Alzheimer's Imaging Consortium.

Background: Higher educational attainment is frequently associated with lower risk of cognitive decline. Many neuroprotective factors have been suggested as the biological underpinnings of cognitive reserve (CR), though the neural basis of CR is yet unclear. Herein, we aim at investigating the effect of CR using educational attainment in individuals stratified by amyloid and tau status.

Alzheimer's Imaging Consortium.

Background: AD is defined by cortical amyloid-ß (Aß), tau neurofibrillary tangles, and neurodegeneration, pathological processes which may contribute to cognitive decline by altering large scale functional brain networks. To test this hypothesis, we examined whether plasma biomarkers of AD pathology (Aß42/40, phosphorylated tau [pTau-181]), astrogliosis (glial fibrillary acidic protein [GFAP]), and neuronal injury (neurofilament light chain [NfL]) related to longitudinal changes in resting-state functional connectivity (rsFC) in cognitively unimpaired participants from the Baltimore Longitudinal Study of Aging.

Method: Baseline plasma biomarkers were measured with Quanterix SIMOA assays.

Alzheimer's Imaging Consortium.

Background: Residence in a disadvantaged neighborhood (e.g., high poverty rate, poor housing, etc.

Alzheimer's Imaging Consortium.

Background: The heterogeneity of Alzheimer's disease (AD) and lack of well-validated markers of co-pathologies present a substantial challenge for therapeutics. We previously found phenotypes defined by Tau (T) - Neurodegeneration (N) discordance linked to non-Alzheimer's pathologies (e.g.

Alzheimer's Imaging Consortium.

Background: Poor sleep has emerged as a potentially modifiable risk factor for Alzheimer's disease (AD) and related dementias (ADRD). Few previous studies have incorporated objectively-measured sleep and structural neuroimaging to understand if poor sleep relates to changes in brain structure. In a cohort of older adults, we investigated actigraphy-measured sleep health and associations with well-established magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) markers of AD-specific neurodegeneration.

Alzheimer's Imaging Consortium.

Background: Standard of care for many cancer workups includes whole-body FDG PET/CT before, during, and after therapy. At Vanderbilt, these scans include the brain for every patient (>20,000 patients). Brain FDG PET is a validated assessment of neuronal health.

Does Palatoplasty Technique Impact Resolution of Eustachian Tube Dysfunction?

Objective: To determine whether palatoplasty technique affects the resolution of eustachian tube dysfunction and postoperative speech outcomes in children with cleft palate (CP).

Design: Retrospective cohort.

Setting: Multidisciplinary cleft and craniofacial clinic at a tertiary care center.

Alzheimer's Imaging Consortium.

Background: In the Systolic Blood Pressure Intervention Trial (SPRINT), intensive systolic blood pressure (SBP) lowering slowed progression of white matter injury (WMI) on MRI. We hypothesized that intensive lowering would be equally as effective and may confer greater benefits for brain health at younger ages compared to older ages. We tested whether the relative effects of intensive lowering on WMI differed by age using 2 MRI measures: white matter hyperintensity volume (WMHv) and peak-width skeletonized mean diffusivity (PSMD) in SPRINT.

Drug Development.

Real-World data platforms for Alzheimer's Disease (AD) offer a unique opportunity to improve health equity through better understanding of health disparities and inclusivity in research, which is critical to translatability of research findings. AD research in the US and globally remains largely inaccessible to many individuals due to individual-level, study-level, investigator-level and larger systemic barriers. ALZ-NET, a US-based registry to evaluate longitudinal outcomes of patients being evaluated for or treated with novel FDA-approved AD therapy, and New IDEAS, an observational US-based longitudinal study of amyloid PET clinical utility, both offer opportunities for examining care, inclusivity, and disparities.

Drug Development.

Background: We report the case of a 79-year-old woman with Alzheimer's disease who enrolled in a clinical study of lecanemab. After the third, biweekly infusion she suffered a seizure followed by aphasia and progressive encephalopathy. Magnetic resonance imaging revealed multifocal cerebral edema and an increased burden of cerebral microhemorrhages compared to pre-trial imaging.

Dementia Care Research and Psychosocial Factors.

Background: To address the rapid increase in the number of persons with Alzheimer's disease or related dementia (PwADRD), we seek to combine the benefits of music intervention with the adaptability of social robotics. Our system, the Music intervention Using Socially Engaging robotics (MUSE) system, seeks to provide a structured music intervention session to a group of PwADRD using the social robot Pepper. As seen in Figure 1, the Pepper robot leads the PwADRD through a 3-step music intervention session.

Dementia Care Research and Psychosocial Factors.

Background: More than 6 million people in the U.S. are currently living with Alzheimer's disease and related dementias (ADRD), and informal caregivers provide them with more than $270 billion annually in unpaid care.

Dementia Care Research and Psychosocial Factors.

Background: Our previous work has found that sexual and gender minority (SGM) or LGBTQIA+ caregivers of people living with Alzheimer's disease and related dementias (ADRD) experience higher levels of stigma, depressive symptoms, and stress than non-SGM caregivers and that these outcomes are associated with experiences of microaggressions related to their SGM identities. Guided by the Health Equity Promotion Model, we sought to explore the impact of the environmental context on psychosocial outcomes among SGM caregivers of people living with ADRD.

Methods: Data from a cross-sectional online survey using a non-probabilistic sample of SGM caregivers of people with ADRD recruited via social media (n = 284) were combined with publicly available data reporting composite equity climate index scores across five domains: legal/non-discrimination protections, youth/family support, political/religious attitudes, health access/safety, and work environment/employment.

Dementia Care Research and Psychosocial Factors.

