Incursion of SARS-CoV-2 BA.2.86.1 variant into Israel: National-scale wastewater surveillance using a novel quantitative real-time PCR assay.

The emergence of the SARS-CoV-2 variant BA.2.86.

Adapting telehealth to address health equity: Perspectives of primary care providers across the United States.

Background: Telehealth has the potential to increase access to care for medically underserved patients. This qualitative study aimed to identify telecare practices used during the COVID-19 pandemic to meet the needs of patients experiencing homelessness, patients with disabilities, and patients with language preference other than English (LOE).

Methods: We conducted a secondary qualitative data analysis of 47 clinician interviews at Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs) around the country.

'Snapshot in time': a cross-sectional study exploring stakeholder experiences with environmental scans in health services delivery research.

Objective: To describe stakeholder characteristics and perspectives about experiences, challenges and information needs related to the use of environmental scans (ESs).

Design: Cross-sectional study.

Setting And Participants: A web-based survey platform was used to disseminate an online survey to stakeholders who had experience with conducting ESs in a health services delivery context (eg, researchers, policy makers, practitioners).

Innovative Programs with Multi-Service Integration for Children and Youth with High Functional Health Needs.

The integration of care services and providers across the health-social-community continuum has helped improve the lives of many children and youth living with complex health conditions. Using environmental scan data, 16 promising multi-service programs were selected and analyzed qualitatively through a deliberative conversation approach. Descriptive data of analyzed programs are presented, as well as the thematic analysis results.

Trocar Site Location in Laparoscopic Appendectomy-A Prospective Randomized Study.

Introduction: Laparoscopic appendectomy has been used in the treatment of appendicitis, which is among the most common emergency pathologies worldwide. There is no consensus on the best trocar entry sites. The purpose of the present study was to compare various trocar entry sites in the literature and to find the localization with the optimal usage area.

Mortality rate after coronary revascularization in heart failure patients with coronary artery disease.

Aims: Coronary artery disease (CAD) is a common cause of heart failure (HF). It remains unclear who, when and why to direct towards coronary revascularization. The outcomes of coronary revascularization in HF patients are still a matter of debate nowadays.

3-D Ultrafast Shear Wave Absolute Vibro-Elastography Using a Matrix Array Transducer.

Real-time ultrasound imaging plays an important role in ultrasound-guided interventions. The 3-D imaging provides more spatial information compared to conventional 2-D frames by considering the volumes of data. One of the main bottlenecks of 3-D imaging is the long data acquisition time, which reduces practicality and can introduce artifacts from unwanted patient or sonographer motion.

Stroke in hemodialysis patients and its association with CHADS-VASC and HAS-BLED scores: a retrospective study.

Background: In the general population, the CHADS-VASC and the HAS-BLED scores are helpful to predict cerebrovascular events and hemorrhage in patients with atrial fibrillation (AF). However, their predictive value remains controversial in the dialysis population. This study aims to explore the association between these scores and cerebral cardiovascular events in hemodialysis (HD) patients.

A multi-center, randomized, 12-month, parallel-group, feasibility study to assess the acceptability and preliminary impact of family navigation plus usual care versus usual care on attrition in managing pediatric obesity: a study protocol.

Background: Pediatric obesity management can be successful, but some families discontinue care prematurely (i.e., attrition), limiting treatment impact.

[Retracted] Effects of nutrients on matrix metalloproteinases in human T‑lymphotropic virus type 1 positive and negative malignant T‑lymphocytes.

Subsequently to the publication of the above article, a concerned reader drew to the attention of the Editorial Office and the authors that certain pairings of the GAPDH western blotting control bands in Fig. 4 appeared to be strikingly similar to adjacent pairings of bands within the same gel slices; moreover, data bands featured in the HuT‑2, C91‑PL and Jurkat zymography blots in Fig. 5 also appeared to be remarkably similar, both comparing the bands within a given gel slice (as in the case of the Jurkat cell experiment in Fig.

Detection and Analysis of West Nile Virus Structural Protein Genes in Animal or Bird Samples.

