Six-Month Outcomes in the Long-Term Outcomes After the Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome in Children Study.

Importance: Multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children (MIS-C) is a life-threatening complication of COVID-19 infection. Data on midterm outcomes are limited.

Objective: To characterize the frequency and time course of cardiac dysfunction (left ventricular ejection fraction [LVEF] <55%), coronary artery aneurysms (z score ≥2.

Breast Cancer MRI Screening of Patients After Multiplex Gene Panel Testing.

Importance: Enhanced breast cancer screening with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is recommended to women with elevated risk of breast cancer, yet uptake of screening remains unclear after genetic testing.

Objective: To evaluate uptake of MRI after genetic results disclosure and counseling.

Design, Setting, And Participants: This multicenter cohort study was conducted at the University of Southern California Norris Cancer Hospital, the Los Angeles General Medical Center, and the Stanford University Cancer Institute.

Incidence and Prevalence of Post-COVID-19 Myalgic Encephalomyelitis: A Report from the Observational RECOVER-Adult Study.

Background: Myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS) may occur after infection. How often people develop ME/CFS after SARS-CoV-2 infection is unknown.

Objective: To determine the incidence and prevalence of post-COVID-19 ME/CFS among adults enrolled in the Researching COVID to Enhance Recovery (RECOVER-Adult) study.

PARADIGM-PV: a randomized, multicenter phase 4 study to assess the efficacy and safety of ropeginterferon alfa-2b in patients with low- or high-risk polycythemia vera.

Polycythemia vera (PV) is characterized by clonal hematopoietic stem or progenitor cells with constitutively active somatic mutation(s) in the Janus kinase 2 gene. Phlebotomy (Phl) and aspirin are often used alone for low-risk PV patients. However, data from the Low-PV study demonstrated that Phl and aspirin may not be adequate for patients.

Determination of Positivity Cutoff for an Automated Aspergillus fumigatus-Specific Immunoglobulin-G Assay in a National Reference Laboratory.

Background: Detection of serum-specific immunoglobulin G (sIgG) to Aspergillus fumigatus traditionally relied on precipitin assays, which lack standardization and have poor analytical sensitivity. Automated quantitative immunoassays are now more widely used alternatives. A challenge, however, is determining reference interval (RI) cutoffs indicative of disease presence.

Return to sports after pediatric traumatic brain injury: An expert panel survey.

Background: There are no evidence based guidelines for clinicians to follow in advising pediatric patients with traumatic brain injury (TBI) on return to play (RTP).

Objective: To understand practice patterns of experts in pediatric traumatic brain injury (TBI) in relation to how they assess severity of TBI and guide return to play (RTP) decisions with their patients who sustain complicated mild, moderate, or severe TBI.

Design: Cross-sectional web-based survey.

Organ injury accelerates stem cell differentiation by modulating a fate-transducing lateral inhibition circuit.

Injured epithelial organs must rapidly replace damaged cells to restore barrier integrity and physiological function. In response, injury-born stem cell progeny differentiate faster compared to healthy-born counterparts, yet the mechanisms that pace differentiation are unclear. Using the adult Drosophila intestine, we find that injury speeds cell differentiation by altering the lateral inhibition circuit that transduces a fate-determining Notch signal.

Extensive Admixture Among Karst-Obligate Salamanders Reveals Evidence of Recent Divergence and Gene Exchange Through Aquifers.

Karst ecosystems often contain extraordinary biodiversity, but the complex underground aquifers of karst regions present challenges for assessing and conserving stygobiont diversity and investigating their evolutionary history. We examined the karst-obligate salamanders of the species complex in the Edwards Plateau region of central Texas using population genomics data to address questions about population connectivity and the potential for gene exchange within the underlying aquifer system. The species complex has historically been divided into three nominal species, but their status, and spatial extent of species ranges, have remained uncertain.

Utilization of Oral Healthcare Among Uninsured Populations During the COVID-19 Pandemic in the United States.

Background: Accessibility to dental care is vital for uninsured low-income individuals. There is a deficit of research that examines oral healthcare seeking during the COVID-19 pandemic among uninsured low-income individuals. The purpose of this study is to describe oral health-related issues among patients of a free clinic that does not provide dental care during the COVID-19 pandemic.

American society for preventive cardiology 2024 cardiovascular disease prevention: Highlights and key sessions.

Groundbreaking strategies for preventive cardiology were showcased at the 2024 American Society for Preventive Cardiology (ASPC) Congress on Cardiovascular Disease (CVD) Prevention held in Salt Lake City, Utah, from August 2nd to 4th, 2024. The event featured 69 moderators and 13 scientific sessions comprised of 98 topics, 36 satellite events, 133 poster presentations, and 27 lifestyle classes. The conference highlighted innovative strategies focused on integrating cardiovascular, kidney, and metabolic health, presenting a cohesive approach for managing complex, interrelated conditions.

