Publications by authors named "FRANCIS E"

Background: Pregnancy is a unique stage of the life course characterized by trade-offs between the nutritional, immune, and metabolic needs of the mother and fetus. The Camden Study was originally initiated to examine nutritional status, growth, and birth outcomes in adolescent pregnancies and expanded to study dietary and molecular predictors of pregnancy complications and birth outcomes in young women.

Methods: From 1985-2006, 4765 pregnant participants aged 12 years and older were recruited from Camden, NJ, one of the poorest cities in the US.

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Background: Pregnancies complicated by maternal obesity are characterized by metabolic differences affecting placental nutrient transport and fetal development. Docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) is critical for fetal brain development and is primarily incorporated into phosphatidylcholine (PC). Recent evidence suggests that choline may enhance PC-DHA synthesis; however, data on the impact of maternal plasma choline on placental phospholipid DHA content in females with obesity are limited.

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Biological cells rely on precise spatiotemporal coordination of biochemical reactions to control their functions. Such cell signaling networks have been a common focus for mathematical models, but they remain challenging to simulate, particularly in realistic cell geometries. Here we present Spatial Modeling Algorithms for Reactions and Transport (SMART), a software package that takes in high-level user specifications about cell signaling networks and then assembles and solves the associated mathematical systems.

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Background: Covered stent correction for a sinus venosus atrial septal defect (SVASD) was first performed in 2009. This innovative approach was initially viewed as experimental and was reserved for highly selected patients with unusual anatomic variants. In 2016, increasing numbers of procedures began to be performed, and in several centers, it is now offered as a standard of care option alongside surgical repair.

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The ongoing outbreak of Marburg virus disease in Rwanda marks the third largest historically, although it has shown the lowest fatality rate. Genomic analysis of samples from 18 cases identified a lineage with limited internal diversity, closely related to a 2014 Ugandan case. Our findings suggest that the Rwandan lineage diverged decades ago from a common ancestor shared with diversity sampled from bats in Uganda.

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Introduction: Professionalism in physician assistant (PA) students is an essential behavior to assess during formative medical education. Objective structured clinical examinations (OSCEs) provide an opportunity to evaluate PA students performing professional behaviors within simulated clinical settings. This scoping review aims to explore insights the existing literature offers regarding evaluating the professional behaviors of PA students using an OSCE.

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Article Synopsis
  • About one-third of pregnant individuals in the U.S. are affected by obesity, which can negatively impact their children’s health, prompting a study on urine metabolomics to identify differences in metabolites between kids exposed and unexposed to maternal obesity.
  • Urine samples from 68 children aged 4-8 were analyzed using liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry, revealing significant differences in metabolite levels based on maternal obesity, particularly lower levels of certain compounds related to microbial metabolism.
  • The study found that children exposed to maternal obesity had altered metabolites linked to tryptophan metabolism and steroid levels, with some differences related to the children’s own BMI status, underscoring potential health implications.
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Health care transitions, movements between providers or settings, can lead to poor outcomes, higher resource utilization, and even higher costs. Health care transitions can be complex experiences for sexual and gender diverse (SGD) individuals, especially when there is a need for ongoing health care (e.g.

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Background: Pregnancy is a unique stage of the life course characterized by trade-offs between the nutritional, immune, and metabolic needs of the mother and fetus. The Camden Study was originally initiated to examine nutritional status, growth, and birth outcomes in adolescent pregnancies and expanded to study dietary and molecular predictors of pregnancy complications and birth outcomes in young women.

Methods: From 1985-2006, 4765 pregnant participants aged 12 years and older were recruited from Camden, NJ, one of the poorest cities in the U.

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Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has claimed around 170,000 lives among nursing home residents and staff in the United States through April 2023. In a cluster randomized controlled trial (RCT) with 136 nursing homes, we delivered training to improve COVID-19 infection control best practices. We sought to assess the implementation of infection control practices in participating nursing homes.

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Mechanotransduction, which is the integration of mechanical signals from the external environment of a cell to changes in intracellular signaling, governs many cellular functions. Recent studies have shown that the mechanical state of the cell is also coupled to the cellular circadian clock. To investigate possible interactions between circadian rhythms and cellular mechanotransduction, we have developed a computational model that integrates the two pathways.

