Conotoxin KM-RIIIJ reveals interplay between K1-channels and persistent sodium currents in proprioceptive DRG neurons.

Voltage-gated potassium channels (VGKCs) comprise the largest and most complex families of ion channels. Approximately 70 genes encode VGKC alpha subunits, which assemble into functional tetrameric channel complexes. These subunits can also combine to form heteromeric channels, significantly expanding the potential diversity of VGKCs.

Improving colonoscopy quality in the national VA healthcare system.

Background: Colorectal cancer (CRC) prevention is a Veterans Affairs (VA) priority. Colonoscopy quality, especially adenoma detection rate (ADR), is critical for effective screening. Our research indicates considerable variation in ADR among VA providers.

The HET (history, electrocardiogram, and troponin) score has low efficacy and negative predictive value in a multisite U.S. cohort study.

Introduction: The History, Electrocardiogram, and Troponin (HET) score is a simplified alternative to the HEART score for risk stratifying emergency department (ED) patients with chest pain. This study evaluates the safety and efficacy of the HET score for 30-day cardiac death or myocardial infarction (MI).

Methods: We conducted a secondary analysis of the STOP-CP multisite cohort study.

Metabolic Aging as an Increased Risk for Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease.

Background/objectives: Both aging and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) are strongly associated with changes in the metabolome; however, it is unknown whether there are common aging/COPD metabolomic signatures and if accelerated aging is associated with COPD.

Methods: Plasma from 5704 subjects from the Genetic Epidemiology of COPD study (COPDGene) and 2449 subjects from Subpopulations and intermediate outcome measures in COPD study (SPIROMICS) were profiled using the Metabolon global metabolomics platform (1013 annotated metabolites). Post-bronchodilator spirometry measures of airflow obstruction (forced expiratory volume at one second (FEV)/forced vital capacity (FVC) < 0.

Is the 99th Percentile Cutoff Still Relevant? A Single-Center Assessment of Different Thresholds for Diagnosing Antiphospholipid Syndrome.

Background: The 2023 American College of Rheumatology and modified Sapporo criteria for antiphospholipid syndrome (APS) recommend ELISA to detect anticardiolipin (aCL) and anti-β2-glycoprotein I (aβ2GP1) IgG/IgM antibodies, focusing on moderate to high levels or exceeding the 99th percentile. This study aims to establish the 99th percentile threshold for anti-phospholipid (aPL) antibodies and compare the diagnostic accuracies of these thresholds with manufacturer cutoffs using 2 methodologies.

Methods: The 99th percentile cutoffs for aPL antibodies from 305 healthy donors were established using Aptiva, Particle-Based Multi-Analyte Technology (PMAT), and QUANTA Lite (QL) ELISA, following nonparametric reference interval estimation.

Key concepts and a world-wide look at plant recruitment networks.

Plant-plant interactions are major determinants of the dynamics of terrestrial ecosystems. There is a long tradition in the study of these interactions, their mechanisms and their consequences using experimental, observational and theoretical approaches. Empirical studies overwhelmingly focus at the level of species pairs or small sets of species.

Three-Year Assault Cases Performed on the Emergency Trauma Center.

Objective: This study aims to compare the results of cases with a history of assault presented to our emergency department over a period of three years with literature data and to share our experiences with colleagues.

Methods: Demographic characteristics, trauma findings, clinical conditions, surgical interventions, mortality, and outcomes of patients with a history of assault to the emergency department between 2020 and 2022 were retrospectively examined. The results were analyzed using the Number Cruncher Statistical System 2007 Statistical Software package program (Utah, USA).

One-Step Image Reconstruction for Cine MRI with a Quadratic Constraint.

Motivation: In cine MRI, the measurements within each timeframe alone are too noisy for image reconstruction. Some information must be 'borrowed' from other time frames and the reconstruction algorithm is a slow iterative procedure.

Goals: We set up a constrained objective function, which uses the measurements at other time frames to regularize the image reconstruction.

