Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

Racial, Ethnic, And Neighborhood Disparities In Acute Kidney Injury In Pediatric Acute Leukemia, Wendy C Bravo, Yimei Li, Tamara P Miller, Kelly Getz, Lusha Cao, Edward Krause, Mark Ramos, Judy Lee, Maria Monica Gramatges, Karen R Rabin, Michael Scheurer, Richard Aplenc, Michelle Denburg

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Introduction: We sought to identify racial/ethnic and neighborhood disparities in acute kidney injury (AKI) in children with acute lymphoblastic or myeloid leukemia (ALL, AML).

Methods: Electronic health record data were retrospectively collected from patients treated for de novo pediatric ALL or AML in the multicenter Leukemia Electronic Abstraction of Records Network. AKI was defined by modified Kidney Disease Improving Global Outcomes criteria. Neighborhood-level resources were defined by the Child Opportunity Level (COL). Prevalence ratios (PRs) for AKI at diagnosis by race/ethnicity and COL were calculated using modified Poisson regression. Cox regression was used to calculate hazard ratios (HRs) of first …

Maternal Fish Intake In The Year Prior To Conception And Birth Defects, National Birth Defects Prevention Study, 1997-2011, Dorothy Kim Waller, Zeyu Miao, Renata H Benjamin, Richard Finnell, Nithya Lakshmi Mohan Dass, Eirini Nestoridi, Marcia C De Oliveira Otto, Julie Peterson, Tunu Ramadhani, Mark A Canfield

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Background: Epidemiologic data on the association between maternal fish intake and birth defects are sparse. Our objective was to assess associations between maternal fish intake and 52 different birth defects, most of which have not been assessed previously.

Methods: Using logistic regression, data was analyzed for 29,242 mothers of infants with birth defects and 10,973 mothers of control infants who participated in the National Birth Defects Prevention Study (NBDPS) and delivered between 1997 and 2011. We focused on associations between mothers who reported high fish intake of 2 or more servings of fish per week for the year prior to …

Single-Nuclei Transcriptomic Profiling Of Human Myocardium In Long-Chain 3-Hydroxyacyl-Coenzyme A Dehydrogenase Deficiency, Hanna J Tadros, Diwakar Turaga, Yi Zhao, Chang-Ru Tsai, Lalita Wadhwa, Debra L Kearney, Iki Adachi, Xiao Li, James F Martin

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

No abstract provided.

Lp(A) Has Specific Effects On Coronary Artery Disease Independent Of Ldl-C: A Mendelian Randomization Study, Moa P Lee, Sarah H Koenigsberg, Mohammad Y Anwar, Laura M Raffield, Zhaotong Lin, Anna F Ballou, John N Booth, Thibaut Davy-Mendez, Helina Kassahun, Shia T Kent, J Antonio G López, Keri L Monda, Kari E North, Rina Yarosh, Christie M Ballantyne, Misa Graff, Christy L Avery

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Background: Mendelian randomization studies suggest a causal effect of lipoprotein(a) (Lp(a)) on atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease. Noncardiovascular effects (eg, diabetes risk) are inadequately investigated.

Objectives: In this noninterventional phenome-wide association study designed to better understand the potential causal role of Lp(a), direct causal phenotypic effects of exposure to Lp(a) were estimated. Also, the association between LPA null allele rs41272114 with type 2 diabetes was assessed, and ancestry-specific Lp(a) thresholds were determined.

Methods: In the UK Biobank (n = 425,677 adults, 55% female), we studied 1,456 phenotypes spanning 18 classes using 4 ancestry-specific polygenic risk scores and false discovery rate multiple testing …

