Strontium isoscape of sub-Saharan Africa allows tracing origins of victims of the transatlantic slave trade.

Strontium isotope (Sr/Sr) analysis with reference to strontium isotope landscapes (Sr isoscapes) allows reconstructing mobility and migration in archaeology, ecology, and forensics. However, despite the vast potential of research involving Sr/Sr analysis particularly in Africa, Sr isoscapes remain unavailable for the largest parts of the continent. Here, we measure the Sr/Sr ratios in 778 environmental samples from 24 African countries and combine this data with published data to model a bioavailable Sr isoscape for sub-Saharan Africa using random forest regression.

A truncated isoform of Connexin43 caps actin to organize forward delivery of full-length Connexin43.

While membrane proteins such as ion channels continuously turn over and require replacement, the mechanisms of specificity of efficient channel delivery to appropriate membrane subdomains remain poorly understood. GJA1-20k is a truncated Connexin43 (Cx43) isoform arising from translation initiating at an internal start codon within the same parent GJA1 mRNA and is requisite for full-length Cx43 trafficking to cell borders. GJA1-20k does not have a full transmembrane domain, and it is not known how GJA1-20k enables forward delivery of Cx43 hemichannels.

Corneal Refractive Surgery Considerations in Patients with Anorexia Nervosa.

Anorexia nervosa (AN) is a psychiatric eating disorder characterized by body mass index (BMI) ≤ 18.5, fear of gaining weight, and a distorted perception of body weight. With increasing rates of myopia, there is a population of patients who concurrently develop AN and may seek corneal refractive surgery.

Evaluation of an assistive exosuit for alleviating neck and shoulder muscle fatigue during prolonged flexed neck posture.

Introduction: Neck pain affects 203 million people globally and is prevalent in various settings due to factors like poor posture, lack of exercise, and occupational hazards. Therefore, addressing ergonomic issues with solutions like a wearable robotic device is crucial. This research presents a novel assistive exosuit, characterized by its slim and lightweight structure and intuitive control without the use of hands, designed to mitigate muscle fatigue in the neck and shoulders during prolonged flexed neck posture.

Predicting kidney graft function and failure among kidney transplant recipients.

Background: Graft loss is a major health concern for kidney transplant (KTx) recipients. It is of clinical interest to develop a prognostic model for both graft function, quantified by estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR), and the risk of graft failure. Additionally, the model should be dynamic in the sense that it adapts to accumulating longitudinal information, including time-varying at-risk population, predictor-outcome association, and clinical history.

Factors Associated with Pediatric Drowning-Associated Lung Injury.

Objective: To identify risk factors for clinically-important drowning-associated lung injury (ciDALI) in children.

Study Design: This was a cross-sectional study of children (0 through18 years) who presented to 32 pediatric emergency departments (EDs) from 2010 through 2017. We reviewed demographics, comorbidities, prehospital data, chest radiographs reports, and ED course from emergency medical services, medical, and fatality records.

Evaluation of Reference Gene Stability for Investigations of Intracellular Signalling in Human Cancer and Non-Malignant Mesenchymal Stromal Cells.

Background: Real-time reverse transcription quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) is a powerful tool for analysing target gene expression in biological samples. To achieve reliable results by RT-qPCR, the most stable reference genes must be selected for proper data normalisation, particularly when comparing cells of different types. We aimed to choose the least variable candidate reference genes among eight housekeeping genes tested within a set of human cancer cell lines (HeLa, MCF-7, SK-UT-1B, A549, A431, SK-BR-3), as well as four lines of normal, non-malignant mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs) of different origins.

Moving Past the Status Quo: Redefining the Feedback Landscape for Junior Clinician-Educator Career Development.

This perspective piece addresses the challenges junior clinician-educators face as they navigate career development within academic medical centers. In addition to understanding local promotion and tenure processes and seeking mentorship, we argue that faculty feedback is an often neglected, but essential, component in clinician-educator development. We repurpose and use the MISCA model-Message, Implementation, Student, Context, and Agents-as a framework to better understand and improve feedback for faculty.

Look above the IRP: predicting abnormal confirmatory testing in patients with esophagogastric junction outflow obstruction.

Background: Esophagogastric junction outflow obstruction (EGJOO) is a manometric diagnosis based on Chicago Classification version 4.0 (CC4.0) that requires confirmatory testing for clinical relevancy.

Phase 1b/2 study of orally administered pexidartinib in combination with radiation therapy and temozolomide in patients with newly diagnosed glioblastoma.

Background: Glioblastoma (GBM) has a median survival of <2 years. Pexidartinib (PLX3397) is a small-molecule inhibitor of CSF1R, KIT, and oncogenic FTL3, which are implicated in GBM treatment resistance. Results from glioma models indicate that combining radiation therapy (RT) and pexidartinib reduces radiation resistance.

Polygenic score distribution differences across European ancestry populations: implications for breast cancer risk prediction.

Background: The 313-variant polygenic risk score (PRS) provides a promising tool for clinical breast cancer risk prediction. However, evaluation of the PRS across different European populations which could influence risk estimation has not been performed.

Methods: We explored the distribution of PRS across European populations using genotype data from 94,072 females without breast cancer diagnosis, of European-ancestry from 21 countries participating in the Breast Cancer Association Consortium (BCAC) and 223,316 females without breast cancer diagnosis from the UK Biobank.

Papillomavirus: Clinical Presentations and Treatment Approaches.

