A family-based behavioral group obesity randomized control feasibility trial across a clinical trials network: a focus on contact hours.

Objective: This ancillary study's purpose is to describe the relationship between dose of treatment and body mass index (BMI) outcomes in a tele-behavioral health program delivered in the IDeA States Pediatric Clinical Trials Network to children and their families living in rural communities.

Methods: Participants randomized to the intervention were able to receive 26 contact hours (15 hr of group sessions and 11 hr of individual sessions) of material focused on nutrition, physical activity, and behavioral caregiver training delivered via interactive televideo. Dose of the intervention received by child/caregiver dyads (n = 52) from rural areas was measured as contact hours.

Controlled human infection studies accelerate vaccine development.

Clinical trials that employ human challenge, also known as controlled human infection models (CHIM), have rapidly advanced vaccine development for multiple pathogens, including at least 30 disease models to date. CHIM studies, championed by networks of researchers, regulators, ethicists, technical experts, and other stakeholders, limit exposure of individuals to an investigational product, de-risk product investments, identify correlates of protection, and most importantly provide a prompt readout of vaccine efficacy. While CHIM studies provide multiple advantages, important challenges exist, including strengthening the relevance and comparability of CHIM study results to efficacy trials in endemic areas, particularly in resource-limited settings.

Plasma phosphorylated tau217 strongly associates with memory deficits in the Alzheimer's disease spectrum.

Plasma phosphorylated tau biomarkers open unprecedented opportunities for identifying carriers of Alzheimer's disease pathophysiology in early disease stages using minimally invasive techniques. Plasma p-tau biomarkers are believed to reflect tau phosphorylation and secretion. However, it remains unclear to what extent the magnitude of plasma p-tau abnormalities reflects neuronal network disturbance in the form of cognitive impairment.

Oral Regimens for Rifampin-Resistant, Fluoroquinolone-Susceptible Tuberculosis.

Background: For decades, poor treatment options and low-quality evidence plagued care for patients with rifampin-resistant tuberculosis. The advent of new drugs to treat tuberculosis and enhanced funding now permit randomized, controlled trials of shortened-duration, all-oral treatments for rifampin-resistant tuberculosis.

Methods: We conducted a phase 3, multinational, open-label, randomized, controlled noninferiority trial to compare standard therapy for treatment of fluoroquinolone-susceptible, rifampin-resistant tuberculosis with five 9-month oral regimens that included various combinations of bedaquiline (B), delamanid (D), linezolid (L), levofloxacin (Lfx) or moxifloxacin (M), clofazimine (C), and pyrazinamide (Z).

Estimating the Prevalence of Schizophrenia in the General Population of Japan Using an Artificial Neural Network-Based Schizophrenia Classifier: Web-Based Cross-Sectional Survey.

Background: Estimating the prevalence of schizophrenia in the general population remains a challenge worldwide, as well as in Japan. Few studies have estimated schizophrenia prevalence in the Japanese population and have often relied on reports from hospitals and self-reported physician diagnoses or typical schizophrenia symptoms. These approaches are likely to underestimate the true prevalence owing to stigma, poor insight, or lack of access to health care among respondents.

Key Strategies to Promote Professional Wellness and Reduce Burnout in Oncology Clinicians.

Burnout in oncologists has been increasing, especially after the COVID-19 pandemic. This is concerning because burnout can have both personal and professional repercussions, as well as a negative impact on patients and organizational financial health. Drawing on information and ideas discussed at an ASCO Town Hall session at the 2023 Annual Meeting developed by the State of Cancer Care in America Editorial Board, this study reviews key organizational strategies for improving professional well-being and argues for the importance of measuring and researching the well-being of the oncology workforce to ensure healthy work environments.

Cognitive Deficits in Anti-LGI1 Encephalitis Are Linked to Immunotherapy-Resistant White Matter Network Changes.

