The Neisseria meningitidis urethritis clade (NmUC) acts as a "chimeric pathogen" during infection of primary, human male, urethral epithelial cells.

Background: Clusters of male urethritis cases, caused by a novel clade of non-groupable Neisseria meningitidis (NmUC, "the clade"), have been reported globally. Genetic features unique to NmUC isolates include: the acquisition of the gonococcal denitrification loci, norB-aniA; a unique factor H binding protein (fHbp) variant; and loss of group C capsule and intrinsic lipooligosaccharide sialylation. We hypothesized that these characteristics might confer a colonization and survival advantage to NmUC during male urethral infection relative to non-clade group C Neisseria meningitidis.

Analysis of 2019 Ohio Disease Intervention Specialist (DIS) Records for Syphilis Cases Using Clustering Algorithms.

Background: Developments in natural language processing (NLP) and unsupervised machine learning methodologies (e.g., clustering) have given researchers new tools to analyze both structured and unstructured health data.

State Abortion Policy and Moral Distress Among Clinicians Providing Abortion After the Dobbs Decision.

Importance: Moral distress occurs when individuals feel powerless to do what they think is right, including when clinicians are prevented from providing health care they deem necessary. The loss of federal protections for abortion following the Dobbs v Jackson Women's Health Organization Supreme Court decision may place clinicians providing abortion at risk of experiencing moral distress, as many could face new legal and civil penalties for providing care in line with professional standards and that they perceive as necessary.

Objective: To assess self-reported moral distress scores among abortion-providing clinicians following the Dobbs decision overall and by state-level abortion policy.

The emergence of SARS-CoV-2 lineages and associated saliva antibody responses among asymptomatic individuals in a large university community.

SARS-CoV-2 (CoV2) infected, asymptomatic individuals are an important contributor to COVID transmission. CoV2-specific immunoglobulin (Ig)-as generated by the immune system following infection or vaccination-has helped limit CoV2 transmission from asymptomatic individuals to susceptible populations (e.g.

Factors Associated With Syphilis Transmission and Acquisition Among Men Who Have Sex With Men: Protocol for a Multisite Egocentric Network Study.

Background: In the United States, the rates of primary and secondary syphilis have increased more rapidly among men who have sex with men (MSM) than among any other subpopulation. Rising syphilis rates among MSM reflect changes in both individual behaviors and the role of sexual networks (eg, persons linked directly or indirectly by sexual contact) in the spread of the infection. Decades of research examined how sexual networks influence sexually transmitted infections (STIs) among MSM; however, few longitudinal data sources focusing on syphilis have collected network characteristics.

Provider Mistrust and Telemedicine Abortion Care Preferences Among Patients in Ohio, West Virginia, and Kentucky.

The convenience and privacy provided by telemedicine medication abortion may make this service preferable to patients who mistrust their abortion provider. We assessed associations between mistrust in the abortion provider and preferences for telemedicine abortion. From April 2020 to April 2021, we surveyed patients seeking abortion in Ohio, West Virginia, and Kentucky.

Estimating seroprevalence of SARS-CoV-2 in Ohio: A Bayesian multilevel poststratification approach with multiple diagnostic tests.

Globally, severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has infected more than 59 million people and killed more than 1.39 million. Designing and monitoring interventions to slow and stop the spread of the virus require knowledge of how many people have been and are currently infected, where they live, and how they interact.

Full Molecular Typing of Neisseria meningitidis Directly from Clinical Specimens for Outbreak Investigation.

is a leading cause of bacterial meningitis and sepsis worldwide and an occasional cause of meningococcal urethritis. When isolates are unavailable for surveillance or outbreak investigations, molecular characterization of pathogens needs to be performed directly from clinical specimens, such as cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), blood, or urine. However, genome sequencing of specimens is challenging because of low bacterial and high human DNA abundances.

Fatty Acid Supplementation and Socioemotional Outcomes: Secondary Analysis of a Randomized Trial.

