Role of Kindlin 2 in prostate cancer.

Kindlin-2 is a cytoskeletal adapter protein that is present in many different cell types. By virtue of its interaction with multiple binding partners, Kindlin-2 intercalates into numerous signaling pathways and cytoskeletal nodes. A specific interaction of Kindlin-2 that is of paramount importance in many cellular responses is its direct binding to the cytoplasmic tails of integrins, an interaction that controls many of the adhesive, migratory and signaling responses mediated by members of the integrin family of cell-surface heterodimers.

Reprogramming of breast tumor-associated macrophages with modulation of arginine metabolism.

HER2+ breast tumors have abundant immune-suppressive cells, including M2-type tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs). Although TAMs consist of the immune-stimulatory M1 type and immune-suppressive M2 type, the M1/M2-TAM ratio is reduced in immune-suppressive tumors, contributing to their immunotherapy refractoriness. M1- versus M2-TAM formation depends on differential arginine metabolism, where M1-TAMs convert arginine to nitric oxide (NO) and M2-TAMs convert arginine to polyamines (PAs).

Improving Patient Recall Following Operative Orthopaedic Trauma.

Background: Orthopaedic trauma patients may experience poor recall regarding their injury and treatment, impairing postoperative outcomes. We sought to evaluate the impact of a standardized postoperative educational protocol on patient recall, adherence to the treatment plan, and satisfaction.

Methods: Two hundred and twenty adult, English-speaking patients with surgically treated lower-extremity fractures were prospectively included.

Neighborhood-Level Disparities in Hypertension Prevalence and Treatment Among Middle-Aged Adults.

Importance: Hypertension in middle-aged adults (35-50 years) is associated with poorer health outcomes in late life. Understanding how hypertension varies by race and ethnicity across levels of neighborhood disadvantage may allow for better characterization of persistent disparities.

Objective: To evaluate spatial patterns of hypertension diagnosis and treatment by neighborhood socioeconomic position and racial and ethnic composition.

Answering a Call to Action: Reducing Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders Using a Healthcare Champion Model.

Prenatal alcohol exposure and fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASDs) remain critical public health issues. Alcohol use in pregnancy is a leading preventable cause of birth defects, developmental disabilities, and learning disabilities. Alcohol screening and brief intervention (SBI) is effective at reducing excessive alcohol use.

Trauma advanced practice provider education: the current state of trauma advanced practice provider postgraduate education in the United States.

Background: Postgraduate education for advanced practice providers (APPs) is a rapidly evolving field and includes residencies and fellowships designed to help narrow the gap between physicians and APPs. The current state of trauma APP postgraduate programs in the U.S.

Advancing the practice of trauma: utilizing advanced practice providers to improve patient outcomes through a collaborative team approach.

Advanced practice providers (APPs) have become essential to trauma teams in the United States during the last few decades. The optimal utilization of APPs is not yet known and is likely highly variable secondary to many factors. We discuss three aspects of the multidisciplinary approach to caring for trauma patients.

Low serum testosterone is associated with an increased risk of first-time renal calculi in men without testosterone replacement therapy.

The incidence of low serum testosterone has been increasing in men of all ages across a period which also corresponds to an increasing prevalence of kidney stones. Currently, the relationship between testosterone and kidney stones is unclear. Using the TriNetX Research Network, we performed a retrospective cohort study to evaluate the risk of developing an initial kidney stone in men based on their total testosterone level.

Evaluating ChatGPT platform in delivering heart failure educational material: A comparison with the leading national cardiology institutes.

Background: Patient education plays a crucial role in improving the quality of life for patients with heart failure. As artificial intelligence continues to advance, new chatbots are emerging as valuable tools across various aspects of life. One prominent example is ChatGPT, a widely used chatbot among the public.

Progression of Coronary Artery Calcification and Risk of Clinical Events in CKD: The Chronic Renal Insufficiency Cohort Study.

Rationale & Objective: Coronary artery calcification (CAC) progresses rapidly in people with chronic kidney disease (CKD) compared with the general population. We studied the association between CAC progression and higher risks of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (CVD), congestive heart failure, and all-cause mortality among adults with CKD.

Study Design: Prospective cohort study.

Experimental drugs for erosive esophagitis: what is in the clinical development pipeline?

