Drivers of infliximab biosimilar uptake: A comparative analysis of new biosimilar initiations versus switching in a national rheumatology registry.

Objective: To analyze the variability in new infliximab biosimilar starts as well as switching from bio-originator to biosimilar infliximab, across insurance payers and rheumatology practices nationally.

Study Setting And Design: Data came from Rheumatology Informatics System for Effectiveness, a national registry with electronic health records from over 1100 US rheumatologists. Key outcomes include ever use of a biosimilar, date of initiation, and date of switching.

Benzodiazepine rescue medication administration for seizure clusters: Real-world retrospective outcomes.

Objective: Benzodiazepine rescue medications are established as therapy for acute termination of seizure clusters. A post-hoc analysis of a clinical trial of seizure cluster treatment with diazepam nasal spray found a potential longer-term impact over a year of treatment. In this retrospective analysis, we tested the hypothesis that benzodiazepine-treated seizure clusters are associated with prolonged time to the next seizure cluster compared with untreated seizure clusters in a patient-reported real-world database.

Small Children Receive Large Doses, While Large Children Receive Low Doses of Amoxicillin Per kg.

Purpose: With increasing pneumococcal penicillin resistance, physicians treat pneumococcal infections with high-dose amoxicillin (80-90 mg/kg/d). High-dose amoxicillin approaches adult doses which makes clinicians reluctant to exceed "adult doses." This study examines the disparity of amoxicillin dosing between the ages of children.

Dynamic visualization of DNA methylation in cell cycle genes during iPSC cardiac differentiation.

Background: Existing analyses with conventional assays have generated significant insights into static states of DNA methylation but were unable to visualize the dynamics of epigenetic regulation.

Materials & Results: We utilized a genomic DNA methylation reporter (GMR) system carrying Snrpn minimal promoter and CpG regions of (Cyclin-dependent kinase 1) or (SRY-Box Transcription Factor 2). Mouse Sox2 GMR iPSCs rapidly lost fluorescent reporter signal upon the induction of cardiac differentiation.

Immediate Treatment of Seizure Clusters: A Conceptual Roadmap to Expedited Seizure Management.

Some patients with epilepsy continue to have seizures despite daily treatment with antiseizure medications. This includes seizure clusters (also known as acute repetitive seizures), which are an increase in seizure frequency that is different from the usual seizure pattern for that patient. In the literature, the term "rescue" is used for pharmacologic treatment for seizure clusters, but clarity regarding timing or whether a caregiver or patient should wait until a moment of life-threatening urgency before administering the medication is lacking.

Quantitative Standardized Expansion Assay: An Artificial Intelligence-Powered Morphometric Description of Blastocyst Expansion and Zona Thinning Dynamics.

Artificial intelligence applied to time-lapse microscopy may revolutionize embryo selection in IVF by automating data collection and standardizing the assessments. In this context, blastocyst expansion dynamics, although being associated with reproductive fitness, have been poorly studied. This retrospective study (N = 2184 blastocysts from 786 cycles) exploited both technologies to picture the association between embryo and inner-cell-mass (ICM) area in µm, the ICM/Trophectoderm ratio, and the zona pellucida thickness in µm (zp-T) at sequential blastocyst expansion stages, with (i) euploidy and (ii) live-birth per transfer (N = 548 transfers).

Associations of Chronic Marijuana Use with Changes in Salivary Microbiome.

The legalization of marijuana (MJ) for medicinal and recreational use has raised concerns about its potential impact on health, including oral health. While MJ use has been linked to poor oral health, its effects on the composition of the oral microbiome remain unclear. This cross-sectional study analyzed saliva samples from chronic MJ users (n = 18) and nonusers (n = 20) to investigate MJ-related changes in salivary microbiome composition.

Exploring Youths' Offers to Use E-Cigarettes in Rural Hawai'i: A Test Development and Validation Study.

The purpose of this study is to describe the development and initial validation of a survey focused on problematic situations involving e-cigarette use by rural Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander (NHPI) youths. A 5-phase approach to test development and validation was used. In Phase 1 (Item Generation), survey items were created from a series of focus groups with middle school youths on Hawai'i Island ( = 69).

Detection of Serum Antibodies Targeting the Marburg Virus Glycoprotein Using a Multiplex Immunoassay Platform.

Multiplex immunoassays allow for the simultaneous detection of antibody populations targeting multiple antigens in a very sensitive, high-throughput format. This assay has applications in seroprevalence, serodiagnosis, and vaccine assessment with greater sensitivity and dynamic range than standard ELISAs (enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays). Here, we show in detail the methods for multiplex immunoassays to detect IgG to the Marburg virus glycoprotein.

Age-Related Hearing Impairment: Genome and Blood Methylome Data Integration Reveals Candidate Epigenetic Biomarkers.

Age-related hearing impairment (ARHI) is a major planetary health burden that is in need of precision medicine for prevention, diagnosis, and treatment. The present study was set out to identify candidate epigenetic markers for ARHI. Associations of genetically predicted DNA methylation levels with ARHI risk were evaluated using two sets of blood DNA methylation genetic prediction models in 147,997 cases and 575,269 controls of European descent.

Cholesterol crystals in the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis.

The presence of cholesterol crystals (CCs) in tissues was first described more than 100 years ago. CCs have a pathogenic role in various cardiovascular diseases, including myocardial infarction, aortic aneurysm and, most prominently, atherosclerosis. Although the underlying mechanisms and signalling pathways involved in CC formation are incompletely understood, numerous studies have highlighted the existence of CCs at various stages of atheroma progression.

Addressing cognitive impairment in peritoneal dialysis: a systematic review and meta-analysis of prevalence, risk factors, and outcomes.

Background: Cognitive impairment (CI) is a critical complication in peritoneal dialysis (PD) patients, associated with decreased quality of life and increased hospitalization. Despite its significant impact, the prevalence, risk factors, and consequences of CI in PD patients are not well understood. We aimed to determine the prevalence, risk factors, and outcomes of CI in PD patients.

Epstein-Barr Virus-Driven T-Cell Lymphoma with Haemophagocytic Lymphohistiocytosis: A Life-Threatening Disorder Extending Beyond Childhood.

Unlabelled: An 18-year-old previously healthy Filipino male presented with abdominal pain, vomiting, dyspnoea and fever. Initial investigations revealed severe hepatosplenomegaly, pancytopaenia, elevated liver enzymes, coagulopathy and extremely high ferritin levels. Bone marrow biopsy confirmed an abnormal CD8+ T-cell population with haemophagocytosis.

Effect of physician specialty training on pediatric appendectomy outcomes: an NSQIP-P analysis.

Purpose: Appendectomies are the most common abdominal emergency surgery in pediatric patients. Both pediatric and general surgeons are credentialed to perform this procedure, however pediatric surgeons are specialized in pediatrics. This study seeks to determine differences in pediatric appendectomy outcomes between general and pediatric surgeons.

Yield of Echocardiography with Bubble Studies Among Acute Ischemic Stroke Patients.

Transthoracic (TTE) and transesophageal (TEE) echocardiographic studies with agitated saline, also known as "bubble studies" (BSs), are used to diagnose patent foramen ovales (PFOs) in cryptogenic strokes (CSs). Guidelines limit PFO closure recommendations to CS patients ≤ 60 but BSs are often performed as part of standard order sets, leading to inappropriate studies in older patients with already-established stroke etiologies. This retrospective single-center study included acute ischemic stroke patients between January 2021 and June 2022 and assessed the stroke etiology and number of the echocardiographic studies performed.