Impacts of supplementation with milk proteins on inflammation: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background: Impacts of milk proteins (MPs) on inflammation are uncertain. The current systematic review and dose-response meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) evaluated the effects of whey protein (WP), casein protein (CP), or MP supplementation on serum levels of cytokines and adipokines in adults.

Methods: A comprehensive search of various online databases was conducted to find appropriate clinical trials published until September 2024.

In Vitro and In Vivo Visualization of Perfluorohexyloctane, an Eye Drop for Dry Eye Disease, Using Infrared Emissivity.

Purpose: To visualize the behavior of perfluorohexyloctane (PFHO), an eye drop to treat dry eye disease (DED), on the surface of saline in vitro and on the human ocular surface using infrared emissivity.

Methods: Emissivity videos were used to measure the spreading and disappearance rates of PFHO on saline (with and without mucin for spreading rate) and layered over a 125 nm film of meibum on the surface of saline using a TearView camera. Ocular surface emissivity was videoed in a volunteer without DED before and after instillation of 1 drop of PFHO.

Evaluation of the Food Literacy Project's "Nourishing Food Literacy, Community Health and Sense of Place in Louisville, Kentucky" Initiative.

Background And Objectives: Community-based organizations, such as Food Literacy Project, Inc. (FLP), focused on cultivating food justice through increasing access to healthy foods in under-resourced areas are uniquely positioned to positively affect the nutrition landscape. This article reports on an evaluation of FLP's efforts in implementing food justice programming.

CXCL12 ameliorates neutrophilia and disease severity in SARS-CoV-2 infection.

Neutrophils, particularly low-density neutrophils (LDNs), are believed to contribute to acute COVID-19 severity. Here, we showed that neutrophilia can be detected acutely and even months after SARS-CoV-2 infection in patients and mice, while neutrophil depletion reduced disease severity in mice. A key factor in neutrophilia and severe disease in infected mice was traced to the chemokine CXCL12 secreted by bone marrow cells and unexpectedly, endothelial cells.

Sodium Thiosulfate: An Innovative Multi-Target Repurposed Treatment Strategy for Late-Onset Alzheimer's Disease.

Late-onset Alzheimer's disease (LOAD) is a chronic, multifactorial, and progressive neurodegenerative disease that associates with aging and is highly prevalent in our older population (≥65 years of age). This hypothesis generating this narrative review will examine the important role for the use of sodium thiosulfate (STS) as a possible multi-targeting treatment option for LOAD. Sulfur is widely available in our environment and is responsible for forming organosulfur compounds that are known to be associated with a wide range of biological activities in the brain.

Noninvasive Electrical Modalities to Alleviate Respiratory Deficits Following Spinal Cord Injury.

(1) Background: Respiratory dysfunction is a debilitating consequence of cervical and thoracic spinal cord injury (SCI), resulting from the loss of cortico-spinal drive to respiratory motor networks. This impairment affects both central and peripheral nervous systems, disrupting motor control and muscle innervation, which is essential for effective breathing. These deficits significantly impact the health and quality of life of individuals with SCI.

Lifestyle Factors and Associations with Individual and Comorbid Cardiometabolic and Pulmonary Disease Among U.S. Adults.

Background: Although lifestyle factors have been linked to chronic diseases among adults, their association with diagnosed individual and comorbid cardiometabolic (CMD) and pulmonary disease (PD) is not fully known. This study aimed to examine the associations between lifestyle factors and individual and comorbid CMD and PD among U.S.

Bioactivation, Mutagenicity, DNA Damage, and Oxidative Stress Induced by 3,4-Dimethylaniline.

3,4-Dimethylaniline (3,4-DMA) is present in cigarette smoke and widely used as an intermediate in dyes, drugs, and pesticides. Nucleotide excision repair-deficient Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells stably transfected with human CYP1A2 and N-acetyltransferase 1 (NAT1) alleles: (reference allele) or (the most common variant allele) were utilized to assess 3,4-DMA -acetylation and hypoxanthine phosphoribosyl transferase (HPRT) mutations, double-strand DNA breaks and reactive oxygen species (ROS). CHO cells expressing exhibited significantly ( < 0.

Evaluation of Thermal Liquid Biopsy Analysis of Saliva and Blood Plasma Specimens as a Novel Diagnostic Modality in Head and Neck Cancer.

Background: Over the past decade, saliva-based liquid biopsies have emerged as promising tools for the early diagnosis, prognosis, and monitoring of cancer, particularly in high-risk populations. However, challenges persist because of low concentrations and variable modifications of biomarkers linked to tumor development when compared to normal salivary components.

Methods: This study explores the application of differential scanning calorimetry (DSC)-based thermal liquid biopsy (TLB) for analyzing saliva and blood plasma samples from head and neck cancer (HNC) patients.

The promises and perils of circulating tumor DNA for monitoring immunotherapy response in non-small cell lung cancer.

There has been a rapid expansion of immunotherapy options for non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) over the past two decades, particularly with the advent of immune checkpoint inhibitors. Despite the emerging role of immunotherapy in adjuvant and neoadjuvant settings though, relatively few patients will respond to immunotherapy which can be problematic due to expense and toxicity; thus, the development of biomarkers capable of predicting immunotherapeutic response is imperative. Due to the promise of a noninvasive, personalized approach capable of providing comprehensive, real-time monitoring of tumor heterogeneity and evolution, there has been wide interest in the concept of using circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) to predict treatment response.

Influence of Obesity, Race and Gender on Radiation Exposure for Epidural Procedures.

Purpose Of Review: This retrospective, case controlled, comparative evaluation review of radiation exposure during epidural procedures in interventional pain management assessed variations in radiation exposure based on obesity, race, and gender.

