Remodeling the sarcoma microenvironment by simultaneous targeting of urokinase-type plasminogen activator receptors and epidermal growth factor receptors to promote antitumor activity.

We evaluated the antitumor effects of remodeling the MC17 mouse sarcoma microenvironment (SME) by targeting urokinase-type plasminogen activator receptor (uPAR)- and epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR)-expressing cells. Specifically, we used eBAT (a bispecific ligand-targeted toxin directed to EGFR and uPAR), and its mouse counterpart, meBAT, to ablate uPAR- and/or EGFR-expressing cells. We chose the MC17 model because the cells are resistant to eBAT, allowing us to exclusively evaluate the role of uPAR- and EGFR-expressing cells in the SME.

Housing Instability and Homelessness in Pediatrics: A Narrative Review of Health Impacts and Multi-level Interventions.

Safe and stable housing is foundational for child and adolescent health; likewise, housing instability and homelessness are associated with significant pediatric health risk. This narrative review sought to: (1) describe the impact of stable housing, housing instability, and homelessness on child and adolescent health, and (2) explore advocacy interventions for pediatricians to support unstably housed children, youth and families. While the relationship between health and housing is complex, here, we describe three primary mechanisms through which housing impacts pediatric health.

The Glucocorticoid Receptor Inhibits NRF2-Mediated Expression of SLC7A11.

SLC7A11 encodes the glutamate-cystine exchanger xCT, which is a key regulator of intracellular antioxidant capacity and extracellular glutamate levels. We have identified SLC7A11 as a direct target of the glucocorticoid receptor (GR). The GR agonist dexamethasone represses SLC7A11 expression in multiple cell types, from epithelial cells to astrocytes.

Building A Pharmacy Preceptor Development Framework for Nurturing Learner Professional Identity Formation.

Objectives: To explore experiential education (EE) and preceptor development experts' perceptions of priorities for preceptor development aimed at supporting learner professional identity formation (PIF) and create a framework for preceptor development to inform future preceptor training programs.

Methods: This multi-component study involved: 1) conducting virtual focus groups of EE and preceptor development experts to explore perceived preceptor development needs, including content and learning outcomes, 2) utilizing a modified nominal group technique (NGT) to identify priorities for preceptor development and 3) creating a preceptor development framework for supporting learner PIF. Transcripts were analyzed to identify specific content areas of focus and practical program insights.

Regular cannabis use and promotive attitudes among diverse adolescents in the United States: The role of age and intersecting social positions.

Purpose: Cannabis use is common in adolescence and has been associated with negative health effects, and higher prevalence has been seen among marginalized youth. Research has not examined regular use or attitudes promoting use, particularly taking an approach grounded in intersectionality and minority stressors. The present study examines how regular cannabis use, perceptions of risk, approval from parents and friends, and peer norms of use differ across multiple social positions.

A comparative study of patient and provider priorities for cesarean delivery anesthesia care.

Introduction: Patient priorities for anesthesia during a cesarean delivery are not well defined. Previous studies have explored patient preferences for cesarean delivery anesthesia but have not evaluated patient-centered endpoints unrelated to the physical experience which are known to be important to patients' birth experiences, such as being treated with respect, communication, and emotional support. The purpose of this study was to compare patients' and providers' priorities for cesarean delivery anesthesia care.

Outlook on zero/ultrashort echo time techniques in functional MRI.

Since its introduction more than 30 years ago, the blood oxygenation level-dependent (BOLD) contrast remains the most widely used method for functional MRI (fMRI) in humans and animal models. The BOLD contrast is typically acquired with echo planar imaging (EPI) to obtain sensitization of the signal during the echo time (TE) to dynamic changes in deoxyhemoglobin content, while achieving high spatiotemporal resolution and full brain coverage. However, EPI-based fMRI also faces multiple shortcomings, including sensitivity to body motion, susceptibility-related signal dropouts, interference with multimodal sensors, and loud acoustic noise.

Altermagnetic Band Splitting in 10 nm Epitaxial CrSb Thin Films.

