A Short-Term Evaluation of the Eat and Exercise to Win Program for Adults with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities.

(1) Study Aim: Adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) face a multitude of chronic health risks related to obesity, including diabetes and heart disease. Day adult service programs offer unique opportunities for improving and monitoring the health of this vulnerable group. To promote exercise and healthy eating habits among adults with IDD, the Eat and Exercise to Win Program (EE-2-Win) was offered weekly at two locations over 8-9 months.

Co-Expression Network and Machine Learning Analysis of Transcriptomics Data Identifies Distinct Gene Signatures and Pathways in Lesional and Non-Lesional Atopic Dermatitis.

Background: Atopic dermatitis (AD) is a common inflammatory skin condition with complex origins. Current treatments often yield suboptimal results due to an incomplete understanding of its underlying mechanisms. This study aimed to identify pathway and gene signatures that distinguish between lesional AD, non-lesional AD, and healthy skin.

Common variants increase risk for congenital diaphragmatic hernia within the context of de novo variants.

Congenital diaphragmatic hernia (CDH) is a severe congenital anomaly often accompanied by other structural anomalies and/or neurobehavioral manifestations. Rare de novo protein-coding variants and copy-number variations contribute to CDH in the population. However, most individuals with CDH remain genetically undiagnosed.

Identification of Plasma Metabolomic Biomarkers of Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis.

Identification of disease and therapeutic biomarkers remains a significant challenge in the early diagnosis and effective treatment of juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA). In this study, plasma metabolomic profiling was conducted to identify disease-related metabolic biomarkers associated with JIA. Plasma samples from treatment-naïve JIA patients and non-JIA reference patients underwent global metabolomic profiling across discovery (60 JIA, 60 non-JIA) and replication (49 JIA, 38 non-JIA) cohorts.

Disparities in Clinical Trial Participation: A Cross-Sectional Survey of Cancer Patients at a Midwest Academic Medical Center.

Research conducted on homogenous populations can lead to biased and misleading findings, impeding the development of effective interventions and treatments for diverse populations. Low participation among minority groups further leads to disparities in access to innovative cancer care and treatment outcomes associated with trial participation. To better understand cancer patients' attitudes and willingness to participate in clinical trials, solid tumor patients attending their clinic visits were invited to complete a survey.

Secure messaging telehealth billing in the digital age: moving beyond time-based metrics.

Objective: We proposed adopting billing models for secure messaging (SM) telehealth services that move beyond time-based metrics, focusing on the complexity and clinical expertise involved in patient care.

Materials And Methods: We trained 8 classification machine learning (ML) models using providers' electronic health record (EHR) audit log data for patient-initiated non-urgent messages. Mixed effect modeling (MEM) analyzed significance.

Impact of Functional Status at the Time of Transplant on Short-Term Pediatric Lung Transplant Outcomes in the USA.

Purpose: Poor functional status is associated with pediatric lung transplant (LTx) waitlist mortality. We investigate how pre-transplant functional status affects post-LTx survival.

Methods: A retrospective analysis was performed using The United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS) Registry data.

Spermidine metabolism regulates leukemia stem and progenitor cell function through KAT7 expression in patient-derived mouse models.

Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is a devastating disease initiated and maintained by a rare subset of cells called leukemia stem cells (LSCs). LSCs are responsible for driving disease relapse, making the development of new therapeutic strategies to target LSCs urgently needed. The use of mass spectrometry-based metabolomics profiling has enabled the discovery of unique and targetable metabolic properties in LSCs.

Functional Neural Networks in Human Brain Organoids.

Human brain organoids are 3-dimensional brain-like tissues derived from human pluripotent stem cells and hold promising potential for modeling neurological, psychiatric, and developmental disorders. While the molecular and cellular aspects of human brain organoids have been intensively studied, their functional properties such as organoid neural networks (ONNs) are largely understudied. Here, we summarize recent research advances in understanding, characterization, and application of functional ONNs in human brain organoids.

Advances in omics data for eosinophilic esophagitis: moving towards multi-omics analyses.

