Increased serum GM-CSF at diagnosis of biliary atresia is associated with improved biliary drainage.

Background: The immune heterogeneity of biliary atresia (BA) presents a challenge for development of prognostic biomarkers. This study aimed to identify early immune signatures associated with biliary drainage after Kasai Portoenterostomy (KPE).

Methods: Serum samples, liver slides, and clinical data were obtained from patients enrolled in the NIDDK-supported Childhood Liver Disease Research Network.

Engaging Patients in Discussions About Medication Deprescribing.

Background: Deprescribing, intentional medication discontinuation or dose reduction, can reduce potentially inappropriate medication use and medication-related harms. Engaging patients in deprescribing discussions may increase likelihood of deprescribing and promote shared decision-making.

Objective: To examine the impact of patient-directed educational brochures on patient engagement and deprescribing discussions with primary care providers (PCPs).

Salivary steroids in acute central serous chorioretinopathy.

Purpose: To analyze levels of salivary steroids, including 17-OH-progesterone (17-OHP), androstenedione, dehydroepiandrosterone, cortisol, cortisone, progesterone, testosterone, and estradiol, in patients with acute central serous chorioretinopathy (CSCR) patients.

Methods: Acute CSCR patients and healthy individuals were included in this observational case-control study. Levels of salivary steroids were determined by high-performance liquid chromatography with tandem mass spectrometry detection.

Posterior urethral valves: Examining the relationship of socioeconomic factors in disease presentation and progression.

Introduction: A significant portion of posterior urethral valve patients continue to progress to end stage renal disease despite improvements in medical care. Socioeconomic status has been connected to various healthcare outcomes but has not been evaluated in relation to longitudinal outcomes of posterior urethral valves.

Objective: To evaluate the effect of socioeconomic status on the progression to renal failure among patients with posterior urethral valves.

Male sexual and reproductive health in cystic fibrosis: A concept mapping study.

Background: Males with cystic fibrosis (MwCF) face general and disease-specific sexual and reproductive health (SRH) concerns. Using concept mapping (CM), this study identified the SRH topics valued by members of the CF community.

Methods: MwCF 18 years and older, parents and partners of MwCF, and healthcare providers participated in an online CM study.

Vasoplegia in Heart, Lung, or Liver Transplantation: A Narrative Review.

Vasoplegia is a pathophysiologic state of hypotension in the setting of normal or high cardiac output and low systemic vascular resistance despite euvolemia and high-dose vasoconstrictors. Vasoplegia in heart, lung, or liver transplantation is of particular interest because it is common (approximately 29%, 28%, and 11%, respectively), is associated with adverse outcomes, and because the agents used to treat vasoplegia can affect immunosuppressive and other drug metabolism. This narrative review discusses the pathophysiology, risk factors, and treatment of vasoplegia in patients undergoing heart, lung, and liver transplantation.

What Is the Latest in Pancreatic Cysts?

Pancreatic cysts are common incidental findings. The understanding of pancreatic cysts has evolved tremendously over the past few decades. Molecular diagnostic and endoscopic techniques have led to more precise characterization of cyst types and interventions to improve patient outcomes.

An In-Depth Analysis of the State Laws That License International Medical Graduates Without American Residency Training.

International medical graduates (IMGs) have been integral to the United States (US) healthcare system and have helped tackle physician shortages for over a century. Current data suggest that by 2030, almost half the states will suffer from physician shortage and estimate a deficit of almost 139,000 physician jobs nationally. These numbers raise concern and call for innovative strategies to mitigate the potential problem.

Older cerebral small vessel disease and sleep disturbance: A diffusion tensor imaging study.

Objective: This study examined the relationship between diffusion tensor imaging indicators and brain network characteristics in patients with cerebral small vessel disease (CSVD) with (CSVD + S) and without (CSVD-S) sleep disturbance. We explored the feasibility of using these imaging biomarkers to investigate the pathophysiological mechanisms underlying sleep disturbance in patients with CSVD.

