Patient Insights on Integrating Sleep Apnea Testing into Routine Stroke and TIA Care.

AHA/ASA guidelines recommend patients with ischemic stroke or transient ischemic attack (TIA) be considered for obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) evaluation, given the high prevalence of OSA and improved outcomes for cerebrovascular disease when OSA is treated. However, OSA testing has not been incorporated into routine cerebrovascular management. We interviewed 30 patients hospitalized for acute stroke/TIA at six Veterans Affairs facilities participating in a stepped-wedge implementation trial to improve timely OSA testing after stroke/TIA.

The Feasibility of Personalized Endpoints in Assessing Treatment Outcomes in Rare Disease: A Pilot Study of Goal Attainment Scaling in SCN2A-Associated Developmental Epileptic Encephalopathy.

Objectives: For individuals living with rare neurodevelopmental disorders, especially those who are at the most severe end of the spectrum, standardized outcome measures may lack the sensitivity to capture small but meaningful changes. Personalized endpoints such as Goal Attainment Scaling (GAS) allow the assessment of treatment response across variable baseline states and disease manifestations and thus provide a highly sensitive measure of efficacy. The current study tested the feasibility of using GAS in rare SCN2A-associated developmental and epileptic encephalopathy (SCN2A-DEE).

Understanding the mechanisms underlying the socioeconomic disparities in cancer screening among Australian women.

Background: Little is known about individual, as opposed to area-level, variance in socioeconomic status (SES) and how this impacts screening participation. This study explores potential mechanisms underlying the relationship between SES and cancer screening amongst women eligible for breast, cervical, and bowel cancer screening.

Methods: Australian women aged 50-74 years (N = 874) took part in an online survey examining participants' health and cancer screening behaviours.

Nodal Yield From Neck Dissection Predicts the Anti-Tumor Immune Response in Head and Neck Cancers.

Background: Lymph node count (LNC) from neck dissection has been associated with undernutrition and survival in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC). As local components of the immune system, cervical lymph nodes may reflect anti-tumor immune status. This study investigates the relationship between decreased LNC, formation of tertiary lymphoid structures (TLS), and primary tumor infiltration by lymphocytes in undernourished patients.

Suboccipital Cisterna Magna Injection for Vehicle Delivery in Pigs Using Computed Tomography.

Gene therapies are being developed for several central nervous system (CNS) disorders. These therapies are primarily administered to the CNS via the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), as the blood-brain barrier prevents the transport of large molecules to the brain. Currently, intrathecal injection is the most commonly used route of administration over cisterna magna injections in the clinic for gaining access to the CSF.

The impact of COVID-19 on routine child immunisation in South Africa.

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic disrupted immunisation programs worldwide, reversing gains that had brought vaccine-preventable diseases largely under control. This study explored the impact of COVID-19 on the uptake of routine child immunisation services in South Africa.

Methods: We conducted qualitative research using in-depth interviews with 51 purposively selected parents/caregivers of children below the age of five who missed or delayed one or more scheduled immunisation doses in 2020-2022 and with 12 healthcare providers who provided public immunisation services during the pandemic.

Realising agency: insights from participatory research with learners in a South African sexual and reproductive health programme.

Background: Investing in the capabilities of adolescents is essential to achieving the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, which focus on realising adolescent girls and young women's (AGYW) rights to education, health, bodily autonomy and integrity, sexual and reproductive health (SRH) and well-being. Despite significant scientific and programmatic progress in understanding and responding to their unique and intersecting vulnerabilities, AGYW continue to face disproportionate risk of STIs, HIV and early pregnancy. Health promotion and preventative interventions stand to be improved by early and meaningful engagement of AGYW in intervention design and delivery.

Assessing Communication Impairments in a Rare Neurodevelopmental Disorder: The Clinical Trials Readiness Study.

Background And Objectives: -related disorders (-RDs) entail severe impairments in multiple domains that could serve as nonseizure outcomes in clinical trials. This study evaluated the fitness for purpose of several clinical instruments with both standardized and alternative scoring and with some measures used out of their intended age range for assessing communication in -affected participants.

Methods: Parents of -affected children were recruited through FamilieSCN2A Foundation outreach for a combined cross-sectional and longitudinal study.

Restaurants as Environments for Healthy Eating: Factors That Contribute to Restaurant-Based Healthy Eating Program Adoption.

