Considerations for tactile perceptual assessments: impact of arm dominance, nerve, location, and sex in young and older adults.

Purpose: Intact tactile perception is essential to successfully interact with objects. While tactile examinations exist for capturing tactile impairments, recent investigations underscore that these examinations remain insufficient, particularly for adults following a neurological injury. To inform the design of improved tactile assessments, this study comprehensively captures factors that can influence tactile perception in young and older adults who are neurologically intact.

Are racial and ethnic disparities in brachial plexus birth injuries explained by known risk factors?

Objective: To investigate the association of maternal race/ethnicity with risk factors for brachial plexus birth injury (BPBI) and quantify the proportion of excess BPBI risk due to these factors.

Study Design: This retrospective cohort study of all livebirths occurring in California-licensed hospitals from 1996-2012 included 6,278,562 maternal-livebirth infant pairs with 7762 BPBI diagnoses. Multiple logistic regression and causal mediation analyses were used to evaluate the relationship of race/ethnicity and BPBI risk factors.

A MEMS seismometer respiratory monitor for work of breathing assessment and adventitious lung sounds detection via deep learning.

Physicians evaluate a patient's respiratory health during a physical examination by visual assessment of the work of breathing (WoB) to determine respiratory stability, and by detecting abnormal lung sounds via lung auscultation using a stethoscope to identify common pathological lung diseases, such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and pneumonia. Since these assessment methods are subjective, a low-profile device used for an accurate and quantitative monitoring approach could provide valuable preemptive insights into respiratory health, proving to be clinically beneficial. To achieve this goal, we have developed a miniature patch consisting of a sensitive wideband multi-axis seismometer that can be placed on the anatomical areas of a patient's lungs to enable an effective quantification of a patient's WoB and lung sounds.

A high-performance extracellular field potential analyzer for iPSC-derived cardiomyocytes.

Induced pluripotent stem cell-derived cardiomyocytes (iPSC-CMs) have emerged as a pivotal model for research. Specialized devices can generate Extracellular Field Potential (EFP) measurements from these cells, analogous to the ventricular complex of the electrocardiogram. However, electrophysiological analysis can be complex and requires specialized expertise, posing a barrier to broader adoption in non-specialized labs.

A galactose-based auto-expression system improves T7-inducible protein production in Escherichia coli.

Protein production using Escherichia coli is a cornerstone of modern biotechnology. In this study, we developed a novel auto-expression medium to maximize protein production. Each E.

Robust control of a compliant manipulator with reduced dynamics and sliding perturbation observer.

Compliant manipulators equipped with Variable Stiffness Actuation (VSA) possess the ability to safely interact with their environment and adapt to complex tasks. However, the tracking performance of such manipulators is significantly influenced by their intrinsic compliance and varying stiffness. This paper presents a robust control strategy for compliant manipulators equipped with Discrete Variable Stiffness Actuation (DVSA), aimed at enhancing tracking performance under both fixed and varying stiffness conditions.

Cerebellar output shapes cortical preparatory activity during motor adaptation.

The cerebellum plays a key role in motor adaptation by driving trial-to-trial recalibration of movements based on previous errors. In primates, cortical correlates of adaptation are encoded already in the pre-movement motor plan, but these early cortical signals could be driven by a cerebellar-to-cortical information flow or evolve independently through intracortical mechanisms. To address this question, we trained female macaque monkeys to reach against a viscous force field (FF) while blocking cerebellar outflow.

Prioritizing involuntary immobility in climate policy and disaster planning.

Globally, populations are increasingly located in areas at high risk of climate change impacts. Some populations lack the agency to move out of harm's way, leading to involuntary immobility. The climate risks these populations face are insufficiently addressed in climate policy and disaster planning.

Crohn's Disease-associated variant in laccase domain containing 1 (LACC1) modulates T cell gene expression, metabolism and T cell function.

Genome wide association studies (GWAS) identify many risks for Crohn's disease (CD), including a site near the metabolism gene laccase domain containing 1 (LACC1). We previously found this site near LACC1 was associated with decreased LACC1 expression in T lymphocytes, yet the mechanism affecting gene expression and its links to T cell function and inflammatory disease were unknown. Here we identify variants in the promoter region that influence transcription of LACC1.

B(RAIN)-BRAIN integrated Resource for Anatomy and Intracranial Neurophysiology.

The Brain Integrated Resource for Human Anatomy and Intracranial Neurophysiology (B(RAIN)) is a multi-center data resource that provides standardized imaging and intracranial neurophysiological data from patients who have undergone deep brain stimulation (DBS) implantation with intracranial electroencephalography (iEEG) recordings. The database includes patients' electrophysiological recordings from the cerebral cortex and deeper brain structures, alongside high-resolution neurological imaging scans taken at preoperative, intraoperative, and postoperative stages. The data are systematically organized using the Brain Imaging Data Structure (BIDS) format for imaging data and iEEG-BIDS for intracranial electrophysiological recordings.

Reprogramming aerobic metabolism mitigates Streptococcus pyogenes tissue damage in a mouse necrotizing skin infection model.

