Publications by authors named "Rhoads J"

Background: Generalized pustular psoriasis (GPP) is a rare, chronic, often unpredictable, severe multisystemic autoinflammatory skin disease from which patients can experience flares, episodes of widespread eruptions of painful, sterile pustules often accompanied by systemic symptoms. The impact of GPP flares and underlying GPP severity on the healthcare resource utilization (HCRU) is not well characterized.

Objective: To quantify HCRU among US GPP patients by flare status and underlying severity.

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CD73 is ubiquitously expressed and regulates critical functions across multiple organ systems. The sequential actions of CD39 and CD73 accomplish the conversion of adenosine triphosphate to adenosine and shift the adenosine triphosphate-driven proinflammatory immune cell milieu toward an anti-inflammatory state. This immunological switch is a major mechanism by which regulatory T (Treg) cells control inflammation.

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There is a reported association between oral contact allergy and oral lichen planus (OLP). Likewise oral squamous cell carcinoma (oSCC) is associated with OLP. It is hypothesized that chronic inflammation may contribute to oSCC risk.

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  • Moderate-to-severe atopic dermatitis (AD) significantly affects patients' quality of life, and advanced systemic therapeutics (AST) like dupilumab and upadacitinib are available but underutilized.
  • A study of 3,076 patients in the U.S. found that 436 were eligible for AST treatment, and factors like private insurance and disease severity influenced their treatment initiation.
  • Despite the availability of AST, many patients—47% of adolescents and 58% of adults—remain untreated, highlighting a need for greater advocacy and accessibility for those with severe AD.
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Background: clinical guidelines recommend initiation of antiviral therapy as soon as possible for patients hospitalized with confirmed or suspected influenza.

Methods: A multicenter US observational sentinel surveillance network prospectively enrolled adults (aged ≥18 years) hospitalized with laboratory-confirmed influenza at 24 hospitals during October 1, 2022-July 21, 2023. A multivariable proportional odds model was used to compare peak pulmonary disease severity (no oxygen support, standard supplemental oxygen, high-flow oxygen/non-invasive ventilation, invasive mechanical ventilation, or death) after the day of hospital admission among patients starting oseltamivir treatment on the day of admission (early) versus those who did not (late or not treated), adjusting for baseline (admission day) severity, age, sex, site, and vaccination status.

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Maternal separation (MS) in mice results in behavioral deficits and gut microbiota dysbiosis that all persist into adulthood. Limosilactobacillus reuteri DSM 17938 modulates gut microbiota, alters systemic metabolites, and facilitates immune regulation. To assess the effect of DSM 17938 on biochemical and behavioural stress-associated changes, newborn mice were exposed to unpredictable MS (MSU) daily from day 7 to day 20 of life, with intragastric administration of DSM 17938 or PBS as control.

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Background: Assessments of COVID-19 vaccine effectiveness are needed to monitor the protection provided by updated vaccines against severe COVID-19. We evaluated the effectiveness of original monovalent and bivalent (ancestral strain and Omicron BA.4/5) COVID-19 vaccination against COVID-19-associated hospitalization and severe in-hospital outcomes.

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  • The study focuses on the effects of pertussis toxin (PTx) from Bordetella pertussis and its potential to induce autoimmune responses in mice, specifically examining its interaction with myelin oligodendrocyte peptide (MOG).
  • Mice administered PTx and MOG didn't develop experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE) but exhibited patchy alopecia in 36.4% of cases, linked to immune system changes around hair follicles.
  • Histological analysis confirmed alopecia areata characteristics, showing a disruption of hair follicle immune privilege and increased immune cell activity, highlighting a potential connection between PTx exposure and immune system disorders.
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Background: Electronic health records (EHRs) offer the possibility of using data entry templates to simultaneously document routine clinical care and capture disease-specific measures as discrete data elements that can be used for health services research (HSR). The objective of this study was to determine factors associated with meaningful treatment escalation (MTE) of psoriasis as a pilot study for future real-world HSR studies.

Methods: We conducted a retrospective, observational cohort study of psoriasis patients by using data collected during routine clinical care from an EHR using EpiCare® SmartForms.

