The molecular details of a novel phosphorylation-dependent interaction between MRN and the SOSS complex.

The repair of double-strand DNA breaks (DSBs) by homologous recombination is crucial in the maintenance of genome integrity. While the key role of the Mre11-Rad50-Nbs1 (MRN) complex in repair is well known, hSSB1 (SOSSB and OBFC2B), one of the main components of the sensor of single-stranded DNA (SOSS) protein complex, has also been shown to rapidly localize to DSB breaks and promote repair. We have previously demonstrated that hSSB1 binds directly to Nbs1, a component of the MRN complex, in a DNA damage-independent manner.

Late-onset epilepsy with cognitive symptoms: Comparison of cognitive and imaging profiles with probable Alzheimer's disease.

Objective: We aimed to (i) compare the clinical, neuropsychological, and neuroimaging characteristics of unprovoked late-onset epilepsy (LOE) patients with cognitive symptoms against probable Alzheimer's disease (AD) patients; (ii) clarify how neurodegeneration and other processes could be implicated in the cognitive symptoms of unprovoked LOE patients; and (iii) characterize the longitudinal trajectory of unprovoked LOE patients with cognitive symptoms.

Methods: Twenty-six unprovoked LOE patients with cognitive symptoms and 26 probable AD were retrospectively recruited from epilepsy and memory clinics at a single tertiary referral center. The patients underwent comprehensive clinical, neuropsychological, and Fluorodeoxyglucose PET-CT assessments.

Déjà vécu with recollective confabulation: an unusual presentation of Alzheimer's disease.

A man in his 80s presented with gradual onset of a persistent and delusion-like perception that novel encounters are repetitions of previous experiences. Within 2 years of symptom onset, he had impaired verbal memory and executive dysfunction on neuropsychological assessment. Cerebrospinal fluid core Alzheimer's disease (AD) biomarkers analysis supported probable AD.

The Economic Burden of Racial, Ethnic, and Educational Health Inequities in the US.

Importance: Health inequities exist for racial and ethnic minorities and persons with lower educational attainment due to differential exposure to economic, social, structural, and environmental health risks and limited access to health care.

Objective: To estimate the economic burden of health inequities for racial and ethnic minority populations (American Indian and Alaska Native, Asian, Black, Latino, and Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander) and adults 25 years and older with less than a 4-year college degree in the US. Outcomes include the sum of excess medical care expenditures, lost labor market productivity, and the value of excess premature death (younger than 78 years) by race and ethnicity and the highest level of educational attainment compared with health equity goals.

The PhenX Toolkit: Measurement Protocols for Assessment of Social Determinants of Health.

Introduction: Social determinants are structures and conditions in the biological, physical, built, and social environments that affect health, social and physical functioning, health risk, quality of life, and health outcomes. The adoption of recommended, standard measurement protocols for social determinants of health will advance the science of minority health and health disparities research and provide standard social determinants of health protocols for inclusion in all studies with human participants.

Methods: A PhenX (consensus measures for Phenotypes and eXposures) Working Group of social determinants of health experts was convened from October 2018 to May 2020 and followed a well-established consensus process to identify and recommend social determinants of health measurement protocols.

A History of Health Economics and Healthcare Delivery Research at the National Cancer Institute.

With increased attention to the financing and structure of healthcare, dramatic increases in the cost of diagnosing and treating cancer, and corresponding disparities in access, the study of healthcare economics and delivery has become increasingly important. The Healthcare Delivery Research Program (HDRP) in the Division of Cancer Control and Population Sciences at the National Cancer Institute (NCI) was formed in 2015 to provide a hub for cancer-related healthcare delivery and economics research. However, the roots of this program trace back much farther, at least to the formation of the NCI Division of Cancer Prevention and Control in 1983.

The determination of thiocyanate in the blood plasma and holding water of after exposure to cyanide.

The illegal practice of cyanide fishing continues throughout the Indo-Pacific. To combat this destructive fishing method, a reliable test to detect whether a fish has been captured using cyanide (CN) is needed. We report on the toxicokinetics of acute, pulsed CN exposure and chronic thiocyanate (SCN) exposure, the major metabolite of CN, in the clownfish species, .

Using Economic Evaluation to Hasten Health Equity.

Achieving health equity has proven elusive for two reasons. First, most research has focused on changing the behavior of individuals; however, policies that address socioeconomic factors or change the context to facilitate healthy decisions tend to be more effective. Second, health disparity science and evidence are not consistently used to guide policy makers, even those seeking health equity.

Supersonic jet noise source distributions.

The purpose of this work is to examine the noise source distributions of shock-containing supersonic jets at various pressure ratios corresponding to fully expanded Mach numbers ranging from 1.0 to 1.4 in intervals of 0.

Subjective Cognitive Dysfunction in Patients with Dizziness and Vertigo.

