Children betrayed: The unseen victims of domestic violence and how law enforcement can better protect them.

Domestic violence is a commonplace and serious societal problem with vast public health and economic consequences. Childhood exposure to domestic violence can blight children's biological and social development. Often, local police departments are first responders to domestic violence.

"New Normal:" Opportunities and Challenges Faced by Syringe Service Programs Following the Effects of the COVID-19 Pandemic.

Syringe services programs (SSPs) provide critical evidence-based public health services that decrease harms from drug use for people who use drugs (PWUD). Many SSPs have experienced significant and evolving COVID-19-related disruptions. We aimed to characterize the impacts of COVID-19 on SSP operations in the United States approximately two years into the pandemic.

Virtual imaging trials in medicine: A brief takeaway of the lessons from the first international summit.

Background: The rapid advancement of medical technologies presents significant challenges for researchers and practitioners. While traditional clinical trials remain the gold standard, they are often limited by high costs, lengthy durations, and ethical constraints. In contrast, in-silico trials and digital twins have emerged not only as efficient and ethical alternatives but also as a complementary technology that can extend beyond classical trials to predict and design new strategies.

Large decrease in syringe distribution following the introduction of fentanyl in King County, Washington.

Background: Syringe services programs (SSPs) serve as key platforms to deliver harm reduction services to people who use drugs (PWUD). Changes in drug supply and drug consumption behaviors, particularly the increasing use of fentanyl through non-injection methods, may impact SSP utilization.

Material And Methods: We collected routine program data from three SSPs in King County, Washington.

A Decadal Exploration of Cutaneous Adverse Effects of FDA-Approved Cardiovascular Medications: Insights from 2013 to 2023.

Given the high prevalence of cardiovascular disease in the United States, there is a critical need for new medications to improve outcomes of these diseases. The U.S.

Identification of a novel variant in the LAMB3 gene in a patient with a distinct junctional epidermolysis bullosa laryngo-onycho-cutaneous syndrome phenotype.

Junctional epidermolysis bullosa (JEB) represents a rare mechanobullous genodermatosis, characterized by fragility and blister formation of the skin and mucous membranes. Within the JEB spectrum, laryngo-onycho-cutaneous (LOC) syndrome is a rare subtype that manifests with excess granulation tissue of the eyes, nails, skin, and larynx. Thus far, the LOC subtype has been linked predominantly to mutations in LAMA3, disrupting the epidermal basement membrane zone.

Comparing Two-Step Approaches to Measuring Gender Identity: The Reliability and Applications of Asking About Sex Assigned at Birth versus Transgender Self-Identification.

Inclusive measures of gender are critical for health equity research. This study compared the reliability and applications of two different approaches for measuring gender in response to emerging community concerns regarding the potential harms of asking about sex assigned at birth (SAAB) within transgender and gender diverse (TGD) populations. Using data from a 2021 survey of LGBTQ+ people in Washington state, we compared approaches for measuring gender via a two-step question that collected data on: (1) current gender and SAAB versus (2) current gender and transgender self-identification.

Facilitators and barriers to monitoring and evaluation at syringe service programs.

Background: Syringe services programs (SSPs) provide harm reduction supplies and services to people who use drugs and are often required by funders or partners to collect data from program participants. SSPs can use these data during monitoring and evaluation (M&E) to inform programmatic decision making, however little is known about facilitators and barriers to collecting and using data at SSPs.

Methods: Using the Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research (CFIR), we conducted 12 key informant interviews with SSP staff to describe the overall landscape of data systems at SSPs, understand facilitators and barriers to data collection and use at SSPs, and generate recommendations for best practices for data collection at SSPs.

Evaluating spectral performance for quantitative contrast-enhanced breast CT with a GaAs based photon counting detector: a simulation approach.

Quantitative contrast-enhanced breast computed tomography (CT) has the potential to improve the diagnosis and management of breast cancer. Traditional CT methods using energy-integrated detectors and dual-exposure images with different incident spectra for material discrimination can increase patient radiation dose and be susceptible to motion artifacts and spectral resolution loss. Photon Counting Detectors (PCDs) offer a promising alternative approach, enabling acquisition of multiple energy levels in a single exposure and potentially better energy resolution.

