The Impact of Family-Centered Care on Oral Health for Children With Special Health Care Needs.

Aim: To examine the association of family-centered care (FCC) with oral health indicators among children with special health care needs (CSHCN).

Methods: Data includes the CSHCN population from the 2017 to 2019 National Survey of Children's Health (NSCH). Four parent- and caregiver-reported binary oral health outcomes were assessed: preventive dental visits (PDVs), cavities, condition of teeth, and oral health problems.

Tumor-Specific Critical Intraoperative Findings Influence Multidisciplinary Therapy.

Background: Local control strategies in pediatric oncology are guided by disease-specific considerations. Effective communication of the goals of surgical procedure and associated intraoperative events plays a crucial role in shaping subsequent treatment decisions. However, accurately and comprehensively documenting these findings remains challenging, with considerable variability across different tumor types.

The efficacy of intra-articular morphine injections in arthrogenous temporomandibular joint pain: a systematic review of randomized controlled trials.

Objective: This systematic review aimed to evaluate and compare the analgesic efficacy of intra-articular morphine versus other agents in managing arthrogenic TMJ disorders.

Study Design: The review adhered to PRISMA guidelines and was registered in PROSPERO (CRD420251011088). A comprehensive search was conducted across PubMed, EMBASE, Scopus, Web of Science, and OVID for randomized controlled trials (RCTs) published up to March 2025.

"That's what sets you at ease:" A qualitative analysis of patient preferences during anorectal exams.

Introduction: Increased attention is being paid to sensitive but necessary medical examinations, but the literature on guidelines for the anorectal exam remains limited. We performed a qualitative investigation of the patient experience to identify best practice recommendations from the patient's perspective for practitioners conducting the anorectal exam.

Methods: We conducted semi-structured interviews with patients aged 18 and older who had received at least one anorectal examination at the University of Chicago Medicine, Colon & Rectal Surgery clinic.

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.

Changes in Medicare's Chronic Condition Files and Disparities in Dementia Identification.

Objectives: In 2017, the Chronic Condition Warehouse released a 30-condition Chronic Condition file (CC30), which fully replaced the prior 27-condition file (CC27) in 2022. CC30 shortened the look-back period for dementia identification from 3 to 2 years and raised the required outpatient/carrier claims from 1 to 2. This change may disproportionately affect individuals with limited access to health care.

Rationale and Design of the Comparative Effectiveness of ICD Versus Non-ICD Therapy in Contemporary Heart Failure Patients at a Low Risk for Arrhythmic Death (CONTEMP-ICD) trial.

Background: Current recommendations for a prophylactic (primary prevention) implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD) in patients with both ischemic and non-ischemic heart failure with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF) originate from clinical trials conducted in selected patients over 20 years ago that showed an overall statistically significant survival benefit associated with a primary prevention ICD in the range of 23%-34%. The recent introduction of angiotensin receptor-neprilysin inhibitors [ARNI] and sodium glucose co-transporter 2 inhibitors [SGLT2i]) was shown to further reduce the risk of sudden cardiac death (SCD) in patients with HFrEF. Thus, there is an unmet need appropriately designed comparative effectiveness clinical trials aimed to reassess the survival benefit of a primary prevention ICD in contemporary patients with HFrEF.

Prenatal exposure to per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances: Association with child behavior in the environmental influences on child health outcomes (ECHO) Cohort.

Background: Prenatal exposure to per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) may adversely impact child neurodevelopment; however, epidemiologic findings remain inconclusive because of small sample sizes, limited exposure variability, and differing neurodevelopmental measures. We aimed to investigate the relationship between prenatal PFAS exposure and child behavior.

Methods: We pooled data from nine study sites in the nationwide Environmental influences on Child Health Outcomes (ECHO) Cohort.

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.

The Influence of Social Vulnerability and Race on Diabetes Control.

Context: Social determinants of health (SDoH) and race are both well-established factors that influence diabetes outcomes. However, less is understood about how social vulnerability (SV) and race intersect to impact diabetes control.

Objective: To examine the additive impact of SV and race on diabetes control.

Impact of Population Pharmacogenomics on Cisplatin-Induced Neurotoxicities in Testicular Cancer Survivors.

Background: Cisplatin is a commonly used chemotherapeutic across numerous cancer types that can cause neurotoxicities in patients, including peripheral sensory neuropathy, tinnitus, hearing loss, and vertigo.

Objective: We aimed to evaluate, for the first time, how genetic ancestry impacts cisplatin-induced neurotoxicities and if disparities are related to population differences in allele frequency.

Methods: In a cohort of cisplatin-treated testicular cancer survivors, relationships between genetic ancestry and neurotoxicities, medications, and lifestyle factors were assessed using logistic regression and Kruskal-Wallis tests and multiple pairwise comparisons using the Wilcoxon rank-sum test (Benjamini-Hochberg adjustment).

Adipose tissue macrophage-derived miR-690 modulates adipocyte precursor cell maintenance and adipogenesis.

Obesity is intricately linked to various metabolic diseases; however, some individuals maintain metabolic health despite being classified as obese. A critical factor underlying this paradox is the expansion of white adipose tissue (WAT), which can occur through two mechanisms: hypertrophy (the enlargement of existing fat cells) and hyperplasia (the formation of new fat cells from adipocyte precursor cells, or APCs). Hyperplasia is regarded as a healthier mode of WAT expansion, as it tends to reduce inflammation and protect against insulin resistance.