Altermagnets are a newly identified family of collinear antiferromagnets with a momentum-dependent spin-split band structure of non-relativistic origin, derived from spin-group symmetry-protected crystal structures. Among candidate altermagnets, CrSb is attractive for potential applications because of a large spin-splitting near the Fermi level and a high Néel transition temperature of around 700 K. Molecular beam epitaxy is used to synthesize CrSb (0001) thin films with thicknesses ranging from 10 to 100 nm.

Healthcare Expenditures Associated With Implementing an External Facilitation Program to Increase the Prescribing of Medications Used for the Treatment of Opioid Use Disorder Among Veterans.

Background: To address the opioid use disorder (OUD) public health crisis, the ADvancing Pharmacological Treatments for OUD (ADaPT-OUD) external facilitation randomized trial was conducted in 8 intervention and 27 matched control low-performing Veterans Health Administration (VHA) facilities to increase the prescribing of medications for OUD (MOUD). Facilities were considered low-performers if they were in the bottom quartile of the facility ratio of Veterans with OUD who received MOUD. The objective of this analysis was to evaluate the healthcare expenditures of Veterans with OUD who received care in ADaPT-OUD intervention facilities compared to those receiving care in matched control facilities.

What makes the human brain special - from cellular function to clinical translation.

What makes the human brain special? Human neurons, glia cells, and cortical circuits have been shown to be significantly different from those of other species, including mammals. This has led to a massive effort by the neuroscience community to directly study these differences in a multimodal approach. The studies conducted include single-cell and network recordings of human tissue samples, single-cell transcriptomics, and morphological analysis of the distinct cells to better understand the underlying differences from the cellular to the systems level.

A secure base script perspective on attachment: progress, promise, and prospects.

Bowlby's attachment theory has long been a dominant framework for understanding the development of intimate relationships, particularly the role of early caregiving in shaping later socio-emotional functioning. While Bowlby's proposed cognitive mechanism allowing for early experience to guide later adaptation, the Internal Working Model, has been central to the theory, the specific psychological constructs and processes at play remain underexplored. Waters and Waters (2006) advanced our understanding of the Internal Working Model by introducing the "secure base script," a cognitive representation that summarizes secure base experiences and guides behavior in attachment-related contexts.

Treatment Intensity Variables: Individualizing Social Communication Interventions for Persons Experiencing Complex Communication Needs.

Purpose: This clinical focus article describes the role that treatment intensity plays in social communication interventions utilizing augmentative and alternative communication for learners who have complex communication needs associated with intellectual disability and/or autism spectrum disorder.

Method: We delineate the parameters that comprise a frequently used treatment intensity taxonomy and provide an overview of the extant literature pertaining to treatment intensity as it applies to social communication interventions that include augmentative and alternative communication. Next, we describe several additional variables that complement treatment intensity frameworks and summarize the need for more rigorous methodological descriptions of intervention procedures in social communication intervention studies.

Deep brain stimulation for treatment-resistant major depressive disorder: a network meta-analysis of stimulation targets.

Objective: Major depressive disorder is a significant cause of disability, impacting an estimated 193 million individuals worldwide. Forty percent are estimated to have little to no response to standard pharmacological therapies. Deep brain stimulation (DBS) has emerged as a favorable neuromodulation therapy for treatment-resistant depression, but it remains unclear which brain targets are optimal.

Mean Airway Pressure-An Informative but Overlooked Indicator of Mechanical Power.

Mean airway pressure, a monitored variable continuously available on the modern ventilator, is the pressure measured at the airway opening averaged over the time needed to complete the entire respiratory cycle. Mean airway pressure is well recognized to connect three key physiologic processes in mechanical ventilation: physical stretch, cardiovascular dynamics, and pulmonary gas exchange. Although other parameters currently employed in adults to determine "safe" ventilation are undoubtedly valuable for daily practice, all have limitations for continuous monitoring of ventilation hazard.

Progesterone for Traumatic Brain Injury, Experimental Clinical Treatment III Trial Revisited: Objective Classification of Traumatic Brain Injury With Brain Imaging Segmentation and Biomarker Levels.

