Breath biopsy in inborn errors of metabolism: A proof-of-principle study in propionic acidemia.

Background: Impaired oxidation of branched chain amino acids may give rise to volatile organic compounds (VOCs). We hypothesized that VOCs will be present in exhaled breath of participants with propionic acidemia (PA), and their relative abundance would correlate with clinical and biochemical characteristics of the disease.

Methods: We enrolled 5 affected participants from a natural history study of PA (ClinicalTrials.

Impact of chronic ethanol consumption and SARS-COV-2 on the liver and intestine: A pilot dose-response study in mice.

Background: During the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, there was a marked increase in alcohol consumption. COVID-19 superimposed on underlying liver disease notably worsens the outcome of many forms of liver injury. The goal of a current pilot study was to test the dual exposure of alcohol and COVID-19 infection in an experimental animal model of alcohol-associated liver disease (ALD).

Epidemiological pattern of trauma among children 0-9 years in Cameroon.

Background: In low- and middle-income countries, trauma is the leading cause of death among youth and it is also a major cause of disability. Globally, more than 1,600 children and adolescents below the age of 19-years die every day from preventable injuries. Traffic-related injuries, falls, sports-related injuries, assaults, burns, and drownings are the most commonly reported causes of traumatic mortality among children.

Harnessing delegation and technology to identify and manage malnutrition in a digital hospital: An implementation study.

Aims: Delegation of nutrition care activities to Dietetic Assistants in hospitals has been identified as one innovative malnutrition model of care, but there has been limited evaluation of their roles. This study aimed to develop, implement and evaluate a new Malnutrition Model of Care embracing automated delegation and digital systems.

Methods: The Malnutrition Model of Care was created to detect patients at risk of malnutrition (using the Malnutrition Screening Tool) and nutritional decline (via routine intake tracking at all meals and snacks).

Limited Biomarker Potential for IgG Autoantibodies Reactive to Linear Epitopes in Systemic Lupus Erythematosus or Spondyloarthropathy.

Background: Autoantibodies are commonly used as biomarkers in autoimmune diseases, but there are limitations. For example, autoantibody biomarkers have poor sensitivity or specificity in systemic lupus erythematosus and do not exist in the spondyloarthropathies, impairing diagnosis and treatment. While autoantibodies suitable for strong biomarkers may not exist in these conditions, another possibility is that technology has limited their discovery.

Prehospital factors associated with mortality among road traffic injury patients: analysis of Cameroon trauma registry data.

Background: Cameroon is amongst the worst affected countries by road traffic injuries with an estimated 1443 disability-adjusted life years per 100,000 population. There have been very limited reports on the crucial prehospital response to road traffic injuries in Cameroon. This study aimed to identify prehospital factors associated with RTI mortality in Cameroon.

The Associations between Depression and Sugar Consumption Are Mediated by Emotional Eating and Craving Control in Multi-Ethnic Young Adults.

Background/objectives: Individuals with mental health conditions such as depression are vulnerable to poor dietary habits, potentially due to the maladaptive eating behaviors often used to regulate negative emotion. However, the specific dietary components most associated with depression, as well as the mediating roles of emotion regulation and other eating behaviors, remains ambiguous in young adults.

Methods: For this cross-sectional evaluation, a total of 151 (86 F, 65 M; BMI: 22.

Prevention of adverse HIV treatment outcomes: machine learning to enable proactive support of people at risk of HIV care disengagement in Tanzania.

Objectives: This study aimed to develop a machine learning (ML) model to predict disengagement from HIV care, high viral load or death among people living with HIV (PLHIV) with the goal of enabling proactive support interventions in Tanzania. The algorithm addressed common challenges when applying ML to electronic medical record (EMR) data: (1) imbalanced outcome distribution; (2) heterogeneity across multisite EMR data and (3) evolving virological suppression thresholds.

Design: Observational study using a national EMR database.

