Monocytes and interstitial macrophages contribute to hypoxic pulmonary hypertension.

Hypoxia is a major cause of pulmonary hypertension (PH) worldwide, and it is likely that interstitial pulmonary macrophages contribute to this vascular pathology. We observed in hypoxia-exposed mice an increase in resident interstitial macrophages, which expanded through proliferation and expressed the monocyte recruitment ligand CCL2. We also observed an increase in CCR2+ macrophages through recruitment, which express the protein thrombospondin-1 that functionally activates TGF-beta to cause vascular disease.

Using Large Language Models to Detect and Understand Drug Discontinuation Events in Web-Based Forums: Development and Validation Study.

Background: The implementation of large language models (LLMs), such as BART (Bidirectional and Auto-Regressive Transformers) and GPT-4, has revolutionized the extraction of insights from unstructured text. These advancements have expanded into health care, allowing analysis of social media for public health insights. However, the detection of drug discontinuation events (DDEs) remains underexplored.

Procedural Prescription Denials and Risk of Acute Care Utilization and Spending Among Medicaid Patients.

Importance: Rising prescription medication costs under Medicaid have led to increased procedural prescription denials by health plans. The effect of unresolved denials on chronic condition exacerbation and subsequent acute care utilization remains unclear.

Objective: To examine whether procedural prescription denials are associated with increased net spending through downstream acute care utilization among Medicaid patients not obtaining prescribed medication following a denial.

Transportation Insecurity, Social Support, and Adherence to Cancer Screening.

Importance: Transportation insecurity and lack of social support are 2 understudied social determinants of health that contribute to excess morbidity, mortality, and acute health care utilization. However, whether and how these social determinants of health are associated with cancer screening has not been determined and has implications for preventive care.

Objective: To determine whether transportation insecurity or social support are associated with screening adherence for colorectal, breast, and cervical cancer.

Adjuvant Atezolizumab for Early Triple-Negative Breast Cancer: The ALEXANDRA/IMpassion030 Randomized Clinical Trial.

Importance: Triple-negative breast cancer is an aggressive subtype with a high incidence in young patients, a high incidence in non-Hispanic Black women, and a high risk of progression to metastatic cancer, a devastating sequela with a 12- to 18-month life expectancy. Until recently, one strategy for treating early-stage triple-negative breast cancer was chemotherapy after surgery. However, it was not known whether the addition of immune therapy to postsurgery chemotherapy would be beneficial.

Exploring melatonin's signalling pathways in the protection against age-related skin deterioration.

Melatonin, renowned for regulating sleep-wake cycles, also exhibits notable anti-aging properties for the skin. Synthesized in the pineal gland and various tissues including the skin, melatonin's efficacy arises from its capacity to combat oxidative stress and shield the skin from ultraviolet (UV)-induced damage. Moreover, it curbs melanin production, thereby potentially ameliorating hyperpigmentation.

Pre-exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP) Awareness and Engagement Among MSM at High Risk of HIV Infection in China: A Multi-City Cross-Sectional Survey.

This study aimed to explore the awareness, willingness, and engagement with pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) among high-risk Chinese men who have sex with men (MSM) and to investigate the factors influencing its use. A cross-sectional survey of 1800 HIV-negative MSM was conducted in Chengdu, Suzhou, and Wuhan between June 2022 and February 2023 through in-person and online recruitment methods. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses were used to identify predictors of PrEP use.

Medications That May be Contributing to Your Patient's Weight Gain.

Nearly 42% of adults in the United States are considered obese. Although there are a number of contributing factors to obesity, one sometimes overlooked contributor to weight gain is medications. Within many classes of medications that may affect weight, the degree of weight gain varies.

Distinct Aggregation Behavior of -Terminally Truncated Aβ Over Aβ in the Presence of Zn(II).

The deposition of amyloid-β (Aβ) aggregates and metal ions within senile plaques is a hallmark of Alzheimer's disease (AD). Among the modifications observed in Aβ peptides, -terminal truncation at Phe4, yielding Aβ, is highly prevalent in AD-affected brains and significantly alters Aβ's metal-binding and aggregation profiles. Despite the abundance of Zn(II) in senile plaques, its impact on the aggregation and toxicity of Aβ remains unexplored.

Coagulation abnormalities following brown recluse spider (Loxosceles reclusa) envenomation: A description of 2 cases and review of the literature.

Objective: Hemostatic abnormalities, including disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC), are often cited as a common finding in patients following Loxosceles spider envenomation (ie, loxoscelism). The prevalence and severity of coagulopathy, however, particularly following L reclusa (ie, brown recluse) envenomation, is not well described. This study aimed to characterize coagulation laboratory parameters and coagulopathy in patients following L reclusa envenomation.

Exploring the Impact of the Multimodal CAPABLE eHealth Intervention on Health-Related Quality of Life in Patients With Melanoma Undergoing Immune-Checkpoint Inhibition: Prospective Pilot Study.

Background: Patients with melanoma receiving immunotherapy with immune-checkpoint inhibitors often experience immune-related adverse events, cancer-related fatigue, and emotional distress, affecting health-related quality of life (HRQoL) and clinical outcome to immunotherapy. eHealth tools can aid patients with cancer in addressing issues, such as adverse events and psychosocial well-being, from various perspectives.

Objective: This study aimed to explore the effect of the Cancer Patients Better Life Experience (CAPABLE) system, accessed through a mobile app, on HRQoL compared with a matched historical control group receiving standard care.

Sickle Cell Trait Does Not Cause "Sickle Cell Crisis" Leading to Exertion-Related Death: A Systematic Review.

