Publications by authors named "Beer L"

To describe provision of HIV telehealth services during the COVID-19 pandemic using data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Medical Monitoring Project Facility Survey for the Ending the HIV Epidemic in the United States initiative, which aims to achieve an at least 90% reduction in new HIV infections by 2030 and highlights telehealth as an important strategy. During 2021, we surveyed 1023 facilities providing HIV care to a nationally representative sample of US adults with diagnosed HIV, of which 45% responded. We calculated weighted percentages with 95% confidence intervals comparing the characteristics of facilities providing telehealth services.

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Abnormal liver blood tests and liver tumor burden are known prognostic factors in neuroendocrine neoplasms (NEN). However, the relationship between biochemical liver parameters and hepatic tumor load is largely unknown in NEN and in high-grade NEN (G3) specifically. The primary objective of this study was to correlate the biochemical parameters and liver tumor volume of patients with neuroendocrine tumors grade 3 (NET G3) or neuroendocrine carcinomas (NEC).

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Macroautophagy/autophagy-lysosome function promotes growth and survival of cancer cells, making them attractive targets for cancer therapy. One intriguing lysosomal target is PPT1 (palmitoyl-protein thioesterase 1). PPT1 inhibitors derived from chloroquine block autophagy, have significant antitumor activity in preclinical models and are being developed for clinical trials.

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Article Synopsis
  • * Data from the Medical Monitoring Project (2017-2022) shows that among PWH aged 50 and older, significant gaps remain in achieving these goals, with only hunger reduction meeting the 2025 target thus far.
  • * To hit the 2025 QoL objectives, there needs to be a coordinated effort to enhance access to essential resources like housing, job opportunities, food, and mental health services
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Background Data on the diagnostic accuracy of ultralow-dose (ULD) CT protocols for periodic surveillance in recipients of lung transplant are lacking. Purpose To assess the potential for radiation dose reduction using ULD photon-counting CT (PCT) to detect lung abnormalities in recipients of lung transplant during repeat CT follow-up. Materials and Methods Consecutive adult recipients of lung transplant undergoing same-day standard-of-care low-dose (LD) and ULD PCT from March 2023 to May 2023 were prospectively included.

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Objective(s): To examine associations between Index of Concentration at the Extremes (ICE) measures (proxy for structural racism) for economic and Hispanic/Latino-White racial segregation and HIV outcomes among adults in the U.S.

Methods: Census tract-level HIV diagnoses, linkage to HIV medical care within 1 month of diagnosis (linkage), and viral suppression within 6 months of diagnosis (viral suppression) data for 2021 from the National HIV Surveillance System were used.

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To succeed in ending the HIV epidemic in the United States, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) focuses on delivering combinations of scientifically proven, cost-effective, and scalable interventions to priority populations. Systemic factors continue to contribute to persistent health disparities and disproportionately higher rates of HIV diagnosis in some communities. The National HIV/AIDS Strategy has designated cis-gender Black women (CgBW) as a priority population to address the racial and ethnic inequities in HIV.

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Some consider the burnout label to be controversial, even calling for the abandonment of the term in its entirety. In this communication, we argue for the pragmatic utility of the burnout paradigm from a utilitarian perspective, which advocates the greatest good for the most significant number of employees in organisations. We first distinguish between mild work-related burnout complaints and more severe burnout that can be identified in some contexts.

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Article Synopsis
  • The study aimed to compare the diagnostic accuracy and reader agreement of ultra-low-dose computed tomography (ULDCT) versus standard-dose computed tomography (SDCT) in patients with post-COVID conditions.
  • A total of 153 patients were scanned with both ULDCT and SDCT, and the findings revealed that ULDCT identified post-COVID lung abnormalities with high accuracy (92.6%) while using significantly less radiation (less than one-tenth of SDCT doses).
  • The results suggest that ULDCT could be a safer, effective alternative for detecting lung issues in post-COVID patients, offering a radiation dose comparable to that of a standard chest X-ray.
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Introduction: This study addresses the challenges of ultrasound education in obstetrics and gynecology, focusing on the potential benefits of simulation techniques in medical training. Aiming to evaluate the impact of a structured simulator-based training program, this prospective, randomized, interventional study examines its effects on educational outcomes for 5 year medical students.

Methods: A total of 153 medical students were randomized into two groups: one receiving both theoretical instruction and hands-on ultrasound simulator training (study group), and the other receiving only theoretical instruction (control group).

