Key factors associated with oral health services at Federally Qualified Health Centers.

Objective: This study aimed to investigate changes in oral health services from 2012 to 2021 and identify factors influencing the number of different types of services directly provided by all Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs).

Methods: Data from the 2012-2021 Uniform Data System were analyzed using multilevel mixed-effect negative binomial regression models. These models explored associations between oral health staffing, federal grant revenue, and state Medicaid dental policies for adults, and the number of different types of oral health services provided at FQHCs.

Population-Based Analysis of the Risk of Mycobacterial Infections Associated With Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors.

In this population-based study, we examined the risk of nontuberculous mycobacterial disease associated with immune checkpoint inhibitors among people with cancer. Using a nested case-control design, we identified 184 cases and 714 matched controls; there was no significant association on conditional logistic regression (adjusted odds ratio, 0.51 [95% confidence interval, .

A Decade of Oocyte Cryopreservation: New Horizons in Patients Accessing Care.

Utilization of fertility preservation treatments has increased since the American Society for Reproductive Medicine lifted the "experimental" label for oocyte cryopreservation in 2012. This study characterizes changes in insurance coverage, clinical outcomes, and live birth probabilities over a span of a decade (2012-2022) in patients who underwent planned oocyte cryopreservation. Retrospective analysis of planned oocyte cryopreservation cycles using vitrification from 2012 to 2022.

Supporting social justice through equity-based actions for a sustainable future in animal genetics (at the 39th International Society for Animal Genetics Conference).

The 39th International Society for Animal Genetics conference (ISAG) was held for the first time in Africa under the theme 'Animal genetics for a sustainable future' in 2023. The conference convened scientists, policy makers, industry professionals, and students from interdisciplinary fields to share and discuss the latest developments in the space of animal genetics. Since its inception as a society, ISAG has sought to provide a platform advocating for a just and equitable future in animal genetics.

Race and Ethnicity, Neighborhood Social Deprivation and Medicare Home Health Agency Quality for Persons Living With Serious Illness.

Objective: Examine the relationship between race and ethnicity and area-level social deprivation and Medicare home health care (HHC) agency quality for seriously ill older adults receiving HHC.

Methods: A linear probability fixed effects model analyzed the association between patient-level predictors and HHC agency quality (star-rating), controlling for neighborhood level fixed effects. Linear mixed regression modeled the relationship between area-level social deprivation and receiving care from a high-quality HHC agency.

Metallic Nanostructures: An Updated Review on Synthesis, Stability, Safety, and Applications with Tremendous Multifunctional Opportunities.

Metallic nanostructures play a vital role in technological advancement, providing exceptional performance and improved adaptability in comparison to their bulk equivalents. Conventional synthesis techniques frequently depend on dangerous reducing agents to transform metal ions into Nanoparticles (NPs), which presents considerable environmental and health issues. In contrast, the approach of green synthesis, which emphasizes the use of non-toxic reagents, has garnered significant interest as a sustainable method for the fabrication of Metallic Nanoparticles (MNPs).

A descriptive analysis of nurses' self-reported mental health symptoms during the COVID-19 pandemic: An international study.

Aim: To describe the self-reported mental health of nurses from 35 countries who worked during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Background: There is little occupationally specific data about nurses' mental health worldwide. Studies have documented the impact on nurses' mental health of the COVID-19 pandemic, but few have baseline referents.

Structural and evolutionary insights into the functioning of glycoprotein hormones and their receptors.

The neuroendocrine system that comprises the glycoprotein hormones (GpHs) and their receptors is essential for reproduction and metabolism. Each GpH hormone is an αβ heterodimer of cystine-knot proteins and its cognate receptor is a G-protein coupled receptor (GPCR) distinguished by a large leucine-rich-repeat (LRR) extracellular domain that binds the hormone and a class A GPCR transmembrane domain that signals through an associating heterotrimeric G protein. Hence, the receptors are called LRR-containing GPCRs-LGRs.

