Creatine is an important regulator of brain bioenergetics, yet the efficacy of creatine supplementation (CrS) in the brain remains largely unknown. Measurement of brain creatine using proton (1H) and phosphorus (³1P) magnetic resonance spectroscopy is highly sensitive to voxel placement, signal quality, analysis pipelines, and reporting conventions which can obscure the detection of biological responses to CrS. There is evidence that CrS increases brain creatine, but this response may be dose and/or duration dependent. CrS provides some benefits during acute periods of metabolic stress such as sleep deprivation, mental fatigue, and hypoxia. Emerging clinical data also suggest potential therapeutic effects from CrS for Alzheimer's disease, major depressive disorder, and mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI), although findings across conditions remain preliminary and inconsistent. Further, CrS shows some promise for improving aspects of sleep quality. The purpose of this narrative review is to: (1) outline methodological considerations in the quantification of brain creatine, (2) discuss the divergent effects of CrS on brain creatine levels and measures of brain function, (3) examine the purported mechanistic actions of CrS for improving brain health and function, (4) highlight critical gaps and limitations which should be considered moving forward, and (5) identify future research directions involving CrS and the brain.

Objectives/Goals: The creatine (Cr) system is impaired in Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Data show that creatine monohydrate (CrM) supplementation may improve AD symptoms in AD mouse models, but no human studies have been reported. Thus, we investigated whether an eight-week CrM supplementation was feasible and associated with increased brain creatine in patients with AD. Methods/Study Population: Twenty participants with probable AD were allocated to an open-label, eight-week intervention of 20 g/day CrM. Fasting blood draws were taken at baseline, 4-, and 8-week visits to measure serum creatine (Quest Diagnostics). 1H magnetic resonance spectroscopy was performed at baseline and 8-week visits to measure brain Cr as a ratio to unsuppressed water. Self-reported compliance (with assistance from study partners) was assessed with daily CrM trackers. The mean compliance percentage across all participants was used to describe overall compliance with the intervention. We used paired t-tests to analyze the mean changes in serum Cr levels from baseline to 4- and 8-week visits and the mean change in brain Cr from baseline to 8-week visits. Statistical significance was set at p<0.05. Results/Anticipated Results: Participants were 65% male with a mean age of 73.1±6.3 years. All participants completed the study, with 19 out of 20 achieving the dose compliance target of ≥80%. The mean self-reported dose intake was 90%. Serum Cr levels were significantly increased at 4- and 8-week visits compared to baseline (0.6±0.4 mg/dL vs. 14.0±9.9 mg/dL and 15.0±13.6 mg/dL, respectively; p<0.001). Brain Cr levels also significantly increased (330.5±36.80 i.u. vs. 366.9±57.52 i.u., p<0.001). Discussion/Significance of Impact: We are the first to demonstrate that 20 g/day of CrM for eight weeks is feasible and associated with increased brain Cr in patients with AD. Our findings support further investigation of brain target engagement of CrM and its efficacy in AD. With AD cases expected to rise, CrM could serve as an effective, affordable therapeutic to slow AD progression.

A key hallmark of quantum Hall physics is the existence of topological chiral states at the system boundary. Signatures of these edge states have been experimentally observed in cold atoms by using different approaches, including notably that of "synthetic dimensions" in which internal states are coupled together and reinterpreted as sites along an artificial spatial dimension. However, previous atomic synthetic dimension implementations have been limited to relatively small system sizes with inflexible boundaries. In this paper, we propose instead how to use a synthetic dimension of atomic trap states to observe chiral edge states in a large quantum Hall system with a tunable edge. We present numerical simulations for relevant experimental parameters, showing how this scheme may be used to probe the properties and robustness of the edge states to defects. Our work opens the way for future experiments in topological physics with synthetic dimensions, while also providing new ways to manipulate and control highly excited trap states.