Introduction: Patients with vestibular disorders sometimes report cognitive difficulties, but there is no consensus about the type or degree of cognitive complaint. We therefore investigated subjective cognitive dysfunction in a well-defined sample of neuro-otology patients and used demographic factors and scores from a measure of depression, anxiety, and stress to control for potential confounding factors.

Methods: We asked 126 neuro-otology clinic outpatients whether they experienced difficulties with thinking, memory, or concentration as a result of dizziness or vertigo.

Interlaboratory comparison of 25-hydroxyvitamin D assays: Vitamin D Standardization Program (VDSP) Intercomparison Study 2 - Part 1 liquid chromatography - tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) assays - impact of 3-epi-25-hydroxyvitamin D on assay performance.

An interlaboratory comparison study was conducted by the Vitamin D Standardization Program (VDSP) to assess the performance of liquid chromatography - tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) assays used for the determination of serum total 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D), which is the sum of 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D) and 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D). A set of 50 single-donor samples was assigned target values for concentrations of 25(OH)D, 25(OH)D, 3-epi-25-hydroxyvitamin D (3-epi-25(OH)D), and 24R,25-dihydroxyvitamin D (24R,25(OH)D) using isotope dilution liquid chromatography - tandem mass spectrometry (ID LC-MS/MS). VDSP Intercomparison Study 2 Part 1 includes results from 14 laboratories using 14 custom LC-MS/MS assays.

A distinct ssDNA/RNA binding interface in the Nsp9 protein from SARS-CoV-2.

Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is a novel, highly infectious RNA virus that belongs to the coronavirus family. Replication of the viral genome is a fundamental step in the virus life cycle and SARS-CoV-2 non-structural protein 9 (Nsp9) is shown to be essential for virus replication through its ability to bind RNA in the closely related SARS-CoV-1 strain. Two recent studies revealing the three-dimensional structure of Nsp9 from SARS-CoV-2 have demonstrated a high degree of similarity between Nsp9 proteins within the coronavirus family.

Translational Health Disparities Research in a Data-Rich World.

Despite decades of research and interventions, significant health disparities persist. Seventeen years is the estimated time to translate scientific discoveries into public health action. This Narrative Review argues that the translation process could be accelerated if representative data were gathered and used in more innovative and efficient ways.

Time to Follow-up After Colorectal Cancer Screening by Health Insurance Type.

Introduction: The purpose of this study was to test the hypothesis that patients with Medicaid insurance or Medicaid-like coverage would have longer times to follow-up and be less likely to complete colonoscopy compared with patients with commercial insurance within the same healthcare systems.

Methods: A total of 35,009 patients aged 50-64years with a positive fecal immunochemical test were evaluated in Northern and Southern California Kaiser Permanente systems and in a North Texas safety-net system between 2011 and 2012. Kaplan-Meier estimation was used between 2016 and 2017 to calculate the probability of having follow-up colonoscopy by coverage type.

On the half-life of thiocyanate in the plasma of the marine fish : implications for cyanide detection.

The illegal practice of using cyanide (CN) as a stunning agent to collect fish for both the marine aquarium and live fish food trades has been used throughout the Indo-Pacific for over 50 years. CN fishing is destructive to all life forms within the coral reef ecosystems where it is used and is certainly one of many anthropogenic activities that have led to 95% of the reefs in the Indo-Pacific being labeled at risk for degradation and loss. A field-deployable test for detecting fish caught using CN would assist in combating the use of this destructive practice, however, no reliable and robust test exists.

Methodological Approaches to Understanding Causes of Health Disparities.

Understanding health disparity causes is an important first step toward developing policies or interventions to eliminate disparities, but their nature makes identifying and addressing their causes challenging. Potential causal factors are often correlated, making it difficult to distinguish their effects. These factors may exist at different organizational levels (e.

The Importance of Evaluating Health Disparities Research.

Health disparity populations are socially disadvantaged, and the multiple levels of discrimination they often experience mean that their characteristics and attributes differ from those of the mainstream. Programs and policies targeted at reducing health disparities or improving minority health must consider these differences. Despite the importance of evaluating health disparities research to produce high-quality data that can guide decision-making, it is not yet a customary practice.

Correction: Can excreted thiocyanate be used to detect cyanide exposure in live reef fish?

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.

Prevalence of Out-Of-Pocket Payments for Mammography Screening Among Recently Screened Women.

Because cost may be a barrier to receiving mammography screening, cost sharing for "in-network" screening mammograms was eliminated in many insurance plans with implementation of the Affordable Care Act. We examined prevalence of out-of-pocket payments for screening mammography after elimination in many plans. Using 2015 National Health Interview Survey data, we examined whether women aged 50-74 years who had screening mammography within the previous year ( = 3,278) reported paying any cost for mammograms.

Statistical inferences of extended concentration indices for directly standardized rates.

The relative concentration index (RCI) and the absolute concentration index (ACI) have been widely used for monitoring health disparities with ranked health determinants. The RCI has been extended to allow value judgments about inequality aversion by Pereira in 1998 and by Wagstaff in 2002. Previous studies of the extended RCI have focused on survey sample data.