Analysis of the broad-spectrum potential of nitric oxide for antibacterial activity against clinically isolated drug-resistant bacteria.

The development of drug-resistant microorganisms is taking a heavy toll on the biomedical world. Clinical infections are costly and becoming increasingly dangerous as bacteria that once responded to standard antibiotic treatment are developing resistance mechanisms that require innovative treatment strategies. Nitric oxide (NO) is a gaseous molecule produced endogenously that has shown potent antibacterial capabilities in numerous research studies.

Effects of Community-Wide Teen Pregnancy Prevention Initiatives on Local Teen Birth Rates in the United States: A Synthetic Control Approach.

The impact of community-wide teen pregnancy prevention initiatives (CWIs) on local U.S. birth rates among adolescents aged 15 to 19 years was examined using synthetic control methodology within a quasi-experimental design.

Bioinspired superhydrophobic surfaces with silver and nitric oxide-releasing capabilities to prevent device-associated infections and thrombosis.

Bacteria-associated infections and thrombus formation are the two major complications plaguing the application of blood-contacting medical devices. Therefore, functionalized surfaces and drug delivery for passive and active antifouling strategies have been employed. Herein, we report the novel integration of bio-inspired superhydrophobicity with nitric oxide release to obtain a functional polymeric material with anti-thrombogenic and antimicrobial characteristics.

Enhanced antibacterial efficacy against antibiotic-resistant bacteria via nitric oxide-releasing ampicillin polymer substrates.

The emergence of antibiotic-resistant bacteria poses a pressing threat to global health and is a leading cause of healthcare-related morbidity and mortality. Herein, we report the fabrication of medical-grade polymers incorporated with a dual-action S-nitroso-N-acetylpenicillamine-functionalized ampicillin (SNAPicillin) conjugated molecule through a solvent evaporation process. The resulting SNAPicillin-incorporated polymer materials act as broad-spectrum antibacterial surfaces that improve the administration efficacy of conventional antibiotics through the targeted release of both nitric oxide and ampicillin.

Yarning as a method for building sexual wellbeing among urban Aboriginal young people in Australia.

This paper describes the strategies used by Aboriginal young people to build positive relationships and sexual wellbeing. It does so to counter the risk-focussed narratives present in much existing research and to showcase the resourcefulness of Aboriginal young people. We used peer-interview methods to collect qualitative data from 52 Aboriginal young people living in western Sydney, Australia.

The Core Competencies in Hospital Medicine-Clinical Conditions 2023 Update Methodology.

As hospital medicine continues to evolve, the Society of Hospital Medicine (SHM) recognizes the importance of periodic re-evaluation and adaptation of The Core Competencies in Hospital Medicine to reflect and guide the continual expansion of hospitalists' scope of practice. Since its first publication in 2006, the Core Competencies were last revised in 2017 to reflect existing practice. The Core Competencies were initially developed to describe hospitalists' roles and expectations and identify growth opportunities.

Aboriginal young people's perspectives and experiences of accessing sexual health services and sex education in Australia: A qualitative study.

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander (Aboriginal) young people seek information and access health services for their sexual health needs. This study examined Aboriginal young people's perspectives on sexual health services and sex education in Australia. Overall, 51 Aboriginal people aged 16-26 years were interviewed by peer researchers in Sydney, Australia in 2019-2020.

Impact of On-Site Hospital Medicine Curriculum on Preceptor Perception of Rotation.

Purpose: To assess the feasibility of an on-site, case-based curriculum delivered by preceptors and to assess preceptors' perceptions of the impact of the curriculum on rotation performance and ability to teach.

Methods: Hospital medicine preceptors were surveyed before and after curriculum deployment using a previously developed survey.

Results: Preceptors had positive perceptions of the impact of the curriculum.

High levels of engagement with testing for HIV and sexually transmissible infection among gay Asian men in Sydney and Melbourne: an observational study.

Unlabelled: Background Gay and other men who have sex with men of Asian background (GAM) have been identified as a key population in efforts to eradicate HIV in New South Wales. The aims of the present study were to evaluate current levels of engagement with HIV and sexually transmissible infection (STI) testing services, assess knowledge of pre- and post-exposure prophylaxis and to identify factors associated with service engagement in this group.

Methods: A survey of 604 GAM residing in Sydney and Melbourne was undertaken.

Physician Assistant Student Training for the Inpatient Setting: A Needs Assessment.

Purpose: The number of physician assistants (PAs) practicing hospital medicine is rapidly expanding. Little research has been done to determine which inpatient medicine rotation experiences are most helpful to prepare PA students for a career in inpatient medicine. We aimed to determine those skills that practicing hospitalists believe are most critical for PA students to master and to describe hospitalists' current understanding of PA training.

Practical Approaches to Evaluating Progress and Outcomes in Community-Wide Teen Pregnancy Prevention Initiatives.

