Dementia Care Research and Psychosocial Factors.

Background: Historically, efforts to engage under-represented communities in health research have encountered limited success, attributable to inadequate community participation, acceptability, and ownership. Globally, an innovative strategy to foster community involvement in research is the establishment of Community Advisory Boards (CABs). These boards consist of stakeholders from the target community, providing partnership and support throughout all phases of the research, from conception to implementation and evaluation.

Impact of Clindamycin on the Oral-Gut Axis: Gastrointestinal Side Effects and Clostridium difficile Infection in 45 Patients.

Introduction The use of antibiotics such as oral clindamycin has been effective in treating bacterial infections. However, this medication often comes with significant side effects, particularly those affecting the gastrointestinal (GI) system. This study aims to evaluate the impact of different doses of clindamycin on GI health, specifically examining side effects like stomach upset, diarrhea duration, stomach pain, and recovery time.

Mortality, Hepatic Decompensation, and Cardiovascular Outcomes in Lean vs. Non-lean MASLD Cirrhosis: A Veterans Affairs Cohort Study.

Background And Aims: Metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD) has a global prevalence of 25%. Studies on incident liver and cardiovascular outcomes in lean (Body mass index: BMI < 25 kg/m, or < 23 kg/m for Asians) vs. non-lean individuals with MASLD have reported mixed results.

A Standardized Approach to Transition Improves Care of Young Adults with Inflammatory Bowel Disease.

Introduction: Young adults with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) are at the risk of poor outcomes when transferring to adult providers. We aimed to increase the percentage of patients with 14-17 years of age undergoing the transition of care and the percentage of patients 18-21 years of age initiating the transfer of care to 50% for 12 months. Our goal was also to improve patient satisfaction with the transfer process.

The Impact of MRI-Defined Extent of Resection Across Meningioma DNA Methylation Groups: Re-Evaluating Surgery in the Era of Meningioma Molecular Classification.

Background And Objectives: Extent of resection (EOR) is prognostic for meningioma outcomes. DNA methylation profiling can shed light on biological drivers and therapeutic vulnerabilities. The goal of this study was to re-evaluate the impact of EOR on clinical outcomes across meningioma DNA methylation groups.

Low-molecular weight organic acids can enhance the microbial reduction of iron oxide nanoparticles and pollutants by improving electrons transfer.

The combined application of dissimilatory iron-reducing bacteria (DIRB) and Fe(III) nanoparticles has garnered widespread interest in the contaminants transformation and removal. The efficiency of this composite system relies on the extracellular electron transfer (EET) process between DIRB and Fe(III) nanoparticles. While modifications to Fe(III) nanoparticles have demonstrated improvements in EET, enhancing DIRB activity also shows potential for further EET enhancement, meriting further investigation.

Belzutifan plus cabozantinib as first-line treatment for patients with advanced clear-cell renal cell carcinoma (LITESPARK-003): an open-label, single-arm, phase 2 study.

Background: Belzutifan, a first-in-class HIF-2α inhibitor, has shown antitumour activity as monotherapy and in combination with cabozantinib in patients with previously treated advanced kidney cancer. The phase 2 LITESPARK-003 study was designed to determine the antitumour activity and safety of belzutifan in combination with cabozantinib in patients with advanced clear-cell renal cell carcinoma that was previously untreated (cohort 1) or previously treated with immunotherapy (cohort 2). Here, we report results from cohort 1 of this clinical trial.

Land Use Change Consistently Reduces α- But Not β- and γ-Diversity of Bees.

Land use change threatens global biodiversity and compromises ecosystem functions, including pollination and food production. Reduced taxonomic α-diversity is often reported under land use change, yet the impacts could be different at larger spatial scales (i.e.

Prevalence of food and housing insecurity among direct support professionals in New York.

Background: Low earnings are associated with household insecurity. Direct Support Professionals (DSPs) provide support for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities, typically for wages close to state minimums, and may experience insecurity.

Objective: The purpose of the study was to evaluate the prevalence of food and housing insecurity among DSPs.

Investigating Moral Distress in Clinical Research Professionals-A Deep Dive into Troubled Waters.

Moral distress occurs when professionals are constrained from taking what they believe to be ethically appropriate actions or are forced to take actions they believe are ethically inappropriate, challenging their professional identities and representing systems-level issues within organizations. Moral distress has been recognized in a variety of health care-related fields; however, the phenomenon is still comparatively unexplored among clinical research professionals (CRPs). In this qualitative study, we interviewed ten CRPs to unearth root causes of moral distress in this ethically unique profession.

The Value of Auditing the Frequency of Inhalational Anesthetics With a Combination of Very Low Bispectral Index and High Fraction of the Age-Adjusted Minimum Alveolar Concentration.

Background: Previously, a depth of anesthesia bispectral index (BIS™) <45 was considered lowand found to have no clinical benefit. A BIS <35 was considered very low and was not only without evident clinical benefit but also associated with a greater risk of postoperative delirium. We considered the association between BIS and the anesthetic dose of inhalational agents, quantified using the minimum alveolar concentration (MAC) fraction, which was the patient's end-tidal inhalational agent concentration divided by the agent's altitude- and age-adjusted minimum alveolar percentage concentration.

The African Initiative for Bioinformatics Online Training in Neurodegenerative Diseases (AI-BOND): Investing in the next generation of African neuroscientists.

