The pharmacist will see you now: Pharmacist prescribed contraceptives and fertility rates.

Policies that increase contraceptive access for young women and their partners are a potentially low-cost way of reducing unintended pregnancies and improving later life outcomes. Several states have recently implemented laws that allow pharmacists to prescribe contraceptives to women without the need to see a physician. We study the effect of these state laws on fertility rates.

Ossification patterns of the C1 (atlas) and C2 (axis) vertebrae children.

Purpose: This retrospective study aimed to assess ossification patterns and synchondrosis fusion timelines of the C1 and C2 vertebrae in pediatric age group, to help differentiate injuries from normal variations and serve as a guide when evaluating incompletely fused synchondrosis.

Materials And Methods: The study analyzed 432 CT examinations of children aged 0-72 months, conducted at a single institution between January 2010 and January 2018. The focus was assessment of the visibility and fusion of the three ossification centers and three synchondroses of the atlas, and six ossification centers and four synchondroses of the axis, based on age.

Updates on the MR safety guidelines - Essentials for radiologists.

Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) is a sophisticated diagnostic tool that utilizes the magnetic properties of biological tissue to generate detailed images of internal structures without the use of ionizing radiation. Despite its benefits in providing high-contrast images of soft tissues, the strong magnetic fields used in MRI present a unique safety challenge. Increasing MRI-related accidents and the prevalence of patients with metallic implants in recent years underscore the critical need for stringent MR safety protocols.

Factor analysis and clustering of motor and psychiatric dimensions in idiopathic blepharospasm.

Introduction: Idiopathic blepharospasm is a clinically heterogeneous form of focal dystonia, also associated with psychiatric symptoms. The identification of the most relevant sets of motor and psychiatric manifestations may help better understand the specific phenomenology of the condition and delineate blepharospasm subtypes more accurately.

Methods: Patients with idiopathic blepharospasm were from the Dystonia Coalition project.

Defining the needle in a haystack: A compendium of genomic, pathologic, and clinical characteristics of rare pulmonary tumors.

A major paradigm shift in the diagnosis, management, and survival outcomes of early and advanced non-small cell lung cancer has transpired over the past few decades in thoracic oncology with the incorporation of molecular testing, targeted therapy, immunotherapy, neoadjuvant, and adjuvant approaches. However, transformation in the management and survival outcomes of rare lung tumors is lacking. Given the scarcity of these tumor types, randomized trials are rarely performed, and treatment is extrapolated from case series, tumor-agnostic trials, or cancers with similar histology.

Tunable aptamer-MXene sensing interface for label-free and real-time detection of toxic pollutants in water samples.

Stable and low-cost field-effect transistor (FET)-based biosensors are vital for the on-site detection of toxic pollutants in environmental monitoring applications. In this study, a tunable aptamer-MXene sensing interface was constructed to develop renewable FET biosensors. This was achieved through the reversible disulfide bond (-S-S-) reaction between the SH-TiCT film and thiolated aptamer.

Substance Use Disorders Among Human Trafficking Victims: Evidence from the 2019 to 2021 Nationwide Emergency Department Sample.

Background: Human trafficking (HT) survivors are at risk for substance use disorder (SUD), although assessing the SUD epidemiology of HT survivors is difficult. This study used data from the 2019 to 2021 Nationwide Emergency Department Sample to estimate the prevalence of SUD for HT survivors utilizing emergency departments (ED) in the United States of America (US).

Methods: We included visits for patients aged 12-64 years with any International Classification of Diseases 10th Revision, Clinical Modification (ICD-10-CM) codes documenting HT as a cause of morbidity ( 1,688,  141) or history of HT ( 2,524,  218).

Sex-specific astrocyte regulation of spinal motor circuits by Nkx6.1.

Astrocytes exhibit diverse cellular and molecular properties across the central nervous system (CNS). Recent studies identified region-specific transcription factors (TF) that oversee these diverse properties; how sex differences intersect with region-specific transcriptional programs to regulate astrocyte function is unknown. Here, we show that the TF Nkx6.

An Exploratory Analysis of Child Characteristics Predicting Clinical Outcomes in Parent-Led Cognitive Behavioral Teletherapy for Anxiety in Autistic Children.

