A qualitative investigation of nicotine and tobacco use in young pregnant and birthing sexual minority people.

Introduction: Sexual minority youth, especially those who identify as bisexual, have higher rates of nicotine and tobacco use and are more likely to become pregnant at a younger age than heterosexual youth. The goal of this study was to investigate the nicotine and tobacco experiences and motivations of sexual minority people before and during pregnancy.

Methods: Pregnant and birthing individuals ages 16-24 who identified as a sexual minority in an online survey were recruited for semi-structured video interviews about nicotine and tobacco use.

Readability Assessment of Patient Education Materials on Uro-oncological Diseases Using Automated Measures.

Background And Objective: Readability of patient education materials is of utmost importance to ensure understandability and dissemination of health care information in uro-oncology. We aimed to investigate the readability of the official patient education materials of the European Association of Urology (EAU) and American Urology Association (AUA).

Methods: Patient education materials for prostate, bladder, kidney, testicular, penile, and urethral cancers were retrieved from the respective organizations.

Minimizing risk while maximizing opportunity: The infectious disease organ offer process survey.

Background: The purpose of this study was to understand how transplant infectious disease (TID) physicians assess a potential donor with known or suspected infection and describe posttransplant management.

Methods: We designed a survey of 10 organ offer scenarios and asked questions pertaining to organ acceptability for transplantation and management posttransplant. The survey was distributed to TID clinicians via transplant society listservs and email.

Electronic medical record clinical workload metrics from 10,210 gastroenterologists in North America.

In the United States, clinical work had been primarily compensated via a relative value unit (RVU) system reliant on professional surveys estimating the value of clinical care events. However, with the advent of time-based billing in 2021, time accounting has become an important work compensation metric. The Signal functionality within Epic, the most widely used electronic medical record (EMR) system in North America, tracks clinician time within the system.

Prostate cancer in transgender women: A propensity score-matched analysis of disease severity and survival.

Background: Despite the rise in gender-affirming care, our understanding of prostate cancer (PCa) in transgender women (TGW) remains in its infancy. Health disparities and lack of PCa awareness and screening are possible barriers to providing quality care for this population. In addition, the implication of hormonal manipulation for the aggressiveness of PCa in TGW is yet to be determined.

Liver stiffness progression in biopsy-proven metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic disease among people with diabetes versus people without diabetes: A prospective multicenter study.

Background And Aims: There are limited data on the progression of liver stiffness measurement (LSM) by vibration-controlled transient elastography (VCTE) in people with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) versus those without T2DM in biopsy-proven metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease. We examined LSM progression in participants with T2DM versus those without T2DM in a large, prospective, multicenter cohort study.

Approach And Results: This study included 1231 adult participants (62% female) with biopsy-proven metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease who had VCTEs at least 1 year apart.

Dietary patterns to promote cardiometabolic health.

Multiple professional societies recommend the Mediterranean and/or Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension dietary patterns in their cardiovascular disease prevention guidelines because these diets can improve cardiometabolic health and reduce the risk of cardiovascular events. Furthermore, low sodium intake can be particularly beneficial for patients with hypertension. Carbohydrate restriction, with an emphasis on including high-quality carbohydrates and limiting refined starches and foods and beverages with added sugars, can promote weight loss and cardiometabolic benefits in the short term, compared with higher carbohydrate intake.

There is no sinus without "us": A randomized controlled study assessing the efficacy of shared decision-making in the surgical management of chronic rhinosinusitis.

CRS patients exhibit little decision conflict in their choice of pursuing surgery. Standard counseling alone appears to suffice once patients express an interest in surgery. Decision aids may increase patient knowledge and improve postoperative care understanding.

Spinal Robotics in Single-Position Lateral Surgery: A Narrative Review of Key Concepts and Considerations.

Anterior column realignment via anterior, oblique, or lateral lumbar interbody fusion is increasingly recognized as a powerful mechanism for indirect decompression and sagittal realignment in flexible deformity. Single-position lateral surgery is a popular variation that places patients in the lateral decubitus position, allowing concomitant placement of lateral interbodies and posterior segmental instrumentation without the need for repositioning the patient. The addition of robotics to this technique can help to overcome ergonomic limitations of the placement of pedicle screws in the lateral decubitus position; however, its description in the literature is relatively lacking.

Modernizing Surgical Quality: A Novel Approach to Improving Detection of Surgical Site Infections in the Veteran Population.

