National assessment on the frequency of pain medication prescribed for intrauterine device insertion procedures within the Veterans Affairs Health Care System.

Background: The intrauterine device (IUD) is a highly effective form of long-acting reversible contraception, widely recognized for its convenience and efficacy. Despite its benefits, many patients report moderate to severe pain during and after their IUD insertion procedure. Furthermore, reports suggest significant variability in pain control medications, including no adequate pain medication.

Implementation of a novel framework for hepatitis C diagnosis and treatment in an academic health system.

Disclaimer: In an effort to expedite the publication of articles, AJHP is posting manuscripts online as soon as possible after acceptance. Accepted manuscripts have been peer-reviewed and copyedited, but are posted online before technical formatting and author proofing. These manuscripts are not the final version of record and will be replaced with the final article (formatted per AJHP style and proofed by the authors) at a later time.

Simulation of a Rohksar-Kivelson ladder on a NISQ device.

We present a quantum-classical algorithm to study the dynamics of the Rohksar-Kivelson plaquette ladder on NISQ devices. We show that complexity is largely reduced using gauge invariance, additional symmetries, and a crucial property associated to how plaquettes are blocked against ring-exchange in the ladder geometry. This allows for an efficient simulation of sizable plaquette ladders with a small number of qubits, well suited for the capabilities of present NISQ devices.

Incidence and risk of post-COVID-19 thromboembolic disease and the impact of aspirin prescription; nationwide observational cohort at the US Department of Veteran Affairs.

Introduction: COVID-19 triggers prothrombotic and proinflammatory changes, with thrombotic disease prevalent in up to 30% SARS-CoV-2 infected patients. Early work suggests that aspirin could prevent COVID-19 related thromboembolic disorders in some studies but not others. This study leverages data from the largest integrated healthcare system in the United States to better understand this association.

Have per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) infiltrated Florida's freshwater springs?

The state of Florida contains over 1000 freshwater springs, fed by groundwater that provides 90 % of the drinking water for inhabitants. Freshwater springs are regarded as some of the cleanest water sources left on Earth, but recent studies regarding the extreme pervasiveness of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) across the globe have called into question whether PFAS have infiltrated these vital water sources. In this study, 90 water samples (43 vents/40 runs/plus 7 additional surface samples) from 50 freshwater Florida springs were analyzed for the presence of 29 PFAS via ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry.

Seasonal differences in mobility and activity space in later life: a case study of older adults in the Northern Netherlands.

Mobility is crucial for maintaining well-being in later life. Previous research has shown that older adults' mobility fluctuates throughout the day, with a particular focus on afternoon outdoor movement. This paper takes a broader approach and explores the seasonal differences and similarities in mobility and activity space in later life, using older adults in the Northern Netherlands as a case study.

Deep Learning to Detect Intracranial Hemorrhage in a National Teleradiology Program and the Impact on Interpretation Time.

The diagnostic performance of an artificial intelligence (AI) clinical decision support solution for acute intracranial hemorrhage (ICH) detection was assessed in a large teleradiology practice. The impact on radiologist read times and system efficiency was also quantified. A total of 61 704 consecutive noncontrast head CT examinations were retrospectively evaluated.

Regional variation in financial hardship among US veterans during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Geographic variation in hardship, especially health-related hardship, was identified prior to and during the pandemic, but we do not know whether this variation is consistent among Veterans Health Administration (VHA)-enrolled veterans, who reported markedly high rates of financial hardship during the pandemic, despite general and veteran-specific federal policy efforts aimed at reducing hardship. In a nationwide, regionally stratified sample of VHA-enrolled veterans, we examined whether the prevalence of financial hardship during the pandemic varied by US Census region. We found veterans in the South, compared with those in other census regions, reported higher rates of severe-to-extreme financial strain, using up all or most of their savings, being unable to pay for necessities, being contacted by collections, and changing their employment due to the kind of work they could perform.

3D Printing for the Development of Palatal Defect Prosthetics.

Background: Three-dimensional (3D) printing has emerged as a promising new technology for the development of surgical prosthetics. Research in orthopedic surgery has demonstrated that using 3D printed customized prosthetics results in more precise implant placements and better patient outcomes. However, there has been little research on implementing customized 3D printed prosthetics in otolaryngology.

Partnering With Churches to Address COVID-19 Vaccine Hesitancy and Uptake in Trustworthy Contexts.

The Black church has long been seen as a crucial partner in addressing public health issues. This paper describes the development, implementation, and evaluation of a community-engaged church intervention addressing COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy in underserved Black communities in Jefferson County, Alabama. We partnered with churches to implement and evaluate the intervention between March and June of 2022 and found that our church partners were capable of significant messaging reach, particularly through electronic means.

Follow the Arrows: Using a Co-Created Causal Loop Diagram to Explore Leverage Points to Strengthen Population Physical Activity Promotion in British Columbia, Canada.

Background: Population physical activity promotion (PPAP) is one of the most effective noncommunicable disease prevention strategies, yet coordination is lacking around the world. Whole-of-system approaches and complex systems methods are called for to advance PPAP. This paper reports on a project which (1) used an Attributes Framework with system mapping (group model building and causal loop diagramming of feedback loops) and (2) identified potential leverage points to address the challenge of effective coordination of multisectoral PPAP in British Columbia.

Psychometric analysis of the modified COVID-19 Yorkshire Rehabilitation Scale (C19-YRSm) in a prospective multicentre study.

Background: Long COVID (LC) is a novel multisystem clinical syndrome affecting millions of individuals worldwide. The modified COVID-19 Yorkshire Rehabilitation Scale (C19-YRSm) is a condition-specific patient-reported outcome measure designed for assessment and monitoring of people with LC.

Objectives: To evaluate the psychometric properties of the C19-YRSm in a prospective sample of people with LC.

A high-density and high-confinement tokamak plasma regime for fusion energy.

The tokamak approach, utilizing a toroidal magnetic field configuration to confine a hot plasma, is one of the most promising designs for developing reactors that can exploit nuclear fusion to generate electrical energy. To reach the goal of an economical reactor, most tokamak reactor designs simultaneously require reaching a plasma line-averaged density above an empirical limit-the so-called Greenwald density-and attaining an energy confinement quality better than the standard high-confinement mode. However, such an operating regime has never been verified in experiments.

Automated Electronic Health Record Score to Predict Mortality Risk at the US Department of Veterans Affairs.

Background: Terminally ill patients benefit from earlier engagement in palliative care. However, this does not always occur. This project assessed if an already available risk score, the Care Assessment Needs (CAN) score, would be able to identify patients at greatest risk for mortality within 30 days of hospital admission within the Veterans Health Administration (VHA).

Loss of SREBP-1c ameliorates iron-induced liver fibrosis by decreasing lipocalin-2.

Sterol regulatory element-binding protein (SREBP)-1c is involved in cellular lipid homeostasis and cholesterol biosynthesis and is highly increased in nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH). However, the molecular mechanism by which SREBP-1c regulates hepatic stellate cells (HSCs) activation in NASH animal models and patients have not been fully elucidated. In this study, we examined the role of SREBP-1c in NASH and the regulation of LCN2 gene expression.

Sucralose (CHClO) impact on microbial activity in estuarine and freshwater marsh soils.

As the general population's diet has shifted to reflect current weight-loss trends, there has been an increase in zero-calorie artificial sweetener usage. Sucralose (CHClO), commonly known as Splenda® in the USA, is a primary example of these sweeteners. In recent years, sucralose has been identified as an environmental contaminant that cannot easily be broken down via bacterial decomposition.