Characteristics of children and adolescents with multidrug-resistant and rifampicin-resistant tuberculosis and their association with treatment outcomes: a systematic review and individual participant data meta-analysis.

Background: There are few data on the treatment of children and adolescents with multidrug-resistant (MDR) or rifampicin-resistant (RR) tuberculosis, especially with more recently available drugs and regimens. We aimed to describe the clinical and treatment characteristics and their associations with treatment outcomes in this susceptible population.

Methods: We conducted a systematic review and individual participant data meta-analysis.

Host-Induced Gene Silencing of the -Methyl Transferase Gene Enhanced Maize Aflatoxin Resistance.

Maize is one of the major crops that are susceptible to infection and subsequent aflatoxin contamination, which poses a serious health threat to humans and domestic animals. Here, an RNA interference (RNAi) approach called Host-Induced Gene Silencing (HIGS) was employed to suppress the -methyl transferase gene (, also called ), a key gene involved in aflatoxin biosynthesis. An RNAi vector carrying part of the gene was introduced into the B104 maize line.

Serious Bacterial Infections and Hepatitis C Virus Among People Who Inject Drugs: A Syndemic or Intertwined Epidemics?

Limited research has examined the possible synergistic interrelationships between serious bacterial infections (SBIs) of the heart (i.e., endocarditis), bone, spine, brain, or joints (e.

Pilot study of a ketogenic diet in bipolar disorder: a process evaluation.

Background: Bipolar disorder is a serious mental illness, which requires new strategies for prevention and management. Recent evidence suggests that a ketogenic diet may be an effective intervention. This research aimed to explore the feasibility and acceptability of a ketogenic diet intervention for bipolar disorder, fidelity to its behavioural components and the experiences of the participants and research clinicians involved.

Art of TIL immunotherapy: SITC's perspective on demystifying a complex treatment.

In a first for solid cancers, cellular immunotherapy has entered standard of care in the treatment of patients with metastatic melanoma. The infusion of autologous tumor-infiltrating T lymphocytes (TIL) is capable of mediating durable tumor regression and is now Food and Drug Administration-approved for patients with disease refractory to immune checkpoint inhibitors. Since the advent of chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cells for patients with hematological malignancies, a growing network of centers capable of delivering effector T cell products to patients has developed.

Psychological symptoms, quality of life and dyadic relations in family members of intensive care survivors: a multicentre, prospective longitudinal cohort study.

Background: There is scarce literature evaluating long term psychological or Quality of Life (QoL) outcomes in family members of ICU survivors, who have not experienced invasive ventilation. The objective was to compare long-term psychological symptoms and QoL outcomes in family members of intubated versus non-intubated ICU survivors and to evaluate dyadic relationships between paired family members and survivors.

Methods: Prospective, multicentre cohort study among four medical-surgical ICUs in Australia.

Prioritizing emergency department antibiotic stewardship interventions for skin and soft tissue infections using judgment analysis.

Objective: Skin and soft tissue infections (SSTIs) account for over 2.8 million annual emergency department (ED) visits and often result in suboptimal antibiotic therapy. The objective of this study was to evaluate a set of interventions in minimizing inappropriate prescription of antibiotics for presumed SSTIs in the ED.

Internalizing Psychiatric Symptoms in People With Mosaicism for Trisomy 21.

People with mosaicism for trisomy 21 have been shown to exhibit many of the same phenotypic traits present in people with non-mosaic Down syndrome, but with varying symptom severity. However, the behavioral phenotype of people with mosaic Down syndrome (mDS) has not been well characterized. This study aimed to examine the prevalence of self-report and caregiver-report symptoms of depression and anxiety among a sample of 62 participants with mDS aged 12-46 and assess their association with the percentage of trisomy 21 in blood and/or buccal mucosa cells.

Clinical Relevance of 'Cap' and 'Track' Development after Recent Small Subcortical Infarct.

