Women living with HIV face intersectional stigma from infection, domestic violence, and other marginalized identities: a qualitative study in West Bengal, India.

Background: Women living with HIV bear a disproportionate burden of stigma, especially in countries where gender discrimination is more common. A result is widespread domestic violence against women. This violence is itself stigmatized, but the intersectional stigma of HIV and domestic violence has not been well studied.

Kinase-impaired BTK mutations are susceptible to clinical-stage BTK and IKZF1/3 degrader NX-2127.

Increasing use of covalent and noncovalent inhibitors of Bruton's tyrosine kinase (BTK) has elucidated a series of acquired drug-resistant BTK mutations in patients with B cell malignancies. Here we identify inhibitor resistance mutations in BTK with distinct enzymatic activities, including some that impair BTK enzymatic activity while imparting novel protein-protein interactions that sustain B cell receptor (BCR) signaling. Furthermore, we describe a clinical-stage BTK and IKZF1/3 degrader, NX-2127, that can bind and proteasomally degrade each mutant BTK proteoform, resulting in potent blockade of BCR signaling.

"I hope I die. That is what I hope for": Qualitative study of lived experiences of mental health of Indian women living with HIV experiencing intersectional stigma.

Poor mental health due to stigma and discrimination has been well documented among women living with HIV. Although they often have other marginalized and stigmatized identities, little is known about their mental health as a result of experiencing multiple stigmas. Current narratives of mental health as a result of HIV-related stigma center on common mental health disorders such as anxiety and depression.

How does domestic violence stigma manifest in women's lives in Afghanistan? A study of survivors' lived experiences of help-seeking across three provinces.

Afghanistan has one of the highest rates of domestic violence in the world, with an estimated 46% women reporting lifetime violence. Survivors of domestic violence experience significant stigma from their families and communities, often in the form of blame, shame, gossip, and dismissal. While the manifestations of stigma are often the same across cultural settings, the drivers may be different.

Mixed studies review of domestic violence in the lives of women affected by HIV stigma.

We conducted a mixed studies review to examine domestic violence and stigma against women affected by HIV. We searched Medline, Web of Science, PsycINFO and EMBASE databases with no starting date limit. Studies that reported on experiences of stigma, discrimination, or domestic violence against women affected by HIV in any country were included.

Risk factors for violence against women in high-prevalence settings: a mixed-methods systematic review and meta-synthesis.

Introduction: Violence against women (VAW) affects one in three women globally. In some countries, women are at much higher risk. We examined risk factors for VAW in countries with the highest 12-month prevalence estimates of intimate partner violence (IPV) to develop understanding of this increased risk.

A nanogel-based trivalent PspA nasal vaccine protects macaques from intratracheal challenge with pneumococci.

Current polysaccharide-based pneumococcal vaccines are effective but not compatible with all serotypes of Streptococcus pneumoniae. We previously developed an adjuvant-free cationic nanogel nasal vaccine containing pneumococcal surface protein A (PspA), which is expressed on the surfaces of all pneumococcal serotypes. Here, to address the sequence diversity of PspA proteins, we formulated a cationic nanogel-based trivalent pneumococcal nasal vaccine and demonstrated the vaccine's immunogenicity and protective efficacy in macaques by using a newly developed nasal spray device applicable to humans.

Challenges in accessing and utilising health services for women accessing DOTS TB services in Kolkata, India.

Challenges in accessing and utilising TB treatment are a major reason for the existing gaps in tuberculosis (TB) control in India. Twenty qualitative interviews were conducted with women who were attending or had attended a directly observed treatment short course (DOTS) clinic in Kolkata, India. The resulting data were analysed using a thematic approach.

New Strategy Is Needed to Prevent Pneumococcal Meningitis.

Background: Polysaccharide conjugate vaccines (PCVs) target the pneumococcal capsular types that most commonly cause fatal pneumonia and sepsis. Because these types were eliminated by the vaccines, it became apparent that in immunized populations, most invasive pneumococcal diseases, including bacteremia, sepsis and complicated pneumonia, were greatly reduced. However, the protective effects of PCVs against another invasive disease, meningitis, has shown much less or no decrease in disease incidence.

Pneumococcal Vaccines.

is a Gram-Positive pathogen that is a major causative agent of pneumonia, otitis media, sepsis and meningitis across the world. The World Health Organization estimates that globally over 500,000 children are killed each year by this pathogen. Vaccines offer the best protection against infections.

Patient Perspectives on Factors Influencing Medication Adherence Among People with Coronary Heart Disease (CHD) and CHD Risk Factors.

Background: Few qualitative studies have explored factors influencing medication adherence among people with coronary heart disease (CHD) or CHD risk factors. We explored how factors related to the patient (e.g.

Exploring Manifestations of TB-Related Stigma Experienced by Women in Kolkata, India.

Background: Stigma associated with tuberculosis (TB) is still common in many societies, contributing to delays in treatment seeking and treatment non-compliance. India has the highest burden of TB in the world with female TB patients bearing a considerable burden of TB-related stigma. Objectives: This study aimed to explore the manifestations and consequences of stigma experienced by female TB patients in an urban setting in India and their strategies to cope with the social stigma of TB.

The diversity of the proline-rich domain of pneumococcal surface protein A (PspA): Potential relevance to a broad-spectrum vaccine.