Methods: A total of 146 patients with CSVD and 84 healthy controls were included.

Differences in Body Composition, Bone Density, and Tibial Microarchitecture in Division I Female Athletes Participating in Different Impact Loading Sports.

Sport participation affects body composition and bone health, but the association between sport, body composition, and bone health in female athletes is complex. We compared areal bone mineral density (aBMD, DXA) and tibial volumetric bone mineral density (vBMD), geometry, microarchitecture, and estimated strength (HR-pQCT) in cross-country runners (n = 22), gymnasts (n = 23) and lacrosse players (n = 35), and investigated associations of total body lean mass (TBLM), team, and their interaction with tibial bone outcomes. Total body (TB), total hip (TH), femoral neck (FN), and lumbar spine (LS) aBMD were higher in gymnasts than runners (p < 0.

Copper-dependent halogenase catalyses unactivated C-H bond functionalization.

Carbon-hydrogen (C-H) bonds are the foundation of essentially every organic molecule, making them an ideal place to do chemical synthesis. The key challenge is achieving selectivity for one particular C(sp)-H bond. In recent years, metalloenzymes have been found to perform C(sp)-H bond functionalization.

Temporary mechanical circulatory support utilization and outcomes in cardiogenic shock phenotypes: A comparative analysis of heart failure and acute myocardial infarction.

Introduction: Cardiogenic shock (CS) is marked by substantial morbidity and mortality. The two major CS etiologies include heart failure (HF) and acute myocardial infarction (AMI). The utilization trends of mechanical circulatory support (MCS) and their clinical outcomes are not well described.

Redirecting glucose flux during in vitro expansion generates epigenetically and metabolically superior T cells for cancer immunotherapy.

Cellular therapies are living drugs whose efficacy depends on persistence and survival. Expansion of therapeutic T cells employs hypermetabolic culture conditions to promote T cell expansion. We show that typical in vitro expansion conditions generate metabolically and functionally impaired T cells more reliant on aerobic glycolysis than those expanding in vivo.

Projection-targeted photopharmacology reveals distinct anxiolytic roles for presynaptic mGluR2 in prefrontal- and insula-amygdala synapses.

Dissecting how membrane receptors regulate neural circuits is critical for deciphering principles of neuromodulation and mechanisms of drug action. Here, we use a battery of optical approaches to determine how presynaptic metabotropic glutamate receptor 2 (mGluR2) in the basolateral amygdala (BLA) controls anxiety-related behavior in mice. Using projection-specific photopharmacological activation, we find that mGluR2-mediated presynaptic inhibition of ventromedial prefrontal cortex (vmPFC)-BLA, but not posterior insular cortex (pIC)-BLA, connections produces a long-lasting decrease in spatial avoidance.

Antimicrobial and antibiofilm activity of prepared thymol@UIO-66 and thymol/ZnONPs@UIO-66 nanoparticles against Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus: A synergistic approach.

This study introduces a novel approach to enhance the antibacterial properties of UIO-66 by incorporating both Thymol and ZnO nanoparticles within its framework which represents a significant advancement like exhibiting a synergistic antibacterial effect, providing a prolonged and controlled release, and mitigating cytotoxicity associated with the release of free ZnO nanoparticles by combining these two antimicrobial agents within a single, well-defined metal-organic framework. UIO-66 frameworks are investigated as carriers for the natural antimicrobial agent, Thymol, and ZnONPs offering a novel drug delivery system for antibacterial applications. Results demonstrated 132, 90, 184, and 223 nm sizes for UIO-66, ZnONPs, UIO-66 encapsulated Thymol, and UIO-66 encapsulated both Thymol and ZnONPs, respectively.

Plasma phosphorylated tau217 strongly associates with memory deficits in the Alzheimer's disease spectrum.

