A Single Injection of Platelet-rich Plasma Injection for the Treatment of Stress Urinary Incontinence in Females: A Randomized Placebo-controlled Trial.

Objective: To determine the efficacy of a single injection of platelet-rich plasma (PRP) into the anterior vaginal wall at the mid-urethra compared to placebo, as there is emerging evidence that PRP may help treat female stress urinary incontinence (SUI).

Methods: This was a single-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled clinical trial at a single institution. Females with bothersome, demonstrable stress-predominant urinary incontinence were enrolled.

Rapid Adaptation and Interspecific Introgression in the North American Crop Pest Helicoverpa zea.

Insect crop pests threaten global food security. This threat is amplified through the spread of nonnative species and through adaptation of native pests to control measures. Adaptations such as pesticide resistance can result from selection on variation within a population, or through gene flow from another population.

Increased Muc5AC and Decreased Ciliated Cells in Severe Asthma Partially Restored by Inhibition of IL-4Rα Receptor.

The role of IL-13 on the airway epithelium in severe asthma leading to airway remodeling remains poorly understood. To study IL-13-induced airway remodeling on goblet cells and cilia in the airway epithelium in severe asthma and the impact of an anti-IL4Rα antibody, dupilumab, . Quantitative computed tomography of the lungs and endobronchial biopsies and brushings were obtained in 51 participants (22 with severe asthma, 11 with nonsevere asthma, and 18 healthy participants) in SARPIII (Severe Asthma Research Program III) and measured for mucin and cilia-related proteins.

Post-mortem changes of anisotropic mechanical properties in the porcine brain assessed by MR elastography.

Unlabelled: Knowledge of the mechanical properties of brain tissue is essential to understanding the mechanisms underlying traumatic brain injury (TBI) and to creating accurate computational models of TBI and neurosurgical simulation. Brain white matter, which is composed of aligned, myelinated, axonal fibers, is structurally anisotropic. White matter also exhibits mechanical anisotropy, as measured by magnetic resonance elastography (MRE), but measurements of anisotropy obtained by mechanical testing of white matter have been inconsistent.

Fragment-Based Discovery of a Series of Allosteric-Binding Site Modulators of β-Glucocerebrosidase.

β-Glucocerebrosidase (GBA/GCase) mutations leading to misfolded protein cause Gaucher's disease and are a major genetic risk factor for Parkinson's disease and dementia with Lewy bodies. The identification of small molecule pharmacological chaperones that can stabilize the misfolded protein and increase delivery of degradation-prone mutant GCase to the lysosome is a strategy under active investigation. Here, we describe the first use of fragment-based drug discovery (FBDD) to identify pharmacological chaperones of GCase.

A 44-Nucleotide Region in the Chikungunya Virus 3' UTR Dictates Viral Fitness in Disparate Host Cells.

We previously reported that deletion of a 44-nucleotide element in the 3' untranslated region (UTR) of the Chikungunya virus (CHIKV) genome enhances the virulence of CHIKV infection in mice. Here, we find that while this 44-nucleotide deletion enhances CHIKV fitness in murine embryonic fibroblasts in a manner independent of the type I interferon response, the same mutation decreases viral fitness in C6/36 mosquito cells. Further, the fitness advantage conferred by the UTR deletion in mammalian cells is maintained in vivo in a mouse model of CHIKV dissemination.

Perceptions of HIV-Related Comorbidities and Usability of a Virtual Environment for Cardiovascular Disease Prevention Education in Sexual Minority Men With HIV: Formative Phases of a Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial.

Background: Sexual minority men with HIV are at an increased risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) and have been underrepresented in behavioral research and clinical trials.

Objective: This study aims to explore perceptions of HIV-related comorbidities and assess the interest in and usability of a virtual environment for CVD prevention education in Black and Latinx sexual minority men with HIV.

Methods: This is a 3-phase pilot behavioral randomized controlled trial.

Internet and Telephone Support for Discontinuing Long-Term Antidepressants: The REDUCE Cluster Randomized Trial.

Importance: There is significant concern regarding increasing long-term antidepressant treatment for depression beyond an evidence-based duration.

Objective: To determine whether adding internet and telephone support to a family practitioner review to consider discontinuing long-term antidepressant treatment is safe and more effective than a practitioner review alone.

Design, Setting, And Participants: In this cluster randomized clinical trial, 131 UK family practices were randomized between December 1, 2018, and March 31, 2022, with remote computerized allocation and 12 months of follow-up.

Close outpatient follow-up associated with reduced readmission rates in patients with inflammatory bowel disease.

Background: Few studies have shown the effects of prompt outpatient follow-up in relation to reducing readmission rates in patients hospitalized with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Our study evaluated whether postdischarge follow-up was associated with fewer IBD-related readmissions.

Methods: This single-center retrospective study included 477 patients with Crohn's disease (CD) or ulcerative colitis (UC) who were readmitted to our tertiary care hospital from January 1, 2016, to June 1, 2022.

Visualizing Worldwide Prevalence of Age-Related Dual Sensory Loss.