Diminished muscle function and strength are linked to an increased risk and accelerated progression of Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Although these are direct consequences of the disease, recent preclinical evidence suggests decreased muscle function and strength may directly influence AD risk and progression via the muscle-brain axis. Therefore, interventions to improve muscle strength may prevent functional decline related to AD. However, such specific interventions in AD are lacking. In this context, creatine monohydrate (CrM), a dietary supplement that boosts muscle strength, presents a promising intervention. This single-armed pilot study explores the potential effects of an 8-week creatine monohydrate supplementation on handgrip strength in AD. Data from 16 participants with AD who completed a one-arm, 8-week trial examining the feasibility and preliminary efficacy of 20 g/day of CrM in AD were analyzed. Handgrip strength, a reliable measure of muscle strength, was assessed on the dominant hand at baseline and at the end of the study on a calibrated hand dynamometer, measured in kilograms (kg) of force. At baseline and 8 weeks, 3 measurements were taken; the highest value was selected. We conducted a paired t-test to test for an 8-week change in mean handgrip strength. Statistical analyses were performed using R (v. 4.3.2; R Foundation, Vienna, Austria). Statistical significance was set at p < 0.05. Participants were 56% male with a mean age of 72.1 ± 6.4 years at baseline. The mean hand grip strength and body mass index (BMI) at baseline were 33.6 ± 11.6 kg and 25.4 ± 3.6 kg/m 2 , respectively. After 8 weeks of CrM supplementation, mean handgrip strength improved by 2.6 kg (36.1 ± 12.1 kg, p < 0.001). BMI did not change. In this study, 20 g/day of CrM supplementation for 8 weeks was associated with improved handgrip strength in individuals with AD. Our pilot data suggests that CrM may be valuable for maintaining or preventing AD-related functional decline by improving muscle strength.

Background Impaired brain bioenergetics is a pathological hallmark of Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and is a compelling target for AD treatment. Patients with AD exhibit dysfunction in the brain creatine (Cr) system, which is integral in maintaining bioenergetic flux. Recent studies in AD mouse models suggest Cr supplementation improves brain mitochondrial function and may be protective of AD peptide pathology and cognition. Aims The Creatine to Augment Bioenergetics in Alzheimer’s disease (CABA) study is designed to primarily assess the feasibility of supplementation with 20 g/day of creatine monohydrate (CrM) in patients with cognitive impairment due to AD. Secondary aims are designed to generate preliminary data investigating changes in brain Cr levels, cognition, peripheral and brain mitochondrial function, and muscle strength and size. Methods CABA is an 8-week, single-arm pilot study that will recruit 20 patients with cognitive impairment due to AD. Participants attend five in-person study visits: two visits at baseline to conduct screening and baseline assessments, a 4-week visit, and two 8-week visits. Outcomes assessment includes recruitment, retention, and compliance, cognitive testing, magnetic resonance spectroscopy of brain metabolites, platelet and lymphocyte mitochondrial function, and muscle strength and morphology at baseline and 8 weeks. Discussion CABA is the first study to investigate CrM as a potential treatment in patients with AD. The pilot data generated by this study are pertinent to inform the design of future large-scale efficacy trials. Trial registration ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT05383833 , registered on 20 May 2022.