Objective: After a recent small subcortical infarct (RSSI), some patients develop perilesional or remote hyperintensities ('caps/tracks') to the index infarct on T2/FLAIR MRI. However, their clinical relevance remains unclear. We investigated the clinicoradiological correlates of 'caps/tracks', and their impact on long-term outcomes following RSSI.

Prolactin-mediates a lactation-induced suppression of arcuate kisspeptin neuronal activity necessary for lactational infertility in mice.

The specific role that prolactin plays in lactational infertility, as distinct from other suckling or metabolic cues, remains unresolved. Here, deletion of the prolactin receptor (Prlr) from forebrain neurons or arcuate kisspeptin neurons resulted in failure to maintain normal lactation-induced suppression of estrous cycles. Kisspeptin immunoreactivity and pulsatile LH secretion were increased in these mice, even in the presence of ongoing suckling stimulation and lactation.

Preventing Infant Mortality Through Medicaid-Administered Prenatal Care Coordination: Evidence From Wisconsin.

Objective: To estimate associations between Wisconsin Medicaid's Prenatal Care Coordination (PNCC) program and infant mortality.

Data Sources And Study Setting: We analyzed birth records, Medicaid claims, and infant death records for all resident and in-state Medicaid-paid live deliveries during 2010-2018.

Study Design: We measured PNCC exposure during pregnancy dichotomously (none; any) and categorically (none; assessment/care plan only; service receipt).

Conservation genomics within government led conservation planning: an Australian case study exploring cost and benefit for threatened flora.

The importance of conserving plant genetic diversity has been recognised since the 1980's, but genetic research tools for improving conservation remain largely absent from standard planning. Using an Australian case study framework of the New South Wales Government's Saving our Species program, we outline the costs and benefits associated with conducting genomic analysis within a conservation strategy to inform for example, taxonomic resolution, targeted monitoring, translocations and ex situ collections. Despite a reported sentiment that costs are prohibitive, our study identified that where genetics reports have been provided (32 to date), the cost of genetic sampling, analysis and advice is less than 10% of the total Government investment (SoS program) and will continue decreasing proportionally throughout the years as other management occurs.

Sexual health and healthy relationships for Further Education (SaFE) in Wales and England: results from a pilot cluster randomised controlled trial.

Objectives: To examine the acceptability of implementing, trialling and estimating the cost of the Sexual health and healthy relationships for Further Education (SaFE) intervention.

Design: Two-arm repeated cross-sectional pilot cluster randomised controlled trial (cRCT) of SaFE compared with usual practice, including a process evaluation and an economic assessment.

Setting: Eight further education (FE) settings in South Wales and the West of England, UK.

Modulating Perovskite Surface Energetics Through Tuneable Ferrocene Interlayers for High-Performance Perovskite Solar Cells.

Achieving rational control over chemical and energetic properties at the perovskite/electron transport layer (ETL) interface is crucial for realizing highly efficient and stable next-generation inverted perovskite solar cells (PSCs). To address this, we developed multifunctional ferrocene (Fc)-based interlayers engineered to exhibit adjustable passivating and electrochemical characteristics. These interlayers are designed to minimize non-radiative recombination and, to modulate the work function (WF) and uniformity of the perovskite surface, thereby enhancing device performance.

Artificial Liver Support Systems in Acute Liver Failure and Acute-on-Chronic Liver Failure: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Objectives: To systematically review the safety and efficacy of nonbiological (NBAL) or biological artificial liver support systems (BAL) and whole-organ extracorporeal liver perfusion (W-ECLP) systems, in adults with acute liver failure (ALF) and acute-on-chronic liver failure (ACLF).

Data Sources: Eligible NBAL/BAL studies from PubMed/Embase searches were randomized controlled trials (RCTs) in adult patients with ALF/ACLF, greater than or equal to ten patients per group, reporting outcomes related to survival, adverse events, transplantation rate, and hepatic encephalopathy, and published in English from January 2000 to July 2023. Separately, we searched for studies evaluating W-ECLP in adult patients with ALF or ACLF published between January1990 and July 2023.

