Thyroid Foramen: Prevalence and CT Morphology.

Rationale And Objectives: The thyroid foramen (TF) is a congenital anatomical variant of the thyroid cartilage, characterized by a small opening that may transmit neurovascular structures. Although benign, TF can be misinterpreted on imaging as a cartilage fracture or tumor invasion, and may pose a surgical risk if unrecognized. Despite these potential implications, TF remains under-recognized in routine radiological practice.

Dengue virus infection reprograms baseline innate immune gene expression.

Background: All three dengue vaccines that have completed phase 3 clinical trials have shown greater efficacy in dengue-seropositive compared to dengue-seronegative individuals. This includes the live-attenuated tetravalent dengue vaccine TAK-003, where immunogenicity in baseline seronegative individuals remains lower after two doses, despite seroconversion after the first dose, compared to baseline seropositive individuals after one dose.

Methods: A whole-genome microarray was used to analyze the host response to TAK-003.

Modulation of fibronectin extracellular matrix enhances anti-tumor efficacy of immune checkpoint blockade.

The success of immune checkpoint inhibitors is limited by multiple factors, including poor T cell infiltration and function within tumors, partly due to a dense extracellular matrix (ECM). Here, we investigate modulating the ECM by targeting integrin α5β1, a major fibronectin-binding and organizing integrin, to improve immunotherapy outcomes. Use of a function-blocking murinized α5β1 antibody reduces fibronectin fibril formation, enhances CD8 T cell transendothelial migration, increases vascular permeability, and decreases vessel-associated collagen.

Pregnancy and breast cancer in young women: current updates and future directions.

The relationship between pregnancy and breast cancer is complicated. On one hand, pregnancy can influence breast cancer risk and tumor biology, and on the other, a breast cancer diagnosis and its subsequent management can significantly affect fertility, family planning, and future pregnancies. This interaction presents challenges unique to young women with breast cancer (YWBC).

Addressing Missingness in Predictive Models That Use Electronic Health Record Data.

Electronic health record (EHR) data are increasingly used to develop prediction models that guide clinical decision making at the point of care. These include algorithms that use high-frequency data, like in sepsis prediction, as well as simpler equations, such as the Pooled Cohort Equations for cardiovascular outcome prediction. Although EHR data used in prediction models are often highly granular and more current than other data, there is systematic and nonsystematic missingness in EHR data as there is with most data.

Feasibility and clinical utility of expanded genomic newborn screening in the Early Check program.

Although genomic sequencing presents groundbreaking newborn screening (NBS) opportunities, critical feasibility and utility questions remain. Here we present initial results from the Early Check program-an observational study assessing the feasibility and clinical utility of genomic NBS in North Carolina. Recruitment was statewide through mailed letters with electronic consent.

Pridopidine in early-stage manifest Huntington's disease: a phase 3 trial.

Huntington's disease (HD) is a rare, neurodegenerative disorder for which only symptomatic treatments are available. The PROOF-HD study was a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled phase 3 trial evaluating the efficacy and safety of pridopidine, a selective Sigma-1 receptor agonist, in HD. The primary and key secondary endpoints, change in total functional capacity (TFC) and composite Unified Huntington's Disease Rating Scale (cUHDRS) score at week 65, were not met in the overall population.

Dynamic Lissajous patterns for real time identification and localization of power quality disturbance.

This study proposes a novel and computationally efficient method for real-time identification and localization of power quality (PQ) disturbances in microgrids using dynamic Lissajous patterns formed by voltage and current waveforms. Each power disturbance-such as sag, swell, harmonic distortion, and transients-induces a unique geometric deformation in the Lissajous figure, which serves as a visual signature of the event. Key geometric and statistical features, including area, skewness, kurtosis, and centroid deviation, are extracted from these dynamic patterns to construct robust indices for classification.

Navigating the Emotional and Practical Challenges of Newborn Screening for Late-Onset Pompe Disease: Insights From Parental Perspectives.

