Epidemiology of carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae in hospitals of a large healthcare system in Miami, Florida from 2012 to 2016: Five years of experience with an internal registry.

Background: Carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae (CRE) is an urgent public health threat globally. Limited data are available regarding the epidemiology of CRE in South Florida. We describe the epidemiology of CRE within a large public healthcare system in Miami, FL, the experience with an internal registry, active surveillance testing, and the impact of infection prevention practices.

Different eplet software programs give discordant and incorrect results: An analysis of HLAMatchmaker vs Fusion Matchmaker Eplet calling software.

HLA eplet matching is a novel approach to define acceptable HLA mismatches for transplant recipients. We performed an eplet analysis of three different transplant case-series to determine if the available software programs gave accurate results. Eplet analysis was performed for three different transplant case-series typed by NGS for all HLA class I and II loci.

Using a Virtual Serious Game (Deusto-e-motion1.0) to Assess the Theory of Mind in Primary School Children: Observational Descriptive Study.

Background: Given the interactive media characteristics and intrinsically motivating appeal, virtual serious games are often praised for their potential for assessment and treatment.

Objective: This study aims to validate and develop normative data for a virtual serious game (Deusto-e-motion1.0) for the evaluation of emotional facial expression recognition and social skills, both of which are components of the theory of mind.

Genomic variations in EBNA3C of EBV associate with posttransplant lymphoproliferative disorder.

Epstein-Barr Virus (EBV) is a ubiquitous virus linked to a variety of lymphoid and epithelial malignancies. In solid organ and hematopoietic stem cell transplant recipients, EBV is causally associated with posttransplant lymphoproliferative disorder (PTLD), a group of heterogeneous lymphoid diseases. EBV+ B cell lymphomas that develop in the context of PTLD are generally attributed to the immunosuppression required to promote graft survival, but little is known regarding the role of EBV genome diversity in the development of malignancy.

Gold nanoparticle-mediated generation of reactive oxygen species during plasmonic photothermal therapy: a comparative study for different particle sizes, shapes, and surface conjugations.

Gold nanoparticle (AuNP)-mediated photothermal therapy represents an alternative to the effective ablation of cancer cells. However, the photothermal response of AuNPs must be tailored to improve the therapeutic efficacy of plasmonic photothermal therapy (PPT) and mitigate its side effects. This study presents an alternative to ease the tuning of photothermal efficiency and target selectivity.

Nutrition, Health, and Disease: Role of Selected Marine and Vegetal Nutraceuticals.

The investigation of new alternatives for disease prevention through the application of findings from dietary and food biotechnology is an ongoing challenge for the scientific community. New nutritional trends and the need to meet social and health demands have inspired the concept of functional foods and nutraceuticals which, in addition to their overall nutritional value, present certain properties for the maintenance of health. However, these effects are not universal.

Factors associated with Chagas screening among immigrants from an endemic country in Madrid, Spain.

Introduction: Approximately 120,000 people live with Chagas disease in Europe, 43% of whom are living in Spain. Early diagnosis and treatment are critical to improve outcomes for those living with Chagas, and also for the prevention of ongoing transmission. The decision to be tested for Chagas is affected by a range of factors.

Next-generation sequencing of microbial cell-free DNA for rapid noninvasive diagnosis of infectious diseases in immunocompromised hosts.

Cell-free DNA (cfDNA) sequencing has emerged as an effective laboratory method for rapid and noninvasive diagnosis in prenatal screening testing, organ transplant rejection screening, and oncology liquid biopsies but clinical experience for use of this technology in diagnostic evaluation of infections in immunocompromised hosts is limited.  We conducted an exploratory study using next-generation sequencing (NGS) for detection of microbial cfDNA in a cohort of ten immunocompromised patients with febrile neutropenia, pneumonia or intra-abdominal infection.  Pathogen identification by cfDNA NGS demonstrated positive agreement with conventional diagnostic laboratory methods in 7 (70%) cases, including patients with proven/probable invasive aspergillosis, pneumonia, bacteremia, Cytomegalovirus and Adenovirus viremia.

Using Syndemics Theory to Examine HIV Sexual Risk Among Latinx Men Who Have Sex with Men in Philadelphia, PA: Findings from the National HIV Behavioral Surveillance.

