The contribution of community transmission to the burden of hospital-associated pathogens: A systematic scoping review of epidemiological models.

Healthcare-associated infections (HAI), particularly those involving multi-drug resistant organisms (MDRO), pose a significant public health threat. Understanding the transmission of these pathogens in short-term acute care hospitals (STACH) is crucial for effective control. Mathematical and computational models play a key role in studying transmission but often overlook the influence of long-term care facilities (LTCFs) and the broader community on transmission.

Brain aging rejuvenation factors in adults with genetic and sporadic neurodegenerative disease.

The largest risk factor for dementia is age. Heterochronic blood exchange studies have uncovered age-related blood factors that demonstrate 'pro-aging' or 'pro-youthful' effects on the mouse brain. The clinical relevance and combined effects of these factors for humans is unclear.

Global Review of Tools Evaluating Quality of Life in Cervical Cancer Survivors Treated With Chemoradiation Therapy.

Purpose: This systematic review aimed to identify and compare tools used to evaluate quality of life (QoL) after pelvic radiation for cervical cancer and to describe variations in results within commonly used instruments. This review hypothesized regional preferences in the selection of these tools and an absence of uniformity in their application globally.

Methods And Materials: A comprehensive search of 6 databases was conducted between the inception of each included database and June 14, 2023, focusing on studies evaluating the QoL of patients with cervical cancer during and after radiation.

A deep learning feature importance test framework for integrating informative high-dimensional biomarkers to improve disease outcome prediction.

Many human diseases result from a complex interplay of behavioral, clinical, and molecular factors. Integrating low-dimensional behavioral and clinical features with high-dimensional molecular profiles can significantly improve disease outcome prediction and diagnosis. However, while some biomarkers are crucial, many lack informative value.

Fine particulate matter from burning oil and gas and associated neurological symptoms among Deepwater Horizon oil spill cleanup workers.

Burning and flaring of oil and gas following the 2010 Deepwater Horizon (DWH) oil spill generated high airborne concentrations of fine particulate matter (PM). Neurological effects of PM have been previously reported, but this relationship has received limited attention in the context of oil spills. We evaluated associations between burning-related PM and prevalence of self-reported neurological symptoms during, and 1-3 years after, the DWH disaster cleanup.

Emergency department early mortality model for patients admitted after presenting to a tertiary medical center emergency department.

Objectives: Identifying patients in the emergency department (ED) at higher risk for in-hospital mortality can inform shared decision making and goals-of-care discussions. Electronic health record systems allow for integrated multivariable logistic regression (LR) modeling, which can provide early predictions of mortality risk in time for crucial decision making during a patient's initial care. Many commonly used LR models require blood gas analysis values, which are not frequently obtained in the ED.

Communicating biodiversity research on YouTube: An experimental comparison of scientists and third-party presenters.

Online videos are a popular medium for science communication. These videos can be presented from many perspectives, including scientists sharing their own work or a third-party presenting research findings. A mixed between- and within-subjects experiment ( = 620) was conducted in the United States to assess the impact of narrative perspective on the communication objectives of increasing knowledge, changing perceptions, and influencing behavior related to bee diversity.

Bone and Nerve Response to Sciatic Compression Neuropathy in a Rabbit Model.

Compression neuropathy is a prevalent medical condition, including common types such as carpal tunnel syndrome, cubital tunnel syndrome, sciatica, and many others. While the neurological consequences are well understood, the effects on bone properties and the potential downstream impact on fracture risk remain less clear. This study aimed to assess the influence of compressive neuropathy on bone properties using a rabbit model of sciatic nerve compression.

Target site mutations and metabolic detoxification of insecticides in continental populations of Cimex lectularius and Cimex hemipterus (Hemiptera: Cimicidae).

In recent decades, the common and the tropical bed bugs have experienced a resurgence in many parts of the world. The evolution of insecticide resistance in bed bug populations is considered a significant factor contributing to this resurgence. We analyzed samples of Cimex lectularius L.

