Publications by authors named "S J Spector"
Article Synopsis
- Arboviruses pose a significant public health risk, especially as cardiovascular symptoms related to these infections are becoming more recognized.
- A study explored how various arboviruses, particularly the alphaviruses chikungunya and Mayaro, interact with human cardiac cells, revealing that while Mayaro can replicate effectively, the Indian Ocean Lineage of chikungunya shows complete replication restrictions.
- The research suggests that this replication restriction occurs during the virus's entry and exit from cells, and hints that Mayaro may better evade the immune response in heart cells, warranting further investigation into how these dynamics affect disease outcomes.
Background: Hepatitis Delta Virus (HDV) infection is the most severe form of chronic hepatitis. However, studies on outcomes and causes of death in a United States-born population, with primarily horizontal transmission of HDV, are lacking. The aim of this study was to conduct a national study of patients with hepatitis D to understand the natural history and outcomes compared to patients with hepatitis B virus (HBV).
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- Sacral nerve stimulation (SNS) has been used for over 20 years to treat fecal incontinence and this review aims to evaluate its long-term effectiveness over a follow-up period of at least 36 months.
- A total of 36 studies involving 3770 participants were analyzed, though all studies showed a serious risk of bias, and success rates varied widely, indicating that while SNS typically improves symptoms and quality of life, definitions of success differ across studies.
- Despite significant improvements in symptoms and quality of life reported, the findings are limited due to inconsistent study designs and a lack of comparative trials, with a notable revision rate of 35.2% and explantation rate of 19.7%.
Article Synopsis
- - Substance use disorders (SUD) and drug addiction significantly impact public health, particularly among individuals and their communities, with a notable overlap between SUD and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infections.
- - The connection between SUD and HIV is complex, as HIV can increase the risk of SUD through chronic pain treatment, while those with SUD are more likely to contract HIV, highlighting the need for integrated research.
- - The SCORCH consortium aims to utilize single-cell genomics to examine the interactions between SUD and HIV at a cellular level, leveraging human brain tissue collections and animal models for in-depth study.
Article Synopsis
- Scientists studied a virus called chikungunya and found changes in its protein that affect how it infects cells.
- They discovered specific mutations in the virus’s E1 protein that change another protein called E2, making it easier for the virus to enter different types of cells.
- The study showed that these changes can make the virus infect more effectively in mosquitoes and certain cell types, which helps us understand how the virus spreads and could help fight it.