Georgia

IMPORTANCE: Metabolic syndrome (MetS) is a common health condition that predisposes individuals to cardiovascular disease (CVD) and disproportionately affects Black and other racially and ethnically minoritized people. Concurrently, Black individuals also report more exposure to racial discrimination compared with White individuals; however, the role of discrimination in the development of MetS over time and associated mediators in these pathways remain underexplored. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the association between racial discrimination and MetS in rural Black individuals transitioning from late adolescence into early adulthood and to identify potential mediating pathways...

INTRODUCTION: Epilepsy is a common neurological disease that is associated with increased morbidity and mortality globally. Persons with epilepsy (PWE) experience a heavy emotional burden mainly due to social stigmatization and limited opportunities in life. The purpose of this study was to explore factors associated with anxiety and depression in PWE. MATERIAL AND METHODS: In the present cross-sectional study, we enrolled 100 PWE who visited outpatient settings in a public hospital for scheduled follow-up...

In soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merr.], drought stress is the leading cause of yield loss from abiotic stress in rain-fed US growing areas. Only 10% of the US soybean production is irrigated; therefore, plants must possess physiological mechanisms to tolerate drought stress. Slow canopy wilting is a physiological trait that is observed in a few exotic plant introductions (PIs) and may lead to yield improvement under drought stress. Canopy wilting of 130 recombinant inbred lines (RILs) derived from Hutcheson × PI 471938 grown under drought stress was visually evaluated and genotyped with the SoySNP6K BeadChip...

OBJECTIVE: Diagnostic testing is an important tool to combat the COVID-19 pandemic, yet access to and uptake of testing vary widely 3 years into the pandemic. The WHO recommends the use of COVID-19 self-testing as an option to help expand testing access. We aimed to calculate the cost of providing COVID-19 self-testing across countries and distribution modalities. DESIGN: We estimated economic costs from the provider perspective to calculate the total cost and the cost per self-test kit distributed for three scenarios that differed by costing period (pilot, annual), the number of tests distributed (actual, planned, scaled assuming an epidemic peak) and self-test kit costs (pilot purchase price, 50% reduction)...

A comprehensive study was conducted to assess heavy elemental pollution in the Savannah River, which flows through diverse landscapes encompassing agricultural, industrial, and commercial zones in South Carolina and Georgia. The investigation focused on the impacts of various anthropogenic activities on the river, potentially harming human health and aquatic ecosystems. Thirty samples, collected from the beginning of the Savannah River at Lake Hartwell to the Savannah River estuary near the Atlantic Ocean, were analyzed using Instrumental Neutron Activation Analysis...

BACKGROUND: Considering that dementia is an international public health priority, several countries have developed national dementia strategies outlining initiatives to address challenges posed by the disease. These strategies aim to improve the care, support, and resources available to meet the needs of persons living with dementia and their care partners and communities. Despite the known impact of social determinants of health on dementia risk, care, and outcomes, it is unclear whether dementia strategies adequately address related inequities...

Interictal Epileptiform Discharges (IED) and High Frequency Oscillations (HFO) in intraoperative electrocorticography (ECoG) may guide the surgeon by delineating the epileptogenic zone. We designed a modular spiking neural network (SNN) in a mixed-signal neuromorphic device to process the ECoG in real-time. We exploit the variability of the inhomogeneous silicon neurons to achieve efficient sparse and decorrelated temporal signal encoding. We interface the full-custom SNN device to the BCI2000 real-time framework and configure the setup to detect HFO and IED co-occurring with HFO (IED-HFO)...

We evaluated the feasibility of harvesting bilateral internal thoracic arteries with the da Vinci SP through a single left sided subcostal incision. Complete bilateral mobilization with sufficiently long conduits for multivessel grafting was possible in two human cadavers and two live porcine. Creating the subcostal access and docking the SP system took between 14 to 21 min and total harvest time ranged from 65 to 125 minutes in all models. No major bleeding was observed in the live porcine and hemostasis managed with the available instrumentation...

No abstract text is available yet for this article.

INTRODUCTION: Breast cancer (BC) incidence has been increasing among Asian-Americans (AsAms); recent data suggest these patients are less likely to undergo postmastectomy breast reconstruction (PMBR) compared to non-Asian women. Historically, AsAm BC patients are reported in aggregate, masking heterogeneity within this population. We aim to identify patterns of postmastectomy reconstruction among disaggregated AsAm BC patients at our institution. METHODS: A retrospective chart review was performed for BC patients who underwent mastectomy between 2017 and 2021...