Introduction: Proton pump inhibitor (PPI) has revolutionized the treatment of erosive esophagitis (EE) in the past few decades. However, roughly 30-40% of the patients, especially those with severe EE (Los Angeles Grade C/D), remain poorly responsive to this medication. Novel drugs have been formulated and/or repurposed to address this problem.

Airway management of a patient with coffin-lowry syndrome: a case report.

Coffin-Lowry Syndrome (CLS) is a rare X-linked genetic disorder characterized by growth delays, facial dysmorphisms, and intellectual disabilities. Currently, there are limited published case reports regarding the anesthetic management of patients with CLS. Managing anesthesia for CLS patients can be complex due to difficult airway management.

Interaction of the intestinal cytokines-JAKs-STAT3 and 5 axes with RNA N6-methyladenosine to promote chronic inflammation-induced colorectal cancer.

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is one of the most common cancers, with a high mortality rate worldwide. Mounting evidence indicates that mRNA modifications are crucial in RNA metabolism, transcription, processing, splicing, degradation, and translation. Studies show that N6-methyladenosine (m6A) is mammalians' most common epi-transcriptomic modification.

Program Directors Survey on the Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Cardiology Fellowship Training.

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic catalyzed unprecedented changes to medical education, including CV fellowship programs. CV fellowship PDs offer a unique perspective regarding the impact of the pandemic on CV medical education.

Objectives: The 4th annual Cardiovascular Diseases (CV) Fellowship Program Directors (PDs) Survey sought to understand the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on CV fellows and fellowship programs.

Post-reflux swallow-induced peristaltic wave index and mean nocturnal baseline impedance predict proton pump inhibitor response in patients with reflux hypersensitivity.

Background And Aim: Post-reflux swallow-induced peristaltic wave (PSPW) index and mean nocturnal baseline impedance (MNBI) have been shown to influence proton pump inhibitor (PPI) response in GERD patients. However, currently, little data concerning these variables in patients with reflux hypersensitivity (RH) are available. In this study, we aimed to evaluate, in RH patients, the prevalence of PPI responders and nonresponders and investigate the predictive value of impedance-pH variables, including PSPW and MNBI, on responses to PPI.

Expression of the αVβ3 integrin affects prostate cancer sEV cargo and density and promotes sEV pro-tumorigenic activity in vivo through a GPI-anchored receptor, NgR2.

It is known that small extracellular vesicles (sEVs) are released from cancer cells and contribute to cancer progression via crosstalk with recipient cells. We have previously reported that sEVs expressing the αVβ3 integrin, a protein upregulated in aggressive neuroendocrine prostate cancer (NEPrCa), contribute to neuroendocrine differentiation (NED) in recipient cells. Here, we examine the impact of αVβ3 expression on sEV protein content, density and function.

Optimization of activity-driven event detection for long-term ambulatory urodynamics.

Lower urinary tract dysfunction (LUTD) is a debilitating condition that affects millions of individuals worldwide, greatly diminishing their quality of life. The use of wireless, catheter-free implantable devices for long-term ambulatory bladder monitoring, combined with a single-sensor system capable of detecting various bladder events, has the potential to significantly enhance the diagnosis and treatment of LUTD. However, these systems produce large amounts of bladder data that may contain physiological noise in the pressure signals caused by motion artifacts and sudden movements, such as coughing or laughing, potentially leading to false positives during bladder event classification and inaccurate diagnosis/treatment.

Uncertainty in Postpartum Permanent Contraception Decision-Making: Physician and Patient Perspectives.

Purpose: We sought to understand how patients and physicians conceptualize uncertainty in the permanent contraception decision-making process.

Basic Procedures: In 2022-2023, we interviewed postpartum patients with a documented desire for permanent contraception (n = 81) and their delivering physicians (n = 67). Eligible patients gave birth at one of our four study hospitals in California, Ohio, Illinois, and Alabama.

Using latent variables to improve the management of depression among hemodialysis patients.

Background: Screening for depression can be challenging among hemodialysis patients due to the overlap of depressive symptoms with dialysis or kidney disease related symptoms. The aim of this study was to understand these overlapping symptoms and develop a depression screening tool for better clinical assessment of depressive symptoms in dialysis patients.

Methods: We surveyed 1,085 dialysis patients between March 1, 2018 and February 28, 2023 at 15 dialysis facilities in Northeast Ohio with the 9-item patient health questionnaire (PHQ-9) and kidney disease quality of life (KDQOL) instrument.