Population Pharmacokinetics and Pharmacodynamics of Sotalol Following Expedited Intravenous Loading in Patients With Atrial Arrhythmias.

Sotalol, a class III antiarrhythmic agent, is used to maintain sinus rhythm in patients with atrial fibrillation or atrial flutter (AFIB/AFL). Despite its efficacy, sotalol's use is limited by its potential to cause life-threatening ventricular arrhythmias due to QT interval prolongation. Traditionally, sotalol administration required hospitalization to monitor these risks.

Structural Variation Interpretation in the Genome Sequencing Era: Lessons from Cytogenetics.

Background: Structural variation (SV), defined as balanced and unbalanced chromosomal rearrangements >1 kb, is a major contributor to germline and neoplastic disease. Large variants have historically been evaluated by chromosome analysis and now are commonly recognized by chromosomal microarray analysis (CMA). The increasing application of genome sequencing (GS) in the clinic and the relatively high incidence of chromosomal abnormalities in sick newborns and children highlights the need for accurate SV interpretation and reporting.

Perspective on the Potential Vertical Transmission of SARS-CoV-2 Through Breast Milk.

Aim: SARS-CoV-2 is highly transmissible, having infected ~16 million children in the United States. Symptom severity is higher in infants compared to older children, possibly due to their ineligibility for vaccination. Concerns persist that mothers transmit infectious viral loads of SARS-CoV-2 through breast milk.

Comorbid conditions and survival among Black women with ovarian cancer.

Background: Black women with epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC) have worse survival and a higher burden of comorbid conditions compared with other racial groups. This study examines the association of comorbid conditions and medication use for these conditions with survival among Black women with EOC.

Methods: In a prospective study of 592 Black women with EOC, the Charlson comorbidity index (CCI) based on self-reported data, three cardiometabolic comorbidities (type 2 diabetes, hypertension, and hyperlipidemia), and medication use for each cardiometabolic comorbidity were evaluated.

The impact of common and rare genetic variants on bradyarrhythmia development.

To broaden our understanding of bradyarrhythmias and conduction disease, we performed common variant genome-wide association analyses in up to 1.3 million individuals and rare variant burden testing in 460,000 individuals for sinus node dysfunction (SND), distal conduction disease (DCD) and pacemaker (PM) implantation. We identified 13, 31 and 21 common variant loci for SND, DCD and PM, respectively.

Intimate Partner Violence, Health, and Relationship Satisfaction Among Arab American Women.

Experiences of intimate partner violence (IPV) victimization/survivorship and the health and well-being of Arab American women remain understudied despite a growing U.S. Arab population.

A 7-year-old with new-onset seizures, behavior disturbance, and encephalitis.

Refractory seizures are common in pediatric neurology; consideration of whether seizures are acutely symptomatic of an underlying disease process is critical. In this case, a previously healthy 7-year-old patient presented with intractable focal seizures in the setting of a viral prodrome and headache. This case highlights a comprehensive work up of new-onset refractory seizures in a patient with features of encephalitis and describes a diagnostic quandary that ultimately led to a rare unifying diagnosis.

Interrogation of Enantioselectivity in the Photomediated Ring Contractions of Saturated Heterocycles.

We recently reported a chiral phosphoric acid (CPA) catalyzed enantioselective photomediated ring contraction of piperidines and other saturated heterocycles. By extruding a single heteroatom from a ring, this transformation builds desirable C(sp)-C(sp) bonds in the ring contracted products; however, the origins of enantioselectivity remain poorly understood. In this work, enantioselectivity of the ring contraction has been explored across an expanded structurally diverse substrate scope, revealing a wide range of enantioselectivities (0-99%) using two distinct CPA catalysts.

On brain stimulation in epilepsy.

Brain stimulation has, for many decades, been considered as a potential solution for the unmet needs of the many people living with drug-resistant epilepsy. Clinically, there are several different approaches in use, including vagus nerve stimulation (VNS), deep brain stimulation of the thalamus, and responsive neurostimulation (RNS). Across populations of patients, all deliver reductions in seizure load and SUDEP risk, yet do so variably, and the improvements seem incremental rather than transformative.

Infrared nanosensors of piconewton to micronewton forces.

Mechanical force is an essential feature for many physical and biological processes, and remote measurement of mechanical signals with high sensitivity and spatial resolution is needed for diverse applications, including robotics, biophysics, energy storage and medicine. Nanoscale luminescent force sensors excel at measuring piconewton forces, whereas larger sensors have proven powerful in probing micronewton forces. However, large gaps remain in the force magnitudes that can be probed remotely from subsurface or interfacial sites, and no individual, non-invasive sensor is capable of measuring over the large dynamic range needed to understand many systems.

Primary sclerosing cholangitis in children with inflammatory bowel disease: An ESPGHAN position paper from the Hepatology Committee and the IBD Porto group.

Objective: We aimed to provide an evidence-supported approach to diagnose, monitor, and treat children with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC).

Methods: The core group formulated seven PICO-structured clinical questions. A systematic literature search from inception to December 2022 was conducted by a medical librarian using MEDLINE and EMBASE.

Predicting sinonasal inverted papilloma attachment using machine learning: Current lessons and future directions.

Background: Hyperostosis is a common radiographic feature of inverted papilloma (IP) tumor origin on computed tomography (CT). Herein, we developed a machine learning (ML) model capable of analyzing CT images and identifying IP attachment sites.

Methods: A retrospective review of patients treated for IP at our institution was performed.

Examining Bi-directional links between distinct affect states and tobacco lapse during a cessation attempt.

Background: Theoretical models of addiction highlight the bi-directional links of certain distinct affect states and tobacco lapse, but to date, few studies have examined bi-directional associations, instead examining associations with global affect measures (e.g., negative affect versus feelings of guilt).

