Incidental Findings on Computed Tomography in Children With Blunt Abdominal Trauma.

Study Objective: Nontraumatic, incidental findings on computed tomography (CT) may be discovered after blunt abdominal trauma in children; however, the rate and importance of these findings are not well known. The objective of this study was to determine the prevalence and types of incidental CT findings among injured children undergoing abdominal/pelvic CT.

Methods: This was a planned secondary analysis of a multicenter prospective cohort study of children (<18 years) who underwent abdominal/pelvic CT after blunt trauma.

Fluorescence Analysis of Quinine in Commercial Tonic Waters.

Quinine is known for treating malaria, muscle cramps, and, more recently, has been used as an additive in tonic water due to its bitter taste. However, it was shown that excessive consumption of quinine can have severe side effects on health. In this work, we utilized fluorescence spectroscopy to measure the concentration of quinine in commercial tonic water samples.

Structural insights into the role of the prosegment binding loop in a papain-superfamily cysteine protease from Treponema denticola.

Periodontal diseases afflict 20-50% of the global population and carry serious health and economic burdens. Chronic periodontitis is characterized by inflammation of the periodontal pocket caused by dysbiosis. This dysbiosis is coupled with an increase in the population of Treponema denticola, a spirochete bacterium with high mobility and invasivity mediated by a number of virulence factors.

Comorbidity between internalizing symptoms and disordered eating is primarily driven by genetic influences on emotion regulation in adult female twins.

Internalizing (e.g., anxiety, depression) and disordered eating (DE; e.

The 2022 ADEA Climate Study in U.S. and Canadian Dental Schools and Allied Dental Programs: Methodological Considerations.

Objectives: From January 2020 to the end of August 2020, preliminary research gathered data about the need for and the feasibility of an ADEA-led joint Climate Study of dental schools and allied dental programs in the United States and Canada. Informed by these findings, the first ever ADEA-led joint Climate Study took place in 2022. The objectives of this manuscript were to describe the timeline of this climate study and provide information about its methodology, specifically about (a) who participated in this research, (b) what was assessed, (c) how the study was conducted, and (d) how the results were communicated.

Genomics yields biological and phenotypic insights into bipolar disorder.

Bipolar disorder is a leading contributor to the global burden of disease. Despite high heritability (60-80%), the majority of the underlying genetic determinants remain unknown. We analysed data from participants of European, East Asian, African American and Latino ancestries (n = 158,036 cases with bipolar disorder, 2.

A synchronized event-cue feedback loop integrating a 3D printed wearable flexible sensor-tactor platform.

Wearable devices designed for the somatosensory system aim to provide event-cue feedback electronics and therapeutic stimulation to the peripheral nervous system. This prompts a neurological response that is relayed back to the central nervous system. Unlike virtual reality tools, these devices precisely target peripheral mechanoreceptors by administering specific stimuli.

Association between magnetic resonance imaging use and recovery time following concussion: a CARE consortium study.

Researchers may implement magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to evaluate neurophysiological metrics (e.g. connectivity) in athletes with sports-related concussion (SRC).

Transthyretin Cardiac Amyloidosis: Current and Emerging Therapies.

Purpose Of Review: In this article, we describe current and newer TTR stabilizers, TTR silencers which include small interfering RNA agents (siRNA), antisense oligonucleotides (ASO) and CRISPR-Cas9 gene editing, and TTR depleters, which investigates the use of monoclonal antibodies to remove amyloid fibril deposits for patients with advanced disease.

Recent Findings: Once thought to be a rare and fatal condition, increased recognition, improved non-invasive diagnostic tools, and the explosive development of novel therapies, has transformed the landscape of transthyretin amyloid cardiomyopathy (ATTR-CM). Advances in cardiac imaging with respect to echocardiography, cardiac magnetic resonance imaging (CMR), and radionuclide bone scintigraphy has increased the diagnosis of ATTR-CM over the last twenty years.

Impact and Recovery of VHA Epilepsy Care Services During the COVID-19 Pandemic.

