The effects of rain and drought on incidence of enteric disease in Pennsylvania (2010-2019).

Background: Campylobacter, nontyphoidal Salmonella, Cryptosporidium, and Giardia cause an estimated 1 million cases of domestically acquired waterborne diseases annually in the United States. Acute symptoms can include diarrhea and vomiting; however, these illnesses can result in longer term complications such as reactive arthritis, Guillan Barré syndrome and death, particularly in immunocompromised individuals. Precipitation and drought can plausibly increase the risk of enteric infections, but consensus in the literature is lacking.

Hippocampal Glutamate, Resting Perfusion and the Effects of Cannabidiol in Psychosis Risk.

Background: Preclinical and human data suggest that psychosis onset involves hippocampal glutamatergic dysfunction, driving hyperactivity and hyperperfusion in a hippocampal-midbrain-striatal circuit. Whether glutamatergic dysfunction is related to cerebral perfusion in patients at clinical high risk (CHR) for psychosis, and whether cannabidiol (CBD) has ameliorative effects on glutamate or its relationship with perfusion remains unknown.

Methods: Using a double-blind, parallel-group design, 33 CHR patients were randomized to a single 600 mg dose of CBD or placebo; 19 healthy controls did not receive any drug.

Tracking single hiPSC-derived cardiomyocyte contractile function using CONTRAX an efficient pipeline for traction force measurement.

Cardiomyocytes derived from human induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSC-CMs) are powerful in vitro models to study the mechanisms underlying cardiomyopathies and cardiotoxicity. Quantification of the contractile function in single hiPSC-CMs at high-throughput and over time is essential to disentangle how cellular mechanisms affect heart function. Here, we present CONTRAX, an open-access, versatile, and streamlined pipeline for quantitative tracking of the contractile dynamics of single hiPSC-CMs over time.

DIAPH1-MFN2 interaction regulates mitochondria-SR/ER contact and modulates ischemic/hypoxic stress.

Inter-organelle contact and communication between mitochondria and sarco/endoplasmic reticulum (SR/ER) maintain cellular homeostasis and are profoundly disturbed during tissue ischemia. We tested the hypothesis that the formin Diaphanous-1 (DIAPH1), which regulates actin dynamics, signal transduction and metabolic functions, contributes to these processes. We demonstrate that DIAPH1 interacts directly with Mitofusin-2 (MFN2) to shorten mitochondria-SR/ER distance, thereby enhancing mitochondria-ER contact in cells including cardiomyocytes, endothelial cells and macrophages.

The Nereididae (Annelida) - diagnoses, descriptions, and a key to the genera.

Nereididae is among the most familiar of marine annelid families, common and well-studied in most marine environments but paradoxically no recent key or identification guide exists to the world's genera. Here updated generic descriptions, a list of characters, a linear key to genera, and minimal diagnoses that distinguish each genus from all others in the family are provided. This information is generated from a Delta database of 186 morphological characters and a link is provided to downloadable software allowing the same data to be interrogated using the open-source Delta program Intkey - a nonlinear multiple entry point computerised interactive key.

Increased hippocampal blood flow in people at clinical high risk for psychosis and effects of cannabidiol.

Background: Hippocampal hyperperfusion has been observed in people at Clinical High Risk for Psychosis (CHR), is associated with adverse longitudinal outcomes and represents a potential treatment target for novel pharmacotherapies. Whether cannabidiol (CBD) has ameliorative effects on hippocampal blood flow (rCBF) in CHR patients remains unknown.

Methods: Using a double-blind, parallel-group design, 33 CHR patients were randomized to a single oral 600 mg dose of CBD or placebo; 19 healthy controls did not receive any drug.

Pharmacological antagonism of receptor for advanced glycation end products signaling promotes thermogenesis, healthful body mass and composition, and metabolism in mice.

Objective: Optimal body mass and composition as well as metabolic fitness require tightly regulated and interconnected mechanisms across tissues. Disturbances in these regulatory networks tip the balance between metabolic health versus overweight and obesity and their complications. The authors previously demonstrated roles for the receptor for advanced glycation end products (RAGE) in obesity, as global- or adipocyte-specific deletion of Ager (the gene encoding RAGE) protected mice from high-fat diet-induced obesity and metabolic dysfunction.

Genetic Factors Associated with Absolute and Relative Plasma Concentrations of Calcitriol.

Background: Little is known regarding factors associated with calcitriol and a relative measure of calcitriol, the calcitriol-24,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3-calcifediol proportion ratio (C24CPR).

Methods: Using a cross-sectional study design, healthy young adults of African and European descent, matched (1:1) on age (±5 years) provided a blood sample in non-summer months (N = 376). Vitamin D metabolites were measured in plasma with HPLC/MS-MS.

The RAGE/DIAPH1 axis: mediator of obesity and proposed biomarker of human cardiometabolic disease.

Overweight and obesity are leading causes of cardiometabolic dysfunction. Despite extensive investigation, the mechanisms mediating the increase in these conditions are yet to be fully understood. Beyond the endogenous formation of advanced glycation endproducts (AGEs) in overweight and obesity, exogenous sources of AGEs accrue through the heating, production, and consumption of highly processed foods.

Effects of Intermittent Energy Restriction Alone and in Combination with Sprint Interval Training on Body Composition and Cardiometabolic Biomarkers in Individuals with Overweight and Obesity.

