Small and Versatile Cyclotides as Anti-infective Agents.

Plants provide an abundant source of potential therapeutic agents, including a diverse array of compounds, such as cyclotides, which are peptides known for their antimicrobial activity. Cyclotides are multifaceted molecules with a wide range of biological activities. Their unique topology forms a head-to-tail cyclic structure reinforced by a cysteine knot, which confers chemical and thermal stability.

Is Area-Level Social Vulnerability Index Associated With Patient-Level Health-Related Social Needs in Hand Surgery?

Background: Social drivers of health (SDOH) are area-level, nonmedical factors that affect health outcomes. By contrast, health-related social needs (HRSNs) are individual patient reported and are being deployed in some payment models. SDOH are often used to broadly represent health disparities of communities through metrics, such as the Social Vulnerability Index (SVI); however, the association of area-level SVI to individual HRSNs has not been well studied in hand surgery, which has implications for addressing social risks to improve health and in quality measurement.

Pediatric relapsed/refractory ALK+ anaplastic large cell lymphoma treatment and outcomes in the targeted drug era.

Treatment options for patients with relapsed or refractory (R/R) anaplastic large cell lymphoma (ALCL) have increased in the era of targeted therapies such as brentuximab vedotin (BV) and Anaplastic Lymphoma Kinase (ALK) inhibitors. However, there is no standard treatment and limited published data evaluating their use. The goal of this retrospective study is to describe current real-world treatment and outcomes of pediatric, adolescent, and young adult patients with R/R ALK-positive ALCL.

Postoperative Radiotherapy ± Cetuximab for Intermediate-Risk Head and Neck Cancer.

Purpose: Radiotherapy (RT)/cetuximab (C) demonstrated superiority over RT alone for locally advanced squamous head and neck cancer. We tested this in completely resected, intermediate-risk cancer.

Methods: Patients had squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck (SCCHN) of the oral cavity, oropharynx, or larynx, with one or more risk factors warranting postoperative RT.

Topographical and Refractive Outcomes After Corneal Cross-linking in Novice Scleral Lens Users.

Objective: To determine if scleral fittings that occur before corneal cross-linking (CXL) are still successful after the procedure.

Methods: This prospective study included seven patients with keratoconus or post-laser-assisted in situ keratomileusis (LASIK) corneal ectasia who were fitted with scleral lenses then underwent CXL. Four patients (six eyes) had keratoconus and three patients (five eyes) had post-LASIK ectasia.

Prefrontal 5α-reductase 2 mediates male-specific acute stress response.

A key response to acute stress is the increased brain synthesis of the neurosteroid allopregnanolone (AP). Although the rate-limiting step of this reaction is catalyzed by 5α-reductase (5αR), the role of its two primary isoenzymes, 5αR1 and 5αR2, in stress reactivity remains unclear. Here, we found that acute stress led to increased levels of 5αR2, but not 5αR1, in the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) of male, but not female, rats.

Protect or prevent? A practicable framework for the dilemmas of COVID-19 vaccine prioritization.

Determining COVID-19 vaccination strategies presents many challenges in light of limited vaccination capacity and the heterogeneity of affected communities. Who should be prioritized for early vaccination when different groups manifest different levels of risks and contact rates? Answering such questions often becomes computationally intractable given that network size can exceed millions. We obtain a framework to compute the optimal vaccination strategy within seconds to minutes from among all strategies, including highly dynamic ones that adjust vaccine allocation as often as required, and even with modest computation resources.

Comparison of Lean, Obese, and Weight Loss Models Reveals TREM2 Deficiency Attenuates Breast Cancer Growth Uniquely in Lean Mice and Alters Clonal T Cell Populations.

Obesity is an established risk factor for breast cancer development and poor prognosis. The adipose environment surrounding breast tumors, which is inflamed in obesity, has been implicated in tumor progression, and TREM2, a transmembrane receptor expressed on macrophages in adipose tissue and tumors, is an emerging therapeutic target for cancer. A better understanding of the mechanisms for the obesity-breast cancer association and the potential benefits of weight loss could help inform treatment strategies.

From Bedside to Boardroom: Dr. Erik Martin's Unexpected Leadership Journey.

This interview explores the unexpected leadership journey of Dr Erik Martin, the 2022-2023 American Organization for Nursing Leadership President and chief nursing officer at Norton Children's Hospital. Starting as a bedside nurse, Dr Martin shares how others encouraged him to pursue leadership roles. The interview highlights the turning points in his career, the challenges he has faced, and valuable lessons learned.

GATA2 links stemness to chemotherapy resistance in acute myeloid leukemia.

Stemness-associated cell states are linked to chemotherapy resistance in AML. We uncovered a direct mechanistic link between expression of the stem cell transcription factor GATA2 and drug resistance. The GATA-binding protein 2 (GATA2) plays a central role in blood stem cell generation and maintenance.

