Kidney failure-related excess mortality during the first three years of the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States: a nation-wide, population-based analysis.

Background: The onset of the COVID-19 pandemic has had a detrimental impact on the healthcare system. Patients with kidney failure and related kidney disease are notably vulnerable to the COVID-19 pandemic. However, it remains unclear how mortality trends associated with kidney failure have evolved over the past three years.

Geographical and Socioeconomic Disparities in Substance and Opioid Use Disorders Among Inflammatory Bowel Disease Hospitalizations in the United States From the National Inpatient Sample.

We compared substance use disorder (SUD) prevalence among adult inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) hospitalizations with non-IBD controls from the 2016-2018 National Inpatient Sample, assessing correlations with demographics, socioeconomic status, geographic regions, depression, and anxiety. The primary aim focused on SUD, defined as substance abuse or dependence (: F10-F19) excluding unspecified use or remission, among hospitalizations documenting IBD (Crohn's disease or ulcerative colitis; : K50-51) as one admitting diagnosis (IBD-D). The prevalence of SUD among hospitalizations with and without IBD was compared.

Modulation of Lymphotoxin β Surface Expression by Kaposi's Sarcoma-Associated Herpesvirus K3 Through Glycosylation Interference.

Kaposi's sarcoma-associated herpesvirus (KSHV) employs diverse mechanisms to subvert host immune responses, contributing to its infection and pathogenicity. As an immune evasion strategy, KSHV encodes the Membrane-Associated RING-CH (MARCH)-family E3 ligases, K3, and K5, which target and remove several immune regulators from the cell surface. In this study, we investigate the impact of K3 and K5 on lymphotoxin receptor (LTβR) ligands, LTβ and LIGHT, which are type II transmembrane proteins and function as pivotal immune mediators during virus infection.

Utilization of Internet and Social Media by Outpatient Dermatology Patients: A Prospective, Cross-sectional Study.

Background: Online health-related information (HRI) has expanded access to medical knowledge. While there are benefits to the increasing availability of online HRI, there may be limitations to the accuracy, quality of information, and utilization across patient demographics.

Methods: A survey was administered to dermatology outpatients at the Keck School of Medicine of the University of Southern California to examine the utilization of internet and social media for acquiring dermatology-related information (DRI).

Evaluating the association of genotype and cognitive resilience in SuperAgers.

Importance: "SuperAgers" are oldest-old adults (ages 80+) whose memory performance resembles that of adults in their 50s to mid-60s. Factors underlying their exemplary memory are underexplored in large, racially diverse cohorts.

Objective: To determine the frequency of genotypes in non-Hispanic Black and non-Hispanic White SuperAgers compared to middle-aged (ages 50-64), old (ages 65-79), and oldest-old (ages 80+) controls and Alzheimer's disease (AD) dementia cases.

"Smoking weed it gets you over the hump": Cannabis co-use as a facilitator of decreased opioid use among people who inject drugs in Los Angeles, California.

Introduction: Opioid overdose mortality rates have surged dramatically in the last decade due largely to fentanyl in the illicit US drug supply. As of June 2024, 38 states, three territories, namely US Virgin Islands, Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands, and the District of Columbia, allow the medical use of cannabis products. However, there remains limited qualitative community-based evidence on the role of cannabis co-use among opioid using and injecting populations.

Reducing Requirements for Insulin Pump Referral Improves Pump Initiation for Publicly Insured Children and Youth With Type 1 Diabetes.

Quality Improvement Success Stories are published by the American Diabetes Association in collaboration with the American College of Physicians and the National Diabetes Education Program. This series is intended to highlight best practices and strategies from programs and clinics that have successfully improved the quality of care for people with diabetes or related conditions. Each article in the series is reviewed and follows a standard format developed by the editors of .

Novel CO loaded nanoparticle ultrasound-activated contrast agent: A potential urinary catheter-free modality to detect vesicoureteral reflux.

Background: The current gold-standard for detecting vesicoureteral reflux (VUR) is the voiding cystourethrogram (VCUG). However, VCUGs require ionizing radiation and bladder catheterization that can be challenging to perform and traumatic for pediatric patients and their parents.

Objective: To investigate the feasibility of a novel urinary catheter-free modality for diagnosing VUR using in vitro and ex vivo models.

Prenatal exposure to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, reduced hippocampal subfield volumes, and word reading.

Reading difficulties and exposure to air pollution are both disproportionately high among youth living in economically disadvantaged contexts. Critically, variance in reading skills in youth living in higher socioeconomic status (SES) contexts largely derives from genetic factors, whereas environmental factors explain more of the variance in reading skills among youth living in lower SES contexts. Although reading research has focused closely on the psychosocial environment, little focus has been paid to the effects of the chemical environment.

Comparison of Postoperative Antibiotic Protocols for Pediatric Complicated Appendicitis: A Western Pediatric Surgery Research Consortium Study.

Background: There is no consensus on the appropriate duration of postoperative antibiotics for complicated appendicitis in children. Commonly used antibiotic endpoints include normalization of white blood cell count (WBC) or completion of a minimum number of prespecified treatment days. We compared clinical outcomes resulting from varying postoperative antibiotic protocols for complicated appendicitis in children.

Loss of O6-Methylguanine-DNA Methyltransferase Protein Expression by Immunohistochemistry Is Associated With Response to Capecitabine and Temozolomide in Neuroendocrine Neoplasms.