Continuous risk monitoring and management of heart failure: Rationale and design of the ALLEVIATE-HF trial.

Aims: Early identification and management of worsening heart failure (HF) is necessary to prevent disease progression and hospitalizations. The ALLEVIATE-HF (Algorithm Using LINQ Sensors for Evaluation and Treatment of Heart Failure) trial is a prospective, randomized, controlled, double-blind, multicentre trial that aims to assess the safety and efficacy of using the Reveal LINQ™ insertable cardiac monitor (ICM) in patients with HF to continuously monitor and evaluate HF risk status and guide timely interventions.

Methods: The ICM algorithm uses parameters derived from electrocardiogram (atrial fibrillation [AF], ventricular rate during AF, heart rate variability, and night heart rate), three-axis accelerometer (patient activity duration), and subcutaneous bioimpedance (fluid volume, respiration rate).

Cultural Authority and (Non)Compliance with Public Health Directives: The Effect of Legitimacy and Values on Behavior during the COVID-19 Pandemic.

During the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States, the success of public health authorities' strategies to curb the spread of the virus hinged on individuals' voluntary compliance with their directives. This study considers how two components of the cultural authority of public health influenced compliance with health guidelines during the pandemic: (1) individuals' views of public health officials as legitimate and (2) the shared value of health. I also examine the influence of other basic values, alongside health, on pandemic behavior.

Health-related quality of life across heart failure categories: associations with clinical characteristics and outcomes.

Aims: The study aims to examine characteristics and outcomes associated with health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in patients with heart failure (HF) with preserved, mildly reduced and reduced ejection fraction (EF) (HFpEF, HFmrEF and HFrEF).

Methods And Results: Data on HRQoL were collected in the Swedish Heart Failure Registry (SwedeHF; 2000-2021) using the EuroQoL 5-dimensional visual analogue scale (EQ 5D-vas). Baseline EQ 5D-vas scores were categorized as 'best' (76-100), 'good' (51-75), 'bad' (26-50) and 'worst' (0-25).

Are More Adults Bleeding After Tonsillectomy Than in the Past?

Objective: Post-tonsillectomy hemorrhage (PTH) rates have increased in children over the last decade. This study aimed to determine whether PTH incidence in adults had also increased over the last 15 years.

Study Design: Retrospective study.

Tau oligomers impair memory and synaptic plasticity through the cellular prion protein.

Deposition of abnormally phosphorylated tau aggregates is a central event leading to neuronal dysfunction and death in Alzheimer's disease (AD) and other tauopathies. Among tau aggregates, oligomers (TauOs) are considered the most toxic. AD brains show significant increase in TauOs compared to healthy controls, their concentration correlating with the severity of cognitive deficits and disease progression.

CARDIAC-STAR: prevalence of cardiovascular comorbidities in patients with HR + /HER2 - metastatic breast cancer.

Background: Cardiovascular (CV) comorbidities and concurrent medications with risk of heart rate-corrected QT interval (QTc) prolongation can impact treatment decisions and safety discussions for patients with breast cancer. However, limited data are available regarding their prevalence in patients with HR + /HER2- metastatic breast cancer (mBC). We evaluated the prevalence of CV comorbidities, the use of concurrent medications with risk of QTc prolongation, and treatment patterns in patients with newly diagnosed HR + /HER2 - mBC.

Management of asynchronous multifocal adult glioblastoma with loss of BRAF -mutant clonality: a case report.

Glioblastoma (GBM) classification involves a combination of histological and molecular signatures including IDH1/2 mutation, TERT promoter mutation, and EGFR amplification. Non-canonical mutations such as BRAF, found in 1-2% of GBMs, activate the MEK-ERK signaling pathway. This mutation can be targeted by small molecule inhibitors, offering therapeutic potential for GBM.

Echocardiographic assessment of aortic regurgitation: a practical guideline from the British Society of Echocardiography.

