Addressing cardiovascular health risk factors in American Indian/Alaska Native Children: A narrative review.

Background: Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is common in American Indian/Alaska Native (AI/AN) adults and represents the leading cause of mortality. Risk factors for CVD in AI/AN adults are well-described, and a growing body of evidence reports the inequitable prevalence of factors associated with the development of CVD in AI/AN children, including obesity, physical inactivity, and diabetes mellitus (DM).

Objective: This article organizes and summarizes the evidence describing CVD risk factors in AI/AN children, discusses the social drivers of health impacting these risks, and highlights several programs that have demonstrated effectiveness in improving AI/AN child health.

Environmental contributions to cognitive development: The role of cognitive stimulation.

Early environmental experiences influence children's cognitive and neural development. In particular, cognitive stimulation, defined as environmental inputs that engage the senses and provide learning opportunities for children, fosters acquisition of knowledge across various cognitive domains. Low levels of cognitive stimulation in early life may restrict learning opportunities, contributing to lasting consequences for neural development and later academic and occupational achievement.

Medial and lateral vestibulospinal projections to the cervical spinal cord of the squirrel monkey.

Introduction: The brainstem vestibular nuclei neurons receive synaptic inputs from inner ear acceleration-sensing hair cells, cerebellar output neurons, and ascending signals from spinal proprioceptive-related neurons. The lateral (LVST) and medial (MVST) vestibulospinal (VS) tracts convey their coded signals to the spinal circuits to rapidly counter externally imposed perturbations to facilitate stability and provide a framework for self-generated head movements.

Methods: The present study describes the morphological characteristics of intraaxonally recorded and labeled VS neurons monosynaptically connected to the 8th nerve.

Case report: FGF4L1 retrogene insertion is lacking in the tall dachshund phenotype.

Two retrogene insertions, FGF4L1 (formerly 18-FGF4, colloquially CDPA) and FGF4L2 (formerly 12-FGF4, colloquially CDDY), have recently been discovered as determinants of short leg phenotype in dogs. This case study is comprised of a family of standard wirehaired dachshunds in which the dogs lacking the FGF4L1 gene exhibit a tall phenotype. The tall phenotype in the dachshunds of this report precludes the dog's working function of den work.

Reference genome of Calochortus tolmiei Hook. & Arn. (Liliaceae), a cat's ear mariposa lily.

Calochortus tolmiei Hook. & Arn., a bulbous monocot with cat's ear flowers in the angiosperm family Liliaceae, is a perennial herb native to northern California, Oregon, and Washington.

Attendance of Underserved Populations at Field-Based Health Services Events: Application of Quasi-Experimental Methods that Accommodate the COVID-19 Pandemic.

The COVID-19 pandemic disrupted the ability to receive health care services. Field-based health services became a logistically feasible alternative to medical center-based care. We compared two different field-based approaches to the delivery of SARS-CoV-2 testing and health education services for Latine communities using a quasi-experimental design that included propensity score matching to accommodate the challenges posed to research by the pandemic.

Leveraging the predictive power of a 3D in vitro vascularization screening assay for hydrogel-based tissue-engineered periosteum allograft healing.

A common strategy for promoting bone allograft healing is the design of tissue-engineered periosteum (TEP) to orchestrate host-tissue infiltration. However, evaluating requires costly and time-consuming in vivo studies. Therefore, in vitro assays are necessary to expedite TEP designs.

Outpatient surgical institutions in the rural United States: Trends from 2010 to 2020.

Background: The volume and proportion of surgeries occurring in outpatient settings has increased. However, the growth and distribution of outpatient surgical institutions, namely ambulatory surgery centers (ASCs) and hospital-based outpatient surgical departments (HOPDs), remains understudied in rural areas.

Methods: We used descriptive statistics and a multivariate logistic regression to assess the growth and distribution of ASCs and HOPDs in rural areas from 2010 to 2020, leveraging the Area Health Resources Files and American Community Survey.

Comparison of Postoperative Antibiotic Protocols for Pediatric Complicated Appendicitis: A Western Pediatric Surgery Research Consortium Study.

Background: There is no consensus on the appropriate duration of postoperative antibiotics for complicated appendicitis in children. Commonly used antibiotic endpoints include normalization of white blood cell count (WBC) or completion of a minimum number of prespecified treatment days. We compared clinical outcomes resulting from varying postoperative antibiotic protocols for complicated appendicitis in children.

The Quality of Veterans Healthcare Administration Cardiovascular Care.

A total of 9 million veterans receive care in a unique healthcare system, the Veterans Healthcare Administration (VHA), with nearly 50% reporting at least one cardiovascular disease. Despite evidence for high quality of health care in the VHA, more veteran care is being moved to the non-VHA community. An assumption of this shift in care is that the quality of non-VHA care is at least comparable to VHA care.

