Eukaryotic genomes from a global metagenomic data set illuminate trophic modes and biogeography of ocean plankton.

Single-celled eukaryotes play ecologically significant roles in the marine environment, yet fundamental questions about their biodiversity, ecological function, and interactions remain. Environmental sequencing enables researchers to document naturally occurring protistan communities, without culturing bias, yet metagenomic and metatranscriptomic sequencing approaches cannot separate individual species from communities. To more completely capture the genomic content of mixed protistan populations, we can create bins of sequences that represent the same organism (metagenome-assembled genomes [MAGs]).

SPUR: psychometric properties of a patient-reported outcome measure of medication adherence in type 2 diabetes.

Introduction: Poor medication adherence is associated with worsening patient health outcomes and increasing healthcare costs. A holistic tool to assess both medication adherence and drivers of adherence behaviour has yet to be developed. This study aimed to examine SPUR, a multifactorial patient-reported outcome measure of medication adherence in patients living with type 2 diabetes, with a view to develop a suitable model for psychometric analysis.

Regional analysis of planting date and cultivar maturity recommendations that improve soybean oil yield and meal protein concentration.

Planting date and cultivar maturity group (MG) are major management factors affecting soybean [ (L.) Merr.] yield, but their effect on seed oil and protein concentration, and in particular meal protein concentration, is less understood.

Mortality in Hip Fracture Patients During the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Retrospective Analysis in a District General Hospital in the United Kingdom.

Introduction Hip fracture is commonly seen in elderly patients because of low-energy trauma. It carries significant morbidity and mortality. Scoring systems such as the Nottingham hip fracture score (NHFS) have shown a good correlation with increased mortality as the value of these scores increases.

Prophylactic zinc supplementation modulates hippocampal ionic zinc and partially remediates neurological recovery following repetitive mild head injury in mice.

Chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) is a progressive neurodegenerative condition caused by repetitive mild traumatic brain injury (TBI) that leads to impaired executive functioning, emotional disturbances, and disordered memory, warranting both basic and translational research of potential therapeutic targets. One area of research concerns prophylactic zinc (Zn) supplementation; however, Zn supplementation remains poorly understood. This study explored the effects of Zn supplementation in a mouse model of repetitive mild TBI.

Multiple-Breath Washout Outcome Measures in Adults with Bronchiectasis.

Lung clearance index (LCI) has good intravisit repeatability with better sensitivity in detecting lung disease on computed tomography scan compared with forced expiratory volume in 1 second (FEV) in adults with bronchiectasis. Alternative multiple-breath washout parameters have not been systematically studied in bronchiectasis. To determine the validity, repeatability, sensitivity, specificity, and feasibility of standard LCI (LCI), shortened LCI (LCI), ventilation heterogeneity arising within proximal conducting airways (SVT), and ventilation heterogeneity arising within the acinar airways (SVT) in a cross-sectional observational cohort of adults with bronchiectasis.

Minnesota Electronic Health Record Consortium COVID-19 Project: Informing Pandemic Response Through Statewide Collaboration Using Observational Data.

Objective: Robust disease and syndromic surveillance tools are underdeveloped in the United States, as evidenced by limitations and heterogeneity in sociodemographic data collection throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. To monitor the COVID-19 pandemic in Minnesota, we developed a federated data network in March 2020 using electronic health record (EHR) data from 8 multispecialty health systems.

Materials And Methods: In this serial cross-sectional study, we examined patients of all ages who received a COVID-19 polymerase chain reaction test, had symptoms of a viral illness, or received an influenza test from January 3, 2016, through November 7, 2020.

Trace concentrations, heavy implications: Influences of biometals on major brain pathologies of Alzheimer's disease.

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a neurodegenerative condition that involves accumulation of toxic protein species, notably amyloid-β (Aβ)plaques and neurofibrillary tau tangles that are associated with cognitive decline. These proteins can bind metal ions, ultimately affecting their structure and function. In this review, we discuss key biometals such as zinc, copper, and iron that interact with protein species involved in AD, mainly Aβ, tau, and the late-onset AD risk factor Apolipoprotein E (APOE).

