Suspected Transient Ischemic Attack Related to Dysfunctional Quadricuspid Aortic Valve.

We describe a 30-year-old Caribbean-Black woman with a clinical presentation suggestive of a transient ischemic attack (TIA) with no conventional cerebrovascular risk factors, albeit with a newly diagnosed quadricuspid aortic valve (QAV) with moderate aortic regurgitation (AR). Although QAV is a recognized congenital cardiac defect, its association with TIA remains elusive. This case highlights the importance of considering potential atypical etiologies, such as QAV, in the evaluation and management of young patients presenting with cerebrovascular events.

The Effect of Colchicine on Platelet Function Profiles in Patients with Stable Coronary Artery Disease: The ECLIPSE Pilot Study.

Introduction: This prospective, single-arm pharmacodynamic study assessed the effect of colchicine (COLC) [Strides Pharma UK Ltd, Watford, Hertfordshire, England] 0.5 mg administered orally once daily for 14 days on platelet reactivity with respect to aspirin reaction units (ARUs) and P2Y reaction units (PRUs).

Methods: Twenty-two patients with stable coronary artery disease (CAD) on dual antiplatelet therapy (DAPT) with daily maintenance aspirin and clopidogrel were recruited.

Solar elastosis correlates with high tumor mutation burden and better 5-year disease-specific survival in patients with stage II/III melanoma.

Objective: To evaluate the relation between solar elastosis and tumor mutation burden (TMB) in a large clinically annotated cohort of stage II and III melanoma patients.

Methods: Primary cutaneous melanomas from 469 AJCC (8 edition) stage II and III patients with clinical annotation including outcome at 5 years of diagnosis were histopathologically evaluated for solar elastosis. Next-generation sequencing assay MSK-IMPACT was employed to determine TMB.

Molecular Dynamics Insights into Peptide-Based Tetrodotoxin Delivery Nanostructures.

Tetrodotoxin (TTX), a potent Site-1 sodium channel blocker (S1SCB), offers highly effective local anesthetic properties with minimal addiction potential. To fully leverage TTX's capabilities as a local anesthetic, it is crucial to develop a drug delivery system that balances its systemic toxicity with its therapeutic efficacy. Recent studies have shown that peptide mixtures, derived from fragments of Site-1 sodium channel proteins and enhanced with hydrophobic tails (designated MP1 and MP2), can self-assemble into nanostructures that exhibit remarkable sustained-release capabilities for TTX.

Patient Perspectives on the Psychosocial Impact of Chronic Pelvic Pain and Implications for Integrated Behavioral Care Approaches.

Chronic pelvic pain (CPP) is a medically complex, multifaceted gynecological condition associated with psychological comorbidities and sexual trauma among women. Low rates of positive treatment outcomes underscore the need to better understand complex relationships between CPP, trauma exposure, and the psychosocial context of patients' lives. We conducted a secondary analysis of English and Spanish qualitative interviews with female-identity patients (N = 48) about CPP's impact on psychosocial well-being.

Noncanonical roles of ATG5 and membrane atg8ylation in retromer assembly and function.

ATG5 is one of the core autophagy proteins with additional functions such as noncanonical membrane atg8ylation, which among a growing number of biological outputs includes control of tuberculosis in animal models. Here, we show that ATG5 associates with retromer's core components VPS26, VPS29, and VPS35 and modulates retromer function. Knockout of ATG5 blocked trafficking of a key glucose transporter sorted by the retromer, GLUT1, to the plasma membrane.

Repetitive Overuse Injury Causes Entheseal Damage and Palmar Muscle Fibrosis in Older Rats.

Overuse injury is a frequent diagnosis in occupational medicine and athletics. Using an established model of upper extremity overuse, we sought to characterize changes occurring in the forepaws and forelimbs of mature female rats (14-18 months of age). Thirty-three rats underwent a 4-week shaping period, before performing a high-repetition low-force (HRLF) task for 12 weeks, with the results being compared to 32 mature controls.

Prevalence of and factors associated with long COVID among diverse healthcare workers in the UK: a cross-sectional analysis of a nationwide study (UK-REACH).

Objectives: To assess the prevalence of UK healthcare workers (HCWs) who reported symptoms of COVID-19 lasting for longer than 5 weeks and examine associated factors with experiencing long COVID in an ethnically diverse cohort.

Design: A cross-sectional study using data from the UK Research study into Ethnicity And COVID-19 Outcomes in HCWs cohort study.

Setting: Data were collected electronically between December 2020 and March 2021.

ATG9A facilitates the closure of mammalian autophagosomes.

Canonical autophagy captures within specialized double-membrane organelles, termed autophagosomes, an array of cytoplasmic components destined for lysosomal degradation. An autophagosome is completed when the growing phagophore undergoes ESCRT-dependent membrane closure, a prerequisite for its subsequent fusion with endolysosomal organelles and degradation of the sequestered cargo. ATG9A, a key integral membrane protein of the autophagy pathway, is best known for its role in the formation and expansion of phagophores.

Secondary transport mechanisms in amino acid fed enhanced biological phosphorus removal.