Lost ecosystem service costs and impact fees: Modelling scenarios for oil and gas development on U.S. public land.

The U.S. Department of Interior's Bureau of Land Management regulates oil and gas development on 23 million acres of U.

Proceedings of the 2024 Santa Fe Bone Symposium: Update on the Management of Osteoporosis and Rare Bone Diseases.

The 24 Annual Santa Fe Bone Symposium (SFBS) was held in Santa Fe, New Mexico, USA, on August 2-3, 2024. This was a "hybrid" meeting, with in-person and real-time remote participants representing a broad range of geographical locations and medical disciplines. The focus was on new developments in the care of patients with osteoporosis, other metabolic bone diseases, and inherited skeletal disorders.

Larval development and parasitism of emerald ash borer (Agrilus planipennis) in Oregon ash (Fraxinus latifolia) and European olive (Olea europaea): implications for the West Coast invasion.

The invasive emerald ash borer (Agrilus planipennis Fairmaire) (EAB) has been devastating North American ash (Fraxinus spp.) resources for over 2 decades. In its native range, EAB attacks and kills primarily stressed ash trees.

New onset refractory status epilepticus: Long-term outcomes beyond seizures.

We propose and prioritize important outcome domains that should be considered for future research investigating long-term outcomes (LTO) after new onset refractory status epilepticus (NORSE). The study was led by the international NORSE Institute LTO Working Group. First, literature describing the LTO of NORSE survivors was identified using a PubMed search and summarized to identify knowledge gaps.

Innovative Insurance to Improve US Patient Access to Cell and Gene Therapy.

Unlabelled: Policy Points Cell and gene therapies (CGTs) offer treatment for rare and oftentimes deadly disease, but their prices are high, and payers may seek to limit spending. Total annual costs of covering all existing and expected CGTs for the entire US population 2023-2035 to amount to less than $20 per person and concentrate in commercial and state Medicaid plans. Reinsurance fees add to expected costs.

Seascape Genomics of Red Abalone: Limited Range-Wide Population Structure and Evidence for Local Adaptation.

Characterising patterns of genetic diversity including evidence of local adaptation is relevant for predicting and managing species recovering from overexploitation in the face of climate change. Red abalone (Haliotis rufescens) is a species of conservation concern due to recent declines from overharvesting, disease and climate change, resulting in the closure of commercial and recreational fisheries. Using whole-genome resequencing data from 23 populations spanning their entire range (southern Oregon, USA, to Baja California, MEX) we investigated patterns of population connectivity and genotype-environment associations that would reveal local adaptation across the mosaic of coastal environments that define the California Current System (CCS).

Population Genomics Reveals Local Adaptation Related to Temperature Variation in Two Stream Frog Species: Implications for Vulnerability to Climate Warming.

Identifying populations at highest risk from climate change is a critical component of conservation efforts. However, vulnerability assessments are usually applied at the species level, even though intraspecific variation in exposure, sensitivity and adaptive capacity play a crucial role in determining vulnerability. Genomic data can inform intraspecific vulnerability by identifying signatures of local adaptation that reflect population-level variation in sensitivity and adaptive capacity.

Mobile health clinics in a rural setting: a cost analysis and time motion study of La Clínica in Oregon, United States.

Background: Mobile Health Clinics (MHCs) are an alternate form of healthcare delivery that may ameliorate current rural-urban health disparities in chronic diseases and have downstream impacts on the health system by reducing costs. Evaluations of providers' time allocation on MHCs are scarce, hindering knowledge transfer related to MHC implementation strategies.

Methods: Retrospective economic cost was assessed using business ledgers and expert assessments in 2023 US Dollar (USD) from 2022 to 2023.

Methods for modeling gestational weight gain: empirical application using electronic health record data from a safety net population.

Background: Understanding the risks and effects of gestational weight gain (GWG) is a prominent area of perinatal research but approaches for quantifying GWG are evolving and remain underdeveloped, especially in clinical settings for underserved demographic subgroups. To fill this gap, we demonstrated and compared six GWG metrics across pre-pregnancy BMI classifications: total GWG, trimester-specific linear rate of GWG, adherence to total and trimester-specific recommendations, area under the curve, and GWG for gestational age z-scores.

Methods: We used clinical data on 44,801 pregnant people from community-based health care organizations with extensive longitudinal measures and substantial representation of understudied subgroups.

"They Make It So Hard on You": How Rurality Shapes Veterans' Health Experiences When Managing Gulf War Illness.

Background: Gulf War illness (GWI) is characterized by multiple, persistent symptoms (e.g., fatigue, musculoskeletal pain, concentration problems, and gastrointestinal disorders) across more than one body system that are severe enough to interfere with daily functioning.