Parent-led cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is an efficient, promising form of therapy that may be well suited for autistic youth with anxiety disorders. A recent clinical trial found that parent-led CBT - in which parents led their child through a guided CBT workbook with varying degrees of therapist support - was efficacious for reducing anxiety and associated functional impairment. While such findings demonstrate promise for future intervention development and dissemination efforts with this population, more work is needed to elucidate clinical factors that impact response to treatment as well as drop-out.

Sex Differences in Spatiotemporal Consistency and Effective Connectivity of the Precuneus in Autism Spectrum Disorder.

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) has been reported to exhibit altered local functional consistency. However, previous studies mainly focused on male samples and explored the temporal consistency in the ASD brain ignoring the spatial consistency. In this study, FOur-dimensional Consistency of local neural Activities (FOCA) analysis was used to investigate the sex differences of local spatiotemporal consistency of spontaneous brain activity in ASD.

Cetyltrimethylammonium Chloride (CTAC) and Its Formulated Mouthwash Reduce the Infectivity of Streptococcus mutans and Candida albicans in Mono and Dual State.

Early childhood caries (ECC), a severe form of dental caries, is exacerbated by the synergistic interaction between Streptococcus mutans and Candida albicans, leading to greater disease severity than their individual effects. This underscores the need for more targeted and potent therapeutic alternatives. Given the promising anti-infective properties of quaternary ammonium surfactants (QAS), this study explores the microbicidal properties of one such QAS, cetyltrimethylammonium chloride (CTAC), against both individual- and dual-species cultures of S.

Assessing modified HEART scores with high-sensitivity troponin for low-risk chest pain in the emergency department.

The accuracy of using HEART (history, electrocardiogram, age, risk factors, and troponin) scores with high-sensitivity cardiac troponin (hs-cTn) to risk stratify emergency department (ED) chest pain patients remains uncertain. We aim to compare the performance accuracy of determining major adverse cardiac event (MACE) among three modified HEART (mHEART) scores with the use of hs-cTn to risk stratify ED chest pain patients. This retrospective single-center observational study included ED patients with suspected acute coronary syndrome who had HEAR scores calculated and at least one hs-cTnI result.

Community health promotion and disaster recovery: a PhotoVoice project in Comerío, Puerto Rico.

Background: PhotoVoice - a series of workshops involving participatory photography and narrative-building - was employed in the rural town of Comerío, Puerto Rico (PR) to describe disaster recovery in a rural setting and foster policy dialogue.

Methods: Using PhotoVoice workshops and ethnographic observations, the project describes how women affiliated with a local community-based organization described the priorities for disaster recovery in visual images and narratives. We draw analytically upon theories of intersectionality and coloniality to describe socio-structural and community factors that shape community health in the context of ongoing disasters.

Preliminary examination of orexin receptor antagonism with suvorexant in individuals with Methamphetamine use disorder: a case series study.

No FDA-approved medications for methamphetamine (MA) use disorder (MUD) are available. Suvorexant (SUVO), a dual orexin receptor antagonist that is FDA approved for insomnia treatment, reduces MA self-administration and MA-induced reinstatement responding in preclinical studies. SUVO may also reduce MA use by targeting substance use risk factors, including insomnia, stress, cue reactivity, and craving.

Family Genetic Risk Communication and Reverse Cascade Testing in the BabySeq Project.

Purpose: Genomic sequencing of newborns (NBSeq) can initiate disease surveillance and therapy for children, and may identify at-risk relatives through reverse cascade testing. We explored genetic risk communication and reverse cascade testing among families of newborns who underwent exome sequencing and had a risk for autosomal dominant disease identified.

Methods: We conducted semi-structured interviews with parents of newborns enrolled in the BabySeq Project who had a pathogenic or likely-pathogenic (P/LP) variant associated with an autosomal dominant (AD) childhood- and/or adult-onset disease returned.

Development and evaluation of an implementation strategy to increase HPV vaccination among underserved youth across Texas: a protocol paper.

