Neurocognitive Profile and Associated Factors Among Children Affected by Sickle Cell Disease in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo: A Cross-Sectional Study.

Background/objectives: Understanding the neurocognitive profile of children with sickle cell disease in the Democratic Republic of Congo is essential, as this condition can significantly affect their development. Our study aims to assess these children's neurocognitive and developmental profiles and identify related factors.

Methods: We conducted a descriptive cross-sectional study involving 287 children, aged 0 to 68 months, using the Mullen Scales of Early Learning and the Gensini Gavito Scale.

Benign, but Ominous, Pseudotumor in the Post-Sleeve Gastrectomy Hiatal Hernia: A Case Series.

We have incidentally observed a finding not yet described in the literature, on both cross-sectional imaging and fluoroscopy, to correlate with increased obstructive symptoms in our post sleeve gastrectomy patients. This case series aims to show postsurgical imaging cases with the common underlying finding of a pseudotumor associated with hiatal herniae and obstructive symptoms. Because this clinical presentation may, in some cases, warrant postsurgical revision, knowledge of the imaging findings and their potential clinical significance is useful to radiologists who interpret routine cross-sectional imaging examinations as well as fluoroscopic evaluations of these post sleeve gastrectomy patients.

Urogynecologic Care for Women Who Are Incarcerated.

In the United States, approximately 180,700 women are incarcerated across jails and prisons, comprising a demographic with an aging population and a higher growth rate compared to men. Despite this demographic trend, research into urogynecologic care for women who are incarcerated is notably lacking, with few studies addressing pelvic floor disorders such as incontinence, and even fewer focusing on access to treatment options like vaginal pessaries or surgical interventions. Women who are incarcerated may face unique challenges in obtaining urogynecologic care, including limited access to medical evaluations, invasive search procedures affecting intravaginal device use, and inadequate hygiene resources, all of which hinder effective management strategies.

Five-Year Fracture Rate for Transgender and Gender Diverse Patients on Gender-Affirming Hormone Therapy.

Introduction: Gender-affirming hormone therapy (GAHT) is a cornerstone of gender-affirming care for transgender and gender diverse (TGD) patients, with a direct biological role on bone metabolism. However, a paucity of data describes how GAHT influences fracture rate over time. The study's primary objective was to describe the 5-year all-cause fracture incidence rate (IR) among TGD patients initiating estrogen-based GAHT (E-GAHT) or testosterone-based GAHT (T-GAHT), compared with TGD patients not using GAHT (non-GAHT).

Exponentially Improved Dispersive Qubit Readout with Squeezed Light.

It has been a long-standing goal to improve dispersive qubit readout with squeezed light. However, injected external squeezing (IES) cannot enable a practically interesting increase in the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), and simultaneously, the increase of the SNR due to the use of intracavity squeezing (ICS) is even negligible. Here, we counterintuitively demonstrate that using IES and ICS together can lead to an exponential improvement of the SNR for any measurement time, corresponding to a measurement error reduced typically by many orders of magnitude.

Postoperative Opioid Consumption After Discharge: An Update From the Michigan Surgical Quality Collaborative Registry.

Objective: To evaluate opioid consumption for 21 procedures over 4 years from the Michigan Surgical Quality Collaborative (MSQC) registry and update post-discharge prescribing guidelines.

Background: Opioids remain a common treatment for postoperative pain of moderate-to-severe intensity not adequately addressed by nonopioid analgesics, but excessive prescribing correlates with increased usage. This analysis provides updates and compares patient-reported consumption in response to new guidelines.

Proactive Approaches for a Wheelchair User in Pediatric Residency: A Case Study for Disability Inclusion.

Objective: Despite encountering many barriers to inclusion, people with disabilities are entering residency training in increasing numbers. However, the increase in representation among people with physical disabilities remains low and published case studies and accommodations processes for wheelchair users in pediatric residency are absent in the literature. To support the inclusion of residents with physical disabilities in residency, we outline a proactive approach to the accommodations process and inclusion of a resident with a physical disability in pediatric residency.

Protocol for in vitro observation of HDAC4 condensation during induced cardiac reprogramming.

