Effects of brexpiprazole on patient life engagement in schizophrenia: analysis of Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale data.

Objective: Patients with schizophrenia value improved life engagement, a term that describes positive health aspects across emotional, physical, social, and cognitive domains. This analysis of clinical trial data aimed to investigate the effect of brexpiprazole on patient life engagement in schizophrenia over the short and long term.

Methods: Data were pooled from three 6-week, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trials (ClinicalTrials.

Analysis and comparison of SARS-CoV-2 variant antibodies and neutralizing activity for 6 months after a booster mRNA vaccine in a healthcare worker population.

Introduction: In the context of recurrent surges of SARS-CoV-2 infections, a detailed characterization of antibody persistence over a 6-month period following vaccine booster dose is necessary to crafting effective public health policies on repeat vaccination.

Methods: To characterize the SARS-CoV-2 antibody profile of a healthcare worker population over a 6-month period following mRNA vaccination and booster dose. 323 healthcare workers at an academic medical center in Orange County, California who had completed primary vaccination and booster dose against SARS-CoV-2 were recruited for the study.

Adolescent use and co-use of tobacco and cannabis in California: The roles of local policy and density of tobacco, vape, and cannabis retailers around schools.

Adolescent tobacco use (particularly vaping) and co-use of cannabis and tobacco have increased, leading some jurisdictions to implement policies intended to reduce youth access to these products; however, their impacts remain unclear. We examine associations between local policy, density of tobacco, vape, and cannabis retailers around schools, and adolescent use and co-use of tobacco/vape and cannabis. We combined 2018 statewide California (US) data on: (a) jurisdiction-level policies related to tobacco and cannabis retail environments, (b) jurisdiction-level sociodemographic composition, (c) retailer locations (tobacco, vape, and cannabis shops), and (d) survey data on 534,176 middle and high school students (California Healthy Kids Survey).

Risk factors for SARS-CoV-2 seropositivity in a health care worker population during the early pandemic.

Background: While others have reported severe acute respiratory syndrome-related coronavirus 2(SARS-CoV-2) seroprevalence studies in health care workers (HCWs), we leverage the use of a highly sensitive coronavirus antigen microarray to identify a group of seropositive health care workers who were missed by daily symptom screening that was instituted prior to any epidemiologically significant local outbreak. Given that most health care facilities rely on daily symptom screening as the primary method to identify SARS-CoV-2 among health care workers, here, we aim to determine how demographic, occupational, and clinical variables influence SARS-CoV-2 seropositivity among health care workers.

Methods: We designed a cross-sectional survey of HCWs for SARS-CoV-2 seropositivity conducted from May 15th to June 30th 2020 at a 418-bed academic hospital in Orange County, California.

Experiences of COVID-19-Related Racism and Impact on Depression Trajectories Among Racially/Ethnically Minoritized Adolescents.

Purpose: In 2020, racially/ethnically minoritized (REMD) youth faced the "dual pandemics" of COVID-19 and racism, both significant stressors with potential for adverse mental health effects. The current study tested whether short- and long-term trajectories of depressive symptoms from before to during the COVID-19 pandemic differed between REMD adolescents who did and did not endorse exposure to COVID-19-era-related racism (i.e.

Health-Related Social Control and Perceived Stress Among High-Risk Latina Mothers with Type 2 Diabetes and Their At-Risk Adult Daughters.

Background: Diabetes-related multi-morbidity and cultural factors place Latinas with diabetes at increased risk for stress, which can threaten illness management. Families provide an ideal focus for interventions that seek to strengthen interpersonal resources for illness management and, in the process, to reduce stress. The current study sought to examine whether participating in a dyadic intervention was associated with reduced perceived stress and, furthermore, whether this association was mediated by persuasion and pressure, two forms of health-related social control.

Analysis and comparison of SARS-CoV-2 variant antibodies and neutralizing activity for 6 months after a booster mRNA vaccine in a healthcare worker population.

