Identifying persistent high-cost patients in the hospital for care management: development and validation of prediction models.

Background: Healthcare use by High-Need High-Cost (HNHC) patients is believed to be modifiable through better coordination of care. To identify patients for care management, a hybrid approach is recommended that combines clinical assessment of need with model-based prediction of cost. Models that predict high healthcare costs persisting over time are relevant but scarce.

The influence of plasticizer on the mechanical, structural, thermal and strain recovery properties following stress-relaxation process of silk fibroin/sodium alginate biocomposites for biomedical applications.

The influence of plasticizer glycerol (GLY) on the mechanical, structural, and thermal properties of silk fibroin (SF)/sodium alginate (SA) biocomposite films was investigated in detail. As the SF/SA ratio increased up to 65%, the SF content significantly improved the Tensile strength (σ), Young's modulus (E) but reduced the elongation at break (ε). To modify and enhance the elasticity and flexibility of the biocomposite films, the GLY as a plasticizer was used at different ratio from 20 to 50% for each SF/SA biocomposite films.

Assessing Influence of Mismatch Repair Mutations on Survival in Patients After Resection of Pancreatic Ductal and Periampullary Adenocarcinoma.

: Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is the third leading cause of cancer-related deaths in the United States. Previous studies have indicated that microsatellite instability and deficient mismatch repair (MMR) may be associated with improved survival in patients with pancreatic cancer. Here, we aim to investigate the impact of deficient MMR (dMMR) status on oncologic outcomes in patients after resection of PDAC and periampullary adenocarcinoma.

Position statement on the management of pregnancy in sickle cell disease.

Sickle cell disease (SCD) is a hereditary haemoglobinopathy which causes multi-organ dysfunction. Pregnancies in SCD are high risk with significant maternal and fetal morbidity and mortality, including vaso-occlusive crises, thrombosis, anaemia, placental insufficiency, fetal growth restriction, preterm birth and medication effects. High level evidence on this topic is lacking.

Alcohol and cannabis use and co-use among Whites and Hispanics on and off the U.S./Mexico border in California.

This paper examines self-reported rates of drinking and cannabis use and co-use among White and Hispanic adults randomly selected in four counties in California: Imperial on the border; and Kern, Tulare, and Madera in California's Central Valley. Co-use was significantly higher among the U.S.

Mutational landscape, inhibitor development, and health-care burden in non-severe haemophilia A: A single-centre Australian experience.

Aim: To characterise non-severe haemophilia A (HA) patients enrolled on the Australian Bleeding Disorders Registry (ABDR) treated through a state-wide Haemophilia Treatment Centre (HTC) with respect to their mutational profile, inhibitor risk and health-care burden.

Method: We conducted a single-centre observational study of all non-severe HA patients treated at the Alfred Health HTC registered on the ABDR as of the 26th July 2023. Data were extracted from the ABDR and electronic medical record (EMR) regarding demographics, severity, genetic testing, treatment, inhibitors, bleeding events and procedures.

Lessons Learned from COVID-19 Response in Correctional and Detention Facilities.

The COVID-19 pandemic disproportionately affected persons held in and working in correctional and detention facilities, causing facilities' traditional priorities to shift when healthcare and public health needs temporarily drove many aspects of operations. During July-August 2022, we interviewed members of health departments and criminal justice organizations to document lessons learned from the COVID-19 response in correctional settings. Participants valued enhanced partnerships, flexibility, and innovation, as well as real-time data and corrections-specific public health guidance.

Advancing material property prediction: using physics-informed machine learning models for viscosity.

In materials science, accurately computing properties like viscosity, melting point, and glass transition temperatures solely through physics-based models is challenging. Data-driven machine learning (ML) also poses challenges in constructing ML models, especially in the material science domain where data is limited. To address this, we integrate physics-informed descriptors from molecular dynamics (MD) simulations to enhance the accuracy and interpretability of ML models.

Long-term treatment with rilzabrutinib in patients with immune thrombocytopenia.

Immune thrombocytopenia (ITP) is an autoimmune disease associated with autoantibody-mediated platelet destruction and impaired platelet production, resulting in thrombocytopenia and a predisposition to bleeding. The ongoing, global phase 1/2 study showed that rilzabrutinib, a Bruton tyrosine kinase inhibitor specifically developed to treat autoimmune disorders, could be an efficacious and well-tolerated treatment for ITP. Clinical activity, durability of response, and safety were evaluated in 16 responding patients who continued rilzabrutinib 400 mg twice daily in the long-term extension (LTE) study.

Maternal Thyroid Dysfunction During Pregnancy as an Etiologic Factor in Autism Spectrum Disorder: Challenges and Opportunities for Research.

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental condition with unknown etiology. Both genetic and environmental factors have been associated with ASD. Environmental exposures during the prenatal period may play an important role in ASD development.

Sickle cell disease in Australia: a snapshot from the Australian Haemoglobinopathy Registry.

Background: Sickle cell disease (SCD) is the most common monogenic disorder worldwide. In deoxygenated conditions, the altered beta chain (haemoglobin S [HbS]) polymerises and distorts the erythrocyte, resulting in pain crises, vasculopathy and end-organ damage. Clinical complications of SCD cause substantial morbidity, and therapy demands expertise and resources.

Health-related quality of life (HRQoL) after different axillary treatments in women with breast cancer: a 1-year longitudinal cohort study.

