Psychological Assessment and Motivations of Potential Donors Within the First Australian Uterine Transplant Trial.

Objective: This study aims to investigate the psychological characteristics, motivations and experiences of potential living donors assessed for the first uterus transplant (UTx) clinical trial in Australia.

Design: Mixed methods study.

Setting: Tertiary hospital.

First reported case in an Irish flock of MCF- like systemic necrotizing vasculitis in sheep associated with ovine herpesvirus 2.

Background: Ovine gammaherpesvirus 2 (OvHV-2) is the causative agent of sheep associated malignant catarrhal fever (MCF). As sheep are the adapted host for OvHV-2, it is generally presumed that infection is not associated with disease in this species. However, a recent case review combined in-situ hybridisation, PCR and histopathology and correlated the viral distribution with systemic necrotizing vasculitis and concluded OvHV-2 was the likely agent responsible for sporadic, MCF-like vascular disease in sheep.

The Influence of Social Determinants on Receiving Outpatient Treatment with Monoclonal Antibodies, Disease Risk, and Effectiveness for COVID-19.

Background: Limited research has studied the influence of social determinants of health (SDoH) on the receipt, disease risk, and subsequent effectiveness of neutralizing monoclonal antibodies (nMAbs) for outpatient treatment of COVID-19.

Objective: To examine the influence of SDoH variables on receiving nMAb treatments and the risk of a poor COVID-19 outcome, as well as nMAb treatment effectiveness across SDoH subgroups.

Design: Retrospective observational study utilizing electronic health record data from four health systems.

Neutralizing Monoclonal Antibody Use and COVID-19 Infection Outcomes.

Importance: Evidence on the effectiveness and safety of COVID-19 therapies across a diverse population with varied risk factors is needed to inform clinical practice.

Objective: To assess the safety of neutralizing monoclonal antibodies (nMAbs) for the treatment of COVID-19 and their association with adverse outcomes.

Design, Setting, And Participants: This retrospective cohort study included 167 183 patients from a consortium of 4 health care systems based in California, Minnesota, Texas, and Utah.

Breed and ruminal fraction effects on bacterial and archaeal community composition in sheep.

While the breed of cattle can impact on the composition and structure of microbial communities in the rumen, breed-specific effects on rumen microbial communities have rarely been examined in sheep. In addition, rumen microbial composition can differ between ruminal fractions, and be associated with ruminant feed efficiency and methane emissions. In this study, 16S rRNA amplicon sequencing was used to investigate the effects of breed and ruminal fraction on bacterial and archaeal communities in sheep.

Psychosocial health in adolescents and young adults with gender dysphoria before and after gender-affirming medical interventions: a descriptive study from the Hamburg Gender Identity Service.

Empirical evidence concerning the psychosocial health outcomes after puberty suppression and gender-affirming (GA) medical interventions of adolescents with gender dysphoria (GD) is scarce. The aim of the present study was to describe how dimensions of psychosocial health were distributed among different intervention groups of adolescents with a GD diagnosis from the Hamburg Gender Identity Service before and after treatment. Participants included n = 75 adolescents and young adults from a clinical cohort sample, measured at their initial intake and on average 2 years later (M treatment duration = 21.

Heteropaternal superfecundation frequently occurs in multiple-bearing mob-mated sheep.

Heteropaternal superfecundation may be defined as the fertilisation of two or more ova during the same oestrus cycle as a result of more than one coital act from different males; this results in foetuses being born in the same litter of the same age but different paternity. Heteropaternal superfecundation is more likely to occur in poly-ovulatory species like sheep; moreover, female sheep are often mob-mated with several rams concurrently, thus providing an opportunity for a given female to be served by multiple males during the same oestrus cycle. The objective of the present study was to determine the frequency of heteropaternal superfecundation in six sheep flocks where most of the ewes, lambs and rams were genotyped.

Identify and monitor clinical variation using machine intelligence: a pilot in colorectal surgery.

Standardized clinical pathways are useful tool to reduce variation in clinical management and may improve quality of care. However the evidence supporting a specific clinical pathway for a patient or patient population is often imperfect limiting adoption and efficacy of clinical pathway. Machine intelligence can potentially identify clinical variation and may provide useful insights to create and optimize clinical pathways.

An investigation into the effects of maternal supplementation with excess iodine on the mechanisms and impacts of reduced IgG absorption in the lamb postpartum.

An experiment was conducted to determine: (1) the effect of excess maternal I supplementation on the thyroid hormone status of the ewe and her progeny; (2) potential mechanisms underpinning the failure of passive transfer associated with excess I and (3) the growing lambs' response to natural gastrointestinal infection. Twin-bearing ewes received one of two treatments (n 32/treatment group): basal diet (C) or C plus 26·6 mg of iodine/ewe per d (I), supplied as calcium iodate. Ewes were individually fed from day 119 of gestation to parturition.

Comparison of energy rationing systems for late gestation ewes: Impacts on ewe and lamb performance.

The objectives of this study were 1) to compare the effects of a ME () or a NE () system for rationing ewes during late gestation on ewe and progeny performance and 2) to investigate incremental increases in NE allocation above 100% of recommendation during late gestation on ewe and progeny performance. Fifty-two twin-bearing ewes ( = 13 per treatment) were rationed to either 100% of recommended ME requirements (100% ME) or 100, 110, or 120% of recommended NE requirements (100% NE, 110% NE, and 120% NE) from d 112 of gestation to parturition. Mean energy intake, measured as ME and NE, from Day 112 of gestation to parturition was higher in all NE treatments compared with 100% ME ewes ( = 0.

