Pandemic Perceptions and Healthcare Decisions: Exploring Perceived COVID-19 Threat's Impact on Perinatal Healthcare in Florida.

The COVID-19 pandemic directly impacted well-being and healthcare delivery, but its indirect effects on health services utilization among pregnant women and new mothers remain less understood. Understanding how big events like pandemics impact health behaviors is essential for anticipating healthcare needs during future crises. This study examined how the perceived COVID-19 threat influenced health concerns and service utilization among 378 participants who were either pregnant or mothers of infants less than 12 months old, 18 years or older, and lived within a 50-mile radius of healthcare sites in the OneFlorida+ Clinical Research Consortium.

The PIKASO trial (Preventing Injured Knees from Osteoarthritis: Severity Outcomes): Rationale and design features for a randomized controlled trial.

Objective: Given the high burden and increasing prevalence of post-traumatic osteoarthritis (PTOA), identifying clinically beneficial strategies to prevent or delay its onset could improve the quality of life of those at high risk of developing the disease.

Methods: Preventing Injured Knees from OsteoArthritis: Severity Outcomes (PIKASO) is a multicenter blinded, parallel, two-arm randomized controlled trial of 512 individuals aged 18-45 years undergoing anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction (ACLR). This study is designed to evaluate the efficacy of a 12-month intervention of oral metformin vs.

Nationwide Outcomes of Heart Transplantation for Postpartum Cardiomyopathy.

Background: Postpartum cardiomyopathy is defined as an incident of acute heart failure in the postpartum period in the absence of any other cause. Up to 10% of postpartum cardiomyopathy may need to undergo heart transplantation later in life. This study aimed to provide a present-day perspective on all-cause mortality and transplant-related complications after heart transplantation for postpartum cardiomyopathy.

Effect of Health Education on Knowledge and Attitudes Toward Reproductive Health Among Pre-university Girls in an Urban Area.

Background: For every woman, menstruation is a natural physiological process, and the adolescence period marks the beginning of the menstruation process. Investing the right knowledge in girls at a young age directs a better future for women, children, and families, thereby leading to intergenerational impact.

Objective: This study aims to evaluate the impact of health education on reproductive health among pre-university girls in an urban area.

Sociodemographic Factors and Awareness of Consanguineous Marriages in Rural Northern Karnataka: A Cross-Sectional Study.

Background Consanguineous marriages, defined as unions between closely related individuals, are influenced by a complex interplay of cultural, social, economic, religious, and demographic factors. These marriages are prevalent among communities such as Hindus, Muslims, Jews, Buddhists, Christians, and Parsis in Southern and Western Asia, with significant regional variations within India. There is a lack of appropriate decision-making among women in consanguineous unions, particularly those with a low level of educational attainment, which leads to an increase in the prevalence of consanguineous marriages.

A Complex Presentation of Multiple Myeloma With Renal Complications in a Young Female: Diagnostic Challenges and Treatment Approach.

A previously healthy 30-year-old woman experienced worsening back pain, fatigue, weakness, loss of appetite, and facial puffiness. After 18 months of these symptoms, she was diagnosed with multiple myeloma, which was also damaging her kidneys. The treatment involved a combination of medications and blood transfusions, leading to improved kidney function.

Gender influence on career trajectory as a shoulder and elbow surgeon.

Background: Women continue to make up a minority of orthopedic surgeons, especially shoulder and elbow surgeons. There exists no study that investigates the effect of gender on one's academic career as a shoulder and elbow orthopedic surgeon, which was the purpose of this cross-sectional study.

Methods: The American Shoulder and Elbow Surgeons website was used to identify surgeons.

Novel approach for noninvasive pelvic floor muscle strength measurement using extracorporeal surface perineal pressure measurement and machine learning modeling.

Objective: Accurate measurement of pelvic floor muscle (PFM) strength is crucial for the management of pelvic floor disorders. However, the current methods are invasive, uncomfortable, and lack standardization. This study aimed to introduce a novel noninvasive approach for precise PFM strength quantification by leveraging extracorporeal surface perineal pressure (ESPP) measurements and machine learning algorithms.