Social Networks, Health Support, and Dietary Intake in Mothers Receiving Home Visiting Services.

Home visiting programs (HVPs) provide services to pregnant individuals and parents of young children to improve families' health and well-being. However, little is known about these families' social contexts. This study explores the social networks and dietary intake of mothers enrolled in a HVP, focusing on health support and health undermining.

The publication fate of abstracts awarded prizes at European Society of Paediatric Radiology annual scientific meetings.

Background: The European Society of Paediatric Radiology (ESPR) awards prizes for outstanding work presented at their annual scientific meetings. The proportion of ESPR prize-winning abstracts to journal publications is not known. Contextualising abstract-to-publication proportions by evaluating publication experience can yield valuable insights and actionable outcomes to support researchers in overcoming barriers to journal publication.

Spleen stiffness in a healthy pediatric population undergoing liver magnetic resonance elastography.

Background: Splenic stiffness is a potential imaging marker of portal hypertension. Normative spleen stiffness values are needed to define diagnostic thresholds.

Objective: To report stiffness measurements of the spleen in healthy children undergoing liver magnetic resonance (MR) elastography across MRI vendors and field strengths.

The impact of pediatric post-cardiac arrest care on survival: A multicenter review from the AHA get with the Guidelines®-resuscitation post-cardiac arrest care registry.

Aim: Adherence to post-cardiac arrest care (PCAC) recommendations is associated with improved outcomes for adults. We aimed to describe the survival impact of meeting American Heart Association (AHA) PCAC guidelines in children after cardiac arrest.

Methods: We conducted a retrospective study using Get With The Guidelines® Resuscitation's (GWTG®-R) registry to describe the PCAC of patients ≤ 18 years old who suffered an in-hospital or out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (IHCA or OHCA).

Pathophysiological Effects on Coronary Arteries Following Radiofrequency Ablation: A Comprehensive Review.

Radiofrequency ablation (RFA) is a safe and effective treatment for patients experiencing ventricular and atrial tachyarrhythmias. While complications after RFA are generally rare, the occurrence of coronary artery (CA) injury, albeit infrequent, can have significant clinical implications. Given the proximity of CAs to common ablation sites, understanding the interplay between RFA and CA perfusion pathophysiology is paramount.

PeptideForest: Semisupervised Machine Learning Integrating Multiple Search Engines for Peptide Identification.

The first step in bottom-up proteomics is the assignment of measured fragmentation mass spectra to peptide sequences, also known as peptide spectrum matches. In recent years novel algorithms have pushed the assignment to new heights; unfortunately, different algorithms come with different strengths and weaknesses and choosing the appropriate algorithm poses a challenge for the user. Here we introduce PeptideForest, a semisupervised machine learning approach that integrates the assignments of multiple algorithms to train a random forest classifier to alleviate that issue.

Evaluating Bone Fracture Healing in a Rabbit Model Using Doppler Imaging Modes, Shear Wave Elastography, X-Ray, and Dual-Energy X-Ray Absorptiometry.

Objective: This study investigated methods of evaluating the bone fracture healing process using superb microvascular imaging (SMI; two modes color SMI [cSMI] and monochromeSMI [mSMI]), and shear wave elastography (SWE), relative to X-ray, dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA), and platelet endothelial cell adhesion molecule 1 (PECAM-1) also know as cluster of differentiation 31 (CD-31) staining in a rabbit model.

Methods: This IACUC-approved study involved eight rabbits that underwent a bilateral fibula osteotomy and were followed for 7 or 21 days (Groups 1 and 2 with 4 rabbits in each). Ultrasound examinations using cSMI, mSMI, and SWE were performed on Days 0, 4, 7, 14, and 21 post-surgery.

PET, SPECT, and MRI imaging for evaluation of Parkinson's disease.

This review assesses the primary neuroimaging techniques used to evaluate Parkinson's disease (PD) - a neurological condition characterized by gradual dopamine-producing nerve cell degeneration. The neuroimaging techniques explored include positron emission tomography (PET), single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT), and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). These modalities offer varying degrees of insights into PD pathophysiology, diagnostic accuracy, specificity by way of exclusion of other Parkinsonian syndromes, and monitoring of disease progression.

An Updated Demographic Profile of Orthopaedic Surgery Using a New ABOS Data Set.

Introduction: The orthopaedic surgery physician workforce is predominately White and male and has been identified as the least diverse medical specialty. Increasing efforts toward diversification within orthopaedic surgery are underway. Evaluating the effectiveness of these programs requires a thorough understanding of the current demographic profile of the profession.

Recent advances in deep learning and language models for studying the microbiome.

Recent advancements in deep learning, particularly large language models (LLMs), made a significant impact on how researchers study microbiome and metagenomics data. Microbial protein and genomic sequences, like natural languages, form a , enabling the adoption of LLMs to extract useful insights from complex microbial ecologies. In this paper, we review applications of deep learning and language models in analyzing microbiome and metagenomics data.