Effects of Stigmatizing Language on Trainees' Clinical Decision-Making in Substance Use Disorders: A Randomized Controlled Trial.

Objectives: Substance use disorder (SUD) continues to be one of the most stigmatized and under-treated conditions in the United States. Stigmatizing language used by healthcare workers can transmit bias to others within healthcare, including medical trainees. This study investigates how stigmatizing language and undergraduate medical education (UME) curricula may influence trainees' clinical decision-making for patients with SUD.

Guselkumab in patients with moderately to severely active ulcerative colitis (QUASAR): phase 3 double-blind, randomised, placebo-controlled induction and maintenance studies.

Background: Interleukin-23 inhibition is effective in treating ulcerative colitis. Guselkumab is a dual-acting, human IgG1, interleukin-23p19 subunit inhibitor that potently neutralises interleukin-23 and can bind to CD64. We aimed to evaluate the efficacy and safety of guselkumab as induction and maintenance therapy in patients with ulcerative colitis.

Determining the time to cholangiocarcinoma in pediatric-onset PSC-IBD.

Primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC) is a risk factor for cholangiocarcinoma. When a child is diagnosed with both PSC and inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), evidence-based information on counseling families and risk management of developing cholangiocarcinoma is limited. In this case series (PubMed/collaborators), we included patients with PSC-IBD who developed cholangiocarcinoma and contacted authors to determine an event curve specifying the time between the second diagnosis (IBD or PSC) and a diagnosis of cholangiocarcinoma.

Effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on maternal, newborn, and child health service coverage in Burkina Faso.

Background: While countries' coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) emergency contingency and response plans aimed to prevent and control the spread of the virus, they also caused major disruptions to health services. We assessed the effects of COVID-19 on coverage and inequalities in select maternal, newborn, and child health services in Burkina Faso.

Methods: We analysed data from two cross-sectional household surveys conducted in two provinces, one rural and one urban.

Mildly Elevated Liver Transaminase Levels: Causes and Evaluation.

Approximately 10% to 20% of the general population has elevated liver chemistry levels, including aspartate and alanine transaminases. Elevated transaminase levels may be associated with significant underlying liver disease and increased risk of liver-related and all-cause mortality. The most common causes of mildly elevated transaminase levels (two to five times the upper limit of normal) are metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD) and alcoholic liver disease.

Genotype and Determinants of Urinary Uromodulin in African Populations.

Introduction: Single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the genetic locus are associated with chronic kidney disease (CKD) in European populations, through their effect on urinary uromodulin (uUMOD) levels. The genetic and nongenetic factors associated with uUMOD in African populations remain unknown.

Methods: Clinical parameters, 3 selected SNPs and uUMOD levels were obtained in 1202 young Black and White adults from the African-PREDICT study and 1943 middle aged Black adults from the PURE-NWP-SA study, 2 cross-sectional, observational studies.

Carbon nanotubes as neuroprotective agents.

Carbon nanotubes, an emerging class of carbon nanomaterials, possess tremendous potential for application in biotechnology and biomedicine particularly in neurological disorders. Carbon nanotubes owing to their fascinating properties have the potential to revolutionize medicine and technology, particularly in the realm of drug delivery, biosensing, bioimaging, and as therapeutic agents to tackle complex neurological disorders such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's disease. In this review, a summary of the use of carbon nanotubes for neuropathological outcomes such as alleviating oxidative stress and amyloid formation, which are well-studied molecular outcomes associated with Alzheimer's and Parkinson's disease.

"Ich-Mupong", a swollen stomach: an ethnographic study of the daily lived experiences of schoolchildren in schistosomiasis high transmission areas along Lake Albert, Hoima District.

Background: Our primary focus was Schistosoma mansoni infection and schoolchildren. Within communities the social environment may promote individual risk of infection for the school-aged children. There will also be demographic groups who are not targeted or reached by preventive chemotherapy campaigns.

Metastatic conjunctival melanoma: a multicentre international study.

Background: To reveal clinical findings related to metastatic conjunctival melanoma.