A Qualitative Exploration of Emotional Experiences in Patients with Thin Endometrium Undergoing Repeated Cancellations of Frozen-Thawed Embryo Transfer Cycles.

Objective: The aim of this study was to investigate the emotional experience of patients with thin endometrium (TE) who have repeatedly cancelled their cycles due to unsuitability for embryo implantation during the endometrial preparation phase of freeze-thaw embryo transfer (FET). The overall aim is to improve management strategies and quality of life for these patients.

Methods: A descriptive phenomenological methodology was utilized to conduct in-depth, semi-structured interviews with ten patients diagnosed with TE who had experienced repeated FET cancellations between January and June 2024.

What are the Thoughts of Women Whose Husbands' Frozen Testicular Sperm Is Thawed for in vitro Fertilization on the Day of Oocyte Retrieval? A Qualitative Study.

Objective: The psychological experiences will be analyzed to understand the needs and burdens of women on the day of oocyte retrieval when the thawed testicular sperm of their husbands is used for in vitro fertilization, in order to provide a basis for the subsequent formulation of relevant nursing measures.

Methods: This study utilized a descriptive phenomenological research approach. A cohort of 13 women undergoing oocyte retrieval on the day when thawed testicular sperm from their husbands is used for in vitro fertilization at the Reproductive Medicine Center of Sir Run Run Shaw Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, between August and October 2024, were chosen as participants for this study.

Association between the triglyceride/high-density lipoprotein (TG/HDL) ratio and incidence of gout: A nationwide cohort study.

Introduction: The global burden of gout, a severe and painful arthralgia, is of note and is expected to increase in the future. We aimed to investigate the association between the triglyceride/high-density lipoprotein (TG/HDL) ratio, a simple and validated biomarker for insulin resistance, and the incidence of gout in a longitudinal setting in the general population.

Methods: Our study was conducted using the National Health Insurance Service-Health Screening Cohort database of Republic of Korea (2002-2019).

Characterizing Wellness Initiatives in Academic Radiation Oncology Departments.

Purpose: Burnout is prevalent in radiation oncology (RO), and an increased focus on promoting physician wellness and formalizing wellness-directed efforts has transpired in recent years. We aimed to characterize current wellness leadership positions and efforts within academic RO departments.

Methods And Materials: Academic RO department chairs were contacted to inquire whether they had a departmental wellness leader with a request for leader contact information, if applicable.

Development of metastasis and survival prediction model of luminal and non-luminal breast cancer with weakly supervised learning based on pathomics.

Objective: Breast cancer stands as the most prevalent form of cancer among women globally. This heterogeneous disease exhibits varying clinical behaviors. The stratification of breast cancer patients into risk groups, determined by their metastasis and survival outcomes, is pivotal for tailoring personalized treatments and therapeutic interventions.

Prevalence and natural development of thoracolumbar kyphosis in achondroplasia: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Introduction: Thoracolumbar kyphosis (TLK) is a frequently reported spinal deformity in achondroplasia, which in combination with the characteristic narrow spinal canal in achondroplasia predisposes for symptomatic spinal stenosis. There is however no consensus on the optimal treatment, due to limited data on diagnostic criteria, the natural development and the prevalence of TLK.

Research Question: This study aims to assess the prevalence, natural development, and diagnostic criteria for pathological TLK in individuals with achondroplasia.

Known yet underdiagnosed: Invasive assessment of coronary microvascular disease and its implications.

Coronary microvascular disease (CMD) is one of the commonest causes of cardiac chest pain. The condition is more prevalent in women, and incidence is known to increase with age, hypertension, and diabetes. The pathophysiological pathways are heterogenous and related to intrinsic vascular and endothelial dysfunction.

Pro-inflammatory dietary pattern and the risk of female gout: sex-specific findings from three prospective cohort studies.

Objective: We aimed to determine whether a pro-inflammatory dietary pattern (mechanism-based diet) is associated with incident female gout among two large cohorts of US women.

