Human Health Surveillance During Animal Disease Emergencies: Minnesota Department of Health Response to Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza Outbreaks, 2015 and 2022-2023.

Objectives: Highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) poses an occupational risk for poultry workers, responders, and others in contact with infected birds. The objective of this analysis was to describe HPAI surveillance methods and outcomes, and highlight the challenges, successes, and lessons learned during the Minnesota Department of Health's (MDH's) public health response to HPAI outbreaks in Minnesota poultry flocks in the years 2015 and 2022-2023.

Methods: During both outbreaks, MDH staff attempted to contact all potentially exposed people and conduct a standardized interview.

Direct targeting of host microtubule and actin cytoskeletons by a chlamydial pathogenic effector protein.

To propagate within a eukaryotic cell, pathogenic bacteria hijack and remodulate host cell functions. The Gram-negative obligate intracellular Chlamydiaceae, which pose a serious threat to human and animal health, attach to host cells and inject effector proteins that reprogram host cell machineries. Members of the conserved chlamydial TarP family have been characterized as major early effectors that bind to and remodel the host actin cytoskeleton.

Mapping spiritual care in small and critical access hospitals in a faith-based US Health system.

Little is known about spiritual care in small hospitals and critical access hospitals (CAHs), essential sources of health care in rural areas of the US. Using interview-administered surveys with spiritual care providers, we examined spiritual care services in 19 facilities, including seven small hospitals, nine CAHs, and three freestanding emergency departments, in one religiously-owned healthcare system. We identified four groups of facilities based on intensity/frequency of chaplain availability.

Nivolumab + Tacrolimus + Prednisone ± Ipilimumab for Kidney Transplant Recipients With Advanced Cutaneous Cancers.

Purpose: Cancer-related mortality rates among kidney transplant recipients (KTR) are high, but these patients have largely been excluded from trials of immune checkpoint inhibitors because of immunosuppression and risk of treatment-related allograft loss (TRAL). We conducted a prospective clinical trial testing nivolumab (NIVO) + tacrolimus (TACRO) + prednisone (PRED) ± ipilimumab (IPI) in KTR with advanced cutaneous cancers.

Methods: Adult KTR with advanced melanoma or basal, cutaneous squamous, or Merkel cell carcinomas were eligible.

Immune microenvironment of basal cell carcinoma and tumor regression following combined PD-1/LAG-3 blockade.

Systemic treatment options for patients with locally advanced or metastatic basal cell carcinoma (BCC) are limited, particularly when tumors are refractory to anti-programmed cell death protein-1 (PD-1). A better understanding of immune checkpoint expression within the BCC tumor microenvironment may inform combinatorial treatment strategies to optimize response rates. CD3, PD-1, programmed death ligand-1 (PD-L1), lymphocyte activation gene 3 (LAG-3), and T-cell immunoglobulin domain and mucin domain 3 (TIM-3)+ cell densities within the tumor microenvironment of 34 archival, histologically aggressive BCCs were assessed.

Assessing Child Life Specialists' Management of Challenging Behaviors in Autistic Pediatric Patients.

Given that autistic children are hospitalized at higher rates than neurotypical peers, it is important to understand the autism-specific preparedness of healthcare providers. Certified Child Life Specialists (CCLSs) play a crucial role in pediatric hospitalizations by providing socioemotional support and coping strategies. The present study assessed perceived competency and comfort levels among 131 CCLSs regarding the management of challenging behaviors exhibited by autistic pediatric patients, including aggression and self-injury.

Longitudinal Serum Protein Analysis of Women with a High Risk of Developing Breast Cancer Reveals Large Interpatient Versus Small Intrapatient Variations: First Results from the TESTBREAST Study.

The prospective, multicenter TESTBREAST study was initiated with the aim of identifying a novel panel of blood-based protein biomarkers to enable early breast cancer detection for moderate-to-high-risk women. Serum samples were collected every (half) year up until diagnosis. Protein levels were longitudinally measured to determine intrapatient and interpatient variabilities.

Comparing fears about paediatric HIV disclosure to the lived experiences of parents and guardians: a prospective cohort study.

Objective: We aimed to: (1) follow parents and guardians through the process of paediatric HIV disclosure to understand how often pre-disclosure worries are realised; and (2) estimate the effects of disclosure on child, caregiver, and family well-being.

Design: We conducted a 12-month prospective cohort study in Zimbabwe with 123 primary caregivers of children ages 9 to 15 years who were HIV positive but did not know their serostatus at baseline. By the end of the study period 65 caregivers reported that their child learned his or her HIV-positive status.

Immune-modulating properties of blue light do not influence reepithelization in vitro.

Phototherapy is gaining more attention in the treatment of various diseases. Especially, blue light seems to be a promising approach for wound healing promotion due to its antimicrobial and immune-modulating properties. Despite this, there is only little research focusing on the immune-modulating properties of blue light and its possible effects on wound healing.

Tumor MHC Class I Expression Associates with Intralesional IL2 Response in Melanoma.

Cancer immunotherapy can result in lasting tumor regression, but predictive biomarkers of treatment response remain ill-defined. Here, we performed single-cell proteomics, transcriptomics, and genomics on matched untreated and IL2 injected metastases from patients with melanoma. Lesions that completely regressed following intralesional IL2 harbored increased fractions and densities of nonproliferating CD8+ T cells lacking expression of PD-1, LAG-3, and TIM-3 (PD-1-LAG-3-TIM-3-).

