Prior exposure to pathogens augments host heterogeneity in susceptibility and has key epidemiological consequences.

Pathogen epidemics are key threats to human and wildlife health. Across systems, host protection from pathogens following initial exposure is often incomplete, resulting in recurrent epidemics through partially-immune hosts. Variation in population-level protection has important consequences for epidemic dynamics, but how acquired protection influences inter-individual heterogeneity in susceptibility and its epidemiological consequences remains understudied.

Stereotactic Ablative Radiotherapy for T1 to T2 Glottic Larynx Cancer: Mature Results From the Phase 2 GLoTtic Larynx-SABR Trial.

Purpose: Traditional radiation therapy for early-stage larynx cancer irradiates the whole larynx over 5.5 to 6 weeks. Phase 1 data suggest that stereotactic ablative radiotherapy (SABR) is a viable strategy to reduce the irradiated volume and compress treatment time.

Mathematical analysis of simple behavioral epidemic models.

COVID-19 highlighted the importance of considering human behavior change when modeling disease dynamics. This led to developing various models that incorporate human behavior. Our objective is to contribute to an in-depth, mathematical examination of such models.

Pneumococcal Carriage in Burkina Faso After 13-Valent Pneumococcal Conjugate Vaccine Introduction and Before a Schedule Change.

Background: In October 2013, Burkina Faso introduced 13-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV13) into the routine childhood immunization program using 3 primary doses with no booster. Previous pneumococcal carriage studies showed reductions in vaccine-type (VT) carriage in children aged <5 years but not in older age groups.

Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional, age-stratified pneumococcal carriage study among healthy persons aged ≥1 month in Bobo-Dioulasso in March 2020.

Artificial intelligence and neoantigens: paving the path for precision cancer immunotherapy.

Cancer immunotherapy has witnessed rapid advancement in recent years, with a particular focus on neoantigens as promising targets for personalized treatments. The convergence of immunogenomics, bioinformatics, and artificial intelligence (AI) has propelled the development of innovative neoantigen discovery tools and pipelines. These tools have revolutionized our ability to identify tumor-specific antigens, providing the foundation for precision cancer immunotherapy.

Infection-induced increases to population size during cycles in a discrete-time epidemic model.

One-dimensional discrete-time population models, such as those that involve Logistic or Ricker growth, can exhibit periodic and chaotic dynamics. Expanding the system by one dimension to incorporate epidemiological interactions causes an interesting complexity of new behaviors. Here, we examine a discrete-time two-dimensional susceptible-infectious (SI) model with Ricker growth and show that the introduction of infection can not only produce a distinctly different bifurcation structure than that of the underlying disease-free system but also lead to counter-intuitive increases in population size.

Prior exposure to pathogens augments host heterogeneity in susceptibility and has key epidemiological consequences.

Pathogen epidemics are key threats to human and wildlife health. Across systems, host protection from pathogens following initial exposure is often incomplete, resulting in recurrent epidemics through partially-immune hosts. Variation in population-level protection has important consequences for epidemic dynamics, but how acquired protection influences inter-individual heterogeneity in susceptibility and its epidemiological consequences remains understudied.

Nasopharyngeal carriage of Streptococcus pneumoniae among children <5 years of age in Indonesia prior to pneumococcal conjugate vaccine introduction.

Pneumococcal conjugate vaccines (PCVs) prevent nasopharyngeal colonization with vaccine serotypes of Streptococcus pneumoniae, leading to reduced transmission of pneumococci and stronger population-level impact of PCVs. In 2017 we conducted a cross-sectional pneumococcal carriage study in Indonesia among children aged <5 years before 13-valent PCV (PCV13) introduction. Nasopharyngeal swabs were collected during visits to community integrated health service posts at one peri-urban and one rural study site.

Why Similar Policies Resulted In Different COVID-19 Outcomes: How Responsiveness And Culture Influenced Mortality Rates.

In the first two years of the COVID-19 pandemic, per capita mortality varied by more than a hundredfold across countries, despite most implementing similar nonpharmaceutical interventions. Factors such as policy stringency, gross domestic product, and age distribution explain only a small fraction of mortality variation. To address this puzzle, we built on a previously validated pandemic model in which perceived risk altered societal responses affecting SARS-CoV-2 transmission.

CAR Gene Delivery by T-cell Targeted Lentiviral Vectors is Enhanced by Rapamycin Induced Reduction of Antiviral Mechanisms.

Lentiviral vectors (LV) have become the dominant tool for stable gene transfer into lymphocytes including chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) gene delivery to T cells, a major breakthrough in cancer therapy. Yet, room for improvement remains, especially for the latest LV generations delivering genes selectively into T cell subtypes, a key requirement for in vivo CAR T cell generation. Toward improving gene transfer rates with these vectors, whole transcriptome analyses on human T lymphocytes are conducted after exposure to CAR-encoding conventional vectors (VSV-LV) and vectors targeted to CD8+ (CD8-LV) or CD4+ T cells (CD4-LV).

Extraordinary parasite multiplication rates in human malaria infections.

For pathogenic organisms, faster rates of multiplication promote transmission success, the potential to harm hosts, and the evolution of drug resistance. Parasite multiplication rates (PMRs) are often quantified in malaria infections, given the relative ease of sampling. Using modern and historical human infection data, we show that established methods return extraordinarily - and implausibly - large PMRs.

