Type A Aortic Dissection Following Abdominal Solid Organ Transplantation: Population-Level Outcomes in the United States.

Background: This study aims to analyze the patient characteristics, clinical outcomes, and contemporary trends concerning type A aortic dissection (TAAD) in previous recipients of abdominal solid organ transplantation (ASOT) in the United States.

Methods: The National Inpatient Sample was queried to identify all patients aged ≥18 with TAAD and a history of ASOT (TAAD-ASOT) between 2002 and 2015Q3 using ICD-9 diagnosis and procedure codes. Baseline characteristics and in-hospital outcomes were compared between TAAD-ASOT patients and TAAD patients without a history of ASOT (TAAD-non-ASOT).

Integrating Ambient In-Home Sensor Data and Electronic Health Record Data for the Prediction of Outcomes in Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis: Protocol for an Exploratory Feasibility Study.

Background: Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) leads to rapid physiological and functional decline before causing untimely death. Current best-practice approaches to interdisciplinary care are unable to provide adequate monitoring of patients' health. Passive in-home sensor systems enable 24×7 health monitoring.

Population-Level Risks for HIV Mortality During the COVID-19 Pandemic in the United States by Demographic Characteristics and Medicaid Access, 2020‒2021.

To evaluate the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on HIV mortality rates with a focus on demographic predictors and Medicaid access. Using Wide-Ranging Online Data for Epidemiologic Research, we conducted a descriptive study comparing HIV mortality in the United States 2 years before the COVID-19 pandemic (2018-2019) and the initial 2 years of the pandemic (2020-2021), and identifying HIV mortality factors during the pandemic. During the first 2 years of the pandemic, crude HIV death rates increased and then decreased marginally.

Lipin-1 restrains macrophage lipid synthesis to promote inflammation resolution.

Macrophages are critical to maintaining and restoring tissue homeostasis during inflammation. The lipid metabolic state of macrophages influences their function and polarization, which is crucial to the resolution of inflammation. The contribution of lipid synthesis to proinflammatory macrophage responses is well understood.

Memory-like NK cell differentiation, inhibitory NKG2A blockade, and improved recognition via antibody or CAR engineering combine to enhance NK cell attack against multiple myeloma.

Natural killer (NK) cells are a promising approach for cellular cancer immunotherapy and are being investigated to treat patients with multiple myeloma (MM). We found that MM patient blood NK cell frequencies were normal with increased activating receptors and cytotoxic granules, without evidence of functional exhaustion. Despite this activated state, MM target cells were resistant to conventional NK cells by unclear mechanisms.

T-bet-expressing B cells promote atherosclerosis in apolipoprotein E-deficient mice.

The humoral immune system influences the development of atherosclerosis, but the contributions of specific memory B cell subsets and IgG isotypes are poorly understood. We assessed the relationship between atherosclerosis and age-associated B cells (ABCs), a T-bet-expressing memory B cell subset that is enriched for IgG2c production and implicated in humoral autoimmunity. We found increased numbers of splenic CD11c+ ABCs in 6-mo-old, chow-fed Apoe-/- mice versus C57BL/6 control mice, which were exacerbated by high-fat diet.

Stable colonization of the model kissing bug Rhodnius prolixus by Trypanosoma cruzi Y strain.

Trypanosoma cruzi is a single-celled eukaryotic parasite responsible for Chagas disease, a major cause of morbidity and mortality in Central and South America. While the host-pathogen interactions of T. cruzi have been extensively studied in vertebrate models, investigations into its interactions within its insect host remain limited.

Comparison between Go-GutDx, a novel diagnostic stool test kit with potential impact in low-income countries, and BioFire test.

Introduction: Infectious diarrheal diseases are one of the leading causes of worldwide morbidity and mortality. The incidence of diarrhea is higher in Low-Middle-Income Countries (LMIC), where more than 90% of deaths from diarrheal diseases occur. Diagnostic tests for infectious diarrhea are not readily available in Low-Middle-Income Countries.

The relationship between cardiometabolic abnormalities and mortality in the Women's Health Initiative: A comparison of associations among women with cancer to women without cancer.

