Rapid COVID-19 Testing of Symptomatic Health Care Personnel: A Strategy for Safely Maintaining the Workforce.

Determine performance characteristics and safety outcomes of two rapid COVID-19 screening methods to inform immediate return to work (RTW) decisions while (health care personnel) HCP await results of pending confirmatory laboratory test. Retrospective, occupational health quality improvement study comparing screening with rapid SARS-CoV-2 nucleic acid amplification (NAAT) and antigen test. 531 mildly symptomatic HCP screened over 16 months.

Effects of firebricks for industrial process heat on the cost of matching all-sector energy demand with 100% wind-water-solar supply in 149 countries.

Refractory bricks are bricks that can withstand high temperatures without damage to their structures. They have been used to insulate kilns, furnaces, and other hot enclosures for thousands of years. Firebricks are refractory bricks that can, with one composition, store heat, and with another, insulate the firebricks that store the heat.

Batteries or hydrogen or both for grid electricity storage upon full electrification of 145 countries with wind-water-solar?

Grids require electricity storage. Two emerging storage technologies are battery storage (BS) and green hydrogen storage (GHS) (hydrogen produced and compressed with clean-renewable electricity, stored, then returned to electricity with a fuel cell). An important question is whether GHS alone decreases system cost versus BS alone or BS + GHS.

Risk of subsequent SARS-CoV-2 infection among vaccinated employees with or without hybrid immunity acquired early in the Omicron-predominant era of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Background: Hybrid immunity, from COVID-19 vaccination followed by SARS-CoV-2 infection acquired after its Omicron variant began predominating, has provided greater protection than vaccination alone against subsequent infection over 1-3 months of observation. Its longer-term protection is unknown.

Methods: We conducted a retrospective cohort study of COVID-19 case incidence among healthcare personnel (HCP) mandated to be vaccinated and report on COVID-19-associated symptoms, high-risk exposures, or known-positive test results to an employee health hotline.

Gallium-68-labeled fibroblast activation protein inhibitor-46 PET in patients with resectable or borderline resectable pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma: A phase 2, multicenter, single arm, open label non-randomized study protocol.

Background: Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is a lethal disease prone to widespread metastatic dissemination and characterized by a desmoplastic stroma that contributes to poor outcomes. Fibroblast activation protein (FAP)-expressing Cancer-Associated Fibroblasts (CAFs) are crucial components of the tumor stroma, influencing carcinogenesis, fibrosis, tumor growth, metastases, and treatment resistance. Non-invasive tools to profile CAF identity and function are essential for overcoming CAF-mediated therapy resistance, developing innovative targeted therapies, and improved patient outcomes.

Should Transportation Be Transitioned to Ethanol with Carbon Capture and Pipelines or Electricity? A Case Study.

An important issue today is whether gasoline vehicles should be replaced by flex-fuel vehicles (FFVs) that use ethanol-gasoline blends (e.g., E85), where some carbon dioxide (CO) from ethanol's production is captured and piped, or battery-electric vehicles (BEVs) powered by wind or solar.

A Rapid Nucleic Acid Amplification Test-Based, Conditional Release-to-Work Policy for Health Care Personnel With Symptoms Consistent With COVID-19.

Objective: Most health care personnel (HCP) reporting symptoms consistent with COVID-19 illness are assessed by high-accuracy SARS-CoV-2 assays performed in clinical laboratories, but the results of such assays typically are not available until the following day.

Methods: This is an observational study over 16 weeks of a rapid nucleic acid amplification test (NAAT) performed at point of contact. The benchmark for comparison was a simultaneously obtained specimen assayed by a routine NAAT assay performed in a clinical laboratory.

Effect of AXS-05 (Dextromethorphan-Bupropion) in Major Depressive Disorder: A Randomized Double-Blind Controlled Trial.

Objective: Altered glutamatergic neurotransmission is implicated in the pathogenesis of major depressive disorder. AXS-05 (dextromethorphan-bupropion) is an oral NMDA receptor antagonist and sigma-1 receptor agonist, which utilizes inhibition of CYP2D6 to increase its bioavailability. This phase 2 trial assessed the efficacy and safety of dextromethorphan-bupropion in the treatment of major depressive disorder.

Temperature Screening of Healthcare Personnel Is Ineffective in Controlling COVID-19.

Objective: Our aim was to describe the effectiveness of employee temperature screening at a public hospital in San Francisco during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Methods: An estimated 6000 health care personnel (HCP) underwent daily screening before entry to campus. Logs of failed employee entrance temperature screenings from March 2020 through March 2021 were reviewed.

PSMA as a Theranostic Target in Hepatocellular Carcinoma: Immunohistochemistry and Ga-PSMA-11 PET Using Cyclotron-Produced Ga.

Prostate-specific membrane antigen (PSMA) is a validated target for molecular diagnostics and targeted radionuclide therapy. Our purpose was to evaluate PSMA expression in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), cholangiocarcinoma (CCA), and hepatic adenoma (HCA); investigate the genetic pathways in HCC associated with PSMA expression; and evaluate HCC detection rate with Ga-PSMA-11 positron emission tomography (PET). In phase 1, PSMA immunohistochemistry (IHC) on HCC (n = 148), CCA (n = 111), and HCA (n = 78) was scored.

Incidence and Characteristics of Delayed Injection Site Reaction to the mRNA-1273 Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) Vaccine (Moderna) in a Cohort of Hospital Employees.

Background: mRNA SARS-CoV-2 vaccines are administered to 2 million individuals per day in the United States under US Food and Drug Administration emergency use authorization.

