The effects of age, fitness, and health on the passive stiffness of the intact low back and its impact on seated work in a healthy, working, female population.

Age is associated with increased tissue stiffness and a higher risk of low back pain, particularly in older, sedentary workers who spend long periods sitting. This study explored how trunk stiffness changes with age and its relationship with posture during prolonged sitting in a sample of 37 women aged 20-65 years. Age was assessed as both Chronological Age and Fitness Age, with trunk stiffness measured using a passive trunk flexion apparatus.

Use of flavor capsule cigarettes and their preliminary impact on smoking cessation in Mexico: an exploratory study.

Background: No study has assessed the impact of flavor capsule cigarettes (FCCs) on smoking cessation. Thus, the purpose of this exploratory study was to assess (1) the sociodemographic and smoking-related characteristics associated with using FCCs, and (2) the preliminary impact of FCCs on smoking cessation.

Methods: This study is a secondary data analysis of a single-arm study with 100 individuals living in Mexico who smoked and received a smoking cessation mHealth intervention and pharmacotherapy support.

mHealth Incentivized Adherence Plus Patient Navigation (MIAPP): protocol for a pilot randomized controlled trial to improve linkage and retention on buprenorphine for hospitalized patients with methamphetamine use and opioid use disorder.

Background: Initiation of buprenorphine for treatment of opioid use disorder (OUD) in acute care settings improves access and outcomes, however patients who use methamphetamine are less likely to link to ongoing treatment. We describe the intervention and design from a pilot randomized controlled trial of an intervention to increase linkage to and retention in outpatient buprenorphine services for patients with OUD and methamphetamine use who initiate buprenorphine in the hospital.

Methods: The study is a two-arm pilot randomized controlled trial (N = 40) comparing the mHealth Incentivized Adherence Plus Patient Navigation (MIAPP) intervention to treatment as usual.

Emergence and expansion of dengue in Paltas: possible implications of the COVID-19 pandemic and climatic variations.

Introduction: Dengue is one of the most widespread arboviruses in Latin America and is now affecting areas previously free of transmission. The COVID-19 pandemic and climatic variations appear to have affected the incidence of the disease, abundance of vectors and health programs related to dengue in some countries.

Objective: To analyze the epidemiology of dengue in Paltas, Ecuador (2016-2022), compare the periods before and during the COVID-19 pandemic, examine entomological reports and discuss the possible implications of the COVID-19 pandemic and climatic variations.

TAD-SIE: sample size estimation for clinical randomized controlled trials using a Trend-Adaptive Design with a Synthetic-Intervention-Based Estimator.

Background: Phase-3 clinical trials provide the highest level of evidence on drug safety and effectiveness needed for market approval by implementing large randomized controlled trials (RCTs). However, 30-40% of these trials fail mainly because such studies have inadequate sample sizes, stemming from the inability to obtain accurate initial estimates of average treatment effect parameters.

Methods: To remove this obstacle from the drug development cycle, we present a new algorithm called Trend-Adaptive Design with a Synthetic-Intervention-Based Estimator (TAD-SIE) that powers a parallel-group trial, a standard RCT design, by leveraging a state-of-the-art hypothesis testing strategy and a novel trend-adaptive design (TAD).

Development and psychometric evaluation of the Brief Parenting Questionnaire.

Background: There is a paucity of brief self-report parenting measures validated for use in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). We developed the Brief Parenting Questionnaire (BPQ), a 24-item self-report measure for use with parents of children ages 3-12.

Objective: We describe the development and evaluation of the psychometric properties of the BPQ, which was designed to include two subscales: warm and responsive parenting (WRP) and harsh parenting (HP).

λ-cyhalothrin induced sex-specific inflammation, glia activation and GABAergic interneuron disruption in the hippocampus of rats.

Background: Glia mediated neuroinflammation and degeneration of inhibitory GABAergic interneurons are some of the hall marks of pyrethroid neurotoxicity. Here we investigated the sex specific responses of inflammatory cytokines, microglia, astrocyte and parvalbumin positive inhibitory GABAergic interneurons to λ-cyhalothrin (LCT) exposures in rats.

