Impaired Exercise Capacity in High-Risk Diabetic Cardiomyopathy: The ARISE-HF Cardiopulmonary Exercise Testing Subanalysis.

Background: Objective indices of functional capacity in patients with diabetic cardiomyopathy and stage B heart failure (HF) have not been comprehensively defined. We sought to characterize the cardiopulmonary exercise characteristics of individuals with diabetic cardiomyopathy at high risk for overt HF.

Methods: The relationships from cardiopulmonary exercise testing with clinical and laboratory characteristics of participants with diabetic cardiomyopathy were evaluated using baseline data from the ARISE-HF trial (Aldose Reductase Inhibition for Stabilization of Exercise Capacity in Heart Failure).

The genome sequence of a leafhopper, Scott, 1876.

We present a genome assembly from an individual male specimen of (leafhopper; Arthropoda; Insecta; Hemiptera; Cicadellidae). The genome sequence has a total length of 1,819.90 megabases.

Pharmacological pain management in patients with rheumatoid arthritis: a narrative literature review.

Background: Pain is a major challenge for patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA), with many people suffering chronic pain. Current RA management guidelines focus on assessing and reducing disease activity using disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs (DMARDs). Consequently, pain care is often suboptimal, with growing evidence that analgesics are widely prescribed to patients with RA, despite potential toxicities and limited evidence for efficacy.

Expanding the human gut microbiome atlas of Africa.

Population studies provide insights into the interplay between the gut microbiome and geographical, lifestyle, genetic and environmental factors. However, low- and middle-income countries, in which approximately 84% of the world's population lives, are not equitably represented in large-scale gut microbiome research. Here we present the AWI-Gen 2 Microbiome Project, a cross-sectional gut microbiome study sampling 1,801 women from Burkina Faso, Ghana, Kenya and South Africa.

Trehalose decorated nanostructures stabilize combined cross-linked enzyme aggregates (Combi-CLEAs) of β-galactosidase and glucose isomerase.

Combined cross-linked enzyme aggregates (Combi-CLEAs) of β-Galactosidase (β-Gal) and Glucose Isomerase (GI) allow the transformation of d-lactose to lactose-fructose syrup through one-pot cascade biocatalytic reactions. Despite its promise, the low thermostability of β-Gal and high-temperature demands for GI limits this application. Trehalose is a protein-stabilizing disaccharide which has been utilized in immobilized enzyme systems to enhance protein thermostability.

Without Known Cause: Contextualizing the Body.

The author describes her personal experience with a cardiac diagnosis to demonstrate how wellness disparities are often rooted in historical constructions of "ideal" physical presentation that are both racialized and gendered. Her experiential analysis contends that failure to contextualize patients and divorce them from these historically problematic constructions is used to justify their profound disability and death.

Distribution and correlates of long-acting injectable antipsychotic use among community mental health center patients.

Although long-acting injectable antipsychotics (LAIs) are an important pharmaceutical option in the management of schizophrenia and related disorders, little is known about patient characteristics related to LAI use in real-world outpatient settings. We analyzed electronic medical records from 41,401 patients who received psychiatric services from one of 16 regional mental health centers operated by the South Carolina Department of Mental Health in 2022. We compared the use of first- and second-generation LAIs and oral antipsychotics by sociodemographic (age, gender, race/ethnicity, zip code, payment source) and clinical characteristics (psychiatric diagnoses, service use).

Dosimetry Assessment in Predicting Treatment Outcomes Following Yttrium-90 Transarterial Radioembolization of Hepatic Tumors.

To evaluate the use of yttrium-90 (Y90) dosimetry in predicting treatment outcomes when used following transarterial radioembolization with SIR-Spheres® (Resin Y90) in patients with hepatic tumors. This single institution retrospective analysis included 100 patients with hepatocellular carcinoma, colorectal carcinoma or other liver metastases who underwent transarterial radioembolization with resin Y90 and had imaging follow-up within one year of treatment. Mean tumor dose and mean dose to nontumor was calculated using voxel-based dosimetry software.

Health System, Community-Based, or Usual Dementia Care for Persons With Dementia and Caregivers: The D-CARE Randomized Clinical Trial.

