The Tenacious Treponema: A Retrospective Examination of Syphilis Treatment Disparities in Washington, DC.

Background: Since 2000, there have been rising rates of syphilis infections nationally with higher incidence among minorities and persons living with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) (PLWH). The purpose of this study was to determine syphilis treatment adequacy and factors associated with treatment delay.

Methods: This was a retrospective academic-public health collaboration with the District of Columbia Department of Public Health reviewing surveillance data of all primary, secondary, and early latent syphilis cases diagnosed between January 1, 2015, and December 31, 2019.

A Case of Acute Extensive Viral Sinusitis Secondary to Acute Epstein Barr Virus.

Unlabelled: Infectious mononucleosis (IM), the most common presentation of acute Epstein Barr virus (EBV) infection, typically presents with fever, pharyngitis and lymphadenopathy. We describe an unusual case of IM presenting as acute sinusitis. A 25 year-old male presented to the emergency department with worsening right frontal sinus pain along with fever, chills, and greenish nasal discharge for 3 weeks.

as sole organism responsible for vertebral osteomyelitis/discitis and vertebral collapse in a patient with intravenous drug abuse.

is the most commonly isolated organism in osteomyelitis, while gram-negative bacteria (GNB) comprises only a minor portion. GNB osteomyelitis is usually seen in patients with bacteraemia, recent genitourinary infection, open fractures or trauma and is rarely seen in the spines. Our case is a man in his 30s with no significant risk factors except an extended history of intravenous drug use (IVDU), who presented with back pain and subsequently developed vertebral collapse.

Delayed Onset of COVID-19 in an Immunosuppressed Patient.

We report on a case of delayed presentation of COVID-19 in a postpartum immunosuppressed patient with the confounding variable of cytomegalovirus viremia. This case highlights the importance of maintaining high suspicion for COVID-19 disease even with delayed onset of symptoms, as this diagnosis as important treatment and public health implications.

Exercise Training in "At-Risk" Black and White Women: A Comparative Cohort Analyses.

Purpose: Few data on the effect of exercise interventions in black women at risk for cardiovascular disease are available.

Methods: Women ≥18 yr of age without known cardiovascular disease with ≥1 coronary risk factor were enrolled in a community-based exercise program ≥3 d·wk for ≥30 min per session for 6 months. Exercise training intensity ~50% to 80% of functional capacity, using heart rate (HR) and/or rating of perceived exertion (RPE) as the primary intensity modulators.

Estrogen depletion results in nanoscale morphology changes in dermal collagen.

Tissue cryo-sectioning combined with atomic force microscopy imaging reveals that the nanoscale morphology of dermal collagen fibrils, quantified using the metric of D-periodic spacing, changes under the condition of estrogen depletion. Specifically, a new subpopulation of fibrils with D-spacings in the region between 56 and 59 nm is present 2 years following ovariectomy in ovine dermal samples. In addition, the overall width of the distribution, both values above and below the mean, was found to be increased.