Risk Factors For The Development Of Food Allergy In Infants And Children: A Systematic Review And Meta-Analysis, Nazmul Islam, Alexandro W L Chu, Falana Sheriff, Farid Foroutan, Gordon H Guyatt, Romina Brignardello-Petersen, Paul Oykhman, Alfonso Iorio, Ariel Izcovich, Katherine M Morrison, Yetiani Roldan Benitez, Rachel J Couban, Dorota Borovsky, Yiming Zhang, Leonardo Ologundudu, Keerthana Pasumarthi, Syed Fahad Farooq, Kyle Tong, Wang-Choi Tang, Haseeb Faisal, Muhammad Faran Khalid, Mohammad Saad Asif, Shannon French, Susan Waserman, R Sharon Chinthrajah, Hugh A Sampson, S Shahzad Mustafa, Jay A Lieberman, Kirsi M Järvinen, Sally Bailey, Philippe Bégin, Scott H Sicherer, Jennifer Gerdts, Melanie Carver, Lynda Mitchell, Kelly Cleary, Matthew J Greenhawt, Julie Wang, Aikaterini Anagnostou, Marcus S Shaker, Anita Chandra-Puri, Patricia C Fulkerson, Robert A Wood, Derek K Chu

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Importance: The incidence and risk (predictive) factors for early life food allergy development remain uncertain.

Objective: To estimate the incidence and quantify risk factors for food allergy development.

Data sources: MEDLINE and Embase were systematically searched to January 1, 2025. Data were analyzed from June 1, 2025, to November 25, 2025.

Study selection: Incidence estimates included studies confirming food allergy via food challenge. Risk factor analyses included cohort, case-control, and cross-sectional studies in any language assessing children younger than 6 years using multivariable analyses.

Data extraction and synthesis: Paired reviewers independently extracted data. Random-effects meta-analyses pooled incidence and adjusted odds …

Impact Of Obesity On Complication Rates After Treatment Of Slipped Capital Femoral Epiphysis: A Retrospective Cohort Database Study, Holden Archer, Scott B Rosenfeld, Pablo Castañeda, Jessica A Mcgraw-Heinrich, Simon P Kelley

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Background: While obesity is a well-established risk factor for slipped capital femoral epiphysis (SCFE), limited data exist regarding its impact on postoperative complication rates. This study aimed to evaluate the association between obesity and complications following SCFE treatment.

Methods: We queried a large national database for pediatric patients who underwent treatment for SCFE between June 2005 and June 2025. We divided this cohort into patients with obesity and patients without obesity. We matched the cohorts with a propensity scoring algorithm on a one-to-one basis, resulting in 1,175 patients in each group. We tracked outcomes including infection, pulmonary embolism (PE), chondrolysis, …

Derivation And Validation Of The Pediatric Community-Acquired Pneumonia Severity (Pedcaps) Score: A Prospective Cohort Study, Todd A Florin, Ron Reeder, Lilliam Ambroggio, Richard M Ruddy, Samir S Shah, Allison Cator, Matthew J Lipshaw, Geoffrey A Capraro, Laura F Sartori, Amy Y Cheng, Leah Tzimenatos, Patrick S Walsh, Claudia R Morris, Chris A Rees, Son H Mclaren, Tamar R Lubell, Chari D Larsen, Justin Moher, Eileen J Klein, Shubhada Hooli, Nathan Kuppermann

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Introduction: Community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) is a frequent and costly cause of pediatric emergency department (ED) visits and hospitalizations. Previous prognostic tools for CAP are limited by small samples, single-center or retrospective designs, lack of generalizability to ED settings, lack of biomarkers, or limited objective data. To overcome these limitations, we will derive and externally validate a prediction rule for pediatric CAP severity in a large, multicenter prospective cohort.

Methods: This is a prospective cohort study of children 3 months to 18 years old with CAP who present to EDs within the Pediatric Emergency Care Applied Research Network. Enrollment began 8/2023 …

Immigration Enforcement In Protected Areas-Implications For Health And Equitable Access To Care, Eric A Russell, Carmelle Wallace

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

No abstract provided.