Pneumococcal surface protein A (PspA) is a surface exposed, highly immunogenic protein of Streptococcus pneumoniae. Its N-terminal α-helical domain (αHD) elicits protective antibody in humans and animals that can protect mice from fatal infections with pneumococci and can be detected in vitro with opsonophagocytosis assays. The proline-rich domain (PRD) in the center of the PspA sequence can also elicit protection.

The Emergence of a Forgotten Entity: Dermatomyositis-like Presentation of Lyme Disease in Rural Wisconsin.

Dermatomyositis (DM) is one of the rare clinical manifestations of tickborne-related autoimmune presentations; we report an uncommon case of Borrelia-related DM-like presentation from rural Wisconsin. A 76-year-old female presented with fatigue, malaise, weight loss and progressive proximal muscle weakness after a flare-up of shoulder arthritis. She had a heliotrope rash and a Shawl sign in addition to generalized cutaneous erythema with edema.

Synthesis and Evaluation of Thiazoloquinolinones with Linkers To Enable Targeting of CD38.

Several monoclonal antibodies and inhibitors targeting CD38, an ectoenzyme overexpressed on malignant plasma cells, have previously been discovered. Herein, we expand structure-activity relationships of reported small-molecule thiazoloquinolinones and show that several 4-cyclohexylamino analogues have potent binding affinity for CD38 using surface plasmon resonance. Moreover, active amine analogues could be acylated and functionalized with alkyne and fluorescein groups.

Chryseobacterium indologenes: an emerging infection in the USA.

Nursing home-associated infections and antibiotic resistant pathogens constitute common and serious problems in the geriatric population.Chryseobacterium indologenes, a non-motile Gram-negative rod, though widely distributed in nature, is an uncommon human pathogen. Typically thought of as an organism of low virulence, it may cause serious infections, particularly among the immunocompromised.

Spatiotemporally photoradiation-controlled intratumoral depot for combination of brachytherapy and photodynamic therapy for solid tumor.

In an attempt to spatiotemporally control both tumor retention and the coverage of anticancer agents, we developed a photoradiation-controlled intratumoral depot (PRCITD) driven by convection enhanced delivery (CED). This intratumoral depot consists of recombinant elastin-like polypeptide (ELP) containing periodic cysteine residues and is conjugated with a photosensitizer, chlorin-e6 (Ce6) at the N-terminus of the ELP. We hypothesized that this cysteine-containing ELP (cELP) can be readily crosslinked through disulfide bonds upon exposure to oxidative agents, specifically the singlet oxygen produced during photodynamic stimulation.

Effect of weight loss on ventricular repolarization in normotensive severely obese patients with and without heart failure.

Background: Obesity has been reported to be associated with delayed ventricular repolarization. The purpose of this study was to assess ventricular repolarization in normotensive severely obese subjects with and without heart failure (HF) and to assess the effect of weight loss on ventricular repolarization in such patients.

Methods: Twenty-eight patients with and 39 patients without HF (body mass index ≥ 40 kg/m(2)) were studied before and after weight loss from bariatric surgery.

Efficacy and toxicity of peritumoral delivery of nanoconjugated cisplatin in an in vivo murine model of head and neck squamous cell carcinoma.

Importance: Treatment of locally advanced head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) uses a multidisciplinary approach often limited by the toxicity and drug resistance of platinum agents.

Objectives: To test whether a nanocarrier-conjugated cisplatin boosting locoregional drug delivery improves tumor efficacy while decreasing systemic toxicity over systemic cisplatin in a murine model of locally advanced HNSCC.

Design: A randomized, controlled, in vivo study compared standard cisplatin with nanocarrier (hyaluronan [HA])-conjugated cisplatin (HA-cisplatin) each at 50% of the maximum tolerated doses in a murine model of locally advanced HNSCC (10 mice/arm, each injected with 1 × 106 MDA-1986 HNSCC cells, with phosphate-buffered saline and HA-only control arms).

A novel combination of withaferin A and sorafenib shows synergistic efficacy against both papillary and anaplastic thyroid cancers.

Background: Sorafenib (SO), a multikinase-targeted inhibitor in clinical trials for papillary and anaplastic cancers, shows limited efficacy with moderate toxicity. Withaferin A (WA), a natural withanolide, shows potent preclinical anticancer activity in thyroid cancers through multiple cytotoxic mechanisms including heat-shock protein inhibition. We hypothesized that combination therapy (WA + SO) would have a synergistic effect against anaplastic and papillary carcinoma cells at lower sorafenib doses.

Pneumococcal surface protein A inhibits complement deposition on the pneumococcal surface by competing with the binding of C-reactive protein to cell-surface phosphocholine.

In the presence of normal serum, complement component C3 is deposited on pneumococci primarily via the classical pathway. Pneumococcal surface protein A (PspA), a major virulence factor of pneumococci, effectively inhibits C3 deposition. PspA's C terminus has a choline-binding domain that anchors PspA to the phosphocholine (PC) moieties on the pneumococcal surface.

Effect of weight loss after bariatric surgery on left ventricular mass and ventricular repolarization in normotensive morbidly obese patients.

To assess the effect of weight loss on ventricular repolarization in morbidly obese patients, 39 normotensive subjects whose baseline body mass indexes were ≥40 kg/m(2) before weight loss from bariatric surgery were studied. All patients were free of underlying organic heart disease, heart failure, and conditions that might affect ventricular repolarization. Twelve-lead electrocardiography and transthoracic echocardiography were performed just before surgery and at the nadir of postoperative weight loss.