Digital Marketing Strategies Used to Promote Waterpipe Tobacco Among Retailers and Manufacturers.

Introduction: Waterpipe tobacco (WT) is unique compared to other tobacco products. Retailers and manufacturers may promote WT products using different marketing appeals and sales propositions on popular digital marketing media. This study examined WT digital marketing content in the United States (U.

Benefits of Cochlear Implantation and Hearing Preservation for Children With Preoperative Functional Hearing: A Prospective Clinical Trial.

Objectives: This study was designed to (1) compare preactivation and postactivation performance with a cochlear implant for children with functional preoperative low-frequency hearing, (2) compare outcomes of electric-acoustic stimulation (EAS) versus electric-only stimulation (ES) for children with versus without hearing preservation to understand the benefits of low-frequency acoustic cues, and (3) to investigate the relationship between postoperative acoustic hearing thresholds and performance.

Design: This was a prospective, 12-month between-subjects trial including 24 pediatric cochlear implant recipients with preoperative low-frequency functional hearing. Participant ages ranged from 5 to 17 years old.

Causal analysis for multivariate integrated clinical and environmental exposures data.

Electronic health records (EHRs) provide a rich source of observational patient data that can be explored to infer underlying causal relationships. These causal relationships can be applied to augment medical decision-making or suggest hypotheses for healthcare research. In this study, we explored a large-scale EHR dataset on patients with asthma or related conditions (N = 14,937).

Racial and Educational Isolation are Associated with Worse Outcomes in Congenital Heart Disease.

Sociodemographic factors influence outcomes in children with congenital heart disease (CHD). We predict an association between measures of social isolation and outcomes in infants with complex CHD. These measures, racial (RI) and educational (EI) isolation range from 0 to 1, with 0 being no isolation and 1 being fully isolated within a specific population.

Aromatic side-chain crosslinking in RiPP biosynthesis.

Peptide cyclization is a defining feature of many bioactive molecules, particularly in the ribosomally synthesized and post-translationally modified peptide (RiPP) family of natural products. Although enzymes responsible for N- to C-terminal macrocyclization, lanthipeptide formation or heterocycle installation have been well documented, a diverse array of cyclases have been discovered that perform crosslinking of aromatic side chains. These enzymes form either biaryl linkages between two aromatic amino acids or a crosslink between one aliphatic amino acid and one aromatic amino acid.

Revealing excitation-inhibition imbalance in Alzheimer's disease using multiscale neural model inversion of resting-state functional MRI.

Background: Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a serious neurodegenerative disorder without a clear understanding of pathophysiology. Recent experimental data have suggested neuronal excitation-inhibition (E-I) imbalance as an essential element of AD pathology, but E-I imbalance has not been systematically mapped out for either local or large-scale neuronal circuits in AD, precluding precise targeting of E-I imbalance in AD treatment.

Method: In this work, we apply a Multiscale Neural Model Inversion (MNMI) framework to the resting-state functional MRI data from the Alzheimer's Disease Neuroimaging Initiative (ADNI) to identify brain regions with disrupted E-I balance in a large network during AD progression.

Malnutrition risk and overall survival at solid tumour diagnosis.

Purpose: Malnutrition severely impacts tolerance to anticancer therapies, but any relationship with overall survival (OS) at the time of solid tumour diagnosis in outpatients in the USA remains unclear.

Methods: This retrospective study evaluated 3562 patients who completed the Malnutrition Screening Tool (MST) at diagnosis, identifying the relationship between MST risk, a validated tool evaluating anorexia and weight loss, and OS. MST score of ≥2 of 5 was classified as high malnutrition risk (H-MST).

Electroacupuncture and Tongbian decoction ameliorate CUMS-induced depression and constipation in mice via TPH2/5-HT pathway of the gut-brain axis.

