Conscientious objection: a global health perspective.

Conscientious objection is a critical topic that has been sparsely discussed from a global health perspective, despite its special relevance to our inherently diverse field. In this Analysis paper, we argue that blanket prohibitions of a specific type of non-discriminatory conscientious objection are unjustified in the global health context. We begin both by introducing a nuanced account of conscience that is grounded in moral psychology and by providing an overview of discriminatory and non-discriminatory forms of objection.

Adults With Head and Neck Burns Experience Worse Long-Term Outcomes and Require More Reconstructive Surgeries: A Burn Model System Study.

Background: Adults living with head and neck burn injuries experience psychosocial consequences due to scarring as well as functional disabilities. However, the impact of head and neck burns on long-term self-reported psychosocial outcomes, return to work, and need for reconstructive surgery has not been well described. This study investigates the unique longitudinal problems in psychosocial and functional recovery faced by adults with head and neck burn injuries.

Assessing Use and Familiarity of Enhanced Recovery After Surgery Elements in Pediatric Orthognathic Surgery.

Enhanced recovery after surgery (ERAS) protocols have informed perioperative care across multiple surgical specialties, optimizing patient outcomes through surgical stress management and accelerated recovery. This study evaluates the familiarity and adoption of ERAS elements among craniofacial and oral and maxillofacial surgeons in pediatric orthognathic surgery, a field where a formal ERAS protocol has not been established. A closed-ended survey of 102 surgeons was conducted to assess familiarity with and utilization of 14 ERAS elements.

Unconventional aspects in metal-embedded laser-induced graphene.

Laser-induced graphene (LIG) has gained significant attention, with over 170 publications in 2023 alone. This surge in popularity is due to the unique advantages LIG offers over traditional thermal methods, such as fast, solvent-free, scalable production and its ability to scribe intricate patterns on various substrates, including heat-sensitive materials like plastics. In recent developments, metal-embedded LIG (M-LIG) has expanded the potential applications of LIG, particularly in energy storage, microelectronics, and sensing.

The Preaponeurotic Fat Advancement Pedicle for Correction of Upper Eyelid Volume Asymmetry: A Case Series.

Preoperative volume asymmetry in the upper eyelid sulci can pose a challenge in achieving symmetry after upper eyelid blepharoplasty. Reported methods to improve volume asymmetry include the use of soft tissue filler and various surgical techniques. The authors present 6 cases where a central preaponeurotic fat advancement pedicle was utilized during upper eyelid blepharoplasty for improved upper eyelid symmetry (Fig.

Large Bilobed Flap for Head and Neck Reconstruction: Technique and Outcomes.

Background: Head and neck reconstruction after resection of cutaneous malignancies spans the entire reconstructive ladder. Local flaps, such as the bilobed flap, offer excellent versatility, negligible morbidity, and minimal hospitalization. However, there is sparse data regarding the bilobed flap for large defects of the head and neck.

Caveolin-1 regulates context-dependent signaling and survival in Ewing Sarcoma.

Cellular plasticity is a hallmark function of cancer, but many of the underlying mechanisms are not well understood. In this study, we identify Caveolin-1, a scaffolding protein that organizes plasma membrane domains, as a context-dependent regulator of survival signaling in Ewing sarcoma (EwS). Single cell analyses reveal a distinct subpopulation of EwS cells, which highly express the surface marker CD99 as well as Caveolin-1.

Developing Practice Guidelines on Chest Masculinization: Designing Male Neo-nipple-Areolar Complex.

Background: Successful nipple-areolar complex (NAC) reconstruction greatly influences patient outcomes for transgender patients undergoing chest masculinization. Despite the recent rise in case volume, little is known on designing the ideal NAC that maintains its aesthetics in dynamic settings. This study aimed to examine the characteristics of male NACs and their dimensional variability to help develop guidelines on designing the neo-NAC.

Increased methane production associated with community shifts towards Methanocella in paddy soils with the presence of nanoplastics.

Background: Planetary plastic pollution poses a major threat to ecosystems and human health in the Anthropocene, yet its impact on biogeochemical cycling remains poorly understood. Waterlogged rice paddies are globally important sources of CH. Given the widespread use of plastic mulching in soils, it is urgent to unravel whether low-density polyethylene (LDPE) will affect the methanogenic community in flooded paddy soils.

Probiotic effects on skin health: comprehensive visual analysis and perspectives.

Background: Bacteria play a crucial role in maintaining the health of human skin. Research has demonstrated that probiotics present notable benefits for extraintestinal organs. Despite the extensive research on the impact of probiotics on skin health, there is a notable absence of regulatory frameworks governing their external application, with no approval from the FDA for any probiotic products for external use.

Long-range enhancers maintain competency for hair cell regeneration in the inner ear.