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  • The study focused on understanding the prevalence of anal cytology and access to high-resolution anoscopy among individuals with HIV, especially those at higher risk such as gay and bisexual men and transgender women.
  • Results showed that only 4.8% of people with HIV had anal cytology in the past year, with very low rates among higher-risk groups: 7.7% for gay, bisexual, and transgender individuals aged 35 and older, and 1.9% for those over 45.
  • Accessibility to high-resolution anoscopy was limited, with 32.8% of participants having no access at their care facilities, highlighting significant barriers to screening and early detection of anal cancer among people with HIV.
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Data from the CDC's Medical Monitoring Project indicate that the United States is on track to meet one of five National HIV/AIDS Strategy (NHAS) Quality of Life goals among cisgender Black women, specifically, hunger/food insecurity. Substantial work needs to be done to improve self-rated health and to decrease unmet need for mental health services. Enhanced and coordinated action are necessary to reach all Quality of Life goals in this NHAS priority population.

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Objective: To evaluate combinations of candidate biomarkers to develop a multiplexed prediction model for identifying the viability and location of an early pregnancy. In this study, we assessed 24 biomarkers with multiple machine learning-based methodologies to assess if multiplexed biomarkers may improve the diagnosis of normal and abnormal early pregnancies.

Design: A nested case-control design evaluated the predictive ability and discrimination of biomarkers in patients at risk of early pregnancy failure in the first trimester to classify viability and location.

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Background: The reproducibility of radiomics features extracted from CT and MRI examinations depends on several physiological and technical factors. The aim was to evaluate the impact of contrast agent timing on the stability of radiomics features using dynamic contrast-enhanced perfusion CT (dceCT) or MRI (dceMRI) in prostate and lung cancers.

Methods: Radiomics features were extracted from dceCT or dceMRI images in patients with biopsy-proven peripheral prostate cancer (pzPC) or biopsy-proven non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), respectively.

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People with human immunodeficiency virus (PWH) are disproportionately affected by depression, but the recent national estimates for US PWH encompassing both current symptoms and clinical diagnoses to assess missed diagnoses and lack of symptom remission are lacking. We used data from CDC's Medical Monitoring Project (MMP) to report nationally representative estimates of diagnosed and undiagnosed depression among US adult PWH. During June 2021 to May 2022, MMP collected interview data on symptoms consistent with major or other depression and depression diagnoses from medical records of 3928 PWH.

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Liver vessel segmentation in magnetic resonance imaging data is important for the computational analysis of vascular remodeling, associated with a wide spectrum of diffuse liver diseases. Existing approaches rely on contrast enhanced imaging data, but the necessary dedicated imaging sequences are not uniformly acquired. Images without contrast enhancement are acquired more frequently, but vessel segmentation is challenging, and requires large-scale annotated data.

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Article Synopsis
  • This study evaluated the connection between self-rated health (SRH) and care outcomes in U.S. adults with HIV, analyzing data from a nationally representative sample of 3,692 individuals.
  • The results showed that 72% reported "good or better" SRH, but certain factors like missed appointments, depression and anxiety symptoms, unstable housing, and food insecurity were linked to lower SRH.
  • The authors suggest that addressing these non-physical health needs, along with improving mental health and housing stability, could enhance SRH among people living with HIV in the U.S.
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  • The study aimed to identify social determinants of health (SDOH) that explain racial/ethnic differences in adherence to antiretroviral therapy (ART) and sustained viral suppression (SVS) among HIV-positive men who have sex with men (MSM) in the U.S.
  • Researchers used data from the Medical Monitoring Project (2017-2021) to compare the prevalence of ART adherence and SVS between Black (BMSM), Hispanic/Latino (HMSM), and White MSM (WMSM).
  • Results showed that adjusting for factors like age, poverty, food insecurity, and homelessness significantly reduced the disparities in ART adherence and SVS, suggesting that addressing these factors could enhance health equity for MSM
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This research seeks to contribute to the ongoing discussion about the distinctive nature of burnout and depression. In a first study, we relied on employee samples from four European countries ( = 5199; 51.27% women; = 43.

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This study examined the psychometric and structural properties of the Polish and Ukrainian versions of the Occupational Depression Inventory (ODI). We relied on two samples of Polish employees (N = 526, 47% female; N = 164, 64% female) and one sample of Ukrainian employees (N = 372, 73% female). In all samples, the ODI exhibited essential unidimensionality and high total-score reliability (e.

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Objective: Precise planning and execution is key for neuroendoscopic interventions, which can be based on different available aiding technologies. The aim of this retrospective study is to report a case-based use of guided neuroendoscopy and to develop a stratification algorithm for the available technologies.

Methods: We reviewed consecutive neuroendoscopic cases performed at our center from 2016 to 2018.

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  • Immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICI) are effective cancer treatments but can lead to immune-related side effects, including on the cardiovascular system.
  • A study using 2-[F]FDG PET/CT imaging in 47 lung cancer patients showed that ICI treatment significantly increased arterial inflammatory activity, particularly in areas without prior inflammation.
  • The findings indicate that ICI induces vascular inflammation mainly in patients who have not previously undergone chemotherapy or radiotherapy and do not have cardiovascular risk factors.
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