Associations Between Weight Perception and Weight Status With Perceptions of the Body Positivity Movement.

Purpose: To explore the relationships between weight status, weight perceptions, and perceptions of the body positivity movement on social media.

Design: Cross-sectional.

Setting: Online through the Qualtrics platform.

A Mixed Methods Evaluation of Pharmacists' Readiness to Provide Long-Acting Injectable HIV Pre-exposure Prophylaxis in California.

Background: Pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) uptake remains low among people who could benefit, some of whom may prefer alternatives to oral PrEP, such as long-acting injectable pre-exposure prophylaxis (LAI-PrEP). We evaluated the potential for LAI-PrEP provision in pharmacies through a mixed methods study of pharmacists in California, where Senate Bill 159 enables pharmacists to independently provide oral PrEP.

Methods: In 2022-2023, we conducted an online cross-sectional survey of California pharmacists and pharmacy students (n = 919) and in-depth interviews with pharmacists (n = 30), both of which included modules assessing attitudes about PrEP provision.

Mediating effects of inequitable gender norms on intimate partner violence and contraceptive use in a cluster randomized control trial in Niger.

Previous research has demonstrated that the Reaching Married Adolescents intervention (RMA) was associated with changes in inequitable gender norms, intimate partner violence (IPV), and modern contraceptive use. This study seeks to understand if changes in inequitable gender norms mediate the RMA intervention's effects on contraceptive use and intimate partner violence (IPV). A four-arm cluster randomized control trial was conducted to evaluate effects of the RMA intervention (household visits, small groups, combination, control) on married adolescent girls and their husbands in Dosso, Niger (baseline: 1042 dyads; 24m follow-up: 737 dyads; 2016-2019).

Effect of a digital school-based intervention on adolescent family planning and reproductive health in Rwanda: a cluster-randomized trial.

We conducted a cluster-randomized hybrid effectiveness-implementation study of CyberRwanda, a digital family planning and reproductive health intervention for Rwandan adolescents. Sixty schools were randomized 1:1:1 to control or to one of two implementation models-self-service (self-guided access on tablets) or facilitated (peer-led clubs plus tablet access) with no masking. Eligible participants were aged 12-19 years, in secondary school levels 1 or 2, and willing to provide consent or assent/parental consent and contact information for follow-up.

Impact of financial incentives on viral suppression among adults initiating HIV treatment in Tanzania: a hybrid effectiveness-implementation trial.

Background: Small incentives could improve engagement in HIV care. We evaluated the short-term and longer-term effects of financial incentives for visit attendance on viral suppression among adults initiating antiretroviral therapy (ART) in Tanzania.

Methods: In a type 1 hybrid effectiveness-implementation study, we randomised (1:1) 32 primary care HIV clinics in four Tanzanian regions to usual care (control group) or the intervention (usual care plus ≤6 monthly incentives [22 500 Tanzanian Shillings, about US$10, each], conditional on visit attendance).

Safety and efficacy of subcutaneous iscalimab (CFZ533) in two distinct populations of patients with Sjögren's disease (TWINSS): week 24 results of a randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled, phase 2b dose-ranging study.

Background: Sjögren's disease is a chronic autoimmune disease with an unmet need for targeted therapies. The aim of the TWINSS study is to evaluate the safety and efficacy of iscalimab, a monoclonal antibody against CD40, in patients with active Sjögren's disease.

Methods: This randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled, phase 2b study, conducted at 71 sites in 23 countries, enrolled patients aged 18 years or older fulfilling the American College of Rheumatology/European Alliance of Associations for Rheumatology (EULAR) 2016 criteria.

Prevalence and Factors Associated With Alcohol-Related Road Traffic Injuries in Cameroon.

Introduction: While the negative effects of drunk driving, including road traffic injuries (RTIs) have been well documented in high-income countries, little has been reported in African countries like Cameroon. This study aimed to measure the prevalence of alcohol-related RTIs (ARRTIs), its associated factors, and its association with injury severity.