Latinx men who have sex with men (MSM) continue to be disproportionately impacted by HIV/AIDS. Identifying the role of multiple syndemic factors associated with sexual risk behaviors is imperative in order to develop effective prevention and treatment strategies. Cross-sectional data for this study were derived from three cycles of the Philadelphia portion of the National HIV Behavioral Surveillance System.

Documenting best practices for maintaining access to HIV prevention, care and treatment in an era of shifting immigration policy and discourse.

Changes in the United States federal-level political landscape have been felt within immigrant communities, and the public health clinics that serve them. We sought to document how HIV prevention and care clinics are reaching and retaining their immigrant community patients during a period of retrenchment of accessible public resources and immigrant rights. From May 2018 through January 2019, we conducted 20 in-depth interviews with clinicians, case workers, advocates, legal experts, and peer navigators in Northern and Central California.

Social Cognition in Chiari Malformation Type I: a Preliminary Characterization.

Chiari malformation type I (CM-I) is a neurological disorder in which cerebellar tonsils are herniated through the foramen magnum into the spinal canal. A wide spectrum of cognitive deficits underlying this pathology has been reported, but the literature about social cognition is insufficient. Clinical research has pointed out the cerebellar role in Theory of Mind (ToM), indicating that there are several disorders with cerebellar pathology that reveal a poorer performance in social cognition tasks.

Compacta: a fast contig clustering tool for de novo assembled transcriptomes.

Background: RNA-Seq is the preferred method to explore transcriptomes and to estimate differential gene expression. When an organism has a well-characterized and annotated genome, reads obtained from RNA-Seq experiments can be directly mapped to that genome to estimate the number of transcripts present and relative expression levels of these transcripts. However, for unknown genomes, de novo assembly of RNA-Seq reads must be performed to generate a set of contigs that represents the transcriptome.

Epstein-Barr Virus Latent Membrane Protein 1 Regulates Host B Cell MicroRNA-155 and Its Target FOXO3a PI3K p110α Activation.

Epstein-Barr Virus (EBV) is associated with potentially fatal lymphoproliferations such as post-transplant lymphoproliferative disorder (PTLD), a serious complication of transplantation. The viral mechanisms underlying the development and maintenance of EBV+ B cell lymphomas remain elusive but represent attractive therapeutic targets. EBV modulates the expression of host microRNAs (miRs), non-coding RNAs that regulate gene expression, to promote survival of EBV+ B cell lymphomas.

A theory-based randomized controlled trial in promoting fruit and vegetable intake among schoolchildren: PROFRUVE study.

Purpose: The main objective of the PROFRUVE study was to evaluate the effectiveness of a TPB-based intervention program at increasing fruit and vegetable (FV) consumption in schoolchildren aged 7-10.

Methods: Eight eligible classrooms were randomly assigned to the intervention (classrooms n = 4; children n = 90) or control group (classrooms n = 4; children n = 95). The intervention group received 14 sessions of 1 h during an academic year (from October to June) but the control group did not.

Multiple Galactic Sources with Emission Above 56 TeV Detected by HAWC.

We present the first catalog of gamma-ray sources emitting above 56 and 100 TeV with data from the High Altitude Water Cherenkov Observatory, a wide field-of-view observatory capable of detecting gamma rays up to a few hundred TeV. Nine sources are observed above 56 TeV, all of which are likely galactic in origin. Three sources continue emitting past 100 TeV, making this the highest-energy gamma-ray source catalog to date.

HER2-enriched subtype and pathological complete response in HER2-positive breast cancer: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background: HER2-positive (HER2+) breast cancer (BC) comprises all the four PAM50 molecular subtypes. Among these, the HER2-Enriched (HER2-E) appear to be associated with higher pathological complete response (pCR) rates following anti-HER2-based regimens. Here, we present a meta-analysis to validate the association of the HER2-E subtype with pCR following anti-HER2-based neoadjuvant treatments with or without chemotherapy (CT).

Heavy chain dimers stabilized by disulfide bonds are required to promote in vitro assembly of trastuzumab.

Background: Monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) and their derivatives have become one of the most important classes of therapeutic drugs. Their multiple applications increased the interest for understanding their complex structure. In vivo, animal cells are able to fold mAbs correctly (Song et al, J Biosci Bioeng 110:135-40, 2010), whereas previous in vitro approaches were scarce and mostly unsuccessful.

Phenotypic changes of HER2-positive breast cancer during and after dual HER2 blockade.