Here, we present a protocol to monitor and stimulate cardiac reprogramming via the disruption of Hdac4 condensates mediated by PC14-3-3 activation. We describe steps for inducing cardiac reprogramming in vitro, validating condensate formation ability of Hdac4, and observing Hdac4 condensates during reprogramming. We then detail procedures for disrupting these condensates using PC14-3-3 activation strategies.

Therapeutic Potential of MDMA- and Psychedelic-Assisted Psychotherapy for Adolescent Depression and Trauma.

Purpose Of Review: There is a mental health crisis affecting youth, and the utility of existing treatments is often limited by lack of effectiveness and tolerability. The aim of this review is to report on outcomes of clinical trials for psilocybin-assisted psychotherapy for adults with depression and MDMA-assisted psychotherapy for adults with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and discuss recommendations for exploring these treatments in adolescent populations.

Recent Findings: There have been encouraging data supporting the use of psilocybin-assisted psychotherapy for depression, including previously treatment-resistant symptoms.

GLP-1R gene polymorphisms and metabolic traits during childhood and adolescence: The EPOCH study.

Aims/hypothesis: This is the first study to examine the association between variants of the glucagon-like-peptide-1 receptor gene (GLP-1R) and metabolic characteristics among youth. We explored separate associations of three GLP-1R polymorphisms (rs10305420, rs6923761, and rs1042044) with BMI trajectories and markers of glucose-insulin homeostasis.

Methods: Mixed models examined associations between GLP-1R polymorphisms and trajectories of BMI.

Chemical Synthesis and Antifibrotic Properties of (±)-Cochlearol T, (±)-Ganocochlearin A, and (±)-Cochlearol Y.

The cochlearols and ganocochlearins are natural products with unique antifibrotic and renoprotective activities in models of kidney disease. They represent compelling lead compounds for pharmacological intervention against kidney disease, often characterized by renal fibrosis. We report a four-step synthesis of (±)-cochlearol T () and the first reported syntheses of (±)-ganocochlearin A () and (±)-cochlearol Y () through a strategy that includes a Robinson annulation and unexpected oxidative aromatization.

Novel mTORC2/HSPB4 Interaction: Role and Regulation of HSPB4 T148 Phosphorylation.

HSPB4 and HSPB5 (α-crystallins) have shown increasing promise as neuroprotective agents, demonstrating several anti-apoptotic and protective roles in disorders such as multiple sclerosis and diabetic retinopathy. HSPs are highly regulated by post-translational modification, including deamidation, glycosylation, and phosphorylation. Among them, T148 phosphorylation has been shown to regulate the structural and functional characteristics of HSPB4 and underlie, in part, its neuroprotective capacity.

Factors Associated With Increased Sex Diversity in Orthopaedic Trauma Association-Accredited Fellowship Training.

Introduction: This study quantifies the state of sex diversity in orthopaedic trauma training and analyzes fellowship program characteristics associated with greater sex diversity among trainees. We hypothesized that greater sex diversity among orthopaedic trauma fellows would be associated with the presence of female faculty.

Methods: This was a retrospective, cross-sectional study of orthopaedic trauma faculty (2023 to 2024) and fellows (2009 to 2024).

Challenges and Growth of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Around the World.

Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation (PM&R) is a critical medical specialty that improves function, reduces disability, and decreases healthcare costs. However, many low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) have minimal or absent PM&R services. Recent World Health Organization resolutions call for the scaling up of PM&R, presenting a unique opportunity to address disability on a global scale.

Mapping the Void: Understanding Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion Training in Medicine.

Objective: To delineate how identity-based bias exposure evolves with rank and/or context among healthcare workers, and assess their attitudes toward existing DEI education.

Background: Although Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) training is widely mandated for healthcare workers, few studies examine how clinicians' needs evolve across a career, how context impact recipients' ability to respond, or how well existing programs adapt to individual context.

Methods: A 54-question electronic survey was distributed during Morbidity & Mortality conferences beginning December 2020.

A microRNA is the effector gene of a classic evolutionary hotspot locus.

In Lepidoptera (butterflies and moths), the genomic region around the gene is a "hotspot" locus, repeatedly implicated in generating intraspecific melanic wing color polymorphisms across 100 million years of evolution. However, the identity of the effector gene regulating melanic wing color within this locus remains unknown. We show that none of the four candidate protein-coding genes within this locus, including , serve as major effectors.

