Hepatitis C Treatment in Kentucky Medicaid Recipients with Concurrent Opioid Use Disorder: A Cross-Sectional Study.

Background: Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infections and injection drug use have concurrently increased in the last decade. Evidence supports simultaneously treating chronic HCV and opioid use disorder (OUD) with medication. Kentucky is a hard-hit state for both conditions that has undertaken policy and practice efforts to increase access to both types of medications.

The Effect of Perineural Adjuvants on Superficial Parasternal Intercostal Plane Blocks in Cardiac Surgery: A Triple-Blinded Randomized Controlled Feasibility Trial.

Background and aim The study aimed to investigate the effect of adding perineural adjuvants, clonidine and dexamethasone, to local anesthetic in Superficial Parasternal Intercostal Plane (SPIP) blocks. It was designed as a prospective, randomized, triple-blinded, feasibility trial, conducted at a single-center university hospital. The participants included adult patients who were undergoing cardiac surgery via median sternotomy.

Longitudinal association of statin treatment with insulin sensitivity and beta-cell function in the PROMISE cohort.

Context: Statin treatment lowers low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol thereby reducing cardiovascular risk. Meta-analyses of clinical trials report a higher risk of new-onset type 2 diabetes with statins. Current clinical evidence regarding effects of statins on insulin sensitivity and beta-cell function is limited.

Gender differences in clinical presentations and sensory profiles in patients with fibromyalgia: implications of peripheral and central mechanisms.

Introduction: Fibromyalgia has a high female predominance and research work has been focussing mainly on women.

Objectives: We aimed to answer (1) gender differences in pain scores and quality of life, (2) any gender-specific subgroups defined by quantitative sensory testing (QST), and (3) correlations of QST parameters with pain intensity and questionnaire scores.

Methods: We evaluated clinical presentations and QST profiles from 38 male and 38 age-matched female patients.

Methane emissions from the Nord Stream subsea pipeline leaks.

The amount of methane released to the atmosphere from the Nord Stream subsea pipeline leaks remains uncertain, as reflected in a wide range of estimates. A lack of information regarding the temporal variation in atmospheric emissions has made it challenging to reconcile pipeline volumetric (bottom-up) estimates with measurement-based (top-down) estimates. Here we simulate pipeline rupture emission rates and integrate these with methane dissolution and sea-surface outgassing estimates to model the evolution of atmospheric emissions from the leaks.

Adjustable wind selectivity in shearwaters implies knowledge of the foraging landscape.

Understanding the movements of highly mobile animals is challenging because of the many factors they must consider in their decision-making. Many seabirds, for example, are adapted to use winds to travel long distances at low energetic cost but also potentially benefit from targeting specific foraging hotspots. To investigate how an animal makes foraging decisions, given the inevitable trade-off between these factors, we tracked over 600 foraging trips of breeding Manx shearwaters (Puffinus puffinus; N = 218 individuals) using GPS accelerometers.

Nucleosome repositioning in cardiac reprogramming.

Early events in the reprogramming of fibroblasts to cardiac muscle cells are unclear. While various histone undergo modification and re-positioning, and these correlate with the activity of certain genes, it is unknown if these events are causal or happen in response to reprogramming. Histone modification and re-positioning would be expected to open up chromatin on lineage-specific genes and this can be ascertained by studying nucleosome architecture.

Goal conflict and the physical activity intention-behavior relationship: Insights from a study of People's daily experiences.

Although intention is a strong predictor of moderate-to-vigorous intensity physical activity (MVPA), several factors moderate the intention-behavior relationship. People experience goal conflict when one or more of their goals makes it more difficult to pursue other goals. Goal conflict was examined as a moderator of the intention-behavior relation using data from ecological momentary assessments and accelerometer-derived estimates of MVPA.

Infant mental health integration into OB care leads to increased connection to services during the perinatal period.

We compared referrals and connection to care between perinatal patients: 90 receiving OB/GYN care in clinics with integrated behavioral health consultants with infant mental health specialization (IMH-BHC), and 68 receiving traditional care, in the United States. Participants identified as: Native American/Alaskan native, 1.90%; Asian, .

Mental Health Outcomes of a National Cohort of Adults Born with Very Low Birthweight.

Children born with a very low birthweight (VLBW; <1500 g) and/or very preterm (VPT; <32 weeks) are at increased risk of mental health problems, but adult data are inconsistent. We examined the prevalence of a range of mental health disorders in a national cohort of adults born with a VLBW, as well as associations between gestational age and mental health outcomes. All infants born with a VLBW in New Zealand in 1986 were followed prospectively from birth.

Interaction of the Gut-Liver-Brain Axis and the sterolbiome with sexual dysfunction in patients with cirrhosis.

There is a complex interplay between the gut microbes, liver, and central nervous system, a gut-liver-brain axis, where the brain impacts intestinal and hepatic function while the gut and liver can impact cognition and mental status. Dysregulation of this axis can be seen in numerous diseases. Hepatic encephalopathy, a consequence of cirrhosis, is perhaps the best studied perturbation of this system.

Interpretation and classification of FBN1 variants associated with Marfan syndrome: consensus recommendations from the Clinical Genome Resource's FBN1 variant curation expert panel.

