Identifying and treating metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease among at-risk Veterans.

Objectives: Metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD), an increasing public health concern, remains challenging to diagnose and risk-stratify. We assessed the 1) prevalence of MASLD risk factors among Veterans in Veterans Health Administration (VA) care, 2) factors associated with MASLD diagnosis; and 3) associations between MASLD diagnosis and receipt of care.

Methods: Veterans with MASLD risk factors, including obesity, pre-diabetes, diabetes, or dyslipidemia, were identified using International Classification of Diseases-10 codes and followed in 2019-2022.

Interstep Variations of Stairways and Associations of High-Contrast Striping and Fall-Related Events: Observational Study.

Background: Interstep variations in step riser height and tread depth within a stairway could negatively impact safe stair negotiation by decreasing step riser height predictability and, consequently, increasing stair users' fall risk. Unfortunately, interstep variations in riser height and depth are common, particularly in older stairways, but its impact may be lessened by highlighting steps' edges using a high-contrast stripe on the top front edge of each step.

Objective: This study aimed to determine (1) if fall-related events are associated with greater interstep riser height and depth variations and (2) if such fall-related events are reduced in the presence of contrast-enhanced step edges compared with a control stairway.

Acute and Longitudinal Effects of Concussion on Reactive Balance in Collegiate Athletes.

Background: Postural instability is a common observation after concussions, with balance assessments playing a crucial role in clinical evaluations. Widely used post-concussion balance tests focus primarily on static and dynamic balance, excluding the critical aspect of reactive balance.

Objectives: This study investigated the acute and longitudinal effects of concussion on reactive balance in collegiate athletes.

An Explanatory Mixed-methods Study of "ICU net benefit": Triage and Trajectory for Sepsis and Acute Respiratory Failure.

Rationale: Patients with sepsis and/or acute respiratory failure are at high risk for death or long hospital stays, yet limited evidence exists to guide triage to intensive care units (ICUs) or general medical wards for the majority of these patients who do not initially require life support.

Objectives: To identify factors that influence how hospitals triage patients with capacity-sensitive conditions and those factors that may account for observed ICU relative to ward, or ward relative to ICU, benefits for such patients.

Methods: We conducted an explanatory sequential mixed-methods study.

Cognitive Predictors of Perception and Adaption to Dysarthric Speech in Older Adults.

Purpose: In effortful listening conditions, speech perception and adaptation abilities are constrained by aging and often linked to age-related hearing loss and cognitive decline. Given that older adults are frequent communication partners of individuals with dysarthria, the current study examines cognitive-linguistic and hearing predictors of dysarthric speech perception and adaptation in older listeners.

Method: Fifty-eight older adult listeners (aged 55-80 years) completed a battery of hearing and cognitive tasks administered via the National Institutes of Health Toolbox.

Ability of the Spectroscopic Properties of the P═Se Bond of a Base to Assess Noncovalent Bond Strength.

The viability of the P═Se bond to serve as a monitor of the strength of a noncovalent bond was tested in the context of the (CH)PSe molecule. Density functional theory (DFT) computations paired this base with a collection of Lewis acids that spanned hydrogen, halogen, chalcogen, pnicogen, and tetrel bonding interactions and covered a wide range of bond strengths. A very strong linear correlation was observed between the interaction energy and the nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) J(PSe) coupling constant, which could serve as an accurate indicator of bond strength.

Contrasting Summertime Trends in Vehicle Combustion Efficiency in Los Angeles, CA and Salt Lake City, UT.

Policy interventions and technological advances are mitigating emissions of air pollutants from motor vehicles. As a result, vehicle fleets are expected to progressively combust fuel more efficiently, with a declining ratio of carbon monoxide to carbon dioxide (CO/CO) in their emissions. We assess trends in traffic combustion efficiency in Los Angeles (LA) and Salt Lake City (SLC) by measuring changes in summertime on-road CO/CO between 2013 and 2021 using mobile observations.

Safety, Immunogenicity, and Efficacy of a Recombinant Vesicular Stomatitis Virus Vectored Vaccine Against Severe Fever with Thrombocytopenia Syndrome Virus and Heartland Bandavirus.

Background: Severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome virus (SFTSV) is a recently emerged tickborne virus in east Asia with over 18,000 confirmed cases. With a high case fatality ratio, SFTSV has been designated a high priority pathogen by the WHO and the NIAID. Despite this, there are currently no approved therapies or vaccines to treat or prevent SFTS.

Mechanistic Relevance of Ventricular Arrhythmias in Heart Failure with Preserved Ejection Fraction.

Heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF) is increasing at an alarming rate worldwide, with limited effective therapeutic interventions in patients. Sudden cardiac death (SCD) and ventricular arrhythmias present substantial risks for the prognosis of these patients. Obesity is a risk factor for HFpEF and life-threatening arrhythmias.

A multi-constraint Monte Carlo Simulation approach to downscaling cancer data.

This study employs an innovative multi-constraint Monte Carlo simulation method to estimate suppressed county-level cancer counts for population subgroups and extend the downscaling from county to ZIP Code Tabulation Areas (ZCTA) in the U.S. Given the known cancer counts at a higher geographic level and larger demographic groups at the same geographic level as constraints, this method uses the population structure as probability in the Monte Carlo simulation process to estimate suppressed data entries.

