Cutting through the noise: A narrative review of Alzheimer's disease plasma biomarkers for routine clinical use.

As novel, anti-amyloid therapies have become more widely available, access to timely and accurate diagnosis has become integral to ensuring optimal treatment of patients with early-stage Alzheimer's disease (AD). Plasma biomarkers are a promising tool for identifying AD pathology; however, several technical and clinical factors need to be considered prior to their implementation in routine clinical use. Given the rapid pace of advancements in the field and the wide array of available biomarkers and tests, this review aims to summarize these considerations, evaluate available platforms, and discuss the steps needed to bring plasma biomarker testing to the clinic.

Exploring the Maximum Potential of Initiating Ability in Metal-Free Primary Explosives.

Lead azide (LA) is a widely utilized primary explosive, serving as the initiating charge in blasting caps or detonators to start the detonation process of secondary explosives. The toxicity and environmental concerns associated with LA have led to regulatory restrictions and increased scrutiny, prompting the search for lead-free alternatives. LA is highly sensitive toward heat, shock, or friction, which poses safety challenges during manufacturing, handling, and storage.

An experimental test of eco-evolutionary dynamics on rocky shores.

A growing body of theoretical studies and laboratory experiments has focused attention on reciprocal feedbacks between ecological and evolutionary processes. However, uncertainty remains about whether such eco-evolutionary feedbacks have an important or negligible influence on natural communities. Thus, recent discussions call for field experiments that explore whether selection on phenotypic variation within populations leads to contemporaneous effects on community dynamics.

Penalized G-estimation for effect modifier selection in a structural nested mean model for repeated outcomes.

Effect modification occurs when the impact of the treatment on an outcome varies based on the levels of other covariates known as effect modifiers. Modeling these effect differences is important for etiological goals and for purposes of optimizing treatment. Structural nested mean models (SNMMs) are useful causal models for estimating the potentially heterogeneous effect of a time-varying exposure on the mean of an outcome in the presence of time-varying confounding.

OPTO: Automated Optimization for Solid-State NMR Spectroscopy.

NMR spectroscopy presents boundless opportunities for understanding the structure, dynamics, and function for a broad range of scientific applications. Solid-state NMR (SSNMR), in particular, provides novel insights into biological and material systems that are not amenable to other approaches. However, a major bottleneck is the extent of user training and the difficulty of obtaining reproducible, high-quality experimental results, especially for the sophisticated multidimensional pulse sequences that are essential to provide site-resolved measurements in large biomolecules.

Leveraging descriptor learning and functional map-based shape matching for automated anatomical Landmarking in mouse mandibles.

Geometric morphometrics is used in the biological sciences to quantify morphological traits. However, the need for manual landmark placement hampers scalability, which is both time-consuming, labor-intensive, and open to human error. The selected landmarks embody a specific hypothesis regarding the critical geometry relevant to the biological question.

Seeking Care for Obsessive-Compulsive Symptoms Among African Americans: Findings From the National Survey of American Life.

Although obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is associated with clinically significant distress, many OCD patients do not seek treatment. Studies show that Black Americans with OCD are even less likely to obtain treatment due to differences in access. This study explored demographic and symptom outcomes associated with mental health service use for obsessions and compulsions among a nationally representative sample of African American adults (n = 3,570).

Ex-vivo lung perfusion: National trends and post-transplant outcomes.

Background: Ex-vivo lung perfusion (EVLP) has potential to expand donor lung utilization, evaluate allograft viability, and mitigate ischemia-reperfusion injury. However, trends in EVLP use and recipient outcomes are unknown on a national scale. We examined trends in EVLP use and recipient outcomes in the United States.

Subcutaneous Pectoral Edema After Arthroscopic Labral Repair Despite Normal Irrigation Fluid Usage and Surgery Duration.

Objectives: Edema after shoulder arthroscopic surgery poses concerns due to its potential complications such as compartment syndrome, nerve damage, and respiratory issues. This study aimed to investigate the acute accumulation of subcutaneous fluid after shoulder arthroscopy.

Methods: A prospective cohort study, providing Level III evidence was conducted on 50 patients undergoing arthroscopic shoulder surgery under interscalene block anaesthesia from September to December 2023.