Importance: The effectiveness of different approaches to dementia care is unknown.

Objective: To determine the effectiveness of health system-based, community-based dementia care, and usual care for persons with dementia and for caregiver outcomes.

Design, Setting, And Participants: Randomized clinical trial of community-dwelling persons living with dementia and their caregivers conducted at 4 sites in the US (enrollment June 2019-January 2023; final follow-up, August 2023).

Electroencephalogram biomarkers as predictors of mortality and functional recovery in patients with severe traumatic brain injury: Protocol study.

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is a global public health condition that causes cognitive and behavioral deficits. This protocol assesses the potential of quantitative electroencephalogram (EEG) biomarkers, associated with inflammatory indicators, to predict mortality and functional recovery in patients with severe TBI. Through continuous monitoring and analysis of abnormal brain activity patterns, the protocol aims to personalize therapeutic interventions and improve patient quality of life.

Achievement of guideline-based lipid goals among very-high-risk patients with atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes: results in 213,380 individuals from the cvMOBIUS2 registry.

Objective: Lowering lipid to reach guideline-indicated goals significantly reduces cardiovascular outcomes in very-high-risk (VHR) patients with atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD) and type 2 diabetes (DM2). How well VHR patients currently achieve these goals in community practice is unknown.

Methods: VHR patients with ASCVD and DM2 were identified across 14 US healthcare systems using electronic health records between 1/1/2021-12/31/2022.

Rationale and design of the FAIR-HF2-DZHK05 trial: Ferric carboxymaltose assessment of morbidity and mortality in patients with iron deficiency and chronic heart failure.

Aims: While it is widely accepted that intravenous (IV) iron improves functional capacity, symptoms, and cardiovascular outcomes in patients with heart failure (HF) with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF) diagnosed with iron deficiency (ID), three recently published cardiovascular outcome trials (AFFIRM-AHF, IRONMAN and HEART-FID) of IV iron supplementation in HF failed to demonstrate a significant benefit on their respective primary endpoints. Dosing of IV iron after the initial correction of baseline ID - by design or as a result of trial circumstances - was relatively low (i.e.

Perceptions and Attitudes of People With Cancer and Diabetes Towards Patient Guidelines: A Mixed Methods Study.

Objective: To explore patients' perceptions and attitudes towards patient guidelines (PGs) and to identify specific factors related to PG content, design, presentation, and management that may influence patients' use or adoption of PGs.

Methods: An exploratory sequential mixed-methods design was employed. Initial semi-structured interviews were conducted with a diverse group of individuals, including people with diabetes or oncology, and clinicians.

Screening high-risk Veterans for cirrhosis: taking a stepwise population health approach.

Background: Because cirrhosis is often unrecognized, we aimed to develop a stepwise screening algorithm for cirrhosis in the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) and assess this approach's feasibility and acceptability.

Methods: VHA hepatology clinicians ("champions") were invited to participate in a pilot program from June 2020 to October 2022. The VHA Corporate Data Warehouse was queried to identify Veterans with possible undiagnosed cirrhosis using Fibrosis-4 (FIB-4) ≥ 3.

Vaccine effectiveness against influenza-associated hospitalizations in adults with liver disease, 2015-2020: US Hospitalized Adult Influenza Vaccine Effectiveness Network (HAIVEN).

Influenza causes 100,000-710,000 hospitalizations annually in the U.S. Patients with liver disease are at higher risk of severe outcomes following influenza infection.

Interleukin-17: A pleiotropic cytokine implicated in inflammatory, infectious, and malignant disorders.

IL-17A, referred to as IL-17, is the founding member of a family of pro-inflammatory cytokines, including IL-17B, IL-17C, IL-17D, IL-17E (or IL-25), and IL-17F, which act via receptors IL-17RA to IL-17RE, and elicit potent cellular responses that impact diverse diseases. IL-17's interactions with various cytokines include forming a heterodimer with IL-17F and being stimulated by IL-23's activation of Th17 cells, which can lead to inflammation and autoimmunity. IL-17 is implicated in infectious diseases and inflammatory disorders such as rheumatoid arthritis and psoriasis, promoting neutrophil recruitment and anti-bacterial immunity, but potentially exacerbating fungal and viral infections, revealing its dual role as protective and pathologic.