Papillomaviruses (PV) affect dogs and cats. Oral papillomas are common in young dogs and generally do not require treatment because they resolve spontaneously. The virus is spread via direct contact during play, or via indirect contact (from the environment, through fomites).

Baseline Concussion Testing in High School Athletes: A Gap Between Policy and Practice.

Concussions are a significant concern in high school athletes. Implementation of effective baseline concussion testing procedures can aid athletic trainers and coaches with timely and accurate concussion diagnosis, as well as being used to develop a personalized treatment plan for postconcussion management. Objective: The purpose of this policy review was to (a) identify the gap between the current baseline concussion testing policy and practices in the high schools throughout the state, (b) highlight opinions that support the importance of and need for mandatory baseline concussion testing in high school athletes, and (c) identify potential revisions to the present policy to change how baseline concussion testing is done.

Efficacy and safety of low-dose tolvaptan (7.5mg) in the treatment of inpatient hyponatraemia: a retrospective study.

Objectives: The recommended dose of tolvaptan for hyponatraemia secondary to SIADH is 15mg. We evaluated the efficacy of an initial 7.5mg dose and determined the frequency where sodium (Na+) correction exceeded safe limits, defined as an increment of ≥10 mmol/L, within the initial 8 or 24 hours of administration.

Patterns of diuretic titration during inpatient management of acute decompensated heart failure.

Introduction: Hospitalization rates for acute decompensated heart failure (ADHF) have increased, resulting in 6.5 million hospital days annually. Despite this, optimal diuretic strategies for managing ADHF remain unclear, highlighting the need to analyze diuretic practice patterns in ADHF treatment.

Real-World Patient-Reported and Neurocognitive Outcomes in the Year After Axicabtagene Ciloleucel.

Background: Axicabtagene ciloleucel (axi-cel), a chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy, has significantly improved clinical outcomes in adult patients with relapsed/refractory large B-cell lymphoma (LBCL). However, few studies have examined patient-reported outcomes (PROs) or neurocognitive performance in patients treated with axi-cel. Moreover, no longitudinal PRO study has reported on patients treated with axi-cel as standard of care in the United States, to our knowledge.

Evaluating binding behavior of quercetin to human serum albumin and calf thymus DNA: Insights from molecular dynamics, spectroscopy, and apoptotic pathway regulation.

In this work, we sought to apprehend quercetin binding affinity and its interaction behavior in complex with human serum albumin (HSA) and calf thymus DNA (ctDNA) through multi spectroscopy and molecular dynamics and also evaluated its effects on colorectal cancer. The binding constants of ctDNA-quercetin and HSA-quercetin complexes at 298 K, which were calculated to be (2.67 ± 0.

Evaluation of the drinking water parameters in primary and secondary schools located in the Gaziantep Province Center.

This cross-sectional study aimed to assess the drinking water parameters in primary and secondary schools. A questionnaire encompassing the schools' general characteristics and information about drinking water was administered to school administrators. Drinking water samples were taken from 60 schools to evaluate drinking water parameters.

Differential effects of intrinsic- versus extrinsic-first corrective exercise programs on morphometric outcomes and navicular drop in pediatric flatfoot.

Although the connection between muscular strength and flatfoot condition is well-established, the impact of corrective exercises on these muscles remains inadequately explored. This study aimed to assess the impact of intrinsic- versus extrinsic-first corrective exercise programs on muscle morphometry and navicular drop in boys with flexible flatfoot. Twenty-five boys aged 10-12 with flexible flatfoot participated, undergoing a 12-week corrective exercise program, with a shift in focus at six weeks.

Prostate-specific antigen testing in the United States during 2008-2022 in relation to the US preventive services task force recommendations.

The prevalence of prostate-specific antigen (PSA) testing has consistently fallen for several years. This study explored how the decreasing trend differs by selected variables and reasons for taking the PSA test. Analyses involved men, aged 40 years or older, who completed the Behavior Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) survey in even number years from 2008 through 2022.

Optimizing surgical outcomes in papillary thyroid carcinoma with Hashimoto's Thyroiditis: a retrospective comparative study of unilateral and total thyroidectomy.

The management of papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) concurrent with Hashimoto's thyroiditis (HT) lacks standardized guidelines, especially concerning surgical strategies. This study aimed to compare unilateral thyroidectomy (UT) with total thyroidectomy (TT) in PTC-HT patients to optimize clinical management and improve postoperative outcomes. This retrospective study included PTC-HT patients undergoing thyroid surgery at a tertiary academic medical institution from January 2018 to August 2023.

Bisphenol A concentration in canned fruits and vegetables and their risk assessment using Monte Carlo simulation in Iran.

Bisphenol A (BPA) is a chemical produced in large quantities for use primarily in the production of polycarbonate plastics, which has risks for human health. This study aimed to investigate BPA contents in canned fruit and vegetable samples using Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry (GC-MS). Furthermore, health risks were assessed for Iranian adults and children using Monte Carlo simulations.

Provisional Prosthetic Outcome when Using Photogrammetry for Complete Arch Oral Implants: A Report of 111 Patient Treatments.

Complete arch oral implant treatment using photogrammetry was studied in 77 patients with 111 arches focusing on digitization of clinical records and optimization of the provisional. The aim of the study was to test the hypothesis that patient satisfaction with the provisional prosthesis during the first 4 months of care determined workflow efficiency and success. Digitization of 8 clinical records was done including centric relation, vertical dimension, esthetics, occlusion, inter-arch space, abutment selection, abutment capture, and soft tissue scan.