Functional activity of the caudate mediates the relation between early childhood microstructural variations and elevated metabolic syndrome scores.

Background: Metabolic syndrome score in children assesses the risk of developing cardiovascular disease in future. We aim to probe the role of the caudate in relation to the metabolic syndrome score. Furthermore, using both functional and structural neuroimaging, we aim to examine the interplay between functional and structural measures.

Clinical predictors of wheeze trajectories and associations with allergy in Asian children.

Background: Childhood wheezing is a highly heterogeneous condition with an incomplete understanding of the characteristics of wheeze trajectories, particularly for persistent wheeze.

Objective: To characterize predictors and allergic comorbidities of distinct wheeze trajectories in a multiethnic Asian cohort.

Methods: A total of 974 mother-child pairs from the prospective Growing Up in Singapore Towards healthy Outcomes (GUSTO) cohort were included in this study.

RETINITIS PIGMENTOSA ASSOCIATED WITH THE EYS C2139Y VARIANT : An Important Cause of Blindness in East Asian Populations.

Purpose: The study aimed to describe the phenotypic features of retinitis pigmentosa (RP) associated with the previously described EYS C2139Y variant in Singaporeans and establish the importance of this variant as a prevalent cause of RP among East Asians.

Methods: A clinical phenotyping and exome-sequencing study was conducted on consecutive patients with nonsyndromic RP. Epidemiological analysis was performed using Singaporean and global population-based genetic data.

Society of Anesthesia and Sleep Medicine and the Society for Obstetric Anesthesia and Perinatology Consensus Guideline on the Screening, Diagnosis, and Treatment of Obstructive Sleep Apnea in Pregnancy.

The Society of Anesthesia and Sleep Medicine and the Society for Obstetric Anesthesia and Perinatology tasked an expert group to review existing evidence and to generate recommendations on the screening, diagnosis, and treatment of patients with obstructive sleep apnea during pregnancy. These recommendations are based on a systematic review of the available scientific evidence and expert opinion when scientific evidence is lacking. This guideline may not be appropriate for all clinical situations and patients, and physicians must decide whether these recommendations are appropriate for their patients on an individual basis.

Prevalent and Incident Anemia in PARADIGM-HF and the Effect of Sacubitril/Valsartan.

Background: Anemia is common in patients with heart failure with reduced ejection fraction and is associated with poor clinical outcomes. Renin-angiotensin system blockers lower hemoglobin and may induce anemia.

Objectives: The authors investigated whether concomitant neprilysin inhibition might ameliorate this effect of renin-angiotensin system blockers in PARADIGM-HF (Prospective comparison of ARNI with ACEI to Determine Impact on Global Mortality and morbidity in Heart Failure).

Initial behaviors and attitudes towards the COVID-19 vaccine in sarcoidosis patients: results of a self-reporting questionnaire.

Background: Individuals with self-declared sarcoidosis are at increased risk of COVID-19 related morbidity and mortality for which vaccination can be lifesaving. Despite this, vaccine hesitancy remains a large barrier to global acceptance of vaccination against COVID-19. We aimed to identify individuals with sarcoidosis who had and had not been vaccinated against COVID-19 vaccine to 1) establish a safety profile of COVID-19 vaccination in those with sarcoidosis and 2) to elucidate factors that contribute to COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy.

A comparison of the CAPS-5 and PCL-5 to assess PTSD in military and veteran treatment-seeking samples.

This study was an examination of the puzzling finding that people assessed for symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) consistently score higher on the self-report PTSD Checklist for (PCL-5) than the Clinician-Administered PTSD Scale for (CAPS-5). Both scales purportedly assess PTSD severity with the same number of items, scaling, and scoring range, but differences in scores between measures make outcomes difficult to decipher. The purpose of this study was to examine several possible psychometric reasons for the discrepancy in scores between interview and self-report.

Selective binding of retrotransposons by ZFP352 facilitates the timely dissolution of totipotency network.

Acquisition of new stem cell fates relies on the dissolution of the prior regulatory network sustaining the existing cell fates. Currently, extensive insights have been revealed for the totipotency regulatory network around the zygotic genome activation (ZGA) period. However, how the dissolution of the totipotency network is triggered to ensure the timely embryonic development following ZGA is largely unknown.

FEV/FVC Severity Stages for Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease.

