Medium- to long-term functional outcomes of artcure diffusional patch therapy for lumbar disc herniation: which herniation is more likely to require surgery?

Background: Artcure diffusional patch (ADP) is a novel transdermal therapeutic system that started to be used in the last decade for lumbar disc herniation (LDH). Previous studies have reported early results of the therapy. In this study, we aimed to evaluate the medium- to long-term functional outcomes of this treatment in LDH patients and examine factors predicting the need for surgery after treatment.

Chronic and infectious respiratory mortality and short-term exposures to four types of pollen taxa in older adults in Michigan, 2006-2017.

Introduction: Levels of plant-based aeroallergens are rising as growing seasons lengthen and intensify with anthropogenic climate change. Increased exposure to pollens could increase risk for mortality from respiratory causes, particularly among older adults. We determined short-term, lag associations of four species classes of pollen (ragweed, deciduous trees, grass pollen and evergreen trees) with respiratory mortality (all cause, chronic and infectious related) in Michigan, USA.

Physical activity and quality of life among breast cancer survivors: Pink SWAN.

Purpose: To describe physical activity (PA) trajectories across 10 years post-breast cancer diagnosis and examine their association with quality of life (QoL).

Methods: Participants from the longitudinal Study of Women's Health Across the Nation who developed incident breast cancer completed the Quality of Life in Adult Cancer Survivors scale (QLACS) which has 12 domains. Breast cancer survivors (BCS) with at least one post-diagnosis measure of the Kaiser Physical Activity Survey (PA) were included (n = 96).

The clinical effect of bone perforations in periodontal regeneration and alveolar socket preservation: a systematic review with meta-analysis.

Objectives: The present systematic review aimed to evaluate if cortical bone perforation is effective in enhancing periodontal surgery and guided bone regeneration (GBR) in humans.

Materials And Methods: Electronic search was performed in PubMed, Scopus and Cochrane CENTRAL up to October 31st, 2023. Grey literature was also searched.

Illuminating the multidimensional contributions of small-scale fisheries.

Sustainable development aspires to "leave no one behind". Even so, limited attention has been paid to small-scale fisheries (SSF) and their importance in eradicating poverty, hunger and malnutrition. Through a collaborative and multidimensional data-driven approach, we have estimated that SSF provide at least 40% (37.

Precision fetal cardiology detects cyanotic congenital heart disease using maternal saliva metabolome and artificial intelligence.

Prenatal sonographic diagnosis of congenital heart disease (CHD) can lead to improved morbidity and mortality. However, the diagnostic accuracy of ultrasound, the sole prenatal screening tool, remains limited. Failed prenatal or early newborn detection of cyanotic CHD (CCHD) can have disastrous consequences.

Warming-induced changes in seasonal priority effects drive shifts in community composition.

Shifting community assembly dynamics are an underappreciated mechanism by which warming will alter plant community composition. Germination timing (which can determine the order in which seedlings emerge within a community) will likely shift unevenly across species in response to warming. In seasonal environments where communities reassemble at the beginning of each growing season, changes in germination timing could lead to changes in seasonal priority effects, and ultimately community composition.

Seeking Care for Obsessive-Compulsive Symptoms Among African Americans: Findings From the National Survey of American Life.

Although obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is associated with clinically significant distress, many OCD patients do not seek treatment. Studies show that Black Americans with OCD are even less likely to obtain treatment due to differences in access. This study explored demographic and symptom outcomes associated with mental health service use for obsessions and compulsions among a nationally representative sample of African American adults (n = 3,570).

Initial Decline in Glomerular Filtration Rate With Finerenone in HFmrEF/HFpEF: A Prespecified Analysis of FINEARTS-HF.

Background: An initial decline in estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) often leads to reluctance to continue life-saving therapies in patients with heart failure (HF).

Objectives: The goal of this study was to describe the association between initial decline in eGFR and subsequent clinical outcomes in patients randomized to placebo or finerenone.

Methods: In this prespecified analysis of FINEARTS-HF (Finerenone Trial to Investigate Efficacy and Safety Superior to Placebo in Patients with Heart Failure), we examined the association between initial decline in eGFR (≥15%) from randomization to 1 month and subsequent outcomes in patients assigned to finerenone or placebo.

Ex-vivo lung perfusion: National trends and post-transplant outcomes.

Background: Ex-vivo lung perfusion (EVLP) has potential to expand donor lung utilization, evaluate allograft viability, and mitigate ischemia-reperfusion injury. However, trends in EVLP use and recipient outcomes are unknown on a national scale. We examined trends in EVLP use and recipient outcomes in the United States.

Towards a comprehensive definition of the human fascial system.