Phenotypic Diversity And Outcomes In Pediatric Nmda Receptor Encephalitis: A 15-Year Retrospective Study From The Largest Children's Hospital In The United States, Alexander J Sandweiss, Timothy Erickson, Yike Jiang, Varun Kannan, Jonathan M Yarimi, Kristen S Fisher, Nikita Shukla, Tim Lotze, Eyal Muscal, Kristy O Murray

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Anti‐NMDAR encephalitis (NMDARE) is an autoantibody‐mediated disorder characterized by seizures, movement disorders, neurocognitive deficits, and psychosis, but the complete phenotypic heterogeneity, and outcomes are incompletely understood in children. This single‐center retrospective analysis of NMDARE at the largest pediatric hospital in the United States between 2009 and 2024 screened 115 patients diagnosed with NMDARE. 103 had sufficient clinical data available for analyses. Two‐thirds were Hispanic, disproportionate to the Houston metro area demographics, and Hispanic patients had a higher CSF white cell count and antibody titer. Approximately one‐half of the patients with idiopathic NMDARE presented with a focal cortical phenotype that localized …

Circulating Sphingomyelins Correlate With Plasma T-Tau In Cognitively Unimpaired Older Adults At Risk Of Developing Alzheimer's Disease, Tahmida Sharmin, James D. Doecke, Pratishtha Chatterjee, Steve Pedrini, Hamid R. Sohrabi, Nicholas J. Ashton, Henrik Zetterberg, Manohar L. Garg, Kaj Blennow, Ralph N. Martins

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Alterations in plasma sphingomyelin (SM) levels have been reported in Alzheimer's disease (AD), pointing to disturbances in lipid metabolism that may contribute to disease pathogenesis. Neuronal damage in early AD triggers tau release into central and peripheral systems. Despite influence from peripheral contributions, alterations in plasma total-tau (T-tau) remain valuable in indicating AD-related neurodegeneration. Investigating relationships between SM metabolism and tau release during preclinical AD may uncover important biochemical processes and support advancing early non-invasive detection and treatment approaches. This cross-sectional study investigated cognitively unimpaired (CU) older adults from the KARVIAH cohort, grouped by cortical amyloid-β (Aβ) status through positron …

A High-Throughput Assay For Monitoring And Quantifying Amyloid-Β Accumulation And Clearance In Alzheimer's Disease Cell Models, Ajish Ariyath, Fraulein Denise Arigo, Anna Fyfe, W. M.A.D.Binosha Fernando, Ralph Martins, Prashant Bharadwaj

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Amyloidogenic proteins, such as amyloid-β (Aβ), self-assemble into cross-β fibrils whose accumulation is central to Alzheimer's disease (AD). Measuring Aβ aggregation and clearance in living cells remains challenging using current cell-based assays, which are often low-throughput or not suited for real-time monitoring. This study aimed to (1) develop a robust, quantitative, and scalable fluorescence-based assay using Amytracker to monitor Aβ accumulation and clearance in an Aβ-producing neuronal cell model, and (2) validate its utility for mechanistic studies and therapeutic screening. We established a plate-based fluorescence assay using Amytracker in MC65 neuronal AD model expressing the Amyloid precursor protein C-terminal fragment …

Dyadic Agreement In And Task Correlates To A Measurement Of Conversational Success, Samantha Budge

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

Successful conversation matters for social connection, wellbeing, and quality of life, but people do not always agree on whether a conversation was successful, even when they participated in the same interaction. Conversation is also commonly measured through task success, even though it’s unclear how task success correlates to how successful a conversation feels. This study examined how conversational success is experienced by different conversation partners and whether feeling successful in a conversation is related to how well a task is completed.

Participants took part in a structured conversational task and then rated their own conversational experience using a self-report questionnaire …

Interplay Between Genetic Ancestry, Self-Reported Race And Ethnicity, And Clinical Factors In Pediatric Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia: A Redial Consortium Report, Pragati Kore, Jennifer M Geris, Maria Leon-Camarena, Maria I Castellanos, Olga A Taylor, Veronica Garcia-Morales, Austin L Brown, Pagna Sok, Jeremy M Schraw, Van Huynh, Kathleen F Ludwig, Laura J Klesse, Sandi L Pruitt, Amy E Hughes, Kevin Tien, Kenneth M Heym, Timothy Griffin, Rodrigo Erana, Juan Carlos Bernini, Maria M Gramatges, Elizabeth G Atkinson, Philip J Lupo, Michael E Scheurer, Karen R Rabin

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Background: Pediatric acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) is the most common cancer in children, and its incidence and outcomes vary by race and ethnicity.

