tests.

Left ventricular elastance with resting volumetric transthoracic echocardiography identifies different phenotypes in heart failure with preserved ejection fraction: A retrospective analysis of a multicenter prospective observational study.

Background: Heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF) is a heterogeneous entity including patients with different phenotypes of near normal, normal, and supernormal left ventricular (LV) function.

Objectives: To assess the value of resting LV elastance (also known as force) with transthoracic echocardiography (TTE) to identify HFpEF phenotypes.

Methods: In a prospective, observational, multicenter study, 2380 HFpEF patients were recruited from July 2016 to May 2024.

Dietary Inflammatory Score and Incident Heart Failure in the Reasons for Geographic and Racial Differences in Stroke (REGARDS) Study.

Background: Inflammation plays a key role in the development of heart failure (HF), and diet is a known modifiable factor that modulates systemic inflammation. The dietary inflammatory score (DIS) is a tool to quantify the inflammatory components of diet. We sought to determine whether the DIS is associated with incident HF events.

Healthcare Costs and Early Complications in Liver-Transplanted Patients With Portal Vein Thrombosis: Experience From a Colombian Reference Center.

Objectives: This study aimed to analyze the direct healthcare costs and early complications associated with pretransplant portal vein thrombosis (PVT) in cirrhotic patients undergoing their first orthotopic liver transplant (LT) at a hospital in Colombia from 2013 to 2021.

Methods: A registry-based retrospective follow-up study was conducted on cirrhotic patients aged 14 years or older who underwent their first LT at the San Vicente Fundación Rionegro Hospital between January 2013 and April 2021. The primary outcomes were early (30-day) vascular and biliary complications and direct healthcare costs.