Willingness to Use Oral and Long-Acting Injectable PrEP in Substance-Using Men who have Sex with Men (SU-MSM) in High HIV Incidence Southern U.S. Cities: A NIDA Clinical Trials Network Study.

In Southern U.S. states with high HIV incidence and low HIV Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP) uptake, enhanced efforts to increase interest in and willingness to use PrEP are needed.

Cervical spinal decompression and fusion in the setting of Wolcott-Rallison Syndrome: a rare pediatric indication and its surgical considerations.

Wolcott-Rallison Syndrome is an extremely rare syndrome characterized by infantile non-autoimmune diabetes, extensive skeletal dysplasia, and multi-organ failure requiring transplant. Prognosis is very poor, and as such, surgical intervention for symptomatic cervical spine compromise in pediatric patients has not been widely reported in part due to their high fragility. We report a complex case of Wolcott-Rallison Syndrome that presented with cervical myelopathy due to cervicomedullary compression and the exceptional surgical considerations required for successful intervention.

Functional outcomes of single-session holmium laser enucleation of the prostate and high-intensity focused ultrasound in management of patients with prostate cancer and enlarged prostate: results from a pilot study.

Purpose: In patients with prostate cancer (PCa), focal therapy with High-Intensity Focused Ultrasound (HIFU) combined with benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) surgery has been used to improve immediate post-operative voiding symptoms. Our study aimed to evaluate the functional outcomes of patients undergoing simultaneous holmium laser enucleation of the prostate (HoLEP) + HIFU and compare them to those who underwent HoLEP for bladder outlet obstruction secondary to BPH.

Methods: We performed retrospective review of patients who underwent HoLEP + HIFU or HoLEP between June 2017 and May 2024.

Theoretical Studies on Assembly, Physical Stability, and Dynamics of Viruses.

All matter must obey the general laws of physics and living matter is not an exception. Viruses have not only learnt how to cope with them but have managed to use them for their own survival. In this chapter, we will review some of the exciting physics that are behind viruses and discuss simple physical models that can shed some light on different aspects of the viral life cycle and viral properties.

Evaluating the Evidence for Neuroprotective and Axonal Regenerative Activities of Different Inflammatory Cell Types After Optic Nerve Injury.

The optic nerve contains retinal ganglion cell (RGC) axons and functions to transmit visual stimuli to the brain. Injury to the optic nerve from ischemia, trauma, or disease leads to retrograde axonal degeneration and subsequent RGC dysfunction and death, causing irreversible vision loss. Inflammatory responses to neurological damage and axonal injuries in the central nervous system (CNS) are typically harmful to neurons and prevent recovery.

Impact of insurance on outcomes of patients undergoing endoscopic transsphenoidal surgery for non-functional pituitary adenomas: a single institution study.

Purpose: Uninsured and underinsured patients face notable healthcare disparities in neurosurgery, but limited literature exists on the impact of insurance on non-functioning pituitary adenomas (NFPAs). We investigated how insurance affects outcomes of endoscopic transsphenoidal pituitary surgery (ETPS) for NFPAs.

Methods: We retrospectively reviewed NFPA patients who underwent ETPS at our institution from 2012 to 2023.

Microbial alpha diversity in the intestine negatively correlated with disease duration in patients with Meniere's disease.

Ménière's disease (MD) is characterized by loss of balance and hearing disorders. Although there is known to be endolymphatic hydrops involved in the pathological process, the pathogenesis of the disease is still largely unclear. Approximately half of patients with MD suffer from depressive symptoms and high levels of several stress hormones were observed in MD and depression, simultaneously.

Explainable prediction model for punching shear strength of FRP-RC slabs based on kernel density estimation and XGBoost.

Reinforced concrete (RC) slabs are widely used in modern building structures due to their superior properties and ease of construction. However, their mechanical properties are limited by their punching shear strength in the connection region with the columns. Researchers have attempted to add steel reinforcement in the form of studs and randomly distributed fibers to concrete slabs to improve the punching strength.

Central Taxa Are Keystone Microbes During Early Succession.

Microorganisms underpin numerous ecosystem processes and support biodiversity globally. Yet, we understand surprisingly little about what structures environmental microbiomes, including how to efficiently identify key players. Microbiome network theory predicts that highly connected hubs act as keystones, but this has never been empirically tested in nature.

Youth With Functional Abdominal Pain Disorders Have More Sleep Disturbances. A School-Based Study.

Background: There is a bidirectional relationship between sleep and pain disturbances. Sleep disturbances increase the risk for chronic pain, while chronic pain can interfere with sleep. Hence, we assessed the subjective sleep characteristics of youth with functional abdominal pain disorders (FAPDs) compared to healthy youth and examined associations with gastrointestinal symptoms.

Enhanced dynorphin expression and secretion in pancreatic beta-cells under hyperglycemic conditions.

Objective: Dynorphin, an endogenous opioid peptide predominantly expressed in the central nervous system and involved in stress response, pain, and addiction, has intrigued researchers due to its expression in pancreatic β-cells. In this study, we aimed to characterize dynorphin expression in mouse and human islets and explore the mechanisms regulating its expression.

Methods: We used primary mouse and human islets with unbiased published datasets to examine how glucose and other nutrients regulate dynorphin expression and secretion in islets.

