Associations between vaping during pregnancy and perinatal outcomes: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Despite numerous studies linking prenatal vaping to adverse perinatal outcomes, a systematic assessment for critical comparison remains absent. To investigate these associations, we conducted a systematic search of studies assessing perinatal outcomes in mothers and/or neonates exposed to vaping during pregnancy compared to those in women without prenatal vaping exposure through MEDLINE, EMBASE, Scopus, Web of Science, Cochrane Library, PROSPERO, and Google Scholar until July 5, 2024. We performed inverse-variance random-effects meta-analyses for maternal and neonatal outcomes of 23 studies with a total of 924,376 participants with 7552 reporting vaping-only use during pregnancy.

Lateral peri-hand bias affects the horizontal but not the vertical distribution of attention.

It has been demonstrated that humans exhibit an attention bias towards the lower visual field (e.g., faster target detection for targets appearing below eye level).

AI Methods for Antimicrobial Peptides: Progress and Challenges.

Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) are promising candidates to combat multidrug-resistant pathogens. However, the high cost of extensive wet-lab screening has made AI methods for identifying and designing AMPs increasingly important, with machine learning (ML) techniques playing a crucial role. AI approaches have recently revolutionised this field by accelerating the discovery of new peptides with anti-infective activity, particularly in preclinical mouse models.

ZIC1 is a context-dependent medulloblastoma driver in the rhombic lip.

Transcription factors are frequent cancer driver genes, exhibiting noted specificity based on the precise cell of origin. We demonstrate that ZIC1 exhibits loss-of-function (LOF) somatic events in group 4 (G4) medulloblastoma through recurrent point mutations, subchromosomal deletions and mono-allelic epigenetic repression (60% of G4 medulloblastoma). In contrast, highly similar SHH medulloblastoma exhibits distinct and diametrically opposed gain-of-function mutations and copy number gains (20% of SHH medulloblastoma).

Preoperative estimated glomerular filtration rate to predict cardiac events in major noncardiac surgery: a secondary analysis of two large international studies.

Background: Optimised use of kidney function information might improve cardiac risk prediction in noncardiac surgery.

Methods: In 35,815 patients from the VISION cohort study and 9219 patients from the POISE-2 trial who were ≥45 yr old and underwent nonurgent inpatient noncardiac surgery, we examined (by age and sex) the association between continuous nonlinear preoperative estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) and the composite of myocardial injury after noncardiac surgery, nonfatal cardiac arrest, or death owing to a cardiac cause within 30 days after surgery. We estimated contributions of predictive information, C-statistic, and net benefit from eGFR and other common patient and surgical characteristics to large multivariable models.

Optimizing Virtual Follow-Up Care: Realist Evaluation of Experiences and Perspectives of Patients With Breast and Prostate Cancer.

Background: Virtual follow-up (VFU) has the potential to enhance cancer survivorship care. However, a greater understanding is needed of how VFU can be optimized.

Objective: This study aims to examine how, for whom, and in what contexts VFU works for cancer survivorship care.

Audio-visual concert performances synchronize audience's heart rates.

People enjoy engaging with music. Live music concerts provide an excellent option to investigate real-world music experiences, and at the same time, use neurophysiological synchrony to assess dynamic engagement. In the current study, we assessed engagement in a live concert setting using synchrony of cardiorespiratory measures, comparing inter-subject, stimulus-response, correlation, and phase coherence.

PRP Injections for the Treatment of Knee Osteoarthritis: The Improvement Is Clinically Significant and Influenced by Platelet Concentration: A Meta-analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials.

Background: Platelet-rich plasma (PRP) has emerged as a promising therapeutic intervention for knee osteoarthritis (OA), attracting substantial clinical and research attention. However, the clinical relevance of the treatment benefit remains controversial.

Purpose: To evaluate the effectiveness of PRP compared with placebo in patients with knee OA in terms of minimal clinically important difference (MCID) and to investigate the possible influence of platelet concentration on the clinical outcome.

High satisfaction and low conversion rate to total hip arthroplasty after hip arthroscopy for femoroacetabular impingement syndrome and risk factors affecting survival at long-term follow-up.

Purpose: Studies evaluating the long-term survival rate, patient satisfaction, and conversion to total hip arthroplasty (THA) are limited. The aim of this study was to evaluate satisfaction and hip survival at a minimum 10-year follow-up in patients following hip arthroscopy for femoroacetabular impingement syndrome (FAIS).

Methods: A total of 164 patients underwent hip arthroscopy for FAIS between 2007 and 2012; of these, 76 (49 men and 27 women; mean age, 40.

International Consensus Guidance for the Management of Glucocorticoid Related Complications in Neuromuscular Disease.

Introduction/aims: Glucocorticoid (GC)-related adverse reactions and risks are commonly seen during the treatment of immune-mediated and inflammatory neuromuscular disorders. There is wide variation in the management of associated complications. The aim of this study is to develop international consensus guidance on the management of GC-related complications in neuromuscular disorders.

The use of patient-generated health data in the management of low anterior resection syndrome: a qualitative study.