Lower body mass is related to the progression of Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Carriers of the APOE e4 (APOE4) allele have an increased risk of developing AD, and APOE4 status has been shown to be associated with decreased body mass and fat mass in AD. However, this relationship in cognitively normal older adults is unclear. We investigated whether body mass index (BMI) and body composition are related with APOE4 status in cognitively normal older adults. Baseline data from 211 cognitively normal older adults in an ongoing nutrition intervention RCT (Nutrition Intervention for Cognitive Enhancement; NICE study) were analyzed. Whole blood was attained, and genetic analyses were used to determine APOE genotype. Participants with ≥ 1 APOE4 allele were classified as APOE4 carriers. BMI was calculated from weight and height. Fat mass percentage was measured using dual energy x-ray absorptiometry. We compared means between APOE4 carriers and non-carriers for BMI and fat mass percentage using covariate-adjusted ordinary least squares (OLS) regression models (i.e., ANCOVA), adjusting for age and sex. Statistical analyses were performed using R (v. 4.2.2; R Foundation, Vienna, Austria). Statistical significance was set at p < 0.05. Participants were 75% female with a mean age of 71.4 ± 4.9 years. 34% of participants were APOE4 carriers. Mean BMI and percent fat mass were 28.4 ± 4.6 kg/m 2 and 40% ± 4.6, respectively. ApoE4 carriers had significantly lower BMI (27.5 kg/m 2 ± 3.9 vs. 28.9 kg/m 2 ± 4.8, p = 0.02) and lower body fat percentage (38% ± 8.0 vs. 42% ± 6.7, p < 0.01) compared to non-carriers, respectively. In this study, cognitively normal older adult APOE4 carriers had lower BMI and lower body fat percentage compared to non-carriers. These findings suggest that APOE4 status may influence body weight and body composition, which may represent a way APOE4 increases the risk of symptomatic AD. Future studies are needed to explore the mechanisms underpinning the relationship of APOE4 with decreased body mass and differential body compositions and to determine if these results are consistent in different life stages.

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is the most prevalent neurodegenerative disease, affecting approximately 6.5 million older adults in the United States. Development of AD treatment has primarily centered on developing pharmaceuticals that target amyloid-β (Aβ) plaques in the brain, a hallmark pathological biomarker that precedes symptomatic AD. Though recent clinical trials of novel drugs that target Aβ have demonstrated promising preliminary data, these pharmaceuticals have a poor history of developing into AD treatments, leading to hypotheses that other therapeutic targets may be more suitable for AD prevention and treatment. Impaired brain energy metabolism is another pathological hallmark that precedes the onset of AD that may provide a target for intervention. The brain creatine (Cr) system plays a crucial role in maintaining bioenergetic flux and is disrupted in AD. Recent studies using AD mouse models have shown that supplementing with Cr improves brain bioenergetics, as well as AD biomarkers and cognition. Despite these promising findings, no human trials have investigated the potential benefits of Cr supplementation in AD. This narrative review discusses the link between Cr and AD and the potential for Cr supplementation as a treatment for AD.

Synthetic dimensions provide a powerful approach for simulating condensed matter physics in cold atoms and photonics, whereby a set of discrete degrees of freedom are coupled together and re-interpreted as lattice sites along an artificial spatial dimension. However, atomic experimental realisations have been limited so far by the number of artificial lattice sites that can be feasibly coupled along the synthetic dimension. Here, we experimentally realise for the first time a very long and controllable synthetic dimension of atomic harmonic trap states. To create this, we couple trap states by dynamically modulating the trapping potential of the atomic cloud with patterned light. By controlling the detuning between the frequency of the driving potential and the trapping frequency, we implement a controllable force in the synthetic dimension. This induces Bloch oscillations in which atoms move periodically up and down tens of atomic trap states. We experimentally observe the key characteristics of this behaviour in the real space dynamics of the cloud, and verify our observations with numerical simulations and semiclassical theory. This experiment provides an intuitive approach for the manipulation and control of highly-excited trap states, and sets the stage for the future exploration of topological physics in higher dimensions.

