Penn State Milton S. Hershey Medical Center

Cannabis use and perceptions among rural and urban cancer patients and survivors from a Pennsylvania cancer center

PURPOSE: Cannabis use has become more common among cancer patients for symptom management. Given the underrepresentation of rural patients in prior research, our study explored cannabis use and perceptions among cancer patients, with a focus on comparing rural and urban/suburban...

Latexin deletion in the bone marrow niche suppresses leukemia via LIFR downregulation and immune activation

Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is the most common adult leukemia diagnosis. Bone marrow (BM) niche significantly influences the initiation and progression of AML. However, our knowledge about the effect of leukemic niche on leukemia stem cells (LSC) and leukemogenesis is limited. I...

Biomechanical strain patterns in Meckel's cartilage underlie mandibular variation in FGFR2 mouse models

Abstract Sequence variations in fibroblast growth factor receptor 2 (FGFR2) are associated with craniosynostosis syndromes, disrupting craniofacial development, yet early mandibular alterations remain poorly characterized. This study examined Meckel's cartilage (MC) and mandibula...

Association of antiplatelet and anticoagulant use history with 30-day outcomes after lumbar puncture: a population-based retrospective study

Abstract Objective The safety of lumbar puncture in patients with a history of anticoagulant or antiplatelet use remains incompletely characterized. This study evaluated the coded occurrence of blood patch, paralysis, and spinal decompression within 30 days of lumbar puncture usi...

MicroRNA-122 as a regulator and biomarker of liver disease

MicroRNA-122 (miR-122) is the most abundant liver-specific microRNA, comprising ~ 70% of the hepatic miRNA pool, and a central regulator of lipid metabolism, inflammation, fibrosis, viral replication, and hepatocarcinogenesis. This review synthesizes experimental, clinical, and m...

Mechanical associated disseminated intravascular coagulation during extracorporeal membrane oxygenation: a case series

Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) is a life-saving intervention for patients with refractory cardiac or respiratory failure. Complications associated with ECMO include bleeding, thrombosis, and coagulopathy. Overt disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC) in ECMO pati...

BEAR-GRN: Systematic assessment of single-cell multi-omics-based gene regulatory network inference methods

Identifying regulatory gene interactions is inherently challenging as it depends on both the transcriptional and epigenetic landscapes. Multiple methods are proposed to infer gene regulatory networks (GRNs) using single-cell multi-omics data, yet the absence of a standardized ben...

Reframing vaccine safety: recognizing mass psychogenic illness as an adverse event following immunization

Abstract Diagnoses of mass psychogenic illness (MPI) following vaccination usually occur after the failure of all efforts to find a plausible biological mechanism for the collective reaction to the vaccine in question. They are experienced as waste-basket diagnoses that leave suf...

Conference Goals And Learning Preferences Among Attendees at A National Surgical Meeting

Objective This study evaluated differences in conference goals and preferred learning modalities across demographic groups at a national surgical conference. Design An optional online survey collected demographic information (gender, practice type, role, years in independent prac...

Post Stroke Epilepsy: Epidemiology, Risk Factors, Prevention, Management, and Future Directions

Abstract Purpose of Review Post-stroke epilepsy (PSE) is an increasingly important cause of long-term neurologic morbidity, healthcare utilization, and reduced quality of life among stroke survivors. This review summarizes current understanding of post-stroke epileptogenesis, cli...

Neuroprotective effects of ketamine, lamotrigine, and ketoprofen combinations after pars plana vitrectomy and silicone oil injection

Abstract Purpose This experimental study aims to assess the protective impact of combined treatment with ketamine (KTM), lamotrigine (LMT), and ketoprofen (KTP), agents that have demonstrated neuroprotective properties in other experimental contexts, on rabbit retinas in an exper...

Longitudinal Iron Changes in the Substantia Nigra of Early‐Stage Parkinson's Disease

BACKGROUND: Progression of substantia nigra pars compacta (SNc) iron content in early-stage Parkinson's patients (PD) is poorly understood. OBJECTIVE: To determine if nigral iron measured by quantitative susceptibility mapping (QSM) with zero-referencing can track disease progres...

Watching ‘AF’ter the Heart: the WATCHMAN TM device for atrial fibrillation

Atrial fibrillation (AF) is the most common sustained cardiac arrhythmia and a leading cause of cardioembolic stroke. In nonvalvular atrial fibrillation (NVAF), thrombus formation occurs predominantly within the left atrial appendage (LAA), making it a key therapeutic target. Whi...

Pilot Voided Volume Validation Study: Sound-Based Smartphone Applications Can Accurately Measure Voided Volume

Background/Objectives: The objective of this study was to test the accuracy of two sound-based voided volume measurement applications compared to voided volume based on the measurement of pre- and post-void weight using a high-resolution scale. Methods: Seven male and four female...

PD-1 regulates CD4+ T cell-mediated CD8+ T cell responses in the brain to balance viral control and neuroinflammation

Abstract Programmed cell death protein 1 (PD-1) is expressed by T cells during progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy (PML), a life-threatening brain disease caused by the human-only JC polyomavirus. Why PD-1 blockade finds variable success in PML patients is unclear. Brain C...

Stereotactic Body Radiotherapy vs Moderately Hypofractionated IMRT for Localized Intermediate-Risk Prostate Cancer

Importance The treatment of prostate cancer with radiotherapy is evolving. How quickly radiotherapy can be delivered, and the relative risks and benefits of such a treatment, is of significant public interest. Objective To determine whether stereotactic body radiotherapy (SBRT) w...

Transplant Infectious Diseases Work Standards—Results From a Mid‐Atlantic Regional Survey

BACKGROUND: As transplantation and cellular therapy expand, so must the transplant infectious diseases (TID) workforce; yet little is known about regional or national TID work standards for the existing workforce. This survey of TID clinicians in the mid-Atlantic region seeks to...

Management of Infantile Epileptic Spasms Syndrome: A survey of US pediatric hospitals

Abstract Objective To evaluate the management practices of Infantile Epileptic Spasms Syndrome (IESS) across tertiary pediatric hospitals in the United States using a survey‐based approach. Methods A 21‐question survey focused on management setting, work‐up, follow‐up and treatme...