Background: A recent prospective phase II study (ECOG-ACRIN E2211) demonstrated that MGMT deficiency was associated with a significant response to capecitabine and temozolomide (CAPTEM) in pancreatic neuroendocrine neoplasms (NENs); however, routine MGMT analysis in NENs was not recommended. Our study sought to demonstrate whether loss of MGMT protein expression is associated with improved overall survival (OS) in patients receiving CAPTEM for NENs from various tumor sites.

Materials And Methods: Paraffin-embedded tumor samples were evaluated by immunohistochemistry (IHC) using an MGMT monoclonal antibody.

Decoding the mA epitranscriptomic landscape for biotechnological applications using a direct RNA sequencing approach.

Epitranscriptomic modifications, particularly N6-methyladenosine (mA), are crucial regulators of gene expression, influencing processes such as RNA stability, splicing, and translation. Traditional computational methods for detecting mA from Nanopore direct RNA sequencing (DRS) data are constrained by their reliance on experimentally validated labels, often resulting in the underestimation of modification sites. Here, we introduce pum6a, an innovative attention-based framework that integrates positive and unlabeled multi-instance learning (MIL) to address the challenges of incomplete labeling and missing read-level annotations.

Outcomes of Triceps Surae Lengthening Surgery in Children With Charcot-Marie-Tooth Disease: A Multisite Investigation.

Background: Orthopaedic surgical intervention in children with Charcot-Marie-Tooth (CMT) often includes triceps surae lengthening (TSL) and foot procedures to address instability and pain due to equinus and cavovarus deformities. These surgeries may unmask underlying weakness in this progressive disease causing increased calcaneal pitch and excessive dorsiflexion in terminal stance leading to crouch. The purpose of this study was to evaluate changes in ankle function during gait following TSL surgery in children with CMT.

Industry affiliation influence on randomized controlled trials for platelet-rich plasma in the treatment of lateral epicondylitis: a systematic review.

Background: Explicit funding and industry affiliation are believed to potentially impact medical research. There have been an increasing number of studies that have evaluated this relationship. The purpose of this study is to determine whether industry affiliation influences the outcomes of randomized controlled trials that investigate the effectiveness of platelet-rich plasma (PRP) in the treatment of lateral epicondylitis.

Indirect Ballistic Injury Resulting in Non-ST-Segment Elevation Myocardial Infarction.

Gunshot-related myocardial injuries typically result from direct penetrating injury by the traversing bullet. We present a case of gunshot-related myocardial injury in the absence of direct penetrating injury to the cardiac structures and describe alternative mechanisms for ballistic-induced injury.

Integrated Business and Engineering Educational Experience for Medical Students in the Development of Pediatric Medical Devices.

Background: There are few opportunities in undergraduate medical education that provide formal training in engineering and scientific innovation. Institutions have sought to address student-specific career goals through combined degree programs such as the Medical Scientist Training Program and MD/MBA. However, only a small percentage of medical students pursue these additional degrees.

A longitudinal study of functional brain complexity in progressive Alzheimer's disease.

Introduction: Cross-sectional resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rsfMRI) studies have revealed altered complexity with advanced Alzheimer's disease (AD) stages. The current study conducted longitudinal rsfMRI complexity analyses in AD.

Methods: Linear mixed-effects (LME) models were implemented to evaluate altered rates of disease progression in complexity across disease groups.

Genome-wide association study of urinary cadmium levels in current smokers from the multiethnic cohort study.

Background: Cadmium (Cd), classified as an International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) Group 1 human carcinogen, is present in cigarette smoke. Recent studies have illustrated the potential role of genetics in influencing Cd biomarker levels.

Methods: We conducted a genome-wide association study (GWAS) of urinary Cd levels in 1977 current smokers from the Multiethnic Cohort Study, comprising participants from five different racial and ethnic groups.

Person-Centered Social Determinants and Neighborhood-Level Deprivation Associated With Disability in Hispanic People With Multiple Sclerosis.

Background And Objectives: Multiple sclerosis (MS)-related disability in Hispanic people with MS is associated with inequities in social determinants of health (SDOH) as measured by composite indices of areal-level census data. Studies of individual-level measures of SDOH are lacking. This study examined the separate and joint effects of person-centered SDOH indicators and an area-level composite on MS disability measures.

The role of the hippocampus in working memory and word reading: Novel neural correlates of reading among youth living in the context of economic disadvantage.

A left-lateralized cortical reading circuit underlies successful reading and fails to engage in individuals with reading problems. Studies identifying this circuit included youth from economically advantaged backgrounds and focused on cortical, not subcortical, structures. However, among youth with low scores on reading tests who are living in the context of economic disadvantage, this brain network is actively engaged during reading, despite persistent reading problems.

Concurrent management of vitiligo and acquired disorders of hyperpigmentation: a comprehensive literature review and current practice gaps.

Few studies discuss the co-management of vitiligo and acquired hyperpigmentation disorders (AHD) such as melasma, erythema dyschromicum perstans, post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation, drug-induced hyperpigmentation, and lichen planus pigmentosus. This review discusses clinical studies examining co-management strategies and identifies current practice gaps. Dermatology Life Quality Index scores are higher in individuals with vitiligo or melasma.