CONTEXT: Carney complex (CNC) is a familial neoplasia syndrome associated with growth hormone (GH) excess (GHE). OBJECTIVE: To describe the frequency of GHE in a large cohort of patients with CNC, and to identify genotype-phenotype correlations. METHODS: Patients with CNC with at least one biochemical evaluation of GH secretion at our center from 1995-2021 (n=140) were included in the study. Diagnosis of GHE was based on levels of insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1), GH suppression during oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT), GH stimulation after thyrotropin (TRH) administration and overnight GH secretion...

Maintaining cognitive capacity through adulthood has been the target of many recent studies that have examined the influence of lifestyle choices such as exercise, diet, and sleeping habits. Many of these studies have focused on a single factor (e.g., diet) and its effect on cognitive abilities; however, humans make numerous lifestyle choices every single day, many of which interact and influence each other. Here, we investigated whether combinations of lifestyle choices can predict better or worse cognitive performance in the general population, and whether optimal combinations of choices existed depending on the cognitive domain...

BACKGROUND: Understanding the immune response kinetics to SARS-CoV-2 infection and COVID-19 vaccination is important in nursing home (NH) residents, a high-risk population. METHODS: An observational longitudinal evaluation of 37 consenting vaccinated NH residents with/without SARS-CoV-2 infection from October 2020 to July 2022 was conducted to characterize the immune response to spike protein due to infection and/or mRNA COVID-19 vaccine. Antibodies (IgG) to SARS-CoV-2 full-length spike, nucleocapsid, and receptor binding domain protein antigens were measured, and surrogate virus neutralization capacity was assessed using Meso Scale Discovery immunoassays...

INTRODUCTION: The currently accepted best practice radiation treatment for left breast cancer patients is Deep Inspiration Breath Hold (DIBH) where patients hold a deep breath to reduce late cardiac and pulmonary effects from treatment. DIBH can be challenging and induce or exacerbate anxiety in patients due to the perceived pressure to reduce radiation treatment side effects. This study explored the experiences of patients treated with Deep Inspiration Breath Hold Radiation Therapy (DIBH-RT) to improve patient-centred care and inform the design of multimedia educational tools for future patients undergoing DIBH...

INTRODUCTION: We aimed to expand the range of the frontotemporal dementia (FTD) phenotypes assessed by the Clinical Dementia Rating Dementia Staging Instrument plus National Alzheimer's Coordinating Center Behavior and Language Domains (CDR plus NACC FTLD). METHODS: Neuropsychiatric and motor domains were added to the standard CDR plus NACC FTLD generating a new CDR plus NACC FTLD-NM scale. This was assessed in 522 mutation carriers and 310 mutation-negative controls from the Genetic Frontotemporal dementia Initiative (GENFI)...

Microglia are sexually dimorphic, yet, this critical aspect is often overlooked in neuroscientific studies. Decades of research have revealed the dynamic nature of microglial-neuronal interactions, but seldom consider how this dynamism varies with microglial sex differences, leaving a significant gap in our knowledge. This study focuses on P2RY12, a highly expressed microglial signature gene that mediates microglial-neuronal interactions, we show that adult females have a significantly higher expression of the receptor than adult male microglia...

PURPOSE: Our study aims to estimate the prevalence of lingual nerve injury following bilateral sagittal split osteotomy (BSSO). METHODS: Two reviewers independently conducted a systematic literature search in the Medline and Scopus databases. The pooled prevalence with 95% confidence intervals (CI) was estimated, and quality assessment, outlier analysis, and influential analysis were performed. RESULTS: In total, eleven eligible studies comprising a total of 1,882 participants were included in this meta-analysis...

Phacomatosis pigmentokeratotica (PPK) is a RASopathy characterized by the presence of a sebaceous nevus and a papular speckled lentiginous nevus. This case report highlights the associated extracutaneous comorbidities, including life-threatening arrhythmia, and introduces topical rapamycin as a potential therapeutic avenue for sebaceous nevus in PPK patients.

Central conducting lymphatic anomaly (CCLA) is a complex lymphatic anomaly characterized by abnormalities of the central lymphatics and may present with nonimmune fetal hydrops, chylothorax, chylous ascites, or lymphedema. CCLA has historically been difficult to diagnose and treat; however, recent advances in imaging, such as dynamic contrast magnetic resonance lymphangiography, and in genomics, such as deep sequencing and utilization of cell-free DNA, have improved diagnosis and refined both genotype and phenotype...

The capacity of the state to develop and implement policy at the complex nexus of energy infrastructure, social inequality and housing is indicative of the political priorities of governing structures and, by extension, the nature of statecraft more generally. We compare and contrast the energy poverty amelioration policies of two former Yugoslav and two post-Soviet states located outside the European Union, but seeking to join its regulatory sphere - Serbia, Montenegro, Ukraine and Georgia - against the background of deep and persistent patterns of domestic energy hardship...