Publications by authors named "Stephenson R"

Purpose: Using a community-engaged approach, we adapted a human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) prevention smartphone app, Transpire, to meet the HIV and sexually transmitted infection (STI) prevention needs of transgender men and other transmasculine people. We conducted a pilot study to assess the feasibility and acceptability of the app among participants in two cities in the southeastern United States.

Methods: Participants were recruited online and through community partners.

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Background: Tumor suppressors are well known drivers of cancer invasion and metastasis in metastatic castration sensitive prostate cancer (mCSPC). However, oncogenes are also known to be altered in this state, however the frequency and prognosis of these alterations are unclear. Thus, we aimed to study the spectrum of oncogene mutations in mCSPC and study the significance of these alteration on outcomes.

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Background And Objective: A standard of care for muscle-invasive bladder cancer (MIBC) is cisplatin-based neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC) followed by radical cystectomy (RC). Given recent improvements in NAC and the morbidity associated with RC, bladder-sparing therapy has been investigated as a promising treatment for patients with MIBC who experience a complete clinical response (CCR) to systemic therapy. However, clinical staging is unreliable, making it challenging to determine ideal candidates for bladder-sparing therapy.

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Melanoma, with increasing annual incidence worldwide, is one of the deadliest cutaneous malignancies often treated with immunotherapy, which has led to commonly encountered immune-related adverse events (irAEs) including bullous pemphigoid (BP). The relation between an individual's HLA inheritance and risk in development of BP is well studied. The development of BP as an irAE in melanoma patients receiving immunotherapy is also well reported and considered to be related to the expression of BP180 in malignant melanoma.

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Article Synopsis
  • The study investigates how components of survivorship care plans, like treatment summaries and follow-up instructions, affect cancer survivors' adherence to breast and cervical cancer screening guidelines.
  • It analyzes data from 5,001 breast cancer survivors and 3,014 cervical cancer survivors, revealing that those who received follow-up instructions showed significantly higher adherence to screening recommendations.
  • The findings suggest that focusing on improving the distribution of follow-up instructions in survivorship care plans could enhance cancer screening rates among female survivors.
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Because an individual single-walled carbon nanotube (SWNT) can absorb multiple photons, the exciton density within a single tube depends upon excitation conditions. In SWNT-based energy conversion systems, interactions between excitons and charges make it possible for multiple types of charge transfer reactions. We exploit a SWNT-molecular donor-acceptor hybrid system (-PBN(b)-Ph-PDI-[(6,5) SWNT]) that fixes spatial organization and stoichiometry of perylene diimide (PDI) electron acceptors on the nanotube surface, to elucidate how excitation fluence affects ultrafast charge separation (CS) and the nature of charge recombination (CR) dynamics triggered upon SWNT near-infrared excitation.

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Mutations in CCDC11 (cfap53) have been identified in multiple patients with heterotaxy (Htx), a disorder of left-right (LR) patterning of the internal organs. In Xenopus, depletion of Ccdc11 causes defects in LR patterning, recapitulating the patient phenotype. Upon Ccdc11 depletion, monociliated cells of the Left-Right Organizer (LRO) exhibit multiple cilia per cell.

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Sexual minority men (SMM) experience intimate partner violence (IPV) at a substantially high rate and also bear high burdens of adverse mental health outcomes. This systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to consolidate existing evidence on the associations between experiencing IPV and adverse mental health outcomes (depressive symptoms, anxiety, stress, etc.) among SMM.

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Recent studies have demonstrated BamA, the central component of the β-barrel assembly machinery (BAM), as an important therapeutic target to combat infections caused by Acinetobacter baumannii and other Gram-negative pathogens. Homology modeling indicates BamA in A. baumannii consists of five polypeptide transport-associated (POTRA) domains and a β-barrel membrane domain.

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Article Synopsis
  • The study assessed the effectiveness of online platforms for distributing HIV self-tests (HIVSTs) to Black or African American men who have sex with men (BMSM) and transgender women (TGW).
  • It involved recruiting participants from various dating and general interest websites, mailing them two HIVSTs, and conducting multiple surveys to track testing behavior and results over time.
  • Findings showed a significant portion of participants had never tested for HIV, with higher positive results among those recruited from dating platforms, highlighting the potential of these online spaces to raise awareness and support HIV testing among underserved populations.
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RNA polymerase II relies on a repetitive sequence domain (YSPTSPS) within its largest subunit to orchestrate transcription. While phosphorylation on serine-2/serine-5 of the carboxyl-terminal heptad repeats is well established, threonine-4's role remains enigmatic. Paradoxically, threonine-4 phosphorylation was only detected after transcription end sites despite functionally implicated in pausing, elongation, termination, and messenger RNA processing.

