Neutrophil-to-Lymphocyte Ratio (NLR) as a Biomarker in Clinically Stable Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease: SPIROMICS cohort.

Rationale: Inflammation is central to chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) pathogenesis but incompletely represented in COPD prognostic models. Neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio (NLR) is a readily available inflammatory biomarker.

Objectives: To explore the associations of NLR with smoking status, clinical features of COPD, and future adverse outcomes.

Evaluating Long-Term Effectiveness of Cystic Fibrosis Modulator Therapies After Rapid Adoption: A Dual-Approach Study.

Rationale: Modulator therapies like ivacaftor have revolutionized clinical management of cystic fibrosis (CF), showing marked short-term benefits in trials but heterogeneous findings in long-term observational studies. Since newer modulators have become the standard of care for the majority living with CF in the U.S.

Incidence of depression and anxiety in children and adolescents following COVID-19 infection.

While the COVID-19 pandemic has significantly impacted mental health, limited information exists on the relationship between COVID-19 infection and mental health disorders in children and adolescents. This study explored the association between COVID-19 infection, infection severity, and the risk of depression and anxiety among school-aged youth. Data from the 2019-2021 Utah All Payers Claims Database (APCD) was used to identify children and adolescents (aged 6-15 years in 2019) covered by private insurance or Medicaid.

The influence of surgical technique and surgical skill on outcomes of cleft palate repair.

Background: There remains significant uncertainty about the fistula rate following palate repair with the Furlow double opposing Z-plasty (Furlow) technique compared to a straight-line mucosal incision with intravelar veloplasty (straight-line/IVVP) technique. Moreover, the relative impact of technique and surgical skill on fistula incidence remains unclear.

Methods: A prospective, observational study of cleft palate repair was conducted.

Modern Trends in Hospital-based Cosmetic Surgery Utilization Across Racial and Ethnic Groups.

Background: Historically, cosmetic surgery has been primarily utilized by White patients. However, in recent decades, the population in the United States has become increasingly diversified. It is unknown how these national demographic changes have affected the racial and ethnic distribution of those utilizing cosmetic surgical services.

Bond Dissociation Energies of RuC, RhC, OsC, IrC, and PtC Measured by Resonant Three-Photon Ionization Spectroscopy.

Resonant three-photon ionization spectroscopy has been used to study the late 4d and 5d transition metal carbides RuC, RhC, OsC, IrC, and PtC. These species, like most diatomic transition metals with open nd subshells, exhibit an exceptionally high density of states near the ground separated atom limit. Spin-orbit and nonadiabatic interactions provide a means for the molecules to rapidly dissociate as soon as the bond dissociation energy (BDE) is exceeded.

Gonorrhea and Chlamydia Screening for Adolescents and Young Adults in Emergency Departments.

Importance: Adolescents account for almost half of the 2.5 million diagnosed sexually transmitted infections in the US annually, and the emergency department functions as the primary source of health care for many adolescents. No recommendations exist for emergency department gonorrhea and chlamydia screening.

An evaluation of a low-cost platelet-rich plasma for osteoarthritis of the knee: A pilot study.

Purpose: To assess the characteristics and effectiveness of low-cost platelet-rich plasma (LC-PRP) for knee osteoarthritis (OA) by evaluating its composition and effect on pain, function, satisfaction, safety and cost-effectiveness.

Methods: Level IV evidence single-arm prospective cohort pilot study of 20 subjects (30 knees total) with mild-to-moderate knee OA. Two LC-PRP injections were performed, 3 weeks apart.

Documentation of social determinants of health for patients with type 2 diabetes in Epic Cosmos.

Objectives: Type 2 diabetes (T2D) is a growing public health burden with persistent racial and ethnic disparities. . This study assessed the completeness of social determinants of health (SdoH) data for patients with T2D in Epic Cosmos, a nationwide, cross-institutional electronic health recors (EHR) database.

Culinary Medicine Interventions Among Racial and Ethnic Minority and Underrepresented Populations: A Systematic Review.

Racial and ethnic minority populations experience a higher rate of diet-related disparities compared to the general population. Culinary medicine interventions have the potential to help improve health equity among disadvantaged groups. We examined behavioral, anthropometric, and laboratory outcomes of culinary medicine interventions among racial and ethnic minority and underrepresented populations.

