Is the repeat worth it? Optimizing syndromic panel pathogen detection protocols.

Objective: The aim of the study was to compare the cost and clinical impact of repeating BioFire FilmArray gastrointestinal (GI) and respiratory (RP) panel assays with 3 vs 4 pathogen targets positive.

Method: We analyzed 12,027 GI and RP panels to evaluate our retesting policy, which retested panels with 3 or more detected pathogens (3-pathogen protocol) compared with the manufacturer's 4-pathogen (4-pathogen protocol) recommendation. We compared the retesting results, calculated the cost implications, and reviewed the clinical impact on antibiotic prescriptions and patient outcomes.

Allostery in homodimeric SARS-CoV-2 main protease.

Many enzymes work as homodimers with two distant catalytic sites, but the reason for this choice is often not clear. For the main protease M of SARS-CoV-2, dimerization is essential for function and plays a regulatory role during the coronaviral replication process. Here, to analyze a possible allosteric mechanism, we use X-ray crystallography, native mass spectrometry, isothermal titration calorimetry, and activity assays to study the interaction of M with three peptide substrates.

The Practicality of Preparing Skim Breast Milk at Home for Treatment of Infants Requiring Low Fat Diets.

The benefits of breast milk (BM) for infants have long been established. However, for health-compromised infants with difficulty processing long-chain triglycerides, BM is often discontinued, and skimmed breast milk (SBM) is used as a dietary treatment. SBM is usually produced for inpatients in a hospital laboratory.

Assessment of appropriate use of amylase and lipase testing in the diagnosis of acute pancreatitis at an academic teaching hospital.

Objective: Despite evidence-based guidelines stating that lipase alone should be used in the diagnosis of suspected acute pancreatitis, health care providers continue to order amylase or amylase and lipase together. The purpose of this study was to assess the utilization of appropriate laboratory testing related to the diagnosis of acute pancreatitis.

Methods: The study used a retrospective cross-sectional design.

Insights From a Community-Based Strategy to Assess Tobacco and Vape Shop Retailers' Implementation of Tobacco 21 Law in El Paso, Texas.

In 2019, the United States Congress passed Tobacco 21 (T21) legislation that raised the minimum legal sales age for tobacco products from 18 to 21. However, although the federal legislation superseded weaker state laws that were already in place in some states, including Texas, local guidance for retailers was inconsistent. Given that retailers are ultimately responsible for policy implementation, the American Heart Association (AHA) initiated a process of assessing retailers knowledge and perceptions of the law through a survey targeting all tobacco retailers and accompanying ethnography of a subset of vape shops in El Paso, Texas.