The diagnosis of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is based on a low FEV/FVC ratio, but the severity of COPD is classified using FEV% predicted (ppFEV). To test a new severity classification scheme for COPD using FEV/FVC ratio, a more robust measure of airflow obstruction than ppFEV. In COPDGene (Genetic Epidemiology of COPD) ( = 10,132), the severity of airflow obstruction was categorized by Global Initiative for Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease (GOLD) stages 1-4 (ppFEV of ⩾80%, ⩾50-80%, ⩾30-50%, and <30%).

Breast cancer risk stratification using genetic and non-genetic risk assessment tools for 246,142 women in the UK Biobank.

Purpose: The benefit of using individual risk prediction tools to identify high-risk individuals for breast cancer (BC) screening is uncertain, despite the personalized approach of risk-based screening.

Methods: We studied the overlap of predicted high-risk individuals among 246,142 women enrolled in the UK Biobank. Risk predictors assessed include the Gail model (Gail), BC family history (FH, binary), BC polygenic risk score (PRS), and presence of loss-of-function (LoF) variants in BC predisposition genes.

Sensitive LC-MS/MS method for the temporal profiling of bile acids, fatty acids and branched-chain alpha-keto acids in maternal plasma during pregnancy and cord blood plasma at delivery.

Background And Aims: There are significant changes to the maternal inflammatory profile across pregnancy. Recent studies suggest that perturbations in maternal gut microbial and dietary-derived plasma metabolites over the course of pregnancy mediate inflammation through a complex interplay of immunomodulatory effects. Despite this body of evidence, there is currently no analytical method that is suitable for the simultaneous profiling of these metabolites within human plasma.

Metastatic solid tumors to the testis: a clinicopathologic evaluation of 157 cases from an international collaboration.

To elucidate the spectrum of metastatic solid tumors to the testis and their clinicopathologic features. The databases and files of 26 pathology departments from 9 countries on 3 continents were surveyed to identify metastatic solid tumors to the testis and to characterize their clinicopathologic features in detail. We compiled a series of 157 cases of metastatic solid tumors that secondarily involved the testis.

Targeted characterization of fusion transcripts in tumor and normal tissues via FusionInspector.

Here, we present FusionInspector for characterization and interpretation of candidate fusion transcripts from RNA sequencing (RNA-seq) and exploration of their sequence and expression characteristics. We applied FusionInspector to thousands of tumor and normal transcriptomes and identified statistical and experimental features enriched among biologically impactful fusions. Through clustering and machine learning, we identified large collections of fusions potentially relevant to tumor and normal biological processes.

Retinoic acid enhances ovarian steroidogenesis by regulating granulosa cell proliferation and MESP2/STAR/CYP11A1 pathway.

Introduction: Ovarian steroidogenesis not only affects the embryonic development and pregnancy outcome, but also associates with many diseases in mammals and women. Exploring the nutrients and mechanisms influencing ovarian steroidogenesis is critical to maintaining the optimal reproductive performance, as well as guaranteeing body health.

Objectives: This research aimed to explore the effect of retinol metabolism on ovarian steroidogenesis and the underlying mechanisms.

Striae gravidarum treatment: evaluating non-ablating fractional laser (NAFL) efficacy and safety.

Background: Striae gravidarum (SG) is a common pregnancy-related dermatologic problem, for which finding an effective treatment remains a challenge.

Aim: To evaluate the safety and efficacy of 1540 nm non-ablative fractional laser (Star lux 500) in the treatment of SG in Iranian women and peruse the relationship between clinical improvement rate and patient characteristics as well as clinical features of striae.

Method: A prospective before-after study was conducted on 50 patients with SG who received three monthly sessions of 1540 nm non-ablative fractional laser and were followed for 2 months after the last treatment session.

Representation of women in musculoskeletal radiology conferences in Europe and North and South Americas: an estimation and comparative analysis.

Objective: To assess gender distribution and disparities in the musculoskeletal field at radiology conferences and to identify factors associated with the imbalance of women speakers.

Materials And Methods: This cross-sectional study evaluated publicly available data online from musculoskeletal radiology conference programs from radiological societies across Europe, North America (NA), and South America (SA) from 2016 to 2020. The gender of invited speakers, moderators, and planning committee members and the occurrence of single-gender panels for musculoskeletal and plenary sessions were assessed.

