Exploring the State of Cancer Imaging Research in Africa.

Introduction: The growing cancer burden in Africa demands urgent action. Medical imaging is crucial for cancer diagnosis and management and is an essential enabler of precision medicine. To understand the readiness for quantitative imaging analysis to support cancer management in Africa, we analyzed the utilization patterns of imaging modalities for cancer research across the continent.

A randomized controlled trial of a team science intervention to enhance collaboration readiness and behavior among early career scholars in the Clinical and Translational Science Award network.

Introduction: Despite the central importance of cross-disciplinary collaboration in the Clinical and Translational Science Award (CTSA) network and the implementation of various programs designed to enhance collaboration, rigorous evidence for the efficacy of these approaches is lacking. We conducted a novel randomized controlled trial (RCT; ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT05395286) of a promising approach to enhance collaboration readiness and behavior among 95 early career scholars from throughout the CTSA network.

68 Ga-DOTATATE PET to Characterize Lesions in the Neuroaxis.

Aim: The differentiation of paragangliomas, schwannomas, meningiomas, and other neuroaxis tumors in the head and neck remains difficult when conventional MRI is inconclusive. This study assesses the utility of 68 Ga-DOTATATE PET/CT as an adjunct to hone the diagnosis.

Patients And Methods: This retrospective study considered 70 neuroaxis lesions in 52 patients with 68 Ga-DOTATATE PET/CT examinations; 22 lesions (31%) had pathologic confirmation.

Pharmacogenomics: Driving Personalized Medicine.

Personalized medicine tailors therapies, disease prevention, and health maintenance to the individual, with pharmacogenomics serving as a key tool to improve outcomes and prevent adverse effects. Advances in genomics have transformed pharmacogenetics, traditionally focused on single gene-drug pairs, into pharmacogenomics, encompassing all "-omics" fields (e.g.

Time-Varying Exposures and Miscarriage: A Comparison of Statistical Models Through Simulation.

Epidemiologists face a unique challenge in measuring risk relationships involving time-varying exposures in early pregnancy. Each week in early pregnancy is distinct in its contribution to fetal development, and this period is commonly characterized by shifts in maternal behavior and, consequently, exposures. In this simulation study, we used alcohol as an example of an exposure that often changes during early pregnancy and miscarriage as an outcome affected by early exposures.

Genetically-predicted placental gene expression is associated with birthweight and adult body mass index.

The placenta is critical to human growth and development and has been implicated in health outcomes. Understanding the mechanisms through which the placenta influences perinatal and later-life outcomes requires further investigation. We evaluated the relationships between birthweight and adult body mass index (BMI) and genetically-predicted gene expression in human placenta.

Imaging genomics: data fusion in uncovering disease heritability.

Sequencing of the human genome in the early 2000s enabled probing of the genetic basis of disease on a scale previously unimaginable. Now, two decades later, after interrogating millions of markers in thousands of individuals, a significant portion of disease heritability still remains hidden. Recent efforts to unravel this 'missing heritability' have focused on garnering new insight from merging different data types, including medical imaging.

Periconceptional folic acid supplementation and child asthma: a follow-up study.

Objective: High maternal folic acid exposure has been studied as a risk factor for child asthma with inconclusive results. Folic acid supplementation that begins before pregnancy may propagate high exposures during pregnancy, particularly in regions with fortified food supplies. We investigated whether folic acid supplementation initiated periconceptionally is associated with childhood asthma in a US cohort.

Development and Validation of a Model to Predict Postdischarge Opioid Use After Cesarean Birth.

Objective: To develop and validate a prediction model for postdischarge opioid use in patients undergoing cesarean birth.

Methods: We conducted a prospective cohort study of patients undergoing cesarean birth. Patients were enrolled postoperatively, and they completed pain and opioid use questionnaires 14 days after cesarean birth.

Interpreting coronary artery disease GWAS results: A functional genomics approach assessing biological significance.

Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) have implicated 58 loci in coronary artery disease (CAD). However, the biological basis for these associations, the relevant genes, and causative variants often remain uncertain. Since the vast majority of GWAS loci reside outside coding regions, most exert regulatory functions.

Investigating N-3 Fatty Acids to prevent Neonatal Tobacco-related outcomeS (INFANTS): study protocol for a double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled parallel clinical trial of n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids in pregnant smokers.