Pompe disease (PD), an autosomal recessive lysosomal disorder, results in glycogen accumulation in muscle cells, leading to progressive muscle weakness and respiratory insufficiency. Newborn screening (NBS) has improved outcomes for infantile-onset PD by enabling early diagnosis and intervention with enzyme replacement therapy. NBS also identifies late-onset PD (LOPD) cases, wherein children have a wide clinical spectrum and may remain asymptomatic for years, placing families in uncertainty as "patients-in-waiting.

Characterization and Application of Novel Exercise Recovery Patterns That Reflect Cardiac Performance: A Substudy of the SEQUOIA-HCM Trial.

Background: Post-exercise oxygen uptake recovery (VORec) is slow in advanced heart failure. We sought to establish easily derived VORec measures and evaluate their cardiospecificity and prognostic relevance in patients with dyspnea on exertion. We further sought to determine VORec modifiability proportional to changes in cardiac function with disease-specific treatment of obstructive hypertrophic cardiomyopathy.

Reduction in Dressing Change Burden in Patients With Epidermolysis Bullosa-Impact of Oleogel-S10.

Epidermolysis bullosa (EB) is a severe genetic disorder marked by skin fragility and blistering from minimal trauma. Management relies on frequent and painful dressing changes. The EASE study (NCT03068780), the largest to date in EB, previously demonstrated accelerated wound healing and reduced wound burden for Oleogel-S10 (birch triterpenes) versus control gel.

External validation of the revised lethal triad criteria for appropriate strategic decision making.

Background: The conventional lethal triad criteria for trauma are too specific for death and, thus, inappropriate as a standard for strategic decisions. Revised lethal triad criteria were previously proposed based on a multicenter study. Positive is defined as meeting one major criterion (fibrin/fibrinogen degradation product >90 μg/mL) or two minor criteria (base excess <-3 mEq/L or temperature <36°C).

Role of Morbidity Clusters in Midlife on Ischemic Stroke Incidence and Severity: The ARIC Study.

Background: There is a strong association between vascular risk factors, particularly in midlife, and stroke risk; therefore, the co-occurrence of multiple risk factors may be especially informative. This study used a machine-learning-based cluster analysis to group individuals into clusters based on similar clinical profiles in midlife and assessed the clusters' associations with stroke risk and severity.

Methods: Participants (N=15 404) without prevalent stroke from the ARIC study (Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities) were included.

Impact of Blood Pressure Self-Management on Vascular Remodeling After Hypertensive Pregnancy.

Background: Hypertensive pregnancy disorders are associated with long-term adverse cardiac and vascular remodeling postindex pregnancy. The POP-HT trial (Physician Optimised Postpartum Hypertension Treatment) demonstrated that improved puerperal blood pressure control leads to reduced blood pressure and beneficial cardiac remodeling during the first year postpartum. This study describes the impact on postpartum vascular remodeling.

Evaluating breast lesions with ultrafast DCE-MRI: The impact of temporal resolution on pharmacokinetics.

Objective: This study aimed to evaluate the impact of temporal resolution on pharmacokinetic parameters and the performance in diagnosing breast cancer.

Methods: This prospective study included 89 consecutive patients with 97 lesions (76 malignant and 21 benign). Ultrafast dynamic contrast-enhanced (UF-DCE) imaging was performed on a 3-T MRI scanner using CAIPIRINHA-Dixon-TWIST-VIBE (CDTV) with a native temporal resolution of 4.

Synergistic antiviral activity of a cathepsin B/L inhibitor and a TMPRSS2 inhibitor against SARS-CoV-2 in vitro and in vivo.

The spike (S) protein of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) binds to a host cell receptor which dictates the viral entry pathway. SARS-CoV-2 utilizes two different pathways for cellular entry mediated by both a host type II transmembrane serine protease (TMPRSS2) and cathepsin proteases. These host proteases cleave the viral S protein and initiate membrane fusion allowing viral infection.

Time to Acute Treatment in Intracerebral Hemorrhage Lags Significantly Behind Ischemic Stroke: A Multicenter, Observational Retrospective Study.

Background: Time-to-treatment goals for acute ischemic stroke (AIS) have substantially improved outcomes, yet similar metrics have not been studied in patients with intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH), where mortality rates are much higher.

