Mutational Analysis of the Bovine Hepacivirus Internal Ribosome Entry Site.

In recent years, hepatitis C virus (HCV)-related viruses were identified in several species, including dogs, horses, bats, and rodents. In addition, a novel virus of the genus has been discovered in bovine samples and was termed bovine hepacivirus (BovHepV). Prediction of the BovHepV internal ribosome entry site (IRES) structure revealed strong similarities to the HCV IRES structure comprising domains II, IIIabcde, pseudoknot IIIf, and IV with the initiation codon AUG.

How Artificial Intelligence Can Improve Our Understanding of the Genes Associated with Endometriosis: Natural Language Processing of the PubMed Database.

Endometriosis is a disease characterized by the development of endometrial tissue outside the uterus, but its cause remains largely unknown. Numerous genes have been studied and proposed to help explain its pathogenesis. However, the large number of these candidate genes has made functional validation through experimental methodologies nearly impossible.

A Randomized Phase II Open-Label Multi-Institution Study of the Combination of Bevacizumab and Erlotinib Compared to Sorafenib in the First-Line Treatment of Patients with Advanced Hepatocellular Carcinoma.

Objectives: To investigate the clinical efficacy and tolerability of the combination of bevacizumab (B) and erlotinib (E) compared to sorafenib (S) as first-line treatment for patients with advanced hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC).

Methods: A total of 90 patients with advanced HCC, Child-Pugh class A-B7 cirrhosis, and no prior systemic therapy were randomly assigned (1: 1) to receive either 10 mg/kg B intravenously every 14 days and 150 mg E orally daily (n = 47) (B+E) or 400 mg S orally twice daily (n = 43). The primary endpoint was overall survival (OS).

The implications of cocaine use and associated behaviors on adverse cardiovascular outcomes among veterans: Insights from the VA Clinical Assessment, Reporting, and Tracking (CART) Program.

Background: Cocaine use has been associated with adverse cardiovascular outcomes in patients with coronary artery disease (CAD). It is unclear whether this is due to direct effects of cocaine or other factors.

Hypothesis: Cocaine use is associated with worse outcomes in patients undergoing cardiac catheterization METHODS: We used the Veterans Affairs database to identify veterans undergoing coronary catheterization between 2007 and 2014.

Understanding Disorder Within Variation: Production of English Grammatical Forms by English Language Learners.

Purpose: This study examines English performance on a set of 11 grammatical forms in Spanish-English bilingual, school-age children in order to understand how item difficulty of grammatical constructions helps correctly classify language impairment (LI) from expected variability in second language acquisition when taking into account linguistic experience and exposure.

Method: Three hundred seventy-eight children's scores on the Bilingual English-Spanish Assessment-Middle Extension (Peña, Bedore, Gutiérrez-Clellen, Iglesias, & Goldstein, 2008) morphosyntax cloze task were analyzed by bilingual experience groups (high Spanish experience, balanced English-Spanish experience, high English experience, ability (typically developing [TD] vs. LI), and grammatical form.

Clinical and laboratory factors contributing to uninterpretable beryllium lymphocyte proliferation tests (BeLPT).

Background: The beryllium lymphocyte proliferation test (BeLPT), has become the principal clinical test for detecting beryllium sensitization and chronic beryllium disease. Uninterpretable BeLPT results can occur in a small but significant proportion of tests from poor lymphocyte growth (PG) or over proliferation of lymphocytes (OP). The clinical and laboratory causes of uninterpretable results are not known.

Predicting Potential Adverse Events During a Skilled Nursing Facility Stay: A Skilled Nursing Facility Prognosis Score.

Objectives: To derive a risk prediction score for potential adverse outcomes in older adults transitioning to a skilled nursing facility (SNF) from the hospital.

Design: Retrospective analysis.

Setting: Medicare Current Beneficiary Survey (2003-11).

Coronary artery disease severity modifies associations between glycemic control and both mortality and myocardial infarction.

