Asymptomatic female softball pitchers have altered hip morphology and cartilage composition.

Few studies have explored hip morphology and cartilage composition in female athletes or the impact of asymmetric repetitive loading, such as occurs during softball pitching. The current cross-sectional study assessed bilateral bony hip morphology on computed tomography imaging in collegiate-level softball pitchers ('Pitch1', n = 25) and cross-country runners ('Run', n = 13). Magnetic resonance imaging was used to assess cartilage relaxation times in a second cohort of pitchers ('Pitch2', n = 10) and non-athletic controls ('Con', n = 4).

Prevalence, intensity and risk factors of soil-transmitted helminthiasis after five effective rounds of preventive chemotherapy across three implementation units in Ondo State, Nigeria.

Background: Routine epidemiological data are essential for monitoring the effectiveness of preventive chemotherapy (PC), optimizing resource allocation, and addressing the evolving needs in the elimination of soil-transmitted helminthiasis (STH). This study assesses the prevalence, intensity, and associated risk factors of STH following five rounds of albendazole-based PC in three implementation units (IUs) in Ondo State, Nigeria.

Methodology: Fresh stool samples were collected from 2,093 children aged 5-14 years across 45 systematically selected schools in three IUs: Ese-Odo, Irele, and Ile-Oluji.

A pilot study of the utility of a hospital-based school program for pediatric patients with cardiac diagnoses.

Introduction: Pediatric patients with complex cardiac diagnoses are at increased risk for physical, cognitive, and developmental complications. Formalized school support [i.e.

Mid-term radiographic evaluation of a monoblock trabecular metal tibia following total knee arthroplasty in obese and morbidly obese patients.

Background: Indications for primary total knee arthroplasty (TKA) have become more inclusive of morbidly obese patients, however, higher rates of complications and lower implant survival have also been reported in this population. The purpose of this study was to investigate the mid-term survival, clinical, and radiographic outcomes of a cementless trabecular metal monoblock tibial component in severely obese patients.

Methods: This was a retrospective study of class II and III obese (BMI > 35) patients who received a cementless primary TKA.

Cellular Attachment Assays to Dissect Molecular Drivers of Epidermal Cell Function.

Cell attachment is the process by which cells interact with their environment, including neighboring cells and the extracellular matrix (ECM). Attachment plays a critical role in maintaining skin integrity, promoting wound healing, and facilitating cellular communication in epidermal cells, such as keratinocytes. However, the many different factors that can influence this mechanism make it challenging to recapitulate in cellular models.

Transgender Healthcare: A Historical Narrative of Gender-Affirming Plastic Surgery.

This historical narrative presents a comprehensive historical journey delving into the diverse facets of gender identity and expression across ancient cultures. It explores these civilizations' perspectives on gender diversity, highlighting instances that challenged conventional gender norms. Transitioning to the modern era, the narrative examines the dynamic landscape of LGBTQ+ and trans movements, spotlighting influential figures whose advocacy has significantly influenced societal perceptions and advanced the rights of gender diverse individuals.

Autologous Testicle Construction With Buried Metoidioplasty Correction.

Gender-affirming surgery is essential for transgender individuals seeking alignment between their physical appearance and gender identity. Metoidioplasty is a masculinizing option for those assigned female at birth and often includes vaginectomy, urethral lengthening, scrotoplasty, creation of a neophallus, and testicular prostheses, typically implanted during a second-stage procedure. We describe a 39-year-old transgender man who initially underwent a laparoscopic hysterectomy, metoidioplasty, and tubularized plate urethral lengthening 19 months earlier.

A personalized smartphone app for a surgery residency: Is it useful?

Background: Access to schedules, protocols, and learning materials needs to be convenient and fast. Smartphones have become the default pathway for information access. The purpose of this study was to understand the impact of a smartphone application (app) on residency workflow and education.

Gondwanan relic or recent arrival? The biogeographic origins and systematics of Australian tarantulas.

The composition of Australia's fauna and flora has been largely assembled by two biogeographic processes, vicariance and long-distance dispersal and establishment. These patterns can be observed today through the survival of Gondwanan lineages contrasted with relatively recent colonization from south-east Asia, respectively. In general, the post-Gondwanan immigrant lineages from south-east Asia are taxa with traits that facilitate dispersal.

Thrombopoietic agents enhance bone healing in mice, rats, and pigs.

Achieving bone union remains a significant clinical dilemma. The use of osteoinductive agents, specifically bone morphogenetic proteins (BMPs), has gained wide attention. However, multiple side effects, including increased incidence of cancer, have renewed interest in investigating alternatives that provide safer, yet effective bone regeneration.

