Healthcare Resource Utilization Among Patients With Generalized Pustular Psoriasis: The Impact of Flares and Disease Severity.

Background: Generalized pustular psoriasis (GPP) is a rare, chronic, often unpredictable, severe multisystemic autoinflammatory skin disease from which patients can experience flares, episodes of widespread eruptions of painful, sterile pustules often accompanied by systemic symptoms. The impact of GPP flares and underlying GPP severity on the healthcare resource utilization (HCRU) is not well characterized.

Objective: To quantify HCRU among US GPP patients by flare status and underlying severity.

Liver fibrosis classification on trichrome histology slides using weakly supervised learning in children and young adults.

Background: Traditional liver fibrosis staging via percutaneous biopsy suffers from sampling bias and variable inter-pathologist agreement, highlighting the need for more objective techniques. Deep learning models for disease staging from medical images have shown potential to decrease diagnostic variability, with recent weakly supervised learning strategies showing promising results even with limited manual annotation.

Purpose: To study the clustering-constrained attention multiple instance learning (CLAM) approach for staging liver fibrosis on trichrome whole slide images (WSIs) of children and young adults.

Meta-omics reveals role of photosynthesis in microbially induced carbonate precipitation at a CO-rich geyser.

Microbially induced carbonate precipitation (MICP) is a natural process with potential biotechnological applications to address both carbon sequestration and sustainable construction needs. However, our understanding of the microbial processes involved in MICP is limited to a few well-researched pathways such as ureolytic hydrolysis. To expand our knowledge of MICP, we conducted an omics-based study on sedimentary communities from travertine around the CO-driven Crystal Geyser near Green River, Utah.

Long-term outcomes and resource Utilization related to upper extremity off-roading vehicle injuries.

Purpose: We aim to evaluate outcomes after off-roading injuries to determine their impact on patients' pain and function. Further, we aim to evaluate the burden on the healthcare system that result from these injuries.

Methods: Patients treated surgically for an off-roading injury at a single tertiary academic center completed surveys about their current level of upper extremity pain and function using QuickDASH and VAS-Pain scores.

Fluoroscopy-guided guidewire-assisted technique for difficult removal of a peripherally inserted central venous catheter (PICC) in children: a report of three cases and literature review.

Background: In general, it is relatively easy to remove peripherally inserted central venous catheter (PICC) by gentle traction without any complications. However, the removal of PICC can be challenging occasionally. If the standard interventions fail to remove the catheter, there are no clear recommendations about what to do.

Your Brain's "Save" Button: The Amygdala.

Do you ever wonder why you remember some experiences better than others? Why you remember that funny joke your friend told at lunch a few months ago or the scary snake you saw in your backyard, but not that time you went to the post office with your parents? Just like a computer has a save button, our brains do, too! When something scary, exciting, or strange happens, a small part of the brain, the amygdala, helps us click save on that event so we can remember it later. Decades of research have helped scientists understand what parts of the brain are important for memory and how the amygdala works with other brain regions to tag experiences as worth remembering. This research is important for understanding how memories are formed and can help us create new therapies for people with memory problems, who have trouble forming new memories and remembering past experiences.

Nitric oxide as integral element in priming- induced tolerance and plant stress memory.

The beneficial effects of priming technology are aimed at the promotion of growth and development and stress tolerance in plants. Different seed pre-treatment and vegetative priming approaches (osmo-, chemical, physical, hormonal, redox treatments) increase the level of nitric oxide (NO) being an active contributor to growth regulation and defence responses. On the other hand, seed pre-treatment or vegetative priming mainly with the NO donor, sodium nitroprusside (SNP) helps to mitigate different abiotic stresses like salinity, cold, drought, excess metals.

Changes in HER2 Amplification Status for Breast Cancer Patients After Immunohistochemistry Directed In Situ Hybridization.

