Validation of the Histamine- and Heat-Induced Axon-Reflex Flare Response in a Nonselected Population of People With Type 1 Diabetes.

Introduction/aims: Diabetic peripheral neuropathy affects small nerve fibers early, but adequate evaluation has proven difficult. One method for functional assessment of small nerve fiber function is the axon-reflex flare (ARF) response. This study aimed to 1) validate the histamine-induced ARF response in a nonselected population with diabetes, 2) compare the response to that induced by local heating, and 3) compare both methods to an established method (quantitative sensory testing) in a nonselected population with diabetes.

Adverse health outcomes in offspring of parents with alcohol-related liver disease: Nationwide Danish cohort study.

Background: Parental drinking can cause harm to the offspring. A parent's diagnosis of alcohol-related liver disease (ALD) might be an opportunity to reach offspring with preventive interventions. We investigated offspring risk of adverse health outcomes throughout life, their association with their parent's educational level and diagnosis of ALD.

How Do Cancer Patients Keep Track of Their Patient Journeys?

Cancer patients undergo long periods of treatment and follow-up, and it is challenging to keep track of appointments, treatment plans etc. This paper report from a study involving 41 patients and next-of-kin focusing on their strategies for managing the patient journey. Most patients take an active role, employing a variety of tools.

The dual amylin and calcitonin receptor agonist KBP-336 elicits a unique combination of weight loss, antinociception and bone protection - a novel disease-modifying osteoarthritis drug.

Background: Despite the extensive research to provide a disease-modifying osteoarthritis drug (DMOAD), there is still no approved DMOAD. Dual amylin and calcitonin receptor agonists (DACRA) can provide metabolic benefits along with antinociceptive and potential structural preserving effects. In these studies, we tested a DACRA named KBP-336 on a metabolic model of OA in meniscectomised (MNX) rats.

DACRA induces profound weight loss, satiety control, and increased mitochondrial respiratory capacity in adipose tissue.

Background And Objectives: Dual amylin and calcitonin receptor agonists (DACRAs) are therapeutic candidates in the treatment of obesity with beneficial effects on weight loss superior to suppression of food intake. Hence, suggesting effects on energy expenditure by possibly targeting mitochondria in metabolically active tissue.

Methods: Male rats with HFD-induced obesity received a DACRA, KBP-336, every third day for 8 weeks.

Patient actor training improves preexposure prophylaxis delivery for adolescent girls and young women in Kenya: a cluster randomized trial.

Objective: To evaluate effectiveness of a standardized patient actor (SP) training intervention to improve quality of preexposure prophylaxis (PrEP) services for adolescent girls and young women (AGYW) in Kenya.

Design: Cluster randomized trial and mystery shopper evaluation.

Methods: Twelve of 24 maternal child health and family planning facilities were randomized to SP training.

Readiness for mHealth interventions in Jordan: Refugee camp and urban community survey.

Jordan hosts one of the largest populations of refugees in the world. This study evaluated the capacity, infrastructure, and interest in mobile health interventions to address unmet mental health needs among refugees and non-refugees in Jordan. We surveyed 209 (141 refugees) adults and youth in urban, rural, and refugee camp settings.

Combining mHealth Technology and Pharmacotherapy to Improve Mental Health Outcomes and Reduce Human Rights Abuses in West Africa: Intervention Field Trial.

Background: In West Africa, healers greatly outnumber trained mental health professionals. People with serious mental illness (SMI) are often seen by healers in "prayer camps" where they may also experience human rights abuses. We developed "M&M," an 8-week-long dual-pronged intervention involving (1) a smartphone-delivered toolkit designed to expose healers to brief psychosocial interventions and encourage them to preserve human rights (M-Healer app), and (2) a visiting nurse who provides medications to their patients (Mobile Nurse).

Investigating the impact of feed-induced, subacute ruminal acidosis on rumen epimural transcriptome and metatranscriptome in young calves at 8- and 17-week of age.

Introduction: With the goal to maximize intake of high-fermentable diet needed to meet energy needs during weaning period, calves are at risk for ruminal acidosis. Using the calves from previously established model of feed-induced, ruminal acidosis in young calves, we aimed to investigate the changes in rumen epimural transcriptome and its microbial metatranscriptome at weaning (8-week) and post-weaning (17-week) in canulated (first occurred at 3 weeks of age) Holstein bull calves with feed-induced subacute ruminal acidosis.

Methods: Eight bull calves were randomly assigned to acidosis-inducing diet (Treated,  = 4; pelleted, 42.

Mental Health Priorities in the Arab World: Insights From Jordan.

War, geopolitical instability, and natural disasters have contributed to enormous unmet mental health needs in the Middle East and North Africa. Jordan is a middle-income country that needs internal and international stakeholder engagement and support to effectively provide mental health services to its citizens and to the millions of immigrants and refugees who reside there. This column presents a snapshot of the state of mental health care in Jordan and outlines areas for future investment.

Dose-Dependent Effects of Supplementing a Two-Strain Probiotic on Growth Performance, Blood Parameters, Fecal Metabolites, and Microbiome in Nursery Pigs.

This experiment was conducted to evaluate the effects of dietary supplementation level of a two-strain probiotic on growth performance, blood parameters, fecal metabolites, and microbiome in nursery pigs. A total of 54 weaned piglets were allotted to three treatments in three replicate pens with six pigs/pen for a 28 d feeding trial. The treatments were as follows: control: no probiotic supplementation; Pro1x: supplementation at 1.

Liver microbial community and associated host transcriptome in calves with feed induced acidosis.

