Role of hydrogen sulfide in catalyzing the formation of NO-ferroheme.

We recently demonstrated a rapid reaction between labile ferric heme and nitric oxide (NO) in the presence of reduced glutathione (GSH) or other small thiols in a process called thiol-catalyzed reductive nitrosylation, yielding a novel signaling molecule, labile nitrosyl ferrous heme (NO-ferroheme), which we and others have shown can regulate vasodilation and platelet homeostasis. Red blood cells (RBCs) contain high concentrations of GSH, and NO can be generated in the RBC via nitrite reduction and/or RBC endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) so that NO-ferroheme could, in principle, be formed in the RBC. NO-ferroheme may also form in other cells and compartments, including in plasma, where another small and reactive thiol species, hydrogen sulfide (HS/HS), is also present and may catalyze NO-ferroheme formation akin to GSH.

Cesarean Delivery Scar Ectopic Pregnancy Diagnosed after No-Test Abortion: A Case Report.

We present a case of cesarean scar ectopic pregnancy that was diagnosed after failed no-test medication abortion at 4 weeks gestation. The patient was treated with dilation, suction aspiration and intrauterine Foley balloon placement. No adverse outcome occurred.

Effect of early versus delayed middle meningeal artery embolization on clinical outcomes in chronic subdural hematoma: A propensity score-matched cohort study.

Background: Chronic subdural hematoma (cSDH) is a common neurosurgical condition with a high recurrence rate following surgical evacuation. Middle meningeal artery embolization (MMAE) has emerged as an adjunctive or standalone treatment, but the optimal timing of embolization remains unclear. We evaluated whether early MMAE (≤2 days) versus delayed MMAE (3-7 days) is associated with improved clinical outcomes.

The Impact of Team-Based Ordering Workflows on Ambulatory Physician EHR Time, Order Volume, and Visit Volume.

Objective: To analyze national rates of team-based ordering and evaluate changes in key outcomes following adoption.

Study Setting And Design: We conducted an observational pre-post intervention-comparison study of 249,463 ambulatory physicians across 401 organizations using the Epic EHR. Our intervention was the adoption of team-based ordering, measured as the proportion of orders involving team support.

Peer influence and student goal orientations: A commentary.

Background: Relationships and interactions with peers have been related consistently to a range of motivational outcomes at school. This collection of papers has important implications for and raises interesting questions about the role that classmates play in motivating each other to engage academically. This is especially important given that the 'how' and 'why' of social influence on academic motivation has rarely been addressed in a systematic fashion.

Advanced Glycation End-Product Carboxymethyl-Lysine and Incident Heart Failure and Atrial Fibrillation in Older Adults.

Background: Advanced glycation end-products result from chemical modification of proteins under conditions of hyperglycemia or oxidative stress common with advancing age. Advanced glycation end-product (AGE) formation alters vascular and cardiac structure and function, yet the prospective associations of circulating AGEs with heart failure (HF) and atrial fibrillation (AF) have not been studied.

Methods: We evaluated the associations of serum N-carboxymethyl-lysine (CML), a major AGE in tissue proteins, and incident HF and AF in the CHS (Cardiovascular Health Study), a population-based cohort of older adults.

Duration of Supervised Exercise Necessary for Meaningful Improvement in Peripheral Artery Disease.

Background: Supervised treadmill exercise improves walking performance in people with lower extremity peripheral artery disease, but benefits are not immediate. This study identified the time course of attaining meaningful improvement in 6-minute walk distance and patient-reported outcome measures during a 6-month supervised exercise intervention in people with peripheral artery disease.

Methods: Participants with peripheral artery disease were randomized to supervised treadmill exercise 3 time weekly or a nonexercise control group for 6 months.

Composite arterial and venous collateral score on single-phase CTA predicts 90-day outcomes in anterior circulation large-vessel occlusion stroke.

Background: Collateral circulation influences clinical outcomes in patients with acute ischemic stroke due to anterior circulation large-vessel occlusion (LVO). While both arterial and venous collateral assessments on single-phase computed tomography angiography (CTA) have prognostic value, they have traditionally been evaluated independently.

Purpose: We developed the CTA Collateral Impairment Score (CCIS), a composite measure incorporating arterial (Tan) and venous (Cortical Venous Opacification Score (COVES)) scores, and investigated its association with 90-day functional outcomes.