Enhanced biological phosphorus removal (EBPR) water resource recovery facilities (WRRFs) often fail to meet phosphorus discharge permit limits, indicating a need to improve EBPR to reduce environmental phosphorus discharges. EBPR designs are largely based on the Accumulibacter polyphosphate accumulating organism (PAO) metabolism, while understudied Tetrasphaera PAOs are equally important to EBPR in many facilities worldwide. Anaerobic organic carbon competition is believed to be a key driver of EBPR reliability.

Tackling persistent neurological symptoms in patients following acute COVID-19 infection: an update of the literature.

Introduction: The COVID-19 pandemic has taught myriad lessons and left several questions we are yet to comprehend. Initially, the scientific community was concerned with the management of acute disease and immunization. Once the peak of the pandemic receded, it became clear that a proportion of patients were far from fully recovered.

Measurement Properties of the Dysphagiameter for the Assessment of Dysphagia in Oculopharyngeal Muscular Dystrophy.

Oculopharyngeal muscular dystrophy (OPMD) is a rare late-onset muscle disease with progressive dysphagia as a major symptom. The Dysphagiameter is a newly developed patient-reported outcome measure (PROM) to assess the severity of dysphagia and its impact in patients with OPMD. This article reports on item reduction and a first assessment of the Dysphagiameter's psychometrics properties, in a French and English-speaking population of individuals with OPMD.

Loss of MK2 Enhances Radiation-Mediated Apoptosis in Bladder Cancer.

Background: Bladder cancer patients unable to receive cystectomy or who choose to pursue organ-sparing approach are managed with definitive (chemo)radiotherapy. However, this standard of care has not evolved in decades and disease recurrence and survival outcomes remain poor. Identifying novel therapies to combine with radiotherapy (RT) is therefore paramount to improve overall patient outcomes and survival.

Consensus Guideline for Care of Patients in the Prehospital and Aerospace Settings with Exposures to Hydrazine and Hydrazine Derivatives.

Objectives: Hydrazine (HZ) and Hydrazine Derivative (HZ-D) exposures pose health risks to people in industrial and aerospace settings. Several recent systematic reviews and case series have highlighted common clinical presentations and management strategies. Given the low frequency at which HZ and HZ-D exposures occur, a strong evidence base on which to develop an evidence-based guideline does not exist at this time.

Response Rates, Reliability, and Convergent Validity in Experience Sampling Data.

This study examined associations of compliance rate with the reliability and convergent validity of intoxication and negative affect assessments in experience sampling method (ESM) data in three samples (Veterans, Sexual Minority Men, and College Students). Convergent validity was operationalized as within-person associations between daily aggregates of random in situ assessments and retrospective daily assessments or transdermal alcohol assessments. Measures with lower ICC require more assessments for a reliable aggregate (e.

Device Use Among Spanish-English Bilingual and English Monolingual Children Who Are Deaf and Hard of Hearing.

Purpose: This report compares device use in a cohort of Spanish-English bilingual and English monolingual children who are deaf and hard of hearing, including children fitted with traditional hearing aids, cochlear implants (CIs), and/or bone-conduction hearing devices.

Method: Participants were 84 Spanish-English bilingual children and 85 English monolingual children from clinical sites across the United States. The data represent a subset obtained in a larger clinical trial.

Association between precipitation events, drought, and animal operations with infections in the Southwest US, 2009-2021.

Background: Temperature and precipitation have previously been associated with infections. The association between salmonellosis and precipitation might be explained by antecedent drought conditions; however, few studies have explored this effect.

Methods: Using an ecological study design with public health surveillance, meteorological (total precipitation [inches], temperature [average °F], Palmer Drought Severity Index [PDSI, category]), and livestock data we explored the association between precipitation and infections reported in 127/141 counties from 2009 to 2021 in the Southwest, US and determined how this association was modified by antecedent drought.

Regional hotspots for chronic kidney disease: A multinational study from the ISN-GKHA.

Chronic kidney disease (CKD) disproportionately affects certain populations as demonstrated by well-established subnational geographic hotspots of CKD in Central America and South Asia. Using data from the third iteration of the International Society of Nephrology Global Kidney Health Atlas (ISN-GKHA), we aimed to systematically identify sub-national geographic or population clusters with high prevalence of CKD. The ISN-GKHA survey was conducted from July to September 2022, and included questions regarding whether a regional CKD hotspot existed in the respondents' country and possible contributors.

Real-world impact of luspatercept on red blood cell transfusions among patients with myelodysplastic syndromes: A United States healthcare claims database study.

Myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) are associated with anemia and the need for blood transfusions. In clinical trials, luspatercept reduced transfusion dependency among patients with lower-risk MDS. This United States (US) study describes real-world clinical outcomes pre- and post-luspatercept initiation among patients with MDS.

Health Care Perceptions and a Concierge-Based Transplant Evaluation for Patients With Kidney Disease.

Importance: The kidney transplant (KT) evaluation process is particularly time consuming and burdensome for Black patients, who report more discrimination, racism, and mistrust in health care than White patients. Whether alleviating patient burden in the KT evaluation process may improve perceptions of health care and enhance patients' experiences is important to understand.

Objective: To investigate whether Black and White participants would experience improvements in perceptions of health care after undergoing a streamlined, concierge-based approach to KT evaluation.