Liver-derived plasminogen mediates muscle stem cell expansion during caloric restriction through the plasminogen receptor Plg-R.

An intriguing effect of short-term caloric restriction (CR) is the expansion of certain stem cell populations, including muscle stem cells (satellite cells), which facilitate an accelerated regenerative program after injury. Here, we utilized the MetRS (MetRS) transgenic mouse to identify liver-secreted plasminogen as a candidate for regulating satellite cell expansion during short-term CR. Knockdown of circulating plasminogen prevents satellite cell expansion during short-term CR.

Efficacy of a Novel Telehealth Application in Health Behavior Modification and Symptomology in Military Service Members at Risk for Post-traumatic Osteoarthritis.

Introduction: Mobile applications (apps) may be beneficial to promote self-management strategies to mitigate the risk of developing post-traumatic osteoarthritis in military members following a traumatic knee injury. This study investigated the efficacy of a mobile app in facilitating behavior modification to improve function and symptomology among military members.

Materials And Methods: This is a preliminary pre and post hoc analysis of a randomized control trial.

"Post or Perish"? An Early Career Researcher's Guide to Using Social Media.

Social media usage has soared in the last decade, with the majority of adults having an account on at least one platform. Sites such as LinkedIn, X, and TikTok allow users to share content using different forms, for example, written or video, long form or short form. Social media can be used by researchers to forge collaborations, rapidly disseminate new research, and demonstrate societal impact.

Standardized Order Sets Do Not Eliminate Racial or Ethnic Inequities in Postpartum Pain Management.

Objective: To quantify the extent to which a standardized pain management order set reduced racial and ethnic inequities in post-cesarean pain evaluation and management.

Methods: We conducted a retrospective cohort study to quantify racial and ethnic differences in pain evaluation and management before (July 2014-June 2016) and after implementation of a standardized post-cesarean order set (March 2017-February 2018). Electronic medical records were queried for pain scores >7/10, number of pain assessments, and opioid, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID), and acetaminophen doses.

Web-Based Video Education to Improve Uptake of Influenza Vaccination and Other Preventive Health Recommendations in Adults With Inflammatory Bowel Disease: Randomized Controlled Trial of Project PREVENT.

Background: Patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) are at increased risk of infections, bone fractures, and skin cancers.

Objective: We developed preventive health videos using a patient-centered approach and tested their impact on preventive health uptake.

Methods: Five animated videos explaining preventive health recommendations in IBD were iteratively developed with patient-centered focus groups and interviews.

Rapid tissue prototyping with micro-organospheres.

In vitro tissue models hold great promise for modeling diseases and drug responses. Here, we used emulsion microfluidics to form micro-organospheres (MOSs), which are droplet-encapsulated miniature three-dimensional (3D) tissue models that can be established rapidly from patient tissues or cells. MOSs retain key biological features and responses to chemo-, targeted, and radiation therapies compared with organoids.

Patient-derived micro-organospheres enable clinical precision oncology.

Patient-derived xenografts (PDXs) and patient-derived organoids (PDOs) have been shown to model clinical response to cancer therapy. However, it remains challenging to use these models to guide timely clinical decisions for cancer patients. Here, we used droplet emulsion microfluidics with temperature control and dead-volume minimization to rapidly generate thousands of micro-organospheres (MOSs) from low-volume patient tissues, which serve as an ideal patient-derived model for clinical precision oncology.

Dug: a semantic search engine leveraging peer-reviewed knowledge to query biomedical data repositories.

Motivation: As the number of public data resources continues to proliferate, identifying relevant datasets across heterogenous repositories is becoming critical to answering scientific questions. To help researchers navigate this data landscape, we developed Dug: a semantic search tool for biomedical datasets utilizing evidence-based relationships from curated knowledge graphs to find relevant datasets and explain why those results are returned.

Results: Developed through the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute's (NHLBI) BioData Catalyst ecosystem, Dug has indexed more than 15 911 study variables from public datasets.

A Taste of Virtual Culinary Medicine and Lifestyle Medicine-An Online Course for Medical Students.

