Testing a Web-Based Interactive Comic Tool to Decrease Obesity Risk Among Racial and Ethnic Minority Preadolescents: Randomized Controlled Trial.

Background: Childhood obesity prevalence remains high, especially in racial and ethnic minority populations with low incomes. This epidemic is attributed to various dietary behaviors, including increased consumption of energy-dense foods and sugary beverages and decreased intake of fruits and vegetables. Interactive, technology-based approaches are emerging as promising tools to support health behavior changes.

Association Between Surgeon Stress and Major Surgical Complications.

Importance: Surgeon stress can influence technical and nontechnical skills, but the consequences for patient outcomes remain unknown.

Objective: To investigate whether surgeon physiological stress, as assessed by sympathovagal balance, is associated with postoperative complications.

Design, Setting, And Participants: This multicenter prospective cohort study included 14 surgical departments involving 7 specialties within 4 university hospitals in Lyon, France.

Safety and Efficacy of Tranexamic Acid in General Surgery.

Importance: Perioperative bleeding is common in general surgery. The POISE-3 (Perioperative Ischemic Evaluation-3) trial demonstrated efficacy of prophylactic tranexamic acid (TXA) compared with placebo in preventing major bleeding without increasing vascular outcomes in noncardiac surgery.

Objective: To determine the safety and efficacy of prophylactic TXA, specifically in general surgery.

Gender Disparities and Lung Cancer Screening Outcomes Among Individuals Who Have Never Smoked.

Importance: Lung cancer in individuals who have never smoked (INS) is a growing global concern, with a rapidly increasing incidence and proportion among all lung cancer cases. Particularly in East Asia, opportunistic lung cancer screening (LCS) programs targeting INS have gained popularity. However, the sex-specific outcomes and drawbacks of screening INS remain unexplored, with data predominantly focused on women.

Interactions of Chronic Stress Exposure and Stress Appraisal on Vascular Endothelial Function Among Young Adults.

We investigated the associations of ongoing, chronic stress exposure and stress appraisal on vascular endothelial function (VEF) in young adults. In 72 healthy young adults (74% female; age = 25±1 y), we assessed chronic stress exposure and appraisal with a measure that quantified chronic stress exposure and chronic stress appraisal related to 8 specific stressors over the last year. Participants completed the perceived stress scale (PSS) as a measure of global, proximal stress appraisal.

Interlaboratory comparison of particle filtration efficiency testing equipment.

Particle filtration efficiency (PFE) is a critical property of face masks, with the most common test methods using sodium chloride as a challenge aerosol. In the absence of bottom-up uncertainty budgets for PFE, interlaboratory comparisons provide an alternative route to robustly quantify the precision and bias of the method. This work presents the results of several interlaboratory comparisons of particle filtration efficiency performed across a network of laboratories.

Comparative analysis of kidney function prediction: traditional statistical methods vs. deep learning techniques.

Background: Chronic kidney disease (CKD) represents a significant public health challenge, with rates consistently on the rise. Enhancing kidney function prediction could contribute to the early detection, prevention, and management of CKD in clinical practice. We aimed to investigate whether deep learning techniques, especially those suitable for processing missing values, can improve the accuracy of predicting future renal function compared to traditional statistical method, using the Japan Chronic Kidney Disease Database (J-CKD-DB), a nationwide multicenter CKD registry.

Chitinase-3-like Protein 1 Reduces the Stability of Atherosclerotic Plaque via Impairing Macrophagic Efferocytosis.

CHI3L1 is strongly associated with atherosclerosis, but its role in macrophages remains unknown. In this study, we observed a significant up-regulation of CHI3L1 in both carotid plaques and serum of symptomatic patients, and demonstrated that CHI3L1 impairs the efferocytosis of macrophages by down-regulating crucial efferocytic mediator MFGE8 through inhibiting ATF2, which binds directly to the enhancer of MFGE8. In human plaques, we observed a negative correlation between CHI3L1 expression and both ATF2 and MFGE8 levels, further proved their involvement in plaque destabilization.

GNA15 induces drug resistance in B cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia by promoting fatty acid oxidation via activation of the AMPK pathway.

The prognosis of B cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (B-ALL) is poor, primarily due to drug resistance and relapse. Ga15, encoded by GNA15, belongs to the G protein family, with G protein-coupled receptors playing a crucial role in multiple biological process. GNA15 has been reported to be involved in various malignancies; however, its potential role in B-ALL remain unknown.