Background: All for Them is a theory-based and evidence-informed multilevel, multicomponent program delivered through schools to increase HPV vaccination among medically underserved youth across Texas. Given the potential logistical challenges of program implementation, understanding how to best support the implementation and sustainment of the program is critical. The overall goals of this study are twofold: 1) develop a multifaceted implementation strategy, Implementing All for Them (IM-AFT); and 2) evaluate the impact of IM-AFT on implementation outcomes for schools and healthcare providers to successfully implement All for Them in their respective settings.

Cancer Organoids as reliable disease models to drive clinical development of novel therapies.

On September 23-24 (2024) the 6th Workshop IRE on Translational Oncology, titled "Cancer Organoids as Reliable Disease Models to Drive Clinical Development of Novel Therapies," took place at the IRCCS Regina Elena Cancer Institute in Rome. This prominent international conference focused on tumor organoids, bringing together leading experts from around the world.A central challenge in precision oncology is modeling the dynamic tumor ecosystem, which encompasses numerous elements that evolve spatially and temporally.

Investigating the influence of working status changes on physical activity and non-communicable diseases in Korean middle-aged and older adults: insights from a longitudinal panel study.

Background: Non-communicable diseases (NCDs) are a major global health challenge and occupational status is a critical determinant influencing NCD development, yet many cross-sectional studies have only linked current occupational status with specific diseases, overlooking broader temporal factors. The primary aim of the present study was to comprehensively elucidate the intricate interplay between alterations in working status, NCDs, and physical activity (PA) among Korean middle-aged and older adults, employing a longitudinal panel study design.

Methods: This study utilized longitudinal data from the Korean Longitudinal Study of Aging, covering the period from 2006 to 2020, with a median follow-up duration of 10 years.

Molecular profiles of blood from numerous species that differ in sensitivity to acute inflammation.

Vertebrates differ over 100,000-fold in responses to pro-inflammatory agonists such as bacterial lipopolysaccharide (LPS), complicating use of animal models to study human sepsis or inflammatory disorders. We compared transcriptomes of resting and LPS-exposed blood from six LPS-sensitive species (rabbit, pig, sheep, cow, chimpanzee, human) and four LPS-resilient species (mice, rats, baboon, rhesus), as well as plasma proteomes and lipidomes. Unexpectedly, at baseline, sensitive species already had enhanced expression of LPS-responsive genes relative to resilient species.

Peritoneal Cancer Index Correlates with Radiographic Assessment of Colorectal Carcinomatosis.

Background: The Peritoneal Cancer Index (PCI), calculated intraoperatively, has previously yielded mixed results when correlated with computed tomography. This study aimed to quantify variation in this scoring method comparing radiologists' and surgeons' radiologic PCI (rPCI) assessment.

Methods: The rPCI of 104 patients treated at a single institution for peritoneal carcinomatosis was calculated by an abdominal radiologist and a surgeon.

Chatbots for breast cancer education: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background: Effective education and awareness regarding breast cancer are critical. Traditional educational methods often fail to meet the diverse information needs of patients. Patients should be provided with tailored, accessible information to improve their retention and understanding of disease-related information.

Challenges and opportunities of acquiring cortical recordings for chronic adaptive deep brain stimulation.

Deep brain stimulation (DBS), a proven treatment for movement disorders, also holds promise for the treatment of psychiatric and cognitive conditions. However, for DBS to be clinically effective, it may require DBS technology that can alter or trigger stimulation in response to changes in biomarkers sensed from the patient's brain. A growing body of evidence suggests that such adaptive DBS is feasible, it might achieve clinical effects that are not possible with standard continuous DBS and that some of the best biomarkers are signals from the cerebral cortex.

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.

Smoking-associated electrocardiographic abnormalities predict cardiovascular mortality.

Background -Smoking is associated with arrhythmia and sudden cardiac death, but the biological mechanisms remain unclear. In electrocardiogram (ECG) recordings abnormal durations of ventricular repolarization (QT interval), atrial depolarization (P wave), and atrioventricular depolarization (PR interval and segment), predict cardiac arrhythmia and mortality. Previous analyses of the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) database for associations between smoking and ECG abnormalities were incomplete.