Background And Objectives: Cognitive deficits represent a major long-term complication of anti-leucine-rich, glioma-inactivated 1 encephalitis (LGI1-E). Although severely affecting patient outcomes, the structural brain changes underlying these deficits remain poorly understood. In this study, we hypothesized a link between white matter (WM) networks and cognitive outcomes in LGI1-E.

Iron Deficiency and All-Cause Hospitalization Risk in a Clinical Cohort of COPD.

Background: The impact of iron deficiency on COPD morbidity independent of anemia status is unknown. Understanding the association between iron deficiency, anemia status, and risk of hospitalization in COPD may inform an approach to these comorbidities.

Study Design And Methods: Adults ≥40 years from the Johns Hopkins COPD Precision Medicine Center of Excellence data repository with an outpatient iron profile and 1 year of subsequent follow-up time were included in the study.

Do global health networks facilitate innovation, learning and sharing? A qualitative analysis of the Quality-of-Care Network in Bangladesh, Ethiopia, Malawi, and Uganda.

The Quality-of-Care Network (QCN), launched by WHO and partners, links global and national actors across several countries to improve maternal and newborn health. We conducted a prospective qualitative study to examine how QCN in Bangladesh, Ethiopia, Malawi and Uganda facilitated learning, sharing, and innovation within and between network countries. We conducted 227 key informant interviews with QCN actors at global, national, and facility levels iteratively in two to four rounds from June 2019 to March 2022.

Serine phosphorylation facilitates protein degradation by the human mitochondrial ClpXP protease.

ClpXP is a two-component mitochondrial matrix protease. The caseinolytic mitochondrial matrix peptidase chaperone subunit X (ClpX) recognizes and translocates protein substrates into the degradation chamber of the caseinolytic protease P (ClpP) for proteolysis. ClpXP degrades damaged respiratory chain proteins and is necessary for cancer cell survival.

The role of oscillations in grid cells' toroidal topology.

Persistent homology applied to the activity of grid cells in the Medial Entorhinal Cortex suggests that this activity lies on a toroidal manifold. By analyzing real data and a simple model, we show that neural oscillations play a key role in the appearance of this toroidal topology. To quantitatively monitor how changes in spike trains influence the topology of the data, we first define a robust measure for the degree of toroidality of a dataset.

The impact of specialised gastroenterology services for pelvic radiation disease (PRD): Results from the prospective multi-centre EAGLE study.

To undertake a mixed-methodology implementation study to improve the well-being of men with gastrointestinal late effects following radical radiotherapy for prostate cancer. All men completed a validated screening tool for late bowel effects (ALERT-B) and the Gastrointestinal Symptom Rating Score (GSRS); men with a positive score on ALERT-B were offered management following a peer reviewed algorithm for pelvic radiation disease (PRD). Health-related quality of life (HRQoL) at baseline, 6 and 12 months; and healthcare resource usage (HRU) and patient, support-giver, staff experience and acceptability of staff training (qualitative analysis) were assessed.

Trauma-related psychopathologies after extracorporeal membrane oxygenation support: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation (ECMO) use is associated with substantial psychiatric morbidity in patients and their families. This systematic review and meta-analysis quantifies the prevalence of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), anxiety, and depression among ECMO survivors and their families. Included studies enrolled patients on ECMO or their families and reported at least one trauma-related psychopathology.

Regional Anesthesia and Pain Outcomes After Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction Surgery in Pediatric Patients: Society of Pediatric Anesthesia Improvement Network.

Background: Optimal perioperative pain management is unknown for adolescent patients undergoing anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction (ACLR). The study aimed to determine the association of nerve blocks with short- and long-term pain outcomes and factors influencing self-reported neurological symptoms.

Methods: We performed a multisite, prospective observational study of adolescent patients undergoing ACLR.

Understanding Health-Related Discussions on Reddit: Development of a Topic Assignment Method and Exploratory Analysis.

Background: Social media has become a widely used way for people to share opinions about health care and medical topics. Social media data can be leveraged to understand patient concerns and provide insight into why patients may turn to the internet instead of the health care system for health advice.

