Identifying meaningful aspects of health and concepts of interest for assessment in systemic lupus erythematosus: implications for digital clinical measure development.

Objectives: Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is a chronic autoimmune disease with heterogeneous clinical manifestations which significantly impacts the daily lives of patients. Herein, we aimed to (i) investigate patients' perspectives on and experience with SLE; (ii) identify meaningful aspects of health (MAHs) and concepts of interest (COIs) in SLE that could be evaluated using digital clinical measures (DCMs); and (iii) identify target DCMs for their assessment.

Methods: A mixed-methods, multistep approach was deployed for (i) exploring patients' experience with SLE through a social media listening study and focused group discussions with patients; (ii) mapping patients' experiences to define MAHs and identify COIs measurable using DCMs; (iii) selecting DCMs for the target COIs; and (iv) identifying types of wearable sensors for measuring COIs in the patients.

Exploring the Perspectives of Patients Living With Lupus: Retrospective Social Listening Study.

Background: Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is a chronic autoimmune inflammatory disease affecting various organs with a wide range of clinical manifestations. Cutaneous lupus erythematosus (CLE) can manifest as a feature of SLE or an independent skin ailment. Health-related quality of life (HRQoL) is frequently compromised in individuals living with lupus.

Artificial intelligence-driven approach for patient-focused drug development.

Patients' increasing digital participation provides an opportunity to pursue patient-centric research and drug development by understanding their needs. Social media has proven to be one of the most useful data sources when it comes to understanding a company's potential audience to drive more targeted impact. Navigating through an ocean of information is a tedious task where techniques such as artificial intelligence and text analytics have proven effective in identifying relevant posts for healthcare business questions.

Integrating qualitative interviews in drug development and the use of qualitative evidence in product labelling and health technology assessments: a review.

Objective: Including qualitative research in clinical trial design is an innovative approach to understanding patients' perspective and incorporate the patient's voice in all stages of drug development and evaluation. This review aims to explore current practices, lessons learned from the literature, as well as how qualitative interviews are considered by health authorities for marketing authorization and reimbursement.

Methods: A targeted literature review of Medline and Embase databases was conducted in February 2022 to identify publications on qualitative methods embedded in clinical trial of pharmaceutical products.

Testing the Nurturing Environments Framework on Youth Violence across Ethnically and Geographically Diverse Urban and Rural Samples of Adolescents.

Although research advocates for comprehensive cross sector youth violence prevention efforts, mobilizing across sectors to translate scientific recommendations into practice has proven challenging. A unifying framework may provide a foundational step towards building a shared understanding of the risk and protective factors that impact youth violence. We conducted two empirical tests of the nurturing environment framework on youth violence across ethnic and geographically diverse rural and urban adolescent samples.

Impact of tobacco and/or nicotine products on health and functioning: a scoping review and findings from the preparatory phase of the development of a new self-report measure.

Background: Measuring self-reported experience of health and functioning is important for understanding the changes in the health status of individuals switching from cigarettes to less harmful tobacco and/or nicotine products (TNP) or reduced-risk products (RRP) and for supporting tobacco harm reduction strategies.

Methods: This paper presents insights from three research activities from the preparatory phase of the development of a new self-report health and functioning measure. A scoping literature review was conducted to identify the positive and negative impact of TNP use on health and functioning.

Murine Intraepithelial Dendritic Cells Interact With Phagocytic Cells During -Induced Inflammation.

People are constantly exposed to airborne fungal spores, including conidia that can cause life-threatening conditions in immunocompromised patients or acute exacerbations in allergics. However, immunocompetent hosts do not exhibit mycoses or systemic inflammation, due to the sufficient but not excessive antifungal immune response that prevent fungal invasion. Intraepithelial dendritic cells (IE-DCs) of the conducting airway mucosa are located in the primary site of the inhalant pathogen entry; these cells can sense conidia and maintain homeostasis.

Paediatric dysphagia within the context of South Africa's quadruple burden of disease, seen at a tertiary level hospital.

To inform service provision, this study explored feeding and swallowing difficulties in children within the context of South Africa's quadruple burden of disease (BOD) (i.e. conditions characterised as communicable, non-communicable, maternal and/or perinatal and trauma).

Developing fit-for-purpose self-report instruments for assessing consumer responses to tobacco and nicotine products: the ABOUT™ Toolbox initiative.

Determining the public health impact of tobacco harm reduction strategies requires the assessment of consumer perception and behavior associated with tobacco and nicotine products (TNPs) with different exposure and risk profiles. In this context, rigorous methods to develop and validate psychometrically sound self-report instruments to measure consumers' responses to TNPs are needed. Consistent with best practice guidelines, including the U.