Methods: Multicenter, observational retrospective study of patients with ICH and AIS between January 1, 2017, and December 31, 2022, in 11 comprehensive stroke centers across the United States participating in Get With The Guidelines. We included patients with ICH who received antihypertensive therapy and anticoagulation reversal, and patients with AIS requiring intravenous thrombolytic and mechanical thrombectomy.

Modeling Genetic Risk of β-Cell Dysfunction in Human Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells From Patients Carrying the MTNR1B Risk Variant.

Disruptions in circadian rhythm, partly controlled by the hormone melatonin, increase the risk of type 2 diabetes (T2D). Accordingly, a variant of the gene encoding the melatonin receptor 1B (MTNR1B) is robustly associated with increased risk of T2D. This single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP; rs10830963; G-allele) is an expression quantitative trait locus (eQTL) in human pancreatic islets, conferring increased expression of MTNR1B, which is thought to perturb pancreatic β-cell function.

A Comparative Study of Preloading With Ringer's Lactate and Intravenous Ephedrine for the Prevention of Hypotension Due to Propofol During Induction of General Anesthesia.

Background Propofol-induced hypotension during induction of general anesthesia remains a significant clinical concern, especially in healthy individuals. This study aimed to compare the effectiveness of two prophylactic interventions, crystalloid preloading with Ringer's lactate and intravenous ephedrine, in maintaining hemodynamic stability during propofol induction in American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) I adult patients. Methods A prospective, interventional comparative study was conducted on 40 ASA I adult patients undergoing elective surgeries under general anesthesia.

Real-time malaria detection in the Amazon rainforest via drone-collected eDNA and portable qPCR.

Zoonotic malaria risk at human-wildlife-environment interfaces requires surveillance that integrates signals from reservoirs, vectors and the environment. We coupled a drone-based environmental DNA (eDNA) canopy swabbing approach with portable quantitative PCR (qPCR) to detect DNA in situ during a 24-h field exercise in the Amazon rainforest. Drone-lowered sterile swabs into the canopy, which were then extracted and subjected to a multiplex pan- assay targeting five human-infecting species (limit of detection 0.

Integrated 'omics analysis reveals human milk oligosaccharide biosynthesis programs in human lactocytes.

Human milk oligosaccharides (HMOs) are integral to infant health. Yet, their complex biosynthesis pathways in the mammary gland during lactation remain under-characterized. To address this knowledge gap, we performed integrated analyses of single-cell RNA-sequencing (scRNA-seq) datasets combined with select HMO concentration measures.

Novel transferrin receptor-mediated enzyme replacement therapy efficiently treats myogenic and neurogenic aspects of Pompe disease in mice.

Pompe disease (PD) is a multisystemic progressive disease caused by acid-alpha glucosidase (GAA) deficiency. Patients display a spectrum of phenotypes ranging from the severe, rapidly progressive infantile-onset PD (IOPD) form to the slower progressing late-onset PD (LOPD). Enzyme replacement therapies (ERTs) are the only approved treatments; they decrease mortality in IOPD while maintaining or improving motor and respiratory function in LOPD.

International Trends in Opioid Prescribing by Age and Sex from 2001 to 2019: An Observational Study Using Population-Based Databases from 18 Countries and One Special Administrative Region.

Objective: To characterize multinational trends and patterns of opioid analgesic prescribing by sex and age.

Design, Setting, And Participants: We studied opioid analgesic prescribing from 2001 to 2019 with common protocol using population-based databases from eighteen countries and one special administrative region.

Main Outcome Measures: We measured opioid prescribing by geographical region, sex and age, estimating annual prevalent, incident, and nonincident opioid prescribing per 100 population with a 95% confidence interval (CI) and meta-analyzed the multinational and regional opioid prescribing with a random-effects model.

Live-cell imaging of mammary organoids using light sheet microscopy.

The mammary gland is a dynamic organ whose parenchyma undergoes major development during puberty and extensive remodeling with each estrous cycle. These processes can be modelled and investigated in vitro via 3D cell culture techniques that employ specialized extracellular matrices and appropriate growth factors. The resulting mammary organoid cultures faithfully represent the mammary gland with respect to cellular heterogeneity, cell-cell contacts, overall architecture as well as response to growth factor stimuli and are amendable to a variety of molecular methods as well as microscopy techniques.