Background: The cornerstone of low anterior resection syndrome (LARS) treatment is self-management, which requires patient engagement. Colorectal surgeons and nurses may use patient-generated health data (PGHD) to help guide patients in their use of self-management strategies for LARS. However, the perspectives of LARS experts on the use of PGHD remain largely unexplored.

Reflecting on Peer Feedback in Problem-Based Learning: Implementing a Group Function Tool.

Introduction Self-directed peer feedback is integral to the problem-based learning (PBL) process, but poorly scaffolded feedback processes can be inefficient and ineffective and there is little guidance on how students should structure these processes. This study aims to identify implementation considerations for a group function reflection tool and explore group feedback behaviours around the operationalization of the tool. Methods We conducted a qualitative study informed by direct content analysis using the group function reflection tool and conducted semi-structured focus groups in 2024 with 24 medical students and two tutors participating in a PBL curriculum.

Mesoscale analysis of fracture process in brick masonry structures.

This paper deals with mesoscale analysis of masonry structures, which involves fracture propagation in brick units as well as along the masonry joints. The brick-mortar interfaces are incorporated in standard finite elements by employing a constitutive law with embedded discontinuity. Macrocracks in bricks are modelled in a discrete way using the same methodology, without any a-priori assumptions regarding their orientation.

Formal Mentorship in Surgical Training: A Long-Term Prospective Interventional Study.

Objective: Surgical training programs have a high prevalence of trainee stress and burnout. Formal mentorship programs (FMP) have been shown to alleviate these factors and improve quality of life (QOL) in short-term follow-up. This study aims to determine the long-term effects of an FMP on the well-being of a single-center cohort of surgical trainees.

Sex Differences, Menses-Related Symptoms and Menopause in Disorders of Gut-Brain Interaction.

Background: Disorders of gut-brain interaction (DGBI) predominate in women, but little is known about sex differences in menses-related or menopause symptoms.

Methods: Using data from the Rome Foundation Global Epidemiology Survey, we assessed Rome IV DGBI symptoms in individuals in 26 countries who met criteria for ≥ 1 of 5 DGBI: irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), functional dyspepsia (FD), functional constipation (FC), functional diarrhea (FDr), or functional bloating (FB). Participants included pre- and post-menopausal women with DGBI and age-matched men.

Host genetics maps to behaviour and brain structure in developmental mice.

Gene-environment interactions in the postnatal period have a long-term impact on neurodevelopment. To effectively assess neurodevelopment in the mouse, we developed a behavioural pipeline that incorporates several validated behavioural tests to measure translationally relevant milestones of behaviour in mice. The behavioral phenotype of 1060 wild type and genetically-modified mice was examined followed by structural brain imaging at 4 weeks of age.

A transgender medicine curriculum for Internal Medicine residents at a single academic institution.

Background: Transgender or gender diverse patients present with health care needs as it relates to gender-affirming care, psychosocial support, and medication access. Considering this, medical education strategies should be implemented to train the next generation of Internal Medicine physicians in this area.

Methods: We adopted Kern's six step approach to curriculum design to create and implement an educational curriculum for teaching Internal Medicine residents about transgender patients at a single academic institution in Canada (Kern et al, Curriculum Development for Medical Education, 2009).

Exploiting the fitness cost of metallo-β-lactamase expression can overcome antibiotic resistance in bacterial pathogens.

Carbapenems are last-resort antibiotics for treating bacterial infections. The widespread acquisition of metallo-β-lactamases, such as VIM-2, contributes to the emergence of carbapenem-resistant pathogens, and currently, no metallo-β-lactamase inhibitors are available in the clinic. Here we show that bacteria expressing VIM-2 have impaired growth in zinc-deprived environments, including human serum and murine infection models.

Emergence of structures in neuronal network activities.

Nonlinear responses of individual neurons are both experimentally established and considered fundamental for the functioning of neuronal circuitry. Consequently, one may envisage the collective dynamics of large networks of neurons exhibiting a large repertoire of nonlinear behaviors. However, an ongoing and central challenge in the modeling of neural dynamics involves the trade-off between tractability and biological realism.

Genomic signatures of adaptation in native lizards exposed to human-introduced fire ants.

Understanding the process of genetic adaptation in response to human-mediated ecological change will help elucidate the eco-evolutionary impacts of human activity. In the 1930s red imported fire ants (Solenopsis invicta) were accidently introduced to the Southeastern USA, where today they are both venomous predators and toxic prey to native eastern fence lizards (Sceloporus undulatus). Here, we investigate potential lizard adaptation to invasive fire ants by generating whole-genome sequences from 420 lizards across three populations: one with long exposure to fire ants, and two unexposed populations.

A generalised catalytic model to assess changes in risk for multiple reinfections with SARS-CoV-2.

Background: Monitoring trends in multiple infections with SARS-CoV-2, following several pandemic waves, provides insight into the biological characteristics of new variants, but also necessitates methods to understand the risk of multiple reinfections.

Objectives: We generalised a catalytic model designed to detect increases in the risk of SARS-CoV-2 reinfection, to assess the population-level risk of multiple reinfections.

Methods: The catalytic model assumes the risk of reinfection is proportional to observed infections and uses a Bayesian approach to fit model parameters to the number of nth infections among individuals that occur at least 90 days after a previous infection.