Methods: 10 ophthalmic oncology centres (9 countries and 4 continents) shared data to create a large clinical case series. The main outcome measures were the incidence and cumulative risk of systemic metastasis, study mortality rates and Kaplan-Meier patient mortality after developing conjunctival melanoma metastasis.

Cost-Effectiveness of Voncento Prophylaxis Versus On-Demand Treatment in von Willebrand Disease in the United Kingdom.

von Willebrand factor (VWF) concentrates may be required for on-demand treatment (ODT) or long-term prophylaxis (LTP) in von Willebrand disease (VWD). This study assesses the cost-effectiveness of LTP compared with ODT in VWD patients treated with Voncento in the United Kingdom (UK). A Markov structure was developed to estimate quality-adjusted life years (QALYs) and costs of VWD treatment over a lifetime horizon.

Corticosteroids reduce pathological angiogenesis yet compromise reparative vascular remodeling in a model of retinopathy.

Tissue inflammation is often broadly associated with cellular damage, yet sterile inflammation also plays critical roles in beneficial tissue remodeling. In the central nervous system, this is observed through a predominantly innate immune response in retinal vascular diseases such as age-related macular degeneration, diabetic retinopathy, and retinopathy of prematurity. Here, we set out to elucidate the dynamics of the immune response during progression and regression of pathological neovascularization in retinopathy.

Transforming Growth Factor-Beta is Increased in Sputum from Individuals with Rheumatoid Arthritis-Associated Pulmonary Fibrosis.

Background: Interstitial lung disease (ILD) develops in 5-10% of patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and contributes significantly to morbidity and mortality, particularly in those with a fibrotic phenotype. Yet, biomarkers to reliably identify RA patients with underlying pulmonary fibrosis are inadequate. Herein, we used sputum to identify lung-based biomarkers that distinguish RA patients with underlying pulmonary fibrosis and may better inform underlying pathogenesis in RA-ILD.

Potassium Nitrate in Heart Failure With Preserved Ejection Fraction: A Randomized Clinical Trial.

Importance: Nitric oxide deficiency may contribute to exercise intolerance in patients with heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF). Prior pilot studies have shown improvements in exercise tolerance with single-dose and short-term inorganic nitrate administration.

Objective: To assess the impact of chronic inorganic nitrate administration on exercise tolerance in a larger trial of participants with HFpEF.

Preserved Ratio Impaired Spirometry in US Primary Care Patients Diagnosed with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease.

Background: Preserved ratio impaired spirometry (PRISm) represents a population with spirometry results that do not meet standardized COPD obstruction criteria, yet present with high respiratory symptom burden and might benefit from respiratory management and treatment. We aimed to determine prevalence of PRISm in US primary care patients diagnosed with COPD, describe their demographic, clinical, and CT scan characteristics.

Methods: An observational registry study utilizing the US APEX COPD registry, composed of patients diagnosed with COPD aged 35+ years.

Morpholine Anchored Fluorogenic Toolkit: Unveiled Disease Allied Protein Fibrillation in Lysosomal Compartment of Live-Cell and Drosophila Models.

The aberrant accumulation of cytotoxic protein aggregates is a hallmark of various neurodegenerative and non-neurodegenerative ailments, necessitating the development of sensitive and selective tools for their detection. Herein, we report a series of morpholine-anchored fluorescent probes, denoted as SC-nmor (n = 2, 4, 6), designed for facile visualization of protein aggregates. These probes display notable changes in their photophysical properties upon binding with protein aggregates, owing to their high sensitivity to the fibrillar microenvironment.

Kidney Function and Body Composition in Adult Survivors of Unilateral, Non-Syndromic Wilms Tumor: A Report From the St. Jude Lifetime Cohort Study.

Background: The relationships among treatment exposures, body composition, and estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) in adult survivors of Wilms tumor have not been well studied.