Trends in Pediatric Viral Symptoms, Influenza Testing, and SARS-CoV-2 Testing From a Statewide Electronic Health Record Consortium, January 2017 to July 2021.

Objective: The heterogeneous implementation and uptake of nonpharmaceutical interventions (NPIs) during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic amplified the need for locally responsive disease surveillance mechanisms. Using data from a newly developed statewide electronic health record (EHR) consortium in Minnesota, we sought to characterize trends in pediatric viral symptoms, influenza testing, and severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) testing.

Methods: We conducted a serial cross-sectional analysis of EHR data from 1/1/2017 to 7/30/2021 across 8 large health systems in Minnesota.

Professional roles and relationships during the COVID-19 pandemic: a qualitative study among US clinicians.

Objective: The COVID-19 pandemic has transformed healthcare delivery in the USA, but there has been little empirical work describing the impact of these changes on clinicians. We conducted a study to address the following question: how has the pandemic impacted US clinicians' professional roles and relationships?

Design: Inductive thematic analysis of semi-structured interviews.

Setting: Clinical settings across the USA in April and May of 2020.

Enhancement of transgene expression by the β-catenin inhibitor iCRT14.

The innate immune response is an essential defense mechanism that allows cells to detect pathogen-associated molecular patterns (PAMPs) like endotoxin or cytosolic DNA and then induce the expression of defensive genes that restrict the replication of viruses and other pathogens. However, the therapeutic DNA used in some gene therapy treatments can also trigger the innate immune response, which activates host cell genes that may inhibit transgene expression. The goal of this study was to enhance transgene expression by inhibiting key components of the innate immune response with small molecule inhibitors (iCRT14, curcumin, Amlexanox, H-151, SC-514, & VX-702).

MetaSanity: an integrated microbial genome evaluation and annotation pipeline.

Summary: As the importance of microbiome research continues to become more prevalent and essential to understanding a wide variety of ecosystems (e.g. marine, built, host associated, etc.

Predictors of ventriculostomy infection in a large single-center cohort.

Objective: External ventricular drain (EVD) placement is a common neurosurgical procedure. While this procedure is simple and effective, infection is a major limiting factor. Factors predictive of infection reported in the literature are not conclusive.

Patterns of fluctuating asymmetry in the limbs of freshwater turtles: Are more functionally important limbs more symmetrical?

Understanding how selective forces influence patterns of symmetry remains an active area of research in evolutionary biology. One hypothesis, which has received relatively little attention, suggests that the functional importance of morphological characters may influence patterns of symmetry. Specifically, it posits that for structures that display bilateral symmetry, those with greater functional importance should display lower levels of asymmetry.

Nest Building Behavior as an Early Indicator of Behavioral Deficits in Mice.

Nest building is an innate behavior in male and female rodents, even when raised in laboratory settings. As such, many researchers provide rodents synthetic and/or natural materials (such as twine, tissue, cotton, paper, and hay) as a gauge of their overall well-being and as an ancillary assessment to predict the possible decline in cognition. Typically, changes in nesting behaviors, such as failure to create a nest, indicate a change in health or welfare.

Evaluating the performance of a predictive modeling approach to identifying members at high-risk of hospitalization.

To evaluate the risk-of-hospitalization (ROH) models developed at Blue Cross Blue Shield of Louisiana (BCBSLA) and compare this approach to the DxCG risk-score algorithms utilized by many health plans. Time zero for this study was December 31, 2016. BCBSLA members were eligible for study inclusion if they were fully insured; aged 80 years or younger; and had continuous enrollment starting on or before June 1, 2016, through time zero.

Elective Induction of Labor in the 39th Week of Gestation Compared With Expectant Management of Low-Risk Multiparous Women.

