Pediatric Advance Care Planning and Adolescent Preparedness and Quality of Life: An RCT.

Background And Objective: To evaluate the efficacy of Family-Centered Advance Care Planning for Teens With Cancer (FACE-TC) on adolescents' quality of life.

Methods: A clinical trial randomized adolescent-family dyads at a 2:1 ratio to either FACE-TC or control. FACE-TC dyads received 3 weekly 60-minute sessions: Lyon Pediatric Advance Care Planning Survey; Next Steps: Respecting Choices; and Five Wishes.

Parosmia: Pathophysiology and Management.

Purpose Of Review: Parosmia is a qualitative olfactory disorder in which there is a mismatch between the memory of an odor and the actual experience triggered by an odor. There has been a surge in parosmia-related publications since the COVID-19 pandemic. This review summarizes the latest clinical findings, theories on pathophysiology and potential treatment options.

Pediatric erythromelalgia from multidisciplinary perspectives: a scoping review.

Erythromelalgia is a rare, chronic pain disorder characterized by the triad of intense burning sensation, warmth, and redness, primarily involving the hands and feet, and usually alleviated by cold and worsened by heat. The objective of this scoping review was to: 1) map the existing literature on erythromelalgia in youth, 2) identify knowledge gaps, and 3) inform directions for future research in pediatric erythromelalgia. One hundred and sixty-seven studies reporting 411 cases of childhood-onset erythromelalgia were identified.

Advancing semantic segmentation: Enhanced UNet algorithm with attention mechanism and deformable convolution.

This paper presents a novel method for improving semantic segmentation performance in computer vision tasks. Our approach utilizes an enhanced UNet architecture that leverages an improved ResNet50 backbone. We replace the last layer of ResNet50 with deformable convolution to enhance feature representation.

Enhanced neurogenesis after ischemic stroke: the interplay between endogenous and exogenous stem cells.

Ischemic stroke is a significant global health crisis, frequently resulting in disability or death, with limited therapeutic interventions available. Although various intrinsic reparative processes are initiated within the ischemic brain, these mechanisms are often insufficient to restore neuronal functionality. This has led to intensive investigation into the use of exogenous stem cells as a potential therapeutic option.

RSK1 is an exploitable dependency in myeloproliferative neoplasms and secondary acute myeloid leukemia.

Myeloid malignancies are heterogenous disorders characterized by distinct molecular drivers but share convergence of oncogenic signaling pathways and propagation by ripe pro-inflammatory niches. Here, we establish a comprehensive transcriptional atlas across the spectrum of myeloproliferative neoplasms (MPN) and secondary acute myeloid leukemia (sAML) through RNA-sequencing of 158 primary samples encompassing CD34+ hematopoietic stem/progenitor cells and CD14+ monocytes. Supported by mass cytometry (CyTOF) profiling, we reveal aberrant networks of PI3K/AKT/mTOR signalling and NFκB-mediated hyper-inflammation.

Updates in nonhormonal therapy for perimenopausal and menopausal symptoms.

Purpose Of Review: Perimenopausal and menopausal symptoms are common and may significantly impact quality of life. Menopausal hormone therapy is the most effective treatment but may not be appropriate in all cases. Nonhormonal alternatives range from lifestyle changes and dietary supplements to medical interventions and prescription therapies.

Mode of Delivery and Subsequent Motor Function in Children With Myelomeningocele Without In Utero Repair.

Objective: To assess the association between mode of delivery and 2-year motor function in children with prenatal diagnosis of myelomeningocele.

Methods: A multisite retrospective cohort study of children with myelomeningocele across 14 NAFTNet (North American Fetal Therapy Network) centers born between 2007 and 2020 who had a physical examination available at 2 years of life. Exclusion criteria were in utero myelomeningocele repair, postnatal myelomeningocele diagnosis, missing data on fetal presentation at delivery, and contraindications to labor.

Sleep disturbance and menopause.

Purpose Of Review: Sleep problems are among the most prevalent and bothersome symptoms of menopause. This review characterizes menopausal sleep disturbances, describes biopsychosocial predictors, and summarizes the evidence supporting pharmacological and nonpharmacological treatment options.

Recent Findings: Recent studies found that sleep changes are early indicators of perimenopause and sought to disentangle the respective impacts of menopausal status, hot flashes (HFs), and changes in reproductive hormones on peri-/postmenopausal sleep problems.

Social, Emotional, and Behavioral Functioning in Adolescents with Klinefelter Syndrome.

Objective: Klinefelter syndrome (KS) is a common genetic condition in males associated with an extra X chromosome (i.e., 47,XXY).

Detection of Elder Abuse Through Emergency Care Technicians Screening Tool Revision for Home-Based Primary Care (DETECT-RPC): a cluster randomised controlled trial study protocol.

Introduction: The annual prevalence of elder mistreatment (EM) in cognitively intact older adults is estimated to be 11%, yet the annual prevalence in older adults with Alzheimer's disease and related dementias (AD/ADRD) is estimated to be as high as 75%. Associated with a decrease in quality of life and increase in risk of mortality, EM represents a significant public health burden. Home-based primary care (HBPC) providers are uniquely positioned to address the critical need for robust EM screening and reporting, especially among individuals with AD/ADRD.

Voltage-dependent anion channel 1 oligomerization regulates PANoptosis in retinal ischemia-reperfusion injury.