This paper presents an overview of the key evaluation components for a set of community-wide teen pregnancy prevention initiatives. We first describe the performance measures selected to assess progress toward meeting short-term objectives on the reach and quality of implementation of evidence-based teen pregnancy prevention interventions and adolescent reproductive health services. Next, we describe an evaluation that will compare teen birth rates in intervention communities relative to synthetic control communities.

Injectable polymerized high internal phase emulsions with rapid in situ curing.

Polymerized high internal phase emulsions (polyHIPEs) have been utilized in the creation of injectable scaffolds that cure in situ to fill irregular bone defects and potentially improve tissue healing. Previously, thermally initiated scaffolds required hours to cure, which diminished the potential for clinical translation. Here, a double-barrel syringe system for fabricating redox-initiated polyHIPEs with dramatically shortened cure times upon injection was demonstrated with three methacrylated macromers.

Solvent-free fabrication of polyHIPE microspheres for controlled release of growth factors.

The growth factor bone morphogenetic protein 2 (BMP-2) is utilized in surgical procedures to improve bone regeneration; however, current treatments deliver BMP-2 at amounts greater than 100,000 fold of physiological levels, which increases treatment costs and risk of side effects. Drug-eluting microcarriers developed to improve these therapies have faced significant commercialization challenges including particle size distributions, solvent removal, low encapsulation efficiency, and bioactivity loss. In this study, a solvent-free method is presented for fabrication of uniform polyHIPE microspheres for controlled growth factor release.

Advanced therapies for chronic wounds: NPWT, engineered skin, growth factors, extracellular matrices.

Advanced wound care implies the use of products or procedures that are specialized. Although dermatologists are used to being specialists of the skin, hair, and nails, chronic wound care has evolved such that there are some specific treatment options that are more commonly ordered and performed in wound care clinics. Wound care clinics are staffed by specialists and generalists including dermatologists, but also orthopedic surgeons, vascular surgeons, infectious disease specialists, internists, family practitioners, hyperbaric oxygen-trained physicians from a variety of backgrounds, podiatrists, physician assistants, and nurse practitioners.

Attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder reduces automatic attention in young adults.

Previous ERP studies have provided mixed information about ADHD, especially in adults and when conscious attention to stimuli is not required. We used the auditory N1 to assess automatic attention in adults with and without ADHD. While participants watched a silent video, trains of 5 tones (400-ms onset-to-onset time) were presented with intertrain intervals (ITIs) of 1 or 5 s.

The Sensory Gating Inventory as a potential diagnostic tool for attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder.

Diagnoses of attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) are often made rapidly in physicians' offices without thorough assessment. We examined whether adults diagnosed with ADHD would score differently from controls on a modified Sensory Gating Inventory (SGI: Hetrick et al. in Schizophr Bull 38:178-191, 2012; Kisley et al.

Antiviral activity of arbidol, a broad-spectrum drug for use against respiratory viruses, varies according to test conditions.

The therapeutic activity of arbidol was investigated against representatives of seven different virus families. Its 50% median effective concentration (EC(50) ) was 0.22-11.

Self-audit as part of a research governance framework for health research.

Clinical research is an area of increasing activity for hospitals, universities and research institutions, which requires formal governance and oversight to manage risks. Monitoring research practice should be a part of research governance activities. However, formal audits have proved time consuming for researchers and auditors.

Tuberculosis genes expressed during persistence and reactivation in the resistant rabbit model.

As previously published, after aerosol infection with Mycobacterium tuberculosis H37Rv, New Zealand white rabbits established infection with active bacillary replication, but later contained disease to a paucibacillary state through an effective adaptive response consistent with latency. Despite the heterogeneity among outbred rabbits, the resistant response was uniform. Immunosuppression resulted in reactivation with increased lung bacillary burden.

The aerosol rabbit model of TB latency, reactivation and immune reconstitution inflammatory syndrome.

The large reservoir of human latent tuberculosis (TB) contributes to the global success of the pathogen, Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb). We sought to test whether aerosol infection of rabbits with Mtb H37Rv could model paucibacillary human latent TB. The lung burden of infection peaked at 5 weeks after aerosol infection followed by host containment of infection that was achieved in all rabbits.

Antiviral chemotherapeutic agents against respiratory viruses: where are we now and what's in the pipeline?

Purpose Of Review: The emergence of severe acute respiratory syndrome in late 2002 and the recent outbreaks of avian influenza in Asia are timely reminders of the ever present risks from respiratory viral diseases. Apart from influenza, there are no vaccines and very few antiviral chemotherapeutic agents available for the prevention and treatment of respiratory viral infections-the most common cause of human illness. If the current H5N1 avian influenza outbreak ever assumes the role of a pandemic, formidable technical difficulties relating to the properties of the agent, itself, will ensure that vaccines will only become available after a significant lead time and then only to a relatively small percentage of the population.