Decreasing Perceived Moral Distress in Pediatrics Residents: A Pilot Study.

Pediatric residents experience ethical dilemmas and moral distress during training. Few studies have identified meaningful methods in reducing moral distress in pediatric trainees. The authors aimed to determine how residents perceive ethics case discussions, whether such a program affects trainee ethics knowledge and perceived moral distress, and if residents' perceived moral distress changes before, during, and after a discussion series.

The epidermal growth factor receptor inhibitor gefitinib enhances in vitro and in vivo sensory axon regeneration and functional recovery following transection in a mouse median nerve injury model.

Introduction: The epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR; ErbB1), a membrane bound receptor tyrosine kinase, is hypothesized to have an inhibitory influence on peripheral nerve regeneration. This study examines the impact of EGFR inhibition on nerve regeneration using the commercially available small molecule inhibitor gefitinib.

Method: In vitro assays included neurite outgrowth of cultured dorsal root ganglion (DRG) neurons from adult C57Bl/6 wildtype mice on immobilized chondroitin sulfate proteoglycans (CSPG).

Osteopathic Manipulative Treatment: A Safe and Feasible Adjunct in Sickle Cell Disease Pain Management.

Children and adolescents and young adults (CAYAs) with sickle cell disease (SCD) suffer from recurrent acute pain episodes that result in hospitalization and confer substantial morbidity. Pharmacologic pain control is often inadequate, thus non-pharmacologic modalities are needed. Osteopathic manipulative treatment (OMT) is a potentially valuable non-pharmacologic addition to pain management.

Geospatial and Socioeconomic Disparities in Access to Interventional Radiology Care in the United States.

Purpose: To determine and analyze the geographic distribution of interventional radiologists in the United States to identify populations that have decreased accessibility to IR care.

Methods: The Society of Interventional Radiology public database was reviewed for board-certified interventional radiologists in all cities within the United States. US Census data was used to acquire county-level data sets on poverty, population, unemployment, median household income, education, and racial diversity.

Skull sinuses precluded extinct crocodile relatives from cetacean-style deep diving as they transitioned from land to sea.

During major evolutionary transitions, groups develop radically new body plans and radiate into new habitats. A classic example is cetaceans which evolved from terrestrial ancestors to become pelagic swimmers. In doing so, they altered their air-filled sinuses, transitioning some of these spaces to allow for fluctuations in air capacity and storage via soft tissue borders.

Adiposity and Mineral Balance in Chronic Kidney Disease.

Purpose Of Review: Bone homeostasis is balanced between formation and resorption activities and remain in relative equilibrium. Under disease states this process is disrupted, favoring more resorption over formation, leading to significant bone loss and fracture incidence. This aspect is a hallmark for patients with chronic kidney disease mineral and bone disorder (CKD-MBD) affecting a significant portion of the population, both in the United States and worldwide.

A New Overview of Sex Bias in Fungal Infections.

Fungal infections often disproportionately affect males over females. Since the NIH mandated in 2016 that researchers test their hypotheses in both biological sexes, numerous other fungal infections/colonizations have been found to exhibit sex-specific patterns. These patterns have been observed in various species, including mice, drosophila, cats, and bats, suggesting significant implications for understanding these diseases and developing treatments.

Isolation, characterization, and genetic manipulation of cold-tolerant, manganese-oxidizing sp. strains.

Manganese-oxidizing bacteria (MnOB) produce Mn oxide minerals that can be used by humans for bioremediation, but the purpose for the bacterium is less clear. This study describes the isolation and characterization of cold-tolerant MnOB strains isolated from a compost pile in Morris, Minnesota, USA: sp. MS-1 and DSV-1.

Endocranial development in non-avian dinosaurs reveals an ontogenetic brain trajectory distinct from extant archosaurs.

Modern birds possess highly encephalized brains that evolved from non-avian dinosaurs. Evolutionary shifts in developmental timing, namely juvenilization of adult phenotypes, have been proposed as a driver of head evolution along the dinosaur-bird transition, including brain morphology. Testing this hypothesis requires a sufficient developmental sampling of brain morphology in non-avian dinosaurs.

Interfacility Transfer of Pediatric Supracondylar Elbow Fractures: Transfer by Ambulance Shows No Advantage in Speed of Transfer or Prevention of Complications.

Background: The treatment of supracondylar humerus (SCH) fractures is increasingly centralized in tertiary centers. Interfacility transfer from other facilities may occur by ground ambulance or privately owned vehicle (POV). The objective of this study was to determine if interfacility transfer by POV is equivalent in transfer time and perioperative complications compared with ground ambulance.