As medical schools work to train the next generation of providers, including robust content in nutrition education is paramount. The National Academy of Sciences sets the benchmark for 25 hours of nutrition education in medical schools, though many schools do not meet this requirement. Usually, nutrition lectures in medical schools are given in the pre-clinical years and focus on biochemistry and micronutrients.

Tutorial: The Speech-Language Pathologist's Role in Return to Work for Adults With Traumatic Brain Injury.

Purpose: Return to work (RTW) is a major life participation metric used for persons with a traumatic brain injury (TBI). Speech-language pathologists (SLPs) have clinical expertise in the cognitive-communication aspects of TBI. This clinical focus article aims to support the clinical practice of SLPs by summarizing key interprofessional vocational rehabilitation (VR) models and illustrating the role of the SLP throughout the RTW process with a case study.

Outcome of Bridge to Lung Transplantation With Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation in Pediatric Patients 12 Years and Older.

Background: There is a reluctance to using extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) as a bridge to lung transplantation in the pediatric population. Pediatric patients between ages 12 and 18 years are eligible for acuity-based lung transplantation using the Lung Allocation Score and may be suitable for adult allografts, increasing the donor pool and thus leading to a successful bridge to lung transplantation.

Methods: The United Network for Organ Sharing dataset was queried for primary lung transplantation in pediatric patients (12-18 years) from 2005 to 2016.

Premature Menopause, Clonal Hematopoiesis, and Coronary Artery Disease in Postmenopausal Women.

Background: Premature menopause is an independent risk factor for cardiovascular disease in women, but mechanisms underlying this association remain unclear. Clonal hematopoiesis of indeterminate potential (CHIP), the age-related expansion of hematopoietic cells with leukemogenic mutations without detectable malignancy, is associated with accelerated atherosclerosis. Whether premature menopause is associated with CHIP is unknown.

Tooth-cusp preservation with lithium disilicate onlay restorations: A fatigue resistance study.

Objectives: This study examined the in vitro fatigue resistance of maxillary premolars with 2 mm or 3 mm preserved cusp thicknesses restored with lithium disilicate onlays.

Materials And Methods: Premolars(N = 48) were divided into six groups. Onlays for groups 1 to 4 preserved a 3 mm functional (G1), 2 mm functional (G2), 3 mm nonfunctional (G3), or 2 mm nonfunctional (G4) buccal-lingual cusp width.

Outcomes of drainless outpatient parotidectomy.

Background: Superficial parotidectomy has traditionally been completed with a drain and overnight hospital stay. We report perioperative and postoperative outcomes for patients undergoing drainless outpatient parotidectomy vs traditional drained extended stay parotidectomy.

Methods: Retrospective chart review from a single surgeon from 2009 to 2017 of patients undergoing parotidectomy, including demographic data, surgical approach, tumor pathology and size, blood loss, drain placement, postoperative pain control, and complications, was done.

Associations between SLC16A11 variants and diabetes in the Hispanic Community Health Study/Study of Latinos (HCHS/SOL).

Five sequence variants in SLC16A11 (rs117767867, rs13342692, rs13342232, rs75418188, and rs75493593), which occur in two non-reference haplotypes, were recently shown to be associated with diabetes in Mexicans from the SIGMA consortium. We aimed to determine whether these previous findings would replicate in the HCHS/SOL Mexican origin group and whether genotypic effects were similar in other HCHS/SOL groups. We analyzed these five variants in 2492 diabetes cases and 5236 controls from the Hispanic Community Health Study/Study of Latinos (HCHS/SOL), which includes U.

Measuring the Healthiness of the Packaged Food Supply in Australia.

The increasing availability of packaged foods plays a key role in nutritional transition. This study examined the healthiness of the Australian packaged food supply using a range of different metrics; 40,664 packaged products from The George Institute's FoodSwitch database were included. Median and interquartile range (IQR) were determined for each measure of nutrient composition; mean and standard deviation (SD) for the measure based upon Health Star Rating (HSR); and proportions (%) for the measures based upon products with a higher HSR, classification of foods as either core or discretionary, extent of processing and proportions of foods that met reformulation targets for sodium, saturated fat and total sugars.