Plasma phosphorylated tau biomarkers open unprecedented opportunities for identifying carriers of Alzheimer's disease pathophysiology in early disease stages using minimally invasive techniques. Plasma p-tau biomarkers are believed to reflect tau phosphorylation and secretion. However, it remains unclear to what extent the magnitude of plasma p-tau abnormalities reflects neuronal network disturbance in the form of cognitive impairment.

Tensor networks enable the calculation of turbulence probability distributions.

Predicting the dynamics of turbulent fluids has been an elusive goal for centuries. Even with modern computers, anything beyond the simplest turbulent flows is too chaotic and multiscaled to be directly simulatable. An alternative is to treat turbulence probabilistically, viewing flow properties as random variables distributed according to joint probability density functions (PDFs).

Traditional Chinese Baduanjin Exercise With Nursing and Peer Group Support in the Care of Patients After Allogeneic Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation: Evaluation of Application and Survival Analysis.

Background: Sleep problems and anxiety are imperative for continuity of care and rehabilitation in patients following an allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (allo-HSCT).

Objective: The aim of this study was to investigate the impact on anxiety, sleep quality, and survival of integrating traditional Chinese Baduanjin exercises to track the control of continuous care in patients receiving an allo-HSCT.

Methods: A total of 75 patients discharged after receiving an allo-HSCT were included.

Upper Limit on the Photoproduction Cross Section of the Spin-Exotic π_{1}(1600).

The spin-exotic hybrid meson π_{1}(1600) is predicted to have a large decay rate to the ωππ final state. Using 76.6  pb^{-1} of data collected with the GlueX detector, we measure the cross sections for the reactions γp→ωπ^{+}π^{-}p, γp→ωπ^{0}π^{0}p, and γp→ωπ^{-}π^{0}Δ^{++} in the range E_{γ}=8-10  GeV.

Precise Measurement of the e^{+}e^{-}→D_{s}^{+}D_{s}^{-} Cross Section at Center-of-Mass Energies from Threshold to 4.95 GeV.

Using the e^{+}e^{-} collision data collected with the BESIII detector operating at the BEPCII collider, at center-of-mass energies from the threshold to 4.95 GeV, we present precise measurements of the cross section for the process e^{+}e^{-}→D_{s}^{+}D_{s}^{-} using a single-tag method. The resulting cross section line shape exhibits several new structures, thereby offering an input for a future coupled-channel analysis and model tests, which are critical to understand vector charmonium-like states with masses between 4 and 5 GeV.

Simultaneous Unbinned Differential Cross-Section Measurement of Twenty-Four Z+jets Kinematic Observables with the ATLAS Detector.

Z boson events at the Large Hadron Collider can be selected with high purity and are sensitive to a diverse range of QCD phenomena. As a result, these events are often used to probe the nature of the strong force, improve Monte Carlo event generators, and search for deviations from standard model predictions. All previous measurements of Z boson production characterize the event properties using a small number of observables and present the results as differential cross sections in predetermined bins.

Caregivers' Perspectives on Discussions of Medical Treatment Preferences for People Living with Dementia Are Associated with Their Dementia Health Literacy and the Caregiving Relationship.

Background And Objectives: People living with dementia experience progressive functional decline and increased dependence on caregivers. This study examined the influence of caregivers' dementia health literacy on perceptions of medical care preferences and advanced care planning (ACP) in people living with dementia.

Research Design And Methods: This analysis used data from a cross-sectional survey, "Care Planning for Individuals with Dementia", administered nationwide by Alzheimer's Disease Centers.

Reimagining Physician Assistant Education: Championing Cognitive Diversity to Promote Inclusivity, Neurodiversity Awareness, and a Sense of Belonging.

Neurodiversity, encompassing conditions such as autism spectrum disorder, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, and dyslexia, represents a significant and often under-recognized segment of the population, including within science, technology, engineering, mathematics, and medicine fields like medicine. Neurodiverse individuals possess unique skills, including enhanced creativity, analytical thinking, and meticulous attention to detail, which are valuable in health care professions. However, failure to recognize and support these individuals can result in missed opportunities, social isolation, and mental health challenges.