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The synthesis of polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) spheres with different sizes has been a challenge. PMMA has promise for future applications, e.g., as a template for preparing porous oxide coatings by thermal decomposition. Different amounts of SDS as a surfactant are used as an alternative to control PMMA microsphere size through the formation of micelles. The objectives of the study were twofold: firstly, to determine the mathematical relationship between SDS concentration and PMMA sphere diameter, and secondly, to assess the efficacy of PMMA spheres as templates for SnO2 coating synthesis and their impact on porosity. The study used FTIR, TGA, and SEM techniques to analyze the PMMA samples, and SEM and TEM techniques were used for SnO2 coatings. The results showed that PMMA sphere diameter could be adjusted by varying the SDS concentration, with sizes ranging from 120 to 360 nm. The mathematical relationship between PMMA sphere diameter and SDS concentration was determined with a y = axb type equation. The porosity of SnO2 coatings was found to be dependent on the PMMA sphere diameter used as a template. The research concludes that PMMA can be used as a template to produce oxide coatings, such as SnO2, with tunable porosities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Children with autism spectrum disorder are at increased risk for obesity compared to typically developing children. Many obesity intervention programs exclude children with autism spectrum disorder. There is little research on developmentally inclusive approaches to pediatric weight management. We examined the outcomes of children and families with autism spectrum disorder in an inclusive, comprehensive behavioral family-based lifestyle intervention. A secondary analysis of a randomized controlled trial on families enrolled in a comprehensive behavioral family-based lifestyle intervention was conducted. Analyses included chi-square or Fisher's exact tests to examine family and child differences in program completion rates and multivariate regression analysis using generalized estimating equation to further examine differences in weight outcomes between children with autism spectrum disorder versus no autism spectrum disorder accounting for other covariates. There were 158 families; 15 families had children with autism spectrum disorder. There were no significant differences in demographics, program completion, or weight outcomes between the two groups. Children who completed the intervention had a significant decrease in body mass index Z -scores, but no change in their percentage of the 95th percentiles. Families of children with autism spectrum disorder participated in a comprehensive behavioral family-based lifestyle intervention alongside children without autism spectrum disorder with similar outcomes. Comprehensive behavioral family-based lifestyle intervention can meet the weight management needs of children with autism spectrum disorder using an inclusive approach, expanding access to needed obesity interventions. Children diagnosed with autism are likely to be more overweight than children who do not have autism. There are many group programs that help children to be more physically active and improve their eating habits to achieve healthy weight, but most of these programs do not allow children with autism to participate. We studied a program that was specially adapted so children with autism could participate together with peers who do not have autism. The program lasted 8 weeks and was offered in the evening at a large healthcare center in a big city. The children participated with a parent or another adult who takes care of them. We analyzed data that were part of a previous project where we studied how physical activity trackers called Fitbit help overweight children to change their eating and exercise habits so they can achieve healthier weight. Out of 158 families in the study, 15 families had a child or children with autism. We measured changes in the weight of children with and without autism and compared how many of the children completed the program. Children who had autism had similar results in achieving healthy weight and finishing the program compared to their peers without autism. Our study found that when a group weight management program is slightly changed to meet the needs of children with autism, they can successfully participate and benefit similarly to their peers who do not have autism. Registration: This trial was registered with ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT03215641). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the present work, zinc titanates (ZTO) as photocatalysts were synthesized, characterized, and evaluated aiming to study their photocatalytic properties for hydrogen production under visible-light irradiation and employing MeOH (methanol) and TEOA (Triethanolamine) as sacrificial agents. ZTO were synthesized by modified Pechini method. Characterization of materials consisted in TGA, XRD, TEM, EELS, BET, and UV–Vis. Surface interaction studies consisted of FT-IR spectroscopy and determination of MeOH and TEOA adsorption–desorption capacities on the ZTO by TGA. Zinc titanates were evaluated as photocatalyst for H2 production using an artificial visible light and monitored by GC. TGA results led to establish calcination temperatures of 550 °C (Zn2Ti3O8) and 700 °C (ZnTiO3) to reach their crystalline phases. XRD analysis of sample cds-ZTO found cubic Zn2Ti3O8 and traces of the ZnO crystalline phase, while p-ZTO exhibited a mixture of cubic and hexagonal ZnTiO3 crystalline phases. Surface area for cds-ZTO was 88 m2/g, while ZnTiO3 had 13 m2/g. Photocatalytic H2 production for cds-ZTO and p-ZTO using TEOA as sacrificial agent showed the highest photocatalytic activities generating 548 and 441 µmolH2/h.gcat. TEOA adsorption–desorption capacity was found superior on cds-ZTO and p-ZTO than that for MeOH on both samples. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

