The effects of cadmium and high fructose diet on metabolic and reproductive health in female CD-1 mice.

Background: Evaluation of the combined effects of endocrine-disrupting chemicals and dietary factors provides critical information for cumulative health risk assessment. Herein, we investigated the effects of cadmium (Cd) exposure and high fructose (HFr) diet on metabolic and reproductive health in female mice.

Methods: Female CD-1 mice were exposed to cadmium chloride (CdCl) (0.

Association of deep learning-derived histologic features of placental chorionic villi with maternal and infant characteristics in the New Hampshire birth cohort study.

Introduction: Quantification of placental histopathological structures is challenging due to a limited number of perinatal pathologists, constrained resources, and subjective assessments prone to variability. Objective standardization of placental structure is crucial for easing the burden on pathologists, gaining deeper insights into placental growth and adaptation, and ultimately improving maternal and fetal health outcomes.

Methods: Leveraging advancements in deep-learning segmentation, we developed an automated approach to detect over 9 million placenta chorionic villi from 1531 term placental whole slide images from the New Hampshire Birth Cohort Study.

Efficacy and Safety of Transcatheter Mitral Valve Edge-to-Edge Repair with a MitraClip Device in Real-World Canadian Practice.

Background: Mitral transcatheter edge-to-edge repair (M-TEER) is a treatment option for patients with symptomatic mitral regurgitation (MR). The real-world experience with M-TEER in Canada has not been reported previously.

Methods: We conducted an observational study of 1191 patients from 11 Canadian centres undergoing M-TEER with a MitraClip device (Abbott, location).

Episodic Exposure to Eucalyptus Smoke during Sperm Maturation Impairs Sperm Motility in Long Evans Rats.

Epidemiologic studies have suggested a relationship with firefighting and exposure to wildland fire smoke with a heightened risk of male infertility. Herein, 12-week-old Long-Evans rats were exposed to smoldering eucalyptus smoke with concentrations ranging from 3.52-23.

Virtual physiological analysis of non-culprit disease in patients with STEMI and multivessel disease: a substudy of the COMPLETE trial.

Aims: In the complete revascularization with multivessel PCI for myocardial infarction (COMPLETE) trial, staged complete revascularization in patients with ST-segment-elevation myocardial infarction (MI) reduced major adverse cardiovascular events compared with culprit-only revascularization. Inclusion was based on angiographic criteria.

Objectives: We modelled non-culprit virtual fractional flow reserve (vFFR) and investigated interactions between physiological lesion severity and the benefits of complete revascularization in COMPLETE.

Penetrating Laryngeal Trauma: Management of Severe Injuries Without Open Reduction Internal Fixation.

Objective: Thyroid and cricoid cartilage fractures that are displaced or have multiple fracture lines are traditionally managed with open reduction and internal fixation (ORIF). In practice, patients with penetrating laryngeal trauma may have small fragments of cartilage that are difficult to reduce and fixate. This study examines outcomes in patients managed with and without ORIF.

Rapid isolation of extracellular vesicles from stem cell conditioned medium using osmosis-driven filtration.

Extracellular vesicles (EVs) hold significant promise as biomarkers and therapeutics, yet their isolation remains challenging due to their low abundance and complex sample matrices. Here, we introduce EV-Osmoprocessor (EVOs), a novel device that leverages osmosis-driven filtration for rapid and efficient EV isolation. EVOs employs a high osmolarity polymer solution to concentrate EVs while simultaneously removing smaller contaminants.

Purchasing choices of older drivers on advanced vehicle technologies: A discrete choice experiment.

Introduction: Advanced vehicle technologies (AVTs) can reduce the risk of crashing and serious injuries however their uptake remains low amongst older drivers. A discrete choice experiment (DCE) was used to investigate what vehicle features, including AVTs, are preferred in vehicle purchasing decision in older drivers.

Methods: Older drivers (≥65 years) completed a DCE containing 12 choice sets, with 2 vehicles to choose from, described by 4 attributes: Access, Fuel Efficiency, Cost, and AVTs.

Addressing visual learning equity in undergraduate dermatology education: Skin color representation across dermatology lecture images at Rutgers New Jersey Medical School.

Minimally-melanated skin has been the standard for dermatologic education. Research has shown that the lack of brown and black images in dermatologic medical education may contribute to unequal early recognition of diseases across different skin types. Promoting visual equity in educational resources throughout undergraduate medical education may allow for students to improve their confidence in identifying skin lesions in patients of color.

Maternal Exposure to Ozone During Implantation Promotes a Feminized Transcriptomic Profile in the Male Adolescent Liver.

Maternal exposure to ozone during implantation results in reduced fetal weight gain in rats. Offspring from ozone-exposed dams demonstrate sexually dimorphic risks to high-fat diet feeding in adolescence. To better understand the adolescent hepatic metabolic landscape following fetal growth restriction, RNA sequencing was performed to characterize the effects of ozone-induced fetal growth restriction on male and female offspring.

Randomised, multicentre, placebo-controlled trial of fenofibrate for treatment of diabetic macular oedema with economic evaluation (FORTE study): study protocol for a randomised control trial.