This study identified restaurant manager/owner factors that may contribute to adoption of a restaurant-based healthy eating program, Eat Fit. Findings may be used to engage restaurants in efforts to increase access to and availability of healthy foods, promote healthy food choices, and work toward improving diet and lowering obesity and chronic disease risk in the community. .

Impact of COVID-19 on emergency medical services utilization and severity in the U.S. Upper Midwest.

The COVID-19 pandemic has claimed over one million lives in the United States and has drastically changed how patients interact with the healthcare system. Emergency medical services (EMS) are essential for emergency response, disaster preparedness, and responding to everyday emergencies. We therefore examined differences in EMS utilization and call severity in 2020 compared to trends from 2015-2019 in a large, multi-state advanced life support EMS agency serving the U.

Draft genome sequence of sp. ABKF26, a potential petroleum, plastic, and rubber-degrading bacterium, isolated from St. Albans Bay, VT, USA.

Here, we present the draft genome sequence of sp. ABKF26, a potential petroleum, plastic, and rubber degrading bacterium isolated from Lake Champlain. The assembled genome comprises a 6.

Novel approaches to measuring cognition in individuals with severe to profound functional impairment: A pilot study in SCN2A-related disorder.

Valid clinical outcome assessments with the ability to capture meaningful aspects of neurodevelopment for individuals with neurogenetic conditions associated with profound functional impairments are lacking, yet critical for clinical care and clinical trial readiness. The purpose of this pilot study was to examine and compare the initial psychometric properties of a series of commonly used standardized and norm-referenced measures of cognition and adaptive functioning as well as alternative measures of neurobehavioral functioning designed to capture responsivity (i.e.

Co-designing planning interventions to facilitate participation in mail-out bowel cancer screening.

Background: Population mail-out bowel cancer screening programs save lives through prevention and early detection; however, their effectiveness is constrained by low participation rates. Many non-participants are "intenders"; that is, they intend to screen but fail to do so, often forgetting or procrastinating. This study aimed to co-design interventions to increase screening participation among intenders in the Australian National Bowel Cancer Screening Program.

Genome sequence of RI06-95 isolated during a bloom in lake Champlain, USA.

Here, we present the complete genome sequence of RI06-95 isolated during a bloom in Lake Champlain. The assembled genome comprises a 3.8 Mbp chromosome with a GC content of 42%, and two plasmids, pPZZ84 6.

Deficiency of interleukin-1 receptor antagonist in mice differentially affects bone properties under different genomic backgrounds.

When IL-1 receptor antagonist (IL-1rn) is knocked out, mice have shown strain background dependent and major QTL regulated susceptibility to spontaneously inflammatory arthritis disease (SAD). The impact on bone properties resulting from the interactions of IL-1rn, genomic background strains, and the QTL locus, is unknown. Bone properties in the four specifically bred mouse strains with mutation of IL-1rn and variations in genomic components were investigated with high-resolution MicroCT and genomic analytical tools.

A Research Agenda to Improve Outcomes in Patients with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease and Cardiovascular Disease: An Official American Thoracic Society Research Statement.

Individuals with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) are often at risk for or have comorbid cardiovascular disease and are likely to die of cardiovascular-related causes. To prioritize a list of research topics related to the diagnosis and management of patients with COPD and comorbid cardiovascular diseases (heart failure, atherosclerotic vascular disease, and atrial fibrillation) by summarizing existing evidence and using consensus-based methods. A literature search was performed.

Affinity Constants of Bovine Serum Albumin for 5 nm Gold Nanoparticles (AuNPs) with ω-Functionalized Thiol Monolayers Determined by Fluorescence Spectroscopy.

A detailed understanding of the binding of serum proteins to small ( <10 nm) nanoparticles (NPs) is essential for the mediation of protein corona formation in next generation nanotherapeutics. While a number of studies have investigated the details of protein adsorption on large functionalized NPs, small NPs (with a particle surface area comparable in size to the protein) have not received extensive study. This study determined the affinity constant () of BSA when binding to three different functionalized 5 nm gold nanoparticles (AuNPs).

Protocol to record and analyze primate leaping in three dimensions in the wild.

Several studies comparing primate locomotion under lab versus field conditions have shown the importance of implementing both types of studies, as each has their advantages and disadvantages. However, three-dimensional (3D) motion capture of primates has been challenging under natural conditions. In this study, we provide a detailed protocol on how to collect 3D biomechanical data on primate leaping in their natural habitat that can be widely implemented.