Integrating hypertension detection and management in HIV care in South Africa: protocol for a stepped-wedged cluster randomized effectiveness-implementation hybrid trial.

Background: HIV clinical guidelines recommend hypertension detection and management to lower cardiovascular disease risk, but these have not been effectively implemented for people living with HIV (PWH). Addressing this implementation gap requires community-engaged implementation studies focused on addressing implementation barriers specific to the HIV care context.

Methods: This protocol describes a type 2 effectiveness-implementation hybrid study conducted in nine primary care clinics in Johannesburg.

Clinical Outcomes After Early Palliative Care Evaluations in Geriatric Trauma Intensive Care.

Introduction: Older trauma patients are at risk for worse outcomes compared to younger patients. We hypothesized that early initiation of palliative care (EPC) evaluations, within 72 h of trauma intensive care unit (ICU) admission, would be associated with reduced invasive procedures without a change in hospital mortality.

Methods: A retrospective cohort review was performed of all trauma patients aged ≥65 y admitted to the trauma (ICU) from January 1, 2016, to December 31, 2021.

A case for a binary black hole system revealed via quasi-periodic outflows.

Binaries containing a compact object orbiting a supermassive black hole are thought to be precursors of gravitational wave events, but their identification has been extremely challenging. Here, we report quasi-periodic variability in x-ray absorption, which we interpret as quasi-periodic outflows (QPOuts) from a previously low-luminosity active galactic nucleus after an outburst, likely caused by a stellar tidal disruption. We rule out several models based on observed properties and instead show using general relativistic magnetohydrodynamic simulations that QPOuts, separated by roughly 8.

Comparing fetal phantoms with surrogate organs in female phantoms during CT exposure of pregnant patients.

With the rising use of Computed Tomography (CT) in diagnostic radiology, there are concerns regarding radiation exposure to sensitive groups, including pregnant patients. Accurately determining the radiation dose to the fetus during CT scans is essential to balance diagnostic efficacy with patient safety. This study assessed the accuracy of using the female uterus as a surrogate for fetal radiation dose during CT imaging.

Research opportunities for the primordial prevention of rheumatic fever and rheumatic heart disease-streptococcal vaccine development: a national heart, lung and blood institute workshop report.

also known as group A streptococcus (StrepA), is a bacterium that causes a range of human diseases, including pharyngitis, impetigo, invasive infections, and post-infection immune sequelae such as rheumatic fever and rheumatic heart disease. StrepA infections cause some of the highest burden of disease and death in mostly young populations in low-resource settings. Despite decades of effort, there is still no licensed StrepA vaccine, which if developed, could be a cost-effective way to reduce the incidence of disease.

Research opportunities for the primary prevention and management of acute rheumatic fever and rheumatic heart disease: a National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute workshop report.

Primary prevention of acute rheumatic fever (ARF) and rheumatic heart disease (RHD) encompasses the timely diagnosis and adequate treatment of the superficial group A (GAS) infections pharyngitis and impetigo. GAS is the only known inciting agent in the pathophysiology of the disease. However, sufficient evidence indicates that the uptake and delivery of primary prevention approaches in RHD-endemic regions are significantly suboptimal.

Research priorities for the secondary prevention and management of acute rheumatic fever and rheumatic heart disease: a National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute workshop report.

Secondary prevention of acute rheumatic fever (ARF) and rheumatic heart disease (RHD) involves continuous antimicrobial prophylaxis among affected individuals and is recognised as a cornerstone of public health programmes that address these conditions. However, several important scientific issues around the secondary prevention paradigm remain unresolved. This report details research priorities for secondary prevention that were developed as part of a workshop convened by the US National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute in November 2021.

Tertiary prevention and treatment of rheumatic heart disease: a National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute working group summary.

Although entirely preventable, rheumatic heart disease (RHD), a disease of poverty and social disadvantage resulting in high morbidity and mortality, remains an ever-present burden in low-income and middle-income countries (LMICs) and rural, remote, marginalised and disenfranchised populations within high-income countries. In late 2021, the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute convened a workshop to explore the current state of science, to identify basic science and clinical research priorities to support RHD eradication efforts worldwide. This was done through the inclusion of multidisciplinary global experts, including cardiovascular and non-cardiovascular specialists as well as health policy and health economics experts, many of whom also represented or closely worked with patient-family organisations and local governments.

A survey of antimicrobial use practices on veal farms in the United States.

Neonatal veal calves are highly susceptible to bacterial diseases. Occasional sub-optimal early-life care and long-distance transportation result in high disease burden and antimicrobial treatment incidence. Nonetheless, judicious use of antimicrobials is necessary to mitigate the animal and human health impacts of antimicrobial resistance.

Thymosin beta 4 prevents systemic lipopolysaccharide-induced plaque load in middle-age APP/PS1 mice.

Lipopolysaccharide (LPS) produced by the gut during systemic infections and inflammation is thought to contribute to Alzheimer's disease (AD) progression. Since thymosin beta 4 (Tβ4) effectively reduces LPS-induced inflammation in sepsis, we tested its potential to alleviate the impact of LPS in the brain of the APPswePS1dE9 mouse model of AD (APP/PS1) and wildtype (WT) mice. 12.

Factors Associated With Sun Protection Behaviors Among Childhood Cancer Survivors.