Eos Promotes TH2 Differentiation by Interacting with and Propagating the Activity of STAT5.

The Ikaros zinc-finger transcription factor Eos has largely been associated with sustaining the immunosuppressive functions of regulatory T cells. Paradoxically, Eos has more recently been implicated in promoting proinflammatory responses in the dysregulated setting of autoimmunity. However, the precise role of Eos in regulating the differentiation and function of effector CD4+ T cell subsets remains unclear.

Characteristics of Idiopathic Subglottic Stenosis in the Elderly.

Objective: To compare characteristics of patients ≥65 years presenting with idiopathic subglottic stenosis (iSGS) to patients diagnosed at <65 years. We hypothesize that the groups have similar comorbidities and disease courses.

Data Sources: Medical records of patients treated for iSGS at a tertiary care institution from January 2005-September 2022.

Impact of California's Senate Bill 27 on Antimicrobial-Resistant Escherichia coli Urinary Tract Infection in Humans: Protocol for a Study of Methods and Baseline Data.

Background: Overuse of antibiotics contributes to antimicrobial resistance (AMR) and is a growing threat to human health worldwide. Previous work suggests a link between antimicrobial use in poultry and human AMR extraintestinal pathogenic Escherichia coli (E coli) urinary tract infections (UTIs). However, few US-based studies exist, and none have comprehensively assessed both foodborne and environmental pathways using advanced molecular and spatial epidemiologic methods in a quasi-experimental design.

Leveraging mHealth and Patient Supporters for African Americans' and Latinxs' Engagement in HIV Care (LEAN): Protocol for a Randomized, Controlled, Effectiveness-Implementation Trial.

Background: Despite substantial investments in ending the HIV epidemic, disparities in HIV care persist, and there is an urgent need to evaluate novel and scalable approaches to improving HIV care engagement and viral suppression in real-world settings.

Objective: This paper aims to describe a study protocol for a pragmatic type II hybrid effectiveness-implementation randomized controlled trial comparing existing standard of care clinic HIV linkage, adherence, and retention (LAR) protocols to a mobile health (mHealth)-enhanced linkage, adherence, and retention (mLAR) intervention.

Methods: The study will enroll 450 participants from clinics in Baltimore City.

Association of Genre of Singing and Phonotraumatic Vocal Fold Lesions in Singers.

Objectives/hypothesis: To determine if (1) the likelihood of presenting with phonotraumatic lesions differs by singing genre in treatment-seeking singers and (2) if the distribution of phonotraumatic lesion types differs by singing genre.

Study Type: Retrospective.

Methods: Records of singers who presented with a voice complaint over the course of 2.

Neurovascular complications in adults with Neurofibromatosis type 1: A national referral center experience.

Neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1) is associated with a range of vascular abnormalities. To assess the frequency, clinical and imaging spectrum of vascular complications in an adult cohort of NF1 patients, we reviewed 2068 adult NF1 patient records seen in our service between 2009 and 2019, to determine presence of vascular abnormalities, age at detection, associated symptoms and management. A literature review of the range of vascular abnormalities associated with NF1 was also undertaken.

Comparison of Salt Iodization Requirements in National Standards with Global Guidelines.

Background: Food fortification is the addition of 1 or more micronutrients to commonly consumed foods and is utilized by many countries as a public health intervention to prevent and control micronutrient deficiencies. As iodine deficiency was a major public health issue globally, the WHO developed evidence-based guidelines for the fortification of salt with iodine. The implementation of salt iodization has been highly successful in reducing iodine deficiency disorders worldwide and is recommended as the main strategy to prevent iodine deficiency.

Declines in prevalence alter the optimal level of sexual investment for the malaria parasite .

Successful infectious disease interventions can result in large reductions in parasite prevalence. Such demographic change has fitness implications for individual parasites and may shift the parasite's optimal life history strategy. Here, we explore whether declining infection rates can alter 's investment in sexual versus asexual growth.

Voice Therapy Expectations for Injured Singers.

Objectives/hypothesis: Voice therapy is a mainstay treatment modality in the management of phonotrauma in singers. However, the typical duration of therapy an injured singer undergoes is unknown. The primary aims of the study were to determine (1) the number of therapy sessions preceding a decision for surgery and (2) the number of sessions and length of time to achieve improvement in singers who did not undergo surgery.

Modeling waning and boosting of COVID-19 in Canada with vaccination.

SARS-CoV-2, the causative agent of COVID-19, has caused devastating health and economic impacts around the globe since its appearance in late 2019. The advent of effective vaccines leads to open questions on how best to vaccinate the population. To address such questions, we developed a model of COVID-19 infection by age that includes the waning and boosting of immunity against SARS-CoV-2 in the context of infection and vaccination.

Progressive skeletal defects caused by Kindlin3 deficiency, a model of autosomal recessive osteopetrosis in humans.

The cellular and molecular mechanisms of bone development and homeostasis are clinically important, but not fully understood. Mutations in integrins and Kindlin3 in humans known as Leukocyte adhesion deficiencies (LAD) cause a wide spectrum of complications, including osteopetrosis. Yet, the rarity, frequent misdiagnosis, and lethality of LAD preclude mechanistic analysis of skeletal abnormalities in these patients.