Methods: The Reducing Ethnic Disparities in Acute Leukemia (REDIAL) Consortium has assembled a cohort of patients < 25 years at diagnosis to examine genetic and neighborhood-level factors influencing ALL. As the cohort is ongoing, for this report, we examined sociodemographic and cytogenetic factors that might be associated with ALL outcome disparities.

Results: Among 2,512 patients diagnosed between 2005 and 2020, we observed distinct patterns of genetic ancestry and residential characteristics across self-reported race and ethnicity. Latino children, who comprised 55.3% of the cohort, had a mean Amerindigenous ancestry proportion of 50.9%, whereas non-Latino White children exhibited a predominantly European ancestry (mean = 78%). Neighborhood-level analysis revealed significant socioeconomic and geographic differences by …

Protecting Minors From Medical Malpractice Act: Implications For Otolaryngology-Head & Neck Surgery, Shiven Sharma, Margo K Mckenna, Julina Ongkasuwan, Michael J Brenner

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

No abstract provided.

Exploring Bidirectionality In Global Health Partnerships: Perspectives From U.S. Pediatric Residency Programs, Anik Patel, Pauline Kamau, Justus Simba, Ashley Combs, Adelaide Barnes, Kathy Ferrer, Heather Haq, Duncan K Hau, Lee Morris, Brittany Murray, Amy Rule, Reena P Tam, Lisa Umphrey, Megan S Mchenry

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Introduction Despite growing interest, little guidance exists to re-evaluate global health partnerships (GHPs) through promoting bidirectionality. This study aims to understand the perspectives of United States (U.S.) pediatric global health (GH) faculty on institutional bidirectional practices to inform future discussions with international collaborators. Methods An internally, iteratively developed REDCap-based online survey (REDCap, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN), by our diverse author group, collected qualitative data from January 18 to February 20, 2023. Free-text responses were reviewed and coded inductively, with findings framed to generate themes for subsequent engagement with international partners. Results Of the 88 U.S. programs that identify as having …

Development And Pilot Testing Of Transdiagnostic Exposure Therapy/Behavioral Activation For Autistic Adolescents With Internalizing Disorders, Andrew G Guzick, Elizabeth A Kaplan-Kahn, Jessica Szu-Chi Cheng, Callie Murphy, Ogechi C Onyeka, David Riddle, Tracy Dibbs, Leandra N Berry, Robin P Goin-Kochel, Eric A Storch

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Internalizing disorders disproportionately affect autistic adolescents, though limited research has focused on tailoring therapy for this population. The purposes of this paper were (1) to describe the development of a transdiagnostic exposure therapy/behavioral activation intervention for autistic adolescents with internalizing disorders, and (2) to present a pilot test of feasibility, acceptability, and efficacy of the intervention. The development of this therapy is described in detail, which prioritized the following domains: (1) building on the existing evidence base of exposure-based cognitive behavioral therapy for autistic youth with anxiety disorders, (2) involving caregivers considerably, (3) incorporating autism-specific considerations into case conceptualization and …

Maximal Motor Unit Firing Rates Decline With Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis Progression, Gabriel L. Fernandes, Lucas B.R. Orssatto, Matheus D. Pinto, Joao S. Henkin, Ehsan Shandiz, Pamela A. Mccombe, Robert D. Henderson, Gabriel S. Trajano

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Objective: Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is characterised by progressive degeneration of upper and lower motor neurons and their motor units (MUs). MU loss is compensated by collateral sprouting and reinnervation of muscle fibres. There is limited information about the properties of these surviving MUs as these processes take place. High-density surface electromyography (HD-sEMG) decomposition enables non-invasive analysis of individual MU firing behaviour during maximal voluntary contractions and assess their changes with ALS progression. Methods: Thirty-nine individuals with ALS (24 men; mean age 63 ± 16 years) completed up to five visits (interval 20.0 ± 7.9 weeks). Tibialis anterior HD-sEMG recordings …

