Lupus nephritis: Biomarkers.

Lupus nephritis (LN) or renal involvement of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), is a common manifestation occurring in at least 50 % of SLE patients. LN remains a significant source of morbidity, often leading to progressive renal dysfunction and is a major cause of death in SLE. Despite these challenges, advances in the understanding of the pathogenesis and genetic underpinnings of LN have led to a commendable expansion in available treatments over the past decade.

Ion mobility spectrometry and ion mobility-mass spectrometry in clinical chemistry.

Advancements in clinical chemistry have major implications in terms of public health, prompting many clinicians to seek out chemical information to aid in diagnoses and treatments. While mass spectrometry (MS) and hyphenated-MS techniques such as LC-MS or tandem MS/MS have long been the analytical methods of choice for many clinical applications, these methods routinely demonstrate difficulty in differentiating between isomeric forms in complex matrices. Consequently, ion mobility spectrometry (IM), which differentiates molecules on the basis of size, shape, and charge, has demonstrated unique advantages in the broad application of stand-alone IM and hyphenated IM instruments towards clinical challenges.

Emerging biomarkers in Gaucher disease.

Gaucher disease (GD) is a rare lysosomal disorder characterized by the accumulation of glycosphingolipids in macrophages resulting from glucocerebrosidase (GCase) deficiency. The accumulation of toxic substrates, which causes the hallmark symptoms of GD, is dependent on the extent of enzyme dysfunction. Accordingly, three distinct subtypes have been recognized, with type 1 GD (GD1) as the common and milder form, while types 2 (GD2) and 3 (GD3) are categorized as neuronopathic and severe.

Content Validity for the Checklist of NICU Caregiver Behaviors.

Objective: To update and establish content validity for the Checklist of NICU Caregiver Behaviors.

Design: Structured literature review and Delphi analysis.

Setting/local Problem: Neonates born prematurely or who are sick in the NICU are frequently exposed to harmful stimuli that can affect brain development and result in adverse neurodevelopmental outcomes.

Navigating "regulatory fog": Challenges to rigorous abortion research after the Dobbs v. Jackson decision.

In 2022, the United States' Supreme Court ruling in Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization overturned Roe v. Wade and federal protections for abortion.

Towards healthy sleep environments: Ambient, indoor, and personal exposure to PM and its implications in children's sleep health.

The growing impact of climate change and escalating wildfire seasons has led to heightened ambient air pollution, potentially affecting children's sleep health. However, current epidemiological research often relies on outdoor weather data to model the environmental impacts on sleep health, potentially mischaracterizing the actual bedroom environment. To address these challenges, we conducted experiments to investigate the relationships among ambient, indoor, and personal exposure to PM concentrations and obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) in children.

Social isolation as a determinant of mental health among hybrid employees in the United States.

Background: A knowledge gap exists in understanding the role of social isolation as a determinant of mental health among hybrid employees during the COVID-19 era.

Methods: Using 2024 Household Pulse Survey data, we investigated the relationship between social isolation and mental health among US hybrid employees. We assessed depression symptoms using the Patient Health Questionnaire-2 and anxiety symptoms using the Generalized Anxiety Disorder-2.

OLAgen: A Software Tool for Reagent Design to Expand Access to Single Nucleotide Variant Detection by the Oligonucleotide Ligation Assay.

Single nucleotide variations (SNVs) and polymorphisms (SNPs) are characteristic biomarkers in various biological contexts, including pathogen drug resistances and human diseases. Tools that lower the implementation barrier of molecular SNV detection methods would provide greater leverage of the expanding SNP/SNV database. The oligonucleotide ligation assay (OLA) is a highly specific means for detection of known SNVs and is especially powerful when coupled with polymerase chain reaction (PCR).

Phosphorylated-tau associates with HSV-1 chromatin and correlates with nuclear speckles decondensation in low-density host chromatin regions.

Abnormal tau phosphorylation is a key mechanism in neurodegenerative diseases. Evidence implicates infectious agents, such as Herpes Simplex Virus 1 (HSV-1), as co-factors in the onset or the progression of neurodegenerative diseases, including Alzheimer's disease. This has led to divergence in the field regarding the contribution of viruses in the etiology of neurodegenerative diseases.

Circulating monocytes upregulate CD52 and sustain innate immune function in cirrhosis unless acute decompensation emerges.

Background & Aims: Infectious complications determine the prognosis of cirrhosis patients. Their infection susceptibility relates to the development of immuneparesis, a complex interplay of different immunosuppressive cells and soluble factors. Mechanisms underlying the dynamics of immuneparesis of innate immunity remain inconclusive.

Effects of warning information at medication initiation on deprescribing intentions in older adults: A hypothetical vignette.

Objectives: To explore to what degree providing patients warning information about the long-term risks of a medication would affect their subsequent desire to discontinue it.

Methods: We conducted a vignette-based online experiment in which participants aged ≥ 65 years from the United States were asked to imagine starting and subsequently stopping omeprazole. Participants were randomized to one of four vignettes about starting omeprazole (potential long-term harms or no harm information; OTC vs.

The effect of cognitive task and gait speed on gait spatiotemporal parameters in athletes with anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction: Cross-sectional study.

Background: Restoring pre-injury normal gait following Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction (ACLR) is a critical challenge. The purpose of this study was to compare spatiotemporal parameters in athletes following ACL reconstruction with healthy athletes when cognitive load and speed were manipulated.