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Article Synopsis
  • * A comprehensive analysis using untargeted metabolomics and network analysis identified distinct metabolite profiles and pathways related to maternal metabolism, including those involved in fatty acid and glycerophospholipid metabolism.
  • * Key findings indicated that oxidative stress and inflammatory pathways are elevated in insulin-resistant pregnant women, highlighting potential targets for therapy and strategies for assessing pregnancy risks, along with mechanisms linked to future metabolic diseases in offspring.
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Introduction: Substance misuse in the United States has continuously proven to be a public health issue. The impact of substance use disorder and the injury and illness it produces creates challenges in the public health sector. This quality improvement project aimed to increase screening and referral rates in a rural emergency department.

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Importance: Prospective and retrospective measures of childhood maltreatment identify largely different groups of individuals. However, it is unclear if these measures are differentially associated with psychopathology.

Objective: To analyze the associations of prospective and retrospective measures of childhood maltreatment with psychopathology.

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Our understanding of anthelmintic resistance in the gastrointestinal nematodes of Australian cattle relies exclusively on small-scale phenotypic reports utilising traditional faecal egg count reduction tests. This approach is not readily scalable to establish the national prevalence of resistance, nor is it conducive of routine longitudinal surveillance for the emergence of resistance in its early stages. This study introduces the benefits of applying mixed amplicon metabarcoding longitudinally for timely and cost-efficient molecular surveillance of multiple anthelmintic resistance mutations, as they emerge on farms.

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The professional nurse advocate (PNA) role is the key enabler of delivery of the NHS England Advocating and Educating for Quality Improvement (A-EQUIP) model of professional nursing leadership and clinical supervision. The aim of the PNA role is to provide clinical, educational and well-being support to nurses through restorative clinical supervision. This article describes the PNA role and the A-EQUIP model and discusses some of the challenges experienced by nurses in relation to delivering care to older people and current workforce pressures.

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Chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) is characterized by immune dysfunction resulting in heightened susceptibility to infections and elevated rates of morbidity and mortality. A key strategy to mitigate infection-related complications has been immunization against common pathogens. However, the immunocompromised status of CLL patients poses challenges in eliciting an adequate humoral and cellular immune response to vaccination.

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Background: Perinatal outcomes vary for women with gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM). The precise factors beyond glycemic status that may refine GDM diagnosis remain unclear. We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis of potential precision markers for GDM.

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Objective: Little is known about deployment of SARS-CoV-2-neutralizing monoclonal antibodies (mab) in skilled nursing facilities (SNFs), a high-risk population for COVID-19-related complications. We assessed the utilization of mabs in SNFs and identified facility characteristics associated with effective use.

Design: Retrospective cohort study assessing the correlation of SNF characteristics with increasing mab use.

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Objective: The aim of the study was to determine the intra- and inter-rater reliability of palpation technique, digital calipers, and diastometer, as well as their concurrent validity against ultrasound imaging.

Methods: Ninety consenting parous women (20-45 years), recruited from a postnatal clinic in Enugu, Nigeria, participated in this observational study. Two physiotherapists and a sonographer measured their inter rectus distance at the level of the umbilicus, 4.

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We conducted a point prevalence survey (PPS) to determine the prevalence of antibiotic use at Geita Regional Referral Hospital (GRRH) located along the shores of Lake Victoria in north-western Tanzania. This has led to the identification of gaps for improvement. This PPS study was conducted on 9-10 March 2023.

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Article Synopsis
  • - Lipedema is a chronic disorder mainly affecting women, often misdiagnosed, with unclear causes and recent research highlighting changes in macrophage behavior as a key factor in the condition.
  • - A study examined the expressions of MIF-1 and MIF-2 proteins, as well as CD74 (a receptor for these proteins), in tissue samples from lipedema patients compared to matched controls, finding significant increases in MIF-1 and CD74 levels.
  • - The findings suggest that the MIF protein family, particularly through the MIF-1-CD74 interaction, may play a crucial role in the development of lipedema, providing new insights into its underlying mechanisms.
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Article Synopsis
  • Precision medicine is an evolving approach in healthcare that aims to enhance decision-making and health outcomes, particularly in managing diabetes, which poses serious health risks for millions globally.
  • The second international consensus report on precision diabetes medicine reviews current findings on prevention, diagnosis, treatment, and prognosis across different forms of diabetes, highlighting the potential for translating research into clinical practice.
  • The report also identifies knowledge gaps and sets out key milestones for better clinical implementation, emphasizing the need for standards addressing cost-effectiveness, health equity, and accessibility in treatment options.
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