Duke University

Early life factors documented in electronic health records predict recurrent acute otitis media

Recurrent acute otitis media (rAOM; defined as ≥3 AOM episodes in 6 months or ≥4 episodes in 12 months) affects 10–15% of children in the United States and is a leading cause of healthcare utilization and antibiotic prescriptions. Prospective identification of children at risk of...

Current Trends in Therapeutic Outcomes Among Patients With Metastatic Renal Cell Carcinoma of the Spine: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Study Design Systematic Review. Objectives The objective of this study was to answer two questions: (1) Did the overall survival (OS) of patients with spinal metastatic renal cell carcinoma (mRCC) improve in publications from 2017 and afterwards compared to 2016 and before? (2) D...

AI-BASED SURGEON AND PATIENT-SPECIFIC INTRAOPERATIVE PLANNING ALGORITHM FOR TOTAL KNEE ARTHROPLASTY

Background Total knee arthroplasty (TKA) is one of the most commonly performed orthopedic procedures worldwide, with outcomes critically dependent on accurate implant sizing and placement across 14 degrees of freedom. Despite advances in robotic-assisted systems — such as the Smi...

Structure based discovery of antipsychotic-like TAAR1 agonists

Abstract Schizophrenia is a severe mental illness whose current treatments primarily target dopamine and serotonin receptors. These drugs often cause side effects and vary in effectiveness across patients. The trace amine-associated receptor 1 (TAAR1), which modulates monoamine s...

Assessing the impacts of sufficient and reliable electricity in low-resource healthcare facilities

Health systems across sub-Saharan Africa often lack the electricity needed for lighting, medical, diagnostic, and sterilization equipment, and refrigeration. More than one billion people globally rely on facilities with no electricity or a highly unreliable supply. Using survey d...

Dry Eye Disease Therapies at a Crossroads—A Call for Reform

This Viewpoint discusses current approval pathways for dry eye disease medications and the need to advance the standard of evidence for these medications.

Artificial Intelligence–Based Detection of ARIA on MRI During Alzheimer Disease Therapy: Expert Opinion on Responsible Clinical Integration

Amyloid-targeted monoclonal antibody therapies have introduced a new era in the treatment of early Alzheimer disease. However, their use has increased the importance of detecting and monitoring amyloid-related imaging abnormalities (ARIA) on MRI, as such findings may influence tr...

Longitudinal predictors of internalizing and externalizing behaviors in autism: Examining relationships with ritualistic behavior and social diagnostic features

Abstract Autistic youth commonly experience co-occurring mental health conditions. Core autism features have been linked to internalizing and externalizing symptoms, yet longitudinal pathways remain unclear. This study examined how ritualistic and social diagnostic features predi...

Prioritizing Global Health Education in Pulmonary and Critical Care Fellowships: An Applicant Survey

Abstract Background Global Health (GH) is expanding, offering an increasing number of opportunities for engagement to trainees in medical schools and residency programs. This expansion of opportunities has not yet reached those at the fellowship level, particularly in Critical Ca...

The AFLOW library of crystallographic prototypes: Part 5

The AFLOW library of crystallographic prototypes has been updated to incorporate an additional 344 entries, which now reaches 2,127 prototypes. ICSD and CCDC numbers have been added to the website alongside improvements to the user interface. New tutorials covering the basics of...

Biliary complications in pediatric living donor liver transplantation: An international multicenter analysis of risk and prognostic factors

Biliary reconstruction is often considered the Achilles’ heel of liver transplantation, yet risk factors and outcomes remain poorly defined, particularly in pediatric living donor liver transplantation (LDLT). This international multicenter study aims to identify predictors of bi...

Shoulder Surgery Studies in Contact and Collision Athletes Prioritize Patient‐Reported Outcomes but Infrequently Report Athlete‐Specific Measures: A Systematic Review

Purpose To systematically evaluate outcome reporting practices in studies of shoulder surgery in competitive contact and collision sport athletes and determine whether athlete‐relevant outcome measures are being used. Methods A systematic search based on Preferred Reporting Items...

The influence of walking speed on the mechanoresponsiveness of biomarkers

Purpose The goal of this study was to examine short-term biomarker responses to walking at three different speeds in healthy individuals.Materials and methods Healthy participants completed three study visits. At each visit, participants rested supine for 45 minutes, after which...

Functional alignment of protein language models via reinforcement learning

Protein language models (pLMs) enable generative design of novel protein sequences but remain fundamentally misaligned with protein engineering goals, as they lack explicit understanding of function and often fail to improve properties beyond those found in nature. We introduce R...

Short-term air pollution exposure and hospitalizations in idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis: data from the IPF-PRO Registry

Abstract Rationale While long-term exposure to ambient air pollution in patients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) has been associated with an increased risk of disease progression and mortality, the risks associated with acute exposure are less clear. Objective To determi...

Hydroclimatic-driven pulse enrichment amplifies riverine microplastic export in developing countries

Rivers are key conduits in the global microplastic cycle, but how much they export to ` ocean and what controls this export remain unresolved. Here, we present a global daily dataset of riverine microplastic concentrations and exports and find that rivers delivered far more micro...

Burden and Risk Factors for Severe Respiratory Syncytial Virus Infection Among Pediatric Hematopoietic Cell Transplant Recipients

BACKGROUND: Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) causes substantial morbidity in pediatric hematopoietic cell transplant (HCT) recipients; however, risk factors for severe disease remain incompletely characterized. METHODS: We conducted a multicenter retrospective cohort study acros...

Lipid flip-flop in biological membranes: through the lens of TMEM16F

The asymmetric distribution of phospholipids between membrane leaflets is a hallmark of all known cells, yet many fundamental questions about membrane lipid asymmetry remain unanswered. Why do cells invest energy to establish and maintain this thermodynamically unstable state? Ho...

Assessing Value of Behavioral Interventions: Designing Cost-Effectiveness Analyses for Food-Is-Medicine Interventions

Food-is-Medicine (FIM) interventions, including medically tailored meals, medically tailored groceries, and produce prescriptions, represent a promising approach to prevent, manage, and treat diet-related diseases. As the evidence base for FIM interventions expands through large-...

Non‐Weightbearing in Hinged‐Knee Braces Locked in High Degrees of Flexion Shows High Hamstring Muscle Activation in Healthy Volunteers

Purpose To determine the effect of various postoperative ambulation and bracing protocols on hamstring muscle group activation in healthy volunteers. Methods Hamstring muscle group activation was assessed via Myontec Mbody 3 Shorts. Volunteers ambulated 10 yards in conditions inc...