Effects of a Serotonin Receptor Peptide on Behavioral Pattern Separation in Sham- vs. Mild Traumatic Brain Injured Rats.

Aims: Behavioral pattern separation is a hippocampal-dependent component of episodic memory and a sensitive marker of early cognitive decline. Here we tested whether mild traumatic injury causes loss of pattern separation in the rat and for its prevention by a novel neuroprotective peptide fragment of the human serotonin 2A receptor (SN..

Skeletal Maturity Might Not Be a Factor in Optimizing Outcomes in Total Hip Arthroplasty.

Introduction Total hip arthroplasty (THA) is rarely indicated in the skeletally immature population. In these instances, there is concern for implant survival compared to the traditional older population. There has been a steady rise in the use of THA in the pediatric population due to improvements in surgical techniques.

Piezo Ion Channels and Their Association With Haptic Technology Use: A Narrative Review.

The recent identification of Piezo ion channels demonstrating a mechano-sensitive impact on neurons revealed distinct Piezo-1 and 2 types. While Piezo-1 predominates in neurons linked to non-sensory stimulation, such as pressure in blood vessels, Piezo-2 predominates in neurons linked to sensory stimulation, such as touch. Piezo-1 and 2 have a major bidirectional impact on transient receptor potential (TRP) ion channels, and TRPs also impact neurotransmitter release.

Assessing Program Culture in Virtual Fellowship Interviews: Insights From Pulmonary and Critical Care Fellows.

Background: Virtual interviewing for fellowship training programs has been widely adopted since the COVID-19 pandemic. However, whether fellowship candidates can adequately evaluate training program culture through virtual interviews is unclear.

Objective: Our aim was to explore how pulmonary and critical care fellows ascertained program culture during virtual and in-person fellowship program recruitment interviews, with the overall goal of improving our virtual recruiting interview processes.

Medicaid Expansion and Survival Outcomes Among Men With Prostate Cancer.

Introduction: Prostate cancer stands as one of the most diagnosed malignancies among men worldwide. With the recent expansion of Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act (ACA), millions more Americans now have health insurance coverage, potentially influencing healthcare access and subsequent outcomes for various illnesses, including prostate cancer. Yet, the direct correlation between Medicaid expansion and cancer-specific survival among individuals with prostate cancer remains an area warranting comprehensive exploration.

The Role of Machine Learning Approaches in Pediatric Oncology: A Systematic Review.

To enhance patient outcomes in pediatric cancer, a better understanding of the medical and biological risk variables is required. With the growing amount of data accessible to research in pediatric cancer, machine learning (ML) is a form of algorithmic inference from sophisticated statistical techniques. In addition to highlighting developments and prospects in the field, the objective of this systematic study was to methodically describe the state of ML in pediatric oncology.

Ocular Injuries and Intimate Partner Violence: A Review of the Literature.

Purpose Of Review: Intimate partner violence (IPV) is a leading cause of death and disability across the world. We sought to investigate the prevalence and clinical presentation of ocular injuries in IPV.

Recent Findings: Literature review revealed 16 published studies that evaluated ocular injuries in IPV, of which the study types included 9 retrospective studies, 2 prospective, 1 review, 1 invited commentary, 2 case reports, and 1 population-based cross-sectional survey.

Weightbearing in Select Geriatric Ankle Fractures Following Open Reduction Internal Fixation: Short Scientific Report.

Background: Geriatric ankle fractures are increasingly common. Previous work has suggested that early weightbearing following ankle fracture fixation is safe in nongeriatric patients. However, limited data is available regarding the safety of immediate weightbearing following fixation of geriatric ankle fractures using standard open reduction internal fixation techniques.

Nutritional effects of invasive macrophyte detritus on infections in snail intermediate hosts.