Methods: We evaluated body composition with dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry (DXA) and eGFR with the updated Chronic Kidney Disease Epidemiology Collaboration equations (creatinine only-eGFR, cystatin C only-eGFR, creatinine and cystatin C-eGFR) without race in 134 adults previously treated for unilateral, non-syndromic Wilms tumor at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital between 1964 and 2004 with chemotherapy and with (hemiabdomen [HA] or whole abdomen [WA]) or without radiation therapy (RT).

Relationship Between Severity of Ischemia and Coronary Artery Disease for Different Stress Test Modalities in the ISCHEMIA Trial.

Background: The relationship between the extent and severity of stress-induced ischemia and the extent and severity of anatomic coronary artery disease (CAD) in patients with obstructive CAD is multifactorial and includes the intensity of stress achieved, type of testing used, presence and extent of prior infarction, collateral blood flow, plaque characteristics, microvascular disease, coronary vasomotor tone, and genetic factors. Among chronic coronary disease participants with site-determined moderate or severe ischemia, we investigated associations between ischemia severity on stress testing and the extent of CAD on coronary computed tomography angiography.

Methods: Clinically indicated stress testing included nuclear imaging, echocardiography, cardiac magnetic resonance imaging, or nonimaging exercise tolerance test.

Therapeutic Targets and Natural Product Screening for Cognitive Impairments Associated with Ferroptosis in Wilson's Disease.

Wilson's disease (WD) is a hereditary condition marked by abnormalities in copper metabolism, which precipitate a spectrum of neurological symptoms and cognitive impairments. Emerging research has highlighted ferroptosis (FPT) as a distinct type of programmed cell death, potentially linked to various cognitive dysfunctions. Nevertheless, the connection between FPT and cognitive impairment in Wilson's disease (WDCI) remains largely enigmatic.

Commonly Used Dose of Montmorency Tart Cherry Powder Does Not Improve Sleep or Inflammation Outcomes in Individuals with Overweight or Obesity.

Background/objectives: Sleep problems are frequently experienced and play an important role in inflammation and disease risk. US Montmorency tart cherries (MTC) improve sleep outcomes in previous studies, but studies in individuals with overweight and obesity are lacking.

Methods: A total of 34 individuals with sleep issues and overweight or obesity (BMI: 32.

THE EFFECTS OF RAIN AND DROUGHT ON INCIDENCE OF ENTERIC DISEASE IN PENNSYLVANIA (2010 - 2019).

Background: Campylobacter, nontyphoidal Salmonella, Cryptosporidium, and Giardia cause an estimated 1 million cases of domestically acquired waterborne diseases annually in the United States. Acute symptoms can include diarrhea and vomiting; however, these illnesses can result in longer term complications such as reactive arthritis, Guillan Barré syndrome and death, particularly in immunocompromised individuals. Precipitation and drought can plausibly increase the risk of enteric infections, but consensus in the literature is lacking.

Cell Type Differentiation Using Network Clustering Algorithms.

Single cell RNA-seq (scRNA-seq) technologies provide unprecedented resolution representing transcriptomics at the level of single cell. One of the biggest challenges in scRNA-seq data analysis is the cell type annotation, which is usually inferred by cell separation approaches. In-silico algorithms that accurately identify individual cell types in ongoing single-cell sequencing studies are crucial for unlocking cellular heterogeneity and understanding the biological basis of diseases.

The roles of immuno-modulator treatment and echocardiographic screening in rheumatic fever and rheumatic heart disease control: research from Aotearoa, New Zealand.

This review summarises advances in research from Aotearoa, New Zealand (NZ) that have potential to reduce the inequitable distribution of acute rheumatic fever (ARF) and rheumatic heart disease (RHD). ARF incidence and RHD prevalence are unacceptably inequitable for Māori and Pacifica. Recent qualitative research has demonstrated mismatches between the lived experience of those with ARF/RHD and health service experience they encounter.

Patient Preferences for Addressing Unhealthy Behaviors, Mental Health Challenges, and Social Needs in Primary Care.

Objectives: Guidelines recommend addressing health behaviors, mental health, and social needs in primary care. However, it is unclear how often patients want support to address these risks. As part of a randomized trial comparing enhanced care planning versus usual care, we evaluated what risks patients wanted to address.