The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston

Total-cause and cause-specific mortality among U.S. criminal justice-involved veterans: associated risk and protective factors

Abstract Background This study examined rates and correlates of mortality among criminal justice-involved veterans (JIVs), who are a group of public health concern in the U.S. Methods Using data from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) between January 2014 and December 2...

Safety and feasibility of collagen-based wound powder use in high-risk primary total joint arthroplasty patients

Post-operative complications during the 90-day global period are a concern after primary total joint arthroplasty (TJA), especially in high-risk patients. Biological wound powders, such as collagen with extracellular matrix/proteins (Xcellistem), may enhance wound healing. This s...

Hv1 deficiency disrupts splenic antibacterial defense and immune homeostasis 18 months after traumatic brain injury in male mice

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is increasingly recognized as a chronic condition with lasting systemic consequences. Beyond persistent neuroinflammation, long-term TBI disrupts peripheral immune homeostasis, increasing susceptibility to infection and organ dysfunction, particularly...

Evidence‐based harm reduction training via ECHO: A mentor facilitated educational training for behavioral health providers

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Harm reduction strategies are essential to reducing morbidity and mortality associated with substance use disorders (SUD), yet many healthcare providers report limited training, knowledge gaps, and low confidence in implementing these approaches. Projec...

Microbial Dysbiosis, Infection, and Immunometabolic Signaling in Polyendocrine Metabolic Ovarian Syndrome (Formerly PCOS)

Polyendocrine metabolic ovarian syndrome (PMOS), recently proposed as a new name for polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), is a heterogeneous endocrine–metabolic disorder characterized by hyperandrogenism, ovulatory dysfunction, and variable ovarian morphology. Low-grade inflammation...

Simultaneous Versus Interval Sleeve Gastrectomy on Patients Requiring Left Ventricular Assist Devices for End-stage Heart Failure: A Retrospective, Single-Center Cohort Study

Durable Left ventricular assist devices (LVADs) are commonly employed as therapy in end-stage heart failure (ESHF). However, individuals with class II obesity (Body Mass Index (BMI) > 35 kg/m²) are often ineligible for heart transplant and have limited options. Laparoscopic sleev...

The Relationship Between Incarceration History and Dental Care and Oral Health in the United States: A Scoping Review

OBJECTIVES: To conduct a scoping review of observational quantitative studies examining the association between prior incarceration and (1) dental care use, (2) dental insurance coverage, and (3) oral health outcomes among US adults. METHODS: A search strategy was implemented acr...

High‐resolution spatial transcriptomic atlas of mouse soleus muscle: Unveiling single cell and subcellular heterogeneity in health and denervation

Skeletal muscle is essential for both movement and metabolic processes, characterized by a complex and ordered structure. Despite its importance, a detailed spatial map of gene expression within muscle tissue has been challenging to achieve due to the limitations of existing tech...

Computed Tomography‐ and Photoacoustic Imaging‐Active Bioresorbable Electrospun Bismuth Nanoparticle‐Infused Small‐Diameter Vascular Grafts

ABSTRACT Bioresorbable small‐diameter vascular grafts lack inherent radiopacity, hindering noninvasive longitudinal monitoring of device integrity and complications. Hence, this study introduces a bismuth nanoparticle (BiNP)‐infused electrospun polycaprolactone (PCL) small‐diamet...

Advances in the management of pediatric morphea: a narrative review

Pediatric morphea, also known as localized scleroderma, is a rare autoimmune condition characterized by skin fibrosis and, in severe cases, deeper tissue involvement. This review highlights the epidemiology, clinical presentation, and diagnostic challenges associated with pediatr...

Salivary Duct Carcinoma With Rhabdoid and Signet-Ring Cell Features Mimicking Invasive Lobular Carcinoma of the Breast: A Case Report and Review of the Literature

Salivary duct carcinoma is a rare, aggressive salivary gland malignancy that morphologically and immunophenotypically resembles breast ductal carcinoma. The rhabdoid variant is characterized by discohesive tumor cells with rhabdoid cytomorphology, frequent loss of E-cadherin expr...

Keyphrase identification using minimal labeled data with hierarchical contexts and transfer learning

Interoperable clinical decision support system (CDSS) rules provide a pathway to interoperability, a well-recognized challenge in health information technology. Building an ontology facilitates creating interoperable CDSS rules, and identifying the keyphrases (KP) from the existi...

Bully‐victim prevalence, over‐time stability, and risk and protective factors during elementary school

Background Children who both bully other children and are victims of bullies (BVs) are at greater risk for externalizing and internalizing problems, poor academic outcomes, and increased involvement in criminal behavior later in life. Yet the early emergence, over‐time stability,...

A multi-site benchmarking framework for scalable extraction of geriatric care constructs from electronic health records

Current Natural Language Processing (NLP) algorithms for detecting geriatric conditions are largely limited to domain-specific models that fail to capture the interdependent, multidimensional nature of comprehensive geriatric assessment. This study aimed to develop and evaluate a...

The Lived Experiences of Parent-Child Separation and Mental Health Needs Among Young Adults Experiencing Homelessness

Parent-child separation is common among young adult parents experiencing homelessness and has been described as traumatic, yet little is known about the parenting and separation experiences or related mental health needs among young adult parents experiencing homelessness. Using...

The catheterized urinary tract selects for MRR1 -mediated efflux and fluconazole resistance in Candida albicans biofilms

ABSTRACT Catheter-associated urinary tract infections (CAUTIs) are the most common nosocomial infection in developed countries, and Candida species are among the most frequently isolated organisms. Despite this, little is known about the biology, host-pathogen interactions, or ou...

Development and Validation of the Stress Burden of Electronic Cigarette Smoking Scale (SBECSS) Among Adult Dual Users

BACKGROUND: The present study aimed to develop and evaluate the preliminary validity of the Stress Burden of Electronic Cigarette Smoking Scale (SBECSS), a new measure designed to assess the level of stress burden associated with the co-occurring perceptions of electronic cigaret...

High Rate of Return to Sport in Competitive Athletes Undergoing Periacetabular Osteotomy With Concomitant Hip Arthroscopy

PURPOSE: To report the return-to-sport rate of competitive athletes with hip dysplasia, in relation to their preoperative level of competition, who underwent hip arthroscopy with concomitant periacetabular osteotomy (HA + PAO). METHODS: Patients participating in competitive sport...

Outcomes of Asian and Caucasian patients with type A aortic intramural haematoma: a multicentre registry analysis

Background Outcomes of aortic intramural haematoma (IMH) have shown disparities between Asian and Caucasian patients. We evaluated the heterogeneity of treatment effects in Asian and Caucasian patients with type A IMH. Methods This multicentre registry included individual patient...

Monoclonal antibodies inhibiting MMP-9 activity alleviate peripheral neuropathy in diabetic mice

Diabetic peripheral neuropathy (DPN) is a debilitating medical condition that affects millions of individuals, causing neuropathic pain and chronic wounds. Despite its substantial impact, there are currently no effective disease-modifying treatments available to prevent or revers...