An evaluation of the feasibility and acceptability of sister circles as an anxiety intervention for pregnant Black women.

Background: Black women and their infants face heightened health risks during pregnancy, labor, and delivery that, for many, cost them their lives. Such health risks during this critical period are linked to increased rates of anxiety among Black pregnant and postpartum women. Black women also endure racism when seeking support from mental health and healthcare providers, which further contributes to pregnancy and postpartum-related anxiety.

Outcomes After Second-Line Antiretroviral Therapy in Children Living With HIV in Latin America.

Background: Little is known about the long-term outcomes of children living with HIV in Latin America. Few studies have examined antiretroviral therapy (ART) regimen switches in the years after the introduction of ART in this population. This study aimed to assess clinical outcomes among children who started second-line ART in the Caribbean, Central and South America network for HIV epidemiology.

Hair Cortisol Concentration and Perceived Chronic Stress in Low-Income Urban Pregnant and Postpartum Black Women.

Black women are more likely to experience short- or long-term health consequences from their labor and delivery and die from pregnancy-related causes than White women. Similarly, infants born to Black women also have heightened health risks. Developing research suggests that a contributing factor to Black health disparities may be maternal chronic stress.

A Robust Metatranscriptomic Technology for Population-Scale Studies of Diet, Gut Microbiome, and Human Health.

A functional readout of the gut microbiome is necessary to enable precise control of the gut microbiome's functions, which support human health and prevent or minimize a wide range of chronic diseases. Stool metatranscriptomic analysis offers a comprehensive functional view of the gut microbiome, but despite its usefulness, it has rarely been used in clinical studies due to its complexity, cost, and bioinformatic challenges. This method has also received criticism due to potential intrasample variability, rapid changes, and RNA degradation.

Evaluation of the Effectiveness of a Musical Cognitive Restructuring App for Black Inner-City Girls: Survey, Usage, and Focus Group Evaluation.

Background: Research on mobile health (mHealth) app use during adolescence is growing; however, little attention has been paid to black adolescents, particularly black girls, who are generally underresearched and underserved in psychological intervention research. Cognitive restructuring is an important tool in anxiety and fear management and involves two parts: (1) recognizing and deconstructing erroneous thoughts and (2) replacing negative anxiety and stress-provoking thoughts with positive thoughts. In our work with black adolescent females, we found that cognitive restructuring is a difficult skill to practice on one's own.

Rabbit anti-thymocyte globulin for the prevention of acute rejection in kidney transplantation.

This report describes the results of 2 international randomized trials (total of 508 kidney transplant recipients). The primary objective was to assess the noninferiority of rabbit anti-thymocyte globulin (rATG, Thymoglobulin ) versus interleukin-2 receptor antagonists (IL2RAs) for the quadruple endpoint (treatment failure defined as biopsy-proven acute rejection, graft loss, death, or loss to follow-up) to serve as the pivotal data for United States (US) regulatory approval of rATG. The pooled analysis provided an incidence of treatment failure of 25.

Treatment of shoulder pathologies based on irritability: a case series.

: Case Series. : Shoulder pain is a prevalent problem in health care. Traditionally, treatment is based on a pathoanatomical diagnosis determined through the use of special tests.

Influence of CNTRENE C100LM carbon nanotube material on the growth and regulation of .

The growing use of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) in industrial and consumer products raises important questions about their environmental fate and impact on prokaryotes. In the environment, CNTs are exposed to a variety of conditions (e.g.

Maternal pulmonary oedema during foetoscopic surgery.

We report a case of maternal pulmonary oedema necessitating intubation and ventilation with associated hyperchloraemic metabolic acidosis during foetoscopic laser surgery for twin-twin transfusion syndrome (TTTS), believed to be secondary to absorption of normal saline irrigation fluid. TTTS complicates 10% to 20% of monochorionic twin pregnancies and develops due to imbalanced vascular anastomoses and consequent unidirectional transfusion between the twins. The recipient is at risk of cardiac failure due to circulatory overload and the donor twin becomes hypoperfused.

Risk-adjusted relationship between voriconazole utilization and non-melanoma skin cancer among lung and heart/lung transplant patients.

Background: We examined the relationship between voriconazole utilization and non-melanoma skin cancer (NMSC) development among adult lung and heart/lung transplant patients who were continuously enrolled in a large U.S. commercial health plan.

Bis[2-(3-carboxyphenoxy)carbonylethyl]phosphinic acid (m-BCCEP): a novel affinity cross-linking reagent for the beta-cleft modification of human hemoglobin.

The design and synthesis of bis[2-(3-carboxyphenoxy)carbonylethyl]phosphinic acid (m-BCCEP, 1) as a site-directed affinity reagent for cross-linking human hemoglobin have been reported as part of our long-term goal to generate artificial blood for emergency transfusions. Molecular modeling techniques were used to design the reagent, employing crystal coordinates of human hemoglobin A(0) imported from the Protein Data Bank. It was synthesized in four steps commencing from 3-hydroxybenzoic acid.

Spontaneous imagery in women with bulimia nervosa: an investigation into content, characteristics and links to childhood memories.

