Global Epidemiology and Implications of I148M Variant in Metabolic Dysfunction-Associated Steatotic Liver Disease: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.

Background & Aims: rs738409 variant is a risk factor for onset and progression of metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD). We aimed to assess its global prevalence, clinical and histological characteristics, and long-term outcomes in patients with MASLD.

Methods: PubMed and Embase databases were searched until December 30, 2023, for observational studies on genotyped adults with MASLD.

Randomized Controlled Studies on Smartphone Applications and Wearable Devices for Postoperative Rehabilitation After Total Knee Arthroplasty: A Systematic Review.

Introduction: Smartphone and wearable technologies are novel devices for monitoring postoperative mobility and recovery in total knee arthroplasty (TKA) patients. This systematic review of the highest-level evidence studies evaluated the advantages of these technologies in postoperative care, specifically focusing on 1) smartphone applications, 2) wearable devices, and 3) their combined use.

Methods: A systematic literature search from July 26, 2015, to June 13, 2024, identified Level-1 and -2 published studies investigating smartphone applications and wearables for monitoring post-TKA recovery.

Higher Risk Renal Angiomyolipomas: Surveillance Remains a Safe Management Option.

Purpose: This retrospective study furthers our understanding of risk factors associated with hemorrhage and intervention in renal angiomyolipomas (R-AMLs), particularly in larger tumors (≥ 4 cm) and in childbearing-age (CBA; younger than 50 years) women. The objective was to refine risk stratification and optimize patient management.

Methods: Review of our institutional database identified patients with radiographic R-AML from 1997 to 2023.

Self-organized and self-sustained ensemble activity patterns in simulation of mouse primary motor cortex.

The idea of self-organized signal processing in the cerebral cortex has become a focus of research since Beggs and Plentz reported avalanches in local field potential recordings from organotypic cultures and acute slices of rat somatosensory cortex. How the cortex intrinsically organizes signals remains unknown. A current hypothesis was proposed by the condensed matter physicists Bak, Tang, and Wiesenfeld when they conjectured that if neuronal avalanche activity followed inverse power law distributions, then brain activity may be set around phase transitions within self-organized signals.

Granulomatous Tubulointerstitial Nephritis as a Rare Cause of Allograft Failure: A Case Report.

Although granulomatous interstitial nephritis (GIN) is a rare histological finding in kidney transplants, the joint occurrence of GIN and focal segmental glomerulosclerosis (FSGS) has not, to our knowledge, been reported in the literature. We report a case of GIN and de novo FSGS in kidney transplant recipients leading to allograft failure. A 69-year-old male with a history of end-stage renal disease (ESRD) of unknown etiology, as well as liver failure from hepatitis B and C co-infection, initially had a living unrelated kidney transplant (LURT) in 2007 and subsequently received both liver and kidney transplants (SLKTs) in 2017.

Acceptability and Feasibility of Self-Collected Dried Blood Spot Specimens for Viral Load Monitoring among Rural Older People Living with HIV.

Self-collected dried blood spot (DBS) samples may be useful in monitoring viral load (VL) in research studies or clinically given that they eliminate the need for participants to travel to study sites or laboratories. Despite this, little information exists about monitoring VL using DBS self-collected at home, and no information exists on DBS for this use among older rural people living with HIV (PLH), a population that could benefit from self-collection given difficulty accessing care. We report on the feasibility and acceptability of self-collected DBS samples, DBS VL results, concordance between self-reported and DBS VL, and factors associated with DBS detectable VL in a rural Southern U.

Osteonecrosis of the Humerus: Trends in Surgical Management of a Nationwide Sample From 2010 to 2021.

Introduction: The humeral head is the second most common site for osteonecrosis but its epidemiology is poorly described. This study aimed to better understand its treatment in the United States by 1) evaluating total operative procedures with rates normalized to the annual surgical volume; 2) determining trends of non-joint preserving (shoulder arthroplasty) vs. joint preserving procedures; and 3) quantifying rates of operative techniques in different aged cohorts (<50 vs.

Frailty Predicts Failure to Rescue following Malignant Brain Tumor Resection: A NSQIP Analysis of 14,721 Patients (2012- 2020).

Purpose: Failure to rescue (FTR) is defined as mortality within 30 days following a major complication. While FTR has been studied in various brain tumor resections, its predictors in malignant brain tumor resection (mBTR) remain unexplored. This study aims to identify FTR predictors in mBTR resection patients using a frailty-driven model.

Tumour-infiltrating Lymphocytes and Radiation Therapy in Rectal Cancer: Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.

Aim: Tumour-infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs) represent a promising cancer biomarker. Different TILs, including CD8+, CD4+, CD3+, and FOXP3+, have been associated with clinical outcomes. However, data are lacking regarding the value of TILs for patients receiving radiation therapy (RT).

Optimising early detection of degenerative cervical myelopathy: a systematic review of quantitative screening tools for primary care.

Background: Early diagnosis of degenerative cervical myelopathy (DCM) is often challenging due to subtle, non-specific symptoms, limited disease awareness and a lack of definitive diagnostic criteria. As primary care physicians are typically the first to encounter patients with early DCM, equipping them with effective screening tools is crucial for reducing diagnostic delays and improving patient outcomes. This systematic review evaluates the efficacy of quantitative screening methods for DCM that can be implemented in primary care settings.

Urban and Rural Differences in Cancer Treatment Disruption Among Patients With COVID-19: An Analysis of the US ASCO COVID-19 in Oncology Registry.

