Comparative Safety of Istradefylline Among Parkinson Disease Adjunctive Therapies: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis of Randomized Controlled Studies.

Introduction: Adjunctive therapies to treat OFF episodes resulting from long-term levodopa treatment in Parkinson disease (PD) are hampered by safety and tolerability issues. Istradefylline offers an alternative mechanism (adenosine A2A receptor antagonist) and therefore potentially improved tolerability.

Methods: A systematic review of PD adjuncts published in 2011 was updated to include randomized controlled trials published from January 1, 2010-April 15, 2019.

Reducing short-acting beta-agonist use in asthma: Impact of national incentives on prescribing practices in England and the findings from SENTINEL Plus early adopter sites.

Short-acting beta-agonist (SABA) over-use in asthma is harmful for patients and the environment. The Investment and Impact Fund (IIF) 2022/2023 financially rewarded English primary care networks that achieved specific targets, including reducing SABA over-use (RESP-02) and lowering the mean carbon footprint per salbutamol inhaler prescribed (ES-02). SENTINEL Plus is a co-designed quality improvement package that aims to improve asthma outcomes and reduce asthma's environmental impact by addressing SABA over-use.

Individuals' Values and Preferences Regarding Medical Cannabis for Chronic Pain: A Descriptive Qualitative Study.

Background: Cannabis for medical purposes has been legal in Canada since 2001; however, physicians receive no formal training in this modality, and clinical use of cannabis remains controversial. This study aims to explore the values and preferences of people living with chronic pain (PLwCP) in using medical cannabis for chronic pain to inform guideline development and shared decision-making in clinical practice.

Methods: We conducted a descriptive qualitative study using in-depth interviews with PLwCP.

Impact of Physical Activity Counselling on Children with Medical Conditions and Disabilities and Their Families.

Physical activity counselling can target cognitive-affective participation barriers, but counselling benefits for children with medical conditions/disabilities were unknown. This study investigated successes, challenges, and the impact of physical activity counselling on children and their families. One-on-one semi-structured interviews were completed with 7 patients (2 male/5 female, aged 13-17) and 4 parents who participated in 2-8 weekly counselling sessions (2015-2020).

Improving asthma care through implementation of the SENTINEL programme: findings from the pilot site.

Aim: Short-acting β-agonist (SABA) overuse adversely impacts asthma-related outcomes and the environment. The SABA rEductioN Through ImplemeNting Hull asthma guidELines (SENTINEL) programme aims to reduce SABA overuse through supported implementation of an adult asthma guideline, which advocates for a SABA-free maintenance and reliever therapy (MART)-preferred treatment where appropriate, across six primary care networks (PCNs) in the UK. We present findings on patient/disease characteristics, asthma prescribing patterns and exacerbation rates from the pilot PCN.

Opioid antagonism mitigates antipsychotic-associated weight gain: focus on olanzapine.

Background: The endogenous opioid system affects metabolism, including weight regulation. Evidence from preclinical and clinical studies provides a rationale for targeting this system to mitigate weight-related side effects of antipsychotics. This review describes the role of the opioid system in regulating weight and metabolism, examines the effects of opioid receptor antagonism on those functions, and explores the use of opioid antagonists to mitigate antipsychotic-associated weight gain and/or metabolic effects.

Towards codesign in respiratory care: development of an implementation-ready intervention to improve guideline-adherent adult asthma care across primary and secondary care settings (The SENTINEL Project).

Short-acting beta agonist (SABA) overuse (≥3 canisters annually) is associated with worse asthma outcomes and accounts for the majority of greenhouse gas emissions from asthma inhalers in England. Reducing SABA overuse aligns with the National Health Service long-term plan to optimise asthma treatment while minimising environmental impact, but adoption of local asthma guidelines for a SABA-free maintenance and reliever therapy strategy for step 3 asthma patients is limited. In this we describe patient and staff involvement in a codesign process adapted from experience-based codesign (EBCD) principles to develop an implementation-ready intervention within a practice-relevant timescale.

Weight gain and comorbidities associated with oral second-generation antipsychotics: analysis of real-world data for patients with schizophrenia or bipolar I disorder.

Background: Many second-generation antipsychotics (SGAs) are associated with weight gain and cardiometabolic effects. Antipsychotic-associated weight gain is linked to treatment interruptions, potentially increasing risk of relapse and hospitalization. This retrospective study assessed clinically significant weight gain (CSWG), treatment interruptions, and development of cardiometabolic conditions in patients with schizophrenia (SZ) or bipolar I disorder (BD-I) following initiation of oral SGAs with moderate to high weight gain risk.

An Evidence-Based Review of OLZ/SAM for Treatment of Adults with Schizophrenia or Bipolar I Disorder.

