Boreal Toad Survival Varies by Degree of Attenuation and Adaptation of a Fungal Pathogen.

Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (Bd) is a fungal pathogen responsible for dramatic declines of amphibian populations around the world. Experimental exposure studies have documented differences in host susceptibility to Bd, but variation in study designs may limit our ability to compare inferences across studies. Using laboratory-maintained pathogen cultures that may lose virulence over time (i.

Best practices for pediatric liver MRI: guidelines from members of the Society for Pediatric Radiology Magnetic Resonance and Abdominal Imaging Committees.

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) has become an essential tool in the evaluation of pediatric liver disease. However, the unique physiological, anatomical, and behavioral characteristics of pediatric patients present distinct challenges that necessitate tailored imaging strategies. These guidelines, developed by members of the Society for Pediatric Radiology (SPR) Magnetic Resonance and Abdominal Imaging Committees, provide comprehensive recommendations for performing high-quality liver MRI in children.

Silicic acid seed pre-treatment modulates growth and antioxidant responses in maize under drought stress.

Drought stress is the most vulnerable abiotic factor affecting plant growth and yield. The use of silicic acid as seed priming treatment is emerging as an effective approach to regulate maize plants susceptibility to water stress. The study was formulated for investigating the effect of silicic acid seed priming treatment in modulating the oxidative defense and key physio-biochemical attributes of maize plants under drought stress conditions.

Bone Stress Injuries in Endurance Athletes: A Review of Risk Factors, Screening and Evaluation Pearls, Preventive Strategies, and Evidence-Based Management Approaches.

Bone stress injury is a common musculoskeletal condition presenting with insidious bony pain that is progressive and occurs with a number of intrinsic or extrinsic risk factors, particularly with a recent change in training. When elicited, the presence of bony tenderness remains the most important component of the physical exam, although reproduction at deeper sites is a challenge and requires a high index of suspicion and imaging for diagnosis. MRI should be utilized as the gold standard for diagnosis, grading, and return-to-sport timing prognosis when available, with plain radiographs used as first-line imaging.

The flexible stalk domain of sTREM2 modulates its interactions with brain-based phospholipids.

The microglial surface protein Triggering Receptor Expressed on Myeloid Cells 2 (TREM2) plays a critical role in mediating brain homeostasis and inflammatory responses in Alzheimer's disease (AD). The soluble form of TREM2 (sTREM2) exhibits neuroprotective effects in AD, though the underlying mechanisms remain elusive. Moreover, differences in ligand binding between TREM2 and sTREM2, which have major implications for their roles in AD pathology, remain unexplained.

Machine learning predicts improvement of functional outcomes in spinal cord injury patients after inpatient rehabilitation.

Introduction: Spinal cord injury (SCI) presents a significant burden to patients, families, and the healthcare system. The ability to accurately predict functional outcomes for SCI patients is essential for optimizing rehabilitation strategies, guiding patient and family decision making, and improving patient care.

Methods: We conducted a retrospective analysis of 589 SCI patients admitted to a single acute rehabilitation facility and used the dataset to train advanced machine learning algorithms to predict patients' rehabilitation outcomes.

Trends in Dose to the Contralateral Breast from Breast Cancer Radiotherapy in the United States.

Contralateral breast (CB) cancer is the most common subsequent cancer among breast cancer survivors, and radiotherapy has been linked to CB cancer risk. The purpose of this work was to evaluate doses to subregions of the contralateral breast from historical breast cancer treatments carried out in the United States between 1990 and 2012. We extracted treatment data from radiation therapy summaries for 2,442 radiotherapy patients during that period.

Singing Together: A Practice-Based Study of a Community-Based Choir for Neurodiverse Adults.

Background: Research indicates that music-based interventions can improve quality of life for neurodiverse adults; however, there is limited research on community choirs. The purpose of this practice-based study was to determine feasibility, initial outcomes, and perceptions of benefits/barriers of participation in a community-based choir for neurodiverse adults.

Method: Seven adults aged 25-33 and diagnosed with an intellectual or developmental disability participated in a 15-week community-based choir led by a credentialed music therapist.

Directional associations between antisocial behavior and alcohol use disorder symptoms from adolescence through adulthood: A sibling comparison cross-lagged approach.

Background: A well-established link between antisocial behavior (ASB) and problematic alcohol use in adolescence has been demonstrated, yet the direction of this association across the lifespan remains unclear. Although antisocial conduct may increase exposure to known social and environmental risk factors for developing alcohol use disorder (AUD), alcohol use may also impair social functioning and self-regulation that subsequently increases ASB risk. Using a sibling comparison design in a high-risk sample, this study tested bidirectional associations between symptom counts of ASB and AUD from adolescence through adulthood.