Introduction: Diabetic macular oedema (DMO), a serious ocular complication of diabetic retinopathy (DR), is a leading cause of vision impairment worldwide. If left untreated or inadequately treated, DMO can lead to irreversible vision loss and blindness. Intravitreal injections using antivascular endothelial growth factor (anti-VEGF) and laser are the current standard of treatment for DMO.

Comprehensive Analysis Reveals No Significant Correlation Between p16/ CDKN2A Expression and Treatment Outcomes in Laryngeal Squamous Cell Carcinoma.

Background: The p16/CDKN2A protein is being explored as an independent prognostic marker in laryngeal cancer, with studies suggesting that p16-positive patients may have a better prognosis. While its role is well-established in oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma (OPSCC) related to HPV, ongoing research indicates its potential prognostic value in laryngeal cancer, even in HPV-negative cases.

Methods: In this study, we investigated the association between survival outcomes and p16 expression in a cohort of 310 laryngeal cancer patients from the Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) Program and the University of Maryland Medical Center (UMMC).

Defensive polyketides produced by an abundant gastropod are candidate keystone molecules in estuarine ecology.

Secondary metabolites often function as antipredator defenses, but when bioactive at low concentrations, their off-target effects on other organisms may be overlooked. Candidate "keystone molecules" are proposed to affect community structure and ecosystem functions, generally originating as defenses of primary producers; the broader effects of animal chemistry remain largely unexplored, however. Here, we characterize five previously unreported polyketides (alderenes A to E) biosynthesized by sea slugs reaching exceptional densities (up to 9000 slugs per square meter) in Northern Hemisphere estuaries.

Extracellular vesicles from human cardiac stromal cells up-regulate cardiomyocyte protective responses to hypoxia.

Background: Cell therapy can protect cardiomyocytes from hypoxia, primarily via paracrine secretions, including extracellular vesicles (EVs). Since EVs fulfil specific biological functions based on their cellular origin, we hypothesised that EVs from human cardiac stromal cells (CMSCLCs) obtained from coronary artery bypass surgery may have cardioprotective properties.

Objectives: This study characterises CMSCLC EVs (C_EVs), miRNA cargo, cardioprotective efficacy and transcriptomic modulation of hypoxic human induced pluripotent stem cell-derived cardiomyocytes (iPSC-CMs).

Sex Differences in Impacts of Early Gestational and Peri-Adolescent Ozone Exposure on Lung Development in Rats: Implications for Later Life Disease in Humans.

Air pollution exposure during pregnancy may affect fetal growth. Fetal growth restriction (FGR) is associated with reduced lung function in children that can persist into adulthood. Using an established model of asymmetrical FGR in Long-Evans rats, this study investigated sex differences in effects of early life ozone exposure on lung development and maturation.

Retinal microvascular remodeling associates with adverse events in continuous-flow left ventricular assist device-supported patients.

Background: Continuous-flow left ventricular assist device (cfLVAD) use is effective in supporting patients with end-stage heart failure (ESHF). Reduced flow pulsatility within the systemic circulation in cfLVAD-supported patients may lead to alterations within the microcirculation. Temporal changes in microvasculature in relation to adverse events in cfLVAD-supported patients have not been studied.

Differentiation, Metabolism, and Cardioprotective Secretory Functions of Human Cardiac Stromal Cells from Ischemic and Endocarditis Patients.

This study investigates the characteristics of cardiac mesenchymal stem cell-like cells (CMSCLCs) isolated from the right atrial appendage of human donors with ischemia and a young patient with endocarditis (NE-CMSCLCs). Typical CMSCLCs from ischemic heart patients were derived from coronary artery bypass grafting procedures and compared against bone marrow mesenchymal stromal cells (BM-MSCs). NE-CMSCLCs had a normal immunophenotype, but exhibited enhanced osteogenic differentiation potential, rapid proliferation, reduced senescence, reduced glycolysis, and lower reactive oxygen species generation after oxidative stress compared with typical ischemic CMSCLCs.

Episodic ozone exposure in Long-Evans rats has limited effects on cauda sperm motility and non-coding RNA populations.

Epidemiological evidence suggests the potential for air pollutants to induce male reproductive toxicity. In experimental studies, exposure to ozone during sensitive windows in the sperm lifecycle has been associated with impaired sperm motility. Subsequently, we sought to investigate the effects of episodic exposure to ozone during sperm maturation in the rat.

Patient Education Materials for Immobilisation Masks in Radiation Therapy for Adult Head and Neck Cancer Patients: A Scoping Review.

Immobilisation masks (IMs) are used for people with head and neck cancer (HNC) undergoing radiation therapy (RT) treatment to ensure accuracy and reproducibility between treatments. Claustrophobia-related mask anxiety in HNC patients is common and can compromise treatment due to patient distress. This scoping review aimed to describe the content of publicly available Patient Education Materials (PEMs) for people with HNC undergoing RT.

Repeated exposure to eucalyptus wood smoke alters pulmonary gene and metabolic profiles in male Long-Evans rats.

Exposure to wildfire smoke is associated with both acute and chronic cardiopulmonary illnesses, which are of special concern for wildland firefighters who experience repeated exposure to wood smoke. It is necessary to better understand the underlying pathophysiology by which wood smoke exposure increases pulmonary disease burdens in this population. We hypothesize that wood smoke exposure produces pulmonary dysfunction, lung inflammation, and gene expression profiles associated with future pulmonary complications.