Adding New Components to a Composite Quality Metric: How Good Is Good Enough?

Objectives: This study illustrates how the statistical reliability of an individual measure relates to the overall reliability of a composite metric, as understanding this relationship provides additional information when evaluating measures for endorsement.

Background: National quality measure endorsement processes typically evaluate individual metrics on criteria such as importance and scientific acceptability (eg, reliability). In practice, quality measures may be used in composite rating systems, which aid in the interpretation of overall quality differences.

Artifactual elevations of 11β-hydroxyandrostenedione and 11-ketoandrostenedione in mass spectrometry assays.

Comprehensive steroid profiling by liquid chromatography coupled with tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) can be achieved using small biospecimen samples. LC-MS/MS assays offer superior accuracy to immunoassays, but they also introduce layers of complexity and opportunities for errors. Validation and harmonization studies are essential to ensure reliable results, as these assays are being increasingly incorporated in clinical laboratories.

Design and Rationale for the Clinical Investigation of a Novel, Magnetically Levitated Left Ventricular Assist Device for the Treatment of Refractory Heart Failure.

Background: Contemporary durable left ventricular assist devices (LVAD) have established current benchmarks for patient outcomes, but introduction of more novel technology is lacking. The BrioVAD System (BrioHealth Solutions, Burlington, MA) is an innovative, fully magnetically levitated pump intended to provide short-term (ST) and long-term (LT) mechanical circulatory support.

Methods: The Investigation of a Novel, MagNetically Levitated VAD for the Treatment of RefractOry Left Ventricular HeArT FailurE Clinical Trial (INNOVATE) is designed to evaluate safety and efficacy of the BrioVAD by demonstrating non-inferiority to the HeartMate 3 (HM3; Abbott Labs, Chicago, IL).

Safety and Efficacy of DTX401, an AAV8-Mediated Liver-Directed Gene Therapy, in Adults With Glycogen Storage Disease Type I a (GSDIa).

Glycogen storage disease type Ia (GSDIa) is a rare, life-threatening, inherited carbohydrate metabolism disorder caused by glucose-6-phosphatase (G6Pase) deficiency, which is essential for glycogenolysis and gluconeogenesis. GSDIa management includes a strict medically prescribed diet that typically includes daily uncooked cornstarch doses, including overnight, to maintain euglycemia. DTX401 is an investigational adeno-associated virus serotype 8 vector expressing the human G6PC1 gene that encodes G6Pase.

Association of plasma metabolites and cardiac mitochondrial function with heart failure progression.

Aims: Plasma metabolites are prognostic in heart failure with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF), with citric acid cycle metabolites linked to ejection fraction (EF) changes. We investigated these mechanisms in a canine chronic HFrEF model. We tested associations between changes in plasma metabolites, left ventricular (LV) end-diastolic volume and cardiomyocyte mitochondrial function.

Generative AI Models in Time-Varying Biomedical Data: Scoping Review.

Background: Trajectory modeling is a long-standing challenge in the application of computational methods to health care. In the age of big data, traditional statistical and machine learning methods do not achieve satisfactory results as they often fail to capture the complex underlying distributions of multimodal health data and long-term dependencies throughout medical histories. Recent advances in generative artificial intelligence (AI) have provided powerful tools to represent complex distributions and patterns with minimal underlying assumptions, with major impact in fields such as finance and environmental sciences, prompting researchers to apply these methods for disease modeling in health care.

A prospective ultrasound study of whole blood metals and incidence of uterine leiomyomata.

Background: Uterine leiomyomata (UL), hormone-dependent neoplasms, are a major source of gynecologic morbidity. Metals are hypothesized to influence UL risk through endocrine disruption, and their effects may vary by vitamin D status.

Objective: We estimated associations of a metal mixture with incident UL, overall and by vitamin D status.

Work-Related Asthma Mortality, Michigan 2003-2023.

Objective: To identify causes and factors associated with work-related asthma.

Methods: There were 13 work-related asthma (WRA) deaths identified over 21 years in state-wide lung disease surveillance system.

Results: The deceased ranged from 19 to 77.

The clade in the Holarctic region: existing names evaluated and seven new species described.

is a commonly reported species, characterized by a yellow pileus, yellow colors on the stipe, pleurocystidia provided with digitiform excrescences, and a pileipellis composed of long, fusiform elements. Several species related to have been described from the temperate and boreal areas of the Northern Hemisphere, and previous phylogenetic studies have shown that more than one species can be recognized around , but it was unclear how many, or which names, would be correct for them. We studied 141 holarctic collections in the /leoninus clade and available type collections of species in this group.

Metabolic Improvements With Tirzepatide in Lipodystrophy: A Novel Option?