Eosinophilic esophagitis (EoE) is a chronic, allergic inflammatory disease of the esophagus characterized by eosinophil accumulation and has a growing global prevalence. EoE significantly impairs quality of life and poses a substantial burden on healthcare resources. Currently, only two FDA-approved medications exist for EoE, highlighting the need for broader research into its management and prevention.

Utility of factor D and other alternative complement factors as biomarkers in systemic sclerosis-associated pulmonary arterial hypertension (SSc-PAH).

Background: Activation of the complement cascade is thought to play a role in scleroderma vasculopathy. We previously showed that complement factor D was elevated in patients with limited cutaneous SSc and pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH). In this study, we sought to assess multiple relevant components of the complement cascade to determine if they are altered in SSc-PAH, as well as their potential utility as biomarkers of disease severity and progression.

MR enterography radiologic ulcers in newly diagnosed ileal Crohn disease in children: frequency, inter-radiologist agreement, and clinical correlation.

Background: Radiologic ulcers are increasingly recognized as an imaging finding of bowel wall active inflammation in Crohn disease (CD).

Objective: To determine the frequency of ulcers at MR enterography (MRE) in children with newly diagnosed ileal CD, assess agreement between radiologists, and evaluate if their presence correlates with other imaging and clinical features of intestinal active inflammation.

Materials And Methods: This retrospective study included 108 consecutive pediatric patients (ages 6-18 years) with newly diagnosed ileal CD that underwent clinical MRE prior to treatment initiation between January 2021 and December 2022.

Non-Muscle Myosin II A: Friend or Foe in Cancer?

Non-muscle myosin IIA (NM IIA) is a motor protein that belongs to the myosin II family. The myosin heavy chain 9 () gene encodes the heavy chain of NM IIA. NM IIA is a hexamer and contains three pairs of peptides, which include the dimer of heavy chains, essential light chains, and regulatory light chains.

Impact of upgrading from a 25-cm to a 30-cm z-axis field of view digital PET/CT in a pediatric hospital.

Background: Increased positron emission tomography (PET) scanner z-axis coverage provides an opportunity in pediatrics to reduce dose, anesthesia, or repeat scans due to motion.

Objective: Recently, our digital PET scanner was upgraded from a 25-cm to a 30-cm z-axis coverage. We compare the two systems through National Electrical Manufacturing Association (NEMA) testing and evaluation of paired images from patients scanned on both systems.

Self-Assembled Generation of Multi-zonal Liver Organoids from Human Pluripotent Stem Cells.

Distinct hepatocyte subpopulations are spatially segregated along the portal-central axis and critical to understanding metabolic homeostasis and liver injury. While several bioactive molecules have been described to play a role in directing zonal fates, including ascorbate and bilirubin, replication of zonal liver architecture has not been achieved to date. In order to evaluate hepatic zonal polarity, we developed a self-assembling zone-specific liver organoid culture by co-culturing ascorbate and bilirubin enriched hepatic progenitors derived from human induced pluripotent stem cells.

Minimally Invasive Pancreas Surgery: Is There a Benefit?

Minimally invasive procedures minimize trauma to the human body while maintaining satisfactory therapeutic results. Minimally invasive pancreas surgery (MIPS) was introduced in 1994, but questions regarding its efficacy compared to an open approach were widespread. MIPS is associated with several perioperative advantages while maintaining oncological standards when performed by surgeons with a robust training regimen and frequent practice.

Abusive spinal injury: imaging and updates.

Child physical abuse has significant morbidity and mortality in the pediatric population. There is growing evidence that abusive spinal injury has been under-recognized, changing historical perceptions that these injuries are relatively uncommon. Increased utilization of MRI has been pivotal in recognizing that most abusive spinal injuries involve the soft tissues and ligaments or manifest as intrathecal blood products, which are often undetectable by radiography or CT.

ADHD and cognitive disengagement syndrome symptoms related to self-injurious thoughts and behaviors in early adolescents.

The current study examined attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) dimensions and cognitive disengagement syndrome (CDS) symptoms in relation to self-injurious thoughts and behaviors (SITBs) in an early adolescent sample. Participants were 341 adolescents ages 10-12 years (52.2% female; 37.