Long-acting, progestin-based contraceptives and risk of breast, gynecological, and other cancers.

Background: Use of long-acting, reversible contraceptives has increased over the past 20 years, but an understanding of how they could influence cancer risk is limited.

Methods: We conducted a nested case-control study among a national cohort of Australian women (n = 176 601 diagnosed with cancer between 2004 and 2013; 882 999 matched control individuals) to investigate the associations between the levonorgestrel intrauterine system, etonogestrel implants, depot-medroxyprogesterone acetate and cancer risk and compared these results with the oral contraceptive pill. We used conditional logistic regression to estimate odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI).

Blarcamesine for the treatment of Early Alzheimer's Disease: Results from the ANAVEX2-73-AD-004 Phase IIB/III trial.

Background: There are no approved oral disease-modifying treatments for Alzheimer's disease (AD).

Objectives: The objective of this study was to assess efficacy and safety of blarcamesine (ANAVEX®2-73), an orally available small-molecule activator of the sigma-1 receptor (SIGMAR1) in early AD through restoration of cellular homeostasis including autophagy enhancement.

Design: ANAVEX2-73-AD-004 was a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, 48-week Phase IIb/III trial.

A Comparative Study between Thiol-Ene and Acrylate Photocrosslinkable Hyaluronic Acid Hydrogel Inks for Digital Light Processing.

Photocrosslinkable formulations based on the radical thiol-ene reaction are considered better alternatives than methacrylated counterparts for light-based fabrication processes. This study quantifies differences between thiol-ene and methacrylated crosslinked hydrogels in terms of precursors stability, the control of the crosslinking process, and the resolution of printed features particularized for hyaluronic acid (HA) inks at concentrations relevant for bioprinting. First, the synthesis of HA functionalized with norbornene, allyl ether, or methacrylate groups with the same molecular weight and comparable degrees of functionalization is presented.

Non-adherence, discontinuation, and seroconversion among people on daily HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) in Brazil: a nationwide cohort study.

The goal of this study was to evaluate characteristics associated with Pre-exposure Prophylaxis for HIV infection (PrEP) non-adherence or discontinuation in Brazil and assess the association between these outcomes and HIV seroconversion. We used linked national dispensing and pathology data to identify people aged 14+ years initiating PrEP in 2018. We estimated non-adherence using the proportion of days covered (PDC), defining non-adherence as PDC < 60%.

Effects of clinical and socioeconomic factors on Medicare and patient costs for colorectal cancer in Australia: a retrospective multivariate regression analysis.

Objective: We study how clinical and socioeconomic factors influence colorectal cancer (CRC) costs for patients and Medicare in Australia. The study seeks to extend the limited Australian literature on CRC costs by analysing comprehensive patient-level medical services and pharmaceutical cost data.

Design, Setting And Participants: Using the Victorian Cancer Registry, we identified all patients in Victoria who were diagnosed with CRC from 2010 to 2019 and extracted their linked 2010-2021 Medicare data.

Trends in prescription opioid analgesic use in Australia from 2015 to 2022.

Background: Recent measures to curb use and harms of pharmaceutical opioids in Australia have reduced dispensings of opioid analgesics for pain, under Australia's Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS). But information on trends in private (self-funded) dispensings and public (government-funded) hospital opioids use is not readily available. Our study describes eight-year population-level trends in Australia's prescribed opioid analgesic use, estimating PBS dispensing claims, private dispensings and hospital use.

Segmented, Side-Emitting Hydrogel Optical Fibers for Multimaterial Extrusion Printing.

Side-emitting optical fibers allow light to be deliberately outcoupled along the fiber. Introducing a customized side-emission profile requires modulation of the guiding and emitting properties along the fiber length, which is a particular challenge in continuous processing of soft waveguides. In this work, it is demonstrated that multimaterial extrusion printing can generate hydrogel optical fibers with tailored segments for light-side emission.

Forget-me-not phylogenomics: Improving the resolution and taxonomy of a rapid island and mountain radiation in Aotearoa New Zealand (Myosotis; Boraginaceae).