Objective: This post hoc study of the Progesterone for Traumatic Brain Injury, Experimental Clinical Treatment (ProTECT) III trial investigates whether improving traumatic brain injury (TBI) classification, using serum biomarkers (glial fibrillary acidic protein [GFAP] and ubiquitin carboxyl-terminal esterase L1 [UCH-L1]) and algorithmically assessed total lesion volume, could identify a subset of responders to progesterone treatment, beyond broad measures like the Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) and Glasgow Outcome Scale-Extended (GOS-E), which may fail to capture subtle changes in TBI recovery.

Design: Brain lesion volumes on CT scans were quantified using Brain Lesion Analysis and Segmentation Tool for CT. Patients were classified into true-positive and true-negative groups based on an optimization scheme to determine a threshold that maximizes agreement between radiological assessment and objectively measured lesion volume.

Charting the equine miRNA landscape: An integrated pipeline and browser for annotating, quantifying, and visualizing expression.

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are essential regulators of gene expression, yet few comprehensive databases exist for miRNA expression in non-model species, limiting our ability to characterize their roles in gene regulation, development, and disease. Similarly, isomiRs - length and sequence isoforms of canonical miRNAs with potentially altered regulatory targets and functions - have received even less attention in non-model species, including the horse, leaving a critical gap in our understanding of their biological significance. To address these challenges, we developed an open-source, containerized pipeline for identifying and quantifying miRNAs and isomiRs (FARmiR: Framework for Analysis and Refinement of miRNAs), and an associated interactive browser (AIMEE: Animal IsomiR and MiRNA Expression Explorer).

Trends In Reported Outcomes For Growth Hormone Therapy In Children With Growth Hormone Deficiency.

Objective: To understand the frequency and trends in reported outcomes of safety and effectiveness for recombinant human growth hormone (rhGH) therapy for growth hormone deficiency (GHD) in childhood.

Methods: A systematic review was performed in seven English and Chinese language databases. Eligibility criteria included all studies published between 2003 and 2022, with participants who started rhGH before the age of 16 years for GHD.

Incorporating Heterogeneity in Mixed Hidden Markov Models With an Application to the Sleep-Wake Cycle.

The sleep-wake cycle plays an important and far-reaching role in health. By utilizing personal physical activity monitors (PAMs), inferences about the sleep-wake cycle can be made. Hidden Markov models (HMMs) have been applied in this area as an accurate unsupervised approach.

Alzheimer Disease Biomarkers and Subjective Cognitive Decline Among Hispanic and/or Latino Adults.

Importance: Subjective cognitive decline (SCD) may be an early indicator of Alzheimer disease and related dementias (ADRD), yet its association with plasma biomarkers remains unclear among middle-aged and older adults (aged 50-86 years).

Objective: To examine associations between plasma biomarkers of amyloid, tau, neuroaxonal damage, and glial activation with SCD in a heterogeneous cohort of Hispanic and/or Latino adults.

Design, Setting, And Participants: This cross-sectional study used survey-weighted data from the Study of Latinos-Investigation of Neurocognitive Aging, an ancillary study of the Hispanic Community Health Study/Study of Latinos.

A Scoping Review of Action Toward Decolonizing and Indigenizing Nursing.

The nursing profession currently exists in the untenable position of holding social justice as a core value of the profession but operating within dominant oppressive systems of colonialism and racism. Decolonizing and Indigenizing nursing are proposed as strategies toward reconciliation; however, little is known regarding specific nursing actions toward decolonizing and Indigenizing the profession. This scoping review highlights approaches, barriers, goals, and the utility of decolonizing and Indigenizing nursing knowledge, education, research, and practice.

Where Do We Stand?: Antiracism in Health Science Education in 2024.

Before 2020, health science education rarely addressed systemic racism in its curricula, scholarly publications, or policies. This lack of recognition contributed to ongoing health disparities. Public health and nursing were the first fields to directly address the issue at a professional organization level and through scholarly investigation; other professions took minimal significant action.