The 2018 ASCO/CAP guidelines for HER2 testing for breast cancer implemented the addition of immunohistochemistry (IHC) directed in situ hybridization (ISH) recount to resolve equivocal results. The implementation of an additional 2+ IHC-directed ISH recount adds additional complexity to the testing workflow for an unclear impact on HER2 results. A retrospective review of all equivocal ISH cases (groups 2, 3, and 4) that underwent 2+ IHC-directed ISH, since the 2018 guidelines, which were finalized as either amplified or not amplified, was performed.

Cryo-EM SPR structures of Salmonella typhimurium ArnC; the key enzyme in lipid-A modification conferring polymyxin resistance.

Polymyxins are last-resort antimicrobial peptides administered clinically against multi-drug resistant bacteria, specifically in the case of Gram-negative species. However, an increasing number of these pathogens employ a defense strategy that involves a relay of enzymes encoded by the pmrE (ugd) loci and the arnBCDTEF operon. The pathway modifies the lipid-A component of the outer membrane (OM) lipopolysaccharide (LPS) by adding a 4-amino-4-deoxy-l-arabinose (L-Ara4N) headgroup, which renders polymyxins ineffective.

Evaluating solar power plant sites using integrated GIS and MCDM methods: a case study in Kermanshah Province.

This study utilizes an integrated Geographic Information System (GIS)-based Multi-Criteria Decision-Making (MCDM) approach to perform Solar Power Plant Site Selection (SPPSS) in Kermanshah Province, Iran. It introduces a novel group weighting method, the Dempster-based Best-Worst Method (DBWM), which combines weights vectors derived from experts' opinions. The study also conducts a comprehensive sensitivity analysis comparing four GIS-based models for SPPSS.

Induction of IMPDH-Based Cytoophidia by a Probable IMP-Dependent ARL13B-IMPDH Interaction.

Inosine Monophosphate Dehydrogenase (IMPDH) catalyzes rate-limiting step of the reaction converting inosine monophosphate (IMP) to guanine nucleotides. IMPDH is up-regulated in the healthy proliferating cells and also in tumor cells to meet their elevated demand for guanine nucleotides. An exclusive regulatory mechanism for this enzyme is filamentation, through which IMPDH can resist allosteric inhibition by the end product, GTP.

Dose measurements with the Pille-ISS thermoluminescent dosimeter system during extravehicular activities (2004-2022).

One of the most problematic goals for radiation safety during spaceflight is an assessment of additional doses received by astronauts during extravehicular activity (EVA). The Pille-ISS thermoluminescent dosimeter developed by the predecessor of the Hungarian Research Network (HUN-REN) Centre for Energy Research (Budapest, Hungary) is designed for the routine dose measurements not only inside the spacecraft compartments, but also for personal dosimetric control for EVA. During almost two decades of the International Space Station (ISS) operation, the unique set of 131 EVA doses were recorded in different conditions, such as: solar activity, ISS trajectory along the South Atlantic Anomaly (SAA), and shielding conditions provided by two kinds of spacesuits: the Extravehicular Mobility Unit (EMU) and Orlan.

Volume-Outcome Relationship of Norwood Procedures: Insights from the National Pediatric Cardiology - Quality Improvement Collaborative Database.

Background: Prior investigations of the center-specific case volume on outcomes in hypoplastic left heart syndrome have conflicting results. This study utilized the National Pediatric Cardiology Quality Improvement Collaborative (NPC-QIC) registry to investigate the center volume-outcome relationship in patients following the Norwood procedure with consideration of pre-operative high-risk features.

Methods: Between 2016 and 2023, centers were categorized by Norwood procedure volume into low (≤ 5 cases/year), medium (6 to 10 cases/year), and high-volume centers (> 10 cases/year).

The Society of Thoracic Surgeons National Intermacs Database Risk Model for Durable Left Ventricular Assist Device Implantation.

Background: Statistical risk models for durable left ventricular assist device (LVAD) implantation inform candidate selection, quality improvement, and evaluation of provider performance. We developed a 90-day mortality risk model utilizing The Society of Thoracic Surgeons National Intermacs Database (STS Intermacs).