Short-Term Exposure to Bisphenol A Does Not Impact Gonadal Cell Steroidogenesis In Vitro.

Bisphenol A (BPA) is a ubiquitous, synthetic chemical proven to induce reproductive disorders in both men and women. The available studies investigated the effects of BPA on male and female steroidogenesis following long-term exposure to the compound at relatively high environmental concentrations. However, the impact of short-term exposure to BPA on reproduction is poorly studied.

Circulating Cytokine Levels and Cardiovascular Disease Risk Profile in Young Adult Offspring of Women with Type 1 Diabetes.

Introduction: Cytokines are key players in the development of both type 1 diabetes (T1D) and cardiovascular disease (CVD). Offspring of women with T1D are known to have an increased risk of early-onset CVD. We studied whether an increased risk of CVD can be observed in the cytokine profile among young adult offspring of women with T1D.

One Week of Oral Camostat Versus Placebo in Nonhospitalized Adults With Mild-to-Moderate Coronavirus Disease 2019: A Randomized Controlled Phase 2 Trial.

Background: Camostat inhibits severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection in vitro. We studied the safety and efficacy of camostat in ACTIV-2/A5401, a phase 2/3 platform trial of therapeutics for COVID-19 in nonhospitalized adults.

Methods: We conducted a phase 2 study in adults with mild-to-moderate COVID-19 randomized to oral camostat for 7 days or a pooled placebo arm.

Increasing maternal age associates with lower placental mRNA expression and acylcarnitines, particularly in overweight women.

Older pregnant women have increased risks of complications including gestational diabetes and stillbirth. Carnitine palmitoyl transferase (CPT) expression declines with age in several tissues and is linked with poorer metabolic health. Mitochondrial CPTs catalyze acylcarnitine synthesis, which facilitates fatty acid oxidization as fuel.

Sex hormones, insomnia, and sleep quality: Subjective sleep in the first year of hormone use in transgender persons.

Study Objectives: Transgender persons can use gender-affirming hormone therapy (GAHT) to align their physical appearance with their identified gender. Many transgender persons report poor sleep, but the effects of GAHT on sleep are unknown. This study examined the effects of a 12 months of GAHT use on self-reported sleep quality and insomnia severity.

Fluid-structure interaction analysis of amniotic fluid with fetus and placenta inside uterus exposed to military blasts.

Introduction: Pregnancy-related trauma is one of the leading causes of morbidity and mortality in pregnant women and fetuses. The fetal response to injury is largely dependent on the timing of fetal presentation and the underlying pathophysiology of the trauma. The optimal management of pregnant patients who have suffered an obstetric emergency depends on clinical assessment and understanding of the placental implantation process, which can be difficult to perform during an emergency.

Successful ageing and the spectre of the fourth age in the Netflix TV series Grace and Frankie.

With its potential to engage a large audience and mark emerging social tendencies and with the rich narrative space that the seriality can bring, TV series can be a valuable cultural site through which to explore ageing as an experience in time. The Netflix's longest-running TV series Grace and Frankie (2015-2022) exhibits such potential, bringing together ageing and friendship into the popular cultural domain. Set in the contemporary US, the show closely follows two over-70, newly divorced, female protagonists and friends, Grace (Jane Fonda) and Frankie (Lily Tomlin).

The landscape of tolerated genetic variation in humans and primates.

Personalized genome sequencing has revealed millions of genetic differences between individuals, but our understanding of their clinical relevance remains largely incomplete. To systematically decipher the effects of human genetic variants, we obtained whole-genome sequencing data for 809 individuals from 233 primate species and identified 4.3 million common protein-altering variants with orthologs in humans.

Lung cancer risk discrimination of prediagnostic proteomics measurements compared with existing prediction tools.

Background: We sought to develop a proteomics-based risk model for lung cancer and evaluate its risk-discriminatory performance in comparison with a smoking-based risk model (PLCOm2012) and a commercially available autoantibody biomarker test.

Methods: We designed a case-control study nested in 6 prospective cohorts, including 624 lung cancer participants who donated blood samples at most 3 years prior to lung cancer diagnosis and 624 smoking-matched cancer free participants who were assayed for 302 proteins. We used 470 case-control pairs from 4 cohorts to select proteins and train a protein-based risk model.