The Rcs (regulator of capsule synthesis) phosphorelay is a conserved cell envelope stress response mechanism in enterobacteria. It responds to perturbations at the cell surface and the peptidoglycan layer from a variety of sources, including antimicrobial peptides, beta-lactams, and changes in osmolarity. RcsF, an outer membrane lipoprotein, is the sensor for this pathway and activates the phosphorelay by interacting with an inner membrane protein IgaA.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Because biologic and small molecule therapy is expensive, payors have mandated pre-authorizations for these medications, often resulting in a lengthy approval process. The aims of this study are to assess the frequency of and risk factors for delays in starting advanced therapies assessing insurance, care team, and patient-related factors.
Methods: Retrospective, multi-center study of adult inflammatory bowel disease patients with prescriptions for an advanced therapy in two geographically distinct academic gastroenterology practices; one with and the other without a dedicated pharmacist.
Physicians have a responsibility to reduce the environmental harms from health care waste. Residents contribute to waste during bedside procedures. To calculate waste and estimated cost reduction with the introduction of a novel resident-designed paracentesis kit at a single academic center in Texas in 2023.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFFibroelastolytic papulosis (FEP) is an acquired cutaneous disorder of elastin that encompasses both white fibrous papulosis of the neck (WFPN) and pseudoxanthoma elasticum (PXE)-like papillary dermal elastolysis (PDE). Although FEP is a benign acquired disorder, it shares overlapping clinical features with pseudoxanthoma elasticum (PXE), a genetic disorder with systemic manifestations. We report two cases of FEP, including the WFPN and PXE-like PDE variants, in elderly women.
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