Perspectives on Self-Sampling for Cancer Screening From Staff at Federally Qualified Health Centers in Rural and Segregated Counties: A Preliminary Qualitative Study.

Background: Self-sampling for colorectal and cervical cancer screening can address the observed geographic disparities in cancer burden by alleviating barriers to screening participation, such as access to primary care. This preliminary study examines qualitative themes regarding cervical and colorectal cancer self-sampling screening tools among federally qualified health center clinical and administrative staff in underserved communities.

Methods: In-depth interviews were conducted with clinical or administrative employees (≥18 years of age) from FQHCs in rural and racially segregated counties in Pennsylvania.

Drug-releasing vaginal rings for HIV/STI and pregnancy prevention: a review of recent advances and clinical applications.

Introduction: Adolescent girls and young women (AGYW), as well as pre- and post-menopausal women globally would benefit from expanded choice to address their sexual and reproductive health (SRH) needs related to Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV), sexually transmitted infections (STIs) and pregnancy prevention. Lack of adequate preventative vaccines for HIV/STIs reinforces public health prioritization for options women may use to mitigate risk for infectious disease and unplanned pregnancy. Drug releasing intravaginal rings (IVRs) represent one such technology that has garnered attention based on the modality's success as a pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) delivery option in HIV risk reduction.

Uterine artery embolization or myomectomy for women with uterine fibroids: Four-year follow-up of a randomised controlled trial.

Objective: To examine the quality of life experienced by women with symptomatic uterine fibroids who had been treated with UAE in comparison to myomectomy. We report the four-year follow-up of the FEMME randomised trial. Two-year follow-up data has been previously reported.

Lysyl hydroxylase 2 deficiency promotes filopodia formation and fibroblast migration.

Lysyl hydroxylase 2 (LH2) regulates intermolecular cross-linking of collagen molecules. Accumulation of LH2-modified collagen, which is highly stable and resistant to collagenase cleavage, is one cause of fibrosis. We previously demonstrated that conventional LH2 knockout mice showed embryonic lethality.

Remote immune processes revealed by immune-derived circulating cell-free DNA.

Blood cell counts often fail to report on immune processes occurring in remote tissues. Here, we use immune cell type-specific methylation patterns in circulating cell-free DNA (cfDNA) for studying human immune cell dynamics. We characterized cfDNA released from specific immune cell types in healthy individuals (N = 242), cross sectionally and longitudinally.

The development of early social cognitive skills in neurogenetic syndromes associated with autism: Cornelia de Lange, fragile X and Rubinstein-Taybi syndromes.

Background: Cornelia de Lange (CdLS), Fragile X (FXS) and Rubinstein-Taybi syndromes (RTS) evidence unique profiles of autistic characteristics. To delineate these profiles further, the development of early social cognitive abilities in children with CdLS, FXS and RTS was compared to that observed in typically developing (TD) and autistic (AUT) children.

Methods: Children with CdLS (N = 22), FXS (N = 19) and RTS (N = 18), completed the Early Social Cognition Scale (ESCogS).

Benign tumors in TSC are amenable to treatment by GD3 CAR T cells in mice.

Mutations underlying disease in tuberous sclerosis complex (TSC) give rise to tumors with biallelic mutations in TSC1 or TSC2 and hyperactive mammalian target of rapamycin complex 1 (mTORC1). Benign tumors might exhibit de novo expression of immunogens, targetable by immunotherapy. As tumors may rely on ganglioside D3 (GD3) expression for mTORC1 activation and growth, we compared GD3 expression in tissues from patients with TSC and controls.

Knowledge before belief in the history of philosophy.

I add support to Phillips et al.'s thesis that representations of knowledge are more basic than representations of belief through a historical account of the development of philosophical theories of knowledge and belief. On the basis of Aristotle's criticisms of his Presocratic predecessors, I argue that Western philosophy developed theories of knowledge long before it developed theories of belief.

Leveraging community engagement to increase the health literacy of youth in rural Pennsylvania: The ACHIEVE program.

Purpose: Limited health literacy is prevalent within rural populations and associated with poor health outcomes. This study examined a school-based, community-engaged program called ACHIEVE (Advancing Community Health Innovation through Education, Vision, and Empowerment) for preliminary efficacy in improving knowledge and self-efficacy related to health literacy among youth in rural Huntingdon County, Pennsylvania.

Methods: ACHIEVE was designed using an iterative process that utilized validated sources, educational standards, and community engagement.

What has driven acute public hospital expenditure growth in South Australia? An analysis of the relative importance of major expenditure drivers between 2006–07 and 2017–18.

Objective The aim of this study was to investigate whether increasing costs of delivering care have driven real growth in acute public hospital expenditure in South Australia (SA) and what has contributed to these real cost increases. Methods Using published time-series data, we decomposed inflation-adjusted growth in per capita total acute public hospital recurrent expenditure into its major utilisation and cost components to evaluate their relative contribution over the 12 years to 2017-18. Results Real per capita total acute public hospital recurrent expenditure grew by AU$667 (45.

The Use of an Interleukin-6 Inhibitor in Vasoplegic Shock from Severe Systemic Inflammatory Response Syndrome: A Case Report.