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  • The study assessed the effectiveness of the updated 2023-2024 COVID-19 vaccine against hospitalization for two variant lineages, XBB and JN, in hospitalized patients across 26 hospitals in the U.S. between October 2023 and March 2024.
  • The results indicated a vaccine effectiveness (VE) of 54.2% against XBB and 32.7% against JN, suggesting that the JN lineage may have some level of immune escape.
  • However, the severity of cases with the JN lineage was not significantly worse compared to those with the XBB lineage, indicating similar risks of severe outcomes like ICU admission and death.
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  • In a study involving critically ill adults undergoing tracheal intubation, researchers compared preoxygenation methods: noninvasive ventilation versus oxygen mask.
  • The findings revealed that hypoxemia occurred significantly less in the noninvasive-ventilation group (9.1%) compared to the oxygen-mask group (18.5%).
  • Additionally, the incidence of cardiac arrest was lower with noninvasive ventilation (0.2%) compared to the oxygen-mask group (1.1%).
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  • * The CDC's National SARS-CoV-2 Strain Surveillance (NS3) program analyzed SARS-CoV-2 samples to understand the evolution of these variants and their spike mutations from May 2021 to February 2023.
  • * The study found that some subvariants have significantly evaded neutralizing antibodies from post-vaccination sera, indicating a need for ongoing research to evaluate the effectiveness of current vaccines and inform future updates.
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Objectives And Methods: We analyzed upper endoscopic and histological findings in 3 cohorts of children undergoing upper gastrointestinal endoscopy over a 10-year period. Five hundred seventy-nine patients were identified, with 244 (42%), 199 (35%), and 136 (23%) in the 2011, 2015, and 2019 cohorts, respectively. The most common symptoms and signs were abdominal pain, vomiting, failure to thrive, and diarrhea.

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Childhood malnutrition remains a serious global health concern, particularly in low-income nations like Uganda. This study investigated the impact of peanut supplementation on the compositions and functions of gut microbiome with nutritional improvement. School children aged 6-9 years from four rural communities were recruited, with half receiving roasted peanut snacks while the other half served as controls.

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The probiotic DSM 17938 produces anti-inflammatory effects in scurfy (SF) mice, a model characterized by immune dysregulation, polyendocrinopathy, enteropathy, and X-linked inheritance (called IPEX syndrome in humans), caused by regulatory T cell (Treg) deficiency and is due to a Foxp3 gene mutation. Considering the pivotal role of lipids in autoimmune inflammatory processes, we investigated alterations in the relative abundance of lipid profiles in SF mice (± treatment with DSM 17938) compared to normal WT mice. We also examined the correlation between plasma lipids and gut microbiota and circulating inflammatory markers.

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The reliable identification of skin and soft tissue infections (SSTIs) from electronic health records is important for a number of applications, including quality improvement, clinical guideline construction, and epidemiological analysis. However, in the United States, types of SSTIs (e.g.

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The gut-brain axis is gaining more attention in neurodevelopmental disorders, especially autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Many factors can influence microbiota in early life, including host genetics and perinatal events (infections, mode of birth/delivery, medications, nutritional supply, and environmental stressors). The gut microbiome can influence blood-brain barrier (BBB) permeability, drug bioavailability, and social behaviors.

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  • * Conducted at the University of Utah Health, researchers analyzed Skindex-16 scores from 192 patients diagnosed with various AIBD subtypes between 2016 and 2020, assessing disease severity and patient-reported flare status.
  • * Results showed that flare state scores were notably higher, indicating a greater negative effect on skin-related quality of life, and the study also evaluated how well Skindex-16 correlated with medical and patient-reported outcomes.
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Objective: We sought to understand the consequences itchiness has on daily life that may not be immediately obvious in clinical assessments for patients with atopic dermatitis (AD).

Methods: Focus groups and interviews involving 21 patients with AD and 12 family members examined aspects of the effects of itchiness on health-related quality of life (HRQL). Investigators conducted a thematic analysis where two researchers independently coded the narratives and arrived at a consensus on major themes.

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Background: Whether video laryngoscopy as compared with direct laryngoscopy increases the likelihood of successful tracheal intubation on the first attempt among critically ill adults is uncertain.

Methods: In a multicenter, randomized trial conducted at 17 emergency departments and intensive care units (ICUs), we randomly assigned critically ill adults undergoing tracheal intubation to the video-laryngoscope group or the direct-laryngoscope group. The primary outcome was successful intubation on the first attempt.

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Background: Accurate determination of COVID-19 vaccination status is necessary to produce reliable COVID-19 vaccine effectiveness (VE) estimates. Data comparing differences in COVID-19 VE by vaccination sources (i.e.

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Dust grains absorb half of the radiation emitted by stars throughout the history of the universe, re-emitting this energy at infrared wavelengths. Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are large organic molecules that trace millimetre-size dust grains and regulate the cooling of interstellar gas within galaxies. Observations of PAH features in very distant galaxies have been difficult owing to the limited sensitivity and wavelength coverage of previous infrared telescopes.

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