Appropriateness of lumbar spine imaging in patients presenting to the emergency department with low back pain in a Western Australian tertiary hospital.

Background: The Australian Rheumatology Association identified the use of imaging in patients with low back pain without indication of serious pathology as a low-value practice.

Aims: To determine the appropriateness of diagnostic lumbar spine imaging requests in patients with low back pain presenting to a Western Australian hospital's emergency department.

Methods: We conducted a retrospective review of all adult patients (18 years and older) who presented with low back pain to the Fiona Stanley Hospital emergency department from 1 July 2020 to 31 December 2020.

Association between genetically predicted leisure and social activities and cardiovascular disease and other health outcomes.

Participation in leisure and social activities (LSA) is associated with better health outcomes and lower mortality. Previous observational studies demonstrated a relationship between engagement in LSA and both mental and physical health. Although several studies examined the association between LSA and health outcomes, including cardiovascular disease, their possible causal relationship has not been studied.

Rare germline structural variants increase risk for pediatric solid tumors.

Pediatric solid tumors are a leading cause of childhood disease mortality. In this work, we examined germline structural variants (SVs) as risk factors for pediatric extracranial solid tumors using germline genome sequencing of 1765 affected children, their 943 unaffected parents, and 6665 adult controls. We discovered a sex-biased association between very large (>1 megabase) germline chromosomal abnormalities and increased risk of solid tumors in male children.

Clinical Outcomes of Acute Pyelonephritis in Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus.

Background Diabetes mellitus (DM) is a prevalent predisposing factor for urinary tract infections (UTIs). Among hospitalized patients with acute pyelonephritis, UTIs are more common, severe, and associated with worse outcomes, particularly in those with type 2 DM. Pyelonephritis in DM patients is more frequently bilateral and linked to greater complications, with 90% of emphysematous pyelonephritis (EMPN) and cystitis cases occurring in diabetic individuals.

ICMR-MDRF Diabetes Biosamples: Cohort profile.

Background & objectives Biobanks are crucial for biomedical research, enabling new treatments and medical advancements. The biobank at the Madras Diabetes Research Foundation (MDRF) aims to gather, process, store, and distribute biospecimens to assist scientific studies. Methods This article details the profile of two cohorts: the Indian Council of Medical Research-India Diabetes (ICMR-INDIAB) study and the Registry of people with diabetes in India with young age at onset (ICMR-YDR).

Assessment and ascertainment in psychiatric molecular genetics: challenges and opportunities for cross-disorder research.

Psychiatric disorders are highly comorbid, heritable, and genetically correlated [1-4]. The primary objective of cross-disorder psychiatric genetics research is to identify and characterize both the shared genetic factors that contribute to convergent disease etiologies and the unique genetic factors that distinguish between disorders [4, 5]. This information can illuminate the biological mechanisms underlying comorbid presentations of psychopathology, improve nosology and prediction of illness risk and trajectories, and aid the development of more effective and targeted interventions.

Prevalence and Impact of Cytomegalovirus Primary Infection and Reactivation on Graft Function in Post-Renal Transplant Recipients.

Introduction Cytomegalovirus (CMV) is often associated with mortality and significant morbidity following renal transplantation leading to graft rejection or dysfunction. Primary CMV infection refers to the first detection of the virus in a person who has no prior evidence of CMV exposure before transplantation. CMV has a unique property called latency.

Over 100 Fontan Patients on Systemic Ventricular Assist Device Support: An ACTION Update.

As the Fontan population grows, understanding successful strategies for ventricular assist device (VAD) support of the failing Fontan circulation is needed. We performed a retrospective analysis of patients with Fontan circulation and systemic VAD support in the Advanced Cardiac Therapies Improving Outcomes Network (ACTION) registry. Competing outcomes and Kaplan-Meier estimated survival methods were used.

Comparative evaluation of artificial intelligence systems' accuracy in providing medical drug dosages: A methodological study.

Background: Medication errors, especially in dosage calculation, pose risks in healthcare. Artificial intelligence (AI) systems like ChatGPT and Google Bard may help reduce errors, but their accuracy in providing medication information remains to be evaluated.

Aim: To evaluate the accuracy of AI systems (ChatGPT 3.

Maximizing insights from longitudinal epigenetic age data: simulations, applications, and practical guidance.

Background: Epigenetic age (EA) is an age estimate, developed using DNA methylation (DNAm) states of selected CpG sites across the genome. Although EA and chronological age are highly correlated, EA may not increase uniformly with time. Departures, known as epigenetic age acceleration (EAA), are common and have been linked to various traits and future disease risk.

The role of the psychedelic experience in psilocybin treatment for treatment-resistant depression.

Objective: To determine the relationships between psilocybin dose, psychedelic experiences, and therapeutic outcome in treatment-resistant depression.