Tirzepatide for Lipodystrophy.

Background: Lipodystrophy encompasses a group of rare disorders associated with severe metabolic disease. These disorders are defined by abnormal fat distribution, with near-total (generalized lipodystrophy, GL) or partial (partial lipodystrophy, PL; i.e.

Laser scarecrows reduce avian corn-foraging propensity but not bout length in aviary trials.

Background: Behavioral mechanisms underlying avian deterrence by lasers in sweet corn are not known, and we evaluated them in a rigorous aviary experiment. Eighteen flocks of European starlings (Sturnus vulgaris) foraged on sweet corn for several days in control and laser treated plots with ripe sweet corn while data were collected on where birds were distributed and how long birds foraged on corn. In 16 trials, fresh ears were presented on wooden sticks, and in two trials birds foraged on natural corn grown from seed.

Hydroxychloroquine prevents resistance and potentiates the antitumor effect of SHP2 inhibition in NF1-associated malignant peripheral nerve sheath tumors.

Malignant peripheral nerve sheath tumors (MPNSTs) are aggressive sarcomas and the primary cause of mortality in patients with neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1). These malignancies develop within preexisting benign lesions called plexiform neurofibromas (PNs). PNs are solely driven by biallelic loss eliciting RAS pathway activation, and they respond favorably to MEK inhibitor therapy.

APOBEC3A deaminates CTG hairpin loops to promote fragility and instability of expanded CAG/CTG repeats.

CAG/CTG repeats are prone to expansion, causing several inherited human diseases. The initiating sources of DNA damage which lead to inaccurate repair of the repeat tract to cause expansions are not fully understood. Expansion-prone CAG/CTG repeats are actively transcribed and prone to forming stable R-loops with hairpin structures forming on the displaced single-stranded DNA (S-loops).

Individualized temporal patterns drive human sleep spindle timing.

Sleep spindles are cortical electrical oscillations considered critical for memory consolidation and sleep stability. The timing and pattern of sleep spindles are likely to be important in driving synaptic plasticity during sleep as well as preventing disruption of sleep by sensory and internal stimuli. However, the relative importance of factors such as sleep depth, cortical up/down-state, and temporal clustering in governing sleep spindle dynamics remains poorly understood.

Cannabis use before and after metabolic and bariatric surgery: literature review.

As accessibility and legalization of cannabis rise throughout the United States (US), programs have sought guidance about whether its use should be considered a contraindication or, if not a contraindication, what recommendations patients should receive regarding appropriate use before and after metabolic and bariatric surgery (MBS). In this review, medical, nutritional, pharmacological, and psychological considerations are presented by a multidisciplinary group of members of the American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery (ASMBS). Research suggests several risks associated with long-term cannabis use in the general population, but research in the MBS population, specifically, is limited.

Mesenchymal stromal cells reduce inflammation and improve lung function in a mouse model of cystic fibrosis lung disease.

Mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs) are multipotent adult stem cells which possess immunomodulatory and repair capabilities. In this study, we investigated whether MSC therapy could modulate inflammation and lung damage in the lungs of Scnn1b-transgenic mice overexpressing the β-subunit of the epithelial sodium channel (β-ENaC), a model with features of Cystic Fibrosis lung disease. Human bone marrow derived MSC cells were intravenously delivered to mice, prior to collection of bronchoalveolar lavage (BALF) and tissue.

A Semi-Virtual Trier Social Stress Test (SV-TSST).

The Trier Social Stress Test (TSST) is a strategy for inducing acute psychological stress and increases in glucocorticoid levels. Here we describe the methodology and implementation of a Semi-Virtual Trier Social Stress Test (SV-TSST) which combines the control of a laboratory environment with reduced need for in-person logistical support and enhanced social distancing without the need for specialized equipment. During the SV-TSST, the participant is guided through the baseline, anticipatory, challenge, and recovery phases of the test by an in-person experimenter.