Recent Findings: Numerous publications have shown increasing radiation exposure based on body mass index (BMI). However, the influence of race and gender have not been studied.

Reduced White Matter Damage and Lower Neuroinflammatory Potential of Microglia and Macrophages in Hri/Eif2ak1 Mice After Contusive Spinal Cord Injury.

Cellular stressors inhibit general protein synthesis while upregulating stress response transcripts and/or proteins. Phosphorylation of the translation factor eIF2α by one of the several stress-activated kinases is a trigger for such signaling, known as the integrated stress response (ISR). The ISR regulates cell survival and function under stress.

What does a Trump presidency mean for maternal and infant health in Africa?

It is sometimes said that when America sneezes, the world catches a cold. The opposite scenario may also apply: a healthy and progressive American economy and democracy provides needed resources and hope to many parts of the world, including Africa. Four years ago, we wrote an optimistic message in this journal.

Estimating the Risk of Cardiovascular Events in U.S. Veterans Using the SMART Risk Score.

Background: Estimation of long-term risk for cardiovascular events using the SMART (Secondary Manifestations of Arterial Disease) risk score can be potentially valuable in devising risk mitigation strategies.

Objectives: The objective of this study was to apply the SMART risk score to compute the risk for major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE) in the U.S.

Serotype Distribution Among US Adults Hospitalized With Community-Acquired Pneumonia, 2019-2020.

Background: Serotype-specific urinary antigen detection (UAD) assay results can be used to estimate the serotype contribution among adults with pneumococcal community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) and to guide recommendations regarding higher-valency pneumococcal conjugate vaccines (PCVs).

Methods: Adults aged ≥18 years hospitalized with radiographic evidence of CAP were prospectively enrolled in 4 US cities from November 2019 to December 2020, overlapping the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. Data were collected by patient interview and medical chart review.

CFD-Based Hemolysis Study of Fontan Cavopulmonary Assist Device Using Kriging Surrogate Modeling.

Background: Predicting hemolysis numerically based on the power-law model using idealized coefficients obtained from simplified devices yields a large variability in hemolysis index predictions. A computational fluid dynamics (CFD)-based Kriging surrogate modeling approach, developed by Craven et al. at the US Food & Drug Administration (FDA), was applied to a Fontan cavopulmonary assist device (CPAD) to generate device-specific hemolysis power-law coefficients.

Impact of chronic ethanol consumption and SARS-COV-2 on the liver and intestine: A pilot dose-response study in mice.

Background: During the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, there was a marked increase in alcohol consumption. COVID-19 superimposed on underlying liver disease notably worsens the outcome of many forms of liver injury. The goal of a current pilot study was to test the dual exposure of alcohol and COVID-19 infection in an experimental animal model of alcohol-associated liver disease (ALD).

3D-Bioprinted Urinary Catheters Enable Sustained Probiotic Recovery Under Flow and Improve Bladder Colonization In Vivo.

Catheter-associated urinary tract infections (CAUTIs) account for a large proportion of healthcare-associated infections. CAUTIs, caused by colonization of the catheter surface by uropathogens, are challenging to treat, especially when compounded by antibiotic resistance. One prophylactic strategy that could reduce pathogen colonization is bacterial interference, whereby the catheter surface is coated with non-pathogenic bacteria.

Association of Blood Pressure and Retinal Nerve Fiber Layer Rates of Thinning in Patients with Moderate to Advanced Glaucoma.

Purpose: Investigate the influence of baseline blood pressure (BP) on retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL) rates of change (RoC) in glaucoma patients with central damage or moderate to severe disease.

Design: Prospective cohort study.

Participants: 110 eyes with ≥4 RNFL optical coherence tomography scans and ≥2 years of follow-up.

Damage Control Surgery in the Era of Globalization of Health Care - Military and International Outcomes: A SystematicReview.

Introduction: Damage Control Surgery (DCS) is a surgical technique used to manage critically ill and injured patients. This study examines the most recent 10-y outcomes related to DCS, with the secondary goal of scrutinizing the outcomes after DCS across surgical theaters.

Methods: Studies published between 2012 and 2021 that described adult patients undergoing Abdominal DCS after traumatic injury were included.

Slow-Coagulation Transscleral Cyclophotocoagulation in Pseudoexfoliation Glaucoma.

Purpose: To evaluate the outcomes of slow-coagulation transscleral cyclophotocoagulation (SC-TSCPC) in pseudoexfoliation glaucoma (PXG).

Methods: A single-center, retrospective non-comparative study including consecutive patients with medically uncontrolled PXG who underwent SC-TSCPC (1250-milliwatt power and 4-second duration). The primary outcome measure was surgical success (defined as intraocular pressure (IOP) between 6 - 21 mmHg with ≥20% reduction compared to baseline and no need for further glaucoma surgeries or development of vision-threatening complications).

Development of a reference standard to assign bacterial versus viral infection etiology using an all-inclusive methodology for comparison of novel diagnostic tool performance.

Background: Diagnostic test evaluation requires a reference standard. We describe an approach for creating a reference standard for acute infection using unrestricted adjudication and apply it to compare biomarker tools.

Methods: Adults and children with suspected acute infection enrolled in three prospective studies at emergency departments and urgent cares were included.

Electrosurgical Devices Used During Laparoscopic Hysterectomy.

Background: Hysterectomy is one of the most common surgical procedures performed in the United States and most are now being performed in a minimally invasive approach. Electrosurgery and vessel sealing devices are needed in order to provide hemostasis and vascular coaptation; however, there is no guiding evidence and limited recommendations for the use of the currently available devices for laparoscopic hysterectomy. The purpose of this study is to provide a systematic review of electrosurgical devices used in benign hysterectomy and perform a meta-analysis to find the overall effect of various outcomes.