Methods: Equal numbers of male and female rats were given oral corn oil, 2 mg/kg.

Ulinastatin treatment mitigates glycocalyx degradation and associated with lower postoperative delirium risk in patients undergoing cardiac surgery: a multicentre observational study.

Background: Ulinastatin (UTI), recognized for its anti-inflammatory properties, holds promise for patients undergoing cardiac surgery. This study aimed to investigate the relationship between intraoperative UTI administration and the incidence of delirium following cardiac surgery.

Methods: A retrospective analysis was performed on a retrospective cohort of 6,522 adult cardiac surgery patients to evaluate the relationship between UTI treatment and the incident of postoperative delirium (POD) in patients ongoing cardiac surgery.

Molecular and cellular characteristics of cerebrovascular cell types and their contribution to neurodegenerative diseases.

Many diseases and disorders of the nervous system suffer from a lack of adequate therapeutics to halt or slow disease progression, and to this day, no cure exists for any of the fatal neurodegenerative diseases. In part this is due to the incredible diversity of cell types that comprise the brain, knowledge gaps in understanding basic mechanisms of disease, as well as a lack of reliable strategies for delivering new therapeutic modalities to affected areas. With the advent of single cell genomics, it is now possible to interrogate the molecular characteristics of diverse cell populations and their alterations in diseased states.

Perceived healthiness of sugary drinks and related social norms among adults in five countries: evidence from the International Food Policy Study.

Background: A better understanding of correlates of sugary drink consumption is essential to inform public health interventions. This study examined differences in perceived healthiness of sugary drinks and related social norms between countries, over time, and sociodemographic groups and associations with sugary drink intake.

Methods: This study used annual cross-sectional data from the International Food Policy Study from 2018 to 2021 in Australia, Canada, the United Kingdom, the United States, and Mexico.

Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender clinical competence of health professionals in Poland and Spain: results of the health exclusion research in Europe (HERE) study.

Introduction: Health disparities experienced by lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) individuals have been partially attributed to healthcare professionals' lack of cultural competence in addressing their specific needs. This study aimed to assess the differences in competencies and preparedness among health professionals from Poland and Spain when working with LGBT patients.

Methodology: Data were collected between June and August 2024 through a cross-sectional survey involving 673 health professionals (Mage = 33.

Health system financing fragmentation and maternal mortality transition in Mexico, 2000-2022.

Objective: To analyze the temporal and territorial relationship between health system financing fragmentation and maternal mortality in the last two decades in Mexico.

Methods: We conducted an ecological-longitudinal study of the maternal mortality ratio (MMR) in the 32 states of Mexico during the period 2000-2022. Annual MMRs were estimated at the national and state levels according to health insurance.

Institutional, neighborhood, and life stressors on loneliness among older adults.

Background: Loneliness is a public health epidemic in the United States (US), with older adults being vulnerable to experiencing loneliness. Predictors of loneliness are less understood among racial/ethnic groups of US older adults, and few studies have included perceived institutional discrimination (PID), stressful life events (SLE), and perceived neighborhood characteristics (PNC) as antecedent stressors of loneliness in diverse older adult samples. Our study assessed the relationship between these stressors and loneliness among specific racial/ethnic groups of older adults.

Mortality in the families of children during the COVID-19 pandemic: evidence from a repeated cross-sectional study of children in the United States.

Background: Modeling studies suggest that hundreds of thousands of U.S. children have lost caregivers since the COVID-19 pandemic began.

Are medical school preclinical tests biased for sex and race? A differential item functioning analysis.

Background: A common practice in assessment development, fundamental for fairness and consequently the validity of test score interpretations and uses, is to ascertain whether test items function equally across test-taker groups. Accordingly, we conducted differential item functioning (DIF) analysis, a psychometric procedure for detecting potential item bias, for three preclinical medical school foundational courses based on students' sex and race.

Methods: The sample included 520, 519, and 344 medical students for anatomy, histology, and physiology, respectively, collected from 2018 to 2020.