During tissue regeneration, lineage-related cells can switch their fate to replace missing cells. This cell plasticity is particularly prominent in more regenerative vertebrates such as zebrafish, yet the molecular basis by which cells transdifferentiate into another cell type upon injury remains unclear. Here, we investigate the epigenetic basis of regenerative transdifferentiation in the inner ear, where supporting cells (SCs) generate mechanosensory hair cells (HCs) upon damage.

An open-source membrane stretcher for simultaneous mechanical and structural characterizations of soft materials and biological tissues.

The ability to simultaneously measure material mechanics and structure is central for understanding their nonlinear relationship that underlies the mechanical properties of materials, such as hysteresis, strain-stiffening and -softening, and plasticity. This experimental capability is also critical in biomechanics and mechanobiology research, as it enables direct characterizations of the intricate interplay between cellular responses and tissue mechanics. Stretching devices developed over the past few decades, however, do not often allow simultaneous measurements of the structural and mechanical responses of the sample.

Surgical Timing for Patients with Thyroid Eye Disease Treated with Teprotumumab: A Collaborative Multicenter Study.

Purpose: To compare regression rates, characteristics, and surgical outcomes of thyroid eye disease patients who underwent orbit, strabismus, or eyelid surgery at various times during or after teprotumumab treatment.

Design: Multicenter, retrospective, observational cohort study.

Participants: Adult patients (age >18) with a minimum of 4 infusions of teprotumumab treatment for thyroid eye disease who had had eye surgery during or after treatment.

Opportunities and challenges of single-cell and spatially resolved genomics methods for neuroscience discovery.

Over the past decade, single-cell genomics technologies have allowed scalable profiling of cell-type-specific features, which has substantially increased our ability to study cellular diversity and transcriptional programs in heterogeneous tissues. Yet our understanding of mechanisms of gene regulation or the rules that govern interactions between cell types is still limited. The advent of new computational pipelines and technologies, such as single-cell epigenomics and spatially resolved transcriptomics, has created opportunities to explore two new axes of biological variation: cell-intrinsic regulation of cell states and expression programs and interactions between cells.

Povidone-iodine-induced scalp lesions in pediatric neurosurgery patients: a case series.

Purpose: Povidone-iodine, or Betadine® (Atlantis Consumer Healthcare Inc., Bridgewater, NJ), is a commonly used agent for surgical site preparation. Although commonly used, it carries the risk of skin reactions, and multiple cases of intra-operative contact dermatitis and chemical burns have been reported.

Multi-ancestry GWAS of severe pregnancy nausea and vomiting identifies risk loci associated with appetite, insulin signaling, and brain plasticity.

While most pregnancies are affected by nausea and vomiting, hyperemesis gravidarum (HG) is at the severe end of the clinical spectrum and is associated with dehydration, undernutrition, and adverse maternal, fetal, and child outcomes. Herein we performed a multi-ancestry genome-wide association study (GWAS) of severe nausea and vomiting of pregnancy of 10,974 cases and 461,461 controls across European, Asian, African, and Latino ancestries. We identified ten significantly associated loci, of which six were novel (, , , , , and , and confirmed previous genome-wide significant associations with risk genes , , , and .

Substrate Stiffness Dictates Unique Doxorubicin-induced Senescence-associated Secretory Phenotypes and Transcriptomic Signatures in Human Pulmonary Fibroblasts.

Cells are subjected to dynamic mechanical environments which impart forces and induce cellular responses. In age-related conditions like pulmonary fibrosis, there is both an increase in tissue stiffness and an accumulation of senescent cells. While senescent cells produce a senescence-associated secretory phenotype (SASP), the impact of physical stimuli on both cellular senescence and the SASP is not well understood.

Targeted protein evolution in the gut microbiome by diversity-generating retroelements.

Diversity-generating retroelements (DGRs) accelerate evolution by rapidly diversifying variable proteins. The human gastrointestinal microbiota harbors the greatest density of DGRs known in nature, suggesting they play adaptive roles in this environment. We identified >1,100 unique DGRs among human-associated species and discovered a subset that diversify adhesive components of Type V pili and related proteins.

Diversity in the US Academic Microsurgery Pathway.

Although the representation of women and ethnic minority students in the US medical schools has recently increased, discrepancies in representation among plastic surgery residents and faculty continue. The state of sex and ethnic diversity in academic microsurgery remains minimally investigated. We aimed to evaluate the sex, race, and ethnicity demographics among academic microsurgeons and identify underrepresentation along the leadership pathway.

Basolateral amygdala oscillations enable fear learning in a biophysical model.

The basolateral amygdala (BLA) is a key site where fear learning takes place through synaptic plasticity. Rodent research shows prominent low theta (~3-6 Hz), high theta (~6-12 Hz), and gamma (>30 Hz) rhythms in the BLA local field potential recordings. However, it is not understood what role these rhythms play in supporting the plasticity.