Establishing a Common Lexicon for Circulating Tumor DNA Analysis and Molecular Residual Disease: Insights From the BLOODPAC Consortium.

The use of a liquid biopsy to assess molecular residual disease (MRD) of solid tumors holds significant promise for improving outcomes for patients with cancer. Liquid biopsies are a minimally invasive approach for the identification of circulating tumor biomarkers through a simple blood sample. Assays capable of detecting MRD through analysis of circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) are rapidly evolving for clinical study applications and therapeutic interventions.

Bioactivity Profiling of Chemical Mixtures for Hazard Characterization.

The assessment and regulation of chemical toxicity to protect human health and the environment are done one chemical at a time and seldom at environmentally relevant concentrations. However, chemicals are found in the environment as mixtures, and their toxicity is largely unknown. Understanding the hazard posed by chemicals within the mixture is critical to enforce protective measures.

Atmosphere Effects in Laser Powder Bed Fusion: A Review.

The use of components fabricated by laser powder bed fusion (LPBF) requires the development of processing parameters that can produce high-quality material. Manipulating the most commonly identified critical build parameters (e.g.

The impact of COVID-19 restrictions on HIV prevention and treatment services for key populations in South Africa: an interrupted time series analysis.

Background: Key populations (KP), including men who have sex with men (MSM), female sex workers (FSW), and transgender women (TGW), experience a disproportionate burden of HIV, even in generalized epidemics like South Africa. Given this disproportionate burden and unique barriers to accessing health services, sustained provision of care is particularly relevant. It is unclear how the COVID-19 pandemic and its associated restrictions may have impacted this delivery.

A Comparison of Solidification Structures and Submicroscale Cellular Segregation in Rapidly Solidified Stainless Steels Produced via Two-Piston Splat Quenching and Laser Powder Bed Fusion.

Fusion-based additive manufacturing techniques leverage rapid solidification (RS) conditions to create parts with complex geometries, unique microscale/nanoscale morphological features, and elemental segregation. Three custom composition stainless steel alloys with varying chromium equivalence to nickel equivalence ratio (Creq/Nieq) between 1.53 and 1.

Two neuronal peptides encoded from a single transcript regulate mitochondrial complex III in .

Naturally produced peptides (<100 amino acids) are important regulators of physiology, development, and metabolism. Recent studies have predicted that thousands of peptides may be translated from transcripts containing small open-reading frames (smORFs). Here, we describe two peptides in encoded by conserved smORFs, Sloth1 and Sloth2.

Poor timing and failure of source control are risk factors for mortality in critically ill patients with secondary peritonitis.

Purpose: To describe data on epidemiology, microbiology, clinical characteristics and outcome of adult patients admitted in the intensive care unit (ICU) with secondary peritonitis, with special emphasis on antimicrobial therapy and source control.

Methods: Post hoc analysis of a multicenter observational study (Abdominal Sepsis Study, AbSeS) including 2621 adult ICU patients with intra-abdominal infection in 306 ICUs from 42 countries. Time-till-source control intervention was calculated as from time of diagnosis and classified into 'emergency' (< 2 h), 'urgent' (2-6 h), and 'delayed' (> 6 h).

Frequency domain measurements of melt pool recoil force using modal analysis.

Recoil pressure is a critical factor affecting the melt pool dynamics during Laser Powder Bed Fusion (LPBF) processes. Recoil pressure depresses the melt pool. When the recoil pressure is low, thermal conduction and capillary forces may be inadequate to provide proper fusion between layers.

Synchronous facial action binds dynamic facial features.

We asked how dynamic facial features are perceptually grouped. To address this question, we varied the timing of mouth movements relative to eyebrow movements, while measuring the detectability of a small temporal misalignment between a pair of oscillating eyebrows-an eyebrow wave. We found eyebrow wave detection performance was worse for synchronous movements of the eyebrows and mouth.

Use of dried blood spot samples for SARS-CoV-2 antibody detection using the Roche Elecsys ® high throughput immunoassay.

Dried blood spot samples (DBS) provide an alternative sample type to venous blood samples for antibody testing. DBS are used by NHS for diagnosing Hepatitis C and by Public Health England for large scale HIV and Hepatitis C serosurveillance; the applicability of DBS based approaches for SARS-CoV-2 antibody detection is uncertain. The study aimed to compare antibody detection in DBS eluates using the Roche Elecsys ® immunoassay with antibody detection in paired plasma samples, using the same assay.

Absorption of Nitrogen during Pulsed Wave L-PBF of 17-4 PH Steel.

In the fabrication of 17-4 PH by laser powder bed fusion (L-PBF) the well-documented occurrence of large amounts of retained austenite can be attributed to an elevated concentration of nitrogen present in the material. While the effects of continuous wave (CW) laser processing on in-situ nitrogen absorption characteristics have been evaluated, power modulated pulsed wave (PW) laser processing effects have not. In this study the effects of PW L-PBF processing of 17-4 PH on nitrogen absorption, phase composition, and mechanical performance are explored using commercially available PW L-PBF equipment and compared to samples produced by CW L-PBF.

A data-driven characterisation of natural facial expressions when giving good and bad news.