AI-based analysis of fetal growth restriction in a prospective obstetric cohort quantifies compound risks for perinatal morbidity and mortality and identifies previously unrecognized high risk clinical scenarios.

Background: Fetal growth restriction (FGR) is a leading risk factor for stillbirth, yet the diagnosis of FGR confers considerable prognostic uncertainty, as most infants with FGR do not experience any morbidity. Our objective was to use data from a large, deeply phenotyped observational obstetric cohort to develop a probabilistic graphical model (PGM), a type of "explainable artificial intelligence (AI)", as a potential framework to better understand how interrelated variables contribute to perinatal morbidity risk in FGR.

Methods: Using data from 9,558 pregnancies delivered at ≥ 20 weeks with available outcome data, we derived and validated a PGM using randomly selected sub-cohorts of 80% (n = 7645) and 20% (n = 1,912), respectively, to discriminate cases of FGR resulting in composite perinatal morbidity from those that did not.

Relationship between age, conditioning intensity, and outcome after allografting in adults age ≥60 years with AML.

Methodological advancements now allow older adults with AML to receive allografts although conflicting data exist regarding relative outcomes across age groups and benefits of different conditioning intensities. We retrospectively analyzed 495 adults aged 60-64 (n = 184), 65-69 (n = 189), or ≥70 (n = 122) allografted for AML in remission at our institution from 2006 to 2023. There were no significant differences in relapse or relapse-free survival (RFS) among the 3 age cohorts after multivariable adjustment.

Comparison of transcriptomic profiles between intracellular and extracellular Bartonella henselae.

The Bartonella genus of bacteria encompasses ubiquitous species, some of which are pathogenic in humans and animals. Bartonella henselae, the causative agent of Cat Scratch disease, is responsible for a large portion of human Bartonella infections. These bacteria can grow outside of cells, replicate in erythrocytes and invade endothelial and monocytic cells.

Increased serum GM-CSF at diagnosis of biliary atresia is associated with improved biliary drainage.

Background: The immune heterogeneity of biliary atresia (BA) presents a challenge for development of prognostic biomarkers. This study aimed to identify early immune signatures associated with biliary drainage after Kasai Portoenterostomy (KPE).

Methods: Serum samples, liver slides, and clinical data were obtained from patients enrolled in the NIDDK-supported Childhood Liver Disease Research Network.

A deep learning analysis for dual healthcare system users and risk of opioid use disorder.

The opioid crisis has disproportionately affected U.S. veterans, leading the Veterans Health Administration to implement opioid prescribing guidelines.

Strength and durability of indirect protection against SARS-CoV-2 infection through vaccine and infection-acquired immunity.

Early investigation revealed a reduced risk of SARS-CoV-2 infection among social contacts of COVID-19 vaccinated individuals, referred to as indirect protection. However, indirect protection from SARS-CoV-2 infection-acquired immunity and its comparative strength and durability to vaccine-derived indirect protection in the current epidemiologic context of high levels of vaccination, prior infection, and novel variants are not well characterized. Here, we show that both vaccine-derived and infection-acquired immunity independently yield indirect protection to close social contacts with key differences in their strength and waning.

Engaging Patients in Discussions About Medication Deprescribing.

Background: Deprescribing, intentional medication discontinuation or dose reduction, can reduce potentially inappropriate medication use and medication-related harms. Engaging patients in deprescribing discussions may increase likelihood of deprescribing and promote shared decision-making.

Objective: To examine the impact of patient-directed educational brochures on patient engagement and deprescribing discussions with primary care providers (PCPs).

Prevalence of Moral Injury in Nationally Representative Samples of Combat Veterans, Healthcare Workers, and First Responders.

Background: Moral injury affects a variety of populations who make ethically complex decisions involving their own and others' well-being, including combat veterans, healthcare workers, and first responders. Yet little is known about occupational differences in the prevalence of morally injurious exposures and outcomes in nationally representative samples of such populations.

Objective: To examine prevalence of potentially morally injurious event (PMIE) exposure and clinically meaningful moral injury in three high-risk groups.