Factors Influencing the Intentions of Patients With Inflammatory Rheumatic Diseases to Use a Digital Human for Medication Information: Qualitative Study.

Background: Introduction: Patients with inflammatory rheumatic diseases (IRDs) frequently experience drug-related problems (DRPs). DRPs can have negative health consequences and should be addressed promptly to prevent complications. A digital human, which is an embodied conversational agent, could provide medication-related information in a time- and place-independent manner to support patients in preventing and decreasing DRPs.

Consequences of "zombie-making" and generalist fungal pathogens on carpenter ant microbiota.

The bacterial microbiome of the ant has been well characterized across body regions and maturation levels. However, potential effects of entomopathogens on the gut microbiome, and the fungal communities therein, are yet to be assessed. Additionally, the mycobiome remains often overlooked despite playing a vital role in gut ecology with potential implications for health and infection outcomes.

Development and alpha-testing of a patient decision aid for patients with chronic myeloid leukemia regarding dose reduction.

Background: Dose reduction of tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) is an option for some chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) patients to minimize side effects while maintaining efficacy. Shared decision-making (SDM) and patient decision aids (PDAs) are advocated to make informed choices such as reducing the dose of TKIs. This paper describes the development and alpha-testing of a PDA for patients with CML receiving TKI dose reduction.

Invasion of the four kingdoms: the parasite journey across plant and non-plant hosts.

Parasites have a rich and long natural history among biological entities, and it has been suggested that parasites are one of the most significant factors in the evolution of their hosts. However, it has been emphasized less frequently how co-evolution has undoubtedly also shaped the paths of parasites. It may seem safe to assume that specific differences among the array of potential hosts for particular parasites have restricted and diversified their evolutionary pathways and strategies for survival.

Environmental Outcomes of Reducing Medication Waste by Redispensing Unused Oral Anticancer Drugs.

Importance: Medications are associated with substantial environmental outcomes, yet frequently end up being unused by patients. Waste-minimizing interventions, such as redispensing of quality-approved oral anticancer drugs remaining unused by patients at home, could reduce the environmental footprint of cancer treatment.

Objectives: To assess the environmental outcomes of redispensing quality-assured oral anticancer drugs and to explore how redispensing could be environmentally optimized.

Extent and causes of unused medications among patients in rural Ethiopia: a prospective multicenter cohort study.

Background: Medication waste poses health, economic, and environmental challenges. However, the extent among patients living in rural areas is underexplored. This study assessed the proportion of prescribed medications remaining unused by patients living in rural areas of Ethiopia, and identify the causes thereof and disposal practices.

Barriers and facilitators to implement the redispensing of unused oral anticancer drugs in clinical care: A hybrid-effectiveness type I study.

Background: Minimizing medication waste through the redispensing of oral anticancer drugs (OADs) that were unused by patients provides economic and environmental benefits, but this is not yet universally implemented in clinical care.

Objectives: To identify barriers and facilitators to the implementation of redispensing unused OADs in clinical care.

Methods: A multicentre intervention study following a hybrid effectiveness-implementation type I design was conducted, consisting of semi-structured interviews with key stakeholders involved in the redispensing program: pharmacy employees, prescribing clinicians in oncology and haematology, patients who participated in redispensing and patients who declined trial participation.

Climate change and public health in California: A structured review of exposures, vulnerable populations, and adaptation measures.

California faces several serious direct and indirect climate exposures that can adversely affect public health, some of which are already occurring. The public health burden now and in the future will depend on atmospheric greenhouse gas concentrations, underlying population vulnerabilities, and adaptation efforts. Here, we present a structured review of recent literature to examine the leading climate risks to public health in California, including extreme heat, extreme precipitation, wildfires, air pollution, and infectious diseases.

Patient reported medication-related problems, adherence and waste of oral anticancer medication over time.

Objectives: Patients on oral anticancer therapy regularly experience medication-related problems (MRPs), potentially leading to non-adherence and medication waste. Most studies reporting these experiences have cross-sectional designs. The aim of our study was to explore patient reported MRPs, adherence and waste of oral anticancer medication over time.

Clinical spectrum of disease and outcomes in children with Omicron SARS-COV-2 infection in Cape Town, South Africa.

Introduction: Children with underlying comorbidities and infants are most severely affected by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection, including in low- and middle-income countries with a high prevalence of HIV and TB. We describe the clinical presentation of SARS-CoV-2 infection in children during the Omicron wave, in Cape Town, South Africa.

Methods: We analysed routine care data from a prospective cohort of children aged 0-13 years, with a positive SARS-CoV-2 real-time reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction (rRT-PCR) or SARS-CoV-2 antigen test, admitted to Tygerberg Hospital between 1 November 2021 until 1 March 2022.

Mortality attributable to PM from wildland fires in California from 2008 to 2018.

In California, wildfire risk and severity have grown substantially in the last several decades. Research has characterized extensive adverse health impacts from exposure to wildfire-attributable fine particulate matter (PM), but few studies have quantified long-term outcomes, and none have used a wildfire-specific chronic dose-response mortality coefficient. Here, we quantified the mortality burden for PM exposure from California fires from 2008 to 2018 using Community Multiscale Air Quality modeling system wildland fire PM estimates.

The socioeconomic impact of the COVID-19 lockdown on families affected by childhood respiratory illnesses in Cape Town, South Africa.

The COVID-19 pandemic impacted families globally, directly and indirectly. Children presenting with respiratory illnesses are affected by emerging health systems and socioeconomic changes in the COVID-19 era. We explored the socioeconomic impacts of the COVID-19 lockdown on families with a respiratory illness diagnosed in their child in Cape Town, South Africa.