Type 2 biomarkers in olfactory cleft mucus correlate with SNOT-22 in chronic rhinosinusitis independent of nasal polyp status.

Background: Quantitative mucus cytokine analysis to examine the sinonasal microenvironment may bridge the gap between patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs) and empirical measures of inflammation in patients with chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS).

Objective: Investigate the correlation between mucus cytokine levels and Sino-Nasal Outcome Test (SNOT-22) scores, including individual subdomains.

Methods: Patients with CRS were prospectively recruited between 2016 and 2021 into a multi-institutional observational study.

Risk reduction in SARS-CoV-2 infection and reinfection conferred by humoral antibody levels among essential workers during Omicron predominance.

The extent to which semi-quantitative antibody levels confer protection against SARS-CoV-2 infection in populations with heterogenous immune histories is unclear. Two nested case-control studies were designed within the multisite HEROES/RECOVER prospective cohort of frontline workers to study the relationship between antibody levels and protection against first-time post-vaccination infection and reinfection with SARS-CoV-2 from December 2021 to January 2023. All participants submitted weekly nasal swabs for rRT-PCR testing and blood samples quarterly and following infection or vaccination.

"Energetics of the outer retina I: Estimates of nutrient exchange and ATP generation".

Photoreceptors (PRs) are metabolically demanding and packed at high density, which presents a challenge for nutrient exchange between the associated vascular beds and the tissue. Motivated by the ambition to understand the constraints under which PRs function, in this study we have drawn together diverse physiological and anatomical data in order to generate estimates of the rates of ATP production per mm2 of retinal surface area. With the predictions of metabolic demand in the companion paper, we seek to develop an integrated energy budget for the outer retina.

Getting better with age: Lessons from the Kenya Long-term Exclosure Experiment (KLEE).

The Kenya long-term exclosure experiment (KLEE) was established in 1995 in semi-arid savanna rangeland to examine the separate and combined effects of livestock, wildlife and megaherbivores on their shared environment. The long-term nature of this experiment has allowed us to measure these effects and address questions of stability and resilience in the context of multiple drought-rainy cycles. Here we outline lessons learned over the last 29 years, and how these inform a fundamental tension in long-term studies: how to balance the need for question-driven research with the intangible conviction that long-term data will yield valuable findings.

Diabetes Care Disparities in Deaf/Hard of Hearing and Blind/Low Vision Populations.

Purpose Of Review: Describe the connection between Deaf/hard of hearing (DHH) and diabetes, explain the bidirectional relationship of blind/low vision (BLV) and diabetes, characterize challenges DHH and BLV populations face when seeking healthcare regarding their diabetes management. Highlight the inaccessibility of diabetes technology in these populations. Provide best practices when communicating with DHH and BLV people in the clinical setting.

Lyophilization of ASFV vaccine candidate ASFV-G-ΔI177L offers long term stability.

For over a century African swine fever (ASF) has been causing outbreaks leading to devastating losses for the swine industry. The current pandemic of ASF has shown no signs of stopping and continues to spread causing outbreaks in additional countries. Currently control relies mostly on culling infected farms, and strict biosecurity procedures.

Strontium isoscape of sub-Saharan Africa allows tracing origins of victims of the transatlantic slave trade.

Strontium isotope (Sr/Sr) analysis with reference to strontium isotope landscapes (Sr isoscapes) allows reconstructing mobility and migration in archaeology, ecology, and forensics. However, despite the vast potential of research involving Sr/Sr analysis particularly in Africa, Sr isoscapes remain unavailable for the largest parts of the continent. Here, we measure the Sr/Sr ratios in 778 environmental samples from 24 African countries and combine this data with published data to model a bioavailable Sr isoscape for sub-Saharan Africa using random forest regression.

A truncated isoform of Connexin43 caps actin to organize forward delivery of full-length Connexin43.

While membrane proteins such as ion channels continuously turn over and require replacement, the mechanisms of specificity of efficient channel delivery to appropriate membrane subdomains remain poorly understood. GJA1-20k is a truncated Connexin43 (Cx43) isoform arising from translation initiating at an internal start codon within the same parent GJA1 mRNA and is requisite for full-length Cx43 trafficking to cell borders. GJA1-20k does not have a full transmembrane domain, and it is not known how GJA1-20k enables forward delivery of Cx43 hemichannels.

Environmental Conditions Modulate Warming Effects on Plant Litter Decomposition Globally.

Empirical studies worldwide show that warming has variable effects on plant litter decomposition, leaving the overall impact of climate change on decomposition uncertain. We conducted a meta-analysis of 109 experimental warming studies across seven continents, using natural and standardised plant material, to assess the overarching effect of warming on litter decomposition and identify potential moderating factors. We determined that at least 5.

Factors Associated with Pediatric Drowning-Associated Lung Injury.

Objective: To identify risk factors for clinically-important drowning-associated lung injury (ciDALI) in children.

Study Design: This was a cross-sectional study of children (0 through 18 years) who presented to 32 pediatric emergency departments (EDs) from 2010 through 2017. We reviewed demographics, comorbidities, prehospital data, chest radiographs reports, and ED course from emergency medical services, medical, and fatality records.

CME preferences and perspectives among practicing radiologists.

Rationale And Objectives: To evaluate radiologists' perspectives regarding American Medical Association Category 1 Continuing Medical Education (Cat-1 CME) activities in private practice (PP) and teleradiology (TR), as well as American Board of Radiology Maintenance of Certification (ABR MOC) program participation status.

Materials And Methods: An electronic survey informed by existing literature regarding physician Cat-1 CME use and opinions was distributed via email to a national radiology practice. The survey was open for seventeen days in 2023, with a single reminder.