Dopaminergic frontostriatal pathways in major depressive disorder and childhood sexual abuse: a multimodal neuroimaging investigation.

Dysregulated dopaminergic signaling has been implicated in the pathophysiology of major depressive disorder (MDD) and childhood sexual abuse (CSA), but inconsistencies abound. In a multimodal PET-functional MRI study, harnessing the highly selective tracer [C]altropane, we investigated dopamine transporter availability (DAT) and resting-state functional connectivity (rsFC) within reward-related regions among 112 unmedicated individuals (MDD: n = 37, MDD/CSA: n = 18; CSA no MDD: n = 14; controls: n = 43). Striatal DAT and seed-based rsFC were assessed in the dorsal and ventral striatum and the ventral tegmental area.

Direct mortality due to humans threatens migratory shorebirds.

The decline of migratory shorebirds in the East Asian-Australasian Flyway has attracted global attention. Conservation efforts thus far have targeted habitat loss and degradation in the Yellow Sea region, with little attention having been given to direct mortality by humans. Here we studied the impacts of direct mortality of shorebirds along China's coast during migration from hunting, fishery bycatch and, at aquaculture sites, bird deterrence measures.

Information Access Costs With an Augmented Reality Head-Mounted Display.

ObjectiveThis work examined performance costs for a spatial integration task when two sources of information were presented at increasing eccentricities with an augmented-reality (AR) head-mounted display (HMD).BackgroundSeveral studies have noted that different types of tasks have varying costs associated with the spatial proximity of information that requires mental integration. Additionally, prior work has found a relatively negligible role of head movements associated with performance costs.

Adherence thresholds for emtricitabine-tenofovir disoproxil fumarate preexposure prophylaxis against HIV acquisition in cisgender women: A randomized directly observed dosing study.

Background: Oral emtricitabine/tenofovir disoproxil fumarate (F/TDF) preexposure prophylaxis (PrEP) effectiveness against HIV acquisition highly depends on adherence. For men who have sex with men, a dosing study in the United States (US) population defined clinically meaningful tenofovir diphosphate (TFV-DP) thresholds in dried blood spots (DBS) based on the rounded 25th percentile for 2, 4, and 7 doses/week as 350, 700, and 1,250 fmol/punch. However, divergent efficacy results in the first generation randomized clinical trials of F/TDF PrEP among African women led to several hypotheses to question whether the pharmacology and adherence requirement for oral F/TDF PrEP may be different in cisgender women compared to what is already established for men.

Pathophysiological levels of extracellular calcium and potassium induce seizure-like discharges: identification of synaptic and non-synaptic components.

Although glutamatergic and GABAergic synapses are important in seizure generation, the contribution of non-synaptic ionic and electrical mechanisms to synchronization of seizure-prone hippocampal neurons remains unclear. Here, we developed a physiologically relevant model to study these mechanisms by inducing prolonged seizure-like discharges (SLDs) in hippocampal slices from male rats through modest, sustained ionic manipulations. Specifically, we reduced extracellular calcium to 0.

Randomized trial of activated vitamin D for acute kidney injury prevention in critically ill patients.

Background: Active vitamin D metabolites, including 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25D) and 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D (1,25D), have potent immunomodulatory effects that attenuate acute kidney injury (AKI) in animal models.

Methods: We conducted a phase 2, randomized, double-blind, multiple-dose, 3-arm clinical trial comparing oral calcifediol (25D), calcitriol (1,25D), and placebo among 150 critically ill adult patients at high-risk of moderate-to-severe AKI. The primary endpoint was a hierarchical composite of death, kidney replacement therapy (KRT), and kidney injury (baseline-adjusted mean change in serum creatinine), each assessed within 7 days following enrollment using a rank-based procedure.

Parent/caregiver perspectives of meaningful improvement in functional domains for people with CDKL5 deficiency disorder: a mixed-methods study.

Purpose: CDKL5 deficiency disorder (CDD) is a rare developmental and epileptic encephalopathy. Greater understanding of the smallest meaningful improvements for individuals with CDD in clinical trials and practice is needed for a person-centred approach to treatment efficacy. This study explored how parent/caregivers of people with CDD understood meaningful improvements and described change for priority functional domains including communication, gross motor, fine motor, feeding.

Bioavailability of Oral Ondansetron in Dogs: A Crossover Study.