The HER2-enriched (HER2-E) subtype within HER2-positive (HER2+) breast cancer is highly addicted to the HER2 pathway. However, ∼20-60% of HER2+/HER2-E tumors do not achieve a complete response following anti-HER2 therapies. Here we evaluate gene expression data before, during and after neoadjuvant treatment with lapatinib and trastuzumab in HER2+/HER2-E tumors of the PAMELA trial and breast cancer cell lines.

Cognitive reserve and rate of change in Alzheimer's and cerebrovascular disease biomarkers among cognitively normal individuals.

We examined whether cognitive reserve (CR) impacts level of, or rate of change in, biomarkers of Alzheimer's disease (AD) and small-vessel cerebrovascular disease in >250 individuals who were cognitively normal and middle-aged and older at the baseline. The four primary biomarker categories commonly examined in studies of AD were measured longitudinally: cerebrospinal fluid measures of amyloid (A) and tau (T); cerebrospinal fluid and neuroimaging measures of neuronal injury (N); and neuroimaging measures of white matter hyperintensities (WMHs) to assess cerebrovascular pathology (V). CR was indexed by a composite score including years of education, reading, and vocabulary test performance.

Successful Treatment of Invasive Fungal Infection Due to Highly Resistant Aspergillus calidoustus in an Allogeneic Hematopoietic Cell Transplant Recipient.

Invasive aspergillosis (IA) is the most common invasive fungal infection following a hematopoietic cell transplant, with emerging cryptic species exhibiting resistance to commonly used antifungals such as azoles. These species have been increasingly found after the introduction of anti-mold prophylaxis. We report a case of a 56-year-old female with primary myelofibrosis whose allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplant was complicated by disseminated fungal infection (skin, lung) due to Aspergillus calidoustus, a cryptic specie.

White matter hyperintensities and CSF Alzheimer disease biomarkers in preclinical Alzheimer disease.

Objective: Recent studies suggest that white matter hyperintensities (WMH) on MRI, which primarily reflect small vessel cerebrovascular disease, may play a role in the evolution of Alzheimer disease (AD). In a longitudinal study, we investigated whether WMH promote the progression of AD pathology, or alter the association between AD pathology and risk of progression from normal cognition to mild cognitive impairment (MCI).

Methods: Two sets of analyses were conducted.

Homogeneous antibody-drug conjugates: DAR 2 anti-HER2 obtained by conjugation on isolated light chain followed by mAb assembly.

Despite advances in medical care, cancer remains a major threat to human health. Antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs) are a promising targeted therapy to overcome adverse side effects to normal tissues. In this field, the current challenge is obtaining homogeneous preparations of conjugates, where a defined number of drugs are conjugated to specific antibody sites.

Neuroprotection with Natural Antioxidants and Nutraceuticals in the Context of Brain Cell Degeneration: The Epigenetic Connection.

Bioactive antioxidant agents present in selected plants are known to provide the first line of biological defense against oxidative stress. In particular, soluble vitamin C, E, carotenoids and phenolic compounds have demonstrated crucial biological effects in cells against oxidative damage, preventing prevalent chronic diseases, such as diabetes, cancer and cardiovascular disease. The reported wide range of effects that included anti-aging, anti-atherosclerosis, anti-inflammatory and anticancer activity were studied against degenerative pathologies of the brain.

Robotic Radical Nephrectomy for Massive Renal Tumors.

The role of robotic surgery in radical nephrectomy is controversial with detractors claiming no benefit over standard or hand-assisted laparoscopic nephrectomy with increased cost. We routinely offered robotic radical nephrectomy (RRN) for all renal masses not amenable to partial nephrectomy regardless of size or complexity and evaluated the success rate for massive tumors (≥15 cm) to assess whether RRN may be justifiable in such cases. We reviewed our prospective database of RRN by an experienced robotic surgeon (R.

Examining the impact of medical legal partnerships in improving outcomes on the HIV care continuum: rationale, design and methods.

Background: Over the past two decades, we have seen a nationwide increase in the use of medical-legal partnerships (MLPs) to address health disparities affecting vulnerable populations. These partnerships increase medical teams' capacity to address social and environmental threats to patients' health, such as unsafe housing conditions, through partnership with legal professionals. Despite expansions in the use of MLP care models in health care settings, the health outcomes efficacy of MLPs has yet to be examined, particularly for complex chronic conditions such as HIV.