Background: Prior studies of participants with breast and other obesity-associated cancers in the Women's Health Initiative (WHI) showed worse mortality and cardiovascular disease (CVD) outcomes for individuals with a higher number of cardiometabolic risk factors at study entry. The purpose of this analysis is to compare the relationship between cardiometabolic abnormalities and mortality among women with and without cancer in the WHI.

Methods: Women with one of five early-stage obesity-associated cancers (breast, colorectal, endometrial, ovarian, and non-Hodgkin lymphoma) and controls without any new or prior history of cancer were selected from the WHI-Life and Longevity after Cancer ancillary study.

Creating a Framework for Minimizing Opioid Consumption after Office Based Surgery.

Purpose Of Review: Herein we review recent trends in opioid prescribing, the rise in office-based surgeries, and propose a framework to minimize opioid consumption following such procedures.

Recent Findings: Outpatient surgical procedures are increasing year over year in the United States. This observed increase is expected to continue due to the financial incentives to perform outpatient procedures.

Carbapenem-Resistant, Virulence Plasmid-Harboring Klebsiella pneumoniae, United States.

Carbapenem-resistant and virulence plasmid-harboring Klebsiella pneumoniae (pVir-CRKP) has emerged and spread globally, yet clinical investigations from the United States remain limited. We conducted a genomic analysis of 884 unique carbapenem-resistant K. pneumoniae isolates from a multicenter US cohort and identified 6 pVir-CRKP isolates, including 2 sequence type (ST) 23, 2 ST893, and 2 ST11 isolates.

Gastric Cancer Screening in the United States: A Review of Current Evidence, Challenges, and Future Perspectives.

Gastric cancer remains a leading cause of cancer-related mortality worldwide. In the United States, gastric cancer incidence and mortality are substantially higher among non-White racial and ethnic groups and new immigrants from high-incidence countries. This is in large part related to the higher prevalence of Helicobacter pylori-associated gastric premalignant changes in these populations.

ACG Clinical Guideline: Diagnosis and Management of Gastric Premalignant Conditions.

Gastric premalignant conditions (GPMC) are common and include atrophic gastritis, gastric intestinal metaplasia, dysplasia, and certain gastric epithelial polyps. GPMC have an increased risk of progression to gastric adenocarcinoma. Gastric cancer (GC) in the United States represents an important cancer disparity because incidence rates are 2- to 13-fold greater in non-White individuals, particularly early-generation immigrants from regions of high GC incidence.

Frailty Trajectories Following Adjuvant Chemotherapy and Mortality in Older Women With Breast Cancer.

Importance: Frailty assessed at a single time point is associated with mortality in older women with breast cancer. Little is known about how changes in frailty following cancer treatment initiation affect mortality.

Objective: To evaluate the association between claims-based frailty trajectories following adjuvant chemotherapy initiation and 5-year mortality in older women with stage I to III breast cancer.

Update on Cancer Screening Recommendations for Individuals with Li-Fraumeni Syndrome.

Li-Fraumeni syndrome (LFS) is an autosomal dominant cancer predisposition condition characterized by a high lifetime risk for a wide spectrum of malignancies associated with germline pathogenic/likely pathogenic (P/LP) variants in the TP53 tumor suppressor gene. Secondary malignant neoplasms are particularly common. Early cancer detection through surveillance enables early intervention and leads to improved clinical outcomes with reduced tumor-related mortality and treatment-related morbidity.

Chronic Pain Induced by Social Defeat Stress in Juvenile Mice Depends on TLR4.

A significant portion of adolescents suffer from mental illnesses and persistent pain due to repeated stress. The components of the nervous system that link stress and pain in early life remain unclear. Prior studies in adult mice implicated the innate immune system, specifically Toll-like receptors (TLRs), as critical for inducing long-term anxiety and pain-like behaviors in social defeat stress (SDS) models.

The emergence of highly resistant and hypervirulent Escherichia coli ST405 clone in a tertiary hospital over 8 years.

The emergence of carbapenem-resistant (CREC) poses crucial challenges in clinical management, requiring continuous monitoring to inform control and treatment strategies. This study aimed to investigate the genomic and epidemiological characteristics of CREC isolates obtained from a tertiary hospital in China between 2015 and 2022. Next-generation sequencing was used for genomic profiling, and clinical data from patients were integrated into the analysis.