User and Developer Views on Using AI Technologies to Facilitate the Early Detection of Skin Cancers in Primary Care Settings: Qualitative Semistructured Interview Study.

Background: Skin cancers, including melanoma and keratinocyte cancers, are among the most common cancers worldwide, and their incidence is rising in most populations. Earlier detection of skin cancer leads to better outcomes for patients. Artificial intelligence (AI) technologies have been applied to skin cancer diagnosis, but many technologies lack clinical evidence and/or the appropriate regulatory approvals.

Endothelial-specific knockout of the scramblase TMEM16F impairs in vivo clot formation.

Objective: Loss of function of the phospholipid scramblase (PLS) TMEM16F results in Scott Syndrome, a hereditary bleeding disorder generally attributed to intrinsic platelet dysfunction. The role of TMEM16F in endothelial cells, however, is not well understood. We sought to test the hypothesis that endothelial TMEM16F contributes to hemostasis by measuring bleeding time and venous clotting in endothelial-specific knockout (ECKO) mice.

Cell-free assays reveal that the HIV-1 capsid protects reverse transcripts from cGAS immune sensing.

Retroviruses can be detected by the innate immune sensor cyclic GMP-AMP synthase (cGAS), which recognizes reverse-transcribed DNA and activates an antiviral response. However, the extent to which HIV-1 shields its genome from cGAS recognition remains unclear. To study this process in mechanistic detail, we reconstituted reverse transcription, genome release, and innate immune sensing of HIV-1 in a cell-free system.

Incident heart failure and recurrent coronary events following acute myocardial infarction.

Background And Aims: Recurrent myocardial infarction (MI) and incident heart failure (HF) are major post-MI complications. Herein, contemporary post-MI risks for recurrent MI and HF are described.

Methods: A total of 6804 patients with a primary discharge diagnosis of MI at 28 Baylor Scott & White Health hospitals (January 2015 to December 2021) were studied.

Serinophospholipids: A Third Type of Natural Phospholipid Discovered in a Thermophilic Bacterium.

Phospholipids are an essential constituent of cells with all life thought to produce these compounds with either a glycerol or sphingoid moiety at their core. For the first time, we demonstrate that a thermophilic bacterium, NGM72.4, produces a third type of phospholipid, serinophospholipids, which are distinct from glycero- and sphingophospholipids by featuring a serinol backbone instead.

Larsucosterol for the Treatment of Alcohol-Associated Hepatitis.

Background: Larsucosterol is a DNA methyltransferase inhibitor in development for alcohol-associated hepatitis (AH), a disease for which there is no approved therapy.

Methods: In this phase 2b trial, patients with severe AH were randomly assigned 1:1:1 to receive 30 mg or 90 mg of larsucosterol or placebo; a second dose was administered after 72 hours if the patient remained hospitalized. All patients received supportive care as determined by investigators.

Diversity in Medical School, Orthopaedic Surgery Residency, and ACGME-Accredited Foot and Ankle Orthopaedic Surgery Fellowship Training by Gender, Race, and Ethnicity.

Introduction: Increasing diversity in the US health care workforce is a topic of increasing scrutiny and interest. This study analyzes the pipeline of demographic diversity for Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME)-accredited foot and ankle orthopaedic surgery fellowship training.

Methods: This was a cross-sectional study of medical students, orthopaedic surgery residents, and orthopaedic foot and ankle fellows at US-accredited training programs from 2013 to 2022.

Comparative transcriptomic rhythms in the mouse and human prefrontal cortex.

Introduction: Alterations in multiple subregions of the human prefrontal cortex (PFC) have been heavily implicated in psychiatric diseases. Moreover, emerging evidence suggests that circadian rhythms in gene expression are present across the brain, including in the PFC, and that these rhythms are altered in disease. However, investigation into the potential circadian mechanisms underlying these diseases in animal models must contend with the fact that the human PFC is highly evolved and specialized relative to that of rodents.