Predictive Value of Geriatric Nutritional Risk Index and Risk Analysis Index for Post-operative Outcomes in Spine Surgery Patients: A Comprehensive Analysis.

Study DesignRetrospective cohort study.ObjectivesFrailty and nutritional status are predictors of adverse spine surgery outcomes. This study evaluated the predictive utility of a combined Risk Analysis Index (RAI) and Geriatric Nutritional Risk Index (GNRI) model, and introduced a compound score integrating RAI, GNRI, American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) classification, and Preoperative Acute Severe Condition (PACS).

Identity Safety in Cancer Screening: Building a Basic Research-to-Clinic Translation of Social Identity Theory.

Environmental cues can signal identity threat (e.g., potential discrimination) or identity safety (e.

Conventional versus advanced imaging selection for endovascular treatment of basilar artery occlusion strokes.

Introduction: Endovascular thrombectomy (EVT) is an effective treatment for basilar artery occlusion (BAO) stroke in select patients. While there is a growing body of literature suggesting that advanced imaging modalities such as computed tomography perfusion (CTP) and magnetic resonance (MR) may not be necessary for selecting anterior circulation large vessel occlusion stroke patients for EVT, whether advanced imaging may be superior to conventional imaging (non-contrast CT and CT angiography) in identifying good treatment candidates among BAO patients is less clear.

Patients And Methods: This was a multicenter retrospective cohort study of BAO EVT patients treated from 2013 to 2022 in the Stroke Thrombectomy and Aneurysm Registry.

Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on the Emotional Health of Children Under 6 Years in Washington, DC.

A growing body of international research continues to show evidence of worsening youth mental health since the beginning of the COVID-19 global pandemic, yet very little research in this area has included young children under 6 years. Given the potential impact of early life stress during this critical period of development, it is crucial to better understand the effects on this age group. The objective of this study was to better understand the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the emotional health of very young children.

Autosomally-encoded segregation distortion of sex chromosomes.

Some selfish genetic elements drive at meiosis to achieve transmission distortion, breaking the rules of Mendelian segregation to enhance their own evolutionary success. It has been shown that enhancers of drive must act in in order to gain the selfish benefit of drive and that suppressors of drive will be selected at unlinked loci. Here, we model the evolution of an autosomal -acting gene () that causes the Y chromosome (or even 0 chromosome) to drive without driving itself, a phenomenon we call 'remote-control meiotic drive'.

manipulation of the protein homeostasis network in rhabdomyosarcoma.

The protein homeostasis (proteostasis) network includes quality control systems that coordinate protein synthesis, folding, localization, and degradation, and is deregulated in numerous diseases including cancer. Loss of proteostasis can activate lethal cellular stress responses, potentially opening a therapeutic window. Previous research demonstrated that MAL3-101, an inhibitor of heat shock protein 70-kD (HSP70) chaperones, selectively induces rhabdomyosarcoma (RMS) cell death via unfolded protein response (UPR) activation.

Increasing Physical Activity in Children During Cancer Treatment: A Qualitative Study of Parents' Perspectives.

This qualitative study explored barriers, facilitators, and preferences for promoting physical activity (PA) in children undergoing cancer therapy by interviewing 36 parents of children aged 4-15 years, on-therapy or less than 1 year post-therapy at three hospitals. Key barriers included safety concerns, risk of infection, and treatment side effects. Facilitators included social support and oncologist recommendations for PA.

Association of C-reactive protein with cause, duration and severity of lower respiratory infections in primary care: a prospective cohort study.

Introduction: The association of C-reactive protein (CRP) with cough duration and severity has not been evaluated in a contemporary US population of patients with acute lower respiratory tract infection (LRTI).

Methods: We identified outpatients with less than 2 weeks of cough plus at least one lower respiratory or systemic symptom. The duration of illness, demographics, signs, symptoms, CRP and PCR for 46 pathogens were assessed.

