Pregnancy and Postpartum Effects of Electronic Cigarettes on Maternal Health and Vascular Function in the Fourth Trimester.

Pregnancy is a vulnerable time with significant cardiovascular changes that can lead to adverse outcomes, which can extend into the postpartum window. Exposure to emissions from electronic cigarettes (Ecig), commonly known as "vaping," has an adverse impact on cardiovascular function during pregnancy and post-natal life of offspring, but the postpartum effects on maternal health are poorly understood. We used a Sprague Dawley rat model, where pregnant dams are exposed to Ecigs between gestational day (GD)2-GD21 to examine postpartum consequences.

Transthyretin Cardiac Amyloidosis: Current and Emerging Therapies.

Purpose Of Review: In this article, we describe current and newer TTR stabilizers, TTR silencers which include small interfering RNA agents (siRNA), antisense oligonucleotides (ASO) and CRISPR-Cas9 gene editing, and TTR depleters, which investigates the use of monoclonal antibodies to remove amyloid fibril deposits for patients with advanced disease.

Recent Findings: Once thought to be a rare and fatal condition, increased recognition, improved non-invasive diagnostic tools, and the explosive development of novel therapies, has transformed the landscape of transthyretin amyloid cardiomyopathy (ATTR-CM). Advances in cardiac imaging with respect to echocardiography, cardiac magnetic resonance imaging (CMR), and radionuclide bone scintigraphy has increased the diagnosis of ATTR-CM over the last twenty years.

Variational Quantum Algorithm for Non-Markovian Quantum Dynamics Using an Ensemble of Ehrenfest Trajectories.

The simulation of non-Markovian quantum dynamics plays an important role in the understanding of charge and exciton dynamics in the condensed phase environment, yet such a simulation remains computationally expensive on classical computers. In this work, we develop a variational quantum algorithm that is capable of simulating non-Markovian quantum dynamics on quantum computers. The algorithm captures the non-Markovian effect by employing the Ehrenfest trajectories and Monte Carlo sampling of their thermal distribution.

The weight of multiple hits: how TBI and infectious encephalitis co-modulate adverse outcomes.

Background: Chronic neurologic deficits from traumatic brain injury (TBI) and subsequent infectious encephalitis are poorly characterized.

Methods: Using TriNetX database we queried patients 18 years or older with a confirmed diagnosis of encephalitis between 2016 and 2024. Patient cohorts included those with a diagnosis of TBI at least one month before encephalitis ( = 1,038), those with a diagnosis of a TBI anytime before encephalitis ( = 1,886), and those with encephalitis but no TBI, ( = 45,210;  = 45,215).

Advances in understanding dietary fiber: Classification, structural characterization, modification, and gut microbiome interactions.

Gut microbiota and their metabolites profoundly impact host physiology. Targeted modulation of gut microbiota has been a long-term interest in the scientific community. Numerous studies have investigated the feasibility of utilizing dietary fibers (DFs) to modulate gut microbiota and promote the production of health-beneficial bacterial metabolites.

Reactions of Surface Peroxides Contribute to Rates and Selectivities for CH Epoxidation on Silver.

Partial oxidation of ethylene over silver catalysts produces more than 30 million metric tons of ethylene oxide (EO) annually. However, the form of active silver surfaces, reactive oxygen species, and dominant pathways of this chemical reaction remains controversial despite decades of research. Here, we use Raman spectroscopy and transient kinetic measurements to demonstrate that higher coverages of peroxide species, present only upon Ag oxide surfaces that form , correlate with greater selectivities to EO.

Do Land Use Plans Affirmatively Further Fair Housing?: Measuring Progress.

Problem Research Strategy And Findings: The 1968 Fair Housing Act required local government recipients of federal money to take meaningful actions to affirmatively further fair housing (AFFH). Current fair housing analysis requirements are copious but do not request an assessment of how land use policies affect the potential for neighborhood integration. A recent California law requires local governments to include AFFH analysis in existing planning processes, and state guidelines encourage the measurement of the spatial distribution of planned sites for low-income housing with respect to opportunity.