Facial expressions carry key information about an individual's emotional state. Research into the perception of facial emotions typically employs static images of a small number of artificially posed expressions taken under tightly controlled experimental conditions. However, such approaches risk missing potentially important facial signals and within-person variability in expressions.

Diagnosis of physical and mental health conditions in primary care during the COVID-19 pandemic: a retrospective cohort study.

Background: To date, research on the indirect impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the health of the population and the health-care system is scarce. We aimed to investigate the indirect effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on general practice health-care usage, and the subsequent diagnoses of common physical and mental health conditions in a deprived UK population.

Methods: We did a retrospective cohort study using routinely collected primary care data that was recorded in the Salford Integrated Record between Jan 1, 2010, and May 31, 2020.

The impact of self-selection based on HIV risk on the cost-effectiveness of preexposure prophylaxis in South Africa.

Objectives: We explored the impact and cost-effectiveness of preexposure prophylaxis (PrEP) provision to different populations in South Africa, with and without effective self-selection by individuals at highest risk of contracting HIV (through concurrent partnerships and/or commercial sex).

Design And Methods: We used a previously developed HIV transmission model to analyse the epidemiological impact of PrEP provision to adolescents, young adults, pregnant women, female sex workers (FSWs) and (MSM), and data from South African PrEP programmes to estimate the cost and cost-effectiveness of PrEP (cost in 2019 USD per HIV infection averted over 20 years, 2019, 38). PrEP uptake followed data from early implementation sites, scaled-up linearly over 3 years, with target coverage set to 18% for adolescents, young adults and pregnant women, 30% for FSW and 54% for MSM.

MEBoost: Variable selection in the presence of measurement error.

We present a novel method for variable selection in regression models when covariates are measured with error. The iterative algorithm we propose, Measurement Error Boosting (MEBoost), follows a path defined by estimating equations that correct for covariate measurement error. We illustrate the use of MEBoost in practice by analyzing data from the Box Lunch Study, a clinical trial in nutrition where several variables are based on self-report and, hence, measured with error, where we are interested in performing model selection from a large data set to select variables that are related to the number of times a subject binge ate in the last 28 days.

'Scared of going to the clinic': Contextualising healthcare access for men who have sex with men, female sex workers and people who use drugs in two South African cities.

Background: Men who have sex with men (MSM), sex workers (SW) and people who use drugs (PWUD) are at increased risk for HIV because of multiple socio-structural barriers and do not have adequate access to appropriate HIV prevention, diagnosis and treatment services.

Objective: To examine the context of access to healthcare experienced by these three 'Key Populations', we conducted a qualitative study in two South African cities: Bloemfontein in the Free State province and Mafikeng in the North West province.

Method: We carried out in-depth interviews to explore healthcare workers' perceptions, beliefs and attitudes towards Key Populations.

Attitude shifts and knowledge gains: Evaluating men who have sex with men sensitisation training for healthcare workers in the Western Cape, South Africa.

Background: Men who have sex with men (MSM) in South Africa experience discrimination from healthcare workers (HCWs), impeding health service access.

Objectives: To evaluate the outcomes of an MSM sensitisation training programme for HCWs implemented in the Western Cape province (South Africa).

Methods: A training programme was developed to equip HCWs with the knowledge, awareness and skills required to provide non-discriminatory, non-judgemental and appropriate services to MSM.

Shared activity patterns arising at genetic susceptibility loci reveal underlying genomic and cellular architecture of human disease.

Genetic variants underlying complex traits, including disease susceptibility, are enriched within the transcriptional regulatory elements, promoters and enhancers. There is emerging evidence that regulatory elements associated with particular traits or diseases share similar patterns of transcriptional activity. Accordingly, shared transcriptional activity (coexpression) may help prioritise loci associated with a given trait, and help to identify underlying biological processes.

Contexts of vulnerability and the acceptability of new biomedical HIV prevention technologies among key populations in South Africa: A qualitative study.

Background: New biomedical prevention technologies (NPTs) may contribute to substantially reducing incident HIV infections globally. We explored acceptability and preferences for NPTs among key and other vulnerable populations in two South African townships.

Methods: We conducted six focus groups and 12 in-depth interviews with adolescents, and adult heterosexual men, women, and men who have sex with men (MSM) (n = 48), and eight in-depth interviews with key informant healthcare workers.

Incidence and costs of cardiac device infections: retrospective analysis using German health claims data.

Aim: Estimate incidence and costs of cardiac device infections (CDIs) in Germany.

Materials & Methods: Patients had an implantable cardioverter defibrillator implanted over 2010-2013 and were followed to December 2014 using German health insurance claims data. A case-controlled analysis was performed using propensity score matching methods.

Comparing Provider and Client Preferences for HIV Prevention Services in South Africa among Men Who Have Sex with Men.

Combination prevention efforts are now recommended toward reducing HIV incidence among men who have sex with men (MSM). Understanding the perceptions of both MSM and service providers is critical to informing the development of prevention packages and ultimately improving intervention effectiveness. This study assessed the preferences of MSM and health service providers in the administration of HIV-prevention efforts.