CONCLUSIONS: The distribution of certified bariatric surgery centers varies widely by state and does not consistently align with obesity prevalence. Several states appear underserved, while others may be overserved, highlighting geographic disparities in access to bariatric care.

To improve age estimates for adult human skeletons, age-of-transitions from early to late stages are estimated for multiple skeletal structures, many used for the first time for estimation purposes. Classified dichotomously (i.e., early and late stages), individual skeletal structures yield little information about age. But collectively they can improve age estimates for adult skeletons. Skeletons from four continents (N = 1638) provide a large and diverse sample suitable for developing a global...

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CONCLUSIONS: The ARTE-score is an easy-to-use tool to predict hepatic decompensation in uHCC, aiding clinical decision-making.

Human gut microbes, such as Bacteroides, rely on specialized gene clusters known as polysaccharide utilization loci (PULs) to metabolize diverse dietary and host-derived glycans. A major class of transcription regulators of these PULs is the hybrid two-component system (HTCS) containing a histidine sensor kinase and a response regulator (RR) within a single transmembrane polypeptide chain. Characterizing HTCS-mediated PUL regulation is often challenging because the specific glycan signals...