Aortic regurgitation is the third most common valve lesion with increasing prevalence secondary to an ageing population. Transthoracic echocardiography plays a vital role in the identification and assessment of aortic regurgitation and proves essential in monitoring severity and determining the timing of intervention. Building on the foundations of previous British Society of Echocardiography (BSE) recommendations, this BSE guideline presents an update on how to approach an echocardiographic assessment of aortic regurgitation.

Exploring the clinical profiles and management of juvenile dermatomyositis in Africa: a survey of African rheumatology care providers.

Background: There are limited studies of juvenile dermatomyositis (JDM) in low and middle-income countries (LMIC). Many demonstrate delays to care, high prevalence of severe manifestations, and high mortality. Given the disease-associated damage with JDM, understanding JDM in Africa further is critical.

Number of children and dementia risk: a causal mediation analysis using data from the HUNT study linked with national registries in Norway.

Background: Childlessness, as well as having a high number of children, has been reported to be associated with an elevated risk of dementia compared to having 2-3 children. The mechanisms underlying these relationships are not well understood and may be mediated by different midlife risk factors. We examined the mediating role of various factors on the relationship between the number of children and dementia risk.

Protocol for visual-acoustic intervention with service delivery in-person and via telepractice (VISIT) non-inferiority trial for residual speech sound disorder.

Background: Residual speech sound disorder (RSSD) is a high-prevalence condition that negatively impacts social and academic participation. Telepractice service delivery has the potential to expand access to technology-enhanced intervention methods that can help remediate RSSD, but it is not known whether remote service delivery is associated with a reduction in the efficacy of these methods. This project will systematically measure the outcomes of visual-acoustic biofeedback intervention when delivered in-person or online.

Penalized landmark supermodels (penLM) for dynamic prediction for time-to-event outcomes in high-dimensional data.

Background: To effectively monitor long-term outcomes among cancer patients, it is critical to accurately assess patients' dynamic prognosis, which often involves utilizing multiple data sources (e.g., tumor registries, treatment histories, and patient-reported outcomes).

Modeling absorbed alpha particle dose from diffusing alpha-emitters radiation therapy in changing tissue volumes.

Background: Diffusing alpha-emitters Radiation Therapy ("Alpha DaRT") is a promising new radiation therapy modality for treating bulky tumors. Ra-carrying sources are inserted intratumorally, producing a therapeutic alpha-dose region with a total size of a few millimeter via the diffusive motion of Ra's alpha-emitting daughters. Clinical studies of Alpha DaRT have reported 100% positive response (30%-100% shrinkage within several weeks), with post-insertion swelling in close to half of the cases.

Stratified Impact of Therapies on Anaplastic Thyroid Cancer Outcomes in the Pre-Gene-Targeted Therapy Era.

Background: Anaplastic thyroid cancer (ATC) is a highly lethal disease, often diagnosed with advanced locoregional and distant metastases, resulting in a median survival of just 3-5 months. This study determines the stratified effectiveness of baseline treatments in all combinations, enabling precise prognoses prediction and establishing benchmarks for advanced therapeutic options.

Methods: The study extracted a cohort of pathologically confirmed ATC patients from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results program.

Bioaccumulation of perfluorooctane sulfonic acid (PFOS) and oxidative stress in snapping turtles in New York, USA.

Perfluorooctane sulfonic acid (PFOS) is an anthropogenic chemical found in aqueous film-forming foams (AFFFs) and many consumer products. Despite its environmental ubiquity and persistence, little is known about the effects of PFOS on stress levels in wild animals. Here, we examined PFOS bioaccumulation and correlations between PFOS exposure and oxidative stress in snapping turtles (Chelydra serpentina) downstream of Griffiss Air Force Base in Rome, New York, a known source of AFFF contamination.

The influence of lightning on insect and fungal dynamics in a lowland tropical forest.

Lightning strikes are a common source of disturbance in tropical forests, and a typical strike generates large quantities of dead wood. Lightning-damaged trees are a consistent resource for tropical saproxylic (i.e.