Design of INSPIRE: Evaluation of the effectiveness of practice facilitation on implementation of screening, brief interventions, referral to treatment and medication for unhealthy alcohol use identification and treatment in primary care.

Background: Unhealthy alcohol use is a leading cause of preventable mortality and a risk factor for an array of social and health problems. The Intervention in Small primary care Practices to Implement Reduction in unhealthy alcohol use (INSPIRE) study is part of a nationwide campaign to improve the identification and treatment of patients engaging in unhealthy alcohol use.

Methods: We conducted a single arm, pragmatic study consisting of seventeen primary care practices in the Chicago metropolitan area, Wisconsin, and California across two waves with a 6-month latent period, a 12-month intervention period, followed by a 6-month sustainability period.

Treatment efficacy prediction of focused ultrasound therapies using multi-parametric magnetic resonance imaging.

Magnetic resonance guided focused ultrasound (MRgFUS) is one of the most attractive emerging minimally invasive procedures for breast cancer, which induces localized hyperthermia, resulting in tumor cell death. Accurately assessing the post-ablation viability of all treated tumor tissue and surrounding margins immediately after MRgFUS thermal therapy residual tumor tissue is essential for evaluating treatment efficacy. While both thermal and vascular MRI-derived biomarkers are currently used to assess treatment efficacy, currently, no adequately accurate methods exist for the in vivo determination of tissue viability during treatment.

Evaluating Digital Rehabilitation Outcomes in Chronic Musculoskeletal Conditions Across Non-Obesity, Obesity, and Severe Obesity.

Background: Obesity is a known risk factor and aggravator of musculoskeletal (MSK) conditions. The rising prevalence of obesity calls for scalable solutions to address MSK conditions in this population, given their complex clinical profile and barriers to accessing care.

Purpose: To evaluate the engagement and clinical outcomes of a fully remote digital care program in patients with MSK conditions, focusing on those with and without comorbid obesity.

Penile Reconstruction in Aphallia: Modification of the De Castro Technique With Large Tissue Expander.

Aphallia is an exceedingly rare congenital malformation. The condition is the result of a sporadic anatomic anomaly during fetal development in a 46, XY male patient with otherwise normal functioning testes and male sexual hormone metabolism. Neophallus reconstruction using the De Castro phalloplasty technique is currently the most accepted treatment modality for this condition.

Minimally Invasive Surgery Deserts: Is There a Role for Robotic Assisted Surgery?

Despite evidence indicating patient and hospital benefits of minimally invasive surgery (MIS) over open surgery, there is still access barriers to MIS. Availability of training and associated learning curve, health literacy, and hospital characteristics (location, size) have been identified as the primary barriers to the adoption of MIS. Robotic assisted surgery could help to overcome some of these barriers and increase access to MIS through easier tele-mentoring and potential for remote access.

Carbonless DNA.

Carbonless DNA was designed by replacing all carbon atoms in the standard DNA building blocks with boron and nitrogen, ensuring isoelectronicity. Electronic structure quantum chemistry methods (DFT(ωB97XD)/aug-cc-pVDZ) were employed to study both the individual building blocks and the larger carbon-free DNA fragments. The reliability of the results was validated by comparing selected structures and binding energies using more accurate methods such as MP2, CCSD, and SAPT2+3(CCD)δ.

Beyond the baseline: Quantification of two Phosphatidylethanol (PEth) homologues in Whole Blood by LC-MS/MS and Retrospective Data Analysis from a National Reference Laboratory.

Unlabelled: Background - Alcohol is the most abused substance in Western society, resulting in major economic losses and negative health consequences. Therefore, there is a need for a selective and robust detection method for alcohol consumption in various clinical and forensic settings. This study aimed to validate a mass spectrometry method for quantifying phosphatidylethanol (PEth) and perform retrospective data analysis from the patient population of a national reference laboratory.

Nanomechanical Characterization of an Antiferromagnetic Topological Insulator.

The antiferromagnetic topological insulator MnBiTe (MBT) exhibits an ideal platform for investigating unique topological and magnetic properties. While the transport characteristics of magnetic phase transitions in the MBT materials have been extensively studied, the understanding of their mechanical properties and magneto-mechanical coupling remains limited. Here, we utilize nanoelectromechanical systems to probe the intrinsic magnetism in MBT thin flakes through magnetostrictive coupling.

A registry-based approach for estimating county-level race disparities in breast cancer mortality: an analysis in Georgia.

Despite similar incidence rates, nationwide breast cancer mortality is 40% higher among non-Hispanic Black (NHB) than non-Hispanic White (NHW) women. The racial disparity persists even among women with early-stage disease, prognostically favorable subtypes, and indicators of high socioeconomic status and is not evenly distributed throughout the US. Understanding geographic differences may provide additional insight into the drivers of the disparity.