Diversity Impacts of Coronavirus Disease 2019.

This article describes how coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) health disparities relate to the social determinants of health and reviews the importance of a diverse nursing workforce prepared to advance social justice. The article reviews recommendations from the National Academy of Medicine and highlights practical strategies to promote diversity and social justice, including mentoring nurses from underrepresented backgrounds, amplifying diverse nursing voices, and leveraging the power of coalitions. In highlighting the interwoven impact of COVID-19 and demand for social change throughout 2020 to 2022, the article strives to move beyond the acute COVID-19 crisis to sustained social justice in health care.

Review of Sensor Technology to Support Automated Air-to-Air Refueling of a Probe Configured Uncrewed Aircraft.

As technologies advance and applications for uncrewed aircraft increase, the capability to conduct automated air-to-air refueling becomes increasingly important. This paper provides a review of required sensors to enable automated air-to-air refueling for an uncrewed aircraft, as well as a review of published research on the topic. Automated air-to-air refueling of uncrewed aircraft eliminates the need for ground infrastructure for intermediate refueling, as well as the need for on-site personnel.

Safety and Efficacy of Natalizumab as Adjunctive Therapy for People With Drug-Resistant Epilepsy: A Phase 2 Study.

Background And Objectives: To explore efficacy/safety of natalizumab, a humanized monoclonal anti-α4-integrin antibody, as adjunctive therapy in adults with drug-resistant focal epilepsy.

Methods: Participants with ≥6 seizures during the 6-week baseline period were randomized 1:1 to receive natalizumab 300 mg IV or placebo every 4 weeks for 24 weeks. Primary efficacy outcome was change from baseline in log-transformed seizure frequency, with a predefined threshold for therapeutic success of 31% relative reduction in seizure frequency over the placebo group.

Use of an electronic seizure diary in a randomized, controlled trial of natalizumab in adult participants with drug-resistant focal epilepsy.

Objective: To analyze electronic diary (e-diary) use in a phase 2, randomized, controlled clinical trial (OPUS; NCT03283371) of natalizumab in adult participants with drug-resistant focal epilepsy.

Methods: We developed an e-diary, which incorporated an episodic seizure diary and a daily diary reminder, for use as the primary source to record participants' daily seizure activity in the OPUS phase 2 clinical trial. Participants and/or their designated caregivers made e-diary entries by selecting seizure descriptions generated in the participants' and/or caregivers' own words at the time of screening.

The Health Wagon Partners with the Virginia Department of Health to Provide COVID-19 Testing in Rural Southwest Virginia.

The Health Wagon has been providing care for the rural population of southwest Virginia for the past 40 years. The mission of the Health Wagon is to provide quality health care to the medically underserved people in the mountains of Appalachia. It has expanded to two stationary clinics, three mobile units, and a mobile dental unit, logging over 19,000 patients encounters in the past year.

Utility of evaluating HCV in an uninsured population.

Objectives: Although effective HCV treatment is available, it can be difficult to access for uninsured, urban patients. Our aim was to assess the utility of evaluation and outcomes in the uninsured with HCV when access to health care and treatment with triple therapy is provided.

Methods: We performed a retrospective review of consecutive patients referred for HCV from 2011 to June 2013 to an indigent HCV clinic.

Long term changes in liver histology following treatment of chronic hepatitis C virus.

Background And Aims: The histologic hallmarks of chronic HCV include inflammation and fibrosis. The impact of interferon therapy on liver histology was evaluated.

Material And Methods: The study population consisted of 348 patients with chronic HCV who underwent a baseline liver biopsy, received either no treatment or a single course of interferon based therapy, were followed for 5 years without any treatment or additional treatment and then underwent a repeat liver biopsy.

Cell surface glycoproteomic analysis of prostate cancer-derived PC-3 cells.

Most clinically approved biomarkers of cancer are glycoproteins, and those residing on the cell surface are of particular interest in biotherapeutics. We report a method for selective labeling, affinity enrichment, and identification of cell-surface glycoproteins. PC-3 cells and primary human prostate cancer tissue were treated with peracetylated N-azidoacetylgalactosamine, resulting in metabolic labeling of cell surface glycans with the azidosugar.

Metabolic cross-talk allows labeling of O-linked beta-N-acetylglucosamine-modified proteins via the N-acetylgalactosamine salvage pathway.

Hundreds of mammalian nuclear and cytoplasmic proteins are reversibly glycosylated by O-linked β-N-acetylglucosamine (O-GlcNAc) to regulate their function, localization, and stability. Despite its broad functional significance, the dynamic and posttranslational nature of O-GlcNAc signaling makes it challenging to study using traditional molecular and cell biological techniques alone. Here, we report that metabolic cross-talk between the N-acetylgalactosamine salvage and O-GlcNAcylation pathways can be exploited for the tagging and identification of O-GlcNAcylated proteins.

Mild alcohol consumption is not associated with increased fibrosis in patients with chronic hepatitis C.

Background: Excessive alcohol consumption is associated with an increased risk for fibrosis progression and cirrhosis in patients with chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection. However, the impact of mild-moderate alcohol use on the severity of liver fibrosis is unclear.

Goals: The objective of this retrospective study was to assess the impact of mild alcohol consumption on liver fibrosis in patients with chronic HCV.

Treatment of chronic hepatitis C virus genotype 1 with peginterferon, ribavirin, and epoetin alpha.

Unlabelled: Successful treatment of chronic HCV with peginterferon (PEGIFN) and ribavirin (RVN) is often limited by anemia. We performed the present study to determine if utilizing epoetin alpha (EPO) with or without a higher dose of RVN could enhance sustained virologic response (SVR). We randomized 150 treatment-naive patients with chronic HCV genotype 1 into 3 treatment groups: (1) PEGIFN alpha-2b (1.

A chemical reporter strategy to probe glycoprotein fucosylation.

Fucosylated glycoproteins are involved in many cell-cell recognition events and are markers of embryonic and malignant tissue. Here we report a method for rapid profiling of fucosylated glycoproteins from human cells using 6-azido fucose as a metabolic label.

Molecular basis for G protein control of the prokaryotic ATP sulfurylase.

Sulfate assimilation is a critical component of both primary and secondary metabolism. An essential step in this pathway is the activation of sulfate through adenylation by the enzyme ATP sulfurylase (ATPS), forming adenosine 5'-phosphosulfate (APS). Proteobacterial ATPS overcomes this energetically unfavorable reaction by associating with a regulatory G protein, coupling the energy of GTP hydrolysis to APS formation.