Monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance and the risk of thrombotic events: Results from iStopMM, a prospective population-based screening study.

Monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance (MGUS) is the asymptomatic precursor of multiple myeloma and related diseases but has also been associated with thrombosis. Prior studies have not been based on screened cohorts leading to bias. We assessed the risk of thrombosis in a cohort of 75 422 individuals over 40 years old who were screened for MGUS in Iceland.

A pathway-based genetic score for inflammation: An indicator of vulnerability to phthalate-induced adverse neurodevelopment outcomes.

Introduction: Phthalates, chemical additives used to enhance plastic products' flexibility, are easily released into the environment, and can harm the brain development through various mechanisms including inflammation. Genetic variation influencing an individual's susceptibility to inflammation may play a role in the effects of phthalate exposure on neurodevelopment however there is no summary measure developed for genetic susceptibility to inflammation.

Methods: We developed a genetic pathway function score for inflammation (gPFS), based on the transcriptional activity of the inflammatory response pathway in the brain and other tissues.

Functionally conserved inner mitochondrial membrane proteins CCDC51 and Mdm33 demarcate a subset of fission events.

While extensive work has examined the mechanisms of mitochondrial fission, it remains unclear whether internal mitochondrial proteins in metazoans play a direct role in the process. Previously, the yeast inner membrane protein Mdm33 was shown to be required for normal mitochondrial morphology and has been hypothesized to be involved in mitochondrial fission. However, it is unknown whether Mdm33 plays a direct role, and it is not thought to have a mammalian homolog.

The Ultimate Intrinsic Motivator in Medicine: Patient Perspectives on What It Means to Be Loved by the Healthcare Team.

There is a compassion crisis in healthcare negatively impacting patient outcomes. Little is known about the relationship of love as a motivating factor in healthcare. Our research exploring physician and nurse perspectives on what it means to love their patients elucidated substantive themes.

Learning the Language of Medical Interpreters.

Every day, medical interpreters encounter the vulnerabilities of patients with limited English proficiency and systemic barriers to doing the right thing for patients. The narratives in this issue of NIB demonstrate a love of the interpretive practice. There are many stories of advocacy that go above and beyond what is expected of them.

Asthma Exacerbation Risk in Pregnancy and Postpartum: Assessing the Impact of Gestational Diabetes Mellitus and Other Key Factors.

Background: Asthma, affecting approximately 13% of pregnancies worldwide, and gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM), present in approximately 14%, are both associated with adverse maternal and perinatal outcomes. This study aims to address a lack of current knowledge about how GDM affects asthma during pregnancy.

Objective: To determine whether GDM is associated with an increased risk of asthma exacerbations during pregnancy and the first year postpartum.

Crafting inclusive parenting programs- considerations for deaf families: a qualitative study.

Background: The parenting of children by deaf parents has many challenges that require a barrier-breaking approach to ensure inclusivity and accessibility. Therefore, this study explored pathways for crafting inclusive parenting programs, fostering a future where every family thrives, regardless of hearing ability.

Methods: This was a qualitative study that employed in-depth interviews with 20 deaf parents and utilized thematic content analysis.

Approaching Hypercalcemia in Monoclonal Gammopathy of Undetermined Significance: Insights from the iStopMM study.

Hypercalcemia in monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance (MGUS) presents a clinical challenge since it may indicate progression to multiple myeloma (MM) but could also be due to a multitude of unrelated disorders. To inform the approach to this clinical challenge, we conducted a nested cohort study within the iStopMM screening study. Of the 75,422 Icelanders aged 40 years and above who underwent screening for MGUS, we included 2,546 with MGUS who were in active follow-up, including regular serum calcium measurements.

Multiple sclerosis and self-alienation: a study based on self and others representations.

Background: Multiple sclerosis (MS) is an autoimmune disease of the central nervous system. MS causes many changes in the lives of its patients, forcing them to renegotiate their lives. Part of these changes are related to patients' self- and others- mental representations.

Meanings and senses of Hansen's disease for health workers from a Vygotskian perspective: a qualitative study.

Background: Hansen's disease is an infectious disease with a slow and chronic evolution that can manifest itself through skin lesions, with changes in thermal, painful and tactile sensitivity, and also affect peripheral nerves, causing significant physical disabilities. This study aimed to analyze the meanings and senses for health workers from outpatient services who provide care to people diagnosed with Hansen's disease.

Methods: This is an exploratory qualitative study that used the Vygotskian theoretical-methodological framework based on the dimension of historical-dialectic materialism that bases its procedures on the use of meaning cores.

Barriers and facilitators of HIV partner status notification in low- and lower-middle-income countries: A mixed-methods systematic review.

Background: The uptake of HIV partner status notification remains limited in low- and lower-middle-income countries. This mixed-methods systematic review aims to summarize the barriers and facilitators of HIV partner status notification in these settings.

Methods: We searched PubMed, Embase, CINAHL, PsychINFO, Scopus, and Web of Science from January 01, 2000, to August 31, 2023, for empirical qualitative and quantitative studies.

The significance of free light-chain ratio in light-chain monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance: a flow cytometry sub-study of the iStopMM screening study.

