Endoluminal Vacuum Therapy for the Management of Boerhaave Syndrome: A Case Series.

Introduction: Boerhaave syndrome is a rare condition associated with high morbidity and mortality. Prompt intervention greatly improves outcomes, with surgery traditionally being the mainstay of management. Recent advances in therapeutic endoscopy have led to increasing interest in endoluminal vacuum therapy (EVT), a minimally invasive technique, allowing wound debridement and drainage, encouraging granulation tissue formation.

Motivation levels and white matter microstructure in children living with HIV.

Central nervous system involvement in HIV infection leads to neurobehavioural sequelae. Although apathy is a well-recognised symptom in adults living with HIV linked to alterations in brain structure, there is scarce research examining motivation in children living with HIV (CLWH). We used the Children's Motivation Scale (CMS; normative mean = 50, SD = 10) to assess motivation levels in 76 CLWH aged 6-16 years (63 on antiretroviral therapy [ART]; 13 ART-naïve slow progressors) in South Africa.

Living through a pandemic: depression and anxiety experienced by youth living with HIV in South Africa.

Youth living with HIV (YLHIV) face significant psychosocial challenges and are at increasedrisk of developing depression and anxiety. This study aims to invesBgate symptoms ofdepression, anxiety and associaBons with psychosocial factors in YLHIV during the first andthird waves of the COVID-19 pandemic. This longitudinal study enrolled 135 YLHIV (ages 12-21) in Cape Town, South Africa.

Device-assisted enteroscopy performance measures in the United Kingdom: DEEP-UK quality improvement project.

Background: Device-assisted enteroscopy (DAE) has become a well-established diagnostic and therapeutic tool for the management of small-bowel pathology. We aimed to evaluate the performance measures for DAE across the UK against the quality benchmarks proposed by the European Society of Gastrointestinal Endoscopy (ESGE).

Methods: We retrospectively collected data on patient demographics and DAE performance measures from electronic endoscopy records of consecutive patients who underwent DAE for diagnostic and therapeutic purposes across 12 enteroscopy centers in the UK between January 2017 and December 2022.

The power of connected clinical teams: from loneliness to belonging.

Background: We need to preserve the lessons of the COVID-19 pandemic in caring for the mental health of clinicians, of shared experiences, interdependence, team cohesion and vulnerability, among others. We need reform in the way that clinicians are cared for, and a resistance to the idea of a post-pandemic 'return to normal'.

Main Text: To build connected and optimally functioning clinical teams, we need to create an inclusive culture in which difficult conversations and caring are the expectation.

Better Together: acceptability, feasibility and preliminary impact of chronic illness peer support groups for South African adolescents and young adults.

Introduction: Peer support can help navigate the isolation and psychological strain frequently experienced by youth living with chronic illness. Yet, data are lacking on the impact of providing support for youth living with mixed chronic conditions. We assessed the acceptability, feasibility and preliminary mental health impacts of a clinic-based peer support group for South African youth living with chronic illnesses, including HIV.

MASI, a Smartphone App to Improve Treatment Adherence Among South African Adolescents and Young Adults With HIV: Protocol for a Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial.

Background: Adolescents and young adults with HIV repeatedly demonstrate low rates of antiretroviral therapy (ART) adherence as well as low rates of viral suppression. Digital health interventions are a promising way to engage adolescents and young adults with HIV to support ART adherence. However, few digital health interventions have been developed and tested with adolescents and young adults in countries like South Africa, where the HIV burden among adolescents and young adults is greatest.

The partitioning of primary alcohols into the aggregates of gemini amphiphiles determined from diffusion NMR experiments.

The partition constants (-values) of primary alcohols in solutions containing aggregates of symmetric gemini surfactants of the family ,'-dimethyl, -dialkyl-,-alkanediammonium dibromide (m-s-m = symmetric gemini surfactants) have been computed from the measured values of their diffusion coefficients obtained from NMR-diffusion experiments. From the -values, both mole-fraction and concentration-based partition coefficients and Gibbs energies of transfer for the alcohols from the bulk DO phase to the gemini aggregate phase have been calculated. As expected, the Gibbs energy of transfer decreased linearly with an increase in the alcohol carbon length for each of the primary alcohol/gemini amphiphile series studied.

A platform trial of neoadjuvant and adjuvant antitumor vaccination alone or in combination with PD-1 antagonist and CD137 agonist antibodies in patients with resectable pancreatic adenocarcinoma.

A neoadjuvant immunotherapy platform clinical trial allows for rapid evaluation of treatment-related changes in tumors and identifying targets to optimize treatment responses. We enrolled patients with resectable pancreatic adenocarcinoma into such a platform trial (NCT02451982) to receive pancreatic cancer GVAX vaccine with low-dose cyclophosphamide alone (Arm A; n = 16), with anti-PD-1 antibody nivolumab (Arm B; n = 14), and with both nivolumab and anti-CD137 agonist antibody urelumab (Arm C; n = 10), respectively. The primary endpoint for Arms A/B - treatment-related change in IL17A expression in vaccine-induced lymphoid aggregates - was previously published.

Supporting Adolescents With HIV in South Africa Through an Adherence-Supporting App: Mixed Methods Beta-Testing Study.

Background: Novel smartphone app-delivered interventions have the potential to improve HIV treatment adherence among adolescents with HIV, although such interventions are limited. Our team has developed Masakhane Siphucule Impilo Yethu (MASI; Xhosa for "Let's empower each other and improve our health"), a smartphone app-delivered intervention to improve treatment adherence among adolescents with HIV in South Africa. MASI was adapted to the South African cultural context using the HealthMpowerment platform, an evidence-based digital health intervention developed for and with youth in the United States.

