Plasma transfusion practice: A five-year audit of plasma transfusion at 23 hospitals.

Background: There is limited high-quality evidence to guide plasma transfusion, and plasma transfusion practices remain variable.

Study Design And Methods: This is a retrospective cohort study that included adult medical and intensive care unit (ICU) inpatients (age ≥ 18 years) admitted to 23 hospitals in Canada between January 1, 2017, and December 31, 2022, when both whole blood derived (~290 mL) and apheresis plasma (~250 mL) were available for transfusion. Nine additional hospital sites with missing plasma data or coagulation testing were excluded.

Consortium profile: the methylation, imaging and NeuroDevelopment (MIND) consortium.

Epigenetic processes, such as DNA methylation, show potential as biological markers and mechanisms underlying gene-environment interplay in the prediction of mental health and other brain-based phenotypes. However, little is known about how peripheral epigenetic patterns relate to individual differences in the brain itself. An increasingly popular approach to address this is by combining epigenetic and neuroimaging data; yet, research in this area is almost entirely comprised of cross-sectional studies in adults.

Developing a collaborative network for cystic fibrosis in Africa: A call to action.

Background: Cystic fibrosis (CF) is a genetic disorder that remains underrecognized across Africa, where limited diagnostic capacity, low awareness, and competing health priorities contribute to delayed or missed diagnoses [1-4]. Although increasing data suggests CF is more prevalent than previously believed in Africa, survival remains poor [1]. These challenges do not only affect people with CF (pwCF) in Africa but also have implications for global understanding of the disease, particularly among populations historically excluded from CF research and treatment advances.

Guidelines for Meta-analyses and Systematic Reviews in Urology.

Our guideline comprises points addressing the conduct and interpretation of systematic reviews and meta-analyses in urology. Application of the guideline would lead to a more considered interpretation of a smaller number of systematic reviews and meta-analyses, and could thus help in translating evidence into better decision-making for doctors and patients.

Developmental Programming: Differing impact of prenatal testosterone and prenatal bisphenol-A -treatment on hepatic methylome in female sheep.

Steroid hormones are integral to pregnancy and fetal development, regulating processes such as metabolism, inflammation, and immune responses. Excessive prenatal steroid exposure, through lifestyle choices or environmental chemicals, can lead to metabolic dysfunctions in offspring. The research focuses on how exposure to testosterone (T) and bisphenol A (BPA) affects the liver's DNA methylome, a key component of the epigenome influencing long-term health.

Leishmania donovani alters the host sphingolipid biosynthetic pathway regulatory microRNA hsa-miR-15a-5p for its survival.

Leishmania donovani is an intracellular protozoan parasite that has successfully evolved to manipulate host macrophages. The exact mechanism by which Leishmania spp evades macrophage function is not fully understood. Recently, several studies have shown that pathogens target host-microRNA to alter cellular pathways for their persistence.

Lung virome convergence precedes hospital-acquired pneumonia in intubated critically ill patients.

Hospital-acquired pneumonia (HAP) is one of the most common nosocomial infections, leading to significant morbidity and mortality in critically ill patients. HAP is previously associated with dysbiosis of the microbiota. However, the composition of the lung virome and its role in HAP pathogenesis remain unclear.

Biasing G protein βγ subunit downstream signaling enhances the analgesic effects of endogenous opioid receptor agonists during nitroglycerin-induced thermal hypersensitivity.

μ-Opioid receptor (MOR) agonists are a mainstay in acute pain management. However, they also produce adverse effects and are frequently misused, increasing susceptibility for opioid use disorder. Thus, a strategy for improving the safety of opioid analgesics is needed.

Deduplication of temporary names in an immunization registry using probabilistic linkage.

Context: Records with temporary names, such as Babygirl, BoyA, etc. are sometimes submitted to immunization information systems (IIS) with vaccinations that are administered before the child has a legal name.

Objectives: To 1) apply probabilistic record linkage to assist in the deduplication of children with temporary names in an IIS and 2) assess the impact of that deduplication on vaccination coverage rates.

Health-Related Quality-of-Life Outcomes for Upper Blepharoplasty and Blepharoptosis Surgery: A Report by the American Academy of Ophthalmology.

Purpose: To review the literature and identify the health-related quality-of-life (HRQL) outcomes that used a validated instrument in the assessment of upper blepharoplasty, blepharoptosis surgery, or combination surgery.

Methods: A literature search was last conducted in the PubMed database in January 2025 to identify all studies in the English language investigating HRQL outcomes that used a validated instrument in the assessment of upper blepharoplasty, blepharoptosis surgery, or combination surgery. The literature search yielded 773 citations, and 20 studies met the inclusion criteria.

Two-bag Versus One-bag Method for Adult and Pediatric Diabetic Ketoacidosis Management.

Study Objective: We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis to evaluate the safety and efficacy of the two-bag versus one-bag method in diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA) management in adult and pediatric populations.

Methods: The study was registered with the Prospective Register of Systematic Reviews, in adherence to Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines. A search was conducted across MEDLINE, EMBASE, and CENTRAL databases up to March 2025, with no restrictions on study design.

ENLITE PD: A Randomized Clinical Trial of Light Therapy for Impaired Sleep in Parkinson's Disease.

