Structural and functional brain correlates of the neutrophil- and monocyte-to-lymphocyte ratio in neuropsychiatric disorders.

Skews in the neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) and monocyte-to-lymphocyte ratio (MLR) increasingly demonstrate prognostic capability in a range of acute and chronic mental health conditions. There has been a recent uptick in structural and functional magnetic responance imaging data corroborating the role of NLR and MLR in a cluster of neuropsychiatric disorders that are characterized by cognitive, affective, and psychomotor dysfunction. Moreover, these deficits are mostly evident in setting of acute and chronic disease comorbidity implicating aging and immunosenescent processes in the manifestation of these geriatric syndromes.

Advancements in Wound Bed Preparation of Chronic Wounds.

Chronic wounds are notoriously challenging to heal as they are often halted in their normal healing process. The concept of TIME (Tissue, Inflammation/Infection, Moisture imbalance, Epithelial edge advancement) has been widely utilized in clinical practice to prepare wound beds and promote healing, particularly in longstanding wounds. Traditional methods of wound bed preparation are often inadequate in healing chronic wounds or they may not be tolerated by patients.

Characterizing Wellness Initiatives in Academic Radiation Oncology Departments.

Purpose: Burnout is prevalent in radiation oncology (RO), and an increased focus on promoting physician wellness and formalizing wellness-directed efforts has transpired in recent years. We aimed to characterize current wellness leadership positions and efforts within academic RO departments.

Methods And Materials: Academic RO department chairs were contacted to inquire whether they had a departmental wellness leader with a request for leader contact information, if applicable.

Myocardial Inflammation in Cardiac Transthyretin Amyloidosis: Prevalence and Potential Prognostic Implications.

Background: Despite previous histopathologic evidence for its presence, the role of myocardial inflammation in the development and progression of cardiac transthyretin amyloidosis (ATTR-CA) remains insufficiently understood. Thus, this study sought to characterize the prevalence and potential prognostic implications of myocardial inflammation in ATTR-CA.

Methods: A retrospective observational study including patients with ATTR-CA diagnosed by endomyocardial biopsy was conducted.

Cognivue characterizes amyloid status and preclinical Alzheimer's disease in biomarker confirmed cohorts in the Bio-Hermes Study.

Background: Cognivue is an FDA-cleared computerized cognitive test to screen for cognitive impairment included in the Bio-Hermes Study to test blood-based and digital biomarkers' ability to screen for mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and Alzheimer's disease (AD). A subset of cognitively normal individuals have amyloid deposition (Preclinical AD) but no current assessment can identify these individuals in the absence of expensive biomarkers.

Objective: We examined differences in Cognivue performance between amyloid positive and amyloid negative individuals and whether Cognivue could differentiate True Controls (cognitively normal/amyloid negative), Preclinical AD (cognitively normal/amyloid positive), and MCI due to AD (MCI-AD, cognitively impaired/amyloid positive).

Optimizing autonomous artificial intelligence diagnostics for neuro-ocular health in space missions.

Spaceflight-Associated Neuro-Ocular Syndrome (SANS) presents a critical risk in long-duration missions, with microgravity-induced changes that threaten astronaut vision and mission outcomes. Current SANS monitoring, limited to pre- and post-flight exams, lacks in-flight diagnostics, highlighting an urgent need for autonomous tools capable of real-time assessment. Grok, an AI platform by xAI, offers promising potential as an advanced diagnostic tool for space-based health monitoring.

Correlates of prolonged length of stay after endoscopic transsphenoidal surgery for pituitary adenomas: varying definitions and non-clinical factors.

Purpose: Prolonged length of stay (PLOS) can lead to resource misallocation and higher complication risks. However, there is no consensus on defining PLOS for endoscopic transsphenoidal pituitary surgery (ETPS). Therefore, we investigated the impact of varying PLOS definitions on factors associated with PLOS in patients undergoing ETPS.

Pre-Type 1 Diabetes in Adolescents and Teens: Screening, Nutritional Interventions, Beta-Cell Preservation, and Psychosocial Impacts.

Type 1 Diabetes (T1D) is a progressive autoimmune disease often identified in childhood or adolescence, with early stages detectable through pre-diabetic markers such as autoantibodies and subclinical beta-cell dysfunction. The identification of the pre-T1D stage is critical for preventing complications, such as diabetic ketoacidosis, and for enabling timely interventions that may alter disease progression. This review examines the multifaceted approach to managing T1D risk in adolescents and teens, emphasizing early detection, nutritional interventions, beta-cell preservation strategies, and psychosocial support.

Comparison of Methods of Detecting IL-1β in the Blood of Alzheimer's Disease Subjects.

Interleukin (IL)-1β is a pro-inflammatory cytokine whose levels are increased in the brains of Alzheimer's disease (AD) patients. Despite the role of IL-1β in the pathology of AD, the fact that it is expressed at very low levels makes it a challenging cytokine to measure, hence limiting its potential use as a reliable biomarker. Moreover, being able to accurately and reliably measure the levels of IL-1 β in blood makes it possible to evaluate this cytokine as a potential biomarker of the inflammatory response in AD.

Inborn Errors of Immunity Presenting with Early-Onset Severe Atopy.