Increases in Fentanyl-Related Overdose Deaths - Florida and Ohio, 2013-2015.

In March and October 2015, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and CDC issued nationwide alerts identifying fentanyl, particularly illicitly manufactured fentanyl (IMF), as a threat to public health and safety (1,2). IMF is pharmacologically similar to pharmaceutical fentanyl (PF), but is unlawfully produced in clandestine laboratories, obtained via illicit drug markets, and includes fentanyl analogs. Fentanyl is a synthetic opioid 50-100 times more potent than morphine and approved for the management of surgical/postoperative pain, severe chronic pain, and breakthrough cancer pain.

Fatal Abusive Head Trauma Among Children Aged <5 Years - United States, 1999-2014.

In the United States, abusive head trauma (AHT) is one of the leading causes of maltreatment fatalities among infants and children, accounting for approximately one third of these deaths (1). Monitoring trends in AHT and evaluating prevention strategies have historically been difficult because of differences in AHT definitions used in research and surveillance. CDC's case definition for AHT and data from the National Vital Statistics System were used to examine the trends in fatal AHT during 1999-2014 using Joinpoint trend analysis software.

Pulmonary Targeting of Adeno-associated Viral Vectors by Next-generation Sequencing-guided Screening of Random Capsid Displayed Peptide Libraries.

Vectors mediating strong, durable, and tissue-specific transgene expression are mandatory for safe and effective gene therapy. In settings requiring systemic vector administration, the availability of suited vectors is extremely limited. Here, we present a strategy to select vectors with true specificity for a target tissue from random peptide libraries displayed on adeno-associated virus (AAV) by screening the library under circulation conditions in a murine model.

Treatment of multifocal breast cancer by systemic delivery of dual-targeted adeno-associated viral vectors.

Adeno-associated viral (AAV) vectors yield high potential for clinical gene therapy but, like for other vectors systems, they frequently do not sufficiently transduce the target tissue and their unspecific tropism prevents their application for multifocal diseases such as disseminated cancer. Targeted AAV vectors have been obtained from random AAV display peptide libraries but so far, all vector variants selected from AAV libraries upon systemic administration in vivo retained some collateral tropism, frequently the heart. Here we explored, if this impediment can be overcome by microRNA-regulated transgene cassettes as the combination of library-derived capsid targeting and micro-RNA control has not been evaluated so far.

Early hyperglycemia is associated with poor gross motor outcome in asphyxiated term newborns.

Background: Hyperglycemia after ischemic stroke in adults and after near-drowning in children is associated with a poor neurological outcome. Anaerobic metabolism of glucose leads to buildup of lactic acid, free radical production, mitochondrial failure, and ultimately an increase in neurological injury. In asphyxiated infants, high lactate peaks are seen in the basal ganglia with magnetic resonance spectroscopy.

Evaluation and application of a high performance liquid chromatographic method for prilocaine analysis in human plasma.

Background: Prilocaine, a local anesthetic of the amide type, is frequently applied in substantial doses during tumescent liposuction. Although it cannot be excluded that the subcutaneously infiltrated narcotic may enter the circulation and trigger adverse systemic reactions, prilocaine plasma levels have rarely been measured during routine tumescent surgery. We established and evaluated a high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) method for analysis of this narcotic and used it to measure the drug in plasma samples drawn in the course of tumescent liposuction with prilocaine local anesthesia.

Aeroallergen challenge promotes dendritic cell proliferation in the airways.

Aeroallergen provocation induces the rapid accumulation of CD11c(+)MHC class II (MHC II)(+) dendritic cells (DCs) in the lungs, which is driven by an increased recruitment of blood-derived DC precursors. Recent data show, however, that well-differentiated DCs proliferate in situ in various tissues. This may also contribute to their allergen-induced expansion; therefore, we studied DC proliferation in the airways of mice in the steady state and after local aeroallergen provocation.

[Intravitreal treatment of patients with branch retinal vein occlusion depending on the duration of macular edema].

Purpose: The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of intravitreal treatment with bevacizumab (IVB) compared with triamcinolone (IVT) in patients with macular edema due to branch retinal vein occlusion (BRVO) depending on the duration of BRVO.

Methods: A total of 65 BRVO patients were divided into 2 subgroups: group 1 with early treatment (≤ 3 months since onset of BRVO) and group 2 with late treatment (> 3 months since onset). For the two groups IVB was injected into 17 eyes as early (IVB1) and into 18 eyes as late (IVB2) treatment.

Neuropeptides control the dynamic behavior of airway mucosal dendritic cells.

The airway mucosal epithelium is permanently exposed to airborne particles. A network of immune cells patrols at this interface to the environment. The interplay of immune cells is orchestrated by different mediators.