Amyloid-β is a classical hallmark and risk factor for development of Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Observational data suggest that having higher body mass index (BMI) is associated with lower cerebral amyloid burden in cognitively normal adults. However, the influence of body composition on cerebral amyloid deposition has not been investigated. We investigated whether baseline body composition influences 1-year change in cerebral amyloid in a sample enriched with older adults with elevated amyloid. Data from 103 cognitively normal adults with high normal or elevated cerebral amyloid that participated in a 1-year exercise RCT were analyzed. Cerebral amyloid burden was quantified in 6 cortical regions of interest by Florbetapir F18 PET. Global amyloid burden was calculated by averaging the 6 regions. Total lean body mass and fat mass percentages were measured using DXA. We constructed ordinary least squares regression models to investigate the relationship between our baseline measures of body composition and 1-year change in regional and global amyloid. All models included age, APOE4 carrier status, study arm, sex, and baseline regional amyloid standard uptake value ratios as covariates. Participants were 67% female with a mean age of 72.4 ± 5.0 years. Mean BMI was 28.0 ± 5.4, lean body mass percentage was 61% ± 7.5%, and fat mass percentage was 38% ± 7.1%. Higher BMI was related to less 1-year amyloid accumulation in 5 regions (anterior cingulate gyrus, precuneus, inferior medial frontal gyrus, lateral temporal lobe, and superior parietal lobe) and globally (β range = -0.003 to -0.004, p<0.03 for all). Higher fat mass percentage was related to less amyloid accumulation in all 6 brain regions and the global average (β range = -0.25 to -0.34, p<0.03 for all). Higher lean body mass percentage was related to less amyloid accumulation in the lateral temporal lobe (β = -0.003, p = 0.01). In this study, having larger body stature and higher fat mass percentage were related to less amyloid accumulation in individuals with elevated risk for AD. Further studies are necessary to explore these relationships in greater detail and to ascertain if these findings are modulated by other biological variables.

Peripheral insulin resistance (IR) and impaired glucose metabolism increase the risk for cognitive decline. However, data looking at peripheral IR's relationship with cognition in cognitively normal adults is limited. This study aimed to assess the relationship between peripheral IR and tests of executive function, attention, and processing speed in cognitively normal older adults using a novel IR measure. Baseline data from 81 cognitively normal older adults participating in a nutrition intervention study (Nutrition Interventions for Cognitive Enhancement study; NICE study) were analyzed. Fasting blood draws were attained, and peripheral IR was measured using Quest Diagnostics’ Cardio IQ Insulin Resistance Panel (Test Code: 36,509). The NIH Toolbox Cognition Battery was conducted by a trained psychometrician. Executive function was measured by the Flanker Inhibitory Control and Dimensional Change Card Sort tests. The Flanker test also measures attention. Processing Speed was measured by the Pattern Comparison Processing Speed test. We constructed ordinary least squares regression models to assess IR's relationships with the individual cognitive tests, including age, education, and gender as covariates. Statistical analyses were performed using R (v. 3.6.2; R Foundation, Vienna, Austria). Statistical significance was set at p < 0.05. Participants were 83% female and had a mean age of 72 ± 4.9 years. The mean IR score was 29.9 ± 29.83. There was no statistically significant relationships with IR and any of the cognitive tests: Flanker Inhibitory Control (β = -0.03, P = 0.12), Dimensional Change Card Sort (β = -0.03, P = 0.16), Pattern Comparison Processing Speed (β = -0.10, P = 0.15). There were no statistically significant relationships between IR scores and performance on the different cognitive tests. Although the tests were not significantly correlated with IR scores, directionality of the relationships indicated trend for higher IR being related to poorer scores. Consequently, maintaining insulin sensitivity with healthy lifestyle choices may be important for healthy brain aging. Future analyses with a larger sample size will be more informative for understanding the relationship between IR and various cognitive tests at baseline and over time. National Institutes on Aging.

We report on the realization and characterisation of optical potentials for ultracold atoms using a superluminescent diode. The light emitted by this class of diodes is characterised by high spatial coherence but low temporal coherence. On the one hand, this implies that it follows Gaussian propagation similar to lasers, allowing for high intensities and well-collimated beams. On the other, it significantly reduces those interference effects that lead to severe distortions in imaging. By using a high-resolution optical setup, we produce patterned optical potentials with a digital micromirror device and demonstrate that the quality of the patterns produced by our superluminescent diode is consistently and substantially higher than those produced by our laser. We show that the resulting optical potentials can be used to arrange the atoms in arbitrary structures and manipulate them dynamically. Our results can open new opportunities in the fields of quantum simulations and atomtronics.