The popularity of intermittent fasting (IF) and high intensity (sprint) interval training (SIT) has increased in recent years amongst the general public due to their purported health benefits and feasibility of incorporation into daily life. The number of scientific studies investigating these strategies has also increased, however, very few have examined the combined effects, especially on body composition and cardiometabolic biomarkers, which is the primary aim of this investigation. A total of thirty-four male and female participants (age: 35.

Cannabidiol attenuates insular activity during motivational salience processing in patients with early psychosis.

Background: The mechanisms underlying the antipsychotic potential of cannabidiol (CBD) remain unclear but growing evidence indicates that dysfunction in the insula, a key brain region involved in the processing of motivationally salient stimuli, may have a role in the pathophysiology of psychosis. Here, we investigate whether the antipsychotic mechanisms of CBD are underpinned by their effects on insular activation, known to be involved in salience processing.

Methods: A within-subject, crossover, double-blind, placebo-controlled investigation of 19 healthy controls and 15 participants with early psychosis was conducted.

The case for using mixed methods for designing, implementing, and disseminating evidence-based interventions for public health practice.

A well-recognized gap exists between findings from public health research and their use in public health practice to improve outcomes. The World Health Organization (WHO) has identified implementation research as vital to improving the adaptation and dissemination of public health interventions into real-world settings. Implementation research encompasses multimethod evaluation approaches; 'mixed methods', the planned integration of qualitative and quantitative methods, is a key tool.

Consent for Intimate Exams on Unconscious Patients: Sharpening Legislative Efforts.

The practice of nonconsensual intimate exams performed on unconscious patients by medical students during their training has received significant attention in the last several years. Clinicians, medical students, bioethicists, lawyers, and the public have called for explicit and specific consent to take place before all educational intimate examinations of unconscious patients. In response, since January of 2019, dozens of bills have been proposed in more than twenty states, and thirteen of these have been signed into law (in addition to six that passed before 2019).

Wafer-Scale Patterning of Protein Templates for Hydrogel Fabrication.

Human-induced pluripotent stem cell-derived cardiomyocytes are a potentially unlimited cell source and promising patient-specific in vitro model of cardiac diseases. Yet, these cells are limited by immaturity and population heterogeneity. Current in vitro studies aiming at better understanding of the mechanical and chemical cues in the microenvironment that drive cellular maturation involve deformable materials and precise manipulation of the microenvironment with, for example, micropatterns.

Coffee intake and trace element blood concentrations in association with renal cell cancer among smokers.

Purpose: To determine whether higher coffee intake may reduce the risk of renal cell cancer (RCC) associated with lead (Pb) and other heavy metals with known renal toxicity.

Methods: We conducted a nested case-control study of male smokers (136 RCC cases and 304 controls) within the Alpha-Tocopherol, Beta-Carotene Cancer Prevention Study. Cases diagnosed with RCC at 5 or more years following cohort enrollment were matched to controls on age (± 7 years) and whole blood draw date (± 30 days).

Altered relationship between cortisol response to social stress and mediotemporal function during fear processing in people at clinical high risk for psychosis: a preliminary report.

Evidence suggests that people at Clinical High Risk for Psychosis (CHR) have a blunted cortisol response to stress and altered mediotemporal activation during fear processing, which may be neuroendocrine-neuronal signatures of maladaptive threat responses. However, whether these facets are associated with each other and how this relationship is affected by cannabidiol treatment is unknown. We examined the relationship between cortisol response to social stress and mediotemporal function during fear processing in healthy people and in CHR patients.

Efficacy of oil and gas produced water as a dust suppressant.

The effectiveness of oil and gas produced water (OGPW) applied to unpaved roads to reduce particulate matter (PM) generation has not been well-characterized. Here we quantify the efficacy of OGPW compared to commercial and alternative byproducts as dust suppressants applied to unpaved roads and estimate efficacy of a dust suppressant extrapolated from both lab experiments and published data for OGPW across U.S.

What Works (or Does Not) in Community Risk Management for Persons Convicted of Sexual Offenses? A Contemporary Perspective.

Contemporary data from the United States show that rates of sexual offending and reoffending have been in steady decline for decades. Nonetheless, nonprofessionals continue to view sexual violence as a community safety issue fraught with risk and uncertainty. The past 30 years have been witness to considerable research and practice in the assessment, treatment, and risk management of persons who have sexually offended.

Vitamin D and family history of hypertension in relation to hypertension status among college students.

Hypertension and vitamin D concentrations have heritable components, although these factors remain uninvestigated in young adults. The objective of this study was to investigate hypertension risk among young adults with respect to family history of hypertension, adjusting for vitamin D status. Resting blood pressure (BP) was measured in 398 individuals aged 18-35 and classified according to the 2017 American Heart Association criteria.

Inflammation Meets Metabolism: Roles for the Receptor for Advanced Glycation End Products Axis in Cardiovascular Disease.

Fundamental modulation of energy metabolism in immune cells is increasingly being recognized for the ability to impart important changes in cellular properties. In homeostasis, cells of the innate immune system, such as monocytes, macrophages and dendritic cells (DCs), are enabled to respond rapidly to various forms of acute cellular and environmental stress, such as pathogens. In chronic stress milieus, these cells may undergo a re-programming, thereby triggering processes that may instigate tissue damage and failure of resolution.