Bivalent Omicron BA.4/BA.5 BNT162b2 Vaccine in 6-Month- to <12-Year-Olds.

Background: With the future epidemiology and evolution of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) uncertain, the use of safe and effective coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccines in pediatric populations remains important.

Methods: We report data from two open-label substudies of an ongoing phase 1/2/3 master study (NCT05543616) investigating the safety and immunogenicity of a variant-adapted bivalent COVID-19 vaccine encoding ancestral and Omicron BA.4/BA.

Serum Troponin I Assessments in 5- to 30-Year-Olds After BNT162b2 Vaccination.

Introduction: Rare myocarditis and pericarditis cases have occurred in coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) messenger RNA (mRNA) vaccine recipients. Troponin levels, a potential marker of myocardial injury, were assessed in healthy participants before and after BNT162b2 vaccination.

Methods: Vaccine-experienced 12- to 30-year-olds in phase 3 crossover C4591031 Substudy B (NCT04955626) who had two or three prior BNT162b2 30-μg doses were randomized to receive BNT162b2 30 μg followed by placebo, or placebo followed by BNT162b2 30 µg, 1 month apart.

Efficacy of a 4-Antigen Staphylococcus aureus Vaccine in Spinal Surgery: The STaphylococcus aureus suRgical Inpatient Vaccine Efficacy (STRIVE) Randomized Clinical Trial.

Background: Staphylococcus aureus is a global pathogen that is frequently responsible for healthcare-associated infections, including surgical site infections (SSIs). Current infection prevention and control approaches may be limited, with S. aureus antibiotic resistance remaining problematic.

Immunogenicity and Safety of a Third COVID-19 BNT162b2 mRNA Vaccine Dose in 5- to 11-Year Olds.

In this ongoing study, substantially increased ancestral SARS-CoV-2 neutralizing responses were observed 1 month after a third 10-µg BNT162b2 dose given to 5 to 11-year olds versus neutralizing responses post-dose 2. After dose 3, increased neutralizing responses against Omicron BA.1 and BA.

Evaluation of BNT162b2 Covid-19 Vaccine in Children Younger than 5 Years of Age.

Background: Safe and effective vaccines against coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) are urgently needed in young children.

Methods: We conducted a phase 1 dose-finding study and are conducting an ongoing phase 2-3 safety, immunogenicity, and efficacy trial of the BNT162b2 vaccine in healthy children 6 months to 11 years of age. We present results for children 6 months to less than 2 years of age and those 2 to 4 years of age through the data-cutoff dates (April 29, 2022, for safety and immunogenicity and June 17, 2022, for efficacy).

Immunogenicity of a 20-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine in adults 18 to 64 years old with medical conditions and other factors that increase risk of pneumococcal disease.

NCT03760146, NCT03828617.

Pivotal Phase 3 Randomized Clinical Trial of the Safety, Tolerability, and Immunogenicity of 20-Valent Pneumococcal Conjugate Vaccine in Adults Aged ≥18 Years.

Background: Pneumococcal conjugate vaccines (PCVs) have significantly reduced pneumococcal disease, but disease from non-PCV serotypes remains. The safety, tolerability, and immunogenicity of a 20-valent PCV (PCV20) were evaluated.

Methods: This pivotal phase 3, randomized, double-blind study enrolled adults into 3 age groups (≥60, 50-59, and 18-49 years) at US and Swedish sites.

Evaluation of the BNT162b2 Covid-19 Vaccine in Children 5 to 11 Years of Age.

Background: Safe, effective vaccines against coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) are urgently needed in children younger than 12 years of age.

Methods: A phase 1, dose-finding study and an ongoing phase 2-3 randomized trial are being conducted to investigate the safety, immunogenicity, and efficacy of two doses of the BNT162b2 vaccine administered 21 days apart in children 6 months to 11 years of age. We present results for 5-to-11-year-old children.

The incidence of stroke among selected patients undergoing elective posterior lumbar fusion: a retrospective cohort study.

Background: Although stroke is a rare complication among spinal surgery patients, the recognition of this adverse event is critical given the aging population undergoing surgical procedures. The objective of this study was to estimate the incidence of stroke among selected adults undergoing elective posterior lumbar fusion (PLF) during various post-operative risk windows and among different subgroups.