Background And Objectives: Children born preterm experience socioemotional difficulties, including increased risk of autism spectrum disorder (ASD). In this secondary analysis, we tested the effect of combined docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) and arachidonic acid (AA) supplementation during toddlerhood on caregiver-reported socioemotional outcomes of children born preterm. We hypothesized that children randomly assigned to DHA + AA would display better socioemotional outcomes compared with those randomly assigned to a placebo.

Scarcity mindset in reproductive health decision making: a qualitative study from rural Malawi.

Poverty has widespread impacts on health. In dealing with resource scarcity, individuals' thoughts are narrowed to address immediate resource limitations, thus crowding out other information, a phenomenon called the To assess for indication of a scarcity mindset in sexual and reproductive decision making in rural Malawi, a setting with extreme resource scarcity, we collected qualitative data in the form of eight focus group discussions and 28 semi-structured, in-depth interviews with women and men of varying ages and marital status. Participants, who were of low socioeconomic status, described constant tradeoffs that they made to secure their daily needs.

Expansion of a urethritis-associated Neisseria meningitidis clade in the United States with concurrent acquisition of N. gonorrhoeae alleles.

Background: Increased reports of Neisseria meningitidis urethritis in multiple U.S. cities during 2015 have been attributed to the emergence of a novel clade of nongroupable N.

Time Since First Acting on Same-Sex Attraction and Recreational Drug Use among Men Who Have Sex With Men (MSM): Is There an Effect of "Gay Age"?

Background: Men who have sex with men (MSM) have higher rates of substance use compared to men who have sex with women. Among MSM, drug use is linked to higher-risk sexual behavior and acquisition of HIV and other sexually transmitted infections.

Objectives: We hypothesize that time since first acting on one's same sex attraction, or one's "gay age", could be predictive of drug using behavior.

Nonmedical use of over-the-counter medications is significantly associated with nonmedical use of prescription drugs among university students.

Objective: To examine the association between nonmedical use of over-the-counter medications (NMUOTC) and nonmedical use of prescription drugs (NMUPD).

Participants: University students surveyed on NMUOTC and NMUPD between August and December 2011 (N = 939).

Methods: Cross-sectional data analysis of online survey.

An investigation of the relationship between autonomy, childbirth practices, and obstetric fistula among women in rural Lilongwe District, Malawi.

Background: Obstetric fistula is a childbirth injury caused by prolonged obstructed labor that results in destruction of the tissue wall between the vagina and bladder. Although obstetric fistula is directly caused by prolonged obstructed labor, many other factors indirectly increase fistula risk. Some research suggests that many women in rural Malawi have limited autonomy and decision-making power in their households.

Correlations between intimate partner violence and spontaneous abortion, stillbirth, and neonatal death in rural Malawi.

Objective: To characterize associations between intimate partner violence (IPV) and adverse delivery outcomes among married Malawian women.

Methods: In the present secondary analysis of an ongoing project investigating sexual and reproductive health decision making in rural, Lilongwe District, Malawi, married women who had experienced at least one pregnancy were interviewed between July 15, 2014, and February 25, 2015. Associations between physical IPV experienced with participants' current partners and history of adverse delivery outcomes (spontaneous abortions, stillbirths, and neonatal deaths) were examined using log-binomial regression.

Intravaginal Practices and Prevalence of Sexual and Reproductive Tract Infections Among Women in Rural Malawi.

Background: Many women engage in intravaginal practices (IVP) with a goal of improving genital hygiene and increasing sexual pleasure. Intravaginal practices can disrupt the genital mucosa, and some studies have found that IVP increases risk of acquisition of HIV and bacterial vaginosis (BV). Limited prior research also suggests significant associations between IVP, herpes simplex virus type 2 (HSV-2), and high-risk types of human papillomavirus (HPV).

Sexual Behavior Latent Classes Among Men Who Have Sex With Men: Associations With Sexually Transmitted Infections.

Men who have sex with men (MSM) are at disproportionate risk of acquisition of sexually transmitted infections (STIs). We used latent class analysis (LCA) to examine patterns of sexual behavior among MSM and how those patterns are related to STIs. We examined patterns of sexual behavior using behavioral and clinical data from a cross-sectional study of 235 MSM who presented to an urban sexual health clinic for STI testing.