Estimated health impact, cost, and cost-effectiveness of taxation on unhealthy packaged foods in the Philippines: a modelling study.

Background: In 2018, the Philippines implemented a tax on sugar-sweetened beverages. A broader tax on unhealthy foods is being considered. We aimed to estimate the effect of a tax on unhealthy packaged foods.

Epidemiological Investigation on the Clinical Status of the Developmental Dyslexia and ADHD Comorbidity among School-Age Children in Pakistan.

Developmental Dyslexia (DD) and Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) are neurodevelopmental disorders affecting children's learning abilities worldwide, but limited research exists in Pakistan. We tried to identify and confirm ADHD and DD in Pakistani school children and their sociodemographic associations. We conducted a case-control study, examining an extensive cohort of children (n = 1260), aged 5 - 19 years from special education program schools, rehabilitation centers, and pediatric clinics between 2022 and 2023.

Cost Effectiveness of Salpingectomy Compared With Vasectomy for Permanent Contraception.

Objective: To evaluate the cost effectiveness of salpingectomy compared with vasectomy for couples seeking permanent contraception.

Methods: We developed a decision tree model that used TreeAge to evaluate the cost effectiveness of vasectomy compared with salpingectomy for a hypothetical cohort of 800,000 people, the number of male and female patients who undergo permanent contraception procedures in the United States annually. Effectiveness was expressed in quality-adjusted life-years (QALYs), and the willingness-to-pay (WTP) threshold was set to $100,000 per QALY gained or lost.

Experiences of parents caring for more than one child with the same chronic or serious illness in Occupied Palestinian Territory: A qualitative study.

In Occupied Palestinian territory (OPT), which is in a complex political situation and has limited access to resources, there is a critical need to deepen the understanding of how children with life-limiting and life-threatening illnesses are cared for. This study explores the experiences of parents caring for more than one child with a chronic or serious illness. A qualitative descriptive method was adopted, with data collected from several paediatric units in two OPT cities, Tulkarm and Ramallah.

Executive Summary of the American Radium Society Appropriate Use Criteria for Management of Early Glottic Cancer: A Review.

Importance: Stage I squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) of the glottic larynx carries a favorable prognosis after treatment with endoscopic surgery or radiation therapy (RT). In addition to tumor control, goals of therapy include preservation of voice quality, swallow function, and breathing. Multidisciplinary consensus guidelines are needed to assist clinicians in treatment selection and the appropriate use of both surgical and radiation-based techniques.

Mirtazapine for Severe Nausea and Vomiting During Pregnancy: Case Presentations and Recommendations.

Purpose/background: Severe nausea and vomiting in pregnancy (sNVP) causes numerous detrimental short-term and long-term impacts on the physical and mental health of mothers and newborns, yet treatments are limited. When first-line drugs are ineffective, minimal data on efficacy, safety, and tolerability are available for other agents. Mirtazapine is a compelling potential therapy for sNVP because it is effective in reducing nausea and vomiting in other medically ill populations, and its safety and dosing have been established because it is prescribed to pregnant women for psychiatric disorders.

Immune Response to MVA-BN and Prior Smallpox Vaccination in People With HIV or at Risk for HIV Acquisition.

Little is known about the serologic response elicited by the Modified Vaccinia Ankara-Bavarian Nordic (MVA-BN) vaccination (JYNNEOS) against mpox in elderly individuals with or without HIV. In this study, we measured levels of antibody against orthopoxvirus in selected participants (n = 114) with HIV or at risk for HIV acquisition from the Multicenter AIDS Cohort Study/Women's Interagency HIV Study Combined Cohort Study, who had no prior reported history of mpox. Participants reported MVA-BN vaccination history via questionnaires.

How can we increase the value of clinical trials with immunotherapy?