The Association Between Body Composition, Overall Survival, Treatment Decisions, and Patient-Reported Outcomes in Metastatic Non-Small-Cell Lung Cancer.

Introduction: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the association between body composition, overall survival, odds of receiving treatment, and patient-reported outcomes (PROs) in individuals living with metastatic non-small-cell lung cancer (mNSCLC).

Methods: This retrospective analysis was conducted in newly diagnosed patients with mNSCLC who had computed-tomography (CT) scans and completed PRO questionnaires close to metastatic diagnosis date. Cox proportional hazard models and logistic regression evaluated overall survival and odds of receiving treatment, respectively.

AI-based analysis of fetal growth restriction in a prospective obstetric cohort quantifies compound risks for perinatal morbidity and mortality and identifies previously unrecognized high risk clinical scenarios.

Background: Fetal growth restriction (FGR) is a leading risk factor for stillbirth, yet the diagnosis of FGR confers considerable prognostic uncertainty, as most infants with FGR do not experience any morbidity. Our objective was to use data from a large, deeply phenotyped observational obstetric cohort to develop a probabilistic graphical model (PGM), a type of "explainable artificial intelligence (AI)", as a potential framework to better understand how interrelated variables contribute to perinatal morbidity risk in FGR.

Methods: Using data from 9,558 pregnancies delivered at ≥ 20 weeks with available outcome data, we derived and validated a PGM using randomly selected sub-cohorts of 80% (n = 7645) and 20% (n = 1,912), respectively, to discriminate cases of FGR resulting in composite perinatal morbidity from those that did not.

A precision oncology-focused deep learning framework for personalized selection of cancer therapy.

Precision oncology matches tumors to targeted therapies based on the presence of actionable molecular alterations. However, most tumors lack actionable alterations, restricting treatment options to cytotoxic chemotherapies for which few data-driven prioritization strategies currently exist. Here, we report an integrated computational/experimental treatment selection approach applicable for both chemotherapies and targeted agents irrespective of actionable alterations.

Epidemiology of Infections in the Households of Cholera Patients in the Democratic Republic of the Congo: PICHA7 Prospective Cohort Study.

Background: The aim of this prospective cohort study is to build evidence on transmission dynamics and risk factors for infections in cholera patient households.

Methods: Household contacts of cholera patients were observed for 1-month after the index cholera patient was admitted to a health facility for stool, serum, and water collection in urban Bukavu in South Kivu, Democratic Republic of the Congo. A infection was defined as a bacterial culture positive result during the 1-month surveillance period and/or a four-fold rise in a O1 serological antibody from baseline to the 1-month follow-up.

Parenting Concerns, Psychological Distress, and Relationship Adjustment Among Patients With Cancer and Their Partners: A Longitudinal Study.

Objective: Studies have found that cancer patients with dependent children exhibit high symptoms of anxiety, depression, and worry. Patients' parenting concerns can negatively impact their own and their family's adjustment to the cancer experience. However, relatively little is known about parenting concerns of partners of cancer patients, or associations between parenting concerns and couples' relationship adjustment.

Ultrasound as a predictor of time-loss injury for the patellar tendon, Achilles tendon and plantar fascia in division I collegiate athletes.

Objectives: Tendinopathy and fasciopathy are common conditions that can result in time-loss injury in athletes. This study aimed to determine if preseason sonographic abnormalities of the patellar tendon, Achilles tendon and plantar fascia are associated with future time-loss injuries in collegiate athletes.

Methods: National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I athletes from three institutions participated in this 3-year prospective, observational study.

Emergency care knowledge, utilization, and barriers in Northern Tanzania: A community-based survey.

Background: Emergency care systems are critical to improving care for time-sensitive emergency conditions. The growth and development of these systems in Sub-Saharan Africa is becoming a priority. Layperson knowledge and recognition of emergency symptoms and subsequent care-seeking behavior are key to achieving timely access to care and appropriate treatment.

Virtual Reality Training to Reduce Workplace Violence in Healthcare.

Violence against nurses and other healthcare workers is a significant and escalating concern, impeding the provision of safe and effective healthcare services. A majority of nurses experience some kind of violence, including physical and nonphysical assaults during their careers. The consequences of workplace violence extend beyond individual trauma, leading to increased burnout, turnover, and significant financial costs for healthcare systems.

Gut microbes metabolize strawberry phytochemicals and mediate their beneficial effects on vascular inflammation.

Evidence suggests that a healthy gut microbiome is essential for metabolizing dietary phytochemicals. However, the microbiome's role in metabolite production and the influence of gut dysbiosis on this process remain unclear. Further, studies on the relationship among gut microbes, metabolites, and biological activities of phytochemicals are limited.

Approaches for extracting daily dosage from free-text prescription signatures in heart failure with reduced ejection fraction: a comparative study.

Objective: To compare various methods for extracting daily dosage information from prescription signatures (sigs) and identify the best performers.

Materials And Methods: In this study, 5 daily dosage extraction methods were identified. Parsigs, RxSig, Sig2db, a large language model (LLM), and a bidirectional long short-term memory (BiLSTM) model were selected.