Reverse Fragility Index in Plastic Surgery Randomized Controlled Trials.

Background: The reverse fragility index (RFI) is a measure used to evaluate the neutrality of statistically nonsignificant findings in randomized controlled trials (RCTs). The RFI represents the minimum number of events needed to reverse a statistically nonsignificant result into a significant one. This study applied the RFI to examine the robustness of statistically nonsignificant RCTs in plastic surgery.

Lifetime stressors relate to invisible symptoms of multiple sclerosis.

Aim: Childhood stressors can increase adult stress perception and may accumulate over the lifespan to impact symptoms of multiple sclerosis (MS). Growing evidence links childhood stressors (e.g.

Incidental Diagnosis of Occult Maternal Malignancy With Routine Noninvasive Prenatal Testing During Pregnancy.

The noninvasive prenatal test (NIPT) for genetic screening has been adopted globally as an alternative to first-trimester and quad screening due to its high sensitivity and specificity. NIPT involves detecting and processing foreign fetal DNA in maternal circulation to screen for fetal aneuploidy. An incidental consequence of this process is the detection of foreign tumor cell DNA in maternal circulation in otherwise asymptomatic patients.

Exploring the alleviating effects of metabolite lactic acid on non-alcoholic steatohepatitis through the gut-liver axis.

Objective: This study investigates the protective effects of lactic acid, a metabolite of , on non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) induced by a high-sugar, high-fat diet (HFD) in mice, in the context of the gut-liver axis.

Methods: A NAFLD mouse model was established using a HFD, and different intervention groups were set up to study the protective effects of and its metabolite lactic acid. The groups included a control group, NAFLD group, treatment group, Glyceraldehyde-3-P (G-3P) co-treatment group, and NOD-like receptor family pyrin domain containing 3 (NLRP3) overexpression group.

Computed tomography-based investigation of degenerative neural cervicothoracic foraminal stenosis as a potential mechanism for Horner syndrome.

Purpose: To investigate the presence and/or severity of cervicothoracic foraminal stenosis between the C7 and T3 segments could account for Horner syndrome, otherwise deemed to be idiopathic in nature.

Methods: This study was an IRB-approved, retrospective study that included 28 patients [mean ± standard deviation (age: 54.5 ± 18.

Injectable thermosensitive antibiotic-laden chitosan hydrogel for regenerative endodontics.

Injectable biomaterials, such as thermosensitive chitosan (CH)-based hydrogels, present a highly translational potential in dentistry due to their minimally invasive application, adaptability to irregular defects/shapes, and ability to carry therapeutic drugs. This work explores the incorporation of azithromycin (AZI) into thermosensitive CH hydrogels for use as an intracanal medication in regenerative endodontic procedures (REPs). The morphological and chemical characteristics of the hydrogel were assessed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS), and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR).

Self-Enhancement in Latin America: Is It Linked to Interdependence?

Although individuals of Latin American heritage ( in short) are considered interdependent, they also value traits like uniqueness and positivity, like individuals of European American cultural heritage, who are considered independent. It remains unclear whether this inclination toward positivity extends to a bias in self-perception known as self-enhancement. Moreover, if Latin Americans are indeed self-enhancing, it is uncertain how these tendencies align with their interdependent cultural orientation.

Socioeconomic Inequity in Access to Medical and Long-Term Care Among Older People.

Background: Ensuring equitable access to medical and long-term care (LTC) is critical to enable older people to maintain their health and well-being even after they undergo a decline in their intrinsic capacity.

Methods: We used data from five waves of the National Survey of the Japanese Elderly, conducted between 2002 and 2021, to assess gradients in access to medical care and LTC by income and education among Japanese individuals aged 60 years and above. Specifically, we assessed self-reported unmet needs for medical care and LTC, and public LTC use, and estimated the concentration indices (CI) to evaluate the degree of inequality and inequity.

The outcomes of the obesity paradox in pulmonary embolism: a study of the national inpatient sample database from 2016 to 2020.

The "obesity paradox" suggests that, despite a higher baseline risk for adverse health outcomes, obese patients can experience a lower complication and mortality rate in conditions such as pulmonary embolisms (PE). This study aims to examine the association between obesity and inpatient outcomes of PE patients, utilizing the data from the National Inpatient Sample (NIS) database. We conducted a retrospective study analysis of obese adult PE patients (aged ≥ 18) using the NIS database from 2016 to 2020.

Parental Weight Stigma Associated with Self-Directed Weight Talk and Use of Health-Related Restrictive Feeding Practices.

Background: Parents are important conduits of weight- and health-related messaging. Weight-related communication and approaches to child feeding used by parents may reflect their past experiences with weight stigma and are understudied pathways through which intergenerational weight stigma may be transmitted.

Objective: To examine how experienced and internalized weight stigma among parents of children with higher weights are associated with weight-related communication and the feeding practices they use.

Malperfusion in Patients with Acute Type A Aortic Dissection: A Nationwide Analysis.

Background: This study describes in detail the clinical burden of malperfusion associated with acute Type A aortic dissection (ATAAD) in a large, national cohort and the effect of treatment strategy on outcomes.