Methods: Observational cohort study of hospital employees who received their first SARS-CoV-2 mRNA vaccination between 14 December 2020 and 8 January 2021, including employees who reported onset of an injection site reaction ≥48 hours after administration of their first or second dose to an employee hotline.

Results: Thirteen female employees who received the mRNA-1273 vaccine (Moderna) during the first 3 weeks of the SARS-CoV-2 vaccine rollout at San Francisco General Hospital reported a pruritic rash at the injection site appearing 3 -9 days after receipt of their initial dose.

COVID-19 in Africa: Survey Analysis of Impact on Health-Care Workers.

As coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) spreads across Africa, little is known about the impact of the pandemic on health-care workers (HCWs) in the region. We designed an anonymous survey distributed via e-mail and phone messaging to 13 countries through the African Hepatitis B Network. We obtained 489 analyzable responses.

Analysis of [C]Choline and [N]Ammonia using a single HPIC method.

A single HPIC method was developed and validated for the analysis of both [C]Choline and [N]Ammonia with the same setup. The HPIC system suitability tests were performed and [C]Choline and [N]Ammonia were used to verify their performance on this HPIC method. The HPIC setup and method provides qualitative and quantitative analysis information of [C]Choline and [N]Ammonia.

PET Imaging of Tumor Perfusion: A Potential Cancer Biomarker?

Perfusion, as measured by imaging, is considered a standard of care biomarker for the evaluation of many tumors. Measurements of tumor perfusion may be used in a number of ways, including improving the visual detection of lesions, differentiating malignant from benign findings, assessing aggressiveness of tumors, identifying ischemia and by extension hypoxia within tumors, and assessing treatment response. While most clinical perfusion imaging is currently performed with CT or MR, a number of methods for PET imaging of tumor perfusion have been described.

Influential Factors in the Preparation of Ga-DOTATATE.

Acceptable and reproducible radiochemical purity (RP) for Ga-DOTATATE was difficult to obtain with the NETSPOT kit because the manufacturer instructions lacked details on the heater or needles used. The drug was prepared in an International Organization for Standardization (ISO) 5 environment. Multiple dry baths and needle types were used to investigate the effects of reaction temperature and metal contamination, respectively.

Radiation induced oxidation of [F]fluorothia fatty acids under cGMP manufacturing conditions.

Objective: The objectives of the present work were to optimize and validate the synthesis and stability of 14(R,S)-[F]fluoro-6-thia-heptadecanoic acid ([F]FTHA) and 16-[F]fluoro-4-thia-palmitic acid ([F]FTP) under cGMP conditions for clinical applications.

Methods: Benzyl-14-(R,S)-tosyloxy-6-thiaheptadecanoate and methyl 16-bromo-4-thia-palmitate were used as precursors for the synthesis of [F]FTHA and [F]FTP, respectively. For comparison, a fatty acid analog lacking a thia-substitution, 16-[F]fluoro-palmitic acid ([F]FP), was synthesized from the precursor methyl 16-bromo-palmitate.

Two Unusual Cases of Discoid Lupus Erythematosus Associated With Xanthomatized Macrophages.

We present 2 patients with chronic discoid lupus erythematosus (LE) associated with xanthomatized macrophages on light microscopic findings. Skin biopsies revealed hyperkeratotic and atrophic epidermis, vacuolar degeneration of the dermal-epidermal junction, thickened basement membrane, follicular plugging, and perivascular and perifollicular lymphohistiocytic infiltrate. Notably, large collections of lipid-laden histiocytes were observed within the subjacent dermis.

Short-Term Impacts of the Aliso Canyon Natural Gas Blowout on Weather, Climate, Air Quality, and Health in California and Los Angeles.

The Aliso Canyon (Porter Ranch), California, natural gas blowout lasted 112 days, from October 23, 2015 to February 11, 2016, releasing 97 100 metric tonnes of methane, 7300 tonnes of ethane, and a host of other hydrocarbons into the Southern California air. This study estimates the impacts of the leak on transient weather, climate, air quality, and health in California and the Los Angeles Basin using a nested global-through-local weather-climate-air quality computer model. Results suggest that the Aliso Canyon leak may have increased the mixing ratios of multiple emitted hydrocarbon gases throughout California.

Postoperative Radiographic Evaluation Following Adult Spine Deformity Correction: The Impact on Subsequent Management and Associated Risk of Radiation Exposure.

Background: During the follow-up visits after Adult Spine Deformity (ASD) surgery, obtaining surveillance radiographs is a usual practice, and this study tried to identify evidence to support or refute such practice.

Methods: This is a retrospective, diagnostic case series (Level IV) of 49 patients. We identified the abnormal radiographic findings and their association with need for revision surgery.

Cryptococcus-like changes in the setting of vasculitis.

Cutaneous vasculitis has many underlying causes, and the clinical and histological findings often overlap. Inflammatory vasculitis can mimic infection; however, distinction is critical for the timely institution of appropriate therapy. We present two patients who had generalized polymorphous eruptions whose cutaneous pathology showed vasculitis with unusual haloed yeast-like cells within the inflammatory infiltrate, mimicking Cryptococcus.

Specific TCR gene rearrangements in mycosis fungoides: does advanced clinical stage show a preference?

Aims: The relationship between the presence of specific T-cell receptor (TCR) gene rearrangements and clinical stage in mycosis fungoides (MF) has not been studied. We analysed a cohort of patients with a diagnosis of MF to determine the different types of specific TCR gene rearrangements present and their relationship to disease stage.

Methods: A retrospective chart review was used to select patients with a diagnosis of MF who had a skin biopsy and a positive TCR gene rearrangement study in either blood or tissue and at least 2 years of clinical follow-up.