Disease tolerance is a host response to infection that limits collateral damage to host tissues while having a neutral effect on pathogen fitness. Previously, we found that the pathogenic lactic acid bacterium Streptococcus pyogenes manipulates disease tolerance using its aerobic mixed-acid fermentation pathway via the enzyme pyruvate dehydrogenase, but the microbe-derived molecules that mediate communication with the host's disease tolerance pathways remain elusive. Here we show in a murine model that aerobic mixed-acid fermentation inhibits the accumulation of inflammatory cells including neutrophils and macrophages, reduces the immunosuppressive cytokine interleukin-10, and delays bacterial clearance and wound healing.

A joint effort: Evaluating the quality and readability of online resources relating to total hip arthroplasty.

Background: The internet serves as a major source of information for patients undergoing total hip arthroplasty (THA). However, prior research has shown that online medical information often exceeds recommended readability levels, posing a barrier to patient comprehension. The average reading level in the United States is between 7th and 8th grade, while leading health organizations recommend that patient information not exceed a 6th-grade level.

Patient Safety Event Risk and Language Barriers: A Scoping Review.

Patients who experience language barriers (LBs) may be at risk for patient safety events (PSEs). We conducted a scoping review of the literature to understand the risk for and type of PSEs in those who experience LBs. We searched PubMed, Web of Science, and Embase in October 2023.

A longitudinal curriculum to teach and assess empathy within the doctor of pharmacy curriculum.

Objective: The purpose of this study is to assess changes in empathy throughout a Doctor of Pharmacy (PharmD) program using a self-assessment tool and assessment by standardized patients (SPs).

Methods: This study was conducted over the course of a three-year, accelerated PharmD curriculum. Students participated in a series of educational interventions focused on empathy development within the didactic curriculum.

Improving cultural humility in pharmacy education: A focus on diabetes management during religious fasting.

Background: Cultural humility is an increasingly important focus of healthcare education, aiming to equip students with the tools they need to provide care to diverse groups of people. There is a growing need for healthcare providers to understand Islamic religious practices that influence heath decision-making, especially religious fasting during Ramadan. However, there are limited efforts in pharmacy curriculums to address this.

Trends and outcomes associated with cancer diagnoses during delivery hospitalizations.

Pregnancy associated cancer is fortunately rare. However, cancer risk is age related, and the proportion of births to older women in the United States appears to be increasing. As a result of delayed childbearing and better detection, cancer may be increasing in the obstetric population.

Immune checkpoint inhibitors and pregnancy: Considerations for treating medically complex patients with the best available therapy.

In recent decades, the mean age of childbearing has increased in the United States and other developed countries, coinciding with a rise in cancer diagnoses during pregnancy. This trend is partly due to the increased use of assisted reproductive technologies and a decrease in the mean age of cancer onset for several malignancies. Concurrently, immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) have become a standard treatment for various cancers, yet their safety during pregnancy remains under-researched.

Obstetric and perinatal management in the setting of cancer.

Obstetric care for patients with cancer diagnoses during pregnancy is medically and ethically complex, and limited prospective data and national guidelines are available to guide care. Guiding principles for treatment are to optimize maternal outcomes while minimizing neonatal morbidity. Oncologic work- up and management are dependent on the trimester of diagnosis, and are specific to the type, stage, and grade of the oncologic diagnosis.

Ovarian cancer in pregnancy.

Objective: The objective of this manuscript is to review the epidemiology, diagnosis, treatment and outcomes of ovarian cancers diagnosed during pregnancy.

Finding: Ovarian cancer in pregnancy, although rare, is more likely to be diagnosed early during pregnancy due to the increased use of high resolution ultrasound. Treatment will depend on a multidisciplinary team.

Delays in Tocilizumab Therapy for Patients With Giant Cell Arteritis in the United States.

Objective: Despite the high risk for permanent vision loss in elderly individuals with giant cell arteritis (GCA), initiation of subcutaneous tocilizumab (TCZ) is often delayed. We used chart review for GCA patients prescribed subcutaneous TCZ to investigate delays in drug initiation.

Methods: We included 82 patients with GCA at the University of Washington prescribed subcutaneous TCZ between 2017 and 2024.

An Artificial Intelligence-Informed Proof of Concept Model for an Ecological Framework of Healthy Longevity Forcing Factors in the United States.

Unhealthy lifestyle behaviors are a doorway to downstream health consequences characterized by the following: 1) poor quality of life and diminished mobility; 2) increased likelihood of chronic disease risk factors and diagnoses; and, ultimately, 3) a shorter lifespan and healthspan. The aim of the current study is to assess if an ecological framework can predict U.S.

Non-invasive MRI measurements of age-dependent in vivo human glymphatic exchange using magnetization transfer spin labeling.

Background: The water exchange between brain parenchyma and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) is considered to be responsible for glymphatic clearance of solutes and metabolic wastes from the brain, including amyloid-β, a biomarker in neurodegeneration. Despite the potential significance, no noninvasive technique for in vivo measurement of parenchyma-CSF water exchange has been demonstrated in humans, capable of investigating age-related changes in glymphatic clearance.

Purpose: To demonstrate a noninvasive, translatable MRI technique capable of measuring glymphatic water exchange in humans and to apply this technique to examine age-related changes in the glymphatic exchange measures in healthy subjects.

Geospatial Accessibility to Pediatric Resources according to Child Opportunity, Race/Ethnic Composition and Urbanicity.

Objectives: We analyze drive times to pediatric inpatient and intensive care services in the U.S. according to Child Opportunity Index (COI), racial/ethnic composition, and urbanicity.