In the 40 years since the initial studies with interleukin-2 led to the Society for Immunotherapy of Cancer's creation, immunotherapy has become a crucial pillar of cancer therapy that is extending and improving countless lives worldwide. Checkpoint inhibitor immunotherapy has become a standard of care treatment for over 20 distinct types of cancer, and other immunotherapy approaches such as novel engineered cytokines, T-cell engagers, oncolytic viruses, personalized cancer vaccines and various cellular therapies are in active development and have already or may eventually receive regulatory approval. This commentary examines what we have learned during this remarkable four-decade drug development journey and how we can best leverage that knowledge to efficiently develop, license and apply future immunotherapy approaches.

Characterising non-household contact patterns relevant to respiratory transmission in the USA: analysis of a cross-sectional survey.

Background: Interpersonal contact has a crucial role in the transmission of infectious diseases. Characterising heterogeneity in contact patterns across individuals, time, and space is necessary to inform accurate estimates of transmission risk, particularly to explain superspreading, predict differences in vulnerability by age, and inform physical distancing policies. Current respiratory disease models often rely on data from the 2008 POLYMOD study conducted in Europe, which is now outdated and is potentially unrepresentative of behaviour in other geographical regions.

Serum Metabolomic Signatures in Nonhuman Primates Treated with a Countermeasure and Exposed to Partial- or Total-Body Radiation.

: Irradiation-induced injury is a common fallout of radiological/nuclear accidents or therapeutic exposures to high doses of radiation at high dose rates. Currently, there are no prophylactic drugs available to mitigate radiation injury as a result of exposure to lethal doses of ionizing radiation. Gamma-tocotrienol (GT3) of vitamin E is a promising radioprotector under advanced development which has been tested for efficacy in both murine and nonhuman primate (NHP) models.

Identification of Epigenetic Regulatory Networks of Gene Methylation-miRNA-Transcription Factor Feed-Forward Loops in Basal-like Breast Cancer.

Basal-like breast cancer (BLBC) is associated with poor prognosis, high recurrence rates, and limited therapeutic options, largely due to its molecular heterogeneity and complexity, which include epigenetic alterations. This study investigated epigenetic regulatory networks in BLBC by analyzing DNA methylation in distal cis-regulatory regions and its impact on genes, transcription factors (TFs), and microRNAs (miRNAs) expression. Data from TCGA were processed using the ELMER and DESeq2 tools to identify differentially methylated regions and differentially expressed genes, TFs, and miRNAs.

Picture Description and Functional Communication Rating Correlates in Variants of Primary Progressive Aphasia.

Background: Generalization of speech-language pathology treatment is an important goal in clinical practice and research. Functional communication rating scales are often used to investigate potential treatment effects in daily life. Connected speech samples more closely reflect meaningful changes in communication as a result of treatment than test/re-test outcomes.

Evaluating early coparenting using the Lausanne Trilogue Play observational procedure: Guidance for infant-family practitioners from an International Coparenting Collaborative.

Since the early 1990s, coparenting - a conceptual framework connecting clinical insights from structural family therapy to theory and research on development of infants and toddlers within relationship systems - has brought new perspective to family and developmental science while hinting at ramifications for clinical practice. Coparenting theory and research evolved side-by-side with careful, intensive study of mother-father-child triangular relationships in families with very young children, work that expanded in recent years to include studies of other coparent-child triangular systems, such as those involving mothers, grandmothers, and infants. Until now, however, there has been no coordinated expert guidance for bringing concepts expounded in research studies of coparenting and triangular relationships to practitioners who work in infant-family mental health and family therapy contexts.

Asymmetry in neurovascular bundle blood flow in prostate cancer patients: A pre-treatment doppler ultrasound study.

Background: Neurovascular-sparing treatment is believed to help preserve erectile function for localized prostate cancer, given the key role of the arterial supply of neurovascular bundles (NVBs) in potency recovery post-treatment. While NVB-sparing radiotherapy (RT) is emerging, imaging methods to assess NVB function are lacking.

Purpose: This study aims to evaluate the functional status of bilateral NVBs using pulsed wave Doppler ultrasound in patients undergoing prostate RT.