Gene expression-phenotype associations in adults with eosinophilic esophagitis.

Background: Gene expression patterns have not been extensively examined in the context of clinical features of eosinophilic esophagitis (EoE).

Aims: To assess whether gene expression is associated with clinically defined phenotypes in adults with EoE.

Methods: This was an analysis of prospectively collected esophageal biopsies in newly diagnosed EoE patients.

A Biosensor-CMOS Platform and Integrated Readout Circuit in 0.18-μm CMOS Technology for Cancer Biomarker Detection.

This paper presents a biosensor-CMOS platform for measuring the capacitive coupling of biorecognition elements. The biosensor is designed, fabricated, and tested for the detection and quantification of a protein that reveals the presence of early-stage cancer. For the first time, the spermidine/spermine N1 acetyltransferase (SSAT) enzyme has been screened and quantified on the surface of a capacitive sensor.

A new methodological approach to adjust alcohol exposure distributions to improve the estimation of alcohol-attributable fractions.

Background And Aims: To assess the burden of excessive alcohol use, researchers estimate alcohol-attributable fractions (AAFs) routinely. However, under-reporting in survey data can bias these estimates. We present an approach that adjusts for under-reporting in the estimation of AAFs, particularly within subgroups.

A Gene Expression Panel is Accurate for Diagnosis and Monitoring Treatment of Eosinophilic Esophagitis in Adults.

Objective: Eosinophilic esophagitis (EoE) can be difficult to diagnose. We aimed to evaluate whether a gene expression score could differentiate adult EoE cases from non-EoE controls and to determine whether scores normalized after treatment for EoE.

Methods: We analyzed prospectively collected esophageal biopsies from EoE patients (diagnosed as per consensus guidelines and after a proton pump inhibitor trial) and non-EoE controls.

Women and Cardiovascular Disease: What Can Health Care Providers Do to Reduce the Risks?

Cardiovascular disease impacts everybody and places significant burdens on the health care system. Educating women on their risks and how to reduce these risks will not only make women more aware but will help to improve lives and reduce health care costs. This commentary will review heart disease in women and what women can do to improve their cardiovascular health.

Prospective assessment of serum periostin as a biomarker for diagnosis and monitoring of eosinophilic oesophagitis.

Background: Periostin is highly expressed in eosinophilic oesophagitis (EoE), but has not been extensively studied as a non-invasive biomarker.

Aim: To assess whether serum periostin distinguished EoE from controls at baseline, had utility for monitoring treatment response, or was associated with IL-13 levels.

Methods: This was a sub-analysis of a prospective cohort study of adults undergoing out-patient upper endoscopy.

Operating Room Delays: Meaningful Use in Electronic Health Record.

Perioperative areas are the most costly to operate and account for more than 40% of expenses. The high costs prompted one organization to analyze surgical delays through a retrospective review of their new electronic health record. Electronic health records have made it easier to access and aggregate clinical data; 2123 operating room cases were analyzed.

Successful matched sibling donor marrow transplantation following reduced intensity conditioning in children with hemoglobinopathies.

Fifty-two children with symptomatic sickle cell disease sickle cell disease (SCD) (N = 43) or transfusion-dependent thalassemia (N = 9) received matched sibling donor marrow (46), marrow and cord product (5), or cord blood (1) allografts following reduced intensity conditioning (RIC) with alemtuzumab, fludarabine, and melphalan between March 2003 and May 2014*. The Kaplan-Meier probabilities of overall and event-free survival at a median of 3.42 (range, 0.

Pathologically confirmed breast cancer in Malawi: a descriptive study: Clinical profile of breast cancer.

Background: Breast cancer is the most common female cancer in Africa, yet no published studies have investigated breast cancer in Malawi. Understanding the clinical profile of breast cancer is important to develop early diagnosis efforts.

Aim: To describe clinical and pathological characteristics of breast specimens from a pathology laboratory at a national teaching hospital.