Optical Coherence Tomography As An Emerging Technique For Identifying Pediatric Middle Ear Effusion, Roger Neuberger, Jeffrey Carter, Adriana Dives, Ana Sofia C Ibarrola, Maritsa Ixba, Elton Lambert, Yi-Chun Liu, Anna H Messner

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Objective: Acute otitis media (AOM) and otitis media with effusion (OME) rely on accurate characterization of middle ear effusion (MEE). Optical coherence tomography (OCT) is a potential modality for noninvasive analysis of MEE, thereby assisting with otitis media diagnosis. This study aims to compare the diagnostic performance of OCT with otoscopy and tympanometry in pediatric patients.

Methods: A prospective convenience sample of 164 pediatric patients aged 6 months to 12 years was recruited from two tertiary care pediatric otolaryngology clinics. During their visit, each child underwent otoscopy, tympanometry, and OCT evaluation. Scans were reviewed by both a fellowship-trained pediatric otolaryngologist …

Case Series: Joubert Syndrome And Eosinophilic Esophagitis, Jonathon Schening, Stephanie Leon-Paredes, Eric Chiou, Vibha Szafron, Anthony Olive, Sara Anvari

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Joubert syndrome (JS) is a rare genetic disorder characterized by developmental abnormalities, particularly in the brainstem and cerebellar vermis, alongside multisystem manifestations such as kidney and liver anomalies, polydactyly, cleft lip or palate, and tongue defects. The underlying ciliopathy causing JS may also contribute to gastrointestinal symptoms and immune dysregulation via Wnt signaling and impaired epithelial maintenance. Dysmotility including Hirschsprung disease has been documented at increased rates in JS and in other ciliopathies. Our case series highlights how JS patients frequently exhibit feeding intolerance, vomiting, and poor growth, which may raise suspicion for an underlying gastrointestinal condition, such as eosinophilic …

Ethical Use Of Artificial Intelligence For Clinical Vignettes, Henna Iqbal, Jennifer J. Park, Yelena Burklin

HCA Healthcare Journal of Medicine

The purpose of this report is to introduce a systematic process model for publishing clinical vignettes through vignette-based learning (VBL), with an emphasis on the ethical use of artificial intelligence (AI). We have provided a comprehensive walk-through outlining the process from initial case identification to the final dissemination of clinical vignettes, and we have highlighted how AI tools can support each step. This guide is intended to be especially beneficial for clinicians and early-career medical professionals aiming to develop and submit their cases for presentations, publications, and other avenues of knowledge sharing.

Predicting Epileptic Seizures From Eeg Signals Using Machine Learning, Hamzah Luqman, Galal M Binmakhashen, Hanan Alali, Marwa Alsleebi, Hamdi A. Al-Jamimi, Motaz Alfarraj, Shahid Bashir, Brent Hedgcock, Ali Mir, Raidah Albaradie

Neurosciences

Objective: To develop a machine learning-based model for predicting epileptic seizures by analyzing electroencephalogram (EEG) signals and classifying the interictal and preictal phases.

Methods: The EEG signals were analyzed in both the time and frequency domains using advanced feature extraction techniques. Three different machine learning approaches were employed, with special focus on long short-term memory (LSTM) networks. Features were extracted and classified to differentiate between seizure and non-seizure phases. The proposed models were evaluated using the publicly available CHB-MIT EEG dataset. The study was conducted between September 2022 and September 2024.

