Pedicle Screw Pull-Out Strength Between the Jamshidi Needle and Pedicle Probe Techniques in an Osteoporotic Cancellous Bone Model: A Biomechanical Study.

Introduction Spinal fusion surgery with pedicle screws is commonly performed to stabilize the spine of osteoporotic patients. However, securing a strong screw fixation in osteoporotic bone presents significant challenges due to the reduced bone density. This study aimed to compare the biomechanical performance in an osteoporotic bone model of pedicle screws inserted using two different techniques, the Jamshidi needle technique and the pedicle probe technique, as well as the influence of tapping on both these techniques.

Exploring Public Interest in Multiple Sclerosis and Its Treatment Measures in the United States: A Google Trends Analysis.

Introduction Multiple sclerosis (MS) afflicts over 2.8 million individuals worldwide and is a leading cause of neurological impairment in young adults. This study investigates the public interest in MS and its treatment options in the United States over the past decade, utilizing Google Trends data.

E-cigarettes and arterial health: A review of the link between vaping and atherosclerosis progression.

Recent studies have suggested an evolving understanding of the association between vaping, specifically electronic cigarette (e-cigarette) use, and the progression of atherosclerosis, a significant contributor to cardiovascular disease. Despite the prevailing perception of vaping as a safer alternative to traditional tobacco smoking, accumulating evidence suggests that the aerosols emitted by e-cigarettes contain harmful constituents that may promote endothelial dysfunction, oxidative stress, inflammation, and dyslipidemia-key mechanisms implicated in atherosclerosis pathogenesis. While past research, including experimental studies and clinical investigations, has shed light on the potential cardiovascular risks associated with vaping, gaps in knowledge persist.

Inert splint-driven oligonucleotide assembly.

In this study, we introduce a new method for oligonucleotide fragment assembly. Unlike polymerase chain assembly and ligase chain assembly that rely on short, highly purified oligonucleotides, our method, named , uses a one-tube, splint-driven assembly reaction. Splynthesis connects standard-desalted "contig" oligos (∼150 nt in length) via shorter "splint" oligos harboring 5' and 3' blocking modifications to prevent off-target ligation and amplification events.

Disparities in PrEP use and unmet need across PEPFAR-supported programs: doubling down on prevention to put people first and end AIDS as a public health threat by 2030.

Background: In 2023, an estimated 1.3 million people newly acquired HIV. In the same year, 3.

Self-Management of Kidney Transplant Recipients Research: A Comprehensive Bibliometric Analysis.

Objective: This study analyzes research trends in self-management among kidney transplant recipients to inform future directions.

Methods: Bibliometric analysis was performed on 444 English articles related to self-management of kidney transplant recipients in the Core Collection of Web of Science and Scopus databases using COOC 12.8, R software, Microsoft Excel 2019, VOSviewer, and CiteSpace, with a focus on citation ranking, publication year, journal, country, organization, author, impact factor, and keywords.

Using Data-Science Approaches to Unravel Insights for Enhanced Transport of Lithium Ions in Single-Ion Conducting Polymer Electrolytes.

Solid polymer electrolytes have yet to achieve the desired ionic conductivity (>1 mS/cm) near room temperature required for many applications. This target implies the need to reduce the effective energy barriers for ion transport in polymer electrolytes to around 20 kJ/mol. In this work, we combine information extracted from existing experimental results with theoretical calculations to provide insights into ion transport in single-ion conductors (SICs) with a focus on lithium ion SICs.

Electrochemically-Formed Disordered Rock Salt ω-Li VMoO as a Fast-Charging Li-Ion Electrode Material.

Electrochemically-formed disordered rock salt compounds are an emerging class of Li-ion electrode materials for fast-charging energy storage. However, the specific factors that govern the formation process and the resulting charge storage performance are not well understood. Here, we characterize the transformation mechanism and charge storage properties of an electrochemically-formed disordered rock salt from VMoO (VMO).

Performance of Conditional Random Forest and Regression Models at Predicting Human Fecal Contamination of Produce Irrigation Ponds in the Southeastern United States.

Irrigating fresh produce with contaminated water contributes to the burden of foodborne illness. Identifying fecal contamination of irrigation waters and characterizing fecal sources and associated environmental factors can help inform fresh produce safety and health hazard management. Using two previously collected data sets, we developed and evaluated the performance of logistic regression and conditional random forest models for predicting general and human-specific fecal contamination of ponds in southwest Georgia used for fresh produce irrigation.

Investigating proactive aggression in patients with borderline personality disorder and major depressive disorder using a modified version of the Taylor aggression paradigm.

Introduction: Inappropriate reactive (provoked) aggression is common in various psychiatric disorders, including Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) and, to a lesser extent, Major Depressive Disorder (MDD). Less is known about proactive (unprovoked) aggression in these patients, with mixed findings in the literature. Drawing from the current evidence, we expect higher trait aggression in both patient groups and higher behavioral proactive aggression and physiological arousal in patients with BPD compared to both MDD and healthy participants (HC).

Facing the fear: a narrative review on the potential of pressure training in music.

Music performance anxiety (MPA) is one of the most reported psychological problems among musicians, posing a significant threat to the optimal performance, health, and psychological wellbeing of musicians. Most research on MPA treatment has focused on reducing symptoms of performance anxiety, but complete "cures" are uncommon. A promising addition or alternative that may help musicians enhance their performance under pressure, despite their anxiety, is pressure training (PT).

Building happier bonds: gratitude as a mediator between dyadic coping and relationship satisfaction in romantic couples.