Ischemia-reperfusion injury is a common pathophysiological mechanism in retinal degeneration. PANoptosis is a newly defined integral form of regulated cell death that combines the key features of pyroptosis, apoptosis, and necroptosis. Oligomerization of mitochondrial voltage-dependent anion channel 1 is an important pathological event in regulating cell death in retinal ischemia-reperfusion injury.

Success of Bone Ossification After Posterior Vault Distraction Osteogenesis in Patients With Craniosynostosis.

Background: Posterior vault distraction osteogenesis (PVDO) is an effective treatment for multisuture and syndromic craniosynostosis. It remains unclear how well the calvarium ossifies after PVDO, especially in older patients when they have plateaued in their cranial growth phase. The purpose of this study is to report outcomes associated with PVDO across a wide range of ages at our institution.

One-step bioprinting of endothelialized, self-supporting arterial and venous networks.

Advances in biofabrication have enabled the generation of freeform perfusable networks mimicking vasculature. However, key challenges remain in the effective endothelialization of these complex, vascular-like networks, including cell uniformity, seeding efficiency, and the ability to pattern multiple cell types. To overcome these challenges, we present an integrated fabrication and endothelialization strategy to directly generate branched, endothelial cell-lined networks using a diffusion-based, embedded 3D bioprinting process.

Dermatofibrosarcoma Protuberans, Version 1.2025, NCCN Clinical Practice Guidelines In Oncology.

Dermatofibrosarcoma protuberans (DFSP) is a rare cutaneous soft tissue sarcoma and affects an estimated 1,500 people annually in the United States. DFSP frequently exhibits extensive local infiltration. Initial treatment is through surgical excision, and care should be taken to ensure that negative margins are achieved to minimize recurrence.

The association between physician sex and patient outcomes: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background: Some prior studies have found that patients treated by female physicians may experience better outcomes, as well as lower healthcare costs than those treated by male physicians. Physician-patient sex concordance may also contribute to better patient outcomes. However, other studies have not identified a significant difference.

Utilization of Telemedicine for Patients Receiving In-center Hemodialysis in the United States.

Background: In March 2020, responding to the COVID-19 pandemic, federal emergency waivers in the United States enabled kidney care providers (nephrologists and advanced practice providers) to substitute face-to-face in-center hemodialysis visits with telemedicine encounters. We examined whether the frequency of kidney care provider visits and hospitalizations were associated with telemedicine use in hemodialysis care.

Methods: We used Medicare claims to identify US patients receiving in-center hemodialysis during the first 16 months of the COVID-19 pandemic.

NCCN Guidelines® Insights: Lung Cancer Screening, Version 1.2025.

The NCCN Clinical Practice Guidelines in Oncology (NCCN Guidelines) for Lung Cancer Screening provide criteria for selecting individuals for screening and offer recommendations for evaluating and managing lung nodules detected during initial and subsequent annual screening. These NCCN Guidelines Insights focus on recent updates to the NCCN Guidelines for Lung Cancer Screening.

Responsiveness to transcutaneous spinal stimulation for upper extremity recovery following spinal cord injury: A case series exploration of midsagittal tissue bridges.

Context: Transcutaneous spinal stimulation (TSS), applied to the cervical spine, is able to improve voluntary upper extremity strength and function in individuals with cervical spinal cord injury (SCI). While most respond and improve in the presence of TSS, others do not respond as favorably. Midsagittal tissue bridges, adjacent to the lesion, can be observed and measured using T-weighted magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), and both ventral and dorsal tissue bridges are associated with recovery following SCI.

Distinct myeloid-derived suppressor cell populations in human glioblastoma.

The role of glioma-associated myeloid cells in tumor growth and immune evasion remains poorly understood. We performed single-cell RNA sequencing of immune and tumor cells from 33 gliomas, identifying two distinct myeloid-derived suppressor cell (MDSC) populations in isocitrate dehydrogenase-wild-type (IDT-WT) glioblastoma: an early progenitor MDSC (E-MDSC) population with up-regulation of metabolic and hypoxia pathways and a monocytic MDSC (M-MDSC) population. Spatial transcriptomics demonstrated that E-MDSCs geographically colocalize with metabolic stem-like tumor cells in the pseudopalisading region.

Reconstitution of synaptic junctions orchestrated by teneurin-latrophilin complexes.

Synapses are organized by trans-synaptic adhesion molecules that coordinate assembly of pre- and postsynaptic specializations, which, in turn, are composed of scaffolding proteins forming liquid-liquid phase-separated condensates. Presynaptic teneurins mediate excitatory synapse organization by binding to postsynaptic latrophilins; however, the mechanism of action of teneurins, driven by extracellular domains evolutionarily derived from bacterial toxins, remains unclear. In this work, we show that only the intracellular sequence, a dimerization sequence, and extracellular bacterial toxin-derived latrophilin-binding domains of Teneurin-3 are required for synapse organization, suggesting that teneurin-induced latrophilin clustering mediates synaptogenesis.

Bacterial Wastewater-Based Epidemiology Using Surface-Enhanced Raman Spectroscopy and Machine Learning.

Although wastewater-based epidemiology has been used extensively for the surveillance of viral diseases, it has not been used to a similar extent for bacterial diseases. This is in part owing to difficulties in distinguishing pathogenic from nonpathogenic bacteria using PCR methods. Here, we show that surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) can be a scalable, label-free method for the detection of bacteria in wastewater.