Zero- to ultralow-field nuclear magnetic resonance.

Zero and ultralow-field nuclear magnetic resonance (ZULF NMR) is an NMR modality where experiments are performed in fields at which spin-spin interactions within molecules and materials are stronger than Zeeman interactions. This typically occurs at external fields of microtesla strength or below, considerably smaller than Earth's field. In ZULF NMR, the measurement of spin-spin couplings and spin relaxation rates provides a nondestructive means for identifying chemicals and chemical fragments, and for conducting sample or process analyses.

Clinical Research: Disparities in Outcomes for Patients With Inflammatory Bowel Disease at a Private vs Public Hospital in New York City.

Background: In patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), social determinants of health contribute to health inequalities. We aimed to compare patients with IBD treated at a private nonprofit vs public hospital in New York City.

Methods: We performed a retrospective study of adult patients with Crohn's disease or ulcerative colitis with established IBD care.

Phenotyping and Clinical Utility of Phagocytic Polyploid Giant Cancer Macrophages in Blood.

Historically, polyploid giant cancer cells (PGCCs) within tumors have been ignored as superfluous inflammatory refuse with no intrinsic clinical or biological relevance. However recently, multiple studies have described the existence PGCCs in solid tumor masses that appear to correlate with tumor progression, and can also appear in blood circulation as cancer associated macrophage like cells (CAMLs). In an effort to understand the clinical and biological role of CAMLs (i.

Genome-wide association study and fine-mapping using imputed sequences to prioritize candidate genes for 30 complex traits in 50,309 Holstein bulls.

Identifying causal genetic variants underlying economically important traits in dairy cattle is essential for understanding their genetic basis and optimizing breeding programs. The growing availability of sequenced reference genomes and individuals with both phenotypic and genotypic data notably enhances our ability to detect genetic associations and further pinpoint causal effects. This comprehensive GWAS of dairy cattle used deregressed breeding values as phenotypes and analyzed 11,292,243 quality-controlled, imputed sequence variants from 50,309 Holstein bulls.

Prevalence and Contributing Factors of Illicit Drug Use Among Youth Aged 18-24 in South Korea.

Purpose: South Korea-despite its "drug-free" reputation-exhibits an increasing incidence of drug use, particularly among youths. In this age group, both environmental and individual factors influence illegal drug use. This study aimed to explore the prevalence of illicit drug use and examine the association between individual and environmental factors and drug use among Korean youths.

Generation of an induced pluripotent stem cell line, JHUi008-A, from a healthy female donor.

The use of well characterized human induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSCs) is essential for developmental studies and disease modeling. Here, we report the generation of a normal, female line of hiPSCs following reprogramming of peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) derived from a healthy female donor using Sendai virus technology. This line, which has been extensively employed for the in vitro study of mesoderm-derived cardiomyocytes, is available and registered in the Human Pluripotent Stem Cell Registry (hPSCreg).

Adoption of Health Information Technologies by Area Socioeconomic Deprivation Among US Hospitals.

Importance: Access to and quality of care vary substantially by area socioeconomic status. Expanding hospital health information technology (HIT) adoption may help reduce these disparities, given hospitals' central role in serving underserved populations.

Objective: To examine variations in US hospital adoption of telehealth and health information exchange (HIE) functionalities by hospital service area (HSA) socioeconomic deprivation.

Extending the Linear Dynamic Range of Single Particle ICP-MS for the Quantification of Microplastics.

In response to the growing concern of microplastics (1 μm to 5 mm) accumulation affecting human health, the development of analytical methods continues to be critical for the detection and characterization of microplastic particles. In this context, pursuing exceptional particle detection capability down to practical low levels and rapid analyses with high sample throughput makes single particle inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (spICP-MS) very attractive for microplastics analysis. Existing spICP-MS-based studies have routinely shown limitations in the accurate sizing and quantification of particle number concentration through targeting carbon content, with reported size limits of detection in the range of 0.

Focal Weakening/Thinnest Corneal Point Proximity in Normal, Subclinical, and Keratoconic Corneas Using Motion-Tracking Brillouin Microscopy.