Yeast poly(A)-binding protein (Pab1) controls translation initiation in vivo primarily by blocking mRNA decapping and decay.

Poly(A)-binding protein (Pab1 in yeast) is involved in mRNA decay and translation initiation, but its molecular functions are incompletely understood. We found that auxin-induced degradation of Pab1 reduced bulk mRNA and polysome abundance in WT but not in a mutant lacking the catalytic subunit of decapping enzyme (Dcp2), suggesting that enhanced decapping/degradation is a major driver of reduced translation at limiting Pab1. An increased median poly(A) tail length conferred by Pab1 depletion was likewise not observed in the dcp2Δ mutant, suggesting that mRNA isoforms with shorter tails are preferentially decapped/degraded at limiting Pab1.

The Final Rule in a Bind: What We Are Learning From Suboptimal Simultaneous Heart-Kidney Outcomes and Potential Solutions to the Problem.

Background: The 2018 revision of the adult Heart Allocation Policy (aHAP) led to a notable increase in the rate of simultaneous heart-kidney transplants (SHKT) in the United States. However, this policy has faced criticism for its inability to enhance post-transplant survival rates or decrease mortality among SHKT recipients on the waitlist, although high-quality kidneys are used.

Methods: We analyzed data from the Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network, covering 1549 SHKT cases from 2015 to 2021.

Effect of Age-Friendly Care on Days at Home Post-Hospital Discharge for Traditional Medicare Patients: A Cross-Sectional Study.

The Bundled Payment for Care Improvement Advanced (BPCI-A) model encourages value-based care by bundling 90-day healthcare-related costs into a single payment for eligible service codes and procedures for traditional Medicare Part A and B beneficiaries. Our institution, an Age-Friendly Health Systems Level 2 certified academic health center, participated in the BPCI-A model from 2018 to 2022. This study aimed to determine differences in days spent at home in the 30- and 90-day post-hospitalization period for older patients in the BPCI-A program based on Age-Friendly care status.

Trends in Cardiac Arrest Outcomes & Management in Children with Cardiac Illness Category Compared to Non-Cardiac Illness Category: An Analysis from the AHA Get With The Guidelines®-Resuscitation Registry.

Introduction: Contemporary rates of survival after pediatric in-hospital CPR events and trends in survival over the last 20 years have not been compared based on illness category. We hypothesized that survival to hospital discharge for surgical-cardiac category is higher than the non-cardiac category, and rates of survival after in-hospital CPR increased over time in all categories.

Methods: The AHA Get With The Guidelines®-Resuscitation registry was queried for index CPR events in children < 18 years of age from 2000 to 2021.

Impact of Enterococcus infection in HSCT recipients: a national analysis.

Background: Enterococci are the third most common cause of healthcare-associated infections in the United States, affecting 10-12% of all transplant recipients worldwide. Enterococcal bacteremia complicates the post-transplant recovery and raises mortality to 18%. This study aims to identify factors linked to mortality in hematopoietic stem cell transplant (HSCT) recipients with Enterococcus infection.

The comparative impact of central vs. peripheral VA-ECMO cannulation on postoperative graft dysfunction in lung transplantation: a retrospective analysis.

Background: Lung transplantation (LTx) is the definitive treatment for end-stage pulmonary diseases, with venoarterial extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (VA-ECMO) used as a common perioperative support. However, it remains unclear if central (cVA-ECMO) or peripheral (pVA-ECMO) cannulation routes yield better outcomes in postoperative prognosis. This study compares the impact of these two cannulation strategies on primary graft dysfunction (PGD) incidence in LTx patients.

Unraveling the impact of marine heatwaves on the Eukaryome of the emblematic Mediterranean red coral .

Global warming is intensifying heatwaves worldwide, leading to more frequent and severe temperature extremes. This study investigates the impact of the unprecedented 2022 Mediterranean heatwaves on the coral eukaryome, which has received little attention despite its known importance to coral holobiont functioning. Fifty-six colonies of the iconic red coral from the Mediterranean Sea were collected at different sites, depths, and health states.