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A 48-year-old female with a background history of alcoholic liver cirrhosis and noninsulin-dependent diabetes presented to our institution with emphysematous pyelonephritis of the right kidney diagnosed on CT. Both urine and blood culture grew multidrug-resistant Escherichia coli. The patient developed severe thrombocytopenia, hyponatremia, confusion as well as septic shock.

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Purpose: Deleterious germline/somatic homologous recombination repair mutations (HRRm) are present in ∼25% of patients with metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC). Preclinically, poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP) inhibition demonstrated synergism with androgen receptor pathway (ARP)-targeted therapy. This trial evaluated the efficacy of ARP inhibitor versus PARP inhibitor versus their combination as first-line therapy in patients with mCRPC with HRRms.

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Objective: To describe the surgical technique for removal of hoof wall masses in horses under standing sedation (SS) and local anesthesia (LA), and to report complications and long-term outcome following surgery.

Study Design: Observational retrospective study.

Animals: Client-owned horses (n = 30).

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Background: Alterations in the PIK3/Akt/mTOR pathway are commonly seen in metastatic castration-sensitive prostate cancer (mCSPC), however their role in outcomes is unknown. We aim to evaluate the prognostic significance as well as the genetic landscape of PIK3/Akt/mTOR pathway alteration in mCSPC.

Methods: Fourhundred and seventy-two patients with mCSPC were included who underwent next generation sequencing.

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Immune stimulants (adjuvants) enhance immune system recognition to provide an effective and individualized immune response when delivered with an antigen. Synthetic cyclic deca-peptides, co-administered with a toll-like receptor targeting lipopeptide, have shown self-adjuvant properties, dramatically boosting the immune response in a murine model as a subunit peptide-based vaccine containing group A Streptococcus peptide antigens.Here, we designed a novel peptide and lipid adjuvant system for the delivery of group A Streptococcus peptide antigen and a T helper peptide epitope.

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Background: Immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICI) are standard of care therapy for patients with cutaneous malignancies, the most frequently diagnosed cancers in solid organ transplant (SOT) recipients. The activity and rate of allograft rejection in SOT recipients with advanced skin cancers treated with ICI is understudied.

Methods: We conducted a retrospective analysis of SOT recipients with advanced melanoma, cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma (cSCC), and merkel cell carcinoma (MCC) who were treated with ICI.

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Nearly two-thirds of new HIV infections are attributed to primary partners, necessitating a greater understanding of relationship context of HIV transmission among sexual minority men. Sexual agreements, which are the explicit decisions couples make about sexual behaviors allowed inside and outside of their relationship, have been primarily studied among adult sexual minority men. Little work has sought to understand how adolescent sexual minority men utilize and navigate sexual agreement conversations.

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The objectives of this study were to evaluate current robotic surgery training methodologies for ACGME-accredited obstetrics and gynecology (OB/GYN) residency programs, better understand current resident perspectives, and explore potential areas for improvement within resident education. A cross-sectional study was done of ACGME-accredited OB/GYN residents in the 2023-2024 academic year. The study was done on a national setting via web-based survey.

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With highly active antiretroviral therapy, HIV infection has become a treatable chronic disease. However, modifiable risk factors such as cigarette smoking continue to impact the morbidity and mortality of people with HIV (PWH). We assessed the prevalence and factors associated with cigarette smoking and motivation to quit among PWH in Western Jamaica.

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Background: Peritoneal fluid lactate concentration is an important diagnostic tool in horses with abdominal pain. Information on peritoneal lactate concentrations is lacking following parturition in the mare.

Objectives: To compare blood and peritoneal lactate concentrations in a population of mares within 36 h post-partum, report a normal reference range and identify any impact of retained foetal membranes (RFMs).

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Background: Regular HIV and STI testing remain a cornerstone of comprehensive sexual health care. In this study, we examine the efficacy of Get Connected, a WebApp that combines test locators with personalized educational resources, in motivating young men who have sex with men (YMSM) to undergo regular HIV and STI testing.

Methods: Participants were randomly placed in one of two conditions.

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Sexual minority men (SMM) experience intimate partner violence (IPV) at disproportionately high rates. The objective of this article was to identify the experiences of SMM and health care providers on how social identity impacts IPV. SMM participants ( = 23) were recruited from online community settings and a lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and others (LGBTQ+) organization in Los Angeles; providers ( = 10) were recruited from LGBTQ+ organizations.

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Article Synopsis
  • Group A Streptococcus (GAS) is a gram-positive bacterium that can cause various infections like pharyngitis and necrotizing fasciitis, and can lead to serious autoimmune diseases, especially in children and the elderly.
  • Antibiotic treatment is essential for managing GAS infections, but rising antibiotic resistance poses a significant challenge to effective treatment.
  • Despite over a century of efforts, no GAS vaccines have been approved, though recent research into GAS's pathogenic mechanisms offers new insights for future vaccine development.
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