The 2021 American Hand Therapy Foundation research priorities survey.

Background: In 1998, the American Hand Therapy Foundation (AHTF) surveyed Certified Hand Therapists and active Charter Members of the American Society of Hand Therapists to identify hand rehabilitation research priorities, guide grant awards, and confirm alignment with the foundation's mission.

Purpose: The American Hand Therapy Foundation repeated the survey in 2021 to confirm that its award funding was consistent with hand therapists' research priorities.

Study Design: Convergent parallel mixed method study design.

Association of Immune-Related Adverse Events With Efficacy in Consolidation Nivolumab Plus Ipilimumab or Nivolumab Alone After Chemoradiation in Patients With Unresectable Stage III Nonsmall Cell Lung Cancer: An Exploratory Analysis From the Big 10 Cancer Research Consortium Study BTCRC LUN 16-081.

Background: Immunotherapy has been widely incorporated into the treatment of patients with non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Many of these patients will experience immune-related adverse events (irAEs) without decreased efficacy. We report a retrospective analysis of the association between irAEs and efficacy outcomes from the BTCRC LUN 16-081 randomized phase 2 trial of consolidation nivolumab (N) plus ipilimumab (IPI) vs N alone following chemoradiotherapy in unresectable Stage IIIA/IIIB NSCLC.

Current approaches in CRISPR-Cas systems for diabetes.

In the face of advancements in health care and a shift towards healthy lifestyle, diabetes mellitus (DM) still presents as a global health challenge. This chapter explores recent advancements in the areas of genetic and molecular underpinnings of DM, addressing the revolutionary potential of CRISPR-based genome editing technologies. We delve into the multifaceted relationship between genes and molecular pathways contributing to both type1 and type 2 diabetes.

MnSOD non-acetylation mimic knock-in mice exhibit dilated cardiomyopathy.

Manganese superoxide dismutase (MnSOD/SOD2) is an essential mitochondrial enzyme that detoxifies superoxide radicals generated during oxidative respiration. MnSOD/SOD2 lysine 68 acetylation (K68-Ac) is an important post-translational modification (PTM) that regulates enzymatic activity, responding to nutrient status or oxidative stress, and elevated levels have been associated with human illness. To determine the in vivo role of MnSOD-K68 in the heart, we used a whole-body non-acetylation mimic mutant (MnSOD) knock-in mouse.

A randomized controlled trial to assess whether a telehealth-based contingency management intervention reduces alcohol use for individuals with alcohol use disorder.

Background: Contingency management (CM) is an intervention for alcohol use disorder (AUD) that reinforces abstinence, as confirmed by alcohol biomarkers. CM is usually brief (12-16 weeks) despite evidence that longer interventions have better long-term outcomes. Most CM models are in-person which can also be a barrier for treatment.

Microsurgical Education in Reproductive Urology: A Review of Current Techniques and Opportunities for Improved Access to Learning Experiences.

Infertility is a common problem. Despite this, a dearth of urologists are trained in infertility care. Improved training opportunities may improve proficiency and interest in subspecialized training.

Survival outcomes comparing minimally invasive versus open cytoreductive surgery in recurrent adult-type granulosa cell tumors.

Background: Adult-type granulosa cell tumors are a rare form of ovarian cancer, 30% of which will recur. Cytoreductive surgery is often performed at the time of a first recurrence, but little is known about the impact of open versus minimally invasive surgical approaches on survival outcomes.

Objective: To examine associations between surgical approach, clinical variables, and survival outcomes among patients with adult-type granulosa cell tumors who underwent cytoreductive surgery at the time of first recurrence.

Bi-allelic KICS2 mutations impair KICSTOR complex-mediated mTORC1 regulation, causing intellectual disability and epilepsy.

Nutrient-dependent mTORC1 regulation upon amino acid deprivation is mediated by the KICSTOR complex, comprising SZT2, KPTN, ITFG2, and KICS2, recruiting GATOR1 to lysosomes. Previously, pathogenic SZT2 and KPTN variants have been associated with autosomal recessive intellectual disability and epileptic encephalopathy. We identified bi-allelic KICS2 variants in eleven affected individuals presenting with intellectual disability and epilepsy.

