Effects of the Transcutaneous Electrical Stimulation System on Heartburn, Regurgitation and Esophageal Acid Exposure in GERD Patients-An Uncontrolled Feasibility Study.

Background: Proton pump inhibitors (PPI) for gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) are associated with a high failure rate. Our uncontrolled feasibility study aimed determining the effect of a transcutaneous electrical stimulation system (TESS) on GERD symptoms and acid exposure time (AET).

Methods: Recruited patients with heartburn and regurgitation.

Assessing spatial sequencing and imaging approaches to capture the molecular and pathological heterogeneity of archived cancer tissues.

Spatial transcriptomics (ST) offers enormous potential to decipher the biological and pathological heterogeneity in precious archival cancer tissues. Traditionally, these tissues have rarely been used and only examined at a low throughput, most commonly by histopathological staining. ST adds thousands of times as many molecular features to histopathological images, but critical technical issues and limitations require more assessment of how ST performs on fixed archival tissues.

MRI detects tubulointerstitial changes in mouse models of radiation-induced nephropathy.

Purpose: We hypothesized that radiation-induced tubulointerstitial changes in the kidney can be assessed using MRI-based T relaxation time measurements.

Methods: We performed MRI, histology, and serum biochemistry in two mouse models of radiation nephropathy: one involving external beam radiotherapy and the other using internal irradiation with an α-particle-emitting actinium-225 radiolabeled antibody. We compared the mean T values of different renal compartments between control and external beam radiotherapy or α-particle-emitting actinium-225 radiolabeled antibody-treated groups and between the two radiation-treated groups using a Wilcoxon rank-sum test.

Structural insights into the role of the prosegment binding loop in a papain-superfamily cysteine protease from Treponema denticola.

Periodontal diseases afflict 20-50% of the global population and carry serious health and economic burdens. Chronic periodontitis is characterized by inflammation of the periodontal pocket caused by dysbiosis. This dysbiosis is coupled with an increase in the population of Treponema denticola, a spirochete bacterium with high mobility and invasivity mediated by a number of virulence factors.

Circulating Tumor HPV-DNA in the Management of HPV-Positive Oropharyngeal Carcinoma: A Systematic Review.

Purpose: Blood-borne, cell-free DNA has been proposed as a means of individualizing the management of human papillomavirus (HPV)-positive oropharyngeal carcinoma.

Methods And Materials: This study was designed based on the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis Protocols (PRISMA-P) statement. A comprehensive literature search of peer-reviewed publications from January 2013 to January 2024 was undertaken to identify prospective studies pertaining to the use of circulating HPV-DNA for oropharyngeal carcinoma.

Maternal Incarceration and Health Risk Behaviors Among Adolescents: A Latent Class Analysis.

Most studies on the impact of maternal incarceration on adolescent health risk behaviors have focused on singular, separated behaviors, even though these behaviors often cluster and co-occur. This study used the FFCWS dataset to examine the association between maternal incarceration and the aggregation of health risk behaviors among adolescents. Latent class analysis suggested the four-class model had the optimal model fit.

Concurrent Perioperative Benzodiazepine and Opioid Utilization in Opioid-Naive Patients Undergoing Soft Tissue Hand Surgery.

Background: While concomitant opioid and benzodiazepine use is discouraged due to an increased risk of sedation/overdose, the extent of perioperative opioid utilization in hand surgery patients already using benzodiazepines is unknown.

Methods: Using an administrative claims database, we identified adults undergoing carpal tunnel, DeQuervain, or trigger finger release, palmar fasciectomies, ganglion/mucoid cyst removals, and hand/wrist soft tissue mass excisions from 2011 to 2021. We identified opioid-naive patients with a benzodiazepine prescription within 90 days before surgery.

Innovative telehospitalist model optimizes medical triage in collaboration with community emergency departments: A cross-sectional study.

Introduction: Optimal hospital bed utilization requires innovative patient care models. We studied a novel hospitalist model utilizing telemedicine to facilitate collaboration with affiliated emergency departments (EDs) and support medical triage and care of ED patients with high likelihood of hospital admission.

Methods: Telehospitalists based at a tertiary care facility collaborated with four community EDs in the same healthcare network between January 1, 2022, and April 30, 2023.

Deciphering the toxic effects of polystyrene nanoparticles on erythropoiesis at single-cell resolution.

Polystyrene nanoparticles pose significant toxicological risks to aquatic ecosystems, yet their impact on zebrafish ( ) embryonic development, particularly erythropoiesis, remains underexplored. This study used single-cell RNA sequencing to comprehensively evaluate the effects of polystyrene nanoparticle exposure on erythropoiesis in zebrafish embryos. validation experiments corroborated the transcriptomic findings, revealing that polystyrene nanoparticle exposure disrupted erythrocyte differentiation, as evidenced by the decrease in mature erythrocytes and concomitant increase in immature erythrocytes.

Attitudes About Aging and Beliefs About When you Have Been or Will be Your Best Self.

Stereotypes about aging and aging anxieties are common and when internalized are related to poor physical and psychological outcomes. As a result, older adults may view themselves as having their best years behind them. The present study investigates ageism and aging anxiety as barriers to positive self-development.