Methods: The Cameroon Trauma Registry prospectively collects trauma data from 10 hospitals in Cameroon.

Who seeks care after intimate partner violence in Cameroon? sociodemographic differences between a hospital and population sample of women.

Introduction: Little is known regarding health care seeking behaviors of women in sub-Saharan Africa, specifically Cameroon, who experience violence. The proportion of women who experienced violence enrolled in the Cameroon Trauma Registry (CTR) is lower than expected.

Methods: We concatenated the databases from the October 2017-December 2020 CTR and 2018 Cameroon Demographic and Health Survey (DHS) into a singular database for cross-sectional study.

Bacterial dealkylation of benzalkonium chlorides in wastewater produces benzyldimethylamine, a potent N-nitrosodimethylamine precursor.

N-nitrosodimethylamine (NDMA) is a carcinogenic disinfection byproduct that forms during chloramine disinfection of municipal wastewater effluents which are increasingly used to augment drinking water supplies due to growing water scarcity. Knowledge of wastewater NDMA precursors is limited and the known pool of NDMA precursors has not closed the mass balance between precursor loading, precursor NDMA yield, and formed NDMA. Benzalkonium chlorides (BACs) are the most prevalent quaternary ammonium surfactants and have antimicrobial properties.

Designing strategies to support Implementation of iNtensive Therapy for Early Reach through PLAY (INTERPLAY) for young children with cerebral palsy: a study protocol.

Background: Intensive manual therapy is important for improving lifelong upper limb motor outcomes for infants and toddlers with cerebral palsy. This play-based therapy is delivered by caregivers who are coached by occupational therapists. However, access to this therapy is very limited for Canadian children with cerebral palsy younger than two years old.

Supporting young women's health through girl-friendly drug vendors in Lake Zone, Tanzania: protocol for the AmbassADDOrs for Health cluster-randomised controlled trial.

Introduction: Adverse sexual and reproductive health (SRH) outcomes, such as unplanned pregnancies and HIV infection, disproportionately affect adolescent girls and young women (AGYW; aged 15-24 years) in east Africa. Increasing uptake of preventive SRH services via innovative, youth-centred interventions is imperative to addressing disparities in SRH outcomes.

Methods And Analysis: From 2018 to 2019, we used human-centred design to co-develop a theoretically driven HIV and pregnancy prevention intervention for AGYW at private drug shops called Accredited Drug Dispensing Outlets (ADDOs) in Tanzania.

The impact of financial incentives on mental health among adults in HIV care in Lake Zone, Tanzania.

Objective: Depression and anxiety are prevalent among people with HIV (PWH), hindering retention in care. Though economic interventions can improve care engagement and mental health in the general population, this remains understudied among PWH. This study assessed whether financial incentives improve mental health among adult antiretroviral therapy (ART) initiates in Lake Zone, Tanzania.

Outcomes of an Emergency Department Program to Identify and Link Patients at Increased Risk for Acquiring HIV Infection to Outpatient HIV Prevention Services: The HIV PreventED Program.

Background: Emergency departments (EDs) provide care to patients at increased risk for acquiring HIV, and for many of them, the ED serves as their sole point of entry into the healthcare system. We implemented the HIV PreventED Program to increase access to HIV prevention services for ED patients.

Setting: ED in Oakland, CA with an annual census of 57,000 visits.

Novel autoantibodies help diagnose anti-SSA antibody negative Sjögren disease and predict abnormal labial salivary gland pathology.

Objectives: Sjögren disease (SjD) diagnosis often requires either positive anti-SSA antibodies or a labial salivary gland biopsy with a positive focus score (FS). One-third of patients with SjD lack anti-SSA antibodies (SSA-), requiring a positive FS for diagnosis. Our objective was to identify novel autoantibodies to diagnose 'seronegative' SjD.