Persistent accelerated epigenetic ageing in a longitudinal cohort of vertically infected HIV-positive adolescents.

We have previously shown accelerated ageing in adolescents perinatally infected with HIV (PHIV +), based on discrepancies between epigenetic and chronological age. The current study examines follow-up longitudinal patterns of epigenetic ageing and the association of epigenetic ageing with cognition as well as whole brain structure changes in PHIV + and healthy controls enrolled in the Cape Town Adolescent Antiretroviral Cohort Study (CTAAC). The Illumina EPIC array was used to generate blood DNA methylation data from 60 PHIV + adolescents and 36 age-matched controls aged 9-12 years old at baseline and again at a 36-month follow-up.

An observational study of safety and clinical outcome measures across patient groups in the United Kingdom Medical Cannabis Registry.

Background: There is a paucity of high-quality data on patient outcomes and safety after initiating treatment with cannabis-based medicinal products (CBMPs). The aim of this study was to assess the clinical outcomes and safety of CBMPs by analyzing patient-reported outcome measures and adverse events across a broad spectrum of chronic conditions.

Research Design And Methods: This study analyzed patients enrolled in the UK Medical Cannabis Registry.

Comparing the effects of medical cannabis for chronic pain patients with and without co-morbid anxiety: A cohort study.

Introduction: There is growing evidence on the efficacy of cannabis-based medicinal products (CBMPs) for chronic pain (CP). Due to the interaction between CP and anxiety, and the potential impact of CBMPs on both anxiety and CP, this article aimed to compare the outcomes of CP patients with and without co-morbid anxiety following CBMP treatment.

Methods: Participants were prospectively enrolled and categorized by baseline General Anxiety Disorder-7(GAD-7) scores, into 'no anxiety'(GAD-7 < 5) and 'anxiety'(GAD-7 ≥ 5) cohorts.

The effect of medical cannabis in inflammatory bowel disease: analysis from the UK Medical Cannabis Registry.

Objectives: Cannabis-based medicinal products (CBMPs) have shown promising preclinical activity in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). However, clinical trials have not demonstrated effects on inflammation. This study aims to analyze changes in health-related quality of life (HRQoL) and adverse events in IBD patients prescribed CBMPs.

Clinical Outcome Data of Children Treated with Cannabis-Based Medicinal Products for Treatment Resistant Epilepsy-Analysis from the UK Medical Cannabis Registry.

Background: There is a paucity of high-quality evidence of the efficacy and safety of cannabis-based medicinal products in treatment of treatment-resistant epilepsy (TRE) in children.

Methods: A case series of children (<18 years old) with TRE from the UK Medical Cannabis Registry was analyzed. Primary outcomes were ≥50% reduction in seizure frequency, changes in the Impact of Pediatric Epilepsy Score (IPES), and incidence of adverse events.

"We Should Be Taught Self-Respect, Self-Confidence and Self-Love": Youth Perspectives of Adult Influences on Their Sexuality and Relationships Among South African Adolescents Living With HIV.

Introduction: Of the 1.75 million adolescents aged 10-19 years living with HIV globally, 84% reside in sub-Saharan Africa. This problem is most acute in South Africa, where there are 720,000 adolescents living with HIV (ALHIV).

Non-invasive assessment of intestinal permeability in healthy volunteers using transcutaneous fluorescence spectroscopy.

The permeability of the intestinal barrier is altered in a multitude of gastrointestinal conditions such as Crohn's and coeliac disease. However, the clinical utility of gut permeability is currently limited due to a lack of reliable diagnostic tests. To address this issue, we report a novel technique for rapid, non-invasive measurement of gut permeability based on transcutaneous ('through-the-skin') fluorescence spectroscopy.

Improved Green Synthesis and Crystal Structures of Symmetrical Cationic Gemini Surfactants.

Gemini surfactants are composed of two hydrocarbon tails with corresponding polar headgroups, linked via a covalent spacer. The synthesis of these surfactants is a very active area of research due to their application as catalysts and other applied areas of study. The modification of green microwave techniques developed in our research on ionic liquids has resulted in the significant improvement of the synthesis of '-bis(dimethylalkyl)-α,ω-alkanediammonium dibromide (m-s-m type) symmetrical gemini surfactants.

Mindful and Intuitive Eating Imagery on Instagram: A Content Analysis.

Non-dieting approaches, including mindful/intuitive eating, to health improvement are of increasing interest, yet little is known about young adults' social media exposure to them. Therefore, this study aimed to describe the imagery related to mindful/intuitive eating which is visible to young adult Instagram users. Images categorized under the hashtags 'mindfuleating' and 'intuitiveeating' were searched in September 2021 using the 'top posts' view.

A novel cell line panel reveals non-genetic mediators of platinum resistance and phenotypic diversity in high grade serous ovarian cancer.

Objectives: Resistance to cancer therapy is an enduring challenge and accurate and reliable preclinical models are lacking. We interrogated this unmet need using high grade serous ovarian cancer (HGSC) as a disease model.

Methods: We created five in vitro and two in vivo platinum-resistant HGSC models and characterised the entire cell panel via whole genome sequencing, RNASeq and creation of intraperitoneal models.

Conditional Economic Incentives for HIV Treatment Adherence: Aligning Adolescent Developmental Hallmarks with Behavioral Economic Theory to Improve HIV Treatment Adherence.

Adolescent-tailored antiretroviral therapy (ART) adherence interventions take place within the context of unique developmental stage. Suboptimal ART adherence among adolescents living with HIV in South Africa underscores that interventions are urgently needed to improve adherence. We conducted semistructured in-depth interviews with 35 adolescents aged 10-19 years living with HIV.