A Live Video Resiliency Dyadic Intervention for Persons With Dementia and Their Care-Partners Early After Diagnosis: Protocol for Open Pilot of Resilient Together for Dementia.

Background: Alzheimer disease and related dementias (ADRDs) are increasingly common progressive conditions that have a substantial impact on individuals and their primary care partners-together described as a dyad. The stressors experienced by dyad members at around the time of ADRD diagnosis commonly produce clinically elevated emotional distress (ie, depression and anxiety symptoms), which can become chronic and negatively impact health, relationships, and the overall quality of life. Dyads commonly report unmet needs for early support to address these challenges early after diagnosis.

Cardiometabolic Health Intervention Using Music and Exercise (CHIME) Delivered via Telehealth to Wheelchair Users: Protocol for a Randomized Controlled Trial.

Background: Wheelchair users live predominantly sedentary lifestyles and have a substantially higher risk for cardiometabolic disease and mortality compared to people without disabilities. Exercise training has been found to be effective in improving cardiometabolic health (CMH) outcomes among people without disabilities, but research on wheelchair users is limited and of poor quality.

Objective: The primary aim of this study is to examine the immediate and sustained effects of a 24-week, telehealth, movement-to-music cardiovascular (M2M-C) exercise program on core indicators of CMH among adult wheelchair users compared to an active control group.

Smoking Cessation Smartphone App for Nondaily Smoking With Telephone Onboarding: Proof-of-Concept Randomized Controlled Trial.

Background: Nondaily smoking is a widespread and increasingly prevalent pattern of use. To date, no effective treatment approach for nondaily smoking has been identified.

Objective: This study aimed to conduct an unblinded randomized controlled trial to evaluate proof-of-concept markers of the Smiling instead of Smoking (SiS) app, a smartphone app for smoking cessation, designed specifically for people who smoke less than daily, within the framework of positive psychology.

Application of Artificial Intelligence to Analyze Data from Randomized Controlled Trials: An Example from DECAAF-II.

Background: Causal machine learning (ML) provides an efficient way of identifying heterogeneous treatment effect groups from hundreds of possible combinations, especially for randomized trial data.

Objective: The aim of this paper is to illustrate the potential of applying causal ML on the DECAAF II trial data. We proposed a causal ML model to predict the treatment response heterogeneity.

Racial and ethnic disparities on the heart transplant waiting list.

Background: Racial disparities continue to affect countless individuals across the United States and is an ongoing issue in heart transplantation (HTx). Though inequities for post-transplant survival have been heavily studied, there remains conflicting data in waitlist outcome metrics. Our investigation aims to address this by analyzing death on, and transplantation from, the waitlist across multiple racial groups.

Association between the dietary inflammatory index and adverse pregnancy outcomes.

Background: Limited research exists on the association between preconception pro-inflammatory diets and adverse pregnancy outcomes, and this relationship remains poorly understood.

Objective: To investigate the association between preconception dietary inflammatory potential, as measured by the Dietary Inflammatory Index (DII), and adverse pregnancy outcomes in nulliparous individuals.

Methods: This was a secondary analysis of the data from the Nulliparous Outcomes Study: Mothers-to-be (nuMoM2b).

Longitudinal changes in psychological, physiological, and nutritional measures and predictors of success in Special Forces training.

The mentally and physically challenging 19-20 day, multi-stressor US Army Special Forces Assessment and Selection (SFAS) course selects soldiers for Army Special Forces (SF) training. If selected, candidates enroll for advanced training in the 2-year Special Forces Qualification Course (SFQC) to qualify for the SF. This longitudinal study examined physiological, psychological, and nutritional status of soldiers before (pre-SFAS) and after SFAS (post-SFAS), and post-SFQC, to identify predictors of graduation from SFQC.

Adverse Outcomes After Cemented and Cementless Primary Elective Total Hip Arthroplasty in 60,064 Matched Patients: A Study of Data From the Swedish Arthroplasty Register.