Comparison of Underlying Risk of Developing and Dying from Lung Cancer in Screened Populations.

Background: Trial participants are typically healthier than the general population. Differences in underlying characteristics between the population undergoing lung cancer screening (LCS) and LCS trial participants may alter the benefits of LCS.

Research Question: Does the risk of developing and dying from lung cancer differ between trial participants and the general population?

Study Design And Methods: Using data from the i) North Carolina Lung Screening Registry (NCLSR), ii) 2022 Center for Disease Control and Prevention's Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) Lung Cancer Screening Module, and iii) National Lung Screening Trial (NLST), we estimated the 5-year probability of developing and dying from lung cancer if not screened using publicly available macros.

Leveraging dynamic stability to infer regulation in protein-protein interaction networks: A study of infectious vulnerability in COPD.

The fourth leading cause of death in the US, Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) is punctuated by frequent viral and bacterial infections causing severe acute exacerbations (AECOPD) and increased mortality. In previous work we have shown that altered immune cell signaling may confer increased and persistent susceptibility to infection. Here we continue this investigation by conducting broad-spectrum proteomic profiling of circulating white blood cells to assemble an empirical protein-protein interaction network associated with frequency of infectious exacerbation.

Quantifying Structural Disadvantage in HIV Prevention: Development and Validation of the HIV-Specific Social and Structural Determinants Index in the United States.

Structural inequities significantly shape disparities across the HIV care continuum, yet few validated tools exist to quantify HIV-specific structural vulnerability at the population level in the United States. This study introduces and validates the HIV-Specific Social and Structural Determinants of Health Index (HIV-SSDI), a multi-dimensional, state-level index designed to capture structural disadvantage relevant to HIV prevention and care. Using publicly available state-level index (2008-2023) spanning nine structural domains, we developed the HIV-SSDI through exploratory factor analysis with three extraction methods: principal component analysis, maximum likelihood, and minimum residual.

Deriving a Theory for Nursing on Uncertainty in Cardiac Inherited Disease: Integrating Self-Organized Criticality and Parse's Human Becoming Theory.

Existential uncertainty dominates the patient experience in cardiac inherited diseases due to unpredictable disease course and the risk of sudden cardiac death. Traditional uncertainty theoretical models inadequately capture the unique facets of uncertainty associated with these diseases. Using Walker and Avant's theory derivation method, an uncertainty theory for nursing practice was developed by adapting concepts from self-organized criticality and grounding them with Parse's Human Becoming Theory within the Unitary Transformative Paradigm.

Romantic Attachment Styles, Harsh Parenting Behavior, and Children's Emotional Reactivity: A Process Model.

This study examined whether parenting behavior serves as an intervening mechanism in accounting for associations between romantic attachment styles and children's emotional reactivity (i.e., anger and distress reactivity).

Evaluating the Effectiveness of Transforaminal Epidural Steroid Injections for Lumbar Radiculopathy Due to a Herniated Nucleus Pulpous Utilizing PROMIS as an Outcome Measure.

Objective: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of transforaminal epidural steroid injection (TFESIs) for patients with lumbosacral radiculopathy secondary to a lumbosacral herniated nucleus pulposus (HNP).

Design: A retrospective review of adult patients who received a fluoroscopically guided TSNRI for a HNP was performed. Patient Reported Outcome Measurement Information System (PROMIS) domains of Physical Function (PF), Pain Interference (PI), and Depression (D) were collected at baseline and post-procedure short-term (1-3 months post-procedure) and long-term follow-up (6-12 months post-procedure).

Association of polycystic ovary syndrome with atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease events.

Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is a common endocrine condition often recognized for its association with reproductive complications. However, the impact of PCOS extends well beyond such that it is considered a multisystemic disorder, with effects on mental health, metabolic conditions, and pregnancy. While there is ample evidence for increased prevalence of cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factors in PCOS including hypertension, dyslipidemia, diabetes and obesity in reproductive age and menopausal women, robust data on atherosclerotic CVD events (ASCVD), defined as coronary artery disease (CAD), myocardial infarction (MI), angina, carotid artery disease, ischemic stroke, transient ischemic attack (TIA) and peripheral artery disease (PAD), in PCOS is emerging.

A multi-method assessment of the vascular surgery program director experience in creating effective training environments.

Objectives: Surgical training has received significant attention in recent years with efforts to improve trainee wellness. Vascular surgery training is subject to unique challenges, and vascular program directors (PDs) are tasked with providing learning environments that produce effective and competent surgeons. The aim of this study is to examine the experience of vascular surgery PDs in promoting effective learning environments for vascular trainees.

Prospective assessment of prognostic significance of malignant peritoneal cytology in endometrial cancer: An NRG Oncology / Gynecologic Oncology Group study on GOG-210 protocol.

Objective: To examine the association between malignant peritoneal cytology and survival outcomes in endometrial cancer.

Methods: This was an ancillary analysis of prospectively collected surgical-pathological data in the NRG Oncology / Gynecologic Oncology Group study on GOG-210 protocol. The study population included 2383 patients with stage I-III endometrial cancer from 2003 to 2011.

33 Unresolved Questions in Nanoscience and Nanotechnology.

Significant advances in science and engineering often emerge at the intersections of disciplines. Nanoscience and nanotechnology are inherently interdisciplinary, uniting researchers from chemistry, physics, biology, medicine, materials science, and engineering. This convergence has fostered novel ways of thinking and enabled the development of materials, tools, and technologies that have transformed both basic and applied research, as well as how we address critical societal challenges.