Delayed Onset Iliopsoas Tendonitis With Intramuscular Hematoma Following Total Hip Arthroplasty.

Iliopsoas tendonitis following total hip arthroplasty (THA) can be challenging to diagnose due to the many causes of postoperative groin pain. This case involves a 66-year-old female with right-sided hip and groin pain and a palpable mass, 3 years post-THA. Initial recovery was unremarkable until the sudden onset of symptoms after exercise.

Design, characterisation, and clinical evaluation of a novel porous Ti-6Al-4V hemipelvic prosthesis based on Voronoi diagram.

Three-dimensional printed Ti-6Al-4V hemipelvic prosthesis has become a current popular method for pelvic defect reconstruction. This paper presents a novel biomimetic hemipelvic prosthesis design that utilises patient-specific anatomical data in conjunction with the Voronoi diagram algorithm. Unlike traditional design methods that rely on fixed, homogeneous unit cell, the Voronoi diagram enables to create imitation of trabecular structure (ITS).

Notable Programs in Neurotology Series: The University of Miami Ear Institute.

The University of Miami Ear Institute (UMEI) was conceived and founded by Dr. W. Jarrard (Jerry) Goodwin in 1990, then Chairman of the University of Miami Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery.

Extreme Phenotypic Variability of -Related Disorders in Hearing Loss.

Hearing loss is the most common sensory defect in humans, affecting normal communication. In most cases, hearing loss is a multifactorial disorder caused by both genetic and environmental factors, but single-gene mutations can lead to syndromic or non-syndromic hearing loss. Monoallelic variants in , coding for gamma (γ)-actin, are associated with classical Baraitser-Winter Syndrome type 2 (BRWS2, nonsyndromic deafness, and a variety of clinical presentations not fitting the original BRWS2 description or nonsyndromic deafness.

Missing History: Anarcha, Betsey, and Lucy's Legacy in Gynecologic Textbooks.

The legacy of J. Marion Sims as the "father of gynecology" has become widely controversial among medical professionals and lay public because of ethical concerns surrounding the development of his surgical techniques and his exploitation of enslaved women for his experiments. Notably, in April 2018, the City of New York relocated a commemorative statue of Sims from Central Park following an art commission's investigation of his controversial practices.

Network structure of phasic and tonic irritability in adults: A Bayesian Gaussian graphical model.

Background: Tonic (i.e., irritable mood) and phasic (i.

Impact of BMI Category on Recurrence and Progression of Nonmuscle Invasive Bladder Cancer Prognosis.

Objective: To assess the association of being overweight or obese with Nonmuscle invasive bladder cancer (NMIBC) recurrence, stage progression, and grade progression.

Methods: Patients with NMIBC were included and categorized into 3 groups based on their body mass index (BMI): normal weight, overweight, and obese. Recurrence was defined as any histologically proven bladder cancer on subsequent transurethral resection of bladder tumor (TURBT).

Exposure therapy consortium: Outcomes of the proof-of-principle study.

Background: This paper reports on the outcomes of a proof-of-principle study for the Exposure Therapy Consortium, a global network of researchers and clinicians who work to improve the effectiveness and uptake of exposure therapy. The study aimed to test the feasibility of the consortium's big-team science approach and test the hypothesis that adding post-exposure processing focused on enhancing threat reappraisal would enhance the efficacy of a one-session large-group interoceptive exposure therapy protocol for reducing anxiety sensitivity.

Methods: The study involved a multi-site cluster-randomized controlled trial comparing exposure with post-processing (ENHANCED), exposure without post-processing (STANDARD), and a stress management intervention (CONTROL) in students with elevated anxiety sensitivity.

Neurological and psychiatric characterization of rapid-onset dystonia-parkinsonism over time.

Introduction: The onset of symptoms in Rapid-onset dystonia-parkinsonism (RDP) is typically over days to weeks and is often triggered by stressors like fever or childbirth. Limited information is available on how the motor and nonmotor symptoms evolve over the course of the disease. Our longitudinal study analyzed data from a cohort of RDP patients, documenting their symptoms across multiple visits.

Videodermoscopy as a Diagnostic Tool for Pili Trianguli and Canaliculi Syndrome.

Pili trianguli et canaliculi syndrome is a rare hair shaft disorder characterized by frizzy hair that cannot be smoothed flat. Affected hair shafts are triangular or kidney-shaped with longitudinal grooving. Diagnosis typically requires electron microscopy, which may be cost-prohibitive, or alternatively, the distinctive features of hair shafts can be identified through histological examination of cross sections, that is time-consuming.

Impact of race and ethnicity on glaucoma progression detection by perimetry and optical coherence tomography.

This study assessed the impact of race and ethnicity on longitudinal test variability and time to detect glaucoma progression using standard automated perimetry (SAP) and optical coherence tomography (OCT). The sample consisted of 47,003 SAP tests from 5402 eyes and 25,480 OCT tests from 4125 eyes, with 20% of participants self-identifying as Black or African American and 80% as White; 29% as Hispanic or Latino and 71% as Not Hispanic or Latino. Variability was measured using standard deviations of residuals from linear regression models for SAP mean deviation (MD) and OCT retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL) thickness over time.