Background: Tobacco use during pregnancy is the most important modifiable risk factor associated with adverse pregnancy outcomes, increasing the risk of preterm birth, intrauterine growth restriction and sudden infant death syndrome. Fewer than half of pregnant smokers can quit on their own. Identifying safe and effective therapies to prevent tobacco-related adverse pregnancy outcomes and/or increase smoking cessation in pregnant women would have a substantial public health impact.

Gamification and education: A pragmatic approach with two examples of implementation.

Leveraging elements of game design and theories of human motivation, gamification provides a variety of techniques to engage learners in novel ways. Our Clinical and Translational Science Award created the software platform (Kaizen-Education©) to deliver gamified educational content in 2012. Here, we explore two novel use cases of this platform to provide practical insights for leveraging these methods in educational settings: (1) national training in rigor, reproducibility, and transparency and (2) attainment of learner competency (n = 7) as a gauge of curricular effectiveness across Master of Public Health degree tracks (n = 5).

Insights from an Intervention to Support Early Career Faculty with Extraprofessional Caregiving Responsibilities.

Insufficient support for balancing career and family responsibilities hinders retention of physician-scientists. Programs to improve retention of this important group of faculty are crucial. Understanding the experiences of program implementers is key to refining and improving program offerings.

Contributors to Independent Research Funding Success from the Perspective of K12 BIRCWH Program Directors.

Introduction: Faculty training awards are an important means of advancing early career faculty in research. The National Institutes of Health (NIH) Building Interdisciplinary Research Careers in Women's Health (BIRCWH) is a long-running K12 career development program and has been integral in promoting the research success of faculty nationally. We surveyed BIRCWH program directors to understand factors likely to influence long-term research careers and funding success.

Development and Validation of a Model to Predict Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome.

Objectives: To develop and validate clinical risk prediction tools for neonatal abstinence syndrome (NAS).

Study Design: We developed prediction models for NAS based on a set of 30 demographic and antenatal exposure covariates collected during pregnancy. Data (outpatient prescription, vital, and administrative records), were obtained from enrollees in the Tennessee Medicaid Program from 2009 to 2014.

The Effect of a General Healthy Lifestyle Intervention Delivered Around Pregnancy on Gestational Weight Gain and Infant Growth.

Objectives: A life-course perspective emphasizes healthy behaviors before, during, and after pregnancy to support a multi-generational risk reduction in obesity for mothers and infants. Optimal timing, content, and dose of such interventions is not well defined.

Methods: We conducted a nested cohort within a randomized trial to evaluate whether a healthy lifestyle intervention around pregnancy led to a "spill-over effect," including a healthier rate (kg/week) of maternal gestational weight gain, and infant growth during the first year.

Association of Pregnancy and Insurance Status With Treatment Access for Opioid Use Disorder.

Importance: Medications for opioid use disorder, including buprenorphine hydrochloride and methadone hydrochloride, are highly effective at improving outcomes for individuals with the disorder. For pregnant women, use of these medications also improves pregnancy outcomes, including the risk of preterm birth. Despite the known benefits of medications for opioid use disorder, many pregnant and nonpregnant women with the disorder are not receiving them.

Week-by-week alcohol consumption in early pregnancy and spontaneous abortion risk: a prospective cohort study.

Background: Half of women use alcohol in the first weeks of gestation, but most stop once pregnancy is detected. The relationship between timing of alcohol use cessation in early pregnancy and spontaneous abortion risk has not been determined.

Objective: This study aimed to evaluate the association between week-by-week alcohol consumption in early pregnancy and spontaneous abortion.

From Stigma to Validation: A Qualitative Assessment of a Novel National Program to Improve Retention of Physician-Scientists with Caregiving Responsibilities.

Research is needed to improve understanding of work-life integration issues in academic medicine and to guide the implementation of the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation's Fund to Retain Clinical Scientists (FRCS), a national initiative offering financial support to physician-scientists facing caregiving challenges. In 2018, as part of a prospective program evaluation, the authors conducted a qualitative study to examine FRCS program participants' initial impressions, solicit descriptions of their career and caregiving experiences, and inquire how such factors might influence their professional advancement. The authors invited all 33 awardees who had been granted FRCS funding in the first year of the program to participate in the study, of whom 28 agreed to complete an interview.