Introduction: In the dairy industry, calves are typically fed diets rich in highly fermentable carbohydrates and low in fibrous feeds to maximize ruminal papillae and tissue development. Calves on such diets are vulnerable at developing ruminal acidosis. Prevalent in cattle, liver abscess (LA) is considered a sequela to ruminal acidosis.

Dual amylin and calcitonin receptor agonist treatment reduces biomarkers associated with kidney fibrosis in diabetic rats.

Dual amylin and calcitonin receptor agonists (DACRAs) are effective treatments for obesity and type 2 diabetes (T2D). They provide beneficial effects on body weight, glucose control, and insulin action. However, whether DACRAs protect against diabetes-related kidney damage remains unknown.

Liver and Muscle Transcriptomes Differ in Mid-Lactation Cows Divergent in Feed Efficiency in the Presence or Absence of Supplemental Rumen-Protected Choline.

Improving dairy cow feed efficiency is critical to the sustainability and profitability of dairy production, yet the underlying mechanisms that contribute to individual cow variation in feed efficiency are not fully understood. The objectives of this study were to (1) identify genes and associated pathways that are altered in cows with high- or low-residual feed intake (RFI) using RNA sequencing, and (2) determine if rumen-protected choline supplementation during mid-lactation would influence performance or feed efficiency. Mid-lactation (134 ± 20 days in milk) multiparous Holstein cows were randomly assigned to either supplementation of 0 g/d supplementation (CTL; = 32) or 30 g/d of a rumen-protected choline product (RPC; 13.

Digital Mental Health Approaches to Improve Well-Being of Refugee Families.

Refugee populations face disproportionately high risk for mental health challenges because of their exposure to geopolitical conflict, persecution, violence, and human rights violations. Dedicated, sustained psychological services are scarce in refugee contexts. Access to mental health treatment is limited by stigma and discrimination, linguistic and cultural barriers, and lack of privacy and confidentiality.

Dual amylin and calcitonin receptor agonist treatment improves insulin sensitivity and increases muscle-specific glucose uptake independent of weight loss.

Dual amylin and calcitonin receptor agonists (DACRAs) are known to induce significant weight loss as well as improve glucose tolerance, glucose control, and insulin action in rats. However, to what extent DACRAs affect insulin sensitivity beyond that induced by weight loss and if DACRAs affect glucose turnover including tissue-specific glucose uptake is still unknown. Hyperinsulinemic glucose clamp studies were carried out in pre-diabetic ZDSD and diabetic ZDF rats treated with either the DACRA KBP or the long-acting DACRA KBP-A for 12 days.

Risks of adverse perinatal outcomes in relation to maternal depressive symptoms: A prospective cohort study in Kenya.

Background: Evidence gaps remain regarding the influence of prenatal psychosocial factors on adverse pregnancy outcomes.

Objective: The objective of this study is to evaluate relationships between psychosocial factors and adverse perinatal outcomes among Kenyan women.

Methods: We analysed data from a prospective cohort study enrolling HIV-negative women in pregnancy (NCT03070600) in 20 antenatal clinics in Western Kenya.

COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy among pregnant and postpartum Kenyan women.

Objective: The authors evaluated factors contributing to coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccine hesitancy among pregnant and postpartum women to inform vaccine scale-up strategies.

Methods: This observational study utilized data from pregnant and postpartum women attending four public maternal child health (MCH) clinics in Western Kenya. From October 2020 to July 2022, nurses assessed COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy, defined as reporting "unlikely" or "very unlikely" to the question, "If a vaccine for COVID-19 were available today, what is the likelihood that you would get vaccinated?"

Results: Among 1023 women (235 pregnant, 788 postpartum), 20% reported worsened MCH care during the pandemic and most (92%) perceived themselves or family members to be at risk for COVID-19, yet 54% of women reported COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy.

Comparing depression screening tools (CESD-10, EPDS, PHQ-9, and PHQ-2) for diagnostic performance and epidemiologic associations among postpartum Kenyan women: Implications for research and practice.

Background: Identifying optimal depression screening tools for use in maternal health clinics could improve maternal and infant health. We compared four tools for diagnostic performance and epidemiologic associations.

Methods: This study was nested in a cluster-randomized trial in Kenya.

The Impact of Exposure Profile on the Efficacy of Dual Amylin and Calcitonin Receptor Agonist Therapy.

Background: Dual Amylin and Calcitonin Receptor Agonists (DACRAs) are treatment candidates for obesity and type 2 diabetes. Recently, a once-weekly DACRA (KBP-A) showed promise, potentially due to its different exposure profile compared to daily DACRA (KBP). Parathyroid hormone, a G-protein-coupled receptor (GPCR) class B agonist, is an example of the exposure profile being critical to the effect.

Distinct modes of Si-H binding to Rh in complexes of a phosphine-diarylamido-silane (SiNP) pincer ligand.

Syntheses of Rh complexes of the phosphine-amido-silane SiNP ligand are reported. The reaction of the parent (SiNP)H ligand (4) with 0.5 equiv.

Mystery Shopper Assessment of PrEP Service Delivery Quality for Adolescent Girls and Young Women in Kenya: A Cross-sectional Study.

Pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) uptake and adherence among adolescent girls and young women (AGYW) may be negatively influenced by poor interactions with health care providers. We assessed PrEP counseling using unannounced standardized patient actors (USPs) at routine care clinics in Kenya. Trained actors posed as AGYW seeking PrEP services following case scripts and completed a checklist of provider adherence to national guidelines and communication skills.