Activation of endogenous tolerance to bleaching stress by high salinity in cloned endosymbiotic dinoflagellates from corals.

Background: Large-scale coral bleaching events have become increasingly frequent in recent years. This process occurs when corals are exposed to high temperatures and intense light stress, leading to an overproduction of reactive oxygen species (ROS) by their endosymbiotic dinoflagellates. The ROS buildup prompts corals to expel these symbiotic microalgae, resulting in the corals' discoloration.

Rings and Rebuttals: A Quasi-Experimental Study on the Psychological Impact of Marriage Equality on Low-Income Black Sexual Minorities in the United Kingdom.

Critiques from queer theory have suggested that the legalization of same-sex marriage (SSM) predominantly benefits White, middle-class segments of the lesbian, gay, and bisexual (LGB) community. This study investigates the impact of the legalization of SSM on mental health among Black LGB individuals, focusing on those with lower incomes in the UK. Using a nationally representative panel sample and employing a quasi-experimental methodology, we analyzed changes in psychological distress and life dissatisfaction following the legalization of SSM.

Metabolic Profiling: A Perspective on the Current Status, Challenges, and Future Directions.

Metabolic profiling continues to develop, and research is now conducted on this topic globally in hundreds of laboratories, from small groups up to national centers and core facilities. Here we briefly provide a perspective on the current status and challenges facing metabolic phenotyping (metabonomics/metabolomics) and consider future directions for this important area of biomarker and systems biology research.

Carbon-dot pequi-nut in the development of immunosensor to detect pathogenic bacteria.

Carbon dots in biosensing have advanced significantly, adding improvements to different detection techniques. In this study, an amperometric immunosensor for Salmonella Thyphimurium was designed using antibodies labeled with carbon dots (Cdots) from pequi almond (Caryocar brasiliensis). Cdots were synthesized by pyrolysis and characterized by FTIR, UV/fluorescence, electrochemistry, zeta potential, and transmission electron microscopy (TEM).

GTS-21 modulates rheumatoid arthritis Th17 and Th2 lymphocyte subset differentiation through the ɑ7nAch receptor.

Previous research has demonstrated ɑ7nAch receptor (ɑ7nAchR) agonists to provide benefit for rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients. However, the immunological mechanism of action for these ɑ7nAchR agonists has not been elucidated. Herein, the effect of GTS-21, a selective ɑ7nAchR agonist, on the differentiation of Th17 and Th2 cells was assessed.

Post-transplant cyclophosphamide plus anti-thymocyte globulin decreased serum IL-6 levels when compared with post-transplant cyclophosphamide alone after haploidentical hematopoietic stem cell transplantation.

Background: Post-transplantation cyclophosphamide (PTCy) and anti-thymocyte globulin (ATG) are common prophylactic strategies for graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) after haploidentical hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (haplo-HSCT). Interleukin (IL)-6 is a surrogate marker for cytokine release syndrome (CRS) and acute GVHD.

Method: The clinical outcomes and complications of haplo-HSCT with PTCy plus ATG versus PTCy monotherapy were compared according to serum IL-6 levels at Chungnam National University Hospital (Daejeon, South Korea) from January 2019 to February 2023.

Current applications and research trends of ultrasound examination in acute kidney injury assessment: a bibliometric analysis.

Background: Acute kidney injury (AKI) is a significant clinical condition, and ultrasound examination has emerged as a crucial non-invasive imaging method for assessing kidney status, especially in its diagnosis and management. This study aims to perform a bibliometric analysis to clarify current research trends in ultrasound assessment of AKI.

Methods: We conducted a literature search in the Web of Science database using keywords related to ultrasound examinations of acute kidney injury, up to November 15, 2023.

Impact of surgery versus follow-up on psychological distress in patients with indeterminate pulmonary nodules: A prospective observational study.

Purpose: To investigate whether surgery is more effective than follow-up in reducing psychological distress for patients with observable indeterminate pulmonary nodules (IPNs) and to assess if psychological distress can serve as a potential surgical indication for IPNs.

Methods: This prospective observational study included 341 patients with abnormal psychometric results, as measured by the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS). Of these, 262 patients opted for follow-up and 79 chose surgery.