Background: Childhood cancer survivors (CCS) are at increased risk of developing skin cancer. Engaging in sun-protective behaviors may ameliorate that risk, but prior work shows that survivors engage in suboptimal levels of sun-protective behaviors. Guided by the Health Belief Model (HBM), this study evaluated factors associated with sun-protective behavior among CCS.

The Impact of Antimicrobial Stewardship Training on Calf Producers' Knowledge, Treatment Behaviors and Quantified Antimicrobial Use.

The judicious use of antimicrobials on farms is necessary to mitigate the development of antimicrobial-resistant pathogens that compromise human and animal health. On livestock farms, veterinarians prescribe and dispense antimicrobials, but producers use rapid judgements of disease severity to make routine decisions on the initiation of empirical antimicrobial therapy. Therefore, the knowledge and skills required to accurately diagnose treatable bacterial infections is necessary for optimal antimicrobial stewardship.

Development of a Self-management and Peer-Mentoring Intervention to Improve Transition Readiness Among Young Adult Survivors of Pediatric Cancer: Formative Qualitative Research Study.

Background: Childhood cancer survivors require lifelong risk-based follow-up care. It should be noted that less than one-third of adult survivors of childhood cancer report any survivor-focused care, and fewer than 1 in 5 obtain risk-based follow-up care. It is thought that this may be due to inadequate transition readiness, including low levels of knowledge, skills, motivation, and resources to make the transition to independent self-management of follow-up care.

Genomic landscape of lymphatic malformations: a case series and response to the PI3Kα inhibitor alpelisib in an -of-1 clinical trial.

Background: Lymphatic malformations (LMs) often pose treatment challenges due to a large size or a critical location that could lead to disfigurement, and there are no standardized treatment approaches for either refractory or unresectable cases.

Methods: We examined the genomic landscape of a patient cohort of LMs ( = 30 cases) that underwent comprehensive genomic profiling using a large-panel next-generation sequencing assay. Immunohistochemical analyses were completed in parallel.

The use of common antimicrobial agents in US veal calves.

The use of antimicrobials in food animals and the selection of antimicrobial-resistant pathogens continue to be prominent concerns for human food safety and public health. To provide optimal stewardship programs, antimicrobial use in animal production operations must be quantified and standardized for benchmarking and creating goals, monitoring temporal trends, and identifying causes of emerging resistance. In the United States, quantified estimates of antimicrobial use are available in dairy and beef cattle, but these data have not been generated for veal calf herds.

Rapid Assessment of Insect Steroid Hormone Entry Into Cultured Cells.

Steroid hormones control development and homeostasis in a wide variety of animals by interacting with intracellular nuclear receptors. Recent discoveries in the fruit fly revealed that insect steroid hormones or ecdysteroids are incorporated into cells through a membrane transporter named Ecdysone Importer (EcI), which may become a novel target for manipulating steroid hormone signaling in insects. In this study, we established an assay system that can rapidly assess EcI-mediated ecdysteroid entry into cultured cells.

Non-structural protein 1-specific antibodies directed against Zika virus in humans mediate antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity.

There is growing interest in understanding antibody (Ab) function beyond neutralization. The non-structural protein 1 (NS1) of Zika virus (ZIKV) is an attractive candidate for an effective vaccine as Abs against NS1, unlike the envelope or premembrane, do not carry the risk of mediating antibody-dependent enhancement. Our aim was to evaluate whether ZIKV NS1 Abs elicited following natural infection in humans can mediate antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity (ADCC).

Feasibility of FitSurvivor: A technology-enhanced group-based fitness intervention for adolescent and young adult survivors of childhood cancer.

Background: This study evaluated the feasibility of a technology-enhanced group-based fitness intervention for adolescent and young adult (AYA) survivors of childhood cancer.

Procedure: AYA survivors ages 13-25 years were randomized to the intervention (eight in-person group sessions with mobile app and FitBit followed by 4 weeks of app and FitBit only) or waitlist control. Assessments were at 0, 2, 3, 6, and 9 months.

Peppermint Oil: Evaluating Efficacy on Nausea in Patients Receiving Chemotherapy in the Ambulatory Setting.

Background: Nausea is one of the most commonly reported side effects in patients receiving chemotherapy. Patients who experience nausea during chemotherapy may also experience depression, metabolic imbalances, dehydration, decreased ability to function, and treatment delays, which can ultimately affect outcomes.

Objectives: This study aimed to determine the efficacy of a cool damp washcloth with peppermint essential oil versus a cool damp washcloth alone on the self-reported intensity of nausea in patients receiving chemotherapy in the outpatient ambulatory setting.

Relative response of dosimeters to variations in scattered X-ray energy spectra encountered in interventional radiology.

Purpose: The new lower eye lens dose limit is of relevance in interventional radiology, where higher dose procedures result in increased scattered radiation to staff. The eye lens dose may be monitored using the directional dose equivalent at 3 mm depth, H(3), or through H(10) or H(0.07) measurements and using conversion factors.

Cancer-related communication during sessions of family therapy at the end of life.

Objectives: A goal of family-focused therapies in oncology is to help families communicate effectively about illness and its management. Yet there has been no examination of whether and how conjoint sessions are conducive to this process. In this study, we (a) described the extent of cancer-specific communication during family sessions at the end of life; (b) identified characteristics associated with SC; and (c) determined the association between SC and longer-term family bereavement outcomes.