Assessing the impact of messages about reduced nicotine cigar products among people who use little cigar and cigarillo: Insights from a discrete choice experiment.

Introduction: The U.S. Food and Drug Administration's (FDA) pursuit of a low nicotine standard for cigarettes raises concerns that a focus on cigarettes may encourage people to use other combusted tobacco products, undermining the policy's effectiveness.

Concordance of non-invasive plasma cell-free DNA with invasive diagnostics for diagnosis of invasive fungal disease.

Background: Mold plasma cell-free DNA (cfDNA) PCR is a promising non-invasive diagnostic modality for early diagnosis of invasive mold disease (IMD) in immunocompromised patients. Although mold cfDNA PCR has been shown to be highly accurate, the value of invasive procedures to collect specimens for conventional fungal diagnostics following plasma cfDNA testing remains unclear.

Methods: This retrospective single-center cohort study included patients with mold plasma cfDNA PCR performed 7 days before or 2 days after invasive specimen collection.

Illuminating the dark mess of fibers: Application of circular cross polarized light in unravelling the bone tissue structure of the dermal pectoral girdle of Metoposaurus krasiejowensis.

Current understanding of the histology of the dermoskeleton of tetrapods comes from fossilized and recent remains of skulls, osteoderms, carapace, plastron and other postcranial material which were always investigated using linear cross polarized light (LCPL) microscopy. The pectoral girdle of vast majority of non-amniote tetrapods, including temnospondyls evolved large ventrally located dermal bones- the interclavicle and a pair of clavicles. Despite that, there is a lack of information about the bone tissue structure from these postcranial dermal bones.

Collagen turnover during cervical remodeling involves both intracellular and extracellular collagen degradation pathways.

Reproductive success requires accurately timed remodeling of the cervix to orchestrate the maintenance of pregnancy, the process of labor, and birth. Prior work in mice established that a combination of continuous turnover of fibrillar collagen and reduced formation of collagen cross-links allows for the gradual increase in tissue compliance and delivery of the fetus during labor. However, the mechanism for continuous collagen degradation to ensure turnover during cervical remodeling is still unknown.

Efficacy and safety of finerenone in patients with chronic kidney disease and type 2 diabetes by diuretic use: A FIDELITY analysis.

Aims: This post hoc analysis aimed to assess the efficacy and safety of the non-steroidal mineralocorticoid receptor antagonist finerenone by baseline diuretic use in FIDELITY, a pre-specified pooled analysis of the phase III trials FIDELIO-DKD and FIGARO-DKD.

Methods And Results: Eligible patients with type 2 diabetes (T2D) and chronic kidney disease (CKD; urine albumin-to-creatinine ratio [UACR] ≥30-<300 mg/g and estimated glomerular filtration rate [eGFR] ≥25-≤90 ml/min/1.73 m, or UACR ≥300-≤5000 mg/g and eGFR ≥25 ml/min/1.

Protocol to infer off-target effects of drugs on cellular signaling using interactome-based deep learning.

Drugs that target specific proteins often have off-target effects. We present a protocol using artificial neural networks to model cellular transcriptional responses to drugs, aiming to understand their mechanisms of action. We detail steps for predicting transcriptional activities, inferring drug-target interactions, and explaining the off-target mechanism of action.

Protocol to perform ex vivo electroretinography on adult zebrafish.

Ex vivo electroretinography (ERG) provides insight into the health and functionality of retinal cells, the integrity of phototransduction, and the visual cycle and allows for the direct application of pharmaceuticals to the retinal tissues. Here, we present a protocol for performing ex vivo ERG on adult zebrafish. We describe steps for zebrafish tissue dissection, mounting tissues, and assembling and connecting cassettes.

Lack of context modulation in human single neuron responses in the medial temporal lobe.

In subjects implanted with intracranial electrodes, we use two different stories involving the same person (or place) to evaluate whether and to what extent context modulates human single-neuron responses. Nearly all neurons (97% during encoding and 100% during recall) initially responding to a person/place do not modulate their response with context. Likewise, nearly none (<1%) of the initially non-responsive neurons show conjunctive coding, responding to particular persons/places in a particular context during the tasks.

Describing ZYN-related content on TikTok: content analysis.

Introduction: Nicotine pouches are the fastest-growing oral smokeless tobacco or nicotine product category in the United States, and there are concerns about their potential appeal to youth. Few studies have surveilled discussions about nicotine pouches on TikTok, an audiovisual platform popular among youth. To address this gap, this study conducted a content analysis of TikTok posts related to the leading nicotine pouch brand, ZYN.

Thought-Feeling Accuracy in Person Perception and Metaperception: An Integrative Perspective.

People often want to know what their interaction partners are thinking. How accurate are they, what information do they use, what predicts how accurate they will be, and does accuracy matter? We organize our review of thought-feeling accuracy, defined as the accuracy of individuals' judgments about the content of another person's thoughts and feelings in live interaction, around these questions. At the same time, we argue that often people are especially interested in what others are thinking about them, such that research on the accuracy of individuals' metaperceptions regarding others' views of them is highly relevant to understanding thought-feeling accuracy more broadly construed.

Psychology of Planning.

Planning has been studied in different fields of psychology, including cognitive, developmental, personality, social, and work and organizational research. This article looks at the planning process through the lens of motivation science, and asks the question, What kind of planning can help people reach their goals? We focus on the strategy of making if-then plans (also known as forming implementation intentions). We discuss what kinds of cognitive performance can be enhanced by if-then planning (e.

Cannabis vaping elicits transcriptomic and metabolomic changes in inflammatory, oxidative stress and cancer pathways in human bronchial epithelial cells.

