The PIKASO trial (Preventing Injured Knees from Osteoarthritis: Severity Outcomes): Rationale and design features for a randomized controlled trial.

Objective: Given the high burden and increasing prevalence of post-traumatic osteoarthritis (PTOA), identifying clinically beneficial strategies to prevent or delay its onset could improve the quality of life of those at high risk of developing the disease.

Methods: Preventing Injured Knees from OsteoArthritis: Severity Outcomes (PIKASO) is a multicenter blinded, parallel, two-arm randomized controlled trial of 512 individuals aged 18-45 years undergoing anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction (ACLR). This study is designed to evaluate the efficacy of a 12-month intervention of oral metformin vs.

Utilizing whole genome sequencing to characterize central line-associated bloodstream infections due to .

Whole genome sequencing (WGS) and clinical review were used to characterize 14 cases of central line-associated bloodstream infection (CLABSI) due to . WGS, which demonstrated disparate strains, suggested that 42.9% of CLABSI cases were due to contamination, while clinical review suggested that 57.

Digital Surveillance of Mental Health Care Services in Saudi Arabia: Cross-Sectional Study of National e-Referral System Data.

Background: Mental illness affects an estimated 25% of the global population, with treatment gaps persisting worldwide. The COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated these challenges, leading to a significant increase in mental health issues globally. In Saudi Arabia, the lifetime prevalence of mental disorders is estimated at 34.

Evaluating Older Adults' Engagement and Usability With AI-Driven Interventions: Randomized Pilot Study.

Background: Technologies that serve as assistants are growing more popular for entertainment and aiding in daily tasks. Artificial intelligence (AI) in these technologies could also be helpful to deliver interventions that assist older adults with symptoms or self-management. Personality traits may play a role in how older adults engage with AI technologies.

Spatial Localization of Collagen Hydroxylated Proline Site Variation as an Ancestral Trait in the Breast Cancer Microenvironment.

Collagen stroma interactions within the extracellular microenvironment of breast tissue play a significant role in breast cancer, including risk, progression, and outcomes. Hydroxylation of proline (HYP) is a common post-translational modification directly linked to breast cancer survival and progression. Changes in HYP status lead to alterations in epithelial cell signaling, extracellular matrix remodeling, and immune cell recruitment.

Data Collection Variability Across Neonatal Hypoxic-Ischemic Encephalopathy Registries.

Objective: To assess variability among data elements collected among existing neonatal hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy (HIE) data registries worldwide and to determine the need for future harmonization of standard common data elements.

Study Design: This was a cross-sectional study of data elements collected from current or recently employed HIE registry data forms. Registries were identified by literature search and email inquiries to investigators worldwide.

Cross-Sectional Study Gender Pay Gap in Industry General Payments to U.S. General and Fellowship-Trained Surgeons.

Introduction: Gender disparities exist in nonresearch industry payments to U.S. physicians, but detailed analyses specific to surgeons are limited.

Single-Cell RNA-Seq Uncovers Robust Glial Cell Transcriptional Changes in Methamphetamine-Administered Mice.

Methamphetamine is a highly addictive stimulant known to cause neurotoxicity, cognitive deficits, and immune dysregulation in the brain. Despite significant research, the molecular mechanisms driving methamphetamine-induced neurotoxicity and glial cell dysfunction remain poorly understood. This study investigates how methamphetamine disrupts glial cell function and contributes to neurodevelopmental and neurodegenerative processes.

Ethanol Disrupts the Protective Crosstalk Between Macrophages and HBV-Infected Hepatocytes.

About 296 million people worldwide are living with chronic hepatitis B viral (HBV) infection, and outcomes to end-stage liver diseases are potentiated by alcohol. HBV replicates in hepatocytes, but other liver non-parenchymal cells can sense the virus. In this study, we aimed to investigate the regulatory effects of macrophages on HBV marker and interferon-stimulated genes (ISGs) expressions in hepatocytes.

Pediatric Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease (NAFLD): Trends, Mortality, and Socioeconomic Disparities in the U.S., 1998-2020.

Background/objectives: We aim to describe the changing inpatient epidemiology of NAFLD in the U.S. and identify major risk factors associated with mortality in the disease among hospitalized pediatric patients.

Body Composition in Preterm Infants: Current Insights and Emerging Perspectives.

In recent years, significant advancements in respiratory and nutritional care have markedly improved the survival rates of preterm infants and enhanced long-term health outcomes. Despite these improvements, emerging research highlights the lasting impacts of early growth patterns on an individual's health trajectory. Adults born prematurely face a higher incidence of health issues related to their early birth.

Advances in Fluorescence Techniques for the Detection of Hydroxyl Radicals near DNA and Within Organelles and Membranes.

Hydroxyl radicals (OH), the most potent oxidants among reactive oxygen species (ROS), are a major contributor to oxidative damage of biomacromolecules, including DNA, lipids, and proteins. The overproduction of OH is implicated in the pathogenesis of numerous diseases such as cancer, neurodegenerative disorders, and some cardiovascular pathologies. Given the localized nature of OH-induced damage, detecting OH, specifically near DNA and within organelles, is crucial for understanding their pathological roles.

Exploiting novel placental homing peptides for targeted drug delivery in breast Cancer.

