Improving Coccidioidomycosis Testing for Emergency Department Patients With Suspect Community-Acquired Pneumonia: Analysis of Provider Attitudes and the Effect of a Targeted Intervention.

Coccidioidomycosis is a common cause of community-acquired pneumonia in endemic regions. Approximately 20 000 cases of coccidioidomycosis occur annually; however, this statistic is limited by a widespread lack of testing. Here, we analyze emergency medicine provider attitudes toward coccidioidal testing and assess the effect of an intervention to improve testing rates.

Non-Degenerate Two-Photon Absorption of Fluorescent Protein Chromophores.

Two-photon absorption (2PA), where a pair of photons are absorbed simultaneously, is recognized as a potent bioimaging technique, which depends on the quantified 2PA probability, defined as cross-section (σ). The absorbed photons either have equivalent (ω = ω) or different frequencies (ω ≠ ω), where the former is degenerate 2PA (D-2PA) and the latter is nondegenerate 2PA (ND-2PA). ND-2PA is of particular interest since it is a promising imaging technology with flexibility of photon frequencies and enhanced cross sections, however, it remains a relatively unexplored area compared to D-2PA.

Why Are Healthcare Providers Leaving Their Jobs? A Convergent Mixed-Methods Investigation of Turnover Intention among Canadian Healthcare Providers during the COVID-19 Pandemic.

Background: Staffing shortages across the healthcare sector pose a threat to the continuity of the Canadian healthcare system in the post-COVID-19 pandemic era. We sought to understand factors associated with turnover intention as well as Canadian healthcare providers' (HCPs) perspectives and experiences with turnover intention as related to both organizational and professional turnover.

Method: A convergent questionnaire mixed-methods design was employed.

Injuries Related to Waterskiing Between 2012 and 2022: A National Database Study.

We conducted an epidemiological study by using the National Electronic Injury Surveillance System (NEISS) database to assess and quantify waterskiing injuries between 2012 and 2022. A total of 898 injuries were reported, primarily among Caucasian males during competition. Head (177, 20%), face (93, 10%), and knee (70, 8%) were the most prevalent types of injuries.

Synthesis and reduction of [(CHSiMe)Ln(μ-OR)] (Ln = La, Ce) complexes: structural effects of bridging alkoxides.

Alcoholysis of Cp'Ln (Ln = La, Ce; Cp' = CHSiMe) generate high-yielding (72-97%) bimetallic Ln complexes of [Cp'Ln(μ-OR)] [R = Et, Pr, or CH-4-Bu]. Single-crystal X-ray diffraction of these complexes reveal unexpected decreases in Ln⋯Ln distances, increasing Cp-Ln-Cp angles, and increasing intermolecular C⋯C contacts with bulkier bridging alkoxides, in line with structural control driven by significant dispersion forces. H NMR spectroscopy of [Cp'Ce(μ-OEt)] and [Cp'Ce(μ-OPr)] revealed significantly upfield resonances assigned as methylene and methine moieties of -43.

Effects of early midlife ovarian removal on sleep: Polysomnography-measured cortical arousal, homeostatic drive, and spindle characteristics.

Bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy (BSO; removal of ovaries and fallopian tubes) prior to age 48 is associated with elevated risk for both Alzheimer's disease (AD) and sleep disorders such as insomnia and sleep apnea. In early midlife, individuals with BSO show reduced hippocampal volume, function, and hippocampal-dependent verbal episodic memory performance associated with changes in sleep. It is unknown whether BSO affects fine-grained sleep measurements (sleep microarchitecture) and how these changes might relate to hippocampal-dependent memory.

Fertility protection during chemotherapy treatment by boosting the NAD(P) metabolome.

Chemotherapy induced ovarian failure and infertility is an important concern in female cancer patients of reproductive age or younger, and non-invasive, pharmacological approaches to maintain ovarian function are urgently needed. Given the role of reduced nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate (NADPH) as an essential cofactor for drug detoxification, we sought to test whether boosting the NAD(P) metabolome could protect ovarian function. We show that pharmacological or transgenic strategies to replenish the NAD metabolome ameliorates chemotherapy induced female infertility in mice, as measured by oocyte yield, follicle health, and functional breeding trials.

Performance evaluation of the Streck ARM-D Kit, β-Lactamase for molecular detection of acquired β-lactamase genes.

Objectives: Despite clinical relevance, commercially available molecular tools for accurate β-lactamase detection are limited. In this study, we evaluated the performance of the ARM-D Kit, β-Lactamase, a commercially available multiplex PCR assay designed to detect nine β-lactamase genes, including the five major plasmid-mediated carbapenemases, ESBL and AmpC genes circulating in the United States.

Methods: A diverse collection of 113 Gram-negative isolates, including 42 with multiple β-lactamases genes, was selected from the U.

Muscle degeneration in aging Drosophila flies: the role of mechanical stress.

Muscle wasting is a universal hallmark of aging which is displayed by a wide range of organisms, although the causes and mechanisms of this phenomenon are not fully understood. We used Drosophila to characterize the phenomenon of spontaneous muscle fiber degeneration (SMFD) during aging. We found that SMFD occurs across diverse types of somatic muscles, progresses with chronological age, and positively correlates with functional muscle decline.