Light-chain (LC) monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance (MGUS) is a precursor of multiple myeloma (MM) and related conditions. LC-MGUS is characterized by free light-chain (FLC) levels outside defined reference intervals, indirectly indicating underlying plasma cell (PC) monoclonality. Next-generation flow cytometry (NGF) was used to evaluate clonal PC presence in bone marrow (BM) samples from individuals with LC-MGUS in the iStopMM study, aiming to assess the predictive value of the FLC ratio for clonal PC presence and its prognostic implications.

Rationale and Design of the Personalized Therapy Study: Evaluating Real-World Performance of Two Automated Defibrillation Therapy Algorithms.

Background: Barriers to maximizing patient benefit with implantable defibrillation devices include limited ability to tailor antitachycardia pacing (ATP) therapy in real time and identify patients at risk of heart failure (HF) events early on. The Personalized Therapy study aims to evaluate the performance of 2 algorithms, intrinsic ATP (iATP) and TriageHF, to address these barriers in routine clinical practice.

Methods And Results: The Personalized Therapy Study was designed as a prospective, multicenter, post-market registry study expected to enroll approximately 2200 patients meeting the following criteria: (1) implanted with a study-eligible device regardless of procedure type, (2) Medtronic CareLink Network enrolled, (3) TriageHF enabled within CareLink and High-Risk Alert notifications turned ON, and (4) iATP enabled.

Lupus erythematosus and dermatomyositis.

Dr. Irwin Braverman, a luminary in our field of dermatology, united his love of internal medicine with dermatology to pioneer our understanding of the cutaneous manifestations of systemic disease. His meticulous documentation of physical examination findings in his book Skin Signs of Systemic Disease became fundamental to the training of dermatologists worldwide for decades.

Structure-Activity Relationship Study of Splicing Modulators on Hsh155/SF3B1 through Chemical Synthesis and Yeast Genetics.

Meayamycins are synthetic analogs of the natural product FR901464 and exhibit potent anticancer activity against human cancers. They bind SF3B1 and PHF5A, components of the human spliceosome, and they alter pre-mRNA splicing. Detailed analysis of the active site led us to investigate a narrow pocket within the binding site that surrounds the α,β-unsaturated amide portion of meayamycin.

Beyond Traditional Practices: Innovating Workplace Mental Health in the Community.

Workplace mental health is a critical concern. Forty per cent of healthcare workers experience burnout, half intend to leave the profession and only 60% express satisfaction with the quality of care they provide. These statistics highlight the urgency for innovative and holistic approaches to support well-being within healthcare organizations.

Traumatic pancreatic injuries and treatment outcomes: An observational retrospective study from a high-volume tertiary trauma center.

Introduction: This study discusses a tertiary trauma center's experience involving traumatic pancreatic injuries, focusing on identification, management, and complications, aiming to provide a valuable contribution to the literature on pancreatic trauma management.

Methods: We conducted a five year (2019-2023) retrospective analysis utilizing trauma registry data to identified pancreatic injuries in tier 1 and 2 activations. Pancreatic Organ Injury Scaling (OIS) and overall injury severity (ISS) was assessed using AAST scoring.

The probability of detecting host-specific microbial source tracking markers in surface waters was strongly associated with method and season.

Fecal contamination of surface waters presents significant human health and environmental risks. While many methods for understanding fecal contamination cannot differentiate between human and animal sources, microbial source tracking (MST) marker methods are used to identify fecal sources. To understand how to best employ MST marker data for managing fecal contamination risks, the present study compiled previously collected MST marker data ( = 12,878 samples) from across North America; each sample in the data set had been tested for fecal contamination from one or more of five sources (avian, canine, human, ruminant, swine).

Real-Time and Ultrasensitive Prostate-Specific Antigen Sensing Using Love-Mode Surface Acoustic Wave Immunosensor Based on MoS@CuO-Au Nanocomposites.

Prostate-specific antigen (PSA) is a well-established tumour marker for prostatic carcinoma. In this study, we present a novel, real-time, and ultrasensitive Love-mode surface acoustic wave (L-SAW) immunosensor for PSA detection enhanced by MoS@CuO-Au nanocomposite conjugation. The MoS@CuO-Au nanocomposites were analyzed by SEM, XRD, and EDS.

Optimization of Selected Minerals and a Cytokinin for Propagation of Little-Leaf Mockorange ( A. Gray) Using Response Surface Methodology (RSM).

Optimizing concentrations of minerals and phytohormones is essential when culturing a new plant species. The objective of this study was to use Response Surface Methodology (RSM) to evaluate combinations of selected minerals (N, Ca, and P) along with zeatin (Zea) to obtain optimum shoot growth of little-leaf mockorange. Forty-six treatment combinations were assigned using Proc Optex in SAS software version 9.

Identification and Structural Elucidation of Acylsugars in Tomato Leaves Using Liquid Chromatography-Ion Mobility-Tandem Mass Spectrometry (LC-IM-MS/MS).

Leaves of tomato plants contain various glandular trichomes that produce a wide range of metabolic products including acylsugars, which may serve as a defense mechanism against various insect pests. Acylsugars exhibit significant structural diversity, differing in their sugar cores, acylated positions, and type of acyl chains. This work demonstrated a comprehensive approach using multidimensional separation techniques, specifically liquid chromatography-ion mobility-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-IM-MS/MS), for structural characterization, and the discrimination of different tomato plants (one cultivar and five accessions) was demonstrated using tomato leaf extracts; six genotypes from five species of were represented.