Methods: STS Intermacs was queried for primary durable LVAD implants from 1/ 2019 - 9/2023.

Chitosan-based Schiff base polymer derived from acetyl triazolyl uracil: Synthesis, characterization, evaluation of antimicrobial and antioxidant activities, and density functional theory calculations.

This work aimed to synthesize a new acetyl triazolyl uracil (UT) compound and subsequently utilize it to obtain a new chitosan-based Schiff base polymer (CH-UT). The new derivative was characterized using elemental analysis, FTIR, HNMR, XRD, TGA, DSC, and SEM analyses. Both UT and CH-UT were evaluated for their antibacterial activities against various Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria.

Transmitted HIV-1 Drug Resistance in Estonian Residents and Ukrainian Refugees in 2020 and 2022.

Objectives: We investigated the prevalence of drug resistance mutations (DRMs) in individuals newly diagnosed with HIV-1 in Estonia in 2020 and 2022, and in Ukrainian war refugees living with HIV who arrived in Estonia in 2022.

Methods: HIV-1 genomic RNA was sequenced in protease-reverse transcriptase and integrase regions. DRMs were determined separately by Stanford University CPR Tool and HIVdb Program.

Global impact of 10- and 13-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccines on pneumococcal meningitis in all ages: the PSERENADE project.

Background: Pneumococcal conjugate vaccines (PCVs) introduced in childhood national immunization programs lowered vaccine-type invasive pneumococcal disease (IPD), but replacement with non-vaccine-types persisted throughout the PCV10/13 follow-up period. We assessed PCV10/13 impact on pneumococcal meningitis incidence globally.

Methods: The number of cases with serotyped pneumococci detected in cerebrospinal fluid and population denominators were obtained from surveillance sites globally.

Managed honey bees, Apis mellifera (Hymenoptera: Apidae), face greater risk from parasites and pathogens than mosquito control insecticide applications.

As the primary pollinator for many crops, honey bees (Apis mellifera) are critically important to food production and the agricultural economy. Adult mosquito control is often suspected by the public and commercial beekeepers to harm honey bees, creating conflicts between industries. To investigate this matter, a two-year field study was conducted on vegetated wetlands in Salt Lake City, Utah, U.

A comparative life cycle analysis of bioremediation approaches for old-aged petroleum pollution in hypersaline soil.

Soil oil pollution is a major environmental issue, especially in oil-producing nations, as it threatens the health of plants, animals, and humans. While bioremediation has been extensively utilized as a cost-effective method for restoring oil-contaminated soil, its environmental impact has garnered relatively little attention. Researchers often concentrate on reducing pollutant concentrations below permissible limits to restore soil quality.

The spatial landscape of cancer hallmarks reveals patterns of tumor ecological dynamics and drug sensitivity.

Tumors are complex ecosystems of interacting cell types. The concept of cancer hallmarks distills this complexity into underlying principles that govern tumor growth. Here, we explore the spatial distribution of cancer hallmarks across 63 primary untreated tumors from 10 cancer types using spatial transcriptomics.

Comparing the Effects of Square, 4-7-8, and 6 Breaths-per-Minute Breathing Conditions on Heart Rate Variability, CO Levels, and Mood.

Square and 4-7-8 breathing are popularly promoted by psychotherapists but have little empirical support. We hypothesized that breathing at 6 breaths per minute (bpm) would improve HRV, reduce blood pressure, and improve mood more than either square or 4-7-8 breathing. We also hypothesized square and 4-7-8 breathing would increase end-tidal CO (PETCO).

The Role of Imaging in Pulmonary Vascular Disease: The Clinician's Perspective.

Pulmonary vascular diseases, particularly when accompanied by pulmonary hypertension, are complex disorders often requiring multimodal imaging for diagnosis and monitoring. Echocardiography is the primary screening tool for pulmonary hypertension, while cardiac MR imaging (CMR) is used for more detailed characterization and risk stratification in right ventricular failure. Chest computed tomography (CT) is used to detect vascular anomalies and parenchymal lung diseases.