Introduction: Gratitude has been found to be relevant for relational well-being, and there has been ongoing interest in uncovering the mechanisms by which gratitude functions in interpersonal relationships. Only recently, gratitude has been studied within the context of dyadic coping-the interpersonal process of how partners communicate their stress, support each other during stressful times, and jointly cope with stress-in romantic couples. Drawing up on theoretical models on the functions of gratitude within close relationships and previous research, we aimed to advance this line of research and examined the potential mediating role of gratitude between dyadic coping and relationship satisfaction applying a dyadic perspective.

Genome Sequence of the Bacteriophage Eugenia.

We report the discovery and genome sequence of mycobacteriophage Eugenia, isolated from soil samples collected in Akron, OH. Eugenia is a double-stranded DNA virus with a genome size of 69,139 bp, featuring 104 predicted protein-encoding genes, with 32 of these genes assigned putative functions.

Closing the Gap: Approaches to Improving Colorectal Surgery Care for the Uninsured and Underinsured.

Health insurance plays a critical role in access to and delivery of health care in the United States. As the only industrialized nation without universal health coverage, Americans without adequate insurance (i.e.

Serving Those Who Served: Enhancing Colorectal Surgery Care for Veterans.

The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is the largest provider of integrated health care services in the United States and its mission is to honor veterans by providing timely, effective, and high-quality health care that improves individuals' health and functionality. The VA provides comprehensive primary and specialty care, including colorectal surgery services, to eligible veterans who suffer from a disproportionately high burden of medical comorbidities and often belong to vulnerable populations, including individuals of low socioeconomic status, those who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and questioning, racial minorities, and those suffering from severe mental health illness. There are many challenges to caring for a population of veterans with benign and malignant colorectal disease due to both patient and system level factors.

Efficacy of avilamycin on the incidence and severity of diarrhea associated with pathogenic and the subsequent growth performance of nursery pigs.

A total of 3,329 commercial crossbred barrows and gilts were used to compare the efficacy of avilamycin on incidence and severity of diarrhea and growth performance of pigs naturally infected with . An incomplete block design was used with a 2 × 4 factorial arrangement of treatments: 1) Stocking density (Single: 0.67 sq.

Comprehensive list of preventative migraine headache medications without significant drug-drug interactions.

Background/objective: Preventive medications are crucial in migraine prevention. In cases of refractory migraine headaches, multiple medications may be required. We seek to identify a comprehensive list of preventive migraine headache medications that can be used as two, three, and four drug combinations without drug-drug interactions.

Vagus nerve stimulation: a physical therapy with promising potential for central nervous system disorders.

The diseases of the central nervous system (CNS) often cause irreversible damage to the human body and have a poor prognosis, posing a significant threat to human health. They have brought enormous burdens to society and healthcare systems. However, due to the complexity of their causes and mechanisms, effective treatment methods are still lacking.

Need for and update on clinical trials for uncomplicated type B aortic dissection.

The mainstay of management for uncomplicated type B aortic dissection is currently optimal medical therapy, targeting blood pressure and heart rate, along with serial imaging. There is a paucity of data that informs whether early intervention with thoracic endografting in this group of patients will promote aortic remodeling and better long-term outcomes. Investigations to date, including the Investigation of Stent Grafts in Aortic Dissection (INSTEAD), INSTEAD-XL, and Acute Dissection: Stent Graft or Best Medical Therapy (ADSORB) studies, have compared thoracic endovascular aortic repair (TEVAR) with optimal medical therapy in patients with uncomplicated type B aortic dissection but have not shown a benefit for TEVAR conclusively.

Special Section Guest Editorial: Introduction to the JMI Special Section on Augmented and Virtual Reality in Medical Imaging.

The editorial introduces the JMI Special Section on Augmented and Virtual Reality in Medical Imaging.

Impact of retraining and data partitions on the generalizability of a deep learning model in the task of COVID-19 classification on chest radiographs.

Purpose: This study aimed to investigate the impact of different model retraining schemes and data partitioning on model performance in the task of COVID-19 classification on standard chest radiographs (CXRs), in the context of model generalizability.

Approach: Two datasets from the same institution were used: Set A (9860 patients, collected from 02/20/2020 to 02/03/2021) and Set B (5893 patients, collected from 03/15/2020 to 01/01/2022). An original deep learning (DL) model trained and tested in the task of COVID-19 classification using the initial partition of Set A achieved an area under the curve (AUC) value of 0.

Applications of mixed reality with medical imaging for training and clinical practice.

Purpose: This review summarizes the current use of extended reality (XR) including virtual reality (VR), mixed reality, and augmented reality (AR) in the medical field, ranging from medical imaging to training to preoperative planning. It covers the integration of these technologies into clinical practice and within medical training while discussing the challenges and future opportunities in this sphere. This will hopefully encourage more physicians to collaborate on integrating medicine and technology.

Definition of a disability weight for human exposure to ionizing radiation and its application to the justification of medical exposure.

Objectives: To establish a link between radiation dosimetry and disability-adjusted life-years (DALY) with the aim of quantifying the justification of medical exposures.

Methods: The health detriment, defined as lifetime loss of DALY at age of exposure to ionizing radiation for a US-European population was calculated. A simple model of the relationship was fitted to the results.

Current landscape of paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinuria in the era of complement inhibitors and regulators.

Paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinuria (PNH) is a rare blood disorder which is caused by mutations in phosphatidylinositol glycan class A leading to hemolysis of red blood cells via complement inhibition. The first treatment for PNH, eculizumab, was FDA approved in 2007. Since then, many new treatment options for PNH have arisen.