Advances and current concepts on Eph receptors and ephrins in upper digestive tract cancers.

Erythropoietin-producing hepatocellular (Eph) receptors comprise the largest group of surface receptors and are responsible for cellular signals. Eph/ephrin signaling has been identified to play a role in key cancer development and progression processes, especially in the upper gastrointestinal tract. The Eph/ephrin system has been described as a tumor suppressor in duodenal cancer, while in esophageal, gastric, hepatic, and pancreatic cancer, the system has been related to tumor progression.

Geographic origin and evolution of dengue virus serotypes 1 and 3 circulating in Africa.

Despite the increasing burden of dengue in Kenya and Africa, the introduction and expansion of the virus in the region remain poorly understood. The objective of this study is to examine the genetic diversity and evolutionary histories of dengue virus (DENV) serotypes 1 and 3 in Kenya and contextualize their circulation within circulation dynamics in the broader African region. Viral RNA was extracted from samples collected from a cohort of febrile patients recruited at clinical sites in Kenya from 2013 to 2022.

The Diagnostic Journey of Dysautonomia Patients: Insights from a Patient-Reported Outcome Study.

Dysautonomia refers to any disorder involving altered function of the autonomic nervous system. Dysautonomia can be debilitating as it often affects multiple organ systems. The diagnostic journey for individuals affected by dysautonomia can be hindered by symptom overlap with other conditions and by limited access to autonomic specialists.

Association of neighborhood-level socioeconomic disadvantage and Life's Essential 8 in early pregnancy.

We examined whether neighborhood-level socioeconomic disadvantage per the Area Deprivation Index (ADI) was associated with maternal cardiovascular health (CVH) in early pregnancy per the American Heart Association Life's Essential 8 (LE8). This is a cross-sectional analysis from the prospective Nulliparous Pregnancy Outcomes Study-Monitoring Mothers-to-Be Heart Health Study (nuMoM2b-HHS) cohort. The exposure was the ADI in tertiles (T) from least (T1) to most (T3) socioeconomic disadvantage.

Artificial intelligence assisted risk prediction in organ transplantation: a UK Live-Donor Kidney Transplant Outcome Prediction tool.

Predicting the outcome of a kidney transplant involving a living donor advances donor decision-making donors for clinicians and patients. However, the discriminative or calibration capacity of the currently employed models are limited. We set out to apply artificial intelligence (AI) algorithms to create a highly predictive risk stratification indicator, applicable to the UK's transplant selection process.

Pleural Drainage, Clinical Characteristics, and Management Strategies in the Perioperative Fontan Patient: A Multicenter Report.

Prolonged pleural drainage and chylothorax are common in postoperative Fontan patients and are associated with increased morbidity and mortality. Multiple medical and interventional treatment strategies exist and vary between centers. This is a retrospective multicenter observational cohort study of pediatric patients who underwent Fontan operation at 8 pediatric cardiac surgical institutions from 1/1/2019 to 12/31/2021.

The Shu complex interacts with the replicative helicase to prevent mutations and aberrant recombination.

Homologous recombination (HR) is important for DNA damage tolerance during replication. The yeast Shu complex, a conserved homologous recombination factor, prevents replication-associated mutagenesis. Here we examine how yeast cells require the Shu complex for coping with MMS-induced lesions during DNA replication.

Continuous colonization of the Atlantic coastal rain forests of South America from Amazônia.

The two main extensions of rain forest in South America are the Amazon (Amazônia) and the Atlantic rain forest (Mata Atlântica), which are separated by a wide 'dry diagonal' of seasonal vegetation. We used the species-rich tree genus to test if Amazônia-Mata Atlântica dispersals have been clustered during specific time periods corresponding to past, humid climates. We performed hybrid capture DNA sequencing of 810 nuclear loci for 453 accessions representing 164 species that included 62% of Mata Atlântica species and estimated a dated phylogeny for all accessions using maximum likelihood, and a species-level tree using coalescent methods.

Multi-Institutional Analysis of Surgery for Lichen Sclerosus Induced Penile Urethral Stricture: Establishing Single-Stage Urethroplasty as a Primary Treatment Option.

Introduction: Ideal treatment of lichen sclerosus (LS) induced penile urethral strictures (PUS) remains elusive. The objective of this study is to compare multi-institutional outcomes of single-stage urethroplasty (SSU) with oral mucosal graft (OMG), staged urethroplasty and perineal urethrostomy (PU) for treatment of LS induced PUS.

Methods: Multi-institutional analysis was performed at 9 centers on males undergoing SSU, staged urethroplasty or PU for LS induced PUS.

Location of Care Delivery for Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension in the United States.

Rationale: Guidelines recommend patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) be referred to pulmonary hypertension (PH) centers, but little is known about where care is actually delivered in the United States (US).

Objectives: To use prescription patterns to estimate the proportion of PAH care delivered at US PH centers and explore factors associated with location of care.

Methods: This retrospective study analyzed claims from the Komodo database in adults who received ≥1 PAH prescription between March 2021 and February 2022.

Kidney organ injury scaling: 2025 update.

The American Association for the Surgery of Trauma initially published the organ injury scaling for the kidney in 1989, which was subsequently updated in 2018. This current American Association for the Surgery of Trauma kidney organ injury scaling update incorporates the latest evidence in diagnosis and management of renal trauma and is based upon a multidisciplinary consensus. These changes reflect the near universal use of computed tomography for renal trauma evaluation and the widespread adoption of conservative management across all grades of renal trauma.