Aims: This study examined whether the association between hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) and short-term clinical outcomes is moderated by CAD severity.

Methods: We studied 17,394 US Veterans with type 2 diabetes who underwent elective cardiac catheterization between 2005 and 2013. CAD severity was categorized as obstructive, non-obstructive, or no CAD.

Lenvatinib versus sorafenib in first-line treatment of patients with unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma: a randomised phase 3 non-inferiority trial.

Background: In a phase 2 trial, lenvatinib, an inhibitor of VEGF receptors 1-3, FGF receptors 1-4, PDGF receptor α, RET, and KIT, showed activity in hepatocellular carcinoma. We aimed to compare overall survival in patients treated with lenvatinib versus sorafenib as a first-line treatment for unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma.

Methods: This was an open-label, phase 3, multicentre, non-inferiority trial that recruited patients with unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma, who had not received treatment for advanced disease, at 154 sites in 20 countries throughout the Asia-Pacific, European, and North American regions.

Detection of nanodiamonds in biological samples by EPR spectrometry.

In model experiments in vitro, the applicability of the EPR spectrometry method for the detection of modified nanodiamonds (MNDs) in blood and homogenates of mouse organs has been established. A characteristic signal (g = 2.003, ΔH ≈ 10 G) is observed in the samples of biomaterials containing MNDs, the intensity of which increases linearly with the concentration of nanoparticles in the range of 1.

Seeing real-space dynamics of liquid water through inelastic x-ray scattering.

Water is ubiquitous on earth, but we know little about the real-space motion of molecules in liquid water. We demonstrate that high-resolution inelastic x-ray scattering measurement over a wide range of momentum and energy transfer makes it possible to probe real-space, real-time dynamics of water molecules through the so-called Van Hove function. Water molecules are found to be strongly correlated in space and time with coupling between the first and second nearest-neighbor molecules.

Increasing the Connectivity and Autonomy of RNs with Low-Risk Obstetric Patients.

Unlabelled: : Objective: RNs are adopting an ever-larger role in health care models designed to reduce costs, increase patient satisfaction, and improve patient outcomes. Most research exploring such models has focused on those involving physicians or advanced practice nurses rather than RNs. This study explored the perspectives of patients, RNs, and other providers regarding a new prenatal connected care model for low-risk patients aimed at reducing in-office visits and creating virtual patient-RN connections.

Morpho-Orthographic Processing in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder: The Case of Hebrew Orthography.

Objective: Most studies on word reading in children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) focus on graphemic-phonemic decoding and the direct orthographic route. To extend the scope, we investigated morpho-orthographic identification beyond graphemic-phonemic abilities.

Patients And Methods: The original study included 31 sixth-grade children with ASD and comparison groups of typically developing (TD) children: 23 age-matched children, 15 third-graders, and 17 second-graders.

Exhaustion of Airway Basal Progenitor Cells in Early and Established Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease.

Rationale: Up to 40% of smokers develop chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) over a period that spans decades. Despite the importance of COPD, much remains to be learned about susceptibility and pathogenesis, especially during early, prediagnostic stages of disease. Airway basal progenitor cells are crucial for lung health and resilience because of their ability to repair injured airways.

Same-level fall injuries in US workplaces by age group, gender, and industry.

Background: As the workforce ages, occupational injuries from falls on the same level will increase. Some industries may be more affected than others.

Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional study using data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics to estimate same-level fall injury incidence rates by age group, gender, and industry for four sectors: 1) healthcare and social assistance; 2) manufacturing; 3) retail; and 4) transportation and warehousing.

Feasibility of Using a Community-Supported Agriculture Program to Increase Access to and Intake of Vegetables among Federally Qualified Health Center Patients.

Objective: This study explored the feasibility of using a 23-week subsidized community-supported agriculture program to increase access to and intake of vegetables among Federally Qualified Health Center patients.