Globally, an estimated 300 million individuals have sickle cell trait (SCT), the carrier state for sickle cell disease. While sickle cell disease (SCD) is associated with increased morbidity and shortened lifespan, SCT has a lifespan comparable to that of the general population. However, "sickle cell crisis" has been used as a cause of death for decedents with SCT in reports of exertion-related death in athletes, military personnel, and individuals in police custody.

Management of adhesive small bowel obstruction during pregnancy in the United States.

Background: Adhesive small bowel obstruction (ASBO) is a rare, nonobstetrical abdominal emergency. Optimal management of ASBO during pregnancy remains unknown. This study analyzes management trends and outcomes of pregnant patients with ASBO in the United States.

Ventral Rectopexy: An International Expert Panel Consensus and Review of Contemporary Literature.

Background: Ventral rectopexy has become increasingly utilized in the surgical management of rectal prolapse. There is a need for a contemporary evaluation of the role of the procedure and description of its use in clinical practice.

Objective: To create an international consensus on ventral rectopexy.

Augmenting motion artifacts to enhance auto-contouring of complex structures in cone-beam computed tomography imaging.

. To develop an augmentation method that simulates cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT) related motion artifacts, which can be used to generate training-data to increase the performance of artificial intelligence models dedicated to auto-contouring tasks.The augmentation technique generates data that simulates artifacts typically present in CBCT imaging.

HPV vaccine hesitancy in the United States.

Purpose Of Review: Human papillomavirus (HPV) is the most common STI and accounts for roughly 37 000 HPV-associated cancers annually in the United States. Despite documented safety and effectiveness of the HPV vaccine, vaccination rates should be higher. We summarize literature surrounding vaccine hesitancy, a main reason for suboptimal vaccine coverage.

Challenges and Opportunities of Vision Screening and Refractive Error Management for Underserved Children in the United States.

Uncorrected refractive error is a key cause of childhood visual impairment in the United States. As pediatric vision issues are often asymptomatic, vision screenings are essential to identify children's eye problems. Despite the importance of vision for children's health, well-being, and academic achievement, challenges remain in ensuring that children have equitable access to vision screenings and follow-up eye care.

Modelling a pathological GSX2 variant that selectively alters DNA binding reveals hypomorphic mouse basal ganglia and hindbrain defects.

Gsx2 is a homeodomain transcription factor critical for development of the ventral telencephalon and hindbrain of the mouse. Loss of Gsx2 function results in severe basal ganglia dysgenesis as well as defects in the nucleus tractus solitarius (nTS) of the hindbrain together with respiratory failure at birth. De Mori et al.

Emergent Carotid Stenting During Thrombectomy in Tandem Occlusions Secondary to Dissection: A STOP-CAD Secondary Study.

The optimal endovascular management of cervical carotid dissection causing tandem occlusion remains uncertain. We investigated the impact of emergent carotid stenting during endovascular treatment (EVT) for acute ischemic stroke (AIS) in patients with tandem occlusion secondary to cervical carotid artery dissection. This was a secondary analysis of patients treated with EVT for AIS due to occlusive carotid artery dissection and tandem occlusion included in the retrospective international Antithrombotic Treatment for Stroke Prevention in Cervical Artery Dissection (STOP-CAD) study.

Non-Traumatic Intracranial Hemorrhage and Risk of Incident Dementia in U.S. Medicare Beneficiaries.

To study the risk of incident dementia after a non-traumatic intracranial hemorrhage in a diverse US population, and evaluate if this risk is different for the subtypes of intracranial hemorrhage. We performed a retrospective cohort study using both inpatient and outpatient claims data on Medicare beneficiaries between January 1, 2008 and December 31, 2018. The exposure was a new diagnosis of non-traumatic intracranial hemorrhage, defined as a composite of intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH), subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH), and subdural hemorrhage (SDH).

Transforming Early Stroke Care Through Mobile Stroke Treatment Unit Rendezvous With Rural Emergency Medical Services.

Background: Mobile stroke units, also sometimes called Mobile Stroke Treatment Units (MSTUs) are changing the paradigm of acute stroke care and are considered to be an extension of the time is brain concept. Of the <20 active Mobile Stroke Programs in the United States, most are rooted in urban settings. In July 2023, the first MSTU in Florida was launched in Alachua County, implementing a unique and innovative rendezvous process with rural emergency medical services (EMS).

Validation of a Novel MRI Biomarker of Infarct Severity to Predict Functional Outcome After Endovascular Thrombectomy.

Endovascular thrombectomy (EVT) dramatically improves clinical outcomes, but the final infarct volume (FIV) on MRI only accounts for a minority of the treatment effect. An imaging biomarker that more strongly correlates with post-EVT functional outcome would be helpful for clinical prognosis and serve as a surrogate outcome measure in trials of EVT-adjuvant therapies. Here, we aimed to validate a novel MRI-based metric, infarct density, which leverages post-EVT apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) as a marker of infarct severity.

Impaired Resting State Functional Connectivity in CADASIL Mutant Mice.

Cerebral autosomal-dominant arteriopathy, subcortical infarcts, and leukoencephalopathy (CADASIL) is the most prevalent monogenic inherited cause of cerebral small-vessel disease. Despite its prevalence, there is currently no proven therapy to prevent or reverse the progression of the disease. This study aimed to characterize the functional integrity of long white matter tracts in CADASIL transgenic mice, both with and without focal white matter lesions in the corpus callosum added on, utilizing optical resting-state functional connectivity imaging alongside behavioral examinations.

Ten-Year Trends in Last Known Well to Arrival Time in Acute Ischemic Stroke Patients: 2014 to 2023.

Background: Many national initiatives focus on promoting early hospital arrival of patients with acute ischemic stroke (AIS) because treatment effectiveness is time-dependent. However, several studies reported time-delays in hospital arrival, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic. Our purpose was to evaluate the 10-year trends in last known well to arrival (LKWA) time and assess disparities in patients with AIS.