Evaluating the feasibility, sensitivity, and specificity of next-generation molecular methods for pleural infection diagnosis.

Pleural infections are common and associated with substantial healthcare costs, morbidity, and mortality. Accurate diagnosis remains challenging due to low culture positivity rates, frequent polymicrobial involvement, and non-specific diagnostic biomarkers. Here, we undertook a prospective study examining the feasibility and performance of molecular methods for diagnosing suspected pleural infection.

Second Generation Antipsychotics and Cardiovascular Adverse Effects: Developing Evidence-Based Recommendations for Primary Care Medicine.

Background: Second-generation antipsychotic medications (SGAs) are often used by primary care physicians (PCPs) to treat multiple psychiatric diagnoses. SGAs have been connected to a number of adverse effects, including cardiovascular disease. Currently, there are no published evidence-based recommendations addressing SGAs and cardiotoxicity that are directed toward PCPs.

SARS-CoV-2 3CL (main protease) regulates caspase activation of gasdermin-D/E pores leading to secretion and extracellular activity of 3CL.

SARS-CoV-2 3C-like protease (3CL or M) cleaves the SARS-CoV-2 polyprotein and >300 intracellular host proteins to enhance viral replication. By lytic cell death following gasdermin (GSDM) pore formation in cell membranes, antiviral pyroptosis decreases 3CL expression and viral replication. Unexpectedly, 3CL and nucleocapsid proteins undergo unconventional secretion from infected cells via caspase-activated GSDMD/E pores in the absence of cell lysis.