Targeting Wnt-driven metabolic adaptations in cancer: integrating glycolysis, glutaminolysis, IDO1-mediated immune evasion, and therapeutic delivery strategies.

The Wnt pathway is an evolutionarily conserved signaling cascade that regulates a wide range of fundamental cellular processes, including proliferation, differentiation, polarity, migration, metabolism, and survival. Due to its central regulatory roles, Wnt signaling is critically involved in the pathophysiology of numerous human diseases. Aberrant activation or insufficient inhibition of this pathway has been causally linked to cancer, degenerative disorders, metabolic syndromes, and developmental abnormalities.

Associations between a novel measure of sleep health and cognitive functioning in middle childhood: a crosssectional Environmental Influences on Child Health Outcomes cohort study.

Study Objectives: Research linking children's sleep to cognitive outcomes is inconsistent and has largely focused on one aspect of sleep, such as duration, rather than measuring multiple dimensions of sleep health. We hypothesized that children's sleep health would be positively associated with inhibitory control and cognitive functioning.

Method: We cross-sectionally assessed 1595 participants (ages 7-11) from the Environmental influences on Child Health Outcomes cohort using the NIH Toolbox Cognition Battery, Environmental influences on Child Health Outcomes Sleep Health of Children and Adolescents questionnaire, and Patient Reported Outcome Measurement Information System Sleep Disturbance/Sleep-related Impairment instruments.

An LED-based multi-sample absorbance spectrophotometer for chemistry and biochemistry.

The instrument described in this article measures the absorbance of visible light (with wavelengths in the range of approximately 400 to 650 nm) by liquid samples, a method widely used for determining solute concentrations. To minimize the cost of the instrument, interchangeable light-emitting diodes (LEDs) are used as light sources. Transmitted light is detected using a photodiode device and the signals are processed using an Arduino microprocessor board.

Real-world management of blastic plasmacytoid dendritic cell neoplasm at an academic center with a broad regional referral base.

BPDCN is an aggressive myeloid malignancy characterized by unique expression of CD123, CD4, CD56, CD303, CD304, TCL1 and TCF4. The development of tagraxofusp, a CD123-directed cytotoxin, has revolutionized BPDCN treatment, especially for patients unfit for chemotherapy. While most patients respond to frontline tagraxofusp, there are challenges associated with treatment.

Updates in uricase therapy for gout.

Purpose Of Review: Urate-lowering therapy (ULT) plays a pivotal role in treating gout patients. Unfortunately, some patients receiving oral ULT fail to achieve the target serum urate levels of < 6.8 mg/dl, the solubility level of uric acid.

Tree ring C and C content reveal reliance on fast cycling carbon for pine growth in semiarid montane forests.

Trees harbor large stores of nonstructural carbohydrates, some of which are quite old (> 10 yr), yet we know little of how these older stores may be used for woody growth. Crucially, the use of old carbohydrates during cellulose biosynthesis could confound climate reconstructions that rely on tree ring stable isotope ratios. We analyzed tree-ring cellulose ΔC and δC in earlywood of two pine species from montane forests in western North America using tree rings produced during the radiocarbon bomb pulse (1966-1980).

Characterization of blood group variants in an Omani population by comparison of whole genome sequencing and serology.

Background: Although blood group variation was first described over a century ago, our understanding of the genetic variation affecting antigenic expression on the red blood cell surface in many populations is lacking. This deficit limits the ability to accurately type patients, especially as serological testing is not available for all described blood groups, and targeted genotyping panels may lack rare or population-specific variants.

Study Design And Methods: Here, we perform serological assays across 24 antigens and whole genome sequencing on 100 Omanis, a population underrepresented in genomic databases.

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.

Nonsteroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drugs and Risk of Gastrointestinal Bleeding: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) are widely used for pain and inflammation but are associated with gastrointestinal (GI) bleeding. While this risk is well established, most studies evaluate NSAIDs as a homogenous class, limiting clinical decision-making based on individual agent safety. This systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to quantify the risk of GI bleeding associated with individual NSAIDs.

Significant Pathology in Young Infants Presenting With Hypothermia: A Multicenter Study.

Objective: Hypothermia in young infants is often attributed to immature thermoregulation but may be the harbinger of significant pathology. We aimed to determine the prevalence and type of significant pathology in young infants aged 90 days or younger presenting with hypothermia (≤36.0 °C) and explore associations between this outcome and presenting characteristics and evaluation.