Impact and Recovery of VHA Epilepsy Care Services During the COVID-19 Pandemic.

Background: The Epilepsy Centers of Excellence (ECoE) is a network of facilities within the Veterans Health Administration that evaluates and treats veterans with epilepsy and seizure disorders. This article outlines how the COVID-19 pandemic impacted ECoE services and recovery.

Methods: Directors of 17 ECoEs were surveyed 4 times between May 2020 and July 2022 on 5 domains: functioning of outpatient epilepsy clinics, outpatient electroencephalogram, epilepsy monitoring unit, anticipated permanent operational changes, and utility of national and local recommendations.

Prone Transpsoas Lumbar Interbody Fusion for Degenerative Disc Disease.

Background: Prone transpsoas lumbar interbody fusion (PTP) is a newer technique to treat various spinal disc pathologies. PTP is a variation of lateral lumbar interbody fusion (LLIF) that is performed with the patient prone rather than in the lateral decubitus position. This approach offers similar benefits of lateral spinal surgery, which include less blood loss, shorter hospital stay, and quicker recovery compared with traditional open spine surgery.

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.

Deep Learning-assisted Diagnosis of Extrahepatic Common Bile Duct Obstruction Using MRCP Imaging and Clinical Parameters.

Background: Extrahepatic Common Bile Duct Obstruction (EHBDO) is a serious condition that requires accurate diagnosis for effective treatment. Magnetic Resonance Cholangiopancreatography (MRCP) is a widely used noninvasive imaging technique for visualizing bile ducts, but its interpretation can be complex.

Objective: This study aimed to develop a deep learning-based classification model that integrates MRCP images and clinical parameters to assist radiologists in diagnosing EHBDO more accurately.

Article Retraction in Otolaryngology Journals: A Thirty Year Analysis.

Objectives: To gain insight into the integrity of research in Otolaryngology-Head & Neck Surgery (OHNS) literature through characterising retracted articles, analysing the reason for their retraction, and the trends in the collected data.

Methods: Pubmed, Embase, and Retraction Watch Database were queried for retracted articles published between the dates of 1/31/92 and 9/30/22. Articles with titles relating to OHNS subjects and published in OHNS journals, as determined by Scimago Journal and Country Ranking, were selected for further analysis.

Medical Students' Observations of High Value and Potentially Wasteful Care Behaviors Modeled During Clinical Rotations.

Background: Medical student exposure to role-modeling of high-value care (HVC) behaviors may shape professional identity formation and future HVC practices.

Objective: To investigate the frequency and characteristics of HVC role-modeling witnessed by medical students during core clinical rotations.

Design: Cross-sectional survey study.

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.

In Utero Nano-Titanium Dioxide Exposure Results in Sexually Dimorphic Weight Gain and Cardiovascular Function in Offspring.

Engineered nanomaterials (ENM) are capable of crossing the placental barrier and accumulating in fetal tissue. Specifically, the ENM nano-titanium dioxide (nano-TiO), has been shown to accumulate in placental and fetal tissue, resulting in decreased birthweight in pups. Additionally, nano-TiO is an established cardiac toxicant and regulator of glucose homeostasis, and exposure in utero may lead to serious maladaptive responses in cardiac development and overall metabolism.

Safety of laparoscopic compared to open right hepatectomy after portal vein occlusion: results from a multicenter study.

Background: Concerns have been expressed about the feasibility of laparoscopic right hepatectomy (Lap-RH) after portal vein occlusion (PVO), because of its technical difficulty. The aim of this study is to assess the safety and feasibility of lap-RH after PVO.

Methods: Retrospective analysis of prospectively collected data from high-volume HPB centers was performed.

Profiles of negative and positive risk-taking behavior among Asian and non-Asian American emerging adults.

Risk-taking includes both negative and positive risky behaviors, but little is known about how negative and positive risk-taking occur simultaneously. This study examined negative and positive risk-taking profiles of Asian American and Non-Asian American emerging adults (N = 401; M = 20.68; 68.

