Prion Gene Sequencing in Florida Panthers (Puma concolor coryi) Suggests No Differential Susceptibility to Transmissible Spongiform Encephalopathy.

Transmissible spongiform encephalopathy, or prion disease, poses a serious threat to wildlife; however, the susceptibility of apex predators is still being assessed. We investigated variation in the prion protein gene in Florida panthers (Puma concolor coryi) and found that admixture from Central American pumas probably introduced a novel, albeit benign, prion allele.

Systemic inflammation and lymphocyte activation precede rheumatoid arthritis.

Some autoimmune diseases, including rheumatoid arthritis (RA), are preceded by a critical subclinical phase of disease activity. Proactive clinical management is hampered by a lack of biological understanding of this subclinical 'at-risk' state and the changes underlying disease development. In a cross-sectional and longitudinal multi-omics study of peripheral immunity in the autoantibody-positive at-risk for RA period, we identified systemic inflammation, proinflammatory-skewed B cells, expanded Tfh17-like cells, epigenetic bias in naive T cells, TNF+IL1B+ monocytes resembling a synovial macrophage population, and CD4 T cell transcriptional features resembling those suppressed by abatacept (CTLA4-Ig) in RA patients.

Friendship Social Support Networks of African Americans.

Friends are crucial for companionship, sharing personal thoughts and feelings, and are positively associated with psychological well-being and mental health. This is one of the first studies to provide an in-depth investigation of social support networks of African American friendship. Using a nationally representative sample of African American adults drawn from the National Survey of American Life, this study investigated sociodemographic correlates, as well as expanded information on marital status and life circumstances of friendships.

Tumor draining lymph nodes connected to cold triple-negative breast cancers are characterized by Th2-associated microenvironment.

Tumor draining lymph nodes (TDLN) represent a key component of the tumor-immunity cycle. There are few studies describing how TDLNs impact lymphocyte infiltration into tumors. Here we directly compare tumor-free TDLNs draining "cold" and "hot" human triple negative breast cancers (TDLN and TDLN).

Health Care Delivery Site- and Patient-Level Factors Associated With COVID-19 Primary Vaccine Series Completion in a National Network of Community Health Centers.

To assess multilevel factors associated with variation in COVID-19 vaccination rates in a US network of community health centers. Using multilevel logistic regression with electronic health record data from ADVANCE (Accelerating Data Value Across a National Community Health Center Network; January 1, 2022-December 31, 2022), we assessed associations between health care delivery site-level (n = 1219) and patient-level (n = 1 864 007) characteristics and COVID-19 primary vaccine series uptake. A total of 1 337 440 patients completed the COVID-19 primary vaccine series.

Glycemic control in diabetic patients improved overall lung cancer survival across diverse populations.

Background: The consequence of diabetes on lung cancer overall survival (OS) is debated. This retrospective study used 2 large lung cancer databases to assess comprehensively diabetes effects on lung cancer OS in diverse demographic populations, including health disparity.

Methods: The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center database (32 643 lung cancer patients with 11 973 patients with diabetes) was extracted from electronic health records (EHRs) using natural language processing (NLP).

A Mixed Methods Evaluation of Pharmacists' Readiness to Provide Long-Acting Injectable HIV Pre-exposure Prophylaxis in California.

Background: Pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) uptake remains low among people who could benefit, some of whom may prefer alternatives to oral PrEP, such as long-acting injectable pre-exposure prophylaxis (LAI-PrEP). We evaluated the potential for LAI-PrEP provision in pharmacies through a mixed methods study of pharmacists in California, where Senate Bill 159 enables pharmacists to independently provide oral PrEP.

Methods: In 2022-2023, we conducted an online cross-sectional survey of California pharmacists and pharmacy students (n = 919) and in-depth interviews with pharmacists (n = 30), both of which included modules assessing attitudes about PrEP provision.

Insulin Resistance in Women Correlates with Chromatin Histone Lysine Acetylation, Inflammatory Signaling, and Accelerated Aging.

Background: Epigenetic changes link medical, social, and environmental factors with cardiovascular and kidney disease and, more recently, with cancer. The mechanistic link between metabolic health and epigenetic changes is only starting to be investigated. In our in vitro and in vivo studies, we performed a broad analysis of the link between hyperinsulinemia and chromatin acetylation; our top "hit" was chromatin opening at H3K9ac.

Electronic Health Record Data for Lyme Disease Surveillance, Massachusetts, USA, 2017-2018.