Methods: We prospectively followed 79,104 women from Nurses' Health Study (NHS; 1984-2016) and 93,454 women from NHSII (1991-2017); 45,445 men from Health Professionals Follow-up Study (1986-2016) served as a comparison cohort. Validated food frequency questionnaires were used to calculate Empirical Dietary Inflammatory Pattern (EDIP; food-based index predictive of circulating inflammatory biomarkers) scores every 4-years.

Dispersion-based cognitive intra-individual variability in former American football players: Association with traumatic encephalopathy syndrome, repetitive head impacts, and biomarkers.

Exposure to repetitive head impacts (RHI), such as those experienced in American football, is linked to cognitive dysfunction later in life. Traumatic encephalopathy syndrome (TES) is a proposed clinical syndrome thought to be linked to neuropath-ology of chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), a condition associated with RHI from football. Cognitive intra-individual variability (d-CIIV) measures test-score dispersion, indicating cognitive dysfunction.

Ethical considerations on surrogacy†.

Surrogacy is the assisted reproductive technology (ART) practice in which a person becomes pregnant, carries, and delivers a child on behalf of another couple/person, who are the intended parent(s). Surrogacy is an especially complex practice as the interests of the intended parents, the gestational carrier, and the future child may differ. This paper considers ethical questions related to different forms of surrogacy.

Exploring the role of the JEEViKA swasthya mitra helpdesk in improving healthcare access: a qualitative study in tertiary healthcare facilities in Bihar, India.

Background: Rural populations in Bihar, India, face significant healthcare access challenges due to geographical, infrastructural, and financial barriers. The Swasthya Mitra program, initiated by the Bihar Rural Livelihood Promotion Society in collaboration with local and international partners, aims to mitigate these challenges by employing trained community members to navigate patients through the healthcare system.

Methods: This qualitative study employed in-depth interview and thematic analysis to evaluate the Swasthya Mitra program in the Bhagalpur and Jamui districts in Bihar, India.

Reno-protective effects of xanthine oxidase inhibitors in patients with type 2 diabetes and chronic kidney disease: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background: The effect of lowering uric acid levels on renal function in patients with diabetic kidney disease remains unclear. Previous randomized controlled trials (RCTs) have reported conflicting results regarding the effects of xanthine oxidase inhibitors on renal function. This study aimed to examine the renoprotective effects of xanthine oxidase inhibitors (febuxostat and topiroxostat) in patients with diabetic kidney disease.

Association between ABCB4 variants and intrahepatic cholestasis of pregnancy.

The ABCB4 gene encodes multidrug resistance protein 3(MDR3), which is a phosphatidylcholine(PC) transfer enzyme that transfers lecithin from the inner part of the phospholipid bilayer to the extracellular bile. The occurrence of intrahepatic cholestasis of pregnancy(ICP) is closely related to ABCB4 variants, but there is limited research on this topic in southern Anhui, China. We sequenced ABCB4 in pregnant women with ICP and healthy pregnant women to explore the relationship.

Chromosome-level genome assembly and annotation of the gynogenetic large-scale loach (Paramisgurnus dabryanus).

The large-scale loach (Paramisgurnus dabryanus; Cypriniformes: Cobitidae) is primarily distributed in East Asia. It is an important economic fish species characterized by fast growth, temperature-dependent sex determination and the ability to breathe air. Currently, molecular mechanism studies related to some aspects such as sex determination, toxicology, feed nutrition, growth and genetic evolution have been conducted.

Aneurysmal Bone Cyst of the Jaws: A Retrospective Analysis of 19 Cases.

Objective: To analyse the clinical, radiographic, and pathological characteristics of aneurysmal bone cyst of the jaws (JABCs), and to provide reference for clinical diagnosis and treatment.

Materials And Methods: A retrospective study was conducted on 19 patients with JABC diagnosed from 2018 to 2022.

Results: Of the 19 JABC patients (5 males, 14 females, aged 7-53 years, mean 23.