Poor glycemic control (GC) is associated with poorer executive function. However, data looking at the relationship between GC and cognition is limited. This study aimed to assess the relationship between GC and various cognitive tests using electronic medical record data (EMR). Hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) was the main predictor variable. De-identified data were gathered from an midwestern academic medical center's EMR in an i2b2 based clinical data repository. Participants were seen at the hospital's memory clinic with a HbA1c lab value (CPT Code: 83,036) on record. 566 participants were used in the final analysis. The most recent cognitive score from the following cognitive tests were used as the response variables, Trail Marking Part A and B and Verbal Fluency. The median value was derived from each participant's three most recent HbA1c values. We constructed ordinary least squares regression models to assess HbA1c's relationship with individual cognitive tests. The model included race, Mild Cognitive Impairment, Alzheimer's Disease, income, and age as covariates. Statistical analyses were performed using R (v. 3.6.2; R Foundation, Vienna, Austria). Statistical significance was set at p < 0.05. Participants were 54% male and had a mean age of 75 ± 9.2 years. Mean HbA1c value was 6.14 ± 1.2. Higher HbA1c values were related to poorer performance on the Trail Making Part A test (β = –0.02, p < 0.01). HbA1c was not related to other individual cognitive tests: Trail Making Part B (β = –0.019, P = 0.70), Verbal Fluency (β = 0.30, P = 0.13). There was a strong relationship between HbA1c and performance on the Trail Making Part A test, a sensitive test for executive function. This study adds to the literature that poor GC worsens executive function. Consequently, maintaining GC with healthy lifestyle choices may be important for healthy aging. There was no significant relationship between HbA1c and other cognitive tests. Future analyses with more robust statistical modeling will be more informative for understanding the relationship between HbA1c and cognitive tests. Clinical and Translational Science Awards.

INTRODUCTION:With increased survival, children with CHD are reaching adulthood, however, obesity amongst this cohort is an emerging problem. Making every contact count encourages clinicians to utilise contact to elicit behaviour change. The aim of this work was to identify whether the body habitus of children classified as obese was addressed during a clinical review.METHODS:A retrospective observational cohort study was completed using a cardiology outpatient dataset from 2010 to 2019. Inclusion criteria are all children with a body mass index z score classified as obese (≥ 2 z scores). Individual electronic patient records were reviewed to identify long-term anthropometric measures including (i) recognition of body habitus, (ii) prescription of physical activity or dietary intervention, and (iii) referral to a weight management programme or dietitian.RESULTS:From the cohort of 95 patients, 285 "obese clinical encounters" were identified, at the time of a cardiology clinic attendance. Of those, obesity was acknowledged in 25 clinic letters (8.65%), but only 8 used the correct terms "obese" or "obesity" (2.77%). Action to tackle obesity was recorded in 9.3% of cases with a direct referral to a dietitian being made on 3 occasions (1.04%).CONCLUSIONS:Body habitus is not being routinely addressed by cardiologists caring for paediatric and young adult cardiac patients. This study has recognised an alarmingly high incidence of missed opportunities to make every contact count, to manage those with obesity and associated risk factors.

Pressure-mediated reflection spectroscopy (RS) measures skin carotenoid content (SCC). Continued validation of this method is pertinent to validate its use as an objective measure of fruit and vegetable intake. This study aimed to assess relationships between SCC scores and self-reported dietary carotenoid intake from 3-day food records in community dwelling older adults. This was a cross-sectional analysis of baseline data among cognitively normal older adults (n = 95) participating in the Nutrition Interventions for Cognitive Enhancement (NICE) study. Food-derived vitamin A (R = 0.24, p < 0.05) and food plus supplemental vitamin A (R = 0.29, p < 0.01) were correlated with SCC. All food-derived carotenoids (R: 0.20-0.39, p < 0.05) except beta-cryptoxanthin and lycopene were correlated with SCC. Lutein + zeaxanthin from food more strongly correlated with SCC (R = 0.38, p < 0.001) than combined food plus supplemental intake (R = 0.31, p = 0.002). Correlations for total fruit and SCC (R = 0.23, p = 0.02), total vegetable and SCC (R = 0.31, p = 0.002), and combined total fruit and vegetable and SCC (R = 0.35, p < 0.001) were significant; no sub-categories of fruit or vegetables except dark green vegetables (Rho = 0.4, p < 0.001) had significant correlations with SCC. The current study demonstrates RS-derived SCC scores correlate with 3-day self-reported intakes of F/V and certain carotenoids in community dwelling older adults.