Unlabelled: Neurodegenerative disorders, including Alzheimer's disease and AD-related dementias (AD/ADRD), pose significant challenges to health care systems globally, particularly in Africa. With the advances in medical technology and research capabilities, especially in next-generation sequencing and imaging, vast amounts of data have been generated from AD/ADRD research. Given that the greatest increase in AD/ADRD prevalence is expected to occur in Africa, it is critical to establish comprehensive bioinformatics training programs to help African scientists leverage existing data and collect additional information to untangle AD/ADRD heterogeneity in African populations.

Impact of Social Determinants of Health on Cancer Treatment Referrals in Patients Living with HIV in the United States: A Narrative Review.

Introduction: This narrative review aims to identify and explore the social determinants that prevent people living with HIV (PWH) from accessing specialized cancer centers in the United States and compare to patient experiences in other countries.

Methods: The review includes randomized controlled trials, cohort studies, case-control studies, qualitative studies, case series, and non-peer reviewed articles. The risk of bias was assessed using standardized tools, and data were synthesized narratively due to the heterogeneity of study designs and outcomes.

Cushing's Disease Clinical Phenotype and Tumor Behavior Vary with Age: Diagnostic and Perioperative Implications.

Context: Little is known about presenting clinical characteristics, tumor biology, and surgical morbidity of Cushing's disease (CD) with aging.

Objective: Using a large multi-institutional dataset, we assessed diagnostic and prognostic significance of age in CD through differences in presentation, laboratory results, tumor characteristics, and postoperative outcomes.

Design: Data from the Registry of Adenomas of the Pituitary and Related Disorders (RAPID) were reviewed for patients with CD treated with transsphenoidal tumor resection at 11 centers between 2003 and 2023.

Assessing the Current State of USA-Based Disaster Medicine Fellowships.

Objectives: This study aimed to understand the current landscape of USA-based disaster medicine (DM) programs through the lens of alumni and program directors (PDs). The data obtained from this study will provide valuable information to future learners as they ponder careers in disaster medicine and allow PDs to refine curricular offerings.

Methods: Two separate surveys were sent to USA-based DM program directors and alumni.

Assessment of reproductive knowledge among young adults utilizing Amazon mechanical Turk survey.

Background: Reproductive health technology has evolved significantly since the introduction of in vitro fertilization in 1978, enhancing the possibility of conceiving children at later stages in life. Despite these advancements, there remains a critical gap in fertility knowledge among young adults, as demonstrated by recent studies. This gap is compounded by the growing influence of social media on health information, where misinformation can distort public understanding of fertility-related issues.

The mechanisms of electrical neuromodulation.

The central and peripheral nervous systems are specialized to conduct electrical currents that underlie behaviour. When this multidimensional electrical system is disrupted by degeneration, damage, or disuse, externally applied electrical currents may act to modulate neural structures and provide therapeutic benefit. The administration of electrical stimulation can exert precise and multi-faceted effects at cellular, circuit and systems levels to restore or enhance the functionality of the central nervous system by providing an access route to target specific cells, fibres of passage, neurotransmitter systems, and/or afferent/efferent communication to enable positive changes in behaviour.

The iHearingAids? New Technologies in the Hearing World.

Apple's new hearing health experience with AirPods Pro 2 was released this Fall of 2024, allowing any user with a compatible iPhone and AirPods Pro 2 to perform hearing tests and use the device as a hearing aid for perceived mild to moderate hearing loss. This innovation may increase accessibility to hearing testing and hearing augmentation for the public but there are many potential drawbacks that will impact hearing loss care. The advent of AirPods Pro 2 and the inevitable arrival of similar devices to the market will alter the clinical practice.

Risk reduction in SARS-CoV-2 infection and reinfection conferred by humoral antibody levels among essential workers during Omicron predominance.

The extent to which semi-quantitative antibody levels confer protection against SARS-CoV-2 infection in populations with heterogenous immune histories is unclear. Two nested case-control studies were designed within the multisite HEROES/RECOVER prospective cohort of frontline workers to study the relationship between antibody levels and protection against first-time post-vaccination infection and reinfection with SARS-CoV-2 from December 2021 to January 2023. All participants submitted weekly nasal swabs for rRT-PCR testing and blood samples quarterly and following infection or vaccination.

Impact of insurance on outcomes of patients undergoing endoscopic transsphenoidal surgery for non-functional pituitary adenomas: a single institution study.

Purpose: Uninsured and underinsured patients face notable healthcare disparities in neurosurgery, but limited literature exists on the impact of insurance on non-functioning pituitary adenomas (NFPAs). We investigated how insurance affects outcomes of endoscopic transsphenoidal pituitary surgery (ETPS) for NFPAs.

Methods: We retrospectively reviewed NFPA patients who underwent ETPS at our institution from 2012 to 2023.

Dr. Jekyll or Mr. Hyde: The multifaceted roles of miR-145-5p in human health and disease.

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are classified as small, non-coding RNAs that play crucial roles in diverse biological processes, including cellular development, differentiation, growth, and metabolism. MiRNAs regulate gene expression by recognizing complementary sequences within messenger RNA (mRNA) molecules. Recent studies have revealed that miR-145-5p functions as a tumor suppressor in several cancers, including lung, liver, and breast cancers.

Enhanced dynorphin expression and secretion in pancreatic beta-cells under hyperglycemic conditions.

Objective: Dynorphin, an endogenous opioid peptide predominantly expressed in the central nervous system and involved in stress response, pain, and addiction, has intrigued researchers due to its expression in pancreatic β-cells. In this study, we aimed to characterize dynorphin expression in mouse and human islets and explore the mechanisms regulating its expression.

Methods: We used primary mouse and human islets with unbiased published datasets to examine how glucose and other nutrients regulate dynorphin expression and secretion in islets.