Factors Associated with Antenatal Influenza Vaccination in a Medically Underserved Population.

Influenza infection in pregnant women is associated with increased risk of morbidity and mortality. Despite recommendations for all women to receive the seasonal influenza vaccine during pregnancy, vaccination rates among pregnant women in the U.S.

Combination Antiretroviral Therapy and Hypertensive Disorders of Pregnancy.

Objective: To compare the incidence of hypertensive disorders of pregnancy among women living with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) on combination antiretroviral therapy (ART) to women without HIV, and to evaluate the association of hypertensive disorders of pregnancy with ART regimens or timing of ART initiation.

Methods: We conducted a retrospective cohort study among two overlapping pregnancy cohorts using preexisting databases at a single tertiary care hospital: all pregnant women who delivered during years 2016-2018 (cohort 1) and all women living with HIV who delivered during years 2011-2018 (cohort 2). The primary outcome for both cohorts was any hypertensive disorder of pregnancy; gestational hypertension and preeclampsia were also examined separately.

Proton therapy for low-grade gliomas: Results from a prospective trial.

Background: In this prospective study, the authors evaluated potential treatment toxicity and progression-free survival in patients with low-grade glioma who received treatment with proton radiation therapy.

Methods: Twenty patients with World Health Organization grade 2 glioma who were eligible for radiation therapy were enrolled in a prospective, single-arm trial of proton therapy. The patients received proton therapy at a dose of 54 Gy (relative biological effectiveness) in 30 fractions.

Mechanically and chemically tunable cell culture system for studying the myofibroblast phenotype.

Cell culture systems for studying the combined effects of matrix proteins and mechanical forces on the behavior of soft tissue cells have not been well developed. Here, we describe a new biomimetic cell culture system that allows for the study of mixtures of matrix proteins while controlling mechanical stiffness in a range that is physiological for soft tissues. This system consists of layer-by-layer (LbL)-assembled films of native matrix proteins atop mechanically tunable soft supports.