Methods: For treatment-resistant depression, 233 participants received a single dose of 25, 10, or 1 mg of COMP360 psilocybin (a proprietary, pharmaceutical-grade synthesized psilocybin formulation, developed by the sponsor, Compass Pathfinder Ltd.) with psychological support.

Evaluating post-cardiac arrest blood pressure thresholds associated with neurologic outcome in children: Insights from the pediRES-Q database.

Background: Current Pediatric Advanced Life Support Guidelines recommend maintaining blood pressure (BP) above the 5th percentile for age following return of spontaneous circulation (ROSC) after cardiac arrest (CA). Emerging evidence suggests that targeting higher thresholds, such as the 10th or 25th percentiles, may improve neurologic outcomes. We aimed to evaluate the association between post-ROSC BP thresholds and neurologic outcome, hypothesizing that maintaining mean arterial pressure (MAP) and systolic blood pressure (SBP) above these thresholds would be associated with improved outcomes at hospital discharge.

Covered Stent Correction for Sinus Venosus Atrial Septal Defects, an Emerging Alternative to Surgical Repair: Results of an International Registry.

Background: Covered stent correction for a sinus venosus atrial septal defect (SVASD) was first performed in 2009. This innovative approach was initially viewed as experimental and was reserved for highly selected patients with unusual anatomic variants. In 2016, increasing numbers of procedures began to be performed, and in several centers, it is now offered as a standard of care option alongside surgical repair.

Bile acids in the lower airways is associated with airway microbiota changes in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: an observational study.

Background: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a complex disorder with a high degree of interindividual variability. Gastrointestinal dysfunction is common in patients with COPD and has been proposed to influence the clinical progression of the disease. Using the presence of bile acid(s) (BA) in bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) fluid as a marker of gastric aspiration, we evaluated the relationships between BAs, clinical outcomes and bacterial lung colonisation.

Increasing diversity in the nutrition, obesity, and diabetes biomedical workforce: the BRIDGES consortium.

Scientists from diverse backgrounds are underrepresented (UR) in academia. This lack of diversity impedes scientific discovery and innovation. UR scientists tend to conduct research on issues relevant to UR populations, including chronic disease prevention and management, and health disparities.

Isolated Shoulder Weakness as a Manifestation of Acute Ischemic Stroke: A Rare Presentation.

There is somatotopic organization of body in motor and sensory cortex of brain. Distal parts of a limb have a much larger area of presentation as compared to proximal parts. So, isolated distal hand muscle weakness as a manifestation of stroke is not so uncommon, but isolated shoulder muscle weakness as a manifestation of stroke is very rare.

Efficacy, safety, and quality of life 4 years after valoctocogene roxaparvovec gene transfer for severe hemophilia A in the phase 3 GENEr8-1 trial.

Background: Valoctocogene roxaparvovec, an adeno-associated virus-mediated gene therapy for severe hemophilia A, enables endogenous factor (F)VIII expression and provides bleed protection.

Objectives: Determine valoctocogene roxaparvovec durability, efficacy, and safety 4 years after treatment.

Methods: In the phase 3 GENEr8-1 trial, 134 adult male persons with severe hemophilia A without inhibitors and previously using FVIII prophylaxis received a 6 × 10 vg/kg infusion of valoctocogene roxaparvovec.

Corneal and conjunctival abnormalities in a cohort of survivors from the Western African Ebola virus disease outbreak.

Purpose: To characterize corneal and conjunctival abnormalities (CCAs) and their impact on visual acuity in a cohort of survivors from the Western African Ebola virus disease (EVD) outbreak.

Design: A post hoc analysis of 121 patients, who had previously undergone screening for the Ebola Virus Persistence in Ocular Tissues and Fluids study, was performed.

Methods: Patients underwent a comprehensive ophthalmic exam at the Lowell and Ruth Gess Eye Hospital in Freetown, Sierra Leone.

Managing Adverse Skin Reactions Associated With Central Line Dressings in Children: A Survey of Dermatologists.

Central line dressings (CLDs) may be associated with adverse skin reactions in hospitalized children. Currently, standardized protocols to guide the management of cutaneous CLD reactions are unavailable at our children's hospital and in the pediatric literature. We surveyed dermatologists at multiple institutions who routinely perform pediatric consults to assess their management practices and/or the use of standardized protocols for addressing adverse cutaneous reactions to CLDs.

Nonmotor Manifestations of Idiopathic Parkinson's Disease and Its Correlation with the Severity and Duration of the Disease: A Cross-sectional Study.

Overview: Parkinson's disease (PD) is a neurodegenerative disorder that is common in individuals over the age of 50 years, affecting about 1% of the population. Nonmotor symptoms (NMS) are a common occurrence in PD, but they are often ignored by motor symptoms. Studies have shown that NMS in PD show a significant impact on quality of life.