Comparison of diclofenac with tramadol, tizanidine or placebo in the treatment of acute low back pain and sciatica: multi-center randomized controlled trial.

Background: Low back pain (LBP) is a leading cause of disability worldwide and has posed numerous health and socioeconomic challenges. This study compared whether nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) in combination with tramadol, tizanidine or placebo would be the best treatment regime to improve the Roland Morris Disability Questionnaire (RMDQ) scores at 1 week.

Methods: This was a multi-center, double-blind, randomized, and placebo-controlled trial including adult patients with acute LBP and sciatica in three emergency departments in Hong Kong.

Ulotaront: A TAAR1 Agonist for the Treatment of Schizophrenia.

Ulotaront (SEP-363856) is a trace-amine associated receptor 1 (TAAR1) agonist with 5-HT1A receptor agonist activity in Phase 3 clinical development, with FDA Breakthrough Therapy Designation, for the treatment of schizophrenia. TAAR1 is a G-protein-coupled receptor (GPCR) that is expressed in cortical, limbic, and midbrain monoaminergic regions. It is activated by endogenous trace amines, and is believed to play an important role in modulating dopaminergic, serotonergic, and glutamatergic circuitry.

Perceived Discrimination and Motivation to Pursue Higher Education in Ethiopian-Origin Students: The Moderating Role of Ethnic Identity.

Research has increasingly recognized the adverse effects of perceived discrimination on the academic outcomes of children and adolescents from ethnic and racial minority backgrounds. However, little is known about the association between perceived discrimination and the motivation of ethnic minority students to pursue higher education. Guided by an academic resilience framework, the current study examined the relationship between perceived discrimination and two types of motivation to pursue higher education (personal/career-driven and expectation-driven) among Ethiopian undergraduate students in Israel.

The Clinical Utility of a Precision Medicine Blood Test Incorporating Age, Sex, and Gene Expression for Evaluating Women with Stable Symptoms Suggestive of Obstructive Coronary Artery Disease: Analysis from the PRESET Registry.

Evaluating women with symptoms suggestive of coronary artery disease (CAD) remains challenging. A blood-based precision medicine test yielding an age/sex/gene expression score (ASGES) has shown clinical validity in the diagnosis of obstructive CAD. We assessed the effect of the ASGES on the management of women with suspected obstructive CAD in a community-based registry.

Economic Outcomes of a Precision Medicine Blood Test To Assess Obstructive Coronary Artery Disease: Results from the PRESET Registry.

Purpose: The evaluation of obstructive coronary artery disease (CAD) is inefficient and costly. Previous studies of an age/sex/gene expression score (ASGES) in this diagnostic workup have shown a 96% negative predictive value, as well as an 85% decreased likelihood of cardiac referral among low-score outpatients at 45 days. The objective was to explore the one-year cost implications of ASGES use among symptomatic outpatients.

Utility of a Precision Medicine Test in Elderly Adults with Symptoms Suggestive of Coronary Artery Disease.

Background: Diagnosing obstructive coronary artery disease (CAD) is challenging in elderly adults, and current diagnostic approaches for CAD expose these individuals to risks from contrast dye and invasive procedures.

Design: A Registry to Evaluate Patterns of Care Associated with the Use of Corus CAD in Real World Clinical Care Settings (PRESET; NCT01677156), pragmatic clinical trial.

Setting: Community, 21 primary care practices.

Clinical Utility of a Precision Medicine Test Evaluating Outpatients with Suspected Obstructive Coronary Artery Disease.

Background: Identifying patients with obstructive coronary artery disease can be challenging for primary care physicians. Advances in precision medicine may help augment clinical tools and redefine the paradigm for evaluating coronary artery disease in the outpatient setting. A blood-based age/sex/gene expression score (ASGES) incorporating key features of precision medicine has shown clinical validity with a 96% negative predictive value and 89% sensitivity in estimating a symptomatic patient's current likelihood of obstructive coronary artery disease.

Using Tablet Computers to Increase Patient Engagement With Electronic Personal Health Records: Protocol For a Prospective, Randomized Interventional Study.

Background: Inadequate patient engagement in care is a major barrier to successful transitions from the inpatient setting and can lead to preventable adverse events after discharge, particularly for older adults. While older adults may be less familiar with mobile devices and applications, they may benefit from focused bedside training to engage them in using their Personal Health Record (PHR). Mobile technologies such as tablet computers can be used in the hospital to help bridge this gap in experience by teaching older, hospitalized patients to actively manage their medication list through their PHR during hospitalization and continue to use their PHR for other post-discharge tasks such as scheduling follow-up appointments, viewing test results, and communicating with providers.

Timeless standards for species delimitation.