Results: Among the tested models, the LSTM-based approach using …

Epilepsy And Cluster C Personality Disorders: A Saudi Cross-Sectional Study, Mohammed A. Aljaffer, Ahmad H. Almadani, Ayedh H. Alghamdi, Mohammad N. Aljarba, Azzam A. Alotaibi, Mohammed A. Alorayyidh, Abdulaziz M. Alawwad, Rakan S. Alromayan, Faisal M. Alkhunein, Sohaila A. Alshimemeri, Bandar N. Aljafen

Neurosciences

Objective: Epilepsy is a neurological disorder with profound impacts on various aspects of life. It may lead to significant medical and psychiatric comorbidities, one of which is personality disorders (PDs). This study aims to assess the prevalence of Cluster C PDs among adult patients with epilepsy (PWE) at a tertiary care hospital in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Method: This cross-sectional study, conducted between January 2024 and April 2025, enroled 360 adult PWE using convenience sampling. The study tool included the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM Disorders criteria, along with additional demographic and epilepsy-related questions developed by the research team. Results: Cluster …

Vo: The Vaccine Ontology, Jie Zheng, Asiyah Yu Lin, Anthony Huffman, Anna Maria Masci, Rebecca Racz, Guanming Wu, Kallan Roan, Edison Ong, Sirarat Sarntivijai, Joy Hu, Eliyas Asfaw, Hayleigh Kahn, Xingxian Li, Xumeng Zhang, Joshua Monickaraj, Nilufer Kosar, Jianfu Li, Warren Manuel, Rashmie Abeysinghe, Hasin Rehana, Benu Bansal, Yuanyi Pan, Jinjing Guo, Virginia He, Justin Song, Andrey I Seleznev, Katelyn Hur, Anna He, Alexander Davydov, Qi Yang, Anna Ostropolets, Randi Vita, Bjoern Peters, Alan Ruttenberg, Alexander D Diehl, Charles Tapley Hoyt, Paola Roncaglia, Rachael P Huntley, Richard H Scheuermann, Melanie Courtot, Thomas Todd, Samantha Sayers, Fang Chen, Xinna Li, Feng-Yu Yeh, Zuoshuang Xiang, Arzucan Ozgur, Patricia L Whetzel, Mark A Musen, Christopher J Mungall, Wolfgang W Leitner, Licong Cui, Lesley A Colby, Harry L T Mobley, Brian D Athey, Gilbert S Omenn, Lindsay G Cowell, Cui Tao, Junguk Hur, Barry Smith, Yongqun He

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Vaccines are widely used in both research and clinical settings. To facilitate FAIR data practices, we urgently need to standardize vaccine representation, integrate information across diverse vaccine types, and support computer-assisted reasoning. Accordingly, we have since 2007 developed the community-based Vaccine Ontology (VO), which aligns with the Basic Formal Ontology and adheres to OBO Foundry principles. VO ontologically models vaccines, vaccine components, vaccine immune responses, vaccine investigation studies and other vaccine-related topics. VO represents more than 10,000 vaccines targeting 289 infectious pathogens and cancers in humans and over 30 nonhuman animal species. VO provides mappings to external resources such as …

Cyanosis-Associated Coagulopathy In Neonates Undergoing Cardiopulmonary Bypass: A Scoping Review, Lily Crickmar

Student Works

2. Structured summary:

A. Background: Patients with cyanotic congenital heart disease exhibit coagulation abnormalities related to chronic hypoxemia, which may increase the risk of bleeding and thrombosis, particularly during cardiopulmonary bypass.

B. Objective: This scoping review mapped the existing literature on coagulation disturbances and perioperative hemostatic outcomes in pediatric patients with cyanotic congenital heart disease.

C. Methods: 14 studies meeting the inclusion criteria were identified through structured database searching. The data were collected and synthesized descriptively due to heterogeneity in study design, patient populations, and coagulation assessment methods.

D. Results: Across studies, cyanotic patient physiology was associated with platelet dysfunction, …

Prevalence Of Low Energy (Lea) Risk In Division Iii Female Distance Athletes, Ciara Murphy

Masters Theses/Capstone Projects

Context 

Low energy availability (LEA) occurs when energy intake is insufficient to support normal physiological functions after exercise (Loucks, 2011). Prolonged LEA can negatively affect metabolic functions, reproductive health, and bone density, and contribute to the development of the female athlete triad and relative energy deficiency in sport (RED-S) (Papageorgiou, 2017).

Objective

The objective of this study was to explore the prevalence of LEA among Division III female distance athletes.