Development of a rural-urban classification system for public health research that accommodates structural differences between states.

Rural environments in the United States present challenges to wellness, but there is a lack of tools with which to categorize rurality at the subcounty level. The most common tool, the Food and Drug Administration's 2010 Rural-Urban Commuting Area (RUCA) codes, uses data that are over a decade old and cannot accommodate regional differences in rurality. The purpose of this study was to develop a census-tract classification system of rurality and demonstrate its use in describing HIV outcomes.

Sunscreen Practices and Preferences of Skin of Color Patients.

Sunscreen is an essential way to protect against photodamage from ultraviolet (UV) radiation. Despite the recognized benefits of sunscreen in preventing skin damage from UV light, its use varies across different patient groups. This cross-sectional, questionnaire-based study aims to uncover the sunscreen usage patterns, preferences, and barriers among non-Hispanic White (NHW) and skin of color (SOC) individuals.

Proceedings Virtual Imaging Trials in Medicine 2024.

This submission comprises the proceedings of the 1st Virtual Imaging Trials in Medicine conference, organized by Duke University on April 22-24, 2024. The listed authors serve as the program directors for this conference. The VITM conference is a pioneering summit uniting experts from academia, industry and government in the fields of medical imaging and therapy to explore the transformative potential of in silico virtual trials and digital twins in revolutionizing healthcare.

Ambient pollen exposure and pollen allergy symptom severity in the EPOCHAL study.

Background: Ambient pollen exposure causes nasal, ocular, and pulmonary symptoms in allergic individuals, but the shape of the exposure-response association is not well characterized. We evaluated this association and determined (1) whether symptom severity differs between subpopulations; (2) how the association changes over the course of the pollen season; and (3) which pollen exposure time lags affect symptoms.

Methods: Adult study participants (n = 396) repeatedly scored severity of nasal, ocular, and pulmonary allergic symptoms, resulting in three composite symptom scores.

Acceptability and anticipated effectiveness of a safe supply of opioids, among people who inject opioids in King County, WA.

Background: Opioid overdose mortality in the US has exceeded one million deaths over the last two decades. A regulated opioid supply may help prevent future overdose deaths by reducing exposure to the unregulated opioid supply. We examined the acceptability, delivery model preference, and anticipated effectiveness of different regulated opioid models among people in the Seattle area who inject opioids.

Emergency Room Utilization and Methamphetamine Overdose Symptoms Among Syringe Services Program Participants in Washington State.

Background: Methamphetamine overdose can cause severe psychological and physical health issues including psychosis, heart attack, and death. People who use methamphetamine (PWUM) who experience methamphetamine overdose symptoms (MOS) are advised to seek emergency healthcare; however, factors related to seeking care are not well characterized.

Methods: This study used data from the 2021 Washington State Syringe Services Program (SSP) Health Survey, a cross-sectional survey administered to participants at 21 SSPs in Washington ( = 955).

Pilot study of a community pharmacist led program to treat hepatitis C virus among people who inject drugs.

Background: People who inject drugs (PWID) are a key population for treatment with direct-acting antiviral medications (DAAs) to eliminate hepatitis C virus (HCV). We developed a Pharmacist, Physician, and Patient Navigator Collaborative Care Model (PPP-CCM) for delivery of HCV treatment; this study describes clinical outcomes related to HCV treatment (initial evaluation, treatment initiation, completion, and cure), as well as patient satisfaction.

Methods: We conducted a single-arm prospective pilot study of adult PWID living with HCV.

High Seroprevalence of Hepatitis C Virus Among Cisgender Women Who Exchange Sex in the Seattle, Washington Area.

Background: Injection drug use (IDU) is a risk factor for hepatitis C virus (HCV) acquisition and occurs disproportionately among women who exchange sex (WES). However, little is known about HCV epidemiology in this population. We estimated HCV seroprevalence, identified correlates of HCV seropositivity, and characterized social networks by HCV serostatus and IDU history among WES in the Seattle, Washington, area.