Background: In 2015, the American College of Medical Genetics and Genomics (ACMG) and the Association for Molecular Pathology (AMP) developed standardized variant curation guidelines for Mendelian disorders. Although these guidelines have been widely adopted, they are not gene- or disease-specific. To mitigate classification discrepancies, the Clinical Genome Resource FBN1 variant curation expert panel (VCEP) was established in 2018 to develop adaptations to the ACMG/AMP criteria for FBN1 in association with Marfan syndrome.

Exposure to perinatal trauma modifies nociception and gene expression in the prefrontal cortex and hypothalamus of adolescent rats.

The perinatal period encompasses a critical window for neurodevelopment that renders the brain highly responsive to experience. Trauma, such as intimate partner violence (IPV) and early life stress/neglect, during this period negatively affects physical and mental health outcomes, including increasing ones risk for chronic pain. Although epigenetic programming likely contributes, the mechanisms that drive the relationship between perinatal trauma and adverse health outcomes, are not fully understood.

Single Cell Transcriptomic Profiling of -Associated Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy Across Species Reveals Conservation of Biological Process But Not Gene Expression.

Background: Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) is a common heritable heart disease where the most frequently associated mutations occur in the myosin-binding protein C () sarcomere-associated gene. HCM is also a common veterinary clinical problem in certain cat breeds such as Maine Coons and Ragdolls, also most associated with mutations in . Mouse models of HCM in which mutations are introduced recapitulate some, but not all, features of human HCM.

Mortality associated with moderate and severe mitral regurgitation in 608 570 men and women undergoing echocardiography.

Background: Although the prognostic implications of severe mitral regurgitation (MR) are well recognised, they are less clear in moderate MR. We therefore explored the prognostic impact of both moderate and severe MR within the large National Echocardiography Database Australia cohort.

Methods: Echocardiography reports from 608 570 individuals were examined using natural language processing to identify MR severity and leaflet pathology.

DNA methylation-based predictors of metabolic traits in Scottish and Singaporean cohorts.

Exploring the molecular correlates of metabolic health measures may identify their shared and unique biological processes and pathways. Molecular proxies of these traits may also provide a more objective approach to their measurement. Here, DNA methylation (DNAm) data were used in epigenome-wide association studies (EWASs) and for training epigenetic scores (EpiScores) of six metabolic traits: body mass index (BMI), body fat percentage, waist-hip ratio, and blood-based measures of glucose, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, and total cholesterol in >17,000 volunteers from the Generation Scotland (GS) cohort.

Aspergillus nidulans cell wall integrity kinase, MpkA, impacts cellular phenotypes that alter mycelial-material mechanical properties.

Mycelial materials are an emerging, natural material made from filamentous fungi that have the potential to replace unsustainable materials used in numerous commercial applications (e.g., packaging, textiles, construction).

Systematic review on the cost of seasonal malaria chemoprevention (SMC).

Background: Implemented in 17 countries to date, seasonal malaria chemoprevention (SMC) is a recommended strategy to prevent childhood malaria in areas with seasonal transmission of P. falciparum through monthly administration of antimalarial medicines. Understanding the costs and resource requirements of SMC delivery is necessary for effective planning and resource allocation.

Cost-Effectiveness of FreeStyle Libre for Glucose Self-Management Among People with Diabetes Mellitus: A Canadian Private Payer Perspective.

Introduction: For people living with diabetes, effective glucose monitoring is a key component in diabetes care, helping to reduce disease burden, complications, and healthcare utilization. Sensor-based glucose monitoring systems, which can provide more comprehensive information about glucose levels than capillary-based self-monitoring of blood glucose (SMBG), are becoming established among people living with diabetes. The objective of this study was to assess the cost-effectiveness of glucose monitoring with FreeStyle Libre systems, compared with SMBG, from the perspective of a Canadian private payer.

EarLy Exercise in blunt Chest wall Trauma: A multi-centre, parallel randomised controlled trial (ELECT2 Trial).

Introduction: The aim of this trial was to investigate the impact of early thoracic and shoulder girdle exercises on chronic pain and Health-Related Quality of Life in patients with blunt chest wall trauma, when compared to normal care.

Methods: A multi-centre, parallel, randomised controlled trial, in which adult patients presenting to hospital with blunt chest wall trauma were allocated to either control or intervention group. The intervention was an exercise programme consisting of four simple thoracic and shoulder girdle exercises, completed for one week.

Neck strength deficit is a risk factor for concussion in high school rugby union and rugby league players.

Objectives: Primary prevention of concussions is a priority in contact sports, with growing interest in the role of neck strength in mitigating the risks of concussion. The aim of this study was to determine if neck function was associated with in-season concussions in adolescent rugby union and league athletes, and to establish clinical values to identify players with increased risk of sustaining a concussion.

Design: Prospective cohort study.

Protein kinases MpkA and SepH transduce crosstalk between CWI and SIN pathways to activate protective hyphal septation under echinocandin cell wall stress.

Unlabelled: This study investigates a previously unreported stress signal transduced as crosstalk between the cell wall integrity (CWI) pathway and the septation initiation network (SIN). Echinocandins, which target cell wall synthesis, are widely used to treat mycoses. Their efficacy, however, is species specific.

Effects of gene dosage on cognitive ability: A function-based association study across brain and non-brain processes.

Copy-number variants (CNVs) that increase the risk for neurodevelopmental disorders also affect cognitive ability. However, such CNVs remain challenging to study due to their scarcity, limiting our understanding of gene-dosage-sensitive biological processes linked to cognitive ability. We performed a genome-wide association study (GWAS) in 258,292 individuals, which identified-for the first time-a duplication at 2q12.