Background: The Epilepsy Centers of Excellence (ECoE) is a network of facilities within the Veterans Health Administration that evaluates and treats veterans with epilepsy and seizure disorders. This article outlines how the COVID-19 pandemic impacted ECoE services and recovery.

Methods: Directors of 17 ECoEs were surveyed 4 times between May 2020 and July 2022 on 5 domains: functioning of outpatient epilepsy clinics, outpatient electroencephalogram, epilepsy monitoring unit, anticipated permanent operational changes, and utility of national and local recommendations.

Article Retraction in Otolaryngology Journals: A Thirty Year Analysis.

Objectives: To gain insight into the integrity of research in Otolaryngology-Head & Neck Surgery (OHNS) literature through characterising retracted articles, analysing the reason for their retraction, and the trends in the collected data.

Methods: Pubmed, Embase, and Retraction Watch Database were queried for retracted articles published between the dates of 1/31/92 and 9/30/22. Articles with titles relating to OHNS subjects and published in OHNS journals, as determined by Scimago Journal and Country Ranking, were selected for further analysis.

Ternary stochastic neuron - implemented with a single strained magnetostrictive nanomagnet.

Stochastic neurons are extremely efficient hardware for solving a large class of problems and usually come in two varieties - "binary" where the neuronal state varies randomly between two values of ±1 and "analog" where the neuronal state can randomly assume any value between -1 and +1. Both have their uses in neuromorphic computing and both can be implemented with low- or zero-energy-barrier nanomagnets whose random magnetization orientations in the presence of thermal noise encode the binary or analog state variables. In between these two classes is n-ary stochastic neurons, mainly ternary stochastic neurons (TSN) whose state randomly assumes one of three values (-1, 0, +1), which have proved to be efficient in pattern classification tasks such as recognizing handwritten digits from the MNIST data set or patterns from the CIFAR-10 data set.

ENHANCEMENT OF CIRRHOSIS MORTALITY PREDICTION BY INCLUDING HEPATIC ENCEPHALOPATHY TO MELD3.0 IN A NATIONAL VETERAN COHORT.

Despite negative outcomes, hepatic encephalopathy (HE) is not included in model-for-end-stage liver disease (MELD) scores, including MELD3.0. In a national Veterans affairs (VA) database, we studied the additive mortality predictive impact of a documented inpatient overt HE diagnosis on MELD3.

Life With Classic Congenital Adrenal Hyperplasia Due to 21-Hydroxylase Deficiency: Challenges and Burdens.

Context: Congenital adrenal hyperplasia (CAH) is an autosomal recessive genetic condition requiring daily medication(s) and attention to details. In addition to daily medications and regular visits with healthcare providers, families may live with perpetual angst regarding unpredictable occurrences of acute adrenal insufficiency. Despite numerous barriers and challenges imposed by this chronic condition, caregivers and healthcare professionals can empower our patients to achieve a good quality of life.

The Splice Index as a prognostic biomarker of strength and function in myotonic dystrophy type 1.

Background: Myotonic dystrophy type 1 (DM1) is a multisystemic, CTG repeat expansion disorder characterized by a slow, progressive decline in skeletal muscle function. A biomarker correlating RNA mis-splicing, the core pathogenic disease mechanism, and muscle performance is crucial for assessing response to disease-modifying interventions. We evaluated the Myotonic Dystrophy Splice Index (SI), a composite RNA splicing biomarker incorporating 22 disease-specific events, as a potential biomarker of DM1 muscle weakness.

Twenty years of advances in prediction of nucleic acid-binding residues in protein sequences.

Computational prediction of nucleic acid-binding residues in protein sequences is an active field of research, with over 80 methods that were released in the past 2 decades. We identify and discuss 87 sequence-based predictors that include dozens of recently published methods that are surveyed for the first time. We overview historical progress and examine multiple practical issues that include availability and impact of predictors, key features of their predictive models, and important aspects related to their training and assessment.