A multicenter evaluation of penile curvature correction in men with Peyronie's disease undergoing inflatable penile prosthesis placement.

Background: Inflatable penile prosthesis (IPP) insertion is recommended for the treatment of patients with Peyronie's disease (PD) and significant erectile dysfunction (ED); adjunctive procedures can be used for residual curvature after IPP placement.

Aim: To assess the management of penile curvature correction in PD patients undergoing IPP procedures within a large multinational, multicenter cohort.

Methods: A retrospective analysis was conducted on PD patients treated with IPP by 11 experienced prosthetic surgeons.

Health impacts of asphalt emissions: Examining neurological risks and the need for long-term exposure mitigation.

Asphalt, widely used in infrastructure, emits complex chemical mixtures throughout its service life, posing significant risks to human health and the environment. This expanded understanding extends the concern from a construction-related hazard to a broader public health issue, especially affecting vulnerable populations like children who play on blacktop surfaces. Despite increased awareness, the specific mechanisms behind asphalt emissions, their impact on asphalt deterioration, and their effects on the human nervous system remain poorly understood.

Advances in Imaging of Traumatic Nerve Injuries.

Traumatic peripheral nerve injuries represent a spectrum of conditions and remain challenging to diagnose and prognosticate. High-resolution ultrasonography and magnetic resonance neurography have emerged as useful diagnostic modalities in the evaluation of traumatic peripheral nerve and brachial plexus injuries. Ultrasonography is noninvasive, is able to rapidly interrogate large areas and multiple nerves, allows for a dynamic assessment of nerves and their surrounding anatomy, and is cost-effective.

Time to Therapy May Not Impact Diagnosis Upstaging in Patients Referred for Management of Luminal Gastrointestinal Neoplasia.

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic dramatically impacted endoscopy practice. Recommendations were to postpone elective cases, including procedures for removal of luminal neoplasia. This provided a natural experiment to evaluate outcomes related to these decisions and the impact of time to procedure on change in histology.

Persistent Short Sleep Duration From Pregnancy to 2 to 7 Years After Delivery and Metabolic Health.

Importance: Short sleep duration during pregnancy and the perimenopausal period has been associated with adverse cardiometabolic outcomes. However, it remains unclear how sleep duration changes after delivery and whether such changes are associated with the cardiometabolic health of birthing people.

Objective: To investigate whether persistently short sleep during pregnancy and after delivery is associated with incident hypertension and metabolic syndrome.

Extending the Environmental influences on Child Health Outcomes (ECHO) Cohort through 2030: Rationale and study protocol.

Early life environmental exposures, even those experienced before conception, can shape health and disease trajectories across the lifespan. Optimizing the detection of the constellation of exposure effects on a broad range of child health outcomes across development requires considerable sample size, transdisciplinary expertise, and developmentally sensitive and dimensional measurement. To address this, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Environmental influences on Child Health Outcomes (ECHO) Cohort Study is an observational longitudinal pediatric cohort study.

Multicomponent body composition of university club sport athletes.

Background: The body composition of National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) athletes is well documented but no such data exist for university club sports athletes. Additionally, the majority of norms for NCAA athletes were created from individual methods requiring assumptions.

Objective: This study used a four-component (4C) model to measure the body composition of university club sports athletes.

Semi-parametric sensitivity analysis for trials with irregular and informative assessment times.

Many trials are designed to collect outcomes at or around pre-specified times after randomization. If there is variability in the times when participants are actually assessed, this can pose a challenge to learning the effect of treatment, since not all participants have outcome assessments at the times of interest. Furthermore, observed outcome values may not be representative of all participants' outcomes at a given time.

Socioeconomic and spatial distribution of depressive symptoms and access to treatment in Peru: A repeated nationwide cross-sectional study from 2014 to 2021.

Background: Globally, evidence indicates that poverty and geographical setting influence the prevalence of depressive symptoms and access to treatment. Therefore, this study aimed to evaluate the socioeconomic and spatial distribution of depressive symptoms and treatment in Peru.