Recently a new species of bombyliid fly, Marleyimyia xylocopae, was described by Marshall & Evenhuis (2015) based on two photographs taken during fieldwork in the Republic of South Africa. This species has no preserved holotype. The paper generated some buzz, especially among dipterists, because in most cases photographs taken in the field provide insufficient information for properly diagnosing and documenting species of Diptera.

Peripheral phenotype and gene expression profiles of combined liver-kidney transplant patients.

Background And Aims: The beneficial effect of one graft on another has been reported in combined transplantation but the associated mechanisms and biological influence of each graft have not yet been established.

Methods: In multiple analyses, we explored the PBMC phenotype and signature of 45 immune-related messenger RNAs and 754 microRNAs from a total of 235 patients, including combined liver-kidney transplant recipients (CLK), patients with a liver (L-STA) or kidney (K-STA) graft only under classical immunosuppression and patients with tolerated liver (L-TOL) or kidney grafts (K-TOL).

Results: CLK show an intermediary phenotype with a higher percentage of peripheral CD19(+) CD24(+) CD38(Low) memory B cells and Helios(+) Treg cells, two features associated with tolerance profiles, compared to L-STA and K-STA (P < 0.

Evolution and synthesis of novel orally bioavailable inhibitors of PDE10A.

The design and synthesis of highly potent, selective orally bioavailable inhibitors of PDE10A is reported. Starting with an active compound of modest potency from a small focused screen, we were able to evolve this series to a lead molecule with high potency and selectivity versus other PDEs using structure-based design. A systematic refinement of ADME properties during lead optimization led to a lead compound with good half-life that was brain penetrant.

Use of a blood test incorporating age, sex, and gene expression influences medical decision-making in the evaluation of women presenting with symptoms suggestive of obstructive coronary artery disease: summary results from two ambulatory care studies in primary care.

Objective: Clinicians need better approaches to evaluating women at midlife and beyond who present to primary care with chest pain and related symptoms. A previously validated blood-based test, which includes age, sex, and gene expression levels, showed a 96% negative predictive value for determining an individual's current likelihood of having obstructive coronary artery disease (CAD) in a combined population of men and women. We hypothesized that age/sex/gene expression score (ASGES) would be incorporated into medical decision-making and would influence the rate of further cardiac evaluation.

Stress-induced endogenous siRNAs targeting regulatory intron sequences in Brachypodium.

Exposure to abiotic stresses triggers global changes in the expression of thousands of eukaryotic genes at the transcriptional and post-transcriptional levels. Small RNA (smRNA) pathways and splicing both function as crucial mechanisms regulating stress-responsive gene expression. However, examples of smRNAs regulating gene expression remain largely limited to effects on mRNA stability, translation, and epigenetic regulation.

Utility of a genomic-based, personalized medicine test in patients presenting with symptoms suggesting coronary artery disease.

Purpose: Better methods are needed to assess patients presenting with symptoms suggestive of obstructive coronary artery disease (CAD). We hypothesized that the use of a gene expression score (GES) would lead to a change in the diagnostic evaluation.

Methods: The Primary Care Providers Use of a Gene Expression Test in Coronary Artery Disease Diagnosis (IMPACT-PCP) trial (clinical trial identifier NCT01594411, clinicaltrials.

Tablet computers for hospitalized patients: a pilot study to improve inpatient engagement.

Inadequate patient engagement in hospital care inhibits high-quality care and successful transitions to home. Tablet computers may provide opportunities to engage patients, particularly during inactive times between provider visits, tests, and treatments, by providing interactive health education modules as well as access to their personal health record (PHR). We conducted a pilot project to explore inpatient satisfaction with bedside tablets and barriers to usability.

Exploring tuberculosis by types of housing development.

Tuberculosis (TB) is known as a disease of poverty. It has also been related to poor living environment. This study examines the relationship between TB outcome and housing characteristics which is reflective of the socio-economic standing.

Risk of tuberculosis in high-rise and high density dwellings: an exploratory spatial analysis.

Studies have shown that socioeconomic and environmental factors have direct/indirect influences on TB. This research focuses on TB prevalence of Hong Kong in relation to its compact urban development comprising of high-rise and high-density residential dwellings caused by rapid population growth and limited land resources. It has been postulated that occupants living on higher levels of a building would benefit from better ventilation and direct sunlight and thus less likely to contract infectious respiratory diseases.

Development of a rule-based method for the assessment of protein druggability.

Target selection is a critical step in the majority of modern drug discovery programs. The viability of a drug target depends on two components: biological relevance and chemical tractability. The concept of druggability was introduced to describe the second component, and it is defined as the ability of a target to bind a drug-like molecule with a therapeutically useful level of affinity.