More effective drug formulations are needed to increase the selectivity and efficacy of available chemotherapeutics. We have previously shown that nanoparticles decorated with the tumour homing peptide CGKRK can selectively deliver payloads to the placenta. In this study, we investigated whether two novel placental homing peptides NKGLRNK (NKG) and RSGVAKS (RSG) can be utilized to selectively deliver doxorubicin (DOX) to breast cancer cells.

Cardiometabolic benefits of a non-industrialized-type diet are linked to gut microbiome modulation.

Industrialization adversely affects the gut microbiome and predisposes individuals to chronic non-communicable diseases. We tested a microbiome restoration strategy comprising a diet that recapitulated key characteristics of non-industrialized dietary patterns (restore diet) and a bacterium rarely found in industrialized microbiomes (Limosilactobacillus reuteri) in a randomized controlled feeding trial in healthy Canadian adults. The restore diet, despite reducing gut microbiome diversity, enhanced the persistence of L.

Non-Parametric Estimation for Semi-Competing Risks Data With Event Misascertainment.

The semi-competing risks data model is a special type of disease-state model that focuses on studying the association between an intermediate event and a terminal event and proves to be a useful tool in modeling disease progression. The study of the semi-competing risk data model not only allows us to evaluate whether a disease episode is related to death but also provides a toolkit to predict death, given that the episode occurred at a certain time. However, the computation of the semi-competing risk models is a numerically challenging task.

Inactivation of Zika Virus with Hydroxypropyl-Beta-Cyclodextrin.

: Zika virus (ZIKV) infection is associated with life-threatening diseases in humans. To date, there are no available FDA-approved therapies or vaccines for the specific treatment or prevention of ZIKV infection. Variation in the ZIKV envelope protein (Env), along with its complex quaternary structure, presents challenges to synthetic approaches for developing an effective vaccine and broadly neutralizing antibodies (bnAbs).

Microlipophagy from Simple to Complex Eukaryotes.

Lipophagy is a selective degradation of lipid droplets in lysosomes or vacuoles. Apart from its role in generating energy and free fatty acids for membrane repair, growth, and the formation of new membranes, lipophagy emerges as a key player in other cellular processes and disease pathogenesis. While fungal, plant, and algal cells use microlipophagy, the most prominent form of lipophagy in animal cells is macrolipophagy.

Inflammation-Induced Th17 Cells Synergize with the Inflammation-Trained Microbiota to Mediate Host Resiliency Against Intestinal Injury.

Background And Aims: Inflammation can generate pathogenic Th17 cells and cause an inflammatory dysbiosis. In the context of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), these inflammatory Th17 cells and dysbiotic microbiota may perpetuate injury to intestinal epithelial cells. However, many models of IBD like T-cell transfer colitis and IL-10-/- mice rely on the absence of regulatory pathways, so it is difficult to tell if inflammation can also induce protective Th17 cells.

Mechanisms of lipid homeostasis in the Coxiella Containing Vacuole.

Coxiella burnetii, the causative agent of human Q fever, is an obligate intracellular bacterial pathogen that replicates in a large, membrane-bound vacuole known as the Coxiella Containing Vacuole (CCV). The CCV is a unique, phagolysosome-derived vacuole with a sterol-rich membrane containing host and bacterial proteins. The CCV membrane itself serves as a barrier to protect the bacteria from the host's innate immune response, and the lipid and protein content directly influence both the CCV luminal environment and interactions between the CCV and host trafficking pathways.

A health security-based framework for prioritizing regions for digital learning in complex health emergencies.

Digital health and learning have expanded significantly in recent decades though their use in settings of acute health emergencies has only recently begun. Growing experience among organizations working in the digital health and learning space suggest that virtual communities of practice in these areas may have value in response to health emergencies. Evaluation of recent virtual programs applied in acute health emergencies suggest that a pre-established digital learning network can serve as a valuable resource when an acute health emergency strikes.

Ethnic and racial differences in children and young people with respiratory and neurological post-acute sequelae of SARS-CoV-2: an electronic health record-based cohort study from the RECOVER Initiative.

Background: Children from racial and ethnic minority groups are at greater risk for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection, but it is unclear whether they have increased risk for post-acute sequelae of SARS-CoV-2 (PASC). Our objectives were to assess whether the risk of respiratory and neurologic PASC differs by race/ethnicity and social drivers of health.

Methods: We conducted a retrospective cohort study of individuals <21 years seeking care at 24 health systems across the U.

Lower electronic health record adoption and interoperability in rural versus urban physician participants: a cross-sectional analysis from the CMS quality payment program.

Background: The Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health Act of 2009 introduced the Meaningful Use program to incentivize the adoption of electronic health records (EHRs) in the U.S. This study investigates the disparities in EHR adoption and interoperability between rural and urban physicians in the context of federal programs like the Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act of 2015 and the 21st Century Cures Act.

Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Breast Cancer Patient Care: Results From a Tertiary Care Center in Lebanon.

Purpose: We aimed to evaluate the impact of COVID-19 on breast cancer care in terms of the stage at presentation, treatment delays, and follow-up in a tertiary care center in Lebanon.

Materials And Methods: This retrospective study compared patients with breast cancer who presented to a tertiary care center in Lebanon before (September 2019-December 2019) and during (September 2020-December 2020) the COVID-19 pandemic. We extracted data from the electronic medical records of patients with breast cancer who had their initial presentation, were under treatment, or were on follow-up during our period of interest.