The study investigated the presence and characteristics of spontaneous imagery in women with bulimia nervosa (BN) and their links to childhood memories. Using a semi-structured interview, data was collected from three groups of female participants: BN participants (N=13), dieting (N=18) and non-dieting controls (N=20). BN participants reported more spontaneous images than non-dieting control participants.

Using imagery to identify and characterise core beliefs in women with bulimia nervosa, dieting and non-dieting women.

Women with bulimia nervosa (BN), dieters and non-dieting control participants were questioned about spontaneous imagery linked to concern with food and eating, weight and shape. The downward arrow technique was used to access any associated negative or core beliefs, which were examined for belief, distress and content. A semi-structured interview with open and closed questions was used.

A retrospective assessment of pre-treatment variables on the response to darbepoetin alfa after renal transplantation.

This retrospective review assesses the efficacy of darbepoetin alfa for treating anemia after renal transplantation. Patients were evaluated over a 12-week period, and efficacy was based on achieving hemoglobin >12 g/dL. Thirty-six patients were analyzed (53% male, 53% cadaveric allografts, median age 42.

Modeling disease elimination.

The effect of the elimination of mortality from heart disease and cancer was modelled mathematically to allow for the effect of other competing causes of death. The model allows for potential dependence between heart disease or cancer and other causes of death by using cupola functions, which analyse the individual risk itself and the dependence structure between causes of death by using correlation coefficients. As the strength of these risk associations is unknown, the study investigated both full positive and negative dependence and compared this with no dependence.

Cost advantages of oral drug therapy for managing cytomegalovirus disease.

Cost advantages of the oral route of drug therapy administration over the intravenous route for managing cytomegalovirus (CMV) disease are described. The overall costs usually are lower for the oral route of administration than for the intravenous route, although the cost to the patient depends on insurance coverage. Other advantages of the oral route include greater safety and convenience, which may improve patient adherence and quality of life.

Early experience with sirolimus in lung transplant recipients with chronic allograft rejection.

Background: Chronic lung allograft rejection, commonly manifest as obliterative bronchiolitis (OB/BOS), hinders long-term survival after lung transplantation (LT). OB/BOS is traditionally treated with augmented immunosuppression and results in short-term stabilization in pulmonary function for most patients. However, peribronchiolar fibroproliferation and airway obstruction usually recur despite initial improvements seen with increases in immunosuppression.

Modifications in cyclosporine (CsA) microemulsion blood concentrations by olestra.

Objective: Determine whether olestra alters the absorption of cyclosporine microemulsion in pediatric renal transplant recipients.

Design: Prospective, open-label, crossover pharmacokinetic study.

Setting: General clinical research center in a university medical setting providing tertiary care.

Human granulocytic ehrlichiosis in pancreas transplant recipients.

Human ehrlichioses are tick-borne infections caused by bacteria in the genus Ehrlichia of the family Rickettsiaceae. To date there have been three cases of ehrlichiosis reported in the transplant population, a human monocytic ehrlichiosis (HME) infection in a liver transplant recipient and two cases of human granulocytic ehrlichiosis (HGE) in kidney transplant recipients. We report three pancreas transplant patients who developed HGE in the last two years at a single southeastern center in the United States.

A retrospective assessment of safety, efficacy, and pharmacoeconomics of generic azathioprine in heart-transplant recipients.

Although a generic formulation of azathioprine (AZA) has been available since 1996, safety, efficacy and pharmacoeconomic implications following conversion from Imuran (AZA) to generic AZA in heart-transplant patients remains to be determined. A retrospective, safety and efficacy assessment, in addition to a cost comparison, was performed in 30 heart-transplant patients who had been switched from Imuran to generic AZA. In heart-transplant patients converted from Imuran to generic AZA, no compromise in safety and efficacy, as measured by white blood cell (WBC) count, infections, rejections, malignancies, and hospitalizations was observed.

Practical modifications and applications of the sharpless asymmetric aminohydroxylation in the one-pot preparation of chiral oxazolidin-2-ones.

[reaction: see text] Chiral oxazolidin-2-ones are synthetically valuable as chiral auxiliaries, and many have pharmaceutically interesting biological activity. This communication focuses on a convenient, practical one-pot preparation of chiral 4,5-disubstituted oxazolidan-2-ones in good yield with high enantioselectivities, using a modified Sharpless asymmetric aminohydroxylation of beta-substituted styrene derivatives followed by base-mediated ring closure. This procedure has been demonstrated on both small and large scale, utilizing 1, 3-dichloro-5,5-dimethyl hydantoin as an easily handled, commercially available substitute for tert-butyl hypochlorite.

Preliminary experience with midodrine in kidney/pancreas transplant patients with orthostatic hypotension.

In an effort to ameliorate the problem of orthostatic hypotension in pancreas transplant patients, current medical management consists of maximizing the patient's hydration, altering antihypertensives, increasing sodium intake, initiation of fludrocortisone, compression stockings, and behavioral modifications. Despite these medical interventions, a subset of patients remains symptomatic. Midodrine (ProAmatine), an alpha-adrenergic agonist, was approved for the treatment of symptomatic orthostatic hypotension in the US.