OBJECTIVES: This study assessed the state of pediatric medical device (PMD) development by comparing PMD clinical trials to pediatric trials evaluating drugs and biologics, from 1999 to 2022. METHODS: The site www.clinicaltrials.gov was used to identify and quantify both PMD clinical trials and pediatric trials for drugs and biologics. Clinical specialty was also assessed. The institutions included were the 7 children's hospitals primarily affiliated with the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Pediatric Device Consortia (PDC) grant program between 2018 and 2023. For a national comparison, an additional search assessed PMD trials across all US medical institutions. RESULTS: A total of 243 PMD clinical trials were identified at the FDA-PDC institutions on the basis of the year of initiation; the average number of PMD trials initiated per year per institution was 1.5 from 1999 to 2022. However, PMD trials significantly increased during the period 2014 to 2022 compared with 1999 to 2013 (P < .001); the rate of initiation of drug and biologic pediatric trials demonstrated no significant differences between these time periods. A national survey of all institutions initiating PMD trials, and drugs and biologics trials, identified 1885 PMD trials out of a total 12 943. A comparable trend was noted in the national survey with initiation of PMD trials increasing significantly from 2014 to 2022 (P < .001), compared with 1999 to 2013, whereas the rate of initiation of drug and biologic trials during these periods did not demonstrate a significant change. CONCLUSIONS: Although pediatric clinical trial initiation for drugs and biologics remained stable from 1999 to 2022, the rate of new PMD trials significantly increased during the period 2014 to 2022 at FDA-PDC institutions and nationally. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

No trial has tested the effects of late time-restricted eating (lTRE) on glycemic control or body composition in adolescents with type 2 diabetes (T2D). The objective of the current study was to examine the feasibility, acceptability, and preliminary efficacy of lTRE compared with a prolonged eating window in adolescents with T2D. A 12-week, randomized, controlled, feasibility study of lTRE compared with control in adolescents with obesity and new-onset T2D was conducted. Eligible participants were 13 to 21 years of age with a diagnosis of T2D, on metformin monotherapy, recruited from Children's Hospital Los Angeles, between January 2021 and December of 2022. From 36 eligible participants, 27 were enrolled (75% recruitment rate; age, 16.5 ± 1.7 years; hemoglobin A1c [HbA1c], 6.6% ± 0.9%; 22/27 [81%] Hispanic, 17/27 [63%] female, 23/27 [85%] public insurance; all P -values > 0.05), and 23 of 27 completed the protocol. Participants wore a continuous glucose monitor (CGM) daily and were randomized to 1 of 2 meal-timing schedules for 12-weeks: (1) lTRE (eating all food between 12:00 pm and 20:00 pm without calorie counting or recommended daily caloric intake) or (2) Control (eating over a period of 12 or more hours per day). Study recruitment, retention, and adherence to intervention arms were captured to operationalize feasibility. Glucose control (HbA1c), weight loss (%BMI p95), total body fat mass on dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry, sleep, and dietary intake were explored as secondary outcomes. Analyses were based on the intention-to-treat population. Between-group differences in clinical outcomes were assessed using mixed-effects longitudinal regression models. Overall adherence to the 8-hour lTRE was 6.2 ± 1.1 d/wk, and control was 5.9 ± 0.9 d/wk. Participants assigned to lTRE indicated that limiting their eating window did not negatively affect their daily functioning, and no adverse events were reported. In this pilot study, lTRE led to a reduction in %BMI p95 (−3.4%; 95%confidence interval [CI], ‒6.1, ‒0.7, P = 0.02), HbA1c (−0.4%; 95%CI, ‒0.9, ‒0.01; P = 0.06), and alanine transaminase (ALT; –31.1 U/L; 95%CI, ‒60, ‒2; P = 0.05) within the group. There was no significant difference observed between lTRE and control across these measures (all P > 0.05). The lTRE group had a ‒271.4 (95% CI, ‒565.2, 5.2) kcal/day energy reduction compared with a +293.2 (95% CI, 30.4, 552.7) kcal/day increase in Control (P = 0.01). There were no significant changes observed in sleep or eating behaviors over the study period between groups. Recruitment and retention rates suggest a trial of lTRE in adolescents with T2D was feasible. lTRE was seen as acceptable by participants, and adherence was high. A revised intervention, building on the successful elements of this pilot alongside adapting implementations strategies to augment adherence and engagement, should therefore be considered. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The characteristics of a person's health status are often guided by how they live, grow, learn, their genetics, as well as their access to health care. Yet, all too often, studies examining the relationship between social determinants of health (behavioral, sociocultural, and physical environmental factors), the role of demographics, and health outcomes poorly represent these relationships, leading to misinterpretations, limited study reproducibility, and datasets with limited representativeness and secondary research use capacity. This is a profound hurdle in what questions can or cannot be rigorously studied about COVID‐19. In practice, gene–environment interactions studies have paved the way for including these factors into research. Similarly, our understanding of social determinants of health continues to expand with diverse data collection modalities as health systems, patients, and community health engagement aim to fill the knowledge gaps toward promoting health and wellness. Here, a conceptual framework is proposed, adapted from the population health framework, socioecological model, and causal modeling in gene–environment interaction studies to integrate the core constructs from each domain with practical considerations needed for multidisciplinary science. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This commentary article discusses the benefits of utilizing telemedicine to conduct shared medical appointments for people with type 1 diabetes and type 2 diabetes. We conducted a literature review of articles about shared medical appointments or group medical visits in people with diabetes with associated clinical data. We identified 43 articles. Models of this approach to care have demonstrated positive outcomes in adults and children with type 1 diabetes. Shared telemedicine appointments also have the potential to improve diabetes self-management, reduce the treatment burden, and improve psychosocial outcomes in adults with type 2 diabetes. Ten key recommendations for implementation are presented to guide the development of shared telemedicine appointments for diabetes. These recommendations can improve care for diabetes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The genomes of several infectious pancreatic necrosis viruses (IPNVs) isolated in Chile were sequenced with a single amplification approach for both segments A and B. The resulting sequences were then used to determine the conservation of the primer-binding regions used in polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-based diagnostic methods proposed in the literature. Thus, the robustness of each technique was studied, particularly the eventual effect of further mutations within the primer-binding sites. Results: On analysis, most methods currently used to detect Chilean IPNV varieties were deemed adequate. However, the primers were designed to be genogroup specific, implying that most detection methods pose some risk of detecting all strains prevalent in the country, due to the coexistence of genogroups 1 and 5. Conclusions: Negative resultsmust be interpreted carefully given the high genomic variability of IPNVs. Detection techniques (quantitative reverse transcription (qRT)-PCR) based on degenerate primers can be used to minimize the possibilities of false-negative detections. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study determined the methylation status of cellular retinoic acid-binding protein (CRABP) gene promoters and associated them with demographic characteristics, habits, and the presence of human papilloma virus (HPV) in patients with cervical cancer (CC), low and high squamous intraepithelial lesions, and no intraepithelial lesion. Women (n = 158) were selected from the Colposcopy Clinic of Sanitary Jurisdiction II in Ciudad Juarez, Chihuahua, Mexico. Demographic characteristics and habit information were collected. Cervical biopsy and endocervical scraping were used to determine methylation in promoter regions by methylation-specific polymerase chain reaction technique. We found hemi-methylation patterns in the promoter regions of CRABP1 and CRABP2; there was 28.5% hemi-methylation in CRABP1 and 7.0% in that of CRABP2. Methylation in CRABP1 was associated with age ($35 years, P = 0.002), family history of cancer (P = 0.032), the presence of HPV-16 (P = 0.013), and no alcohol intake (P = 0.035). These epigenetic changes could be involved in the CC process, and CRABP1 has the potential to be a predictive molecular marker of retinoid therapy response. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A 67-year-old man presented with chest pain. Clinical examination revealed hypertension (160/90 mm Hg). Electrocardiogram indicated no acute coronary syndrome and cardiac enzymes were normal. Catheterization was performed owing to the patient's continuing chest pain and ascending aortogram revealed irregular aortic wall. A computed tomography image showed the shape of penetrating ulcer. The patient was taken to the operating room and intraoperative examination confirmed the diagnosis of penetrating atherosclerotic ulcer (PAU). Coronary artery bypass graft and bovine pericardial patch repair of PAU was performed. A bovine pericardial patch was done as aortic root was heavily calcified and was easy to handle and more hemostatic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]