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.

Cerebral blood volume index in the era of thrombectomy-treated large and medium vessel ischemic strokes.

The cerebral blood volume index (CBV index) is a perfusion-based marker of collateral status. Several real-world data analyses from observational stroke cohorts have established relationships between this parameter and a range of favorable and unfavorable stroke outcomes. In this review, an overview is provided of the CBV index, within the context of thrombectomy-treated large vessel and medium vessel occlusion ischemic strokes.

Advances in the understanding and therapeutic manipulation of cancer immune responsiveness: a Society for Immunotherapy of Cancer (SITC) review.

Cancer immunotherapy-including immune checkpoint inhibition (ICI) and adoptive cell therapy (ACT)-has become a standard, potentially curative treatment for a subset of advanced solid and liquid tumors. However, most patients with cancer do not benefit from the rapidly evolving improvements in the understanding of principal mechanisms determining cancer immune responsiveness (CIR); including patient-specific genetically determined and acquired factors, as well as intrinsic cancer cell biology. Though CIR is multifactorial, fundamental concepts are emerging that should be considered for the design of novel therapeutic strategies and related clinical studies.

Development and Evaluation of a Presenter Coaching Program at an Academic Surgical Conference.

Objective: Presenting at academic conferences is an important means of disseminating research, networking, and building a professional reputation, but the quality of presentations at conferences is often suboptimal. This project describes the design, implementation, and evaluation of a presentation coaching program offered by an academic surgical society to presenters at its annual meeting.

Design: Oral presenters were paired with a coach and encouraged to meet independently, yet coaching was unstructured.

Generation of induced pluripotent stem cell line from a patient with long COVID.

Long COVID, or post-acute sequelae of SARS-CoV-2 infection, leads to vascular dysfunction, which contributes to the chronic multi-organ damage often seen in affected patients. Long COVID, a global health concern is associated with increased thrombotic risk, also known as COVID-19-associated coagulopathy (CAC). Here, we derived an induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC) line from peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) of a long COVID patient.

Permeability Benchmarking: Guidelines for Comparing , , and Measurements.

Permeability is a measure of the degree to which cells can transport molecules across biological barriers. Units of permeability are distance per unit time (typically cm/s), where accurate measurements are needed to define drug delivery in homeostasis and to model dysfunction occurring during disease. This perspective offers a set of community-led guidelines to benchmark permeability data across multidisciplinary approaches and different biological contexts.

Viroporin activity is necessary for intercellular calcium signals that contribute to viral pathogenesis.

Viruses engage in a variety of processes to subvert host defenses and create an environment amenable to replication. Here, using rotavirus as a prototype, we show that calcium conductance out of the endoplasmic reticulum by the virus encoded ion channel, , induces intercellular calcium waves that extend beyond the infected cell and contribute to pathogenesis. Viruses that lack the ability to induce this signaling show diminished viral shedding and attenuated disease in a mouse model of rotavirus diarrhea.

Concordance of non-invasive plasma cell-free DNA with invasive diagnostics for diagnosis of invasive fungal disease.

Background: Mold plasma cell-free DNA (cfDNA) PCR is a promising non-invasive diagnostic modality for early diagnosis of invasive mold disease (IMD) in immunocompromised patients. Although mold cfDNA PCR has been shown to be highly accurate, the value of invasive procedures to collect specimens for conventional fungal diagnostics following plasma cfDNA testing remains unclear.

Methods: This retrospective single-center cohort study included patients with mold plasma cfDNA PCR performed 7 days before or 2 days after invasive specimen collection.

SGLT2 Inhibitor Use in Chronic Kidney Disease: Supporting Cardiovascular, Kidney, and Metabolic Health.

Originally developed for use in type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), sodium-glucose co-transporter-2 (SGLT2) inhibitors demonstrated diverse cardiovascular- and kidney-protective effects in large outcome trials. Their subsequent approval as a treatment for chronic kidney disease (CKD) marked a pivotal shift in the landscape of CKD management. Further to this, the approval of dapagliflozin and empagliflozin for use in patients with CKD with and without T2DM afforded new treatment opportunities for this population.

The power of personas: Exploring an innovative model for understanding stakeholder perspectives in an oncology learning health network.

Introduction: Learning health networks (LHNs) improve clinical outcomes by applying core tenets of continuous quality improvements (QI) to reach community-defined outcomes, data-sharing, and empowered interdisciplinary teams including patients and caregivers. LHNs provide an ideal environment for the rapid adoption of evidence-based guidelines and translation of research and best practices at scale. When an LHN is established, it is critical to understand the needs of all stakeholders.

Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement in Patients With Interventricular Membranous Septal Aneurysms.

Aneurysms of the interventricular membranous septum are a rare anatomical feature that can be detected incidentally on computed tomography or echocardiography. Such aneurysms can pose challenges in the treatment of patients with aortic valve stenosis. A case series of 2 patients with membranous septal aneurysms treated successfully with current-generation balloon-expandable and self-expanding transcatheter heart valves is presented here.

Advances in moyamoya disease: pathogenesis, diagnosis, and therapeutic interventions.

Moyamoya disease (MMD) is a type of cerebrovascular disease characterized by occlusion of the distal end of the internal carotid artery and the formation of collateral blood vessels. Over the past 20 years, the landscape of research on MMD has significantly transformed. In this review, we provide insights into the pathogenesis, diagnosis, and therapeutic interventions in MMD.

Neonatal inflammation and near-term white matter microstructure in infants born very preterm.

Background: Severe neonatal inflammatory conditions in very preterm infants (VPT: <32 weeks gestational age, GA) are linked to adverse neurodevelopmental outcomes. Differences in white matter (WM) microstructure of the corpus callosum (CC) have been observed at age 6 in VPT children with a history of severe neonatal inflammation. The goal of this study was to determine whether these CC differences can be detected at term-equivalent age using diffusion MRI (dMRI), and whether neonatal inflammation is associated with altered WM in additional tracts implicated in the encephalopathy of prematurity.

Nonresponse Bias on Inpatient Rehabilitation Hospitals' Experience of Care Quality Measure Scores.

Objective: To describe the magnitude of nonresponse bias on inpatient rehabilitation facility (IRF) experience of care survey data in patients with neurologic disorders.

Design: Cohort study of patients at 2 IRFs. Patients reported experience of care via an IRF-administered survey as part of routine operations approximately 2 weeks after discharge.

Development of a Perioperative Risk Mortality Calculator for Humanitarian Surgical Care.

Background: Risk models to predict perioperative mortality rates (POMR) are critical to surgical quality improvement yet are not widely adapted for use in humanitarian and low-resource settings (LRS). We developed a POMR and corresponding nomogram and calculator for use in humanitarian surgical care.

Methods: Electronic health record data from a high-income academic medical center from 2015 to 2019 were retrospectively extracted, selecting variables and operations specific to LRS.

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.

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.

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.