Coding intensity variation in Medicare Advantage.

Enrollment in Medicare Advantage (MA) plans rose to over 50% of eligible Medicare patients in 2023. Payments to MA plans incorporate risk scores that are largely based on patient diagnoses from the prior year, which incentivizes MA plans to code diagnoses more intensively. We estimated coding inflation rates for individual MA contracts using a method that allows for differential selection into contracts based on patient health.

Propensity-score matched outcomes of minimally invasive and open pelvic exenteration in locally advanced rectal cancer.

Pelvic exenteration (PE) entails an en bloc resection of locally advanced primary or recurrent rectal cancer. This study aimed to assess the short-term and survival outcomes of minimally invasive (MI)- and open PE. A retrospective cohort analysis of patients with stage III rectal adenocarcinoma treated with PE from the National Cancer Database (2010-2019) was conducted.

Manuscript publication of abstracts presented at gynecologic surgery societies' annual meetings.

Purpose: To study characteristics and identify factors associated with full manuscript publication of oral abstracts presented at gynecologic surgery societies' annual meetings.

Study Design: We reviewed all oral abstracts presented at four major gynecologic surgery meetings in 2018. Oral abstracts subsequently published as peer-reviewed manuscripts were compared to those that were not published.

Early menarche is associated with disordered eating-results from a National Youth Survey.

Background: Disordered eating (DE) is highly prevalent among adolescents, though its definition varies. The association between DE and early pubertal maturation (EPM) remains underexplored in Israel, and has not been sufficiently examined using the widely-used SCOFF questionnaire. This study examines these associations in adolescents.

Expression Profile of MicroRNAs in Breast Milk of Women With Inflammatory Bowel Disease: Correlation With Disease Activity and Medical Treatments.

Background: Although most inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) medications are considered safe during pregnancy, their impact on microRNAs (miRNAs) in breast milk is largely unknown. MiRNAs in milk, carried by milk-derived extracellular vesicles (MDEs), are transmitted to the newborn's gut to regulate genes. Aberrant miRNA expression profiles have been found in IBD within tissue, blood, and feces, but data on mother's milk are scarce.

The influence of pre- and intratask emotional experiences on affective working memory maintenance.

In two studies conducted in 2022, we examined the effect of images that elicit incidental emotions and the timing of exposure to these images, on the maintenance of positive and negative emotions in affective working memory (AWM). In Study 1, participants viewed a negative, positive, or neutral image while maintaining the emotional intensity of positive or negative emotions in AWM (intratrial). The results showed that experiencing a negative or positive incidental emotion (but not neutral states) improved the maintenance of negative (but not positive) emotions induced by another stimulus.

Morbidity and Mortality of Drowning Children in Jerusalem District - Retrospective Analysis.

Background: Drowning persists as a preventable pediatric cause of severe morbidity and mortality. This study aims to investigate the risk factors, circumstances, and medical consequences associated with pediatric drowning incidents in order to identify patterns that can inform targeted interventions.

Methods: This was a retrospective analysis of a cohort of pediatric drowning cases.

Treatment outcomes in adult patients experiencing dental anxiety: A comparative retrospective study.

Aims: To assess and compare the effectiveness of pharmacological and cognitive-behavioral modalities-behavioral methods (BM), nitrous oxide inhalation sedation (NOIS), and premedication with Diazepam-for alleviating anxiety during dental treatment, using completed treatment sessions and adverse outcomes as indicators.

Methods And Results: For 239 patients (515 dental records), 18-53 y/o, who underwent dental treatments under anxiety reduction measures, sessions under NOIS were categorized as "nitrous group" (456 sessions) versus premedication with Diazepam or behavioral strategies (control, 59 sessions). Outcomes were completed treatment sessions considering demographic and clinical parameters, and adverse outcomes during and between sessions.

Genome-Wide Screening in Haploid Stem Cells Reveals Synthetic Lethality Targeting MLH1 and TP53 Deficient Tumours.

Synthetic lethality is defined as a type of genetic interaction where the combination of two genetic events results in cell death, whereas each of them separately does not. Synthetic lethality can be a useful tool in personalised oncology. MLH1 is a cancer-related gene that has a central role in DNA mismatch-repair and TP53 is the most frequently mutated gene in cancer.

Alterations in serum concentrations of visfatin and betatrophin in dogs with diabetes mellitus.

Canine diabetes mellitus (DM) is associated with hyperglycemia and hyperlipidemia. Visfatin and betatrophin are adipokines involved in the pathophysiology of insulin resistance and deranged lipid metabolism, and are also altered in obesity. We hypothesized that visfatin and betatrophin serum concentrations are altered in diabetic dogs, irrespective of their body condition.

Effectiveness and Safety of Adalimumab in Patients With Very Early-Onset Inflammatory Bowel Disease: A Retrospective Study on Behalf of the Porto Inflammatory Bowel Disease Working Group of European Society for Pediatric Gastroenterology Hepatology and Nutrition.

Background And Aims: Patients with very early-onset inflammatory bowel disease (VEO-IBD), with an age of onset < 6 years, can present with severe manifestations and may require biologic therapy. Infliximab and adalimumab are approved for induction and maintenance in pediatric IBD patients but are licensed only above the age of 6 years. Effectiveness and safety data on adalimumab in this patient population are lacking.

Vat Photopolymerization Additive Manufacturing of WC-Co Hardmetals Enabled by In Situ Polymerization-Induced Microencapsulation.

The additive manufacturing of hardmetals has attracted great attention recently but faces significant challenges in low printing resolution and low mechanical strength. Herein, the fabrication of hardmetal parts with complex structures and high surface quality by vat photopolymerization assisted with a sintering process has been achieved. This was enabled by in situ polymerization-induced microencapsulation of WC powder, which simultaneously enhances the photocuring ability and sedimentation stability of the WC-Co slurry.