This study aims to create a first visualization of global prevalence of age-related dual sensory loss (DSL), significantly affecting older people's quality of life. Data from World Health Organization (WHO) regions, particularly African, American, and European, were analyzed. The study focused on DSL onset and prevalence, using adjusted life expectancy for regional comparison.

Associations between negative patient safety climate and infection prevention practices.

The relationships among positive perceptions of safety climate and better healthcare worker behaviors have been increasingly documented in the literature. The potential influence of negative perceptions is underexplored and has not been examined in relationship to infection prevention practices. We begin to address this gap using data collected as part of a multi-site, cross-sectional study.

Prospective assessment of canine thyroid cancer-part I: nodal metastatic rate and impact of nodal immunohistochemistry in 70 dogs.

Objective: To determine the rate of nodal metastasis in dogs with thyroid cancer and evaluate whether immunohistochemistry (IHC) identifies additional metastases beyond evaluation with H&E.

Animals: 70 prospectively enrolled client-owned dogs with thyroid cancer managed with thyroidectomy.

Methods: Dogs underwent thyroidectomy with concurrent elective bilateral medial retropharyngeal (MRP) ± deep cervical lymphadenectomy.

State-level factors associated with implementation of prescription drug monitoring program integration and mandatory use policies, United States, 2009-2020.

Background: Prescription drug monitoring programs (PDMPs) have been widely adopted as a tool to address the prescription opioid epidemic in the United States. PDMP integration and mandatory use policies are 2 approaches states have implemented to increase use of PDMPs by prescribers. While the effectiveness of these approaches is mixed, it is unclear what factors motivated states to implement them.

Multi-institutional beta testing of a novel cervical esophagogastric anastomosis simulator.

Objective: A novel simulator developed to offer hands-on practice for the stapled side-to-side cervical esophagogastric anastomosis was tested previously in a single-center study that supported its value in surgical education. This multi-institutional trial was undertaken to evaluate validity evidence from 6 independent thoracic surgery residency programs.

Methods: After a virtual session for simulation leaders, learners viewed a narrated video of the procedure and then alternated as surgeon or first assistant.

Specification and survival of post-metamorphic branchiomeric neurons in a non-vertebrate chordate.

Tunicates are the sister group to the vertebrates, yet most species have a life cycle split between swimming larva and sedentary adult phases. During metamorphosis, larval neurons are replaced by adult-specific ones. The regulatory mechanisms underlying this replacement remain largely unknown.

Growth characteristics of HCT116 xenografts lacking asparagine synthetase vary according to sex.

Background: Sex-related differences in colorectal (CRC) incidence and mortality are well-documented. However, the impact of sex on metabolic pathways that drive cancer growth is not well understood. High expression of asparagine synthetase (ASNS) is associated with inferior survival for female CRC patients only.

A Chaotic Approach to Glottal Gap Voice.

Objective: Airway glottic insufficiency, or glottal gap, may lead to a breathy voice quality. It is hypothesized that a glottal gap may be a source of nonlinearity in speech production. This study aims to gain a chaotic and acoustic profile of glottal gap voice provided by phonation of excised larynges subjected to the insertion of a metal shim in the posterior glottis.

Effectiveness of Updated 2023-2024 (Monovalent XBB.1.5) COVID-19 Vaccination Against SARS-CoV-2 Omicron XBB and BA.2.86/JN.1 Lineage Hospitalization and a Comparison of Clinical Severity - IVY Network, 26 Hospitals, October 18, 2023-March 9, 2024.

Background: Assessing COVID-19 vaccine effectiveness (VE) and severity of SARS-CoV-2 variants can inform public health risk assessments and decisions about vaccine composition. BA.2.

Sex- and age-related differences in kinetics and tibial accelerations during military-relevant movement tasks in U.S. Army trainees.

Lower extremity injuries are prevalent in military trainees, especially in female and older trainees. Modifiable factors that lead to higher injury risk in these subgroups are not clear. The purpose of this study was to identify whether external loading variables during military-relevant tasks differ by age and sex in U.

A single-center, assessor-blinded, randomized controlled clinical trial to test the safety and efficacy of a novel brain-computer interface controlled functional electrical stimulation (BCI-FES) intervention for gait rehabilitation in the chronic stroke population.

Background: In the United States, there are over seven million stroke survivors, with many facing gait impairments due to foot drop. This restricts their community ambulation and hinders functional independence, leading to several long-term health complications. Despite the best available physical therapy, gait function is incompletely recovered, and this occurs mainly during the acute phase post-stroke.

A Novel Framework for Internal Responses to Detection of Pathogens in Wastewater by Public Health Agencies.

Objectives: To build on the success of wastewater surveillance during the COVID-19 pandemic, jurisdictions funded under the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention National Wastewater Surveillance System are looking to expand their wastewater programs to detect more pathogens. However, many public health agencies do not know how to use the collected wastewater data to formulate public health responses, underscoring a need for guidance. To address this knowledge gap, the Houston Health Department (HHD) developed a novel response framework that outlines an internal action plan that is tailored by pathogen type after detection of various pathogens in wastewater.