In the context of recurrent surges of SARS-CoV-2 infections, a detailed characterization of antibody persistence over a 6-month period following vaccine booster dose is necessary to crafting effective public health policies on repeat vaccination. To characterize the SARS-CoV-2 antibody profile of a healthcare worker population over a 6-month period following mRNA vaccination and booster dose. 323 healthcare workers at an academic medical center in Orange County, California who had completed primary vaccination and booster dose against SARS-CoV-2 were recruited for the study.

Correlations of disease severity outcome measures in inclusion body myositis.

This study aimed to evaluate the correlation between various outcome measures used to assess disease severity and progression in inclusion body myositis (IBM) clinical trials. A cross-sectional study, involving 51 IBM patients meeting the European Neuromuscular Center (ENMC) 2011 criteria for clinically defined or probable IBM, was completed at the University of California, Irvine. Clinical details, demographic data, and functional data including timed get up (TGU), manual muscle testing, hand grip, pinch dynamometry, as well as IBM functional rating scale (IBMFRS), modified Rankin score, forced vital capacity (FVC), and modified ocular bulbar facial respiratory scale (mOBFRS) were collected on all patients.

Correcting for selection bias in HIV prevalence estimates: an application of sample selection models using data from population-based HIV surveys in seven sub-Saharan African countries.

Introduction: Population-based biomarker surveys are the gold standard for estimating HIV prevalence but are susceptible to substantial non-participation (up to 30%). Analytical missing data methods, including inverse-probability weighting (IPW) and multiple imputation (MI), are biased when data are missing-not-at-random, for example when people living with HIV more frequently decline participation. Heckman-type selection models can, under certain assumptions, recover unbiased prevalence estimates in such scenarios.

Persistence of SARS-CoV-2 Antibodies in Vaccinated Health Care Workers Analyzed by Coronavirus Antigen Microarray.

Recent studies provide conflicting evidence on the persistence of SARS-CoV-2 immunity induced by mRNA vaccines. Here, we aim to quantify the persistence of humoral immunity following vaccination using a coronavirus antigen microarray that includes 10 SARS-CoV-2 antigens. In a prospective longitudinal cohort of 240 healthcare workers, composite SARS-CoV-2 IgG antibody levels did not wane significantly over a 6-month study period.

Breathing Room: Industrial Zoning and Asthma Incidence Using School District Health Records in the City of Santa Ana, California.

Background: Traffic and industrial emissions are associated with increased pediatric asthma morbidity. However, few studies have examined the influence of city industrial zoning on pediatric asthma outcomes among minoritized communities with limited access to air monitoring. Methods: In this cross-sectional analysis of 39,974 school-aged students in Santa Ana, CA, we investigated the effect of proximity to areas zoned for industrial use on pediatric asthma prevalence, physical fitness, school attendance, and standardized test scores.

Analysis of port-wine birthmark vascular characteristics by location: Utility of optical coherence tomography mapping.

Introduction: Port-wine birthmarks (PWBs) are congenital capillary malformations that can be located on any area of the body. Vascular features include vessel size, depth, and density, which can greatly differ between patients, individual lesions, and even sites within the same lesion. Previous studies have determined that the location of PWB lesions has impacted their clinical response to laser treatment.

Towards risk stratification and prediction of disease severity and mortality in COVID-19: Next generation metabolomics for the measurement of host response to COVID-19 infection.

This study investigated the association between COVID-19 infection and host metabolic signatures as prognostic markers for disease severity and mortality. We enrolled 82 patients with RT-PCR confirmed COVID-19 infection who were classified as mild, moderate, or severe/critical based upon their WHO clinical severity score and compared their results with 31 healthy volunteers. Data on demographics, comorbidities and clinical/laboratory characteristics were obtained from medical records.

The acute and persisting impact of COVID-19 on trajectories of adolescent depression: Sex differences and social connectedness.