Purpose: As life expectancy continues to rise, post-treatment health-related quality of life (HRQoL) of breast cancer patients becomes increasingly important. This study examined the one-year longitudinal relation between axillary treatments and physical, psychosocial, and sexual wellbeing and arm symptoms.

Methods: Women diagnosed with breast cancer who received different axillary treatments being axilla preserving surgery (APS) with or without axillary radiotherapy or full axillary lymph node dissection (ALND) with or without axillary radiotherapy were included.

infection promotes TNF-α signaling and SMAC mimetic-mediated apoptosis in human prostate cancer.

Growing evidence suggests an association between Mycoplasma infections and the development and progression of prostate cancer (PCa). In this study, we report that chronic and persistent infection induced robust TNF-α secretion from PCa cells. TNF-α secreted from -infected PCa cells subsequently led to activation of the NF-κB pathway.

The Association between the Percentage of Female Law Enforcement Officers and Rape Report, Clearance, and Arrest Rates: A Spatiotemporal Analysis of California.

Rape is an underreported violent crime that frequently remains uncleared (open) in the legal system. Rape disproportionately affects women, with 91% of rape victim-survivors estimated to be female. However, law enforcement agencies, the entry point into the criminal justice system, are predominantly comprised of male officers.

Defining global strategies to improve outcomes in sickle cell disease: a Lancet Haematology Commission.

All over the world, people with sickle cell disease (an inherited condition) have premature deaths and preventable severe chronic complications, which considerably affect their quality of life, career progression, and financial status. In addition, these people are often affected by stigmatisation or structural racism, which can contribute to stress and poor mental health. Inequalities affecting people with sickle cell disease are also reflected in the distribution of the disease—mainly in sub-Saharan Africa, India, and the Caribbean—whereas interventions, clinical trials, and funding are mostly available in North America, Europe, and the Middle East.

Drinking and driving among Whites and Hispanics on and off the US/Mexico border in California.

Objective: To examine self-reported rates of driving under the influence (DUI) with and without arrest among border and non-border residents in California.

Methods: Data were obtained from 1,209 adults 18 to 39 years of age resident in four counties in California: Imperial on the U.S.

Typification of the name (Ranunculaceae).

Available information on the typification of the name in the literature is scarce and misleading. Previously claimed type collections indicate Lagger as the collector, but the protologue discusses only the specimens collected by Rion. Original material for the name is identified, the locality of the type collection is specified, Lagger's way of writing herbarium labels for his type specimens is described, the history of the discovery of is reviewed, and the name is lectotypified.

A Computational Physics-based Approach to Predict Unbound Brain-to-Plasma Partition Coefficient, K.

The blood-brain barrier (BBB) plays a critical role in preventing harmful endogenous and exogenous substances from penetrating the brain. Optimal brain penetration of small-molecule central nervous system (CNS) drugs is characterized by a high unbound brain/plasma ratio (K). While various medicinal chemistry strategies and models have been reported to improve BBB penetration, they have limited application in predicting K directly.

Intramural Healthcare Consumption and Costs After Traumatic Brain Injury: A Collaborative European NeuroTrauma Effectiveness Research in Traumatic Brain Injury (CENTER-TBI) Study.

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is a global public health problem and a leading cause of mortality, morbidity, and disability. The increasing incidence combined with the heterogeneity and complexity of TBI will inevitably place a substantial burden on health systems. These findings emphasize the importance of obtaining accurate and timely insights into healthcare consumption and costs on a multi-national scale.

Dutch normative data of the sexual distress scale and the body image scale.

Purpose: Sexual health is an important contributing factor for health-related quality of life, but research in this domain is scarce. Moreover, normative data are needed to interpret patient-reported outcome measures on sexual health. The aim of this study was to collect and describe normative scores of the Female Sexual Distress Scale (FSDS) and the Body Image Scale (BIS) from the Dutch population and assess the effect of important demographic and clinical variables on the outcome.

Attitudes towards COVID-19 vaccination among incarcerated persons in the Federal Bureau of Prisons, June-July 2021.

Objective: To understand the attitudes towards COVID-19 vaccination and trusted sources of vaccination-related information among persons incarcerated in the Federal Bureau of Prisons.

Methods: From June-July 2021, persons incarcerated across 122 facilities operated by the Federal Bureau of Prisons were invited to participate in a survey asking their reasons for receiving or declining COVID-19 vaccination and the information sources they relied upon to make these decisions. Descriptive analyses were conducted.

Epik: p and Protonation State Prediction through Machine Learning.

Epik version 7 is a software program that uses machine learning for predicting the p values and protonation state distribution of complex, druglike molecules. Using an ensemble of atomic graph convolutional neural networks (GCNNs) trained on over 42,000 p values across broad chemical space from both experimental and computed origins, the model predicts p values with 0.42 and 0.

Contexts of Drinking- and Alcohol-Related Problems Among Whites and Hispanics on and off the US/Mexico border in California.

Background: This paper examines the association between drinking context use by Whites and Hispanics on and off the US/Mexico border and alcohol problems.

Methods: Data come from a household sample of 1209 adults 18 to 39 years of age resident in Imperial County on the California/Mexico border; and Kern, Tulare, and Madera in California's Central Valley. Data were collected on the phone or online and analyzed with an ordinal generalized linear model.