Active materials couple a stimulus (electrical, magnetic, and thermal) with a mechanical response. Typical materials such as piezoelectrics strain as bulk materials to the stimuli. Here we consider an undulation created by heterogeneous deformation within a magnetic shape memory alloy (MSM) transducer. We study the mechanical response of an MSM element vs two surface treatments: a polished state with minimal surface stresses, and a micropeened state with compressive surface stress. The polished element had a sharp-featured, faceted trough shape. The micropeened element had a smooth trough shape and an additional crest. The undulation was created by a rotating localized magnetic field, which caused heterogeneous variation of the twin-microstructure. For the polished and micropeened elements, the twin-microstructures were coarse and fine, respectively. For the polished element, the undulation moved by the nucleation of a few twin boundaries, which traveled along the entire element. For the micropeened sample, the twin boundaries moved back and forth over a short distance, thereby creating a dense twin lamellar, which formed the trough. The motion of the lamellar approximated the single thick twin while allowing additional degrees of freedom due to increased mobile interface density and different initial conditions of domain volume fraction. The dense twin microstructure also smoothed the magnetic flux pattern. The undulation amplitude was about 40 μm for the sample in both treatments.

Many hospitals in the US were forced to preemptively cancel elective surgeries in March, 2020 to prepare for a surge in hospitalizations of COVID-19 patients. The resulting lost revenue, patient suffering and the probability that similar pandemics could recur motivates hospitals to find early-warning indicators for future surges. We find that state-level Google searches for COVID-19 symptom keywords "sore throat,'' "fever'' and "cough'' surge about 1-2 weeks before COVID-19-related hospitalizations surge; we adjust for increased symptom awareness during the pandemic by using searches for the technical keywords "dry cough'' and "shortness of breath'' as a measure of symptom awareness rather than a need for symptom relief. We use data from Google Trends and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and give a simple early-warning notification policy based on principles of Statistical Process Control. This may give hospitals an additional tool to help decide scheduling policies during future COVID-19 waves. The approach we use may also be useful for other diseases.

Oscillating heat pipes (OHP) which are constructed from a serpentine-arranged capillary tube possess a desirable aerodynamic form factor and provide for relatively high heat transfer rates via cyclic evaporation and condensation of an encapsulated working fluid with no internal wicking structure required. In last two decades, OHP has been extensively investigated for its potential application in thermal management of various applications. This study presents an experimental investigation on the heat transfer performance of an atypically long finned OHP. The heat transfer performance of the proposed OHP was analyzed and compared with a bare tube OHP with similar overall dimensions. Results show that a unit row of finned OHP filled with n-pentane with fill ratio of 70% can recover up to (400±40) W of heat from a typical waste exhaust air stream. The additional pressure drop due to fins was estimated to be (6.8±2) Pa resulting in an increase of 1–2 W of fan power consumption. The average heat recovery rate via finned OHP was found to be almost 80% more than bare tube OHP filled with same working fluid with same fill ratio.