Creating a collaborative culture of learning within a network of community mental health early psychosis programs in Texas.

Learning Health Systems (LHSs) promise meaningful health care improvement through the ongoing use of data, including the lived experience of diverse constituents, such as people participating in and providing services. Most LHSs operate within a specific healthcare system, typically hospital-based, under a common electronic health record (EHR) and management structure. The Early Psychosis Intervention Network in Texas (EPINET-TX) is a novel case study of a developing LHS across 16 independent community mental health clinics operating state-funded coordinated specialty care (CSC) programs for early psychosis.

An Examination of predictors of prospective changes in self-reported drinker identity and changes in drinker identity as a predictor of changes in alcohol use and associated consequences.

Purpose: Self-reported drinker identity, the extent to which one views oneself as a drinker, is associated with alcohol consumption and related harms in young adults. The current study examined changes in self-reported drinker identity, theoretically relevant factors associated with drinker identity development, and drinker identity's association with changes in drinking and alcohol-related consequences. We hypothesized that drinker identity would increase over time; theoretically relevant factors would be significantly and positively associated with that increase, and increases in drinking identity would be associated with elevated drinking and related consequences.

Different social experiences drive the development of divergent stress coping styles in female swordtails (Xiphophorus nigrensis).

Individual variation in stress coping styles is widespread and consequential to health and fitness. Proactive (bold behavior, low stress reactivity, low cognitive flexibility) and reactive (shy behavior, high stress reactivity, high cognitive flexibility) coping styles are found in many species, but the developmental forces shaping them remain elusive. We examined how social influences, specifically mating interactions, shape the development of adult female coping styles with a manipulative rearing experiment using El Abra swordtails, Xiphophorus nigrensis.

The effect of the foreign body response on drug elution from subdermal delivery systems.

Contrasting findings are presented in the literature regarding the influence of foreign body response (FBR) on drug release from implantable drug delivery systems. To this end, here we sought direct evidence of the effect of the fibrotic tissue on subcutaneous drug release from long-acting drug delivery implants. Specifically, we investigated the pharmacokinetic impact of fibrotic encapsulation on a small molecule drug, islatravir (293 Da), and a large protein, IgG (150 kDa), administered via biocompatible implants.

Biological testing unification for hemodialysis membranes evaluation: A step towards standardization.

Current hemodialysis treatments can cause adverse effects, many of which are linked to the membranes used in the process. These issues are being addressed through new materials and technologies, making it urgent to establish minimum guidelines for evaluating such membranes. This review proposes standardizing the biological tests and variables to evaluate the performance of new membranes, aiming to replicate hemodialysis conditions closely.

Progression of chronic kidney disease after non-cardiac surgery: A retrospective cohort study.

Background: Chronic-kidney-disease (CKD) is prevalent among adults undergoing noncardiac surgery, with surgery-related factors potentially worsening CKD or triggering acute kidney injury (AKI). We hypothesized that CKD patients experience more kidney function decline within one to two years post-surgery than those without CKD, particularly if they develop AKI.

Methods: We conducted a single-center retrospective cohort study, including noncardiac surgery patients with documented creatinine preoperative and between 1 and 2 years after surgery.

A lot of noise about nothing? Speech-to-noise ratios rather than noise predict language outcomes in preschoolers.

It has been proposed that a childhood in a noisy household might lead to poor language skills and slow development of language areas of the brain. Notably, a direct link between noisy households and language development has not been confirmed. Households might have high levels of noise for a range of reasons, including situational (near a large road intersection or airport), family (large families), and cultural (differences in beliefs surrounding noise in the home, including media use).

Vitamin D-related genetic variants and prostate cancer risk in Black men.

Background: The relationship between vitamin D and prostate cancer has primarily been characterized among White men. Black men, however, have higher prostate cancer incidence and mortality rates, chronically low circulating vitamin D levels, and ancestry-specific genetic variants in vitamin D-related genes. Here, we examine critical genes in the vitamin D pathway and prostate cancer risk in Black men.