Introduction: The choice between cemented and cementless fixation in primary elective total hip arthroplasty (THA) remains a subject of ongoing debate. However, comparisons between the two are subject to limited adjustments for patient characteristics, diagnoses, and surgical factors, as well as by limited outcome time endpoints. Our study aimed to compare the effect of femoral fixation on safety and implant survival outcomes in matched patients.

Pathogenesis of bovine H5N1 clade 2.3.4.4b infection in Macaques.

Since early 2022 highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) H5N1 virus infections have been reported in wild aquatic birds and poultry throughout the United States (US) with spillover into several mammalian species. In March 2024, HPAIV H5N1 clade 2.3.

Rethinking the rise of early onset gastrointestinal cancers: a call to action.

Since the early 1990s, there has been a dramatic rise in gastrointestinal cancers diagnosed in patients under age 50 for reasons that remain poorly understood. The most significant change has been the increase in incidence rates of early-onset colorectal cancer, especially rates of left-sided colon and rectal cancers. Increases in gastric, pancreatic, and other gastrointestinal cancer diagnoses have further contributed to this trend.

Collective Forgetting of American Vaginal Breech Delivery.

When asked why nearly all doctors refer their breech cases to surgery, despite non-surgical breech birth being permitted throughout the United States, an obstetrician will likely cite the Term Breech Trial (TBT). This study, conducted in 2000, decisively concluded that planned cesarean delivery is safer than vaginal breech delivery. However, a review of the literature suggests that the decline of vaginal breech deliveries was a long time in the making.

Hospital Health Information Exchange Network Density and Predictors Across U.S. Hospital Referral Regions.

Objective To develop a measure of Health Information Exchange (HIE) for characterizing the density of inter-hospital HIE connections and identify regional characteristics associated with HIE network density Materials and Methods HIE network density was measured as the proportion of hospital pairs within a region that are connected through HIE. The 2022 American Hospital Association's Information Technology Supplement survey was used to calculate HIE network density for US hospital referral regions (HRRs). Bivariate tests and multivariable regression were used to characterize hospital, electronic health record (EHR) vendor, and resident characteristics associated with HIE network density.

Safety and Effectiveness of EUS-Guided Gallbladder Drainage in Patients with Cirrhosis: An International Multicenter Experience.

Introduction EUS-guided gall bladder drainage (EUS-GBD) for management of symptomatic gallbladder disease has been shown to be safe and effective in high surgical risk patients with data lacking in patients with cirrhosis. We sought to study the safety and effectiveness of EUS-GBD in cirrhotic compared to non-cirrhotic patients. Methods Retrospective review of patients who underwent EUS-GBD at four (3 US and 1 Spain) international tertiary care centers.

The Impact of Antibiotics on Latency When Given at the Time of Membrane Rupture Prior to Viability.

Background: It is well established that antibiotics administered in preterm prelabor rupture of membranes increases latency to delivery. While data is limited for membrane rupture prior to viability, antibiotics may also increase latency in this population.

Objective: To assesses the effect of prophylactic antibiotics on the duration of latency in individuals with previable prelabor rupture of membranes.

Real-world tafamidis experience in hereditary transthyretin amyloidosis with peripheral neuropathy in Brazil.

Background:  Tafamidis is a kinetic stabilizer that binds to the transthyretin (TTR) gene, inhibiting its dissociation. It is the only disease-modifying treatment for hereditary TTR amyloidosis with peripheral neuropathy (ATTRv-PN) available in the National Therapeutic Form (Formulário Terapêutico Nacional, FTN, in Portuguese) of the Brazilian Unified Health System (Sistema Único de Saúde, SUS, in Portuguese).

Objective:  To assess if the efficacy and safety of tafamidis in the Brazilian real-world experience are comparable to the results of clinical trials.

Trends and gaps in hydroxychloroquine and COVID-19 research (2020-2023): Performance and conceptual mapping.

Background: Hydroxychloroquine and Chloroquine (CQ) and Hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) are antimalarial drugs with well-known anti-inflammatory and antiviral effects used to treat various diseases, with few side effects. After COVID-19 emergence, numerous researches from around the world have examined the potential of using CQ or HCQ as potential treatment of COVID-19. However, conflicting outcomes have been found in COVID-19 clinical trials after treatment with CQ or HCQ.