Methods: Outcomes were measured using pre-post intervention surveys (n = 9). Process data were collected in post-intervention surveys and focus groups (n = 15).

Sex-based differences in veterans with pulmonary hypertension: Results from the veterans affairs-clinical assessment reporting and tracking database.

Women have an increased risk of pulmonary hypertension (PH) but better survival compared to men. Few studies have explored sex-based differences in population-based cohorts with PH. We sought to determine whether sex was associated with hemodynamics and survival in US veterans with PH (mean pulmonary artery pressure [mPAP] ≥ 25 mm Hg) from the Veterans Affairs Clinical Assessment, Reporting, and Tracking database.

Validation of an electronic tool for flagging surgical site infections based on clinical practice patterns for triaging surveillance: Operational successes and barriers.

Background: Surveillance is an effective strategy for reducing surgical site infections (SSIs); however, current identification methods are resource-intensive. Therefore, we sought to validate an electronic SSI triaging tool for detection of probable infections and identify operational barriers and challenges.

Methods: A retrospective cohort study was conducted among all Veterans Affairs Surgical Quality Improvement Program (VASQIP)-reviewed surgeries at 2 Veterans Affairs medical centers from October 1, 2011-September 30, 2014.

Sources of implicit and explicit intergroup race bias among African-American children and young adults.

Implicit intergroup bias emerges early in development, are typically pro-ingroup, and remain stable across the lifespan. Such findings have been interpreted in terms of an automatic ingroup bias similar to what is observed with minimal groups paradigms. These studies are typically conducted with groups of high cultural standing (e.

Meta-analysis of individual patient safety data from six randomized, placebo-controlled trials with the antiangiogenic VEGFR2-binding monoclonal antibody ramucirumab.

Background: Ramucirumab, the human immunoglobulin G1 monoclonal antibody receptor antagonist of vascular endothelial growth factor receptor 2, has been approved for treating gastric/gastroesophageal junction, non-small-cell lung, and metastatic colorectal cancers. With the completion of six global, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, phase III trials across multiple tumor types, an opportunity now exists to further establish the safety parameters of ramucirumab across a large patient population.

Materials And Methods: An individual patient meta-analysis across the six completed phase III trials was conducted and the relative risk (RR) and associated 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were derived using fixed-effects or mixed-effects models for all-grade and high-grade adverse events (AEs) possibly related to vascular endothelial growth factor pathway inhibition.

Thermodilution vs Estimated Fick Cardiac Output Measurement in Clinical Practice: An Analysis of Mortality From the Veterans Affairs Clinical Assessment, Reporting, and Tracking (VA CART) Program and Vanderbilt University.

Importance: Thermodilution (Td) and estimated oxygen uptake Fick (eFick) methods are widely used to measure cardiac output (CO). They are often used interchangeably to make critical clinical decisions, yet few studies have compared these approaches as applied in medical practice.

Objectives: To assess agreement between Td and eFick CO and to compare how well these methods predict mortality.

Synthesis of lipo-chitooligosaccharide analogues and their interaction with LYR3, a high affinity binding protein for Nod factors and Myc-LCOs.

Lipo-chitotetrasaccharide analogues where one central GlcNAc residue was replaced by a triazole unit have been synthesized from a derivative obtained by chitin depolymerization and a functionalized N-acetyl-glucosamine via the copper-catalyzed azide-alkyne cycloaddition. Their evaluation in a binding assay using LYR3, a putative lipo-chitooligosaccharide receptor in Medicago truncatula, shows a complete loss of binding.

Baseline and On-Treatment Characteristics of Serum Tumor Markers in Stage IV Oncogene-Addicted Adenocarcinoma of the Lung.

Introduction: The role of serum tumor markers in the modern management of advanced NSCLC remains poorly described.

Methods: A single-center retrospective analysis of available carcinoembryonic antigen, CA125, CA19.9, and CA27.