Background: The COVID-19 era is a time of unprecedented stress, and there is widespread concern regarding its short- and long-term mental health impact. Adolescence is a sensitive period for the emergence of latent psychopathology vulnerabilities, often activated by environmental stressors. The present study examined COVID-19's impact on adolescent depression and possible influences of different domains of social connectedness (loneliness, social media use, social video game time, degree of social activity participation).

Early life adversity in male mice sculpts reward circuits.

Early life adversity (ELA) comprises a wide variety of negative experiences during early life and has been linked to cognitive impairments, reduced experiences of pleasure (anhedonia), and other long-term consequences implying that ELA impacts the reward circuitry. In this study, we focused on the projections from the dorsal raphe (DR) to the ventral tegmental area (VTA) and on to the nucleus accumbens (NAcc), an important pathway within the reward circuit. We hypothesized that ELA alters connectivity within the DR-VTA-NAcc pathway, associated with deficient reward seeking behaviors in adulthood.

Distinct SARS-CoV-2 antibody reactivity patterns elicited by natural infection and mRNA vaccination.

We analyzed data from two ongoing COVID-19 longitudinal serological surveys in Orange County, CA., between April 2020 and March 2021. A total of 8476 finger stick blood specimens were collected before and after a vaccination campaign.

Renal Stone Dusting: Impact of Laser Modality, Ureteral Access Sheath, and Suction on Total Stone Clearance.

Conventional renal stone dusting is challenging; the holmium (Ho:YAG) laser and holmium with effect (Ho:YAG-) fail to uniformly produce fragments ≤100 μm (i.e., dust).

Platinum resistance in gynecologic malignancies: Response, disease free and overall survival are predicted by biochemical signature: A metabolomic analysis.

Objective: Platinum resistance, defined as the lack of response or relapse within six months of platinum-based chemotherapy, is an important determinant of survival in gynecologic cancer. We used quantitative Mass Spectrometry to identify metabolic signatures that predict platinum resistance in patients receiving chemotherapy for gynecologic cancers.

Methods: In this study 47 patients with adenocarcinoma of the ovary or uterus who were candidates for carboplatin plus paclitaxel submitted blood for quantitation of metabolites and surgical specimens for the isolation 3-dimensional organoids used to measure individual patient platinum resistance, ex vivo.

Vascular characteristics of port wine birthmarks as measured by dynamic optical coherence tomography.

Background: Port wine birthmarks (PWBs) are congenital capillary malformations. Vessel characteristics, such as diameter and depth, may impact presentation and outcomes. They can be imaged using dynamic optical coherence tomography, a high-resolution, noninvasive imaging method.

Is Interview Length Associated With Blood Test Participation? Evidence From Three Population-Based HIV Impact Assessment Surveys Conducted From 2016 to 2017.

Background: High response rates in surveys are critical to ensuring that findings are unbiased and representative of the target population. Questionnaire length affects response rates, with long interviews associated with partially complete surveys, higher item nonresponse ("don't know" and "refuse" responses), and willingness to participate in future surveys. Our aim is to determine the impact of questionnaire length on blood test participation in population-based HIV surveys.

Two-Photon Microperimetry: A Media Opacity-Independent Retinal Function Assay.

Purpose: Compare results obtained using infrared two-photon microperimetry (2PM-IR) with conventional visual function tests in healthy subjects of varying ages with and without simulated media opacities.

Methods: Subjects from two separate cohort studies completed cone contrast threshold (CCT) testing, conventional microperimetry, visible light microperimetry from a novel device (2PM-Vis), and infrared two-photon microperimetry. The first cohort study, which consisted of six healthy volunteers (23 to 29 years of age), evaluated the effects of simulated media opacities on visual performance testing.

Work, race and breastfeeding outcomes for mothers in the United States.

Background: In the United States, mothers' employment status and occupation are related to breastfeeding. However, it is unclear whether not working leads to longer breastfeeding duration even when compared to professional/managerial jobs, which tend to accommodate breastfeeding better than service/manual labor jobs. Furthermore, occupation and breastfeeding are racially patterned, and it is possible that race could moderate the relationships between mother's work and breastfeeding.