Baseline Drug Clearance Predicts Outcomes in Children With Inflammatory Bowel Disease Treated With Vedolizumab: Results From the VedoKids Prospective Multicentre Study.

Background: The pharmacokinetics of biologic agents can differ between children and adults with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), often necessitating modified paediatric dosing strategies.

Aims: To define the exposure-response relationship of vedolizumab in the paediatric IBD VedoKids cohort including the effect of baseline clearance on deep biochemical remission (normal C-reactive protein [CRP]/erythrocyte sedimentation rate [ESR] and steroid-free remission) at 30 weeks, and to use population pharmacokinetic models to find the best matches between adult and paediatric pharmacokinetic profiles.

Methods: We sought a pharmacokinetic model on 312 serum vedolizumab concentrations from 129 children, assisted by a published adult model as a Bayesian prior.

The role of multi-modality imaging for the assessment of left atrium and left atrial appendage. A clinical consensus statement of the European Association of Cardiovascular Imaging (EACVI), European Heart Rhythm Association (EHRA) of the European Society of Cardiology (ESC).

Structural, architectural, contractile or electrophysiological alterations may occur in the left atrium (LA). The concept of LA cardiopathy is supported by accumulating scientific evidence demonstrating that LA remodeling has become a cornerstone diagnostic and prognostic marker. The structure and the function of LA and left atrial appendage (LAA) which is an integral part of the LA, are key elements for a better understanding of multiple clinical conditions, most notably atrial fibrillation (AF), cardioembolism, heart failure and mitral valve diseases.

Variability in disease severity among cystic fibrosis patients carrying residual-function variants: data from the European Cystic Fibrosis Society Patient Registry.

Background: People with cystic fibrosis (CF) variants that exhibit residual function (RF) of the CF transmembrane conductance regulator are considered to have a milder disease; however, the spectrum of CF phenotype within the different RF variants has not been extensively investigated. The aim of the present study was to characterise the spectrum of CF disease severity in people with CF (pwCF) carrying different RF variants, using the European Cystic Fibrosis Society Patient Registry (ECFSPR) data.

Methods: A retrospective cross-sectional and longitudinal cohort study included data from the ECFSPR during 2008-2016.

Chiral Metal Coating to Enhance Water Electrolysis.

Producing hydrogen through water splitting often faces challenges of overpotential, stability, and expensive catalysts, which limit its efficiency and hinder the advancement of hydrogen production technologies. Nickel foam and nickel meshes have emerged as promising materials for electrolyzer electrodes due to their high surface area and the ability to produce electrolyzers with a very small gap between the anode and cathode. This study presents a simple method for coating Ni-based electrodes with a chiral Ni-Au film, using electroplating, thus enhancing its efficiency dramatically.

Transcatheter edge-to-edge repair in severe mitral regurgitation following acute myocardial infarction - aetiology-based analysis.

Aims: To evaluate the association between transcatheter edge-to-edge repair (TEER) and outcomes in patients with significant mitral regurgitation (MR) following acute myocardial infarction (MI), focusing on the aetiology of acute post-MI MR in high-risk surgical patients.

Methods And Results: The International Registry of MitraClip in Acute Mitral Regurgitation following Acute Myocardial Infarction (IREMMI) includes 187 patients with severe MR post-MI managed with TEER. Of these, 176 were included in the analysis, 23 (13%) patients had acute papillary muscle rupture (PMR) and 153 (87%) acute secondary MR.

Single-molecule systems for the detection and monitoring of plasma-circulating nucleosomes and oncoproteins in diffuse midline glioma.

The analysis of cell-free tumor DNA (ctDNA) and proteins in the blood of patients with cancer potentiates a new generation of non-invasive diagnostic approaches. However, confident detection of tumor-originating markers is challenging, especially in the context of brain tumors, where these analytes in plasma are extremely scarce. Here, we apply a sensitive single-molecule technology to profile multiple histone modifications on individual nucleosomes from the plasma of patients with diffuse midline glioma (DMG).

Metastatic Lung Lesion Changes in Follow-up Chest CT: The Advantage of Deep Learning Simultaneous Analysis of Prior and Current Scans With SimU-Net.

Purpose: Radiological follow-up of oncology patients requires the detection of metastatic lung lesions and the quantitative analysis of their changes in longitudinal imaging studies. Our aim was to evaluate SimU-Net, a novel deep learning method for the automatic analysis of metastatic lung lesions and their temporal changes in pairs of chest CT scans.

Materials And Methods: SimU-Net is a simultaneous multichannel 3D U-Net model trained on pairs of registered prior and current scans of a patient.

Cultural innovation is not only a product of cognition but also of cultural context.

Innovations, such as symbolic artifacts, are a product of cognitive abilities but also of cultural context. Factors that may determine the emergence and retention of an innovation include the population's pre-existing cultural repertoire, exposure to relevant ways of thinking, and the invention's utility. Thus, we suggest that the production of symbolic artifacts is not guaranteed even in cognitively advanced societies.

Tissue-specific resistance and susceptibility to the tomato brown rugose fruit virus (ToBRFV) conferred by Solanum pennellii loci.

Background: Plant breeding research heavily relies on wild species, which harbor valuable traits for modern agriculture. This work employed a new introgression population derived from Solanum pennellii (LA5240), a wild tomato native to Peru, composed of 1,900 genotyped backcross inbred lines (BILs_BC2S6) in the tomato inbreds LEA and TOP cultivated genetic backgrounds. This Peruvian accession was found resistant to the most threatening disease of tomatoes today, caused by the tobamovirus tomato brown rugose fruit virus (ToBRFV).