Objective: To compare perinatal and maternal outcomes in low-risk multiparous women who underwent elective induction of labor in the 39th week of gestation with those who were expectantly managed.

Methods: We performed a single center retrospective cohort study of low-risk multiparous women delivering nonanomalous singletons between 39 and 42 completed weeks of gestation from 2014 to 2018. The primary outcome was a perinatal composite of death, neonatal respiratory support, a 5-minute Apgar score of 3 or less, and shoulder dystocia.

HIV Status and Other Risk Factors for Prevalent and Incident Sexually Transmitted Infection during Pregnancy (2000-2014).

Background: Sexually transmitted infections (STIs) are associated with adverse birth outcomes. Current prenatal STI screening guidelines define "risk" without explicit consideration of HIV status. Our objective was to test the hypothesis that HIV status is associated with bacterial STI in pregnant women.

Localization of Free and Bound Metal Species through X-Ray Synchrotron Fluorescence Microscopy in the Rodent Brain and Their Relation to Behavior.

Biometals in the brain, such as zinc, copper, and iron, are often discussed in cases of neurological disorders; however, these metals also have important regulatory functions and mediate cell signaling and plasticity. With the use of synchrotron X-ray fluorescence, our lab localized total, both bound and free, levels of zinc, copper, and iron in a cross section of one hemisphere of a rat brain, which also showed differing metal distributions in different regions within the hippocampus, the site in the brain known to be crucial for certain types of memory. This review discusses the several roles of these metals in brain regions with an emphasis on hippocampal cell signaling, based on spatial mapping obtained from X-ray fluorescence microscopy.

Sustainable care coordination: a qualitative study of primary care provider, administrator, and insurer perspectives.

Background: Care coordination has been a common tool for practices seeking to manage complex patients, yet there remains confusion about the most effective and sustainable model. Research exists on opinions of providers of care coordination but there is limited information on perspectives of those in the insurance industry about key elements. We sought to gather opinions from primary care providers and administrators in Minnesota who were involved in a CMS (Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services) transformational grant implementing COMPASS (Care Of Mental, Physical And Substance-use Syndromes), an evidence-based model of care coordination for depressed patients comorbid with diabetes and/or cardiovascular disease.

Comparing breast biomarker status between routine immunohistochemistry and FISH studies and Oncotype DX testing, a study of 610 cases.

Introduction: Oncotype DX (ODX) testing uses reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) to predict distant recurrence rate of estrogen receptor positive (ER+)/HER2-negative (HER2-)/lymph node-negative (LN-) breast cancers. ODX also reports the status of breast cancer biomarkers, ER, progesterone receptor (PR), and HER2. This study examined the discrepancy rate of breast cancer biomarker status as reported by ODX vs routinely used immunohistochemistry (IHC) and fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) methods.

Large-Scale Implementation of Collaborative Care Management for Depression and Diabetes and/or Cardiovascular Disease.

Background: Collaborative care models have been shown to improve mental and physical health, but their effectiveness varies. Implementation science frameworks identify measures at the structural (eg, sociocultural context, public policies), organizational, provider, innovation, and patient levels that may facilitate or impede collaborative care effectiveness.

Objective: To describe commonalities and variation in multilevel measures associated with the implementation of Care of Mental, Physical, and Substance-Use Syndromes (COMPASS), a large-scale collaborative care intervention for depression, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease.

Potentially Preventable Hospital and Emergency Department Events: Lessons from a Large Innovation Project.

Introduction: There are few proven strategies to reduce the frequency of potentially preventable hospitalizations and Emergency Department (ED) visits. To facilitate strategy development, we documented these events among complex patients and the factors that contribute to them in a large care-improvement initiative.

Methods: Observational study with retrospective audits and selective interviews by the patients' care managers among 12 diverse medical groups in California, Minnesota, Pennsylvania, and Washington that participated in an initiative to implement collaborative care for patients with both depression and either uncontrolled diabetes, uncontrolled hypertension, or both.