The increasing shift from cannabis smoking to cannabis vaping is largely driven by the perception that vaping to form an aerosol represents a safer alternative to smoking and is a form of consumption appealing to youth. Herein, we compared the chemical composition and receptor-mediated activity of cannabis smoke extract (CaSE) to cannabis vaping extract (CaVE) along with the biological response in human bronchial epithelial cells. Chemical analysis using HPLC and GC/MS revealed that cannabis vaping aerosol contained fewer toxicants than smoke; CaSE and CaVE contained teratogens, carcinogens, and respiratory toxicants.

Ribosomal s6 kinase (RSK) is a mediator of aquaporin-2 S256 phosphorylation and membrane accumulation after EGFR inhibition with erlotinib.

Vasopressin (VP) activates protein kinase A (PKA), resulting in phosphorylation events and membrane accumulation of aquaporin-2 (AQP2). Epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) inhibition with erlotinib also induces AQP2 membrane trafficking with a phosphorylation pattern similar to VP, but without increasing PKA activity. Here, we identify the ribosomal s6 kinase (RSK) as a major mediator phosphorylating AQP2 in this novel, erlotinib-induced pathway.

Drivers of Palliative Care and Hospice Use Among Patients With Advanced Lung Cancer.

Purpose: Despite rigorous evidence of improved quality of life and longer survival, disparities in the utilization of palliative and hospice care persist for racial and ethnic minority patients with cancer. This study evaluated the impact of psychosocial factors on utilization of these services.

Methods: Patients with advanced lung cancer were recruited at a large academic urban hospital.

Effectiveness of behavioural and psychological interventions for managing obesity in children and adolescents: A systematic review and meta-analysis framed using minimal important difference estimates based on GRADE guidance to inform a clinical practice guideline.

Objective: Conduct a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) of behavioural and psychological interventions for managing paediatric obesity.

Methods: Eligible studies, published between 1985 and 2022, included 0 to 18 year olds with outcomes reported ≥3 months post-baseline, including patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs), cardiometabolic and anthropometric outcomes, and adverse events (AEs). We pooled data using a random effects model and assessed certainty of evidence (CoE) related to minimally important difference estimates for outcomes using GRADE.

Skeletal and Adipose Manifestations of Stress in a Contemporary Pediatric Sample.

Introduction: Adverse experiences leading to physiological disruptions (stress) in early life produce cascade effects on various biological systems, including the endocrine and metabolic systems, which, in turn, shape the developing skeletal system. To evaluate the effects of stress on adipose and skeletal tissues, we examine the relationship between skeletal indicators of stress (porotic hyperostosis [PH] and cribra orbitalia [CO]), bone mineral density (BMD), vertebral neural canal (VNC) diameters, and adipose tissue distribution in a contemporary pediatric autopsy sample.

Methods: Data is from 702 (409 males, 293 females) individuals from a pediatric (0.

Characterization of Human Senescent Cell Biomarkers for Clinical Trials.

There is an increasing need for biomarkers of senescent cell burden to facilitate the selection of participants for clinical trials. p16 is encoded by the CDKN2A locus, which produces five variant transcripts in humans, two of which encode homologous p16 proteins: p16, encoded by p16_variant 1, and p16ɣ, encoded by p16_variant 5. While distinct quantitative polymerase chain reaction primers can be designed for p16_variant 5, primers for p16_variant 1 also measure p16_variant 5 (p16_variant 1 + 5).

Exploring the link between inflammation and brain function after metabolic-bariatric surgery: A year-long fMRI study.

Background: Metabolic-bariatric surgery (MBS) transcends weight loss and offers wide-ranging health benefits, including positive effects on brain function. However, the mechanisms behind these effects remain unclear, particularly in the context of significant postoperative changes in the inflammatory profile characteristic of MBS. Understanding how inflammation influences postoperative brain function can enhance our decision-making on patient eligibility for MBS and create new opportunities to improve the outcomes of this popular treatment.

Maralixibat Reduces Serum Bile Acids and Improves Cholestatic Pruritus in Adolescents With Alagille Syndrome.

Background: Alagille syndrome (ALGS) is a multisystem cholestatic disorder. Maralixibat is approved for the treatment of cholestatic pruritus in ALGS with limited data in adults.

Methods: Participants were included if they received ≥ 2 doses of maralixibat at age ≥ 16 years in one of the three previously published maralixibat ALGS clinical trials.

Effects of HMG CoA reductase (HMGCR) deficiency on skeletal muscle development.

Pathogenic variants in HMGCR were recently linked to a limb-girdle muscular dystrophy (LGMD) phenotype. The protein product HMG CoA reductase (HMGCR) catalyzes a key component of the cholesterol synthesis pathway. The two other muscle diseases associated with HMGCR, statin-associated myopathy (SAM) and autoimmune anti-HMGCR myopathy, are not inherited in a Mendelian pattern.

Efficacy of peripheral nerve stimulation in refractory postamputation pain: A narrative review.

The management of postamputation pain remains a significant clinical challenge, with existing therapeutic approaches often yielding inconsistent outcomes. Neuromodulation techniques, particularly peripheral nerve stimulation (PNS), have emerged as promising interventions. However, the evidence supporting their effectiveness in treating phantom limb pain (PLP) and residual limb pain (RLP) remains limited.

Effectiveness of oral vancomycin as prophylaxis against infection in hematopoietic stem cell transplant patients.

Objective: Patients receiving hematopoietic stem cell transplants (HSCT) are at increased risk for infection (CDI). The purpose of this study was to assess the effectiveness of oral vancomycin prophylaxis (OVP) for CDI in HSCT patients.

Design: Single-center, retrospective cohort.