Alveolar Bone Quality in Individuals With Cleft Lip and Palate With Missing Lateral Incisors: Orthodontic Space Closure Versus Space Opening.

The purpose of this study was to quantitatively assess the alveolar bone support of teeth adjacent to the cleft site in individuals with nonsyndromic cleft lip and palate (CLP) who have undergone either orthodontic space closure or space opening for missing lateral incisors. A cross-sectional retrospective study. University orthodontic clinic serving individuals with CLP.

Local Adaptive Fusion Regression (LAFR) for Local Linear Multivariate Calibration: Application to Large Datasets.

Impeding linear calibration models from accurately predicting target sample analyte amounts are the target sample-wise deviations in measurement profiles (e.g., spectra) relative to calibration samples.

Correlation of zero echo time functional MRI with neuronal activity in rats.

Zero echo time (zero-TE) pulse sequences provide a quiet and artifact-free alternative to conventional functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) pulse sequences. The fast readouts (<1 ms) utilized in zero-TE fMRI produce an image contrast with negligible contributions from blood oxygenation level-dependent (BOLD) mechanisms, yet the zero-TE contrast is highly sensitive to brain function. However, the precise relationship between the zero-TE contrast and neuronal activity has not been determined.

Taylor Series Approximation for Accurate Generalized Confidence Intervals of Ratios of Log-Normal Standard Deviations for Meta-Analysis Using Means and Standard Deviations in Time Scale.

With contemporary anesthetic drugs, the efficacy of general anesthesia is assured. Health-economic and clinical objectives are related to reductions in the variability in dosing, variability in recovery, etc. Consequently, meta-analyses for anesthesiology research would benefit from quantification of ratios of standard deviations of log-normally distributed variables (e.

Developing : A Virtual Peer-Support Wellness Intervention by and for Trans/Gender Diverse Michiganders.

The U.S. trans/gender diverse (TGD) community experiences considerable mental health disparities and barriers to health care.

Semiparametric estimator for the covariate-specific receiver operating characteristic curve.

The study of the predictive ability of a marker is mainly based on the accuracy measures provided by the so-called confusion matrix. Besides, the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve has become a popular index for summarizing the overall accuracy of a marker. However, the nature of the relationship between the marker and the outcome, and the role that potential confounders play in this relationship could be fundamental in order to extrapolate the observed results.

A Commensurate Prior Model With Random Effects for Survival and Competing Risk Outcomes to Accommodate Historical Controls.

Clinical trials (CTs) often suffer from small sample sizes due to limited budgets and patient enrollment challenges. Using historical data for the CT data analysis may boost statistical power and reduce the required sample size. Existing methods on borrowing information from historical data with right-censored outcomes did not consider matching between historical data and CT data to reduce the heterogeneity.

Quantifying the Impact of State Health Policy on State Population Health Outcomes.

Thirty-five years after the Institute of Medicine report, (1988), multiple authors have considered what needs to be achieved to build a robust public health system that improves health for all. A central theme is the renewed emphasis on the role of evidence-based policy. This study provides clear evidence using a ranking methodology of how important policy is to achieving better health outcomes across the United States.

Bayesian Sample Size Calculation in Small n, Sequential Multiple Assignment Randomized Trials (snSMART).

A recent study design for clinical trials with small sample sizes is the small n, sequential, multiple assignment, randomized trial (snSMART). An snSMART design has been previously proposed to compare the efficacy of two dose levels versus placebo. In such a trial, participants are initially randomized to receive either low dose, high dose or placebo in stage 1.

Focus Groups With Guatemalan Community Leaders About Barriers to Cervical Cancer Prevention and Control.

Cervical cancer is the leading cause of cancer-related death among Latin American women, including Guatemalans. This is troubling, given we have a vaccine, screening tool, and treatment for this preventable disease. Human papillomavirus (HPV) causes most cervical cancer.

MicroRNA Expression in High-Grade B-Cell Lymphoma With 11q Aberration.

Mature aggressive B-cell lymphomas, such as Burkitt lymphoma (BL) and Diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL), show variations in microRNA (miRNA) expression. The entity of High-grade B-cell lymphoma with 11q aberration (HGBCL-11q) shares several biological features with both BL and DLBCL but data on its miRNA expression profile are yet scarce. Hence, this study aims to analyze the potential differences in miRNA expression of HGBCL-11q compared to BL and DLBCL.

Development of the house fly, Musca domestica L. (Diptera: Muscidae), on pork tissue at two temperatures.

The house fly, Musca domestica, L. (Diptera: Muscidae), is a filth fly that is often associated with criminal and civil investigations surrounding abuse, neglect, and death of humans and other vertebrates. However, development data, which are crucial for determining the age of immatures collected under forensically relevant circumstances, are limited.

Immunotherapy-based neoadjuvant treatment and complication rates after radical cystectomy.

Objective: To assess 30- and 90-day postoperative complication rates in patients who underwent robot-assisted radical cystectomy (RARC) after receiving novel immunotherapy-based neoadjuvant treatment.

Methods: A bi-centre analysis was conducted in patients who underwent RARC with intracorporeal urinary diversion and who received an immunotherapy-based neoadjuvant regimen between 2017 and 2023. Complications were classified using the Clavien-Dindo system.