Strategies to promote implementation of core outcomes for medication adherence trials in rheumatology: A report from the OMERACT-Adherence Group.

Objectives: To identify barriers, facilitators, and strategies for future implementation of the OMERACT-Adherence Core Outcome Set (COS) in medication adherence trials for rheumatic conditions.

Methods: Preliminary Delphi survey findings were discussed at OMERACT 2023, utilising the Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research 2 to identify implementation barriers, facilitators, and solutions.

Results: Implementation strategies included simplifying the COS definitions, making it adaptabile for clinical practice and drug trials, adherence trial training workshops, and collaborating with key stakeholders such as payers and other COS developers.

Interkingdom interactions shape the fungal microbiome of mosquitoes.

Background: The mosquito microbiome is an important modulator of vector competence and vectoral capacity. Unlike the extensively studied bacterial microbiome, fungal communities in the mosquito microbiome (the mycobiome) remain largely unexplored. To work towards getting an improved understanding of the fungi associated with mosquitoes, we sequenced the mycobiome of three field-collected and laboratory-reared mosquito species (Aedes albopictus, Aedes aegypti, and Culex quinquefasciatus).

Effect of a smart temperature logger on correctly storing biological disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs at home: a pre-post study.

Objectives: Biological disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (bDMARDs) require specific storage temperatures, but are frequently stored outside the recommended range of 2-8°C. As incorrect storage may affect therapy effectiveness and consequently lead to higher disease activity, compliance with recommended storage temperatures should be improved. eHealth interventions can provide insight into storage temperatures and alerts in case of deviations from recommended temperatures.

Evolving and evaluating the OMERACT fellows program: insights and implications from OMERACT 2023 fellows.

Objective: To describe the evolution of the OMERACT Fellows Program (OM FP) and to evaluate the innovative changes implemented in the 2023 program.

Methods: The OM FP, the first of its kind in global rheumatology, was developed in 2000 to mentor early career researchers in methods and processes for reaching evidence-driven consensus for outcome measures in clinical studies. The OM FP has evolved through continuing iterations of face to face and online feedback.

How does post COVID differ from other post-viral conditions in childhood and adolescence (0-20 years old)? A systematic review.

Background: Post Coronavirus disease (COVID) and other post-viral infection syndromes present an overlap of pathogenesis, onset, progression, and symptom profile. We aimed to systematically describe studies on post-viral conditions and determine the entity of post COVID compared to other post-viral conditions in children.

Methods: We conducted a systematic search of the Embase, MEDLINE, Cochrane Library, and GoogleScholar databases (January 1946-3 November 2023), according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines.

Masters of the manipulator: two new hypocrealean genera, () and (), parasitic on the zombie ant fungus .

During surveys in central Florida of the zombie-ant fungus , which manipulates the behavior of the carpenter ant , two distinct fungal morphotypes were discovered associated with and purportedly parasitic on . . Based on a combination of unique morphology, ecology and phylogenetic placement, we discovered that these morphotypes comprise two novel lineages of fungi.

Ultra-narrow inhomogeneous spectral distribution of telecom-wavelength vanadium centres in isotopically-enriched silicon carbide.

Spin-active quantum emitters have emerged as a leading platform for quantum technologies. However, one of their major limitations is the large spread in optical emission frequencies, which typically extends over tens of GHz. Here, we investigate single V vanadium centres in 4H-SiC, which feature telecom-wavelength emission and a coherent S = 1/2 spin state.

Cost Savings and Waste Reduction Through Redispensing Unused Oral Anticancer Drugs: The ROAD Study.

Importance: New strategies targeting waste are required to improve financial and ecologic sustainability of expensive therapies, such as oral anticancer drugs, that frequently remain unused by patients. Redispensing unused oral anticancer drugs seems to be a promising strategy when drug quality is guaranteed.

Objectives: To determine the waste reduction and net cost savings attained by redispensing oral anticancer drugs that go unused by patients compared with the standard practice of disposal.

Implementing medication adherence interventions in four Dutch living labs; context matters.

Background: Despite the abundant availability of effective medication adherence interventions, uptake of these interventions into routine care often lacks. Examples of effective medication adherence interventions include telephone counseling, consult preparation and the teach-back method. Assessing context is an important step in understanding implementation success of interventions, but context is often not reported or only moderately described.

Improvement, Implementation, and Evaluation of the CMyLife Digital Care Platform: Participatory Action Research Approach.

Background: The evaluation of a continuously evolving eHealth tool in terms of improvement and implementation in daily practice is unclear. The CMyLife digital care platform provides patient-centered care by empowering patients with chronic myeloid leukemia, with a focus on making medication compliance insightful, discussable, and optimal, and achieving optimal control of the biomarker BCR-ABL1.

Objective: The aim of this study was to investigate to what extent the participatory action research approach is suitable for the improvement and scientific evaluation of eHealth innovations in daily clinical practice (measured by user experiences) combined with the promotion of patient empowerment.

Multiomic interpretation of fungus-infected ant metabolomes during manipulated summit disease.

Camponotus floridanus ants show altered behaviors followed by a fatal summiting phenotype when infected with manipulating Ophiocordyceps camponoti-floridani fungi. Host summiting as a strategy to increase transmission is also observed with parasite taxa beyond fungi, including aquatic and terrestrial helminths and baculoviruses. The drastic phenotypic changes can sometimes reflect significant molecular changes in gene expression and metabolite concentrations measured in manipulated hosts.