The absence of a clear consensus on the definition and significance of fascia and the indiscriminate use of the term throughout the clinical and scientific literature has led to skepticism regarding its importance in the human body. To address this challenge, we propose that: (1) fasciae, and the fascial interstitia within them, constitute an anatomical system, defined as a layered body-wide multiscale network of connective tissue that allows tensional loading and shearing mobility along its interfaces; (2) the fascial system comprises four anatomical organs: the superficial fascia, musculoskeletal (deep) fascia, visceral fascia, and neural fascia; (3) these organs are further composed of anatomical structures, some of which are eponymous; (4) all these fascial organs and their structural components contain variable combinations and arrangements of the four classically defined tissues: epithelial, connective, muscle, and neural; (5) the overarching functions of the fascial system arise from the contrasting biomechanical properties of the two basic types of layers distributed throughout the system: one predominantly collagenous and relatively stiff, the other rich in hyaluronic acid and viscous, allowing for the free flow of fluid; (6) the topographical organization of these layers in different locations is related to local variations in function (e.g.

Psychometric Evaluation of the Scleroderma Skin Questionnaire: A Novel Patient Reported Outcome for Skin Disease in Patients with Systemic Sclerosis.

Objective: To evaluate the psychometric properties of the Scleroderma Skin Questionnaire (SSQ), a novel patient-reported outcome (PRO) to assess systemic sclerosis (SSc) related skin symptoms.

Methods: The SSQ was administered to 799 adults (mean age 52.7; 82% female) enrolled in the SSc Collaborative National Quality and Efficacy Registry (CONQUER).

Horse antithymocyte globulin test doses and infusion reactions in adults with aplastic anemia: A multicenter retrospective experience.

Introduction: Horse antithymocyte globulin carries a black box warning for life-threatening anaphylactic reactions, and prescribing information recommends test doses to identify patients at highest risk of this adverse effect. The predictive value of such test doses is not well validated, and practicality of use is unclear.

Methods: This was a planned secondary analysis of a multicenter, retrospective cohort study in adults with severe aplastic anemia being managed with horse antithymocyte globulin as part of their treatment regimen.

The relationship between the early life gastrointestinal microbiome and childhood nocturnal cough.

Background: Nocturnal cough affects approximately 1 in 3 children, can negatively impact child health, and is often attributable to asthma. The association of the gut microbiome with nocturnal cough has not been investigated.

Objective: To investigate the association between early-life gut microbiome composition and nocturnal cough overall and in the context of asthma.

Nociplastic pain among individuals with chronic ocular surface pain: one cause for "pain without stain"?

Chronic ocular surface pain (COSP) refers to interrelated symptoms such as eye burning, aching, and irritation and can occur as an isolated condition or comorbid with numerous ocular disorders, including dry eye syndrome Treatments for COSP are largely aimed at the ocular surface and modulating pain arising from damaged corneal nerves; however, the average impact of these treatments on COSP are low to absent. A potential explanation for this is that in a subset of patients with COSP, individuals have amplified and/or dysregulated neural signaling and sensory processing within the central nervous system (CNS). As in other chronic pain conditions, this might be the pathogenic mechanism primarily responsible for maintaining pain - a phenomenon now referred to as nociplastic pain.

Validation of a Visual Field Prediction Tool for Glaucoma: A Multicenter Study Involving Patients with Glaucoma In the United Kingdom.

Purpose: A previously developed machine-learning approach with Kalman-filtering technology accurately predicted disease trajectory for patients with various glaucoma types and severities using clinical trials data. This study assesses performance of the KF approach with real-world data.

Design: Retrospective cohort study.

Rethinking the rise of early onset gastrointestinal cancers: a call to action.

Since the early 1990s, there has been a dramatic rise in gastrointestinal cancers diagnosed in patients under age 50 for reasons that remain poorly understood. The most significant change has been the increase in incidence rates of early-onset colorectal cancer, especially rates of left-sided colon and rectal cancers. Increases in gastric, pancreatic, and other gastrointestinal cancer diagnoses have further contributed to this trend.

Functional characterization of eQTLs and asthma risk loci with scATAC-seq across immune cell types and contexts.

cis-regulatory elements (CREs) control gene transcription dynamics across cell types and in response to the environment. In asthma, multiple immune cell types play an important role in the inflammatory process. Genetic variants in CREs can also affect gene expression response dynamics and contribute to asthma risk.

Characteristics of mandates for evidence-based behavioral health interventions in 8 selected US states.

Purpose: Demand for the use of evidence-based interventions (EBI) to address behavioral health issues remains high in the United States. States are primarily tasked with determining what constitutes EBIs on a state-by-state basis. This results in variations in what constitutes an EBI across states.

Patient-Centered mHealth Intervention to Improve Self-Care in Patients With Chronic Heart Failure: Phase 1 Randomized Controlled Trial.

Background: Heart failure (HF) is one of the most common causes of hospital readmission in the United States. These hospitalizations are often driven by insufficient self-care. Commercial mobile health (mHealth) technologies, such as consumer-grade apps and wearable devices, offer opportunities for improving HF self-care, but their efficacy remains largely underexplored.

From "isolation" to "me-time": linguistic shifts enhance solitary experiences.

Spending time alone is a virtually inevitable part of daily life that can promote or undermine well-being. Here, we explore how the language used to describe time alone - such as "me-time", "solitude", or "isolation" - influences how it is perceived and experienced. In Study 1 ( = 500 U.