Purpose: To determine the proximity between the thinnest corneal point (TCP) and focal corneal weakening in normal, subclinical keratoconus (SKC), and manifest keratoconus (KC) eyes using motion-tracking Brillouin microscopy.

Design: Prospective cross-sectional study.

Participants: Ninety-five eyes from 95 patients were evaluated: 40 from bilaterally normal patients (controls), 40 from patients with SKC, and 15 from patients with manifest KC.

Navigating the Muddled Middle: A Case-Based Exploration of Oral β-Lactams for Systemic Gram-Negative Infections.

Oral β-lactams are frequently referred to as low bioavailability agents that are inferior in the treatment of systemic gram-negative infections. This notion limits their utility beyond their use. The pharmacokinetic/pharmacodynamic profiles of oral β-lactams differ among agents, and each agent must be considered individually in the context of the patient.

Endovascular Salvage of Iliac Limb Maldeployment during EVAR Using a CODA Balloon and Bridging Stent: A Case Report.

Iliac limb maldeployment during endovascular aneurysm repair (EVAR) is an uncommon but technically challenging complication. In this study, we present a case involving a patient with multiple comorbidities, including hypertension, hyperlipidemia, and coronary artery disease, who underwent EVAR for a progressively enlarging abdominal aortic aneurysm using the ALTO endograft. During the procedure, the right iliac limb was inadvertently deployed outside the contralateral gate into the aneurysm sac, resulting in maldeployment.

Alzheimer's disease prevention by flavonols and their analogs.

Four studies now document reduced incidence of Alzheimer's disease (AD) or dementia diagnoses in aging individuals who report higher dietary intake of flavonols (or their glycosides) years prior to diagnosis vs those with lower intake. These effects are large, almost 50 %, for individuals at higher genetic risk for AD, providing a robust gene x environment interaction. They display a specific structure-activity relationship.

"Sickle cell trait and the risk for malignancy".

Introduction: Sickle cell trait (SCT) is a hereditary condition that affects millions worldwide, predominantly in individuals of African, Mediterranean, and Middle Eastern descent. While traditionally considered a benign carrier state, emerging evidence suggests a potential association between SCT and malignancies. This study aims to evaluate the relationship between SCT and the risk of multiple myeloma, renal cancer, leukemia, hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), and colorectal cancer.

Assessing anxiety in adolescents with autism spectrum disorder (ADORA): developing a health equity protocol for non-invasive biomarkers.

Introduction: Identifying anxiety disorders in autistic youth can be challenging due to the unique presentation of anxiety symptoms in autistic youth and the difficulties youth may have reporting on their own anxiety symptoms. These challenges underscore the need for objective and reliable measures. Understanding whether autonomic activity is associated with the presence of anxiety may lead to its use as an objective anxiety assessment tool in individuals who may otherwise struggle to communicate their feelings of anxiety.

Trends in Industry Payments to Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons: Analysis of the Open Payments Database 2017 to 2024.

Background: Industry payments to health-care providers are publicly reported under the Physician Sunshine Act. However, little is known about the scope and distribution of these financial relationships in oral and maxillofacial surgery.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to evaluate trends in industry payments to oral and maxillofacial surgeons (OMSs) over time.

Effects of short-term changes in ambient carbon monoxide on sickle cell disease hospital encounters.

Symptoms of sickle cell disease (SCD) may be worsened by environmental factors. Although outdoor air pollution has been proposed as a potential trigger, the specific role of carbon monoxide (CO) among traffic-related pollutants, remains understudied in those with SCD. Based on South Carolina hospital encounter records (2002-2019) for SCD patients, we estimated daily 8-hour maximum outdoor CO concentrations at patients' residential zip codes using a newly-developed spatio-temporal model.

Cancer Stem Cell Mechanisms and Targeted Therapeutic Strategies in Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma.

Head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) originates in the epithelial lining of the oral cavity, pharynx, and larynx, with over 830,000 new cases diagnosed globally in 2020, making it the seventh most prevalent cancer. Despite treatment advances, high-grade HNSCCs remain associated with poor outcomes and a high risk of recurrence. Although Cancer Stem Cells (CSCs) are rare in HNSCC tumors, they are key drivers of tumor relapses, as they evade apoptosis and survive current therapies through enhanced DNA repair and quiescence.