A 66-year-old Caucasian male with a history of chronic myelomonocytic leukemia (CMML) developed fluid-unresponsive hypotension requiring initiation of four different maximum dosed vasopressors, steroids, and broad-spectrum antibiotics 4 hours following four-vessel coronary artery bypass grafting involving a 150-minute cardiac bypass. Placement of a Swanz-Ganz catheter showed a cardiac output of 7 L/minute with systemic vascular resistance of 571 dynes/sec/cm. Over 24 hours, three doses of tocilizumab (interleukin-6 inhibitor) every 8 hours were initiated, plus 250 mg methylprednisolone per 6 hours increment, and then daily thereafter.

The impact of paediatric dose range checking software.

Objective: Dosing errors can cause significant harm in paediatric healthcare settings. Our objective was to investigate the effects of paediatric dose range checking (DRC) clinical decision support (CDS) software on overdosing-related outcomes.

Methods: A before-after study and a semistructured survey of prescribers was conducted across inpatient wards (excluding intensive care) in a regional children's hospital.

Cost-effectiveness of high dose versus adjuvanted trivalent influenza vaccines in England and Wales.

Aims: High dose trivalent influenza vaccine (HD TIV) and adjuvant TIV (aTIV) have been developed specifically for adults aged 65 and older (65+) who are at high risk of life-threatening complications. However, there is a scarcity of evidence comparing the clinical and cost-effectiveness of HD TIV and aTIV. The aim of this study was to determine the cost-effectiveness of HD TIV versus aTIV in the England and Wales 65+ population.

Autophagy coordinates chondrocyte development and early joint formation in zebrafish.

Autophagy is a catabolic process responsible for the removal of waste and damaged cellular components by lysosomal degradation. It plays a key role in fundamental cell processes, including ER stress mitigation, control of cell metabolism, and cell differentiation and proliferation, all of which are essential for cartilage cell (chondrocyte) development and survival, and for the formation of cartilage. Correspondingly, autophagy dysregulation has been implicated in several skeletal disorders such as osteoarthritis and osteoporosis.

Tracking strategy changes using machine learning classifiers.

In complex tasks, high performers often have better strategies than low performers, even with similar amounts of practice. Relatively little research has examined how people form and change strategies in tasks that permit a large set of strategies. One challenge with such research is identifying strategies based on behavior.

The lung microbiome in end-stage Lymphangioleiomyomatosis.

Lymphangioleiomyomatosis (LAM) is a progressive cystic lung disease with mortality driven primarily by respiratory failure. Patients with LAM frequently have respiratory infections, suggestive of a dysregulated microbiome. Here we demonstrate that end-stage LAM patients have a distinct microbiome signature compared to patients with end-stage chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

Health-related quality of life and hospitalizations in chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension versus idiopathic pulmonary arterial hypertension: an analysis from the Pulmonary Hypertension Association Registry (PHAR).

Chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension (CTEPH) is a rare, morbid, potentially curable subtype of pulmonary hypertension that negatively impacts health-related quality of life (HRQoL). Little is known about differences in HRQoL and hospitalization between CTEPH patients and idiopathic pulmonary arterial hypertension (IPAH) patients. Using multivariable linear regression and mixed effects models, we examined differences in HRQoL assessed by emPHasis-10 (E10) and SF-12 between CTEPH and IPAH patients in the Pulmonary Hypertension Association Registry, a prospective multicenter cohort of patients newly evaluated at a Pulmonary Hypertension Care Center.

Assessment of Lung Structure and Regional Function Using 0.55 T MRI in Patients With Lymphangioleiomyomatosis.

Objectives: Contemporary lower-field magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) may offer advantages for lung imaging by virtue of the improved field homogeneity. The aim of this study was to evaluate the utility of lower-field MRI for combined morphologic imaging and regional lung function assessment. We evaluate low-field MRI in patients with lymphangioleiomyomatosis (LAM), a rare lung disease associated with parenchymal cysts and respiratory failure.

Search for New Phenomena in Final States with Two Leptons and One or No b-Tagged Jets at sqrt[s]=13 TeV Using the ATLAS Detector.

A search for new phenomena is presented in final states with two leptons and one or no b-tagged jets. The event selection requires the two leptons to have opposite charge, the same flavor (electrons or muons), and a large invariant mass. The analysis is based on the full run-2 proton-proton collision dataset recorded at a center-of-mass energy of sqrt[s]=13  TeV by the ATLAS experiment at the LHC, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 139  fb^{-1}.

County-level characteristics associated with incidence, late-stage incidence, and mortality from screenable cancers.

Background: Cancer screening differs by rurality and racial residential segregation, but the relationship between these county-level characteristics is understudied. Understanding this relationship and its implications for cancer outcomes could inform interventions to decrease cancer disparities.

Methods: We linked county-level information from national data sources: 2008-2012 cancer incidence, late-stage incidence, and mortality rates (for breast, cervical, and colorectal cancer) from U.

Disparities in Cancer Screening: The Role of County-Level Metropolitan Status and Racial Residential Segregation.

Mortality from cervical and colorectal cancers can be reduced through routine screening, which can often be accessed through primary care. However, uptake of screening in the US remains suboptimal, with disparities observed across geographic characteristics, such as metropolitan status or level of racial residential segregation. Little is known about the interaction of metropolitan status and segregation in their relationship with cancer screening.

Modelling publication bias and p-hacking.

Publication bias and p-hacking are two well-known phenomena that strongly affect the scientific literature and cause severe problems in meta-analyses. Due to these phenomena, the assumptions of meta-analyses are seriously violated and the results of the studies cannot be trusted. While publication bias is very often captured well by the weighting function selection model, p-hacking is much harder to model and no definitive solution has been found yet.