Island and mountain systems represent natural laboratories for studies of species radiations, but they often present several challenges for phylogenetic inference and species delimitation. The southern hemisphere forget-me-nots (Myosotis, Boraginaceae) comprise a geologically recent radiation centred in Aotearoa New Zealand, a mountainous archipelago, with about 50 species that are morphologically and ecologically divergent but lack genetic variation sufficient to resolve phylogenetic relationships and species boundaries using standard DNA Sanger sequencing markers, AFLPs, or microsatellites. Many of these Myosotis species are geographically restricted in alpine areas, uncommon or threatened, have polyploid and dysploid genomes, and are of high taxonomic and conservation priority.

A comprehensive epidemiological approach documenting an outbreak of H5N1 highly pathogenic avian influenza virus clade 2.3.4.4b among gulls, terns, and harbor seals in the Northeastern Pacific.

Highly pathogenic avian influenza viruses (HPAIV) H5N1 clade 2.3.4.

Managing the challenges of paying for gene therapy: strategies for market action and policy reform in the United States.

Gene therapies delivered through a single administration have revolutionized treatment possibilities for many patients living with serious or fatal conditions such as spinal muscular atrophy, hemophilia and sickle cell disease. However, shadowing the excitement about the transformational potential of many gene therapies has been widespread concern about the combination of uncertainty in the durability of their benefits over the long term and the short-term financial shock of high prices. As the healthcare payment ecosystem prepares for the growing number of gene therapies entering the market, three key interconnected challenges must be addressed: determining a fair price, managing clinical uncertainty and managing short-term budget impacts.

Type I Interferon Drives a Cellular State Inert to TCR-Stimulation and Could Impede Effective T-Cell Differentiation in Cancer.

Background: Head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) is linked to human papillomavirus (HPV) infection. HPV-positive and HPV-negative HNSCC exhibit distinct molecular and clinical characteristics. Although checkpoint inhibitors have shown efficiency in recurrent/metastatic HNSCC, response variability persists regardless of HPV status.

Mothers' and fathers' experiences of breastfeeding and returning to paid work after birth: A mixed-method study.

This mixed-method study explored the experiences of mothers and fathers combining breastfeeding with returning to paid employment after childbirth. Tasmanian State Service employees participated in an online survey and phone interviews. A total of 130 parents completed the survey, and 42 participated in 60-min phone interviews.

Pharmacological blockade of the mast cell MRGPRX2 receptor supports investigation of its relevance in skin disorders.

Introduction: Because MRGPRX2 is now recognized as the mast cell receptor for basic secretagogues, there is currently a tremendous interest in whether MRGRPX2 could play an important role in various pruritic dermatoses such as chronic spontaneous urticaria. Therefore, we sought to identify new potent and selective antagonists to pharmacologically characterize the biological role of MRGPRX2.

Methods: Various relevant , , and model systems were used to investigate the role of MRGPRX2.

Barriers and Facilitators to Accessing Care and Adhering to Medications in People With Epilepsy in India: Healthcare Workers' Perspectives.

Introduction Exploring the barriers and facilitators that people with epilepsy face in accessing care and adhering to medications could enable a better understanding of how India's epilepsy treatment gap could be addressed. Furthermore, there is a paucity of research on the topic, and we could not find any studies exploring these barriers from the perspective of healthcare workers. Aim The study aimed to explore the barriers and facilitators to accessing care and adhering to medications faced by people with epilepsy in India.

Correction: Non-breeding changes in at-sea distribution and abundance of the threatened marbled murrelet (Brachyramphus marmoratus) in a portion of its range exhibiting long-term breeding season declines.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.

Use of, time to, and type of first add-on anti-hyperglycaemic therapy to metformin in Australia, 2018-2022.

Aims: The aim of this study was to examine contemporary trends in the use of, time to, and type of first add-on anti-hyperglycaemic therapy to metformin in Australia.

Methods: We used the dispensing records of a 10% random sample of Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS) eligible people. We included people aged 40 years and older initiating metformin from 1 January 2018 to 31 December 2020.

Multilevel Drivers of Congenital Syphilis, Oregon, 2013 to 2021.

Background: Despite the availability of curative penicillin treatment for syphilis during pregnancy, congenital syphilis (CS) cases have surged in the United States, including in Oregon.

Methods: We conducted a retrospective analysis of individual- and county-level predictors of CS among pregnant people with syphilis in Oregon from 2013 to 2021. Data were collated from surveillance reports, County Health Rankings, and other sources with upstream county-level data.