Plasma proteomic evidence for increased β-amyloid pathology after SARS-CoV-2 infection.

Previous studies have suggested that systemic viral infections may increase risks of dementia. Whether this holds true for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) virus infections is unknown. Determining this is important for anticipating the potential future incidence of dementia.

Neonatology fellow assessment and evaluation: embracing the word salad of CBME, EPAs, and milestones.

Neonatal-perinatal medicine (NPM) fellowship training aims to educate fellows and enable them to move into successful independent neonatal practice. To reach this goal, every fellow must acquire a wide range of clinical, scholarly, and professional skills that require assessment and evaluation by the fellowship program. The assessment and evaluation of fellow progression and promotion must rely on a rigorous educational framework.

Evaluating plasma biomarkers NfL, GFAP, GDF15, and FGF21 as indicators of disease severity in Charcot-Marie Tooth patients.

Background: Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease (CMT), a slowly advancing hereditary nerve disorder, presents a significant challenge in the medical field. Effective drugs for treatment are lacking, and we struggle to find sensitive markers to track the disease's severity and progression. In this study, our objective was to investigate the levels of neurofilament light chain (NfL), glial fibrillary acid protein (GFAP), fibroblast growth factor 21 (FGF-21) and growth differentiation factor 15 (GDF-15) in individuals with CMT and to compare them to a control group.

Developing a Novel Integrative Health Equity and Anti-racism Tool (IHEART) for Pilot Application in a Multicenter Integrative Health Elective for Medical Students and Resident Physicians: A Study Protocol.

Background: This study protocol introduces the Integrative Health Equity and Anti-Racism Tool (IHEART), an innovative instrument designed to infuse equity, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) into Integrative Health (IH) education. Recognizing the gaps in current IH training that fail to address social and systemic inequities adequately, the IHEART is intended to respond to the growing need for inclusivity in IH practices and educational materials. The tool is mainly focused on addressing issues such as accessibility of complementary and integrative health (CIH) therapies, cultural misappropriation, anti-racism, gender diversity, disability justice, trauma-informed care, weight inclusivity, and planetary health, which are currently inconsistently covered in IH training.

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.

Social mixing patterns of United States healthcare personnel at a quaternary health center: a prospective observational study.

Background: Understanding healthcare personnel's (HCP) contact patterns are important to mitigate healthcare-associated infectious disease transmission. Little is known about how HCP contact patterns change over time or during outbreaks such as the COVID-19 pandemic.

Methods: This study in a large United States healthcare system examined the social contact patterns of HCP via standardized social contact diaries.

Sequence variants in HECTD1 result in a variable neurodevelopmental disorder.

Dysregulation of genes encoding the homologous to E6AP C-terminus (HECT) E3 ubiquitin ligases has been linked to cancer and structural birth defects. One member of this family, the HECT-domain-containing protein 1 (HECTD1), mediates developmental pathways, including cell signaling, gene expression, and embryogenesis. Through GeneMatcher, we identified 14 unrelated individuals with 15 different variants in HECTD1 (10 missense, 3 frameshift, 1 nonsense, and 1 splicing variant) with neurodevelopmental disorders (NDDs), including autism, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, and epilepsy.

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.

Preclinical evaluation of zirconium-89 labeled anti-Trop2 antibody-drug conjugate (Trodelvy) for imaging in gastric cancer and triple-negative breast cancer.

Purpose: Trophoblast cell-surface antigen 2 (Trop2) is overexpressed in various solid tumors and contributes to tumor progression, while its expression remains low in normal tissues. Trop2-targeting antibody-drug conjugate (ADC), sacituzumab govitecan-hziy (Trodelvy), has shown efficacy in targeting this antigen. Leveraging the enhanced specificity of ADCs, we conducted the first immunoPET imaging study of Trop2 expression in gastric cancer (GC) and triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) models using Zr-labeled Trodelvy ([Zr]Zr-DFO-Trodelvy).

Associations between common genetic variants and income provide insights about the socio-economic health gradient.

We conducted a genome-wide association study on income among individuals of European descent (N = 668,288) to investigate the relationship between socio-economic status and health disparities. We identified 162 genomic loci associated with a common genetic factor underlying various income measures, all with small effect sizes (the Income Factor). Our polygenic index captures 1-5% of income variance, with only one fourth due to direct genetic effects.

International Urogynecology Consultation Chapter 3 Committee 1 - Pessary Management.

Introduction And Hypothesis: This manuscript is part of the International Urogynecological Consultation (IUC) on Pelvic Organ Prolapse (POP), Chapter 3, Committee 1 focusing on pessary management of POP.

Methods: A narrative review was conducted by an international, multi-disciplinary group of clinicians working in the field of pelvic health following a search of the literature using the MeSH terms "pelvic organ prolapse" OR "urogenital prolapse" OR "vaginal prolapse" OR "uterovaginal prolapse" AND "pessary" OR "support device" OR "intravaginal device." Relevant studies, as determined after review using the Covidence manuscript review platform, were included.

Pediatric Transplant Surgeons' Perspectives on Palliative Care for Children With Chronic Kidney Disease: A National Cross-Sectional Survey.

Background: Some adult transplant surgeons consider transplant to be contraindicated in patients receiving palliative care (PC). Little is known about pediatric transplant surgeons' attitudes toward PC. We sought to ascertain pediatric kidney transplant surgeons' perspectives regarding the routine integration of PC for children with chronic kidney disease.

