Skin tone discrimination and birth control avoidance among women in Harris County, Texas: a cross-sectional study.

Introduction: Structural racism plays a major role in reproductive health inequities. Colorism, discrimination based on skin color, may profoundly impact reproductive health access and service delivery. However, quantitative research in this area is limited.

Give-and-take of gustation: the interplay between gustatory neurons and taste buds.

Mammalian taste buds are highly regenerative and can restore themselves after normal wear and tear of the lingual epithelium or following physical and chemical insults, including burns, chemotherapy, and nerve injury. This is due to the continual proliferation, differentiation, and maturation of taste progenitor cells, which then must reconnect with peripheral gustatory neurons to relay taste signals to the brain. The turnover and re-establishment of peripheral taste synapses are vital to maintain this complex sensory system.

Mapping the Anti-Cancer Activity of α-Connexin Carboxyl-Terminal (aCT1) Peptide in Resistant HER2+ Breast Cancer.

Connexin 43 (Cx43) is a protein encoded by the gene and is a component of cell membrane structures called gap junctions, which facilitate intercellular communication. Prior evidence indicates that elevated expression in the HER2-positive (HER2+) subtype of breast cancer is associated with poor prognosis. Prior evidence also suggests that HER2+ breast cancers that have become refractory to HER2-targeted agents have a loss of Cx43 gap junction intercellular communication (GJIC).

Effectiveness of FDA-cleared Wound Cleansers for Disinfection of Surgical Surfaces in Resource Limited Environments.

Background: Service members experience unique circumstances when providing medical care in austere environments. Some challenges include supply shortages and the need to perform surgery in extreme temperatures. As such, methods for the sanitization of medical tools are sought and efficacy of existing materiel sourced to austere medical facilities should be examined for this purpose.

Dexmedetomidine Withdrawal Syndrome in Children in the PICU: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Objectives: To systematically review literature describing the clinical presentation, risk factors, and treatment for dexmedetomidine withdrawal in the PICU (PROSPERO: CRD42022307178).

Data Sources: MEDLINE/PubMed, Cochrane, Web of Science, and Scopus databases were searched.

Study Selection: Eligible studies were published from January 2000 to January 2022 and reported clinical data for patients younger than 21 years old following discontinuation of dexmedetomidine after greater than or equal to 24 hours of infusion.

Transition of Resuscitative Endovascular Balloon Occlusion of the Aorta from Zone 3 to Zone 1 to Treat Hemodynamic Collapse during Continued Hemorrhage.

Introduction: Noncompressible torso hemorrhage (NCTH) accounts for most potentially survivable deaths on the battlefield. Treatment of NCTH is challenging, especially in far-forward environments with limited capabilities. Resuscitative endovascular balloon occlusion of the aorta (REBOA) has shown promise in the care of patients with NCTH.

Determinants of COVID-19 Vaccination Decision-Making Behaviors among Pregnant Women in Sub-Saharan Africa: A Scoping Review.

Despite the availability of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccination, uptake among pregnant women in Sub-Saharan Africa has been low. This scoping review aimed to identify and characterize determinants influencing COVID-19 vaccination decision-making behaviors among pregnant women in Sub-Saharan Africa. We searched five online databases for articles on COVID-19 vaccination among pregnant women in Sub-Saharan Africa.

Management of Critically Ill Patients With Spinal Muscular Atrophy Admitted With Acute Respiratory Failure.

Background: Spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) is a neurodegenerative disease that results in progressive muscular atrophy and weakness. The primary cause of morbidity and mortality in these children is pulmonary disease due to poor airway clearance that leads to acute respiratory failure. There is a paucity of literature on the treatment of children with SMA and acute respiratory failure.

Durability and disinfection of single-use endotracheal tubes following exposure to commonly available medical disinfecting compounds.

Background: Reusing single-use medical supplies offers a capability enhancement during massive casualty incidents when resupply of medical supplies is unavailable in times of national health care crises. This pilot study determined the feasibility of disinfection of endotracheal tubes with commonly used chemical disinfecting agents.

Methods: Endotracheal tubes (ETTs) were subjected to either CaviCide, Neutral Disinfectant Cleaner, Cidex, or saline according to the manufacturer's recommended disinfection contact times.

A Minimal Opioid Postoperative Management Protocol in Congenital Cardiac Surgery: Safe and Effective.

There is evidence that reducing opioid exposure in children undergoing cardiac surgery may enhance postoperative recovery. We aimed to describe a minimal opioid postoperative management protocol in children undergoing cardiac surgery and our early outcomes with this strategy. We reviewed the medical records of children (6 months-18 years) who underwent elective cardiac surgery through a median sternotomy with cardiopulmonary bypass at our institution between 2016 and 2018.

Socio-Ecological Factors Associated With Students' Perceived Impact of an Evidence-Based Sexual Health Education Curriculum.

Background: Although schools often implement evidence-based sexual health education programs to address sexual and reproductive health disparities, multiple factors may influence program effectiveness.