Olanzapine effectively treats schizophrenia and bipolar I disorder (BD-I); however, its use is limited by the risk of significant weight gain and metabolic effects. OLZ/SAM, a combination of olanzapine and samidorphan, was recently approved in the United States for the treatment of adults with schizophrenia or BD-I. OLZ/SAM provides the efficacy of olanzapine while mitigating olanzapine-associated weight gain through opioid-receptor blockade.

Pregnancy and health in the age of the Internet: A content analysis of online "birth club" forums.

Background: Although studies report that more than 90% of pregnant women utilize digital sources to supplement their maternal healthcare, little is known about the kinds of information that women seek from their peers during pregnancy. To date, most research has used self-report measures to elucidate how and why women to turn to digital sources during pregnancy. However, given that these measures may differ from actual utilization of online health information, it is important to analyze the online content pregnant women generate.

Suppression of with observed inhaled corticosteroid therapy in severe asthma: is it a useful test in clinical practice?

http://bit.ly/35oSoxP.

Phosphinoboration of Diazobenzene: Intramolecular FLP Synthon for PN B-Derived Heterocycles.

Phosphinoboration of diazobenzene with Ph PBR' cleanly affords products of the form Ph P(PhNNPh)BR' (2: R' =catechol, cat; 4: R' =phenanthrenediol, quin) and shows evidence of Ph P(PhNNPh)Bpin 7 (pin: pinacol). The mechanism of these reactions was probed computationally and shown to proceed via intermediates involving a diazobenzene-adduct of the boron center of the PB reagent. The resulting PNNB species 2 and 4 are shown to be frustrated Lewis pairs (FLPs).

Hidden morbidity: The results of a collaborative community chronic obstructive pulmonary disease screening initiative.

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) often goes unrecognised resulting in people living with the disease without a diagnosis. We investigated the characteristics, symptom burden and flow of participants in a community COPD screening initiative. Screening was undertaken during four events over 2-weeks.

Usability of the Ranibizumab 0.5 mg Prefilled Syringe: Human Factors Studies to Evaluate Critical Task Completion by Healthcare Professionals.

Purpose: A ranibizumab prefilled syringe (PFS) has been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

Preventing violence against children in schools: Contributions from the Be Safe program in Sri Lanka.

Violence against children is a global public health issue with serious social, economic, physical, and emotional impacts. This study evaluates the effectiveness of a school-based program aimed to prevent and respond to physical, sexual, and psychological violence against children in Sri Lanka from the perspective of parents. A cross-sectional retrospective study design was used.

Time with friends and physical activity as mechanisms linking obesity and television viewing among youth.

Background: Though bivariate relationships between childhood obesity, physical activity, friendships and television viewing are well documented, empirical assessment of the extent to which links between obesity and television may be mediated by these factors is scarce. This study examines the possibility that time with friends and physical activity are potential mechanisms linking overweight/obesity to television viewing in youth.

Methods: Data were drawn from children ages 10-18 years old (M = 13.

Characterization of cross-protection by genetically modified live-attenuated Leishmania donovani parasites against Leishmania mexicana.

Previously, we showed that genetically modified live-attenuated Leishmania donovani parasite cell lines (LdCen(-/-) and Ldp27(-/-)) induce a strong cellular immunity and provide protection against visceral leishmaniasis in mice. In this study, we explored the mechanism of cross-protection against cutaneous lesion-causing Leishmania mexicana. Upon challenge with wild-type L.

Anti-diphtheria immunity in Nigerian mothers and their newborns.

Background: Immunity to diphtheria has been noted to wane with age such that previous studies have shown that a significant proportion of females with characteristics comparable to those of Nigerian women of reproductive age have inadequate levels of immunity to diphtheria. Thus, it is envisaged that Nigerian newborns may inherit inadequate levels of immunity to diphtheria from their mothers.

Methods: Cord blood and peripheral maternal blood samples were collected from 231 mother-infant pairs at delivery.

Cutting edge: Leukotriene C4 activates mouse platelets in plasma exclusively through the type 2 cysteinyl leukotriene receptor.

Leukotriene C4 (LTC4) and its extracellular metabolites, LTD4 and LTE4, mediate airway inflammation. They signal through three specific receptors (type 1 cys-LT receptor [CysLT1R], CysLT2R, and GPR99) with overlapping ligand preferences. In this article, we demonstrate that LTC4, but not LTD4 or LTE4, activates mouse platelets exclusively through CysLT2R.

Critical role for phosphoinositide 3-kinase gamma in parasite invasion and disease progression of cutaneous leishmaniasis.

Obligate intracellular pathogens such as Leishmania specifically target host phagocytes for survival and replication. Phosphoinositide 3-kinase γ (PI3Kγ), a member of the class I PI3Ks that is highly expressed by leukocytes, controls cell migration by initiating actin polymerization and cytoskeletal reorganization, which are processes also critical for phagocytosis. In this study, we demonstrate that class IB PI3K, PI3Kγ, plays a critical role in pathogenesis of chronic cutaneous leishmaniasis caused by L.