Introduction: Cancer patients in rural areas experience greater barriers to treatment access compared with patients in urban areas. There is limited research on how the COVID-19 pandemic affected cancer treatment delivery for rural patients who were also diagnosed with COVID-19. This study has two objectives: to assess (1) the urban-rural differences in cancer care and (2) the predictors of cancer treatment delay or discontinuation (TDD) among patients diagnosed with COVID-19.

Genomics yields biological and phenotypic insights into bipolar disorder.

Bipolar disorder is a leading contributor to the global burden of disease. Despite high heritability (60-80%), the majority of the underlying genetic determinants remain unknown. We analysed data from participants of European, East Asian, African American and Latino ancestries (n = 158,036 cases with bipolar disorder, 2.

Translational Outcomes Project in Neurotrauma (TOP-NT) Pre-Clinical Consortium Study: A Synopsis.

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) has long been a leading cause of death and disability, yet research has failed to successfully translate findings from the pre-clinical, animal setting into the clinic. One factor that contributes significantly to this struggle is the heterogeneity observed in the clinical setting where patients present with injuries of varying types, severities, and comorbidities. Modeling this highly varied population in the laboratory remains challenging.

Prospective Harmonization, Common Data Elements, and Sharing Strategies for Multicenter Pre-Clinical Traumatic Brain Injury Research in the Translational Outcomes Project in Neurotrauma Consortium.

Effective team science requires procedural harmonization for rigor and reproducibility. Multicenter studies across experimental modalities (domains) can help accelerate translation. The Translational Outcomes Project in NeuroTrauma (TOP-NT) is a pre-clinical traumatic brain injury (TBI) consortium charged with establishing and validating noninvasive TBI assessment tools through team science.

Helicobacter pylori infection is associated with significant elevations to fecal calprotectin, systemic inflammatory markers.

Objectives: Fecal calprotectin (FC) is a marker commonly used in the diagnosis and follow-up of inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD). However, other gastrointestinal conditions, like H. pylori (HP) infection, can result in increased neutrophil activity as well.

Culturally Congruent Latino-Adapted Telemonitoring of Underrepresented Adults With Type 2 Diabetes: The CULTURA-DM2 Trial.

This study reports on the development and testing of a comprehensive diabetes telemonitoring program tailored to meet the needs of underserved Hispanic/Latino patients with diabetes. Individuals participating in the culturally tailored program had significantly better 6-month outcomes than those receiving comprehensive outpatient management for A1C, blood pressure, and diabetes self-efficacy, with no differences between groups in quality of life, medication adherence, emotional functioning, patient activation, or unscheduled physician visits. These findings suggest that culturally congruent diabetes telemonitoring may be effective for this underserved population.

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.

Identifying Predictors of Extended Intensive Care Unit Stay Following Posterior Spinal Fusion for Adolescent Idiopathic Scoliosis: An Analysis of 101 ACS NSQIP Pediatric Participating Centers.

Background: While prolonged operative time and increased levels fused have been shown to increase the risk of prolonged intensive care unit (ICU) length-of-stay (LOS), studies are limited in guiding decision-making regarding the need for intensive care postoperatively. This is especially the case among the cohort of adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (AIS) patients undergoing posterior spinal fusion (PSF); associations between comorbidities and ICU LOS are not well-delineated.

Methods: AIS patients who underwent PSF from January 1st, 2016 to December 1st, 2016 at 101 participating centers were identified using the American College of Surgeons (ACS) National Surgical Quality Im-provement Project (NSQIP) Pediatric database.

Optimizing variables for contingency management among infant caregivers using a simulated purchase task.

Behavioral economics offers a framework for understanding choice making around public health concerns such as drug use and distracted driving. Such a framework could be beneficial to understanding caregiver choices related to arranging an infant sleep environment. Nonadherence to infant sleep safety guidelines provided by the American Academy of Pediatrics increases the risk of sleep-related infant deaths.

Brief Report: Internalized Poverty-Related Stigma and Interpersonal Violence Among Women Living With HIV in the United States.

Background: Interpersonal violence (IPV) affects half of women living with HIV (WLHIV) in the United States and has important consequences for mental health and HIV outcomes. Although different types of stigmas (eg, HIV- or sexual identity-related) are associated with increased risk of IPV, the relationship between poverty-related stigma and IPV is unclear, even though poverty frequently co-occurs with IPV.

Methods: Data from up to 4 annual visits (2016-2020) were collected from 374 WLHIV enrolled in a substudy of the Women's Interagency HIV Study (now known as Multicenter AIDS Cohort Study/Women's Interagency HIV Study Combined Cohort Study) at 4 sites across the United States.

Unidirectional and bidirectional causation between smoking and blood DNA methylation: evidence from twin-based Mendelian randomisation.

Cigarette smoking is associated with numerous differentially-methylated genomic loci in multiple human tissues. These associations are often assumed to reflect the causal effects of smoking on DNA methylation (DNAm), which may underpin some of the adverse health sequelae of smoking. However, prior causal analyses with Mendelian Randomisation (MR) have found limited support for such effects.

Perspectives on Clinical Pharmacist-Delivered Contingency Management to Promote Smoking Abstinence Among Individuals with HIV: A Qualitative Study.

Contingency management (CM), an evidence-based behavioral strategy that rewards positive behavior change including tobacco cessation, is rarely offered to support people with HIV (PWH) who smoke. In this study, we explored perspectives among patients and research staff engaged in a multi-site randomized clinical trial involving clinical pharmacist-delivered CM within HIV clinics. Between February and September 2023, we conducted 1:1 interviews with 12 PWH randomized to receive CM and one focus group with 8 staff (i.