Depression is commonly associated with gastrointestinal (GI) disorders, such as constipation, which can potentially intensify depressive symptoms. The interplay between these conditions is believed to be facilitated by the gut-brain axis, which suggests a complex bidirectional interaction. Current treatments, such as antidepressants and prokinetics, are often associated with side effects and high recurrence rates, highlighting the need for effective treatments targeting both depression and constipation.

Appropriate Use Criteria for Neoplastic Compression Fractures.

Background Context: Clinical outcomes are directly related to patient selection and treatment indications for improved quality of life. With emphasis on quality and value, it is essential that treatment recommendations are optimized.

Purpose: The purpose of the North American Spine Society (NASS) Appropriate Use Criteria (AUC) is to determine the appropriate (ie, reasonable) multidisciplinary treatment recommendations for patients with metastatic neoplastic vertebral fractures across a spectrum of more common clinical scenarios.

Examining changes in fatal violence against women after bail reform in New Jersey.

Introduction Cash bail reforms that end pretrial detention due to the inability to afford bail have been highly debated across the US. A major concern cited by bail reform opponents is that reducing pretrial detention will increase community violence, particularly violence against women. The objective of this study was to assess if New Jersey's cash bail reform was associated with changes in rates of fatal violence against women.

Heterogeneous entity representation for medicinal synergy prediction.

Motivation: Forecasting the synergistic effects of drug combinations facilitates drug discovery and development, especially regarding cancer therapeutics. While numerous computational methods have emerged, most of them fall short in fully modeling the relationships among clinical entities including drugs, cell lines, and diseases, which hampers their ability to generalize to drug combinations involving unseen drugs. These relationships are complex and multidimensional, requiring sophisticated modeling to capture nuanced interplay that can significantly influence therapeutic efficacy.

Safety and Effectiveness of EUS-Guided Gallbladder Drainage in Patients with Cirrhosis: An International Multicenter Experience.

Introduction EUS-guided gall bladder drainage (EUS-GBD) for management of symptomatic gallbladder disease has been shown to be safe and effective in high surgical risk patients with data lacking in patients with cirrhosis. We sought to study the safety and effectiveness of EUS-GBD in cirrhotic compared to non-cirrhotic patients. Methods Retrospective review of patients who underwent EUS-GBD at four (3 US and 1 Spain) international tertiary care centers.

Mitochondria and NLRP3: To die or inflame.

Mitochondria play critical roles in intrinsic apoptosis and NLRP3 inflammasome activation, but how these processes are interconnected remains unclear. In this issue of Immunity, Saller et al. unveiled the complexity of NLRP3 activators, highlighting mitochondria's roles in switching apoptosis to NLRP3 inflammasome activation.

Research note: Effects of L-carnitine and L-arginine on sperm quality and fertility potential of aged broiler breeder roosters.

This objective of this study was to investigate the effects of L-arginine (L-Arg) and L-carnitine (LC) and their mixture in the diet (at lower levels) on sperm quality in aging broiler breeder roosters. Thirty-two broiler breeder roosters of the Arian breed were kept at 50 wk of age after a 12-wk acclimatization period. The birds were divided into four treatments and eight replicates in a completely randomized design.

The potential of photon-counting CT for the improved precision of lung nodule radiomics.

Lung nodule appearance may provide prognostic information, as the presence of spiculation increases the suspicion of a nodule being cancerous. Spiculations can be quantified using morphological radiomics features extracted from CT images. Radiomics features can be affected by the acquisition parameters and scanner technologies; thus, it is essential to identify imaging conditions that provide reliable measurements, particularly for emerging technologies like photon-counting CT.

Towards linking histological changes to liver viscoelasticity: a hybrid analytical-computational micromechanics approach.

Motivated by elastography that utilizes tissue mechanical properties as biomarkers for liver disease, with the eventual objective of quantitatively linking histopathology and bulk mechanical properties, we develop a micromechanical modeling approach to capture the effects of fat and collagen deposition in the liver. Specifically, we utilize computational homogenization to convert the microstructural changes in hepatic lobule to the effective viscoelastic modulus of the liver tissue, i.e.