Inborn errors of immunity (IEIs), also known as primary immunodeficiencies, are a group of genetic disorders affecting the development and function of the immune system. While IEIs traditionally present with recurrent infections, an increasing number of cases manifest with early-onset severe atopy, including atopic dermatitis, food allergies, asthma, and allergic rhinitis-features that are often overlooked. This can lead to delayed diagnosis and treatment, which is crucial for IEI patients due to the risk of severe infections.

Direct Prediction of 48 Month Survival Status in Patients with Uveal Melanoma Using Deep Learning and Digital Cytopathology Images.

Background: Uveal melanoma (UM) is the most common primary intraocular malignancy in adults. The median overall survival time for patients who develop metastasis is approximately one year. In this study, we aim to leverage deep learning (DL) techniques to analyze digital cytopathology images and directly predict the 48 month survival status on a patient level.

Mechanical thrombectomy in elderly stroke patients with low ASPECTS: insights from STAR.

Background: The elderly population (≥80 years) were underrepresented in recent trials of endovascular thrombectomy (EVT) for anterior circulation large vessel occlusion acute ischemic stroke (LVO-AIS) with low Alberta Stroke Program Early CT Score (ASPECTS) (≤5).

Methods: This study analyzed data from a prospectively maintained database of 37 thrombectomy centers. The primary cohort of the study comprised patients with LVO-AIS aged ≥80 who underwent EVT with ASPECTS≤5 from 2013 to 2023.

Intravascular Imaging as a Performance Measure for Percutaneous Coronary Intervention.

Background: Intravascular imaging (IVI) is widely recognized to improve outcomes after percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). However, IVI is underutilized and is not yet established as a performance measure for quality PCI.

Methods: We examined temporal trends of IVI use for all PCIs performed at Veterans Affairs hospitals in the United States from 2010 to 2022 using retrospective observational cohorts.

Long-term Impact of Carotid Endarterectomy on Choroidal and Choriocapillaris Perfusion: The INFLATE Study.

Purpose: When performed for clinically significant carotid artery stenosis (CAS), the long-term impact of carotid endarterectomy (CEA) on choroidal and choriocapillaris (CC) circulation was studied using swept-source OCT angiography.

Design: Prospective observational study.

Participants: Patients with clinically significant CAS undergoing unilateral CEA.

Mechanically Triggered Protein Desulfurization.

The technology of native chemical ligation and postligation desulfurization has greatly expanded the scope of modern chemical protein synthesis. Here, we report that ultrasonic energy can trigger robust and clean protein desulfurization, and we developed an ultrasound-induced desulfurization (USID) strategy that is simple to use and generally applicable to peptides and proteins. The USID strategy involves a simple ultrasonic cleaning bath and an easy-to-use and easy-to-remove sonosensitizer, titanium dioxide.

GLP-1RA Use and Thyroid Cancer Risk.

Importance: The increasing use of glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists (GLP-1RA) demands a better understanding of their association with thyroid cancer.

Objective: To estimate the risk of incident thyroid cancer among adults with type 2 diabetes being treated with GLP-1RA vs other common glucose-lowering medications.

Design, Setting, And Participants: This was a prespecified secondary analysis of a target trial emulation of a comparative effectiveness study using claims data for enrollees in commercial, Medicare Advantage, and Medicare fee-for-service plans across the US.

Pediatric cancer predisposition syndromes involving non-central nervous system solid pediatric tumors: a review on their manifestations with a focus on histopathology.

Germline genetic alterations and their associated cancer predisposition syndromes (CPS) are an important cause of pediatric cancer. Early recognition is of great importance for targeted surveillance, early detection, and prompt (personalized) therapeutic interventions. This review provides an overview of non-central nervous system solid pediatric tumor types, in relation to their associated CPS, with an emphasis on their histology.

Is it time to retire preoperative radiation for localized esophageal and gastro-esophageal adenocarcinoma?

Whether preoperative chemoradiotherapy (CRT) or perioperative chemotherapy is superior for localized esophageal or gastro-esophageal junction (GEJ) cancers has been a topic of long-standing debate. For years, standard of care in the United States for localized esophageal or GEJ adenocarcinoma (EAC) has been physician's choice between the 2 strategies. More recently, adjuvant immunotherapy has also been introduced into the treatment approach for those who received neoadjuvant CRT.

Financial toxicity and firearm injury: exploring financial needs of participants in a hospital-based violence intervention program.

Background: Financial toxicity refers to financial hardship experienced because of illness or injury. Poverty is a known driver of community violence, but financial toxicity has not been studied in firearm violence survivors. The objective of our study was to explore the financial needs of firearm violence survivors enrolled in a hospital-based violence intervention program (HVIP).

Surgical risks and care trends: A cross sectional study of people experiencing homelessness presenting at a free clinic care in Miami-Dade County.

Background: The effects of housing insecurity on surgical care are under researched and largely unknown. Thus far, studies on surgery outcomes of people experiencing homelessness either focus on shelter-based patients or do not differentiate whether patients are sheltered or unsheltered, despite significant differences in care needs and health risks. Herein we provide the first report on surgical care trends of people experiencing unsheltered homelessness.