Conceptual framework for outcomes research studies of hepatitis C: an analytical review.

Hepatitis C virus infection is one of the main causes of chronic liver disease worldwide. Until recently, the standard antiviral regimen for hepatitis C was a combination of an interferon derivative and ribavirin, but a plethora of new antiviral drugs is becoming available. While these new drugs have shown great efficacy in clinical trials, observational studies are needed to determine their effectiveness in clinical practice.

Factors influencing Malawian women's willingness to self-collect samples for human papillomavirus testing.

Background: Malawi has the highest incidence of cervical cancer in the world. Only 3% of Malawian women have ever been screened for cervical cancer. Self-collection of samples for human papillomavirus (HPV) testing could increase screening among under-screened and hard-to-reach populations.

Recent Biomarker-Confirmed Unprotected Vaginal Sex, But Not Self-reported Unprotected Sex, Is Associated With Recurrent Bacterial Vaginosis.

Background: Self-reported unprotected vaginal sex seems to increase risk of bacterial vaginosis (BV). However, the validity of self-reports is questionable, given their inconsistency with more objective measures of recent semen exposure such as detection of prostate-specific antigen (PSA). We examined whether recent unprotected sex, as measured both by PSA detection on vaginal swabs and by self-report, was associated with increased BV recurrence.

Limited benefit of repeating a sensitive question in a cross-sectional sexual health study.

Background: Sexual health research relies heavily on self-reported data. We explored whether repeating a key measure - number of lifetime sexual partners - improved the validity of this self-reported response.

Methods: Using data from a study of Tanzanian plantation residents, we examined which of 505 participants changed their responses when a question about sexual partners was repeated.

Utilization of a latent tuberculosis infection referral system by newly resettled refugees in central Ohio.

Setting: A resettlement medical screening program that refers refugees with a positive tuberculin skin test (TST) to a public health tuberculosis (TB) clinic for evaluation for latent tuberculosis infection (LTBI).

Objective: To identify the proportion of refugees that were TST-positive, how many attended after referral for medical evaluation, what characteristics influenced follow-up, and whether programmatic changes would increase follow-up rates.

Design: Refugee characteristics and follow-up information were extracted from the resettlement medical records of 224 adult refugees screened in Columbus, Franklin County, Ohio, in 2008.

Use of a relapse monitoring board: an independent assessment for determining relapse in clinical trials for bipolar disorder.

Objective: Independent review boards can provide an objective appraisal of investigators' decisions and may be useful for determining complex primary outcomes, such as bipolar disorder relapse, in crossnational studies. This article describes the use of an independent, blinded relapse monitoring board to assess the primary outcome (relapse) in an international clinical trial of risperidone long-acting therapy adjunctive to standard-care pharmacotherapy for patients with bipolar disorder.

Design: The fully autonomous relapse monitoring board was composed of a chair and two additional members-all psychiatrists and experts in the diagnostic, clinical, and therapeutic management of bipolar disorder.

Adjunctive long-acting risperidone in patients with bipolar disorder who relapse frequently and have active mood symptoms.

Background: The objective of this exploratory analysis was to characterize efficacy and onset of action of a 3-month treatment period with risperidone long-acting injection (RLAI), adjunctive to an individual's treatment regimen, in subjects with symptomatic bipolar disorder who relapsed frequently and had significant symptoms of mania and/or depression.

Methods: Subjects with bipolar disorder with ≥4 mood episodes in the past 12 months entered the open-label stabilization phase preceding a placebo-controlled, double-blind study. Subjects with significant depressive or manic/mixed symptoms at baseline were analyzed.

Hormonal contraception and area of cervical ectopy: a longitudinal assessment.

Background: The effect of combined oral contraceptives (COCs) and depot-medroxyprogesterone acetate (DMPA) on the area of cervical ectopy is not well understood.

Study Design: From 1996 to 1999, we recruited women not using hormonal contraception from two family planning centers in Baltimore, MD. Upon study entry and 3, 6 and 12 months after the initial visit, participants were interviewed and received visual cervical examinations with photography.