A constellation of anatomical variation: middle scalene, wrist extensor, and aortic arch variants share embryological origins in cervical somites.

During dissection of a 70-year-old male donor, several anatomical variations were observed, highlighted by a bilateral variant middle scalene muscle in the superolateral thoracic wall. The variant scalene muscle was traced from the transverse processes of cervical vertebrae to the fourth rib with a pronounced fascial slip. The elongated middle scalene muscle was thick in girth and abnormally wide at its insertion (56.

A Mixed Method Evaluation of Practitioners' Perspectives on Implementation Strategies for Healthy Eating and Active Living Policy, Systems, and Environmental Changes.

Context: The National Cooperative Extension System is a leader in delivering healthy eating and active living (HEAL) policy, systems, and environmental (PSE) changes; however, these interventions are challenging, and technical assistance efforts often misalign with implementation science concepts.

Objective: The study objective was to understand the importance of implementation strategies and tailoring needs to support Louisiana Nutrition and Community Health (NCH) practitioners' delivery of rural HEAL PSE changes.

Design: An explanatory sequential mixed method study design was used, including a survey to rank the importance of implementation strategies for HEAL PSE changes and a follow-up interview.

Tuberculosis screening in hidradenitis suppurativa patients on tumor necrosis factor inhibitors: a retrospective chart review.

Hidradenitis suppurativa (HS) patients treated with tumor necrosis factor (TNF) inhibitors are at an increased risk for tuberculosis (TB) reactivation, necessitating baseline latent TB infection (LTBI) screening. However, evidence regarding the value of periodic LTBI screening in this population is limited. In this single-center retrospective chart review, we investigated the LTBI rate in HS patients treated with adalimumab or infliximab.

Distribution-based sub-population selection (DSPS): A method for in-silico reproduction of clinical trials outcomes.

Diabetes presents a significant challenge to healthcare due to the short- and long-term complications associated with poor blood sugar control. Computer simulation platforms have emerged as promising tools for advancing diabetes therapy by simulating patient responses to treatments in a virtual environment. The University of Virginia Virtual Lab (UVLab) is a new simulation platform engineered to mimic the metabolic behavior of individuals with type 2 diabetes (T2D) using a mathematical model of glucose homeostasis in T2D and a large population of 6062 virtual subjects.

Ternary stochastic neuron- implemented with a single strained magnetostrictive nanomagnet.

Stochastic neurons are extremely efficient hardware for solving a large class of problems and usually come in two varieties - 'binary' where the neuronal state varies randomly between two values of ±1 and 'analog' where the neuronal state can randomly assume any value between -1 and +1. Both have their uses in neuromorphic computing and both can be implemented with low- or zero-energy-barrier nanomagnets whose random magnetization orientations in the presence of thermal noise encode the binary or analog state variables. In between these two classes is-ary stochastic neurons, mainly ternary stochastic neurons (TSNs) whose state randomly assumes one of three values (-1,0,+1), which have proved to be efficient in pattern classification tasks such as recognizing handwritten digits from the MNIST data set or patterns from the CIFAR-10 data set.

ENHANCEMENT OF CIRRHOSIS MORTALITY PREDICTION BY INCLUDING HEPATIC ENCEPHALOPATHY TO MELD3.0 IN A NATIONAL VETERAN COHORT.

Despite negative outcomes, hepatic encephalopathy (HE) is not included in model-for-end-stage liver disease (MELD) scores, including MELD3.0. In a national Veterans affairs (VA) database, we studied the additive mortality predictive impact of a documented inpatient overt HE diagnosis on MELD3.

Life With Classic Congenital Adrenal Hyperplasia Due to 21-Hydroxylase Deficiency: Challenges and Burdens.

Context: Congenital adrenal hyperplasia (CAH) is an autosomal recessive genetic condition requiring daily medication(s) and attention to details. In addition to daily medications and regular visits with healthcare providers, families may live with perpetual angst regarding unpredictable occurrences of acute adrenal insufficiency. Despite numerous barriers and challenges imposed by this chronic condition, caregivers and healthcare professionals can empower our patients to achieve a good quality of life.