Lyme disease surveillance based on provider and laboratory reports underestimates incidence. We developed an algorithm for automating surveillance using electronic health record data. We identified potential Lyme disease markers in electronic health record data (laboratory tests, diagnosis codes, prescriptions) from January 2017-December 2018 in 2 large practice groups in Massachusetts, USA.

Socioeconomic Disparities and Emergency Department Visits for Diabetic Retinopathy in California.

To investigate the association between neighborhood-level socioeconomic factors, quantified by the Distressed Communities Index, and emergency department visits for diabetic retinopathy (DR). All patients who presented to the emergency department for DR in California were analyzed using the State Emergency Department Database (2018-2020). Patients were stratified by Distressed Communities Index score and DR severity.

Correction to: VEIN STEP: A Prospective, Observational, International Study to Assess Effectiveness of Conservative Treatments in Chronic Venous Disease.

Video Abstract.

Willingness of Pharmacists to Prescribe Medication Abortion in California.

Importance: Nearly half of US states have restricted abortion access. Policy makers are exploring pathways to increase access to abortion and reproductive health care more broadly. Since 2016, California pharmacists could prescribe hormonal birth control, providing an opportunity to learn about the implementation of pharmacist-provided reproductive health care.

Serving IPV Survivors in Culturally Diverse Communities: Perspectives From Current Service Providers.

This qualitative study examines current IPV service providers' perspectives on service delivery methods that best reach and serve IPV survivors from culturally diverse communities. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 11 service providers, and transcripts were analyzed for themes related to service providers' experiences. Five themes emerged from the data that suggest best practices for reaching and serving survivors from culturally diverse backgrounds, including understanding survivors' backgrounds, promoting trust and inclusivity, building community relationships, providing culturally responsive education on IPV, and supporting current and future staff with training.

Impact of the ´Alforja Educativa' on Ecuadorian schoolchildren's knowledge of bacteria, antibiotics, and antibiotic resistance, a pretest-posttest study.

Background: Widespread use of antibiotics disrupts the balance in the microbial world and promotes development and spread of antibiotic resistant bacteria. Educational initiatives are important as part of strategies to mitigate antibiotic resistance. The Alforja Educativa is an innovative educational program developed in Ecuador with the aim to teach schoolchildren about antibiotic use and antibiotic resistance.

An observational study demonstrates human-adapted Staphylococcus aureus strains have a higher frequency of antibiotic resistance compared to cattle-adapted strains isolated from dairy farms making farmstead cheese.

Background: Staphylococcus aureus is a multi-host zoonotic pathogen causing human and livestock diseases. Dairy farms that make artisan cheese have distinctive concerns for S. aureus control.

mA Methylated Long Noncoding RNA LOC339803 Regulates Intestinal Inflammatory Response.

Cytokine mediated sustained inflammation increases the risk to develop different complex chronic inflammatory diseases, but the implicated mechanisms remain unclear. Increasing evidence shows that long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) play key roles in the pathogenesis of inflammatory disorders, while inflammation associated variants are described to affect their function or essential RNA modifications as N-methyladenosine (mA) methylation, increasing predisposition to inflammatory diseases. Here, the functional implication of the intestinal inflammation associated lncRNA LOC339803 in the production of cytokines by intestinal epithelial cells is described.

Evaluation of Detection and Efficacy of Decontamination of Respiratory Pathogens Including SARS-CoV-2 on Basic Military Trainee Gas Masks.

Introduction: Basic military trainee (BMT) gas mask training poses a potential mechanism of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) transmission. After training, gas masks are decontaminated. Insufficient decontamination can lead to viral transmission in the next training class.

Regulation of SPDEF expression by DNA methylation in advanced prostate cancer.

Introduction: Prostate cancer (PCa) presents a significant health challenge in men, with a substantial number of deaths attributed to metastatic castration resistant PCa (mCRPC). Moreover, African American men experience disproportionately high mortality rates due to PCa. This study delves into the pivotal role of SPDEF, a prostate specific Ets transcription factor, and its regulation by DNA methylation in the context of PCa progression.

Vinculin is required for interkinetic nuclear migration (INM) and cell cycle progression.

Vinculin is an actin-binding protein (ABP) that strengthens the connection between the actin cytoskeleton and adhesion complexes. It binds to β-catenin/N-cadherin complexes in apical adherens junctions (AJs), which maintain cell-to-cell adhesions, and to talin/integrins in the focal adhesions (FAs) that attach cells to the basal membrane. Here, we demonstrate that β-catenin targets vinculin to the apical AJs and the centrosome in the embryonic neural tube (NT).