Altering ewe nutrition in late gestation: II. The impact on fetal development and offspring performance.

The present study was conducted to evaluate the effects of offering Belclare X ewes a single diet rationed to 80, 100, or 120% of recommended ME requirements from d 119 of gestation to parturition, with concurrent changes in other dietary nutrients. The effects on the development of the fetus and subsequent offspring performance to weaning were monitored. Sixty twin-bearing ewes were allocated to 1 of 3 dietary treatments based on Agricultural and Food Research Council recommendations () as amended by as follows: 80% of predicted ME requirement, 100% of predicted ME requirement, and 120% of predicted ME requirement.

Altering ewe nutrition in late gestation: I. The impact on pre- and postpartum ewe performance.

The present study was conducted to examine the effects of offering a single diet rationed to 80% (80% ME), 100% (100% ME), or 120% (120% ME) of recommended ME requirements from d 119 of gestation to lambing, with concurrent changes in other dietary nutrients. The effects on pre- and postpartum ewe performance, including estimated milk yield and milk fatty acid concentrations, were monitored. Sixty twin-bearing ewes were allocated to 1 of 3 dietary treatments ( = 20 per treatment) and individually fed for the final 4 wk of gestation.

High-level adoption of electronic health records.

The adoption of electronic health records (EHRs) is now a national priority, but evidence shows that the level of typical adoption is low. We describe the goal of "high-level adoption" of an EHR system defined as a community of clinicians using an EHR system to share patient information, and create a summary of a patient's health, through the timely documentation of care, as well as through effective communication among caregivers, with a focus on patient safety and efficient use of resources. There are 10 key principles to achieving high level-adoption.

Advancing performance measurement in oncology: quality oncology practice initiative participation and quality outcomes.

The American health care system, including the cancer care system, is under pressure to improve patient outcomes and lower the cost of care. Government payers have articulated an interest in partnering with the private sector to create learning communities to measure quality and improve the value of health care. In 2006, the American Society for Clinical Oncology (ASCO) unveiled the Quality Oncology Practice Initiative (QOPI), which has become a key component of the measurement system to promote quality cancer care.

Advancing performance measurement in oncology.

The American healthcare system, including the cancer care system, is under pressure to improve patient outcomes and lower the cost of care. Government payers have articulated an interest in partnering with the private sector to create learning communities to measure quality and improve the value of healthcare. In 2006, the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) unveiled the Quality Oncology Practice Initiative (QOPI), which has become a key component of the measurement system to promote quality cancer care.

Screening of well-established drugs targeting cancer metabolism: reproducibility of the efficacy of a highly effective drug combination in mice.

Alterations in metabolic pathways are known to characterize cancer. In order to suppress cancer growth, however, multiple proteins involved in these pathways have to be targeted simultaneously. We have developed a screening method to assess the best drug combination for cancer treatment based on targeting several factors implicated in tumor specific metabolism.

Factors determining the persistence or recurrence of well-differentiated thyroid cancer treated by thyroidectomy and/or radioiodine in the Boston, Massachusetts area: A retrospective chart review.

Objective: To assess predictors of well-differentiated thyroid cancer (WDTC) persistence/recurrence.

Design: This was a retrospective chart review of thyroid carcinoma patients seen 1979-2007 in a Boston, Massachusetts-area multispecialty group. Of 1,025 patients, 431 met eligibility criteria.

Ion fluxes, transmembrane potential, and osmotic stabilization: a new dynamic electrophysiological model for eukaryotic cells.

Survival of mammalian cells is achieved by tight control of cell volume, while transmembrane potential has been known to control many cellular functions since the seminal work of Hodgkin and Huxley. Regulation of cell volume and transmembrane potential have a wide range of implications in physiology, from neurological and cardiac disorders to cancer and muscle fatigue. Therefore, understanding the relationship between transmembrane potential, ion fluxes, and cell volume regulation has become of great interest.

Adding a combination of hydroxycitrate and lipoic acid (METABLOC™) to chemotherapy improves effectiveness against tumor development: experimental results and case report.

Altered metabolism of cancer first highlighted by Otto Warburg has a long history. Although ignored for a considerable amount of time, it is now receiving substantial attention. We recently published results obtained with a combination of two drugs, lipoic acid and hydroxycitrate, targeting metabolic enzymes particularly affected in cancer: ATP citrate lyase and pyruvate dehydrogenase kinase.

Tour de France, Giro, Vuelta, and classic European races show a unique progression of road cycling speed in the last 20 years.

Road cycling ranks among the most intense endurance exercises. Previous studies and mathematical models describing road cycling have not analysed performances per se. We describe the evolution of road cycling performance over the past 116 years.

Bone status in professional cyclists.

Professional cycling combines extensive endurance training with non weight-bearing exercise, two factors often associated with lower bone mineral density (BMD). Therefore BMD was measured with dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry in 30 professional road cyclists (mean (SD) age: 29.1 (3.

A combination of alpha lipoic acid and calcium hydroxycitrate is efficient against mouse cancer models: preliminary results.

The impact of metabolic dysregulation on tumor development has long been established. We have targeted two enzymes that are altered during carcinogenesis: pyruvate dehydrogenase (PDH), which is down-regulated, and ATP citrate lyase, which is overexpressed in cancer cells. Alpha lipoic acid is a cofactor of PDH, while hydroxycitrate is a known inhibitor of ATP citrate lyase.