Guidelines to minimize risk when dry needling the rectus capitus posterior major muscle.

Background: Headache disorders are prevalent often leading to disability. The rectus capitus posterior major muscle (RCPMaj) may contribute to headache symptoms via nociceptive convergence and myodural bridging.

Objectives: To establish guidelines for needle length and needle angle to mitigate risks during dry needling RCPMaj.

Motion-Compensated Multishot Pancreatic Diffusion-Weighted Imaging With Deep Learning-Based Denoising.

Objectives: Pancreatic diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) has numerous clinical applications, but conventional single-shot methods suffer from off resonance-induced artifacts like distortion and blurring while cardiovascular motion-induced phase inconsistency leads to quantitative errors and signal loss, limiting its utility. Multishot DWI (msDWI) offers reduced image distortion and blurring relative to single-shot methods but increases sensitivity to motion artifacts. Motion-compensated diffusion-encoding gradients (MCGs) reduce motion artifacts and could improve motion robustness of msDWI but come with the cost of extended echo time, further reducing signal.

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.

Redefining the limits of actuating fibers via mesophase control: From contraction to elongation.

The development of fibrous actuators with diverse actuation modes is expected to accelerate progress in active textiles, robotics, wearable electronics, and haptics. Despite the advances in responsive polymer-based actuating fibers, the available actuation modes are limited by the exclusive reliance of current technologies on thermotropic contraction along the fiber axis. To address this gap, the present study describes a reversible and spontaneous thermotropic elongation (~30%) in liquid crystal elastomer fibers produced via ultraviolet-assisted melt spinning.

Derivation and Validation of D-RISK: An Electronic Health Record-Driven Risk Score to Detect Undiagnosed Dysglycemia in Clinical Practice.

Objective: We derive and validate D-RISK, an electronic health record (EHR)-driven risk score to optimize and facilitate screening for undiagnosed dysglycemia (prediabetes + diabetes) in clinical practice.

Research Design And Methods: We used retrospective EHR data (derivation sample) and a prospective diabetes screening study (validation sample) to develop D-RISK. Logistic regression with backward selection was used to predict dysglycemia (HbA1c ≥5.

Rise of the beta-lactams: a retrospective, comparative cohort of oral beta-lactam antibiotics as step-down therapy for hospitalized adults with acute pyelonephritis.

Objective: The aim of this study was to determine if oral beta-lactam therapy is non-inferior to alternative therapy at discharge following inpatient treatment with an IV cephalosporin for acute pyelonephritis.

Design: Institutional Review Board (IRB)-approved, multicenter, retrospective, non-inferiority cohort (15% non-inferiority margin).

Setting: Six hospitals within two healthcare systems.

Electronic health Literacy gaps among adults with diabetes in the United States: Role of socioeconomic and demographic factors.

Background: Digital health technologies hold promises for enhancing healthcare and self-management in diabetes. However, disparities in Electronic Health Literacy (EHL) exist among diabetes populations. This study investigates EHL trends and demographic differences among adults with diabetes in the United States from 2011 to 2018.

Design and validation of cell-based potency assays for frataxin supplementation treatments.

Friedreich's ataxia (FRDA) is a multisystem, autosomal recessive disorder caused by mutations in the frataxin () gene. As FRDA is considered an FXN deficiency disorder, numerous therapeutic approaches in development or clinical trials aim to supplement FXN or restore endogenous expression. These include gene therapy, protein supplementation, genome editing or upregulation of transcription.

Chimeric Osteocutaneous Free Flap Solution to Variation in Vascular Anatomy.

When squamous cell carcinoma necessitates mandibular resection, the resultant defect can be complex. An osteocutaneous fibula free flap is an effective reconstruction option, typically supplied by the peroneal artery for both the fibula and skin flap. In this case report, an anatomical variation was found: the skin paddle was supplied by soleus musculocutaneous perforators of the posterior tibial artery, whereas the fibula was supplied by the peroneal artery.