Background: Light therapy (LT) in Parkinson's disease improves sleep. Specific LT parameters require further study, including optimal frequency.

Objectives: We aimed to determine if once- or twice-daily bright white light therapy (BWLT) improves sleep.

Current Landscape of Children's Surgery in Africa: A Multicenter Analysis of 16,000 Cases.

Background: Although prior studies have estimated the burden of pediatric surgical disease in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) through statistical modeling and hospital- or household-based surveys, few large-scale descriptions of procedures and outcomes have been published. We aimed to describe the epidemiology and outcomes of children's surgical care at multiple centers across Africa.

Methods: Perioperative clinical data were collected prospectively from 2018 to 2023 at 17 hospitals in 11 African countries using a preexisting tool.

Genetic variants affecting RNA stability influence complex traits and disease risk.

Gene expression is modulated jointly by transcriptional regulation and messenger RNA stability, yet the latter is often overlooked in studies on genetic variants. Here, leveraging metabolic labeling data (Bru/BruChase-seq) and a new computational pipeline, RNAtracker, we categorize genes as allele-specific RNA stability (asRS) or allele-specific RNA transcription events. We identify more than 5,000 asRS variants among 665 genes across a panel of 11 human cell lines.

Local photocrosslinking of native tissue matrix regulates lung epithelial cell mechanosensing and function.

Within most tissues, the extracellular microenvironment provides mechanical cues that guide cell fate and function. Changes in the extracellular matrix such as aberrant deposition, densification and increased crosslinking are hallmarks of late-stage fibrotic diseases that often lead to organ dysfunction. Biomaterials have been widely used to mimic the mechanical properties of the fibrotic matrix and study pathophysiologic cell function.

PROTACs therapeutically target the polyglutamine androgen receptor in spinal and bulbar muscular atrophy models.

Spinal and bulbar muscular atrophy (SBMA) is a CAG/polyglutamine (polyQ) repeat expansion disorder in which the mutant androgen receptor (AR) protein triggers progressive degeneration of the neuromuscular system in men. As the misfolded polyQ AR is the proximal mediator of toxicity, therapeutic efforts have focused on targeting the mutant protein, but these prior efforts have met with limited success in SBMA patients. Here, we examine the efficacy of small molecule AR proteolysis-targeting chimera (PROTAC) degraders that rapidly and potently promote AR ubiquitination and degradation by the proteasome.

Persistence of Cardiac Malprogramming in Late Gestational Fetal Sheep by Early to Mid-Gestational Testosterone Excess.

Excess testosterone (T) exposure from early to mid-gestation (days 30-90) leads to sexually dimorphic adverse cardiac left ventricular (LV) programming at fetal day 90 (term 147 days). Whether this sexually dimorphic impact is a direct effect of T or reprogramming that persists beyond early fetal life is unknown. We hypothesized that adverse sex-specific cardiac outcomes seen in early fetal life will persist in late gestational fetuses.

Childhood essentialism.

Essentialism is the intuitive belief that certain categories, such as "tiger," "boy," or "gold," have an underlying reality that goes beyond surface appearances. Childhood essentialism provides insights regarding the nature, origins, and development of human cognition. This chapter reviews the current state of the art regarding research on childhood essentialism, addressing five key issues: (1) what is essentialism and why is it important?; (2) the role of experience (including context, culture, and identity); (3) language as a uniquely powerful mode of transmission; (4) developmental origins; and (5) consequences for social issues and education.

Skilled Nursing Facility Population Characteristics and Length of Stay: A Prospective Cohort Study.

Objectives: Skilled nursing facilities (SNFs) offer short-term, subacute care following injury or hospitalization, with Medicare fully covering stays ≤20 days. As the US population ages, SNF demand is increasing, yet this population remains poorly characterized. Prolonged stays increase pathogen exposure, with shared spaces and visitors potentially elevating viral transmission.

Hydrogen sulfide-dependent Activation of Human Sulfide Quinone Oxidoreductase.

Hydrogen sulfide (HS) is a respiratory poison and also a product of our own metabolism. The toxicity of HS is mitigated by the activity of mitochondrial sulfide quinone oxidoreductase (SQOR), which oxidizes HS while concomitantly reducing coenzyme Q. An unusual cysteine trisulfide cofactor distinguishes SQOR from other members of the flavin disulfide reductase superfamily.

Evaluating variation in opioid prescribing for emergency general surgery patients.

Background: Although procedure-specific guidelines have been established for postoperative opioid prescribing in the elective setting, it is unknown to what extent prescriptions in the emergency setting adhere to these standards. Variation in opioid prescribing for emergency general surgery patients may represent context-appropriate deviation or an opportunity for improved stewardship.

Methods: Leveraging data from a statewide Acute Care Surgery collaborative, we identified patients undergoing 4 common procedures in the emergency setting: laparoscopic appendectomy, laparoscopic cholecystectomy, emergency hernia repair, and open colectomy.

Medical gender affirmation appears protective against problematic substance use among transgender women and transfeminine adults: Findings from The LITE Study.

Objective: To estimate the association between medical and legal gender affirmation with problematic substance use among transfeminine adults.

Methods: Data from a longitudinal cohort (The LITE Study) were analyzed (n = 1186). Participants were enrolled between March 2018 and August 2020 and followed for 2 years.