Methods: Using student-reported perceived impact measures as a proxy for program effectiveness, we employed a socio-ecological approach to examine student, teacher, school, and district factors associated with greater perceived impact of It's Your Game (IYG), an evidence-based middle school sexual health education program. The student sample was 58.

Long days enhance recognition memory and increase insulin-like growth factor 2 in the hippocampus.

Light improves cognitive function in humans; however, the neurobiological mechanisms underlying positive effects of light remain unclear. One obstacle is that most rodent models have employed lighting conditions that cause cognitive deficits rather than improvements. Here we have developed a mouse model where light improves cognitive function, which provides insight into mechanisms underlying positive effects of light.

"I'm Going to Shut Down All of Your Tricks": Depictions of Treatment Professionals in Addiction Entertainment.

Background: Previous research on addiction themed reality television shows has focused on the depiction of addiction and treatment and has concluded that these shows reinforce stigma. Existing research has not investigated the depiction of treatment professionals in these series.

Objectives: This study fills the gap in existing research by analyzing the representations of treatment professionals in reality television shows, including the ways that the shows are edited, the statements made by treatment professionals, and interactions between treatment professionals and laypersons.

Green Tea Catechin, EGCG, Suppresses PCB 102-Induced Proliferation in Estrogen-Sensitive Breast Cancer Cells.

The persistence of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) in the environment is of considerable concern since they accumulate in human breast tissue and may stimulate the growth of estrogen-sensitive tumors. Studies have shown that EGCG from green tea can modify estrogenic activity and thus may act as a cancer chemopreventive agent. In the present study, we evaluated the individual and combined effects of PCB 102 and EGCG on cell proliferation using an estrogen-sensitive breast cancer cell line MCF-7/BOS.

Using Bayesian Imputation to Assess Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Pediatric Performance Measures.

Objective: To analyze health care disparities in pediatric quality of care measures and determine the impact of data imputation.

Data Sources: Five HEDIS measures are calculated based on 2012 administrative data for 145,652 children in two public insurance programs in Florida.

Methods: The Bayesian Improved Surname and Geocoding (BISG) imputation method is used to impute missing race and ethnicity data for 42 percent of the sample (61,954 children).

Measuring quality in pediatrics: Florida's early experiences with the CHIPRA core measure set.

Enacted in 2009, the Children's Health Insurance Program Reauthorization Act (CHIPRA) aims, among other things, to increase state's accountability for providing quality health care to all children in the United States. Although it is important for states to report on the measures, learning from their successes and failures is critical in producing the measures so that states will be prepared for future regulations. Florida covered roughly 2.

The localized inflammatory response to bronchoscopic thermal vapor ablation.

Background: Bronchoscopic thermal vapor ablation (BTVA) reduces lung volumes in emphysema patients by inducing a localized inflammatory response (LIR) leading to a healing process of fibrosis, but may also increase symptoms.

Objectives: We sought to evaluate whether the clinical manifestation of LIR correlated with patient outcome.

Methods: Respiratory adverse events and inflammatory markers were analyzed from a multicenter trial of BTVA in patients with upper-lobe-predominant emphysema.

Dysregulation of vitamin D3 synthesis leads to enhanced cholangiocarcinoma growth.

Background: Cholangiocarcinoma is a deadly biliary tumour with limited treatment strategies. Vitamin (1,25(OH)2D) has anti-proliferative effects on several cancers. Vitamin D3 is synthesized by the enzyme, CYP27B1, and signals via the nuclear vitamin D3 receptor.

Chronic pain management as a barrier to pediatric palliative care.

Pain is common as a presenting complaint to outpatient and emergency departments for children, yet pain management represents one of the children's largest unmet needs. A child may present with acute pain for an intermittent issue or may have acute or chronic pain in the setting of chronic illness. The mainstay of treatment for pain uses a stepwise approach for pain management, such as set up by the World Health Organization.

Tracking regional tissue volume and function change in lung using image registration.

We have previously demonstrated the 24-hour redistribution and reabsorption of bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) fluid delivered to the lung during a bronchoscopic procedure in normal volunteers. In this work we utilize image-matching procedures to correlate fluid redistribution and reabsorption to changes in regional lung function. Lung CT datasets from six human subjects were used in this study.

Characterization of outcomes 1 year after endoscopic thermal vapor ablation for patients with heterogeneous emphysema.

Introduction: Endoscopic lung volume reduction has been developed as a therapeutic option for advanced emphysema. Six-month results following treatment with endoscopic thermal vapor ablation (InterVapor; Uptake Medical, Tustin, CA) were described previously, and here we report observations from the 12-month assessment.

Methods: Two multicenter, international, single-arm trials of InterVapor (unilateral upper lobe treatment) in patients with upper lobe predominant emphysema were conducted.

Assessing the congruence of transition preparedness as reported by parents and their adolescents with special health care needs.

Several studies have investigated how prepared adolescents are to transition to adult health care and barriers to transition for adolescents with special health care needs. The majority of these studies, however, have only assessed these experiences from the parents' point of view. Our study aims to assess the congruence of adolescents and parents reported transition planning and the factors associated with planning.