Self-Contamination Risk and Failure Modes During High-Level PPE Doffing: A Comparison of Two Powered Air Purifying Respirator (PAPR) Hoods: A Pilot Study.

Background: Personal protective equipment (PPE) doffing protocols can reduce risks of pathogen self-contamination. Powered air purifying respirators (PAPRs) may increase these risks. This study compares viral contamination and errors during simulated doffing of single layer vs double layer hood PAPRs.

Phase separation of initiation hubs on cargo is a trigger switch for selective autophagy.

Autophagy is a key cellular quality control mechanism. Nutrient stress triggers bulk autophagy, which nonselectively degrades cytoplasmic material upon formation and liquid-liquid phase separation of the autophagy-related gene 1 (Atg1) complex. In contrast, selective autophagy eliminates protein aggregates, damaged organelles and other cargoes that are targeted by an autophagy receptor.

[Transarterial periarticular embolization (TAPE) for treatment of achillodynia: initial results].

Background: In recent years, transarterial periarticular embolization (TAPE) has received increasing attention in the treatment of chronic joint pain, which can be caused by degenerative changes such as osteoarthritis but also by inflammatory changes in the capsule-ligament apparatus.

Objectives: The aim of this study is to describe the method as well as preliminary results of TAPE in the treatment of therapy-resistant achillodynia.

Material And Methods: TAPE was used in the treatment of seven patients (female: 1, male: 6) with chronic achillodynia.

Influenza virus infection and aerosol shedding kinetics in a controlled human infection model.

Unlabelled: Establishing effective mitigation strategies to reduce the spread of influenza virus requires an improved understanding of the mechanisms of transmission. We evaluated the use of a controlled human infection model using an H3N2 seasonal influenza virus to study critical aspects of transmission, including symptom progression and the dynamics of virus shedding. Eight volunteers were challenged with influenza A/Perth/16/2009 (H3N2) virus between July and September 2022 at Emory University Hospital.

Long-term visual outcomes and histopathologic findings after cataract surgery in Ebola virus disease survivors in the Ebola virus RNA persistence in ocular tissues and fluids (EVICT) study.

Background/objectives: Ebola virus disease (EVD) survivors develop post-acute ophthalmic sequelae, including a high prevalence of uveitis that may be complicated by vision-threatening cataract. After the non-detection of Ebola virus (EBOV) RNA in sampled ocular fluid, vision impairment due to cataract can be treated safely and effectively via manual small incision cataract surgery (MSICS). However, the long-term ocular visual outcomes and assessment of ocular tissues, including for genomic RNA, have been infrequently or not reported in Western African survivors.

Do mindfulness interventions cause harm? Findings from the Learning to Apply Mindfulness to Pain (LAMP) Pragmatic Clinical Trial.

Background: Although mindfulness-based interventions (MBIs) are widely used in clinical and nonclinical settings, there has been little systematic study of their potential risks. To address this gap, we examined differences in psychological and physical worsening among participants in the usual care and intervention conditions of a 3-group, randomized pragmatic trial (Learning to Apply Mindfulness to Pain [LAMP]) that tested the effectiveness of 2 approaches to delivering MBIs to patients with chronic pain.

Methods: The sample consisted of 374 male and 334 female patients with chronic pain enrolled in the LAMP trial who completed a 10-week follow-up survey, 61% of whom had a mental health diagnosis.

Enhanced detection of chronic wasting disease in muscle tissue harvested from infected white-tailed deer employing combined prion amplification assays.

Zoonotic transmission of bovine spongiform encephalopathy or mad cow disease, by presumed consumption of infected beef, has increased awareness of the public health risk associated with prion diseases. Chronic wasting disease (CWD) affects moose, elk, and deer, all of which are frequently consumed by humans. Clear evidence of CWD transmission to humans has not been demonstrated, yet, establishing whether CWD prions are present in muscle tissue preferentially consumed by humans is of increasing interest.

Wipe Disinfection of Reusable Elastomeric Half-Mask Respirators for Health Care Use.

Background: During shortages, elastomeric half-mask respirators (EHMRs) are an alternative to reusing N95 filtering facepiece respirators but require between-use disinfection. The objectives of this study were to (a) measure microbial reductions on EHMR surfaces under laboratory conditions by a standardized procedure using wipes impregnated with health care disinfectants and to (b) measure microbial reductions on EHMRs disinfected by volunteer health care providers.

Method: We inoculated EHMR (Honeywell model RU8500) surfaces with spores, and bacteriophages MS2 and Φ6, and disinfected them using two wipes with hydrogen peroxide (HP), alcohols, and quaternary ammonium compounds (QACs).

Longitudinal fecal shedding of SARS-CoV-2, pepper mild mottle virus, and human mitochondrial DNA in COVID-19 patients.

Since the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, wastewater-based epidemiology (WBE) has been widely applied in many countries and regions for monitoring COVID-19 transmission in the population through testing severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) in wastewater. However, the amount of virus shed by individuals over time based on the stage of infection and accurate number of infections in the community creates challenges in predicting COVID-19 prevalence in the population and interpreting WBE results. In this study, we measured SARS-CoV-2, pepper mild mottle virus (PMMoV), and human mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) in longitudinal fecal samples collected from 42 COVID-19 patients for up to 42 days after diagnosis.

Temporal Characterization of Prion Shedding in Secreta of White-Tailed Deer in Longitudinal Study of Chronic Wasting Disease, United States.