Peripheral insulin resistance (IR) and impaired glucose metabolism increases the risk for cognitive decline. However, data looking at peripheral IR's relationship with cognition in cognitively normal adults is limited. This study aimed to assess the relationship between peripheral IR and tests of speed of processing (SOP) in cognitively normal older adults using a novel IR measure. Baseline data from 56 cognitively normal older adults participating in a nutrition intervention study (Nutrition Interventions for Cognitive Enhancement study; NICE study) were analyzed. Fasting blood draws were attained, and peripheral IR was measured using Quest Diagnostics' Cardio IQ Insulin Resistance Panel (Test Code: 36,509). A cognitive battery was conducted by a trained psychometrician. Z-Scores of the Digit Symbol Substitution Test, Stroop Color, Stroop Word, Stroop Interference, and Stroop Letter Number Sequencing and Crossing-Off tests were combined to give a global SOP score. We constructed ordinary least squares regression models to assess IR's relationships with individual SOP tests and global SOP, including age and education as covariates. Statistical analyses were performed using R (v. 3.6.2; R Foundation, Vienna, Austria). Statistical significance was set at P < 0.05. Participants were 77% female and had a mean age of 72.1 ± 4.9 years. Higher IR scores were related to poorer performance on the Digit Symbol Substitution Test (β = −0.26, P = 0.04). IR scores were not related to other individual cognitive tests: Stroop Color (β = −0.17, P = 0.20), Stroop Word (β = −0.19, P = 0.11), Stroop Interference (β = −0.14, P = 0.28), Stroop Letter Number Sequencing (β = 0.03, P = 0.83), Crossing-Off (β = −0.18, P = 0.15), or Global SOP (β = −0.20, P = 0.11). There was a relationship between higher IR scores and poorer performance on the Digit Symbol Substitution Test. Although other SOP tests were not significantly correlated with IR scores, directionality of the relationships indicated trend for higher IR being related to lower SOP. Consequently, maintaining insulin sensitivity with healthy lifestyle choices may be important for healthy aging. Future analyses with a larger sample size will be more informative for understanding the relationship between IR and SOP. National Institute on Aging.

Objective Dog bite injuries are encountered frequently in emergency departments and can cause significant morbidity. The objective of this study was to explore the associations between the multiple variables at play during these occurrences (eg, the patient’s age, the bite location, the bite severity, the dog’s relationship with the patient, the breed of dog). Methods This two-institution study collected and analyzed dog bite data from Arkansas’ only Level I trauma centers. The charts of 740 patients were included in our retrospective chart review. The chart review extracted data, including each individual patient’s age, sex, dog bite location, and dog bite severity, as well as the patient’s relationship to the dog and the dog’s breed. To determine the relation between and among variables, contingency tables were created and analyzed to determine odds ratios (ORs) and confidence intervals (CIs). In addition, standard t tests were used in statistical comparisons of means and proportions. Results Of the 740 patient charts reviewed, 574 were for patients who presented to Arkansas Children’s Hospital and 166 were for patients who presented to the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences. Of the patients across both institutions, 267 (37.1%) required some form of repair, with 225 (30.4%) receiving closure within the emergency department and 42 (6.7%) requiring an operative intervention. Among children, those younger than age 5 years were >8 times as likely to require an operative repair (OR 8.1, 95% CI 2.77–23.58, P < 0.0001), >4 times as likely to be bitten on the head and neck (OR 4.30, 95% CI 3.00–6.16, P < 0.0001), and ⩽3 times as likely to be bitten by a family dog (OR 2.97, 95% CI 2.10–4.20, P < 0.0001). Conversely, children older than age 12 years were >3 times as likely to be bitten on an extremity (OR 3.43, 95% CI 2.08–5.65, P < 0.0001). Conclusions The results of this retrospective review are aligned mostly with the general trends found in previous national and global studies, supporting the notion that family dogs represent a more significant threat than often is realized and that, among the breeds identified, pit bulls are proportionally linked with more severe bite injuries. Our data further validate previous studies that note an increased risk of bites and bite severity in children younger than 5 years. In addition, our data show that bites to the head and neck occurred more frequently among children younger than 5 years than among older children, and that boys younger than 5 years were bitten more frequently than girls.