Objective: Lipodystrophy encompasses a group of rare disorders associated with severe metabolic disease. These disorders are defined by abnormal fat distribution, with near-total (generalized lipodystrophy [GL]) or partial (partial lipodystrophy [PL]; e.g.

Minimally invasive interventions for intracranial pathologies using tubular retractors in the pediatric population: Safety, efficacy, technical aspects and outcomes.

Background: Minimally invasive surgeries for intracranial pathologies are gaining popularity, recognizing the intrinsic benefits, mostly related to recovery time, while minimizing injury to healthy parenchyma and adjacent functional areas, especially during the resection of deep and centrally located lesions. These procedures require technical familiarity and cultivated surgical experience, coupled with dedicated instruments, appropriate planning, and a stringent patient selection.

Objective: To describe our novel experience with minimally invasive trans-sulcal parafascicular surgery (MIPS) in a single-center pediatric population, emphasizing the interdependencies between surgical experience, best practices, preparation, and positive surgical outcomes.

Inspired Oxygen Concentration During the Re-initiation of Two-Lung Ventilation in Thoracic Surgery: A Post Hoc Analysis of Data From the Multicenter Perioperative Outcomes Group.

Background: A recent multicenter study suggested that the duration of single-lung ventilation, and not the intensity of the hyperoxia (ie, inspired oxygen fraction) during this period, contributes to the development of postoperative pulmonary complications. However, lung reinflation, at the cessation of single-lung ventilation, is a period of particular susceptibility to hyperoxic injury, and the impact of alveolar hyperoxia during this period on postoperative pulmonary complications has not been specifically assessed.

Methods: Clinical practice surrounding the inspired oxygen fraction at lung reinflation and potential clinical implications of alveolar hyperoxia occurring during this period were assessed in this secondary analysis of data from a multicenter retrospective cohort study.

The association of multilingualism with diverse language families and cognition among adults with and without education in India.

Objective: Early-life socioeconomic factors, such as education, closely associated with the opportunity to become multilingual (ML), are important determinants of late-life cognition. To study the cognitive advantage of multilingualism, it is critical to disentangle whether cognitive benefit is driven by multilingualism or education. With rich linguistic diversity across all socioeconomic gradients, India provides an excellent setting to examine the role of multilingualism on cognition among individuals with and without education.

The 2024 National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine Long COVID Definition: What Clinicians Need to Know.

Millions of Americans affected by Long COVID (LC) report difficulty accessing care and support. One barrier is obtaining a diagnosis. In response, US federal agencies commissioned a National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM) committee to re-examine the existing federal definitions for LC.

Explaining Racial and Ethnic Inequities in SARS-CoV-2-Related Outcomes: Results from a Serosurvey in Chicago.

Background: Several studies have documented racial and ethnic disparities related to SARS-CoV-2/COVID-19 prevalence and associated health outcomes, but the proximal determinants underpinning these disparities remain unclear. Here, we test whether demographics, household composition, occupation type, chronic conditions, health insurance coverage, and neighborhood disadvantage account for racial and ethnic inequities in COVID-19 outcomes.

Methods: We conducted a serosurvey of adults in Chicago, IL (n = 5991) before emergency use authorization for COVID-19 vaccines in December 2020.

Health Implications of Colorism: A Narrative Review of the Literature.

Colorism, first conceptualized by writer and activist Alice Walker in 1982, is a byproduct of racism that refers to discrimination based on skin tone, hair texture, and facial features. Although less studied than race-based discrimination-which typically involves negative attitudes and unfair treatment of individuals based on their racial identity, usually propagated between racial and ethnic groups-colorism is a critical area of research that provides insight into health disparities occurring within racial and ethnic groups. This narrative literature review assesses the extent to which colorism's impact on global health outcomes has been studied.

Outcomes of Cooled Radiofrequency Ablation of Lumbar Nerves as Treatment for Chronic Low Back Pain.

Introduction: Worldwide, 23% of adults suffer from chronic lower back pain, which is defined as pain persisting for more than 3-6 months [Merskey in Can J Psychiatry 34:329-336, 1989]. The lifetime prevalence of back pain is as high as 84% in adults [Casiano VE, Sarwan G, Dydyk AM, et al. Back Pain.

Perceived support & belongingness amongst groups of underrepresented & majority graduate students.

Graduate students are at higher risk of mental illness, and support and belongingness during graduate school are linked to greater resiliency. This study compared perceived functional support and belongingness between underrepresented graduate students (e.g.

General and sport-specific nutrition knowledge and behaviors of adolescent athletes.

Introduction: Most youth do not meet national nutrition recommendations and overconsume high-calorie, low nutrient-dense foods. Adequate nutritional intake is crucial for growth and development. Nutrition practices play a key role in sports performance and recovery.