Chronic wasting disease (CWD) affects cervids in North America, Asia, and Scandinavia. CWD is unique in its efficient spread, partially because of contact with infectious prions shed in secreta. To assess temporal profiles of CWD prion shedding, we collected saliva, urine, and feces from white-tailed deer for 66 months after exposure to low oral doses of CWD-positive brain tissue or saliva.

The American Society for Microbiology collaboration with the CDC Laboratory Medicine Best Practices initiative for evidence-based laboratory medicine.

SUMMARYClinical medicine has embraced the use of evidence for patient treatment decisions; however, the evaluation strategy for evidence in laboratory medicine practices has lagged. It was not until the end of the 20th century that the Institute of Medicine (IOM), now the National Academy of Medicine, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Division of Laboratory Systems (CDC DLS), focused on laboratory tests and how testing processes can be designed to benefit patient care. In collaboration with CDC DLS, the American Society for Microbiology (ASM) used an evidence review method developed by the CDC DLS to develop a program for creating laboratory testing guidelines and practices.

The Precision Resuscitation With Crystalloids in Sepsis (PRECISE) Trial: A Trial Protocol.

Importance: Intravenous fluids are an essential part of treatment in sepsis, but there remains clinical equipoise on which type of crystalloid fluids to use in sepsis. A previously reported sepsis subphenotype (ie, group D) has demonstrated a substantial mortality benefit from balanced crystalloids compared with normal saline.

Objective: To test the hypothesis that targeting balanced crystalloids to patients with group D sepsis through an electronic health record (EHR) alert will reduce 30-day inpatient mortality.

Expression of the cellular prion protein by mast cells in white-tailed deer carotid body, cervical lymph nodes and ganglia.

Chronic wasting disease (CWD) is a transmissible and fatal prion disease that affects cervids. While both oral and nasal routes of exposure to prions cause disease, the spatial and temporal details of how prions enter the central nervous system (CNS) are unknown. Carotid bodies (CBs) are structures that are exposed to blood-borne prions and are densely innervated by nerves that are directly connected to brainstem nuclei, known to be early sites of prion neuroinvasion.

The correlates of environmental initiatives in sports organizations with climate change attitudes and subjective well-being.

Background: To recognize the interplay between climate change and public health, this study examines the impact of sports organizations' environmental initiatives on members' subjective well-being (SWB) and climate change attitudes (CCA). Drawing on the theoretical tenets of pro-social behavior, organizational initiatives aiming at protecting and improving the natural environment can be viewed as altruistic. This altruism can in turn increase SWB.

The Role of the Gut, Urine, and Vaginal Microbiomes in the Pathogenesis of Urinary Tract Infection in Women and Consideration of Microbiome Therapeutics.

The gut, urine, and vaginal microbiomes play significant roles in the pathogenesis of recurrent urinary tract infections (rUTIs). Analysis of these microbiota has shown distinct associations with urinary tract infections. Encouraging data indicate that rUTIs may be responsive to microbiome treatments such as fecal microbiota transplantation, expanding potential treatments beyond antibiotics, hydration, and behavioral interventions.

Clinical Features and Outcomes of Pediatric and Adult Patients Hospitalized for Coronavirus Disease 2019: A Comparison Across Age Strata.

Background: Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) continues to cause hospitalizations and severe disease in children and adults.

Methods: This study compared the risk factors, symptoms, and outcomes of children and adults hospitalized for COVID-19 from March 2020 to May 2023 across age strata at 5 US sites participating in the Predicting Viral-Associated Inflammatory Disease Severity in Children with Laboratory Diagnostics and Artificial Intelligence consortium. Eligible patients had an upper respiratory swab that tested positive for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 by nucleic acid amplification.

Synthetic Dimerization Approaches for In Vivo Studies in Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

Synthetic tethering approaches induced by chemical means offer precise control over protein interactions in cells. They enable the manipulation of when, where, and how proteins interact, making it possible to study their functions, dynamics, and cellular consequences at a molecular level. These methods are versatile, reversible, and adaptable, allowing the dissection of complex cellular processes and the engineering of cellular functions.

Safety of Breast Liposuction and Oncologic Considerations.

Level of Evidence V This journal requires that authors assign a level of evidence to each article. For a full description of these Evidence-Based Medicine ratings, please refer to the Table of Contents or the online Instructions to Authors www.springer.

Recurrent Infection and Outcome of Fecal Microbiota Transplantation Use: A Population-Based Assessment.

Background: Fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) is recommended for the treatment of recurrent infection (rCDI). In the current study, we evaluated rates of rCDI and subsequent FMT in a large metropolitan area. We compared demographic and clinical differences in FMT recipients and nonrecipients and quantified differences in outcomes based on treatment modality.

Integrated Safety and Efficacy Analyses of Phase 3 Trials of a Microbiome Therapeutic for Recurrent CDI.

Introduction: Recurrent Clostridioides difficile infection (rCDI) often occurs after standard-of-care antibiotics. VOWST oral spores (VOS, previously SER-109), an FDA-approved orally administered microbiome therapeutic, is indicated to prevent rCDI following antibiotics for rCDI.

Objective, Design, And Patients: To evaluate safety and efficacy of VOS from two phase 3 trials, (randomized, placebo-controlled [ECOSPOR III: NCT03183128] and open-label, single arm [ECOSPOR IV: NCT03183141]) of 349 adults with rCDI and prevalent comorbidities.