Methods: We conducted an observational study based on the analysis of secondary data derived from the Peruvian Demographic and Health Surveys for 2014-2021.

Real-world Effectiveness of Single-Agent Enfortumab Vedotin in Patients With Advanced Urothelial Carcinoma.

Background: Enfortumab vedotin (EV) is a nectin-4-directed antibody and microtubule inhibitor conjugate indicated for patients with metastatic urothelial carcinoma (mUC) who have received prior platinum-based chemotherapy and PD-1/L1 inhibitors or are ineligible for cisplatin-containing regimens and have undergone at least 1 prior line of therapy. EV is also indicated in combination with pembrolizumab in the first-line setting. However, real-world effectiveness of EV based on treatment line and impact of prior therapy remains unclear.

A ten-year historical analysis of urban PM and exceedance filters along the Northern Wasatch Front, UT, USA.

The Great Salt Lake (Utah, USA) is reducing in size, which raises several ecological concerns, including the effect of an increasing area of dry playa exposed by the retreating lake. This study focuses solely on concerns about the toxicity of metals in the dust blowing off the playa. Although considerable efforts have been made to understand aeolian dust in urban areas along the Wasatch Front, located just east and south of the Great Salt Lake, there is still a need to consolidate existing research and to conduct a compositional analysis of the dust found in these urban areas.

Long-term outcomes of pediatric temporal bone fractures with hearing loss: Results of a multinational database analysis.

Introduction: Pediatric temporal bone fractures (TBFs) can result in adverse outcomes including meningitis, significant sensorineural hearing loss requiring cochlear implantation (CI), facial nerve weakness, cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) leak, and labyrinthitis. The objective of this study is to determine the risks of these outcomes for TBFs with hearing loss.

Methods: Using the multinational TriNetX database, a retrospective cohort study was performed of patients less than 18 years old with diagnostic codes for other fracture of base of skull and hearing loss to serve as an approximation of TBF.

Climate matching models for Ceratapion basicorne (Coleoptera: Apionidae), a biocontrol agent of yellow starthistle.

Ceratapion basicorne (Illiger) (Coleoptera: Apionidae), a weevil native to Europe and western Asia, shows promise for enhancing the control of yellow starthistle (Centaurea solstitialis L.), an invasive annual forb in the western United States. However, a paucity of data on this biocontrol agent's environmental constraints has made it difficult to assess the suitability of potential release locations.

Antiracist activism for immigrant rights and healthy coping: Initial evidence for a community-based framework.

Racist and xenophobic policies in the United States (e.g., family separations and lack of access to protected immigration statuses for undocumented immigrants) have historically excluded immigrants of color from accessing full civil rights, thus contributing to widening racial inequities in the US.

Forensic genetics in the shadows.

This article examines the controversial practice of law enforcement agencies searching genetic samples obtained in health care settings, without a warrant or consent. While police have previously used public genealogy databases for this purpose, our article describes how they are now secretly accessing genetic information from newborn screening programs and medical tests. This raises ethical and legal concerns, blurring the line between health care and law enforcement.

Wastewater-based estimation of temporal variation in shedding amount of influenza A virus and clinically identified cases using the PRESENS model.

Wastewater-based estimation of infectious disease prevalence in real-time assists public health authorities in developing effective responses to current outbreaks. However, wastewater-based estimation for IAV remains poorly demonstrated, partially because of a lack of knowledge about temporal variation in shedding amount of an IAV-infected person. In this study, we applied two mathematical models to previously collected wastewater and clinical data from four U.

The lifecycle and evolution of new regimens on the National Comprehensive Cancer Network Guidelines for newly diagnosed multiple myeloma.

Introduction: Prior studies have evaluated the level of evidence behind treatment options listed in the National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) guidelines, but no study has categorized the life cycle of regimens listed in the NCCN guidelines. We longitudinally assessed the life cycle for each regimen for newly diagnosed multiple myeloma. We track the date of first clinical data, the date of regimen addition to NCCN guidelines, the date phase 3 data (if performed) were reported, and the results of phase 3 trials.