Surgical site infections (SSIs) are an important quality measure. Identifying SSIs often relies upon a time-intensive manual review of a sample of common surgical cases. In this study, we sought to develop a predictive model for SSI identification using antibiotic pharmacy data extracted from the electronic medical record (EMR).

Fazirsiran for Adults With Alpha-1 Antitrypsin Deficiency Liver Disease: A Phase 2 Placebo Controlled Trial (SEQUOIA).

Background & Aims: Homozygous ZZ alpha-1 antitrypsin (AAT) deficiency produces mutant AAT (Z-AAT) proteins in hepatocytes, leading to progressive liver fibrosis. We evaluated the safety and efficacy of an investigational RNA interference therapeutic, fazirsiran, that degrades Z-AAT messenger RNA, reducing deleterious protein synthesis.

Methods: This ongoing, phase 2 study randomized 40 patients to subcutaneous placebo or fazirsiran 25, 100, or 200 mg.

The Effect of Retinoic Acid on Neutrophil Innate Immune Interactions With Cutaneous Bacterial Pathogens.

Vitamin A and its biologically active derivative, retinoic acid (RA), are important for many immune processes. RA, in particular, is essential for the development of immune cells, including neutrophils, which serve as a front-line defense against infection. While vitamin A deficiency has been linked to higher susceptibility to infections, the precise role of vitamin A/RA in host-pathogen interactions remains poorly understood.

Ultrasound-Guided Percutaneous Cryoneurolysis of the Antebrachial Cutaneous Nerves for the Management of Prolonged Acute Post-Surgical Forearm Pain: A Report of Two Cases.

Prolonged acute postsurgical pain (PAPSP) contributes to the development of chronic postsurgical pain, impaired rehabilitation, longer hospital stays, and decreased quality of life. For upper extremity analgesia, the duration of postoperative pain management with continuous brachial plexus peripheral nerve blocks is limited due to the risk of infection. Ultrasound-guided percutaneous cryoneurolysis provides extended analgesia and avoids the risks and inconveniences of indwelling catheters.

State Cannabis and Psychedelic Legislation and Microdosing Interest in the US.

Importance: Despite growing interest in psychedelics, there is a lack of routine population-based surveillance of psychedelic microdosing (taking "subperceptual" doses of psychedelics, approximately one-twentieth to one-fifth of a full dose, over prolonged periods). Analyzing Google search queries can provide insights into public interest and help address this gap.

Objective: To analyze trends in public interest in microdosing in the US through Google search queries and assess their association with cannabis and psychedelic legislative reforms.

Detecting and Predicting Cognitive Decline in Individuals with Traumatic Brain Injury: A Longitudinal Telephone-Based Study.

Traumatic brain injuries (TBIs) can lead to long-lasting cognitive impairments, and some survivors experience cognitive decline post-recovery. Early detection of decline is important for care planning, and understanding risk factors for decline can elucidate targets for prevention. While neuropsychological testing is the gold standard approach to characterizing cognitive function, there is a need for brief, scalable tools that are capable of detecting clinically significant changes in post-TBI cognition.

State of the Science: Treatment of comorbid posttraumatic stress disorder and substance use disorders.

Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and substance use disorders (SUDs) co-occur at high rates, with research showing that up to nearly 60% of individuals with PTSD also suffer from an alcohol and/or drug use disorder. PTSD/SUD is complex; associated with adverse health, social, and economic outcomes; and can be challenging to treat. Over the past decade, the landscape of treatment research addressing PTSD/SUD has significantly expanded.

Establishment of a Four-Cell In Vitro Blood-Brain Barrier Model With Human Primary Brain Cells.

The blood-brain barrier (BBB) constitutes a crucial protective anatomical layer with a microenvironment that tightly controls material transit. Constructing an in vitro BBB model to replicate in vivo features requires the sequential layering of constituent cell types. Maintaining heightened integrity in the observed tight junctions during both the establishment and post-experiment phases is crucial to the success of these models.

Partitioning variance in cortical morphometry into genetic, environmental, and subject-specific components.

The relative contributions of genetic variation and experience in shaping the morphology of the adolescent brain are not fully understood. Using longitudinal data from 11,665 subjects in the ABCD Study, we fit vertex-wise variance components including family effects, genetic effects, and subject-level effects using a computationally efficient framework. Variance in cortical thickness and surface area is largely attributable to genetic influence, whereas sulcal depth is primarily explained by subject-level effects.