West Nile virus (WNV) is an important zoonotic pathogen, which is detected mainly by identification of its RNA using PCR. Genetic differentiation between WNV lineages is usually performed by complete genome sequencing, which is not available in many research and diagnostic laboratories. In this chapter, we describe a protocol for detection and analysis of WNV samples by sequencing the entire region of their structural genes capsid (C), preM/membrane, and envelope.

Experiences, Motivations, and Perceived Impact of Participation in a Facebook-Based Support Group for Caregivers of Children and Youth With Complex Care Needs: Qualitative Descriptive Study.

Background: Caregivers of children and youth with complex care needs (CCNs) often require considerable support to ensure the well-being of their families. Social media present an opportunity to better support caregivers through computer-mediated communication for social support. Peer-to-peer (P2P) support groups are a way in which caregivers are accessing needed support; however, the experiences of caregivers who use these groups and the perceived impact that participation has on caregivers of children and youth with CCNs are not known.

Retrospective study of 59 cases of cancer-associated thrombotic microangiopathy: presentation and treatment characteristics.

Background: Cancer-associated thrombotic microangiopathy (TMA) is a rare disease, with a poor prognosis. The classical treatment is urgent chemotherapy. Few data are available on the efficacy of plasma exchange (PE) and eculizumab in these patients.

National Scale Real-Time Surveillance of SARS-CoV-2 Variants Dynamics by Wastewater Monitoring in Israel.

In this report, we describe a national-scale monitoring of the SARS-CoV-2 (SC-2) variant dynamics in Israel, using multiple-time sampling of 13 wastewater treatment plants. We used a combination of inclusive and selective quantitative PCR assays that specifically identify variants A19/A20 or B.1.

Association of GDF-15, hs-cTnT and NT-proBNP with coronary artery disease in patients undergoing elective angiography.

This study investigated the association between plasma levels of GDF-15, hs-cTnT and NT-proBNP and the presence of coronary artery disease (CAD) in stable patients referred for elective coronary angiography. The outcome of CAD was defined as an ordinal variable with 3 levels. The association between each biomarker and the outcome was tested using the Winell and Lindbäck method.

Exploring the Use of a Facebook-Based Support Group for Caregivers of Children and Youth With Complex Care Needs: Qualitative Descriptive Study.

Background: Caregivers of children and youth with complex care needs (CCN) require substantial support to ensure the well-being of their families. Web-based peer-to-peer (P2P) support groups present an opportunity for caregivers to seek and provide timely informational and emotional support. Despite the widespread use of social media for health-related support across diverse patient and caregiver populations, it is unclear how caregivers of children and youth with CCN use and potentially benefit from these groups.

Long Term Weight Loss Diets and Obesity Indices: Results of a Network Meta-Analysis.

Background: Scientists have been investigating efficient interventions to prevent and manage obesity. This network meta-analysis (NMA) compared the effect of different diets [moderate macronutrients (MMs), low fat/high carbohydrate (LFHC), high fat/low carbohydrate (HFLC), and usual diet (UD)] on weight, body mass index (BMI), and waist circumference (WC) changes at ≥12 months.

Methods: We searched Medline, Embase, PubMed databases, and the Cochrane Library.

Specific Detection of SARS-CoV-2 Variants B.1.1.7 (Alpha) and B.1.617.2 (Delta) Using a One-Step Quantitative PCR Assay.

In this report, we describe the development of a reverse transcription-quantitative PCR (RT-qPCR) assay, termed Alpha-Delta assay, which can detect all severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SC-2) variants and distinguish between the Alpha (B.1.1.

Mapping the acute time course of immune cell infiltration into an ECM hydrogel in a rat model of stroke using F MRI.

Extracellular matrix (ECM) hydrogel implantation into a stroke-induced tissue cavity invokes a robust cellular immune response. However, the spatio-temporal dynamics of immune cell infiltration into peri-infarct brain tissues versus the ECM-bioscaffold remain poorly understood. We here tagged peripheral immune cells using perfluorocarbon (PFC) nanoemulsions that afford their visualization by F magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).

Gastrointestinal duplication masquerading as intussusception in an adult.

Gastrointestinal duplication is a rare congenital condition that involves tissues anywhere along the alimentary tract. It may also be referred to as enteric duplication or alimentary tract duplication. It typically presents in children and is hardly found in adults because the presentation varies and the diagnosis is often incidental.