Methods: All patients undergoing repair of ATAAD between 2017 and 2020 in the Society of Thoracic Surgeons (STS) Adult Cardiac Surgery Database were studied. Malperfusion was defined using STS definitions based on imaging or surgeon's evaluation.

Practice patterns for acquiring neuroimaging after pediatric in-hospital cardiac arrest.

Aims: To determine which patient and cardiac arrest factors were associated with obtaining neuroimaging after in-hospital cardiac arrest, and among those patients who had neuroimaging, factors associated with which neuroimaging modality was obtained.

Methods: Retrospective cohort study of patients who survived in-hospital cardiac arrest (IHCA) and were enrolled in the ICU-RESUS trial (NCT02837497).

Results: We tabulated ultrasound (US), CT, and MRI frequency within 7 days following IHCA and identified patient and cardiac arrest factors associated with neuroimaging modalities utilized.

Embracing the Future of Clinical Trials in Radiotherapy: An NRG Oncology CIRO Technology Retreat Whitepaper on Pioneering Technologies and AI-Driven Solutions.

This white paper examines the potential of pioneering technologies and artificial intelligence (AI)-driven solutions in advancing clinical trials involving radiotherapy. As the field of radiotherapy evolves, the integration of cutting-edge approaches such as radiopharmaceutical dosimetry, FLASH radiotherapy, image-guided radiation therapy (IGRT), and AI promises to improve treatment planning, patient care, and outcomes. Additionally, recent advancements in quantum science, linear energy transfer/relative biological effect (LET/RBE), and the combination of radiotherapy and immunotherapy create new avenues for innovation in clinical trials.

High-Grade Astrocytoma With Piloid Features.

Context.—: High-grade astrocytoma with piloid features (HGAP) is a newly recognized glioma defined by its methylation profile. Understanding of its clinical, histologic, and molecular characteristics continues to evolve.

Massively parallel reporter assay investigates shared genetic variants of eight psychiatric disorders.

A meta-genome-wide association study across eight psychiatric disorders has highlighted the genetic architecture of pleiotropy in major psychiatric disorders. However, mechanisms underlying pleiotropic effects of the associated variants remain to be explored. We conducted a massively parallel reporter assay to decode the regulatory logic of variants with pleiotropic and disorder-specific effects.

Impact of Subsequent Fellowship on Urology Chief Resident Case Log Volumes.

Objective: To characterize the impact of subsequent fellowship on the case log experience of trainees throughout their residency and specifically their chief resident year.

Materials And Methods: Urology resident case logs from 2010 to 2022 were obtained from 13 institutions for total residency and chief years. Five categorized index procedures were included for analysis: General Urology; Endourology; Reconstructive Urology; Urologic Oncology; and Pediatric Urology.

Overcoming challenges to optimize the clinical and financial benefits of in-home rehabilitation services.

The authors advocate for the implementation of value-based principles to address the underutilization and limited supply of home care and rehabilitation services.

Capillary Electrophoresis-Mass Spectrometry for Top-Down Proteomics.

Mass spectrometry (MS)-based top-down proteomics (TDP) characterizes proteoforms in cells, tissues, and biological fluids (e.g., human plasma) to better our understanding of protein function and to discover new protein biomarkers for disease diagnosis and therapeutic development.

Development and Implementation of Oral Anticancer Agent Tools for a Thematic Quality Improvement Program: A Collaboration Between Hematology Oncology Pharmacist Association and ASCO Quality Training Program.

Purpose: The Hematology Oncology Pharmacist Association Oral Chemotherapy Collaborative (HOPA OCC) developed practice-based tools to use in program development and improvement for the management of patients receiving oral anticancer agents (OAAs).

Methods: These tools include a baseline OAA program assessment, clinical OAA adherence tool, and OAA dashboard. HOPA OCC distributed these tools to teams participating in the 6-month HOPA ASCO Quality Training Programs (QTPs).

Outpatient Palliative Care and End-of-Life Care Intensity: Linking Massachusetts Cancer Registry with All-Payer Claims.

Background: Early palliative care is associated with better outcomes for patients with advanced-stage cancers. Using a novel data linkage, we assessed outpatient palliative care use before death and its association with end-of-life care intensity and variation across eight provider networks.

Methods: We linked Massachusetts Cancer Registry and the All-Payer Claims Database for individuals with commercial insurance, Medicaid or Medicare Advantage diagnosed with colorectal, lung, prostate, and breast cancers from 2010 through 2013 who died by December 31, 2014.

Neonatal but not Juvenile Gene Therapy Reduces Seizures and Prolongs Lifespan in SCN1B-Dravet Syndrome Mice.

Dravet syndrome (DS) is a developmental and epileptic encephalopathy (DEE) that begins in the first year of life. While most cases of DS are caused by variants in SCN1A, variants in SCN1B, encoding voltage-gated sodium channel β1 subunits, are also linked to DS or to the more severe early infantile DEE. Both disorders fall under the OMIM term DEE52.