Schistosomes are parasitic flatworms that cycle between humans and freshwater snails, infecting more than 200 million humans. Many schistosome-endemic sites are invaded by non-native plants that snails cannot consume. Inedible plants could suppress snail growth, reproduction, and schistosome production by outcompeting edible resources.

Conversion Therapy for Stage IV Gastric Cancer: Report From the Expert Consensus Meeting at KINGCA WEEK 2024.

Conversion therapy is a treatment strategy that shifts from palliative systemic therapy to curative surgical treatment for primary and/or metastatic stage IV gastric cancer (GC). To address its clinical statements, the Korean Gastric Cancer Association aims to present a consensus on conversion therapy among experts attending KINGCA WEEK 2024. The KINGCA Scientific Committee and Development Working Group for Korean Practice Guidelines prepared preformulated topics and 9 clinical statements for conversion therapy.

A Phage-Based Approach to Identify Antivirulence Inhibitors of Bacterial Type IV Pili.

The increasing threat of antibiotic resistance underscores the urgent need for innovative strategies to combat infectious diseases, including the development of antivirulants. Microbial pathogens rely on their virulence factors to initiate and sustain infections. Antivirulants are small molecules designed to target virulence factors, thereby attenuating the virulence of infectious microbes.

Identifying Drug Prescription in Newly Diagnosed Hypertension Patients in India.

This study evaluated initial antihypertensive drug prescription patterns in Indian healthcare settings. An observational, cross-sectional, prospective prescription registry analyzed prescriptions for 4723 newly diagnosed hypertension patients. Additionally, it investigated the extent to which physicians adhered to either European or Indian hypertension guidelines.

Usage patterns of cognitive assessments during Medicare's Annual Wellness Visit: A national survey.

Introduction: Medicare's Annual Wellness Visit (AWV) is a logical opportunity for early detection of cognitive impairment, but recent data for uptake and cognitive assessments during it are lacking.

Methods: We surveyed Medicare beneficiaries of a nationally representative panel about use of AWV and cognitive assessments and analyzed associations between uptake and beneficiaries' characteristics.

Results: Of 1871 participants, 80% had an AWV, among whom 31% underwent formal cognitive testing, 35% were asked about memory problems, including 15% having both.

Left atrial reservoir strain as a predictor of cardiac dysfunction in a murine model of pressure overload.

Aim: Left atrial (LA) strain is emerging as a valuable metric for evaluating cardiac function, particularly under pathological conditions such as pressure overload. This preclinical study investigates the predictive utility of LA strain on cardiac function in a murine model subjected to pressure overload, mimicking pathologies such as hypertension and aortic stenosis.

Methods: High-resolution ultrasound was performed in a cohort of mice (n = 16) to evaluate left atrial and left ventricular function at baseline and 2 and 4 weeks after transverse aortic constriction (TAC).

From subsidies to stressors: Positively skewed ecological gradients alter biological responses to nutrients in streams.

Subsidy-stress gradients offer a useful framework for understanding ecological responses to perturbation and may help inform ecological metrics in highly modified systems. Historic, region-wide shifts from bottomland hardwood forest to row crop agriculture can cause positively skewed impact gradients in alluvial plain ecoregions, resulting in tolerant organisms that typically exhibit a subsidy response (increased abundance in response to environmental stressors) shifting to a stress response (declining abundance at higher concentrations). As a result, observed biological tolerance in modified ecosystems may differ from less modified regions, creating significant challenges for detecting biological responses to restoration efforts.

Modeling aerobic granules in continuously flowing wastewater-treatment processes.

Continuously flowing wastewater-treatment processes can be configured for biological and physical selection to form and retain large biological aggregates (LBAs), along with suspended biomass that contains ordinary biological flocs and biomass that has detached from the LBAs. Suspended biomass and LBAs have different solids residence times (SRTs) and mass-transport resistances. Here, mathematical sub-models that describe metabolic processes, a 1-D biofilm, and spherical carriers that can migrate throughout a wastewater-treatment process were combined to simulate a full-scale demonstration train having anaerobic, anoxic, and oxic zones, as well as side-stream enhanced biological phosphorus removal.