Background: Approximately 25% of adults 65+ are socially isolated. Social isolation (i.e.

Dementia Care Research and Psychosocial Factors.

Background: The prevalence of Alzheimer's disease and related dementias (ADRD) presents a growing public health challenge. This study introduces an innovative approach to dementia care through the development of AI agents that simulate the interactions between people living with dementia (PLWD) and their caregivers during activities of daily living (ADLs).

Method: The study employs ChatGPT (GPT4) large language models to create AI agents representing both PLWD and interventionists.

Dementia Care Research and Psychosocial Factors.

Background: The growing number of people living with Alzheimer's disease and related dementias (ADRD) has led to an increased interest in the experiences of informal caregivers. Effective instruments to measure both negative and positive aspects of caregiving and validated with diverse caregiver populations, are needed to inform the design and evaluation of targeted interventions. This study (a) reviews extant literature on instruments developed to measure the range of roles and experiences of unpaid caregivers of people living with ADRD, (b) describes characteristics of the populations used to validate these instruments, and (c) discusses the usefulness, applicability, and generalizability of current measures METHOD: A scoping review was performed following the methodological framework of Aromataris and Munn (2020).

Relapsed childhood T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia and lymphoblastic lymphoma.

While outcomes for pediatric acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) and lymphoblastic lymphoma (LBL) have improved dramatically in recent decades, relapsed and refractory disease remain a significant therapeutic challenge. This is particularly true for patients with T-cell ALL and LBL, where survival for patients with relapsed/refractory disease remains dismal. Recent efforts to comprehensively profile the genomics of T-ALL/LBL to improve understanding of disease biology have enhanced our ability to identify high-risk patients at diagnosis who are more likely to relapse and have also identified novel targets for precision medicines.

Novel classification system and high-risk categories of pediatric acute myeloid leukemia.

The prognosis of pediatric acute myeloid leukemia (AML) remains poor compared with pediatric acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL); accurate diagnosis and treatment strategies based on the genomic background are strongly needed. Recent advances in sequencing technologies have identified novel pediatric AML subtypes, including BCL11B structural variants and UBTF tandem duplications (UBTF-TD), associated with poor prognosis. In contrast, these novel subtypes do not fit into the diagnostic systems for AML of the 5th edition WHO classification or International Consensus Classifications (ICC) released in 2022.

Reducing antibiotic duration for acute otitis media: clinician, administrator, and parental insights to inform implementation of system-level interventions.

Objective: This qualitative study aimed to understand facilitators and barriers to implementation of interventions to improve guideline-concordant antibiotic duration prescribing for pediatric acute otitis media (AOM).

Design: Clinicians and clinic administrators participated in semi-structured qualitative interviews, and parents of children 2 years of age or older with a recent diagnosis of AOM participated in focus groups. The Practical Robust Implementation and Sustainability Model (PRISM) guided the study.

The Critical Role of Pulse Oximetry Screening for Congenital Heart Disease and Patent Ductus Arteriosus in Newborns.

Introduction: Congenital heart disease (CHD) is diagnosed with high prevalence. Pulse oximetry and clinical examination are screening tools to aid in obtaining a CHD diagnosis.

Materials And Methods:  We conducted a retrospective longitudinal study over three years, screening 1188 newborns admitted to the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) during the first 72 hours of life.

Unlocking advanced thermometric capabilities: BiVO: Er/Yb nanophosphors with dual-mode up-conversion and down-shifting features.

Luminescent materials doped with rare-earth (RE) ions have emerged as powerful tools in thermometry, offering high sensitivity and accuracy. However, challenges remain, particularly in maintaining efficient luminescence at elevated temperatures. This study investigates the thermometric properties of BiVO: Yb/Er (BVO: Er/Yb) nanophosphors synthesized the sol-gel method.

Efficacy and safety of resmetirom in MASLD and MASH: network meta-analysis of randomized clinical trials.

Introduction: Metabolic-Associated Steatohepatitis-Related Liver Disease (MASLD) and, its progressive form, Metabolic-Associated Steatohepatitis (MASH) pose significant global health challenges. Current therapeutic strategies targeting metabolic abnormalities have shown promise but lack specificity for the liver. Thyroid hormones, particularly thyroid hormone receptor beta (THR-β) agonists like resmetirom, offer a targeted approach to liver-related pathways.

An African perspective to biodiversity conservation in the twenty-first century.

Africa boasts high biodiversity while also being home to some of the largest and fastest-growing human populations. Although the current environmental footprint of Africa is low compared to other continents, the population of Africa is estimated at around 1.5 billion inhabitants, representing nearly 18% of the world's total population.

Development of a prognostic nomogram and risk stratification system for elderly patients with esophageal squamous cell carcinoma undergoing definitive radiotherapy: a multicenter retrospective analysis (3JECROG R-03 A).

Background: Our goal is to develop a nomogram model to predict overall survival (OS) for elderly esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) patients receiving definitive radiotherapy (RT) or concurrent chemoradiotherapy (CRT), aiding clinicians in personalized treatment planning with a risk stratification system.

Methods: A retrospective study was conducted on 718 elderly ESCC patients treated with RT or CRT at 10 medical centers (3JECROG) from January 2004 to November 2016. We identified independent prognostic factors using univariate and multifactorial Cox regression to construct a nomogram model.

Trigeminal neuralgia improvement following Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation (TENS): a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background: Trigeminal neuralgia (TN) is a prevalent and debilitating craniofacial pain disorder characterized by severe, unilateral, shock-like pain. Standard treatments include anti-epileptic drugs and surgical interventions, but many patients experience limited relief or adverse effects. Non-invasive therapies, such as transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS), have emerged as alternative options.