Design

Cross-sectional study

Setting

Online questionnaire administered through Qualtrics

Participants 

A total of 12 Division III female distance athletes (ages 18-23).

Intervention

Anonymous, electronic questionnaire assessing symptoms associated with low …

The Role Of The Ventral Tegmental Area In Reward And Addiction: A Comprehensive Review, Emad Ali Albadawi

Neurosciences

The ventral tegmental area (VTA) is a central hub in reward and motivation, integrating heterogeneous neuronal populations and projection-defined circuits to regulate learning, decision-making, and addiction. This review synthesizes anatomical organization and cellular diversity (dopaminergic, GABAergic, and glutamatergic neurons, including multitransmitter co-release), and maps major efferent pathways constituting the mesolimbic and mesocortical systems. We highlight computational roles of VTA activity, including reward prediction errors, incentive salience, and context memory integration, and summarize drug class-specific mechanisms that perturb VTA output. We then outline time-dependent neuroadaptations across mesocorticolimbic networks and discuss therapeutic implications spanning pharmacological, behavioral, and emerging circuit-targeted interventions. Together, these …

Associations Of Regional White Matter Hyperintensities Severity With Different Visual Rating Scales And Domain-Specific Cognitive Impairment, Xiaolu Zheng, Sipei Pan, Yi Man, Zhenghao Shi

Neurosciences

Objective: To explore the association between regional white matter hyperintensities (WMHs) severity and domain-specific cognitive impairment.
Methods: We analyzed 95 WMHs patients retrospectively and evaluated cognitive function. We quantified regional WMHs severity using the Scheltens Rating Scale (SRS) and Cholinergic Pathways Hyper intensities Scale (CHIPS). According to the regional WMHs scores, we divided the patients for intergroup comparisons of WMHs severity with domain-specific cognitive scores via the nonparametric Wilcoxon rank-sum test.
Results: Neither the SRS nor the CHIPS total scores showed statistically correlation with cognitive scores (p > 0.05). However, in the bands lateral ventricles of periventricular hyperintensities …

To Calculate The Nationwide Incidence/Prevalence Figures For Charcot-Marie-Tooth Disease, The Entire Population Must Be Screened, Sinda Zarrouk, Josef Finsterer

Neurosciences

No abstract provided.

Alterations In Gut Microbiota And Their Association With Intestinal Mucosal Injury In Children With Febrile Seizures, Lin Yang, Shuan Yin, Wenchao Zou

Neurosciences

Objective: To explore the correlation between diversity of the gut microbiota and key markers of inflammation and intestinal mucosal injury in pediatric febrile seizures (FS).

Methods: This study compared 15 FS children (FS group) and 15 healthy individuals (normal control group). The participants underwent 16S rDNA sequencing to analyze gut microbiota profiles. ELISA was employed to measure peripheral blood concentrations of the pro-inflammatory cytokines TNF-α and IL-6, as well as intestinal mucosal injury indicators such as endotoxin (BT), D-lactate (D-Lac), and diamine oxidase (DAO). Analysis assessed the correlation between gut microbiota composition, inflammatory factors, and indicators of intestinal mucosal damage …

Timing Matters: Optimizing Oncology Involvement In Pediatric Neuro-Oncology Pathways In Saudi Arabia, Ali H. Algiraigri, Mohammed Basamh, Ghadeer Alobaid, Lama M. Alsulami, Razan A. Almutairi, Zahraa S. Alsultan, Rawan M. Hammad

Neurosciences

Objective: To explore current practices and barriers in pediatric neuro-oncology care coordination, and to identify opportunities to optimize care pathways. Timely coordination between pediatric neurosurgery and oncology is critical for optimal outcomes in children with central nervous system (CNS) tumors. However, in many centers, pediatric oncologists are not involved until after surgery, which contributes to treatment delays and repeated procedures. Methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted among neurosurgeons and pediatric oncologists in Saudi Arabia. The questionnaire addressed the timing of oncological involvement, neuroimaging practices, cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) cytology collection, and opinions on care coordination solutions. Results: A total of 62 …