Prevalence and determinants of contraception utilization over time in Migori County, Kenya: Repeated cross-sectional household surveys.

Contraception use and family planning have been shown to save lives and benefit women, their families, and their communities. We conducted a cross-sectional study analyzing data from a 2021 survey that was conducted across eight different regions in Migori County, Kenya to examine the potential role that different factors play in meeting family planning targets. Comparisons are made to data collected in 2018/2019 in order to estimate the change over time of contraception uptake.

An HBV susceptibility variant of KNG1 modulates the therapeutic effects of interferons α and λ1 in HBV infection by promoting MAVS lysosomal degradation.

Background: Hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection is one of the main causes of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). The relationship between HBV infection and the host genome as well as their underlying mechanisms remain largely unknown.

Methods: In this study, we performed a whole-genome exon sequencing analysis of 300 sib-pairs of Chinese HBV-infected families with the goal of identifying variants and genes involved in HBV infection.

A Disease-Specific Antibiogram to Evaluate Empiric Coverage Patterns in Fournier's Gangrene.

Objective: To analyze our local antibiogram and antibiotic resistance patterns given concern for multidrug-resistant and fungal organisms in contemporary series detailing causative organisms in Fournier's Gangrene (FG).

Methods: All patients from 2018 to 2022 were identified from the institutional FG registry. Microorganisms and sensitivities were collected from operative tissue cultures.

Class switching is differentially regulated in RBC alloimmunization and vaccination.

Background: Studies of human patients have shown that most anti-RBC alloantibodies are IgG1 or IgG3 subclasses, although it is unclear why transfused RBCs preferentially drive these subclasses over others. Though mouse models allow for the mechanistic exploration of class-switching, previous studies of RBC alloimmunization in mice have focused more on the total IgG response than the relative distribution, abundance, or mechanism of IgG subclass generation. Given this major gap, we compared the IgG subclass distribution generated in response to transfused RBCs relative to protein in alum vaccination, and determined the role of STAT6 in their generation.

Class switching is differentially regulated in RBC alloimmunization and vaccination.

Background: Studies of human patients have shown that most anti-RBC alloantibodies are IgG1 or IgG3 subclasses, though it is unclear why transfused RBCs preferentially drive these subclasses over others. Though mouse models allow for the mechanistic exploration of class-switching, previous studies of RBC alloimmunization in mice have focused more on the total IgG response than the relative distribution, abundance, or mechanism of IgG subclass generation. Given this major gap, we compared the IgG subclass distribution generated in response to transfused RBCs relative to protein in alum vaccination, and determined the role of STAT6 in their generation.

The lysophospholipid-binding molecule CD1D is not required for the alloimmunization response to fresh or stored RBCs in mice despite RBC storage driving alterations in lysophospholipids.

Background: Despite the significant adverse clinical consequences of RBC alloimmunization, our understanding of the signals that induce immune responses to transfused RBCs remains incomplete. Though RBC storage has been shown to enhance alloimmunization in the hen egg lysozyme, ovalbumin, and human Duffy (HOD) RBC alloantigen mouse model, the molecular signals leading to immune activation in this system remain unclear. Given that the nonclassical major histocompatibility complex (MHC) Class I molecule CD1D can bind to multiple different lysophospholipids and direct immune activation, we hypothesized that storage of RBCs increases lysophospholipids known to bind CD1D, and further that recipient CD1D recognition of these altered lipids mediates storage-induced alloimmunization responses.

Clostridiales are predominant microbes that mediate psychiatric disorders.

Background: An increasing number of studies have documented associations between psychiatric diseases and the gut microbiome. By taking genetic correlation and comorbidity of different psychiatric diseases into consideration, we hypothesized that different psychiatric diseases might share some similar microbial shift patterns. However, a deep understanding of whether and how those psychiatric disease-associated microbial dysbiosis spectrums are correlated is currently lacking.

Determination of shared genetic etiology and possible causal relations between tobacco smoking and depression.

Backgrounds: Cigarette smoking is strongly associated with major depressive disorder (MDD). However, any genetic etiology of such comorbidity and causal relations is poorly understood, especially at the genome-wide level.

Methods: In the present in silico research, we analyzed summary data from the genome-wide association study of the Psychiatric Genetic Consortium for MDD (n = 191 005) and UK Biobank for smoking (n = 337 030) by using various biostatistical methods including Bayesian colocalization analysis, LD score regression, variant effect size correlation analysis, and Mendelian randomization (MR).