Changes in Factors Regulating Serum Sodium Homeostasis During Two Ultra-Endurance Mountain Races of Different Distances: 69km vs. 121km.

Overdrinking and non-osmotic arginine vasopressin release are the main risk factors for exercise-associated hyponatremia (EAH) in ultra-marathon events. However, particularly during ultra-marathon running in mountainous regions, eccentric exercise and hypoxia, which have been shown to modulate inflammation, hormones regulating fluid homeostasis (hypoxia), and oxidative stress, could contribute to serum sodium changes in a dose-dependent manner. To the best of our knowledge, the contribution of these factors, the extent of which depends on the duration and geographical location of the race, has not been well studied.

Chaplaincy Care in the MICU: Examining the Association Between Spiritual Care and End-of-Life Outcomes.

Background: Seriously ill patients admitted to the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) experience severe spiritual and existential distress. Patients' surrogate decision makers face the burden of making complex decisions about their loved ones' care. Experienced chaplains may play a role in assisting with decision-making, possibly by aligning patients' values and wishes with treatment plans and avoiding non-beneficial aggressive measures.

Hypoxia and hypercapnia effects on cerebral oxygen saturation in avalanche burial: A pilot human experimental study.

Background: A sufficient supply of oxygen is crucial to avoid hypoxic cardiac arrest and brain damage within 30 min in completely-buried avalanche victims. Snow density influences levels of hypoxia and hypercapnia. The goal of this study was to investigate the effects of hypoxia and hypercapnia on cerebral oxygenation (ScO) in humans breathing into an artificial air pocket.

Structure-Property Relationships in Bithiophenes with Hydrogen-Bonded Substituents.

The use of crystal engineering to control the supramolecular arrangement of π-conjugated molecules in the solid-state is of considerable interest for the development of novel organic electronic materials. In this study, we investigated the effect of combining of two types of supramolecular interaction with different geometric requirements, amide hydrogen bonding and π-interactions, on the π-overlap between calamitic π-conjugated cores. To this end, we prepared two series of bithiophene diesters and diamides with methylene, ethylene, or propylene spacers between the bithiophene core and the functional groups in their terminal substituents.

Performance Determinants in Short (68 km) and Long (121 km) Mountain Ultra-Marathon Races.

Background:  Standard performance parameters measured during a laboratory test have been shown to be related to mountain ultra-marathon performance up to a competition length of 75 km. It is not known if a similar relationship exists for longer races.

Objective:  This study aimed to investigate the association between laboratory-based performance parameters and performance times in a short (68 km) and a long (121 km) mountain ultra-marathon.

Chaplaincy Care in the MICU: Describing the Spiritual Care Provided to MICU Patients and Families at the End of Life.

Background: Gravely ill patients admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU), and their families experience acute spiritual and existential needs and often require complex decisions about their care. Little is known about what constitutes chaplaincy care for patients or families in ICUs. Chaplains report that participation in medical decision-making is part of their role.

Caregiver self-efficacy to talk about sex predicts conversations about HIV transmission risk with perinatally infected young people in Zimbabwe.

Given advances in care and treatment for HIV, perinatally infected young people are surviving into adolescence. These young people are making decisions about engaging in sexual relationships and it is critical to ensure they have the information they need to engage responsibly in sexual activity, particularly in an era where adherence to treatment could make their virus undetectable. The main objective of this analysis was to examine whether an HIV-positive young person's knowledge about forward transmission is associated with caregiver self-efficacy to talk about sex and general caregiver communication.

Perinatal mental health care from the user and provider perspective: protocol for a qualitative study in Switzerland.

Background: Mental disorders in the perinatal period (PMD) can severely harm women and their children if not detected early and treated appropriately. Even though mental health care is covered by health insurance and is used widely by women in the perinatal period in Switzerland, it is not known if the care provided is meeting the needs of the patients and is efficient in the view of health care professionals. The aim of this study is to identify strengths, gaps and requirements for adequate mental health care in the perinatal period from the perspectives of patients and care providers for a wide range of relevant mental disorders.

Venous Pooling in Suspension Syndrome Assessed with Ultrasound.

Introduction: Suspension syndrome describes a potentially life-threatening event during passive suspension on a rope. The pathophysiological mechanism is not fully understood; however, the most widespread hypothesis assumes blood pools in the lower extremities, prompting a reduction in cardiac preload and cardiac output and leading to tissue hypoperfusion, loss of consciousness, and death. The aim of this study was to assess venous pooling by ultrasound in simulated suspension syndrome using human subjects.

A review of canakinumab and its therapeutic potential for non-small cell lung cancer.

Inflammation is essential for our innate and adaptive immunity, but chronic inflammation can also be detrimental, playing a role in tumor development and subversion of host immunity. A multitude of proteins and cytokines are involved in chronic inflammation; interleukin-1β, in particular, has been recognized as a critical pro-inflammatory cytokine that can trigger a cascade of inflammatory mediators, promoting angiogenesis, tumor invasiveness, and metastasis. The inhibition of interleukin-1β with the antibody canakinumab was recently highlighted in a large-scale trial studying the effects of the inflammatory modulating antibody in heart disease.