Retrospective matched case-control comparison of Totally Robotic Sleeve Gastrectomy (RSG) during the learning curve with Laparoscopic Sleeve Gastrectomy (LSG): why is operative time different?

Robotic approach is slowly rising in metabolic surgery, and laparoscopy is still considered the gold standard for Sleeve Gastrectomy. Aim of our study was to assess and compare outcomes of RSG through a matched comparison with LSG. Retrospective search of prospectively maintained database of our surgical department was carried out find all consecutive patients who underwent RSG from April 2023 to August 2024.

HIV Prevention in Syringe Service Programs Since the Start of COVID-19: Where Do We Go From Here?

Purpose: This narrative review addresses post-2020, specific, complex challenges for use of and adherence to pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) for HIV prevention among out-of-treatment people who use drugs (PWUD) at syringe services programs (SSPs).

Recent Findings: The COVID-19 pandemic and its associated changes to the provision of healthcare have significantly impacted HIV prevention, especially for PWUD. Through a synthesis of literature and clinical experience, we (1) characterize the operational changes imposed by the pandemic on SSPs that shaped the current HIV prevention landscape; (2) describe three levels of current challenges for PWUD, including consumer attitudes, non-medical and medical provider attitudes, and structural and scalability barriers; (3) characterize current models for PrEP in SSPs; and (4) offer practical recommendations for HIV prevention in harm reduction programs.

Association of frailty index with incidence of chronic kidney disease: China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study.

Aim: Frailty is an important risk factor for a wide range of chronic diseases and for mortality risk. This study aims to explore the relationship between frailty and incidence of chronic kidney disease (CKD), particularly on the change and accumulation of frailty.

Methods: Frailty status was assessed using the frailty index (FI, constructed by 31 items) and categorized as robust, pre-frail, and frail.

Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging of Post-Traumatic Headache: A Systematic Review.

Purpose Of Review: To evaluate existing functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) studies on post-traumatic headache (PTH) following traumatic brain injury (TBI).

Recent Findings: We conducted a systematic search of PubMed and Embase databases from inception to February 1, 2024. Eligible fMRI studies were required to include adult participants diagnosed with acute or persistent PTH post-TBI in accordance with any edition of the International Classification of Headache Disorders.

Exploring the mechanism of rosmarinic acid in the treatment of lung adenocarcinoma based on bioinformatics methods and experimental validation.

Objective: Rosmarinic acid (RosA) is a natural polyphenol compound that has been shown to be effective in the treatment of inflammatory disease and a variety of malignant tumors. However, its specific mechanism for the treatment of lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD) has not been fully elucidated. Therefore, this study aims to clarify the mechanism of RosA in the treatment of LUAD by integrating bioinformatics, network pharmacology and in vivo experiments, and to explore the potential of the active ingredients of traditional Chinese medicine in treating LUAD.

Opioid Prescriptions for Low Back Pain among Military-Connected Older Adults Across Multiple Care Systems.

Background: Untreated low back pain (LBP) in older adults can lead to disability and development of chronicity. Due to the potential development of medical comorbidities and negative risks associated with pharmacological use, chronic LBP management for older adults requires a responsive approach.

Methods: The objective of this study is to evaluate the probability of (1) opioid prescription receipt and (2) opioid-sedative coprescription, in a sample of military-service-connected patients enrolled in the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) or TRICARE, ages 30-85 years, receiving care in three systems: VHA, Military Health System (MHS), and nonfederal (civilian) healthcare facilities.

Lipid Changes 10-15 Years After Roux-en-Y Gastric Bypass: A Prospective Observational Study.

Background: Several studies have documented a beneficial short-term effect on lipid profile after Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (RYGB), but there is limited data on long-term changes.

Objectives: To describe long-term (> 10 years) changes in lipid profile after RYGB and to explore the relationship of lipid changes to changes in weight and baseline and demographic parameters.

Methods: The BAROBS study is a prospective observational study post RYGB conducted at three different hospitals.

Differences in technical and clinical perspectives on AI validation in cancer imaging: mind the gap!

Good practices in artificial intelligence (AI) model validation are key for achieving trustworthy AI. Within the cancer imaging domain, attracting the attention of clinical and technical AI enthusiasts, this work discusses current gaps in AI validation strategies, examining existing practices that are common or variable across technical groups (TGs) and clinical groups (CGs). The work is based on a set of structured questions encompassing several AI validation topics, addressed to professionals working in AI for medical imaging.