MRI-assessed Dynamic Hyperinflation Induced by Tachypnea in Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease: The SPIROMICS-HF Study.

Purpose To assess the repeatability of real-time cine pulmonary MRI measures of metronome-paced tachypnea (MPT)-induced dynamic hyperinflation and its relationship with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) severity. Materials and Methods SubPopulations and InteRmediate Outcome Measures In COPD Study (SPIROMICS) (ClinicalTrials.gov identifier no.

Experiences of Asian American College Students During the COVID-19 Pandemic.

The purpose of this study is to examine experiences among Asian American college students during the COVID-19 pandemic. Six focus groups were held online via Zoom (Zoom Video Communications, Inc., San Jose, USA) with a total of 21 participants in October and November 2020.

How Much Does Suffering Matter?

Ethicists frequently suppose that suffering has special moral significance. It is often claimed that a main goal of medicine-perhaps its primary goal-is the alleviation of human suffering. Following Eric Cassell and others, this essay considers suffering understood as the experience of distress-negative emotions-in response to threats to something that one cares about.

Phylogenetic signal in primate tooth enamel proteins and its relevance for paleoproteomics.

Ancient tooth enamel, and to some extent dentin and bone, contain characteristic peptides that persist for long periods of time. In particular, peptides from the enamel proteome (enamelome) have been used to reconstruct the phylogenetic relationships of fossil taxa. However, the enamelome is based on only about 10 genes, whose protein products undergo fragmentation in vivo and post mortem.

Prognostic Value of Ambulatory Status at Transplant in Older Heart Transplant Recipients: Implications for Organ Allocation Policy.

Background: Shortage of organ donors in the Republic of Korea has become a major problem. To address this, it has been questioned whether heart transplant (HTx) allocation should be modified to reduce priority of older patients. We aimed to evaluate post-HTx outcomes according to recipient age and specific pre-HTx conditions using a nationwide prospective cohort.

A mobile-based multidomain lifestyle intervention using Cognitive Evergreenland for older adults with subjective cognitive decline: a feasibility study.

Background: Dementia is a growing public health issue. Non-drug interventions targeting individuals before the onset of overt cognitive decline may be effective. Subjective cognitive decline (SCD) is present in > 50% of older adults and associated with progression to dementia.

Fascin structural plasticity mediates flexible actin bundle construction.

Fascin cross-links actin filaments (F-actin) into bundles that support tubular membrane protrusions including filopodia and stereocilia. Fascin dysregulation drives aberrant cell migration during metastasis, and fascin inhibitors are under development as cancer therapeutics. Here, we use cryo-EM, cryo-electron tomography coupled with custom denoising and computational modeling to probe human fascin-1's F-actin cross-linking mechanisms across spatial scales.

Adherence to 6-Mercaptopurine (6-MP) and Habit Strength in Pediatric Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (ALL).

Background: Low 6-mercaptopurine (6-MP) adherence (< 95%) is associated with increased relapse in pediatric acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). Stronger habit has been associated with higher adherence. We examined the relationship of 6-MP adherence to habit strength and health-related quality of life in pediatric ALL.

Parenchymal and Inflammatory Responses to Ozone Exposure in the Aging Healthy and Surfactant Protein C Mutant Lung.

Ozone (O) is a ubiquitous pollutant known to produce acute, transient inflammation through oxidative injury and inflammation. These effects are exacerbated in susceptible populations, such as the elderly and those exhibiting genetic mutations in central nodes of pulmonary function. To comprehend the impact of these predisposing factors, the present study examines structural, mechanical, and immunological responses to single acute O exposure (0.

Impact of Genomic Classifiers on Risk Stratification and Treatment Intensity in Patients With Localized Prostate Cancer : A Systematic Review.

Background: Tissue-based genomic classifiers (GCs) have been developed to improve prostate cancer (PCa) risk assessment and treatment recommendations.

Purpose: To summarize the impact of the Decipher, Oncotype DX Genomic Prostate Score (GPS), and Prolaris GCs on risk stratification and patient-clinician decisions on treatment choice among patients with localized PCa considering first-line treatment.

Data Sources: MEDLINE, EMBASE, and Web of Science published from January 2010 to August 2024.

The Displaced Fleck Sign: Description of a Radiographic Finding Consistent with Grade III Thumb Ulnar Collateral Ligament Tears with Stener Lesions.

Purpose: Controversy exists regarding the optimal imaging modality (magnetic resonance imaging, ultrasound, stress radiographs) for identification of patients with grossly unstable thumb metacarpophalangeal (MCP) ulnar collateral ligament (UCL) injuries or Stener lesions. We characterize a radiographic sign for this purpose. The "displaced fleck sign" is a small avulsion fracture from the ulnar proximal phalanx base that is displaced proximal to the MCP joint line.

Prevalence of prescription medication use that can exacerbate heart failure among US adults with heart failure.

Introduction: Heart failure (HF) affects more than 6 million adults in the United States, contributing to substantial morbidity, mortality, and health care costs. Despite advances in medical care, many medications can exacerbate HF, yet their prevalence of use remains unknown. This study examined the national use of prescription medications that could exacerbate HF in adults with self-reported HF.