Methods: Twenty male soccer players with an ACLR history and 20 healthy matched individuals completed walking tasks under four conditions: with and without a cognitive load (auditory Stroop task), and at preferred speed as well as high speed (20% higher than the individual's preferred speed).

Development, content validation and feasibility of a decision aid tool for the treatment of women with menopausal symptoms.

Introduction: Despite research supporting menopause hormonal therapy for menopausal women, its use continues to decline in most European countries and the United States. Experts highlighted the need for global assessment tools to assist clinicians in evaluating treatment for symptomatic menopausal women, which led to the development of the Menopause Treatment Tool, with separate versions for women and healthcare professionals. Both versions of the tool focus on menopausal symptoms, risk levels and suggested actions; the women's tool is administered prior to the consultation, while the clinician tool is administered by the clinician during the clinical consultation.

Characteristics of older patients undergoing major oncological surgery: Insights from the Geriatric Surgery Verification Program.

Introduction: Studies outlining the unique burden of geriatric medical conditions and syndromes among older adults undergoing major oncological surgery are lacking, along with understanding of the goals of care for this population.

Materials And Methods: We conducted a single-institutional review of the initial 50 patients who enrolled in the American College of Surgeons' Geriatric Surgery Verification Program (GSV) program implemented for those ≥65 years undergoing major oncological surgery during the year 2023. Patient variables were categorized into four domains - somatic, functional, psychological, and social.

Reconstructive techniques for chest and breast deformities in Poland syndrome: An up-to-date systematic review.

Background: Poland syndrome (PS) is a congenital abnormality defined as aplasia or hypoplasia of the unilateral pectoralis muscle and breast tissue that may be accompanied by limb or thoracic deformities. Reconstruction of deformities associated with PS is challenging owing to the spectrum of differences. We aimed to evaluate the trends in surgical management of chest and breast anatomical anomalies associated with PS.

Potentialities and critical issues of liquid biopsy in clinical practice: An umbrella review.

Background: Liquid biopsy (LB) is a laboratory test performed on a fluid sample aiming at analyzing molecular data derived from circulating cells and related entities, or from nucleic acids. This umbrella review aims to map and evaluate the evidence supporting the use of LB in medicine across different medical specialities and conditions.

Methods: We searched three repositories from database inception up to October 1, 2023 and we included meta-analyses of observational studies reporting data on the use of LB, compared to gold standard, and its accuracy (area under the curve, AUC).

Pain severity contributes to worse outcomes in opioid use disorder recovery than pain status.

Background: Opioid use disorder (OUD) continues to pose a significant challenge to public health in the United States. Chronic pain and OUD are highly comorbid conditions, yet few studies have examined the relative associations of pain status and severity toward multidimensional OUD recovery outcomes (e.g.

Multidimensional sleep health and cognitive function across adulthood.

Study Objectives: Sleep is essential for proper function of the mind and body. Studies report the effect of sleep problems on cognition but focus on only a single or limited number of sleep indicators or on clinical populations (e.g.

Leveraging HF Stats for Enhanced Heart Failure Management: A Guide for Practitioners.

Cardiology providers and healthcare clinicians tackling heart failure (HF) face an escalating challenge: rising prevalence rates and widening disparities among populations. In this context, leveraging up-to-date and specialized data becomes paramount. Although the American Heart Association's (AHA) Heart and Stroke Statistics provides a sweeping overview of cardiovascular health with a few pages dedicated to HF and cardiomyopathy, the Heart Failure Society of America's (HFSA) HF Stats annual publication offers an up-to-date and in-depth look at multiple themes related to HF epidemiology, global trends, outcomes and much more.

Temporal dynamics of PM induced cell death: Emphasizing inflammation as key mediator in the late stages of prolonged myocardial toxicity.

Multiple forms of cell death contribute significantly to cardiovascular pathologies, negatively impacting cardiac remodeling and leading to heart failure. While myocardial cell death has been associated with PM induced cardiotoxicity, the temporal dynamics of various cell death forms, such as apoptosis, ferroptosis, necroptosis, and pyroptosis, in relation to inflammatory processes, remain underexplored. This study examines the time-dependent onset and progression of these cell death pathways in the myocardium and their correlation with inflammation in a Wistar rat model.

Hepatic adverse events associated with ketamine and esketamine: A population-based disproportionality analysis.

Background And Objective: To determine whether there is disproportionate reporting of hepatobiliary disorders in the United States (US) FDA Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS) for individuals prescribed ketamine or esketamine.

Design: We identified Medical Dictionary for Regulatory Activities (MedDRA) terms in the FAERS related to hepatobiliary disorders.

Main Measures: Formulations of ketamine and esketamine were evaluated for the proportionality of reporting for each hepatobiliary disorder parameter using the reporting odds ratio (ROR).

Minimally Invasive Glass-Ceramic Restorations: Clinical and Patient-Reported Outcomes in Full-Mouth Rehabilitations.

Objectives: To evaluate clinical outcomes (restoration survival, technical and biological complications), and patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs) of full mouth rehabilitation with minimally invasive glass-ceramic restorations after up to 12 years of clinical service.

Materials And Methods: Twenty individuals (12 females, 8 males) received full-mouth rehabilitation with minimally invasive tooth-supported glass-ceramic restorations during the years 2009 - 2017 and agreed to participate in a follow-up visit. Full dental and periodontal examinations were completed, and the restorations were evaluated according to United States Public Health Service (USPHS) criteria.