Presenting a Framework to Professionalize Health Supply Chain Management.

Introduction: Many countries have an insufficient supply of adequately skilled supply chain workers to manage health commodities, and no global standards in education or experience exist for the supply chain management (SCM) workforce managing health products. We present a professionalization framework for the health SCM workforce that provides a systematic process that countries can use to standardize and elevate the health SCM profession.

Methods: In 2019, semistructured interviews were conducted with individuals from 10 leading organizations supporting in-country public health supply chains to explore approaches for an SCM professionalization framework.

Evaluation of Self-collected Saliva Samples Without Viral Transport Media for SARS-CoV-2 Testing via RT-PCR and Comparison of Amplicon Sequences Against Commonly Used Primers in Diagnostic Assays.

Introduction: Mass screening for SARS-CoV-2 using nasopharyngeal swabs (NPS) is costly, uncomfortable for patients, and increases the chance of virus exposure to health care workers. Therefore, this study focused on determining if self-collected unpreserved saliva can be an effective alternative to NPS collection in COVID-19 surveillance.

Materials And Methods: In this study, patients being tested for SARS-CoV-2 using NPS were asked to provide a saliva sample to compare their results.

Practical Guidance for Clinical Microbiology Laboratories: Updated guidance for processing respiratory tract samples from people with cystic fibrosis.

SUMMARYThis guidance presents recommendations for clinical microbiology laboratories for processing respiratory samples from people with cystic fibrosis (pwCF). Appropriate processing of respiratory samples is crucial to detect bacterial and fungal pathogens, guide treatment, monitor the epidemiology of cystic fibrosis (CF) pathogens, and assess therapeutic interventions. Thanks to CF transmembrane conductance regulator modulator therapy, the health of pwCF has improved, but as a result, fewer pwCF spontaneously expectorate sputum.

Identification of small molecule inhibitors of the Chloracidobacterium thermophilum type IV pilus protein PilB by ensemble virtual screening.

Antivirulence strategy has been explored as an alternative to traditional antibiotic development. The bacterial type IV pilus is a virulence factor involved in host invasion and colonization in many antibiotic resistant pathogens. The PilB ATPase hydrolyzes ATP to drive the assembly of the pilus filament from pilin subunits.

Interdisciplinary reflection by higher education academics using teaching squares: A scoping review.

Objective: To explore the use of teaching squares by interdisciplinary Higher Education (HE) academics when engaging in a cycle of teaching reflection.

Design: A scoping review of published and unpublished research between 2012 and 2022.

Data Sources: Systematic search of ten (10) electronic databases and hand searching of reference lists identified 13 studies for review.

An enantioselective and modular platform for C4'-modified nucleoside analogue synthesis enabled by intramolecular trans-acetalizations.

C4'-modified nucleoside analogues continue to attract global attention for their use in antiviral drug development and oligonucleotide-based therapeutics. However, current approaches to C4'-modified nucleoside analogues still involve lengthy (9-16 steps), non-modular routes that are unamenable to library synthesis. Towards addressing the challenges associated with their syntheses, we report a modular 5-step process to a diverse collection of C4'-modified nucleoside analogues through a sequence of intramolecular trans-acetalizations of readily assembled polyhydroxylated frameworks.

Effectiveness of Dry Cleaning Treatments for Removing Milk Chocolate from Valve/Pipe Assemblies and Pilot-scale Chocolate Processing Equipment.

Dark chocolate produced on equipment used to manufacture milk chocolate can contain milk due to cross-contact. This study evaluated the use of dry cleaning methods for removing milk chocolate residue from a butterfly or ball valve attached to a stainless steel pipe and from pilot-scale equipment used in chocolate manufacture. Milk-free dark chocolate (40 °C) was pumped through a milk chocolate-contaminated valve/pipe assembly after no cleaning, use of a pig purging treatment, or a 40 °C cocoa butter flush.

Methods to Analyze the Surface Composition of Bacterial Membrane Vesicles.

Bacterial membrane vesicles (BMVs) are small, spherical structures released by Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria that play essential roles in intercellular communication, nutrient acquisition, and antibiotic resistance. BMVs typically range from 40 to 400 nm in diameter and contain a single membrane derived from the bacterial membrane, comprising proteins, lipids, nucleic acids, and other biomolecules. Notably, the molecules located on the surface of BMVs facilitate interactions with neighboring cells, including the transfer of functional genes, coordination of bacterial growth through quorum sensing, and delivery of toxins during infections.

Sensitivity and specificity of Aboriginal-developed items to supplement the adapted PHQ-9 screening measure for depression: results from the Getting it Right study.

Objective: To determine the psychometric properties of an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander-developed depressive symptom screening scale.

Design: Prospective diagnostic accuracy study.

Setting: Ten primary health care services or residential alcohol and other drug rehabilitation services in Australia that predominantly serve Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.

The XENONnT dark matter experiment.

The multi-staged XENON program at INFN Laboratori Nazionali del Gran Sasso aims to detect dark matter with two-phase liquid xenon time projection chambers of increasing size and sensitivity. The XENONnT experiment is the latest detector in the program, planned to be an upgrade of its predecessor XENON1T. It features an active target of 5.