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the pharmacokinetics of oral (PO) ondansetron compared to intravenous (IV) ondansetron in eight healthy client-owned dogs. Dogs were randomized to one of two protocols in a crossover design, receiving PO or IV ondansetron at a dose of 1 mg/kg on Day 0 and the opposite formulation at an equal dose on Day 7. Plasma was collected at baseline and 1, 2, 4, and 8 h post administration.

Hydrothermal-based Wastewater Solids Management for Targeted Resource Recovery and Decarbonization in the Contiguous U.S.

Wastewater solids management is a key contributor to the operational cost and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions of water resource recovery facilities (WRRFs). This study proposes a 'waste-to-energy' strategy using a hydrothermal liquefaction (HTL)-based system to displace conventional energy- and emission-intensive practices. The proposed system directs HTL-produced biocrude to oil refineries and recovers regionally tailored nitrogen and phosphorus fertilizers.

Social and Environmental Correlates of Childhood Obesity Among Southern California Communities.

Objective: This study aimed to identify key childhood obesity correlates in Southern California by analyzing individual components from four social determinants of health (SDoH) indices and explore their interactions.

Methods: We utilized publicly available data from 330 cities across 10 counties, incorporating childhood obesity rates from the 2019 California Department of Education Physical Fitness Test (684,419 children, 40% Latino). Fifty-two individual SDoH were obtained from the Healthy Places Index, Social Vulnerability Index, CalEnviroScreen, and Child Opportunity Index (2015-2019).

Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances in agricultural systems: Human dietary exposure via beef raised on corn stover from a field with contaminated biosolids.

Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in biosolid-amended soils can transfer and accumulate in crops, cattle, and people. Bioaccumulation factors (BAFs) are often applied to estimate the transfer of contaminants from soil to crops. However, they can vary widely and introduce uncertainty to exposure and risk estimates.

2025 Clinical Practice Guideline Update by the Infectious Diseases Society of America on the Treatment and Management of COVID-19: Abatacept.

This article provides a focused update to the clinical practice guideline on the treatment and management of patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), developed by the Infectious Diseases Society of America. The guideline panel presents a recommendation on the use of abatacept in hospitalized adults with severe or critical COVID-19. The recommendation is based on evidence derived from a systematic literature review and adheres to a standardized methodology for rating the certainty of evidence and strength of recommendation according to the GRADE (Grading of Recommendations, Assessment, Development, and Evaluation) approach.

Conference Proceedings for the Conference Series.

Traumatic injury is the leading cause of death for individuals aged 1-45 in the USA. Variations in patient management based on geographic locations, community resources, and provider characteristics contribute to disparities in patient outcomes. It is estimated that 20,000 Americans lives could be saved yearly if all trauma centers performed as well as the highest-performing center, which is achievable, in part, through the reduction of inappropriate practice variation.

Understanding the rural injury providers' experiences with trauma clinical guidance: a qualitative case series.

Introduction: Trauma is the leading cause of death among individuals aged 1-44 years, and it is estimated that many of these deaths could be prevented. Clinical guidance is an essential step toward the optimization of trauma care, especially within rural environments. This qualitative case series seeks to better understand how trauma clinical guidance (TCG) plays a role in rural trauma providers' patient management.

Trauma community clinical guidance needs: a mixed-methods iterative consensus-building study.

Introduction: Developing and implementing trauma clinical guidance is integral to providing quality care to all trauma patients while maintaining a minimum standard of treatment. A mixed-methods novel consensus-building approach was used to identify the current barriers to developing and implementing trauma clinical guidance and highlight the priority areas for change to better support end users.

Methods: As part of year 1 of the Design for Implementation: The Future of Trauma Clinical Guidance and Research Conference Series, preconference participant surveys and hybrid, professionally facilitated, structured dialogue were used to define the ideal future state of trauma clinical guidance development and dissemination.

Describing Multidomain Health Outcomes in Autistic Children in the ECHO Program.

Objective: The goal of this study is to characterize health outcomes across 3 domains-overall well-being, behavioral health, and physical health-in a large sample of autistic and non-autistic children and adolescents in the Environmental influences on Child Health Outcomes (ECHO) program.

Method: First, we examined differences in health outcomes between autistic (N = 286) and non-autistic (N = 4,225) children and adolescents in the ECHO Program. Using a subsample of 1,809 participants (116 autistic participants) with complete outcome data, we conducted latent profile analyses (LPAs) to define profiles of health outcomes for autistic children and adolescents and for the combined sample of autistic and non-autistic participants.