Functional resistance training during walking: do biomechanical and neural effects differ based on targeted joints?

Devices for functional resistance training (FRT) during walking are often configured to resist the knee or both the hip and knee joints. Adding resistance to the hip in addition to the knee should alter the effects of training; however, these configurations have not been directly compared. We examined how FRT during walking differs during the knee or hip and knee conditions.

The Effects of Viral Structural Proteins on Acidic Phospholipids in Host Membranes.

Enveloped viruses rely on host membranes for trafficking and assembly. A substantial body of literature published over the years supports the involvement of cellular membrane lipids in the enveloped virus assembly processes. In particular, the knowledge regarding the relationship between viral structural proteins and acidic phospholipids has been steadily increasing in recent years.

Standard or Extended Lymphadenectomy for Muscle-Invasive Bladder Cancer.

Background: Whether extended lymphadenectomy is associated with improved disease-free and overall survival, as compared with standard lymphadenectomy, among patients with localized muscle-invasive bladder cancer undergoing radical cystectomy is unclear.

Methods: We randomly assigned, in a 1:1 ratio, patients with localized muscle-invasive bladder cancer of clinical stage T2 (confined to muscle) to T4a (invading adjacent organs) with two or fewer positive nodes (N0, N1, or N2) to undergo bilateral standard lymphadenectomy (dissection of lymph nodes on both sides of the pelvis) or extended lymphadenectomy involving removal of common iliac, presciatic, and presacral nodes. Randomization was performed during surgery and stratified according to the receipt and type of neoadjuvant chemotherapy, tumor stage (T2 vs.

Inhibitory Control in Late Childhood as a Predictor of Antisocial Behavior in Adolescence and the Role of Social Context.

Understanding the factors contributing to adolescent antisocial behavior is crucial for effective interventions. Protracted development of cognitive control systems supporting inhibitory control may be linked to increases in adolescent antisocial behavior, suggesting the promotion of inhibitory control as a potential preventative strategy. Concurrently, social contextual factors, including peer relationships, parent-child dynamics, and the neighborhood environment, may exacerbate or buffer the risk posed by low inhibitory control.

Routine Spironolactone in Acute Myocardial Infarction.

Background: Mineralocorticoid receptor antagonists have been shown to reduce mortality in patients after myocardial infarction with congestive heart failure. Whether routine use of spironolactone is beneficial after myocardial infarction is uncertain.

Methods: In this multicenter trial with a 2-by-2 factorial design, we randomly assigned patients with myocardial infarction who had undergone percutaneous coronary intervention to receive either spironolactone or placebo and either colchicine or placebo.

A High-Throughput Microphysiological Liver Chip System to Model Drug-Induced Liver Injury Using Human Liver Organoids.

Background And Aims: Drug-induced liver injury (DILI) is a major failure mode in pharmaceutical development. This study aims to address the limitations of existing preclinical models by assessing a high-throughput, microfluidic liver-on-a-chip system, termed "Curio Barrier Liver Chips," and its capacity to recapitulate the effects of chronic hepatotoxic drug treatment through metabolic and phenotypic characterization.

Methods: Curio Barrier liver chips (Curiochips), fabricated in an 8 × 2 well configuration, were utilized to establish three dimensional liver organoid cultures.

Bacterial expression, purification, and characterization of human cytochrome P450 3A4 without N-terminal modifications.

In this communication we reported a bacterial system that over-expressed full-length wild-type (WT) human CYP3A4 in Escherichia coli (E. coli) at a level of 495 nmol/L culture. This level of expression was achieved by cloning the cDNA sequence of CYP3A4 WT to a pLW01-P450 vector and co-expressing it with chaperones GroEL/ES in bacterial C41(DE3) cells.

Pre-emptive therapeutic decisions based on measurable residual disease status in acute myeloid leukemia: ready for prime time?

The use of measurable residual disease (MRD) as a biomarker for prognostication, risk stratification, and therapeutic decision-making in acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is gaining prominence. MRD monitoring for NPM1-mutated and core-binding factor AML using PCR techniques is well-established for assessing disease after intensive chemotherapy. AML with persistent FLT3-ITD MRD post-intensive chemotherapy and pre-allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation (pre-allo-HCT) is associated with an increased risk of relapse and lower survival.