CYP2C19 Genotype-Guided Antiplatelet Therapy and Clinical Outcomes in Patients Undergoing a Neurointerventional Procedure.

In neurovascular settings, including treatment and prevention of ischemic stroke and prevention of thromboembolic complications after percutaneous neurointerventional procedures, dual antiplatelet therapy with a P2Y12 inhibitor and aspirin is the standard of care. Clopidogrel remains the most commonly prescribed P2Y12 inhibitor for neurovascular indications. However, patients carrying CYP2C19 no-function alleles have diminished capacity for inhibition of platelet reactivity due to reduced formation of clopidogrel's active metabolite.

Highlights From the 2nd Turin International Workshop on Liver Machine Perfusion.

The 2nd Turin International Workshop on Liver Machine Perfusion took place in Turin, Italy, on November 22, 2024. Leading experts came together to discuss the current applications, limitations, and future directions of this technology, with a primary focus on but not limited to liver transplantation. This report provides a summary of the evidence, insights, and debates shared during the meeting.

Neuron-derived extracellular vesicles as a liquid biopsy for brain insulin dysregulation in Alzheimer's disease and related disorders.

Extracellular vesicles (EVs) have emerged as novel blood-based biomarkers for various pathologies. The development of methods to enrich cell-specific EVs from biofluids has enabled us to monitor difficult-to-access organs, such as the brain, in real time without disrupting their function, thus serving as liquid biopsy. Burgeoning evidence indicates that the contents of neuron-derived EVs (NDEs) in blood reveal dynamic alterations that occur during neurodegenerative pathogenesis, including Alzheimer's disease (AD), reflecting a disease-specific molecular signature.

Single-Larva RNA Sequencing Reveals That Red Sea Urchin Larvae Are Vulnerable to Co-Occurring Ocean Acidification and Hypoxia.

Anthropogenic carbon dioxide emissions have been increasing rapidly in recent years, driving pH and oxygen levels to record low concentrations in the oceans. Eastern boundary upwelling systems such as the California Current System (CCS) experience exacerbated ocean acidification and hypoxia (OAH) due to the physical and chemical properties of the transported deeper waters. Research efforts have significantly increased in recent years to investigate the deleterious effects of climate change on marine species, but have not focused on the impacts of simultaneous OAH stressor exposure.

DAA-PASS: A Prospective Evaluation of HCC Recurrence After Direct Acting Antiviral Therapy.

Direct-acting antiviral (DAA) therapy is associated with a significant reduction in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) incidence among patients with cirrhosis, but data are conflicting about the risk of recurrence following DAA therapy. DAA-PASS was a prospective, pragmatic, observational study designed to estimate the risk of HCC recurrence associated with DAA therapy exposure during routine clinical care. Eligible patients were DAA treatment naive with Barcelona Clinic Liver Cancer (BCLC) stage A.

Resource availability for CNS tumor diagnostics in the Asian Oceanian region: A survey by the Asian Oceanian Society of Neuropathology committee for Adapting Diagnostic Approaches for Practical Taxonomy in Resource-Restrained Regions (AOSNP-ADAPTR).

The shift toward a histo-molecular approach in World Health Organization classification of central nervous system tumors (WHO CNS5) emphasizes the critical role of molecular testing, such as next-generation sequencing (NGS) and DNA methylation profiling, for accurate diagnosis. However, implementing these advanced techniques is particularly challenging in resource-constrained countries. To address this, the Asian Oceanian Society of Neuropathology committee for Adapting Diagnostic Approaches for Practical Taxonomy in Resource-Restrained Regions (AOSNP-ADAPTR) was initiated to help pathologists in resource-limited regions to implement WHO CNS5 diagnoses using simpler diagnostic tools, mainly immunohistochemistry.