Publications by authors named "Benjamin Asriel"

Problem: In accordance with guidelines from the Association of American Medical Colleges, medical schools across the United States suspended clerkships and transitioned preclinical courses online in March 2020 because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Hospitals and health systems faced significant burdens during this time, particularly in New York City.

Approach: Third- and fourth-year medical students at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai formed the COVID-19 Student WorkForce to connect students to essential roles in the Mount Sinai Hospital System and support physicians, staff members, researchers, and hospital operations.

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Article Synopsis
  • - In April 2020, the FDA shortened the deferral period for blood donations from men who have sex with men (MSM) from one year to three months due to COVID-19-related blood shortages, highlighting the need for immediate policy reconsideration.
  • - The longstanding restrictions on MSM blood donors have been eased due to advancements in HIV testing and treatment, but ethical concerns remain regarding the current deferral policy and its impact on marginalized groups.
  • - The proposal suggests an individual risk-based screening method that would eliminate exclusion based on gender identity or sexual orientation, promoting inclusivity in blood donation while maintaining safety standards.
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Background: Treatment of HIV-infected men during early hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection with interferon results in a higher cure rate with a shorter duration of treatment than during chronic HCV infection. We recently demonstrated that this phenomenon applied to interferon-free treatment as well, curing most participants with short-course sofosbuvir and ribavirin. Due to the significantly higher potency of the ledipasvir/sofosbuvir (LDV/SOF) combination, we hypothesized that we would be more successful in curing early HCV infections using a shorter course of LDV/SOF than that used for treating chronic HCV infections.

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Purpose Of Review: The antiviral agent tenofovir is highly effective for the treatment of HIV and hepatitis B virus infections, and the older prodrug tenofovir disoproxil fumarate (TDF) is also a component of daily preexposure prophylaxis (PrEP) to reduce the risk of HIV infection in high-risk populations. Although TDF is well tolerated, the potential for kidney and bone toxicity has important implications for public health given the large number of individuals exposed to TDF worldwide. This review summarizes the recent literature on kidney and bone health in individuals treated with TDF and the newer prodrug tenofovir alafenamide (TAF).

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