Methods: A retrospective cohort study using a longitudinal electronic healthcare record (EHR) database was conducted from January 1, 2007 to June 30, 2018.

New York City HIV Care Continuum Dashboards: Using Surveillance Data to Improve HIV Care Among People Living With HIV in New York City.

Background: HIV surveillance data can be used to improve patient outcomes.

Objective: This study aimed to describe and present findings from the HIV care continuum dashboards (CCDs) initiative, which uses surveillance data to quantify and track outcomes for HIV patients at major clinical institutions in New York City.

Methods: HIV surveillance data collected since 2011 were used to provide high-volume New York City clinical facilities with their performance on two key outcomes: linkage to care (LTC), among patients newly diagnosed with HIV and viral load suppression (VLS), among patients in HIV care.

The development of a staphylococcus aureus four antigen vaccine for use prior to elective orthopedic surgery.

Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) is a challenging bacterial pathogen which can cause a range of diseases, from mild skin infections, to more serious and invasive disease including deep or organ space surgical site infections, life-threatening bacteremia, and sepsis. S.

Optimizing the use of surveillance data for monitoring the care status of persons recently diagnosed with HIV in NYC.

Background: Comprehensive laboratory reporting of CD4 and viral load (VL) tests to surveillance has been used to assess HIV care-related outcomes at the population level, but their validity for this purpose has not been comprehensively evaluated.

Objective: Assess performance characteristics and validity of surveillance-based measures of linkage to and establishment of HIV primary care among HIV-infected persons in the first 12 months after diagnosis using medical record (MR) data on outpatient HIV primary care visits as the gold standard.

Methods: All patients diagnosed with HIV in 2009 at 24 New York City high-volume, HIV diagnostic and treatment facilities who linked to care within 12 months at the same site as defined by the presence of ≥1 CD4/VL report received by surveillance were selected for MR review to confirm linkage to outpatient HIV primary care within the first year.

HIV screening practices for living organ donors, New York State, 2010: need for standard policies.

Our survey of kidney and liver transplant centers in New York State found a wide variation among transplant centers in evaluation and screening for HIV risk and infection among prospective living donors. Survey results underscore the need to standardize practices. A recent transmission of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) from a living donor to a kidney recipient revealed a possible limitation in existing screening protocols for HIV infection in living donors.

Barriers to HIV testing among HIV/AIDS concurrently diagnosed persons in New York City.

Objectives: To assess barriers to human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) testing, health care contacts history, and HIV testing history among patients diagnosed concurrently with HIV and acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS).

Methods: We surveyed patients concurrently diagnosed with HIV/AIDS who had participated in the partner notification program of the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, between January 2008 and December 2008.

Results: The most common reason interviewees volunteered for delaying testing (64%) was that they did not believe they were at risk for HIV.

Impact of accelerated progression to AIDS on public health monitoring of late HIV diagnosis.

Some patients develop AIDS within a year of HIV infection ("accelerated progression"). Classifying such cases as late HIV diagnosis may lead to inaccurate evaluation of HIV testing efforts. We sought to determine this group's contribution to overall late diagnosis rates.

Jail-based providers' perceptions of challenges to routine HIV testing in New York City jails.

About 25% of New York City jail inmates are tested for HIV despite a universal offer of rapid testing at medical intake. Health care workers were surveyed to examine provider-related challenges to testing at medical intake. Of the 291 eligible staff, 215 (73.

Interactive DNA sequence and structure design for DNA nanoapplications.

DNA sequence and structure design is very important for DNA nanoapplications. A computer-aided design tool is needed for exploring DNA sequence and structure of interests before experimental synthesis, which is a time- and labor-consuming process. In this paper, an interactive DNA sequence and structure design software tool called DNA shop is proposed and implemented.

Measurement of global and regional left ventricular function by cardiac PET.

Unlabelled: To permit assessment by positron tomography of left ventricular mechanical function, methods were developed to measure ejection fraction and regional wall motion and produce realistic images of the beating heart from ECG-gated PET data.

Methods: Following red cell labeling with 15O-carbon monoxide, seven-slice PET data were collected in list mode and reformatted into 16 time frames. Volume-rendered cine images were created by the depth-weighted maximum-activity method.