Objective: This study aimed to develop a method to investigate Reddit posts discussing health-related conditions.

Cervical Cancer Screening in Women With Physical Disabilities.

Importance: Cervical cancer screening is a crucial public health intervention, but screening disparities exist for women with physical disabilities (WWPD).

Objective: To explore the experiences of WWPD with both traditional speculum examination-based screening and at-home self-sampling for cervical cancer screening.

Design, Setting, And Participants: This qualitative study enrolled 56 WWPD to test self-sampling kits, provide feedback via a survey, and participate in a qualitative interview.

Comparative Efficacy and Acceptability of Non-surgical Treatments with or without Exercise for Diastasis Recti Abdominis in Postpartum Women: A Network Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials.

Background: Diastasis recti abdominis (DRA), commonly occurring in postpartum women, is not only an aesthetic issue but is also highly associated with functional impairments. Various conservative treatment modalities have been employed in clinical practice to alleviate DRA. However, the comparative efficacy of these non-surgical treatments for improving the inter-recti distance (IRD) remains to be determined.

Impact of cardiac position, morphology and operative technique on long-term fontan outcomes in heterotaxy.

Objectives: This study aimed to assess the outcomes of heterotaxy patients undergone the Fontan operation, focusing on morphological features and surgical techniques.

Methods: Eighty-two consecutive heterotaxy patients who underwent the Fontan operation from 1985 to 2021 were compared to 150 patients with tricuspid atresia (TA) and 144 patients with hypoplastic left heart syndrome (HLHS). The Kaplan-Meier method and Cox proportional hazard model were used to analyze transplant-free survival and predictor of outcomes.

Mining versatile feruloyl esterases: phylogenetic classification, structural features, and deep learning model.

Feruloyl esterases (FEs, EC 3.1.1.

Xuefu Zhuyu Decoction improves hyperlipidemia through the MAPK/NF-κB and MAPK/PPARα/CPT-1A signaling pathway.

Xuefu Zhuyu Decoction (XZD) is widely used in the treatment of cardiovascular diseases. The purpose of this study was to explore the pharmacological effects and molecular mechanisms of XZD in improving hyperlipidemia and to provide a theoretical framework for clinical application. In this study, the signaling pathways regulated by XZD in improving hyperlipidemia were predicted by network pharmacology.

Performance of Optic Disc Optical Coherence Tomography Normative Database in a Large, Diverse, Real-World Cohort.

Precis: Current optical coherence tomography normative sample data may not represent diverse human optic nerve anatomy to accurately classify all individuals with true glaucomatous optic neuropathy.

Purpose: To compare optic nerve head (ONH) measurements between published values from an optical coherence tomography (OCT) normative database and a more diverse cohort of healthy individuals.

Patients And Methods: ONH parameters from healthy participants of the Michigan Screening and Intervention for Glaucoma and Eye Health through Telemedicine (MI-SIGHT) program and the Topcon Maestro-1 normative cohort were compared.

Quantification of training-induced alterations in body composition via automated machine learning analysis of MRI images in the thigh region: A pilot study in young females.

The maintenance of an appropriate ratio of body fat to muscle mass is essential for the preservation of health and performance, as excessive body fat is associated with an increased risk of various diseases. Accurate body composition assessment requires precise segmentation of structures. In this study we developed a novel automatic machine learning approach for volumetric segmentation and quantitative assessment of MRI volumes and investigated the efficacy of using a machine learning algorithm to assess muscle, subcutaneous adipose tissue (SAT), and bone volume of the thigh before and after a strength training.

Comparative Improvement in Health-Related Quality of Life with Advanced Therapies for Moderate-to-Severe Crohn's Disease: A Network Meta-Analysis.

Background And Aims: The comparative efficacy of advanced therapies to improve health-related quality of life (HR-QoL) in Crohn's disease (CD) is unknown. We aimed to compare the impact of approved advanced therapies for moderate-to-severe CD on HR-QoL.

Methods: We searched MEDLINE, Embase, and Cochrane CENTRAL from inception to December 2023.