Assessing Family Caregiver Readiness for Hospital Discharge of Patients With Serious or Life-Limiting Illness Using Electronic Health Record (EHR) and Self-Reported Data.

Objective: To assess how patient and caregiver factors influence caregiver readiness for hospital discharge in palliative care patients.

Study Setting And Design: This transitional care study uses cross-sectional data from a randomized controlled trial conducted from 2018 to 2023 testing an intervention for caregivers of hospitalized adult patients with a serious or life-limiting illness who received a palliative care consult prior to transitioning out of the hospital.

Data Sources And Analytical Sample: Caregiver readiness was measured with the Family Readiness for Hospital Discharge Scale (n = 231).

Inconsistent Associations of Modified Frailty Index-5 With Adverse Head and Neck Reconstruction Outcomes.

Objectives: To investigate the consistency of associations between modified frailty index-5 (mFI-5) and postoperative adverse outcomes in head and neck cancer (HNC) reconstruction.

Methods: American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Program (ACS-NSQIP) database from 2017 to 2022 was utilized to identify HNC patients undergoing locoregional or microvascular free tissue transfers. Kaplan-Meier estimates and multivariable Cox regression analyses were utilized to compare risk of infections, bleeding, readmissions, reoperations, major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE), and mortality within the first postoperative month for each mFI-5 score with mFI-5 = 0 as reference.

Rethinking the residual approach: leveraging statistical learning to operationalize cognitive resilience in Alzheimer's disease.

Cognitive resilience (CR) describes the phenomenon of individuals evading cognitive decline despite prominent Alzheimer's disease neuropathology. Operationalization and measurement of this latent construct is non-trivial as it cannot be directly observed. The residual approach has been widely applied to estimate CR, where the degree of resilience is estimated through a linear model's residuals.

Promoting Health Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion in Medical and Scientific Writing and Publishing of Research: A Statement from the Inaugural Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Advocacy Team of the Journal of General Internal Medicine.

The Journal of General Internal Medicine (JGIM) has a long-standing history of publishing manuscripts focused on health equity and is committed to diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) in scientific writing and publishing. This is extremely important in the current climate where false narratives and attacks on DEI and health equity are rampant. To demonstrate their commitment to DEI and health equity, the JGIM Editors-in-Chief created an inaugural DEI Advocacy Team.

Sensitivity and Specificity of the Yale Swallow Protocol in Recently Extubated Patients.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to determine the sensitivity and specificity of the Yale Swallow Protocol (YSP) in detecting aspiration in recently extubated patients.

Method: One hundred fifty-four participants referred for swallowing evaluation underwent the YSP and fiberoptic endoscopic evaluation of swallowing (FEES) in random order within 48 hr of extubation. The YSP included orientation questions, an oral motor exam, and a 3-oz water swallow test.

Impact of molecular diagnostic techniques on the acute respiratory infection sentinel surveillance program, Antioquia, Colombia, 2022.

Objectives: Surveillance of acute respiratory infection (ARI) informs vaccination, preventive, and management decisions. In many countries, immunofluorescence is the cornerstone for ARI surveillance. We aimed to determine the effect of adding multiplex polymerase chain reaction (mPCR) to conventional surveillance in ARI.

Tissue-specific effects of dietary protein on cellular senescence are mediated by branched-chain amino acids.

Dietary protein is a key regulator of healthy aging in both mice and humans. In mice, reducing dietary levels of the branched-chain amino acids (BCAAs) recapitulates many of the benefits of a low protein diet; BCAA-restricted diets extend lifespan, reduce frailty, and improve metabolic health, while BCAA supplementation shortens lifespan, promotes obesity, and impairs glycemic control. Recently, high protein diets have been shown to promote cellular senescence, a hallmark of aging implicated in many age-related diseases, in the liver of mice.

Development of FAP-targeted theranostics discovered by next-generation sequencing-augmented mining of a novel immunized VNAR library.

Cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) in the stroma of solid tumors promote an immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment (TME) that drives resistance to therapies. The expression of the protease fibroblast activation protein (FAP) on the surface of CAFs has made FAP a target for development of therapies to dampen immunosuppression. Relatively few biologics have been developed for FAP and none have been developed that exploit the unique engagement properties of Variable New Antigen Receptors (VNARs) from shark antibodies.

Switch from eculizumab to satralizumab in aquaporin 4 immunoglobulin G-seropositive neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder: a case series report.

Objectives: This case series describes adults with aquaporin 4 immunoglobulin G-seropositive (AQP4-IgG+) neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder (NMOSD) who switched treatment from eculizumab to satralizumab.

Methods: Case information for patients with AQP4-IgG+ NMOSD who received satralizumab for ≥6 months was obtained from US healthcare providers from April 2022 to January 2024. Patient characteristics, examination findings, diagnostic test results, treatment response, and adverse events were recorded.

Characterizing Wellness Initiatives in Academic Radiation Oncology Departments.

Purpose: Burnout is prevalent in radiation oncology (RO), and an increased focus on promoting physician wellness and formalizing wellness-directed efforts has transpired in recent years. We aimed to characterize current wellness leadership positions and efforts within academic RO departments.

Methods And Materials: Academic RO department chairs were contacted to inquire whether they had a departmental wellness leader with a request for leader contact information, if applicable.