Modeling the Health and Economic Impact of Pharmacologic Therapies for MASLD in the United States.

Background And Aims: Metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD) is a common condition leading to chronic liver disease which generates substantial health care costs. Our aim was to model the impact on disease and economic burden of a hypothetical pharmacologic therapy which halts MASLD fibrosis progression.

Methods: The U.

Fibrotic extracellular matrix preferentially induces a partial Epithelial-Mesenchymal Transition phenotype in a 3-D agent based model of fibrosis.

One of the main drivers of fibrotic diseases is epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT): a transdifferentiation process in which cells undergo a phenotypic change from an epithelial state to a pro-migratory state. The cytokine transforming growth factor-β1 (TGF-β1) has been previously shown to regulate EMT. TGF-β1 binds to fibronectin (FN) fibrils, which are the primary extracellular matrix (ECM) component in renal fibrosis.

Characterization of a novel oronasal-restricted nicotine vaping self-administration model in mice.

Nicotine use remains one of the leading causes of preventable deaths in the United States and, while the prevalence of combustible cigarette use has declined over the past few years, the popularity of electronic nicotine delivery systems continues to rise. Vaping is not without risks, and its long-term effects, particularly in vulnerable populations, remain largely unknown. This study introduces a novel, oronasal-restricted, nicotine vapor self-administration mouse model to investigate the impact of nicotine concentration, genotype, sex, and age on self-administration and behavioral response to nicotine.

Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Is Associated With Endothelial Dysfunction in Women With HIV.

Background: HIV induced endothelial dysfunction (ED) contributes to cardiovascular disease (CVD) in women with HIV (WWH). Although psychosocial stress has been implicated in the development of CVD in HIV, its impact on ED in WWH remains unknown.

Objectives: The authors hypothesized that posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and HIV interact to contribute to ED in WWH.

Characterization of Pediatric Extrathoracic Aerosol Deposition with Air-Jet Dry Powder Inhalers.

The use of air-jet dry powder inhalers (DPIs) offers a number of advantages for the administration of pharmaceutical aerosols, including the ability to achieve highly efficient and potentially targeted aerosol delivery to the lungs of children using the oral or trans-nasal routes of administration. To better plan targeted lung delivery of pharmaceutical aerosols with these inhalers, more information is needed on the extrathoracic (ET) depositional loss in pediatric subjects when using relatively small (e.g.

Obinutuzumab Infusion-Related Reactions: Multicenter Retrospective Evaluation of Incidence, Severity, and Risk Factors.

Introduction: Despite standard prevention strategies, obinutuzumab carries a significant risk of infusion-related reactions (IRRs) for patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia/small lymphocytic lymphoma (CLL/SLL). Reported rates of IRRs vary in phase III clinical trials evaluating obinutuzumab-containing regimens. Although obinutuzumab has a higher rate of severe (grade 3 and higher) IRRs than rituximab, clinical risk factors predicting IRR have not been identified, and therefore strata informing patient-specific risk of IRR have not been applied in practice.

Sulfonium Moieties as Ammonium Bioisosteres: Novel Ligands for the Alpha7 Nicotinic Acetylcholine Receptor.

In the pressing quest of novel treatments for chronic pain, α7 nAChR silent agonists show efficacy as anti-inflammatory modulators and represent a promising strategy. Recent findings reveal that a sulfonium ion can replace the quaternary ammonium nitrogen as an alternative pharmacophore for nAChR silent activation. This study reports the design, synthesis, and electrophysiological evaluation of a new series of sulfonium-based derivatives inspired by the archetypal silent agonist NS6740.

Limited preventive care among Medicaid enrollees with HIV in the US South.

Routine preventive care (RPC) services are recommended for people with HIV, who have higher risk of certain preventable conditions. We used a pooled cross-section of patient-years to examine receipt of 5 annual RPC services among Medicaid enrollees in the US South. Data were person-level administrative claims (Medicaid Analytic eXtract, 2008-2012) and county-level characteristics for 16 Southern states plus District of Columbia.