Analysis of biokinetic parameters reveals patterns in mercury accumulation across aquatic species.

Mercury (Hg) is a potent neurotoxicant and poses a risk to human health through the ingestion of Hg-contaminated fish. Mercury, especially in its organic form methylmercury (MeHg), biomagnifies up food chains such that even small aqueous concentrations of Hg can result in significant concentrations of total Hg in fish. Understanding the ecological and human health risks associated with Hg and MeHg exposure requires an understanding of the factors that affect its bioaccumulation in aquatic species.

Effectiveness of a Cardiovascular Health Electronic Health Record Application for Cancer Survivors in Community Oncology Practice: Results From WF-1804CD.

Purpose: Guidelines recommend cardiovascular (CV) risk assessment and counseling for cancer survivors. This study evaluated the automated heart-health assessment (AH-HA) clinical decision support tool to promote provider-patient CV health (CVH) discussions in outpatient oncology.

Methods: The AH-HA trial (WF-1804CD), coordinated by the Wake Forest National Cancer Institute Community Oncology Research Program Research Base, randomized practices to the AH-HA tool or usual care (UC) and enrolled survivors receiving routine care ≥6 months after curative cancer treatment.

The impact of initial tumor bulk in DLBCL treated with DA-EPOCH-R R-CHOP: a secondary analysis of alliance/CALGB 50303.

The ideal treatment paradigm for bulky diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) remains uncertain. We investigated the impact of tumor bulk in patients treated with systemic therapy alone through Alliance/CALGB 50303. Data from this trial were obtained from the National Cancer Institute's NCTN/NCORP Data Archive.

Radiotherapy for Advanced Hodgkin Lymphoma with Initial Bulk: A Combined Analysis of Two Randomized Trials.

Purpose: The role of consolidative radiation therapy (RT) in patients with advanced Hodgkin lymphoma with initial bulk is unclear. GITIL/FIL HD0607 and FIL HD0801, 2 randomized controlled trials with similar design and methodologies, did not identify a benefit to consolidative RT after a metabolic complete response to 6 cycles of doxorubicin, bleomycin, vinblastine and dacarbazine. However, their limited sample sizes reduced statistical power to detect a small but clinically meaningful benefit to RT.

Distal toxic acral erythema and mucositis secondary to 6-mercaptopurine in a thiopurine methyltransferase "super shunter".

Toxic erythema of chemotherapy is a broad but useful diagnosis used to summate the non-infectious, non-allergic, and reproducible reaction of certain chemotherapeutics. Due to overlapping chemotherapy side effects and often multiple drug exposures, identification of a singular culprit drug is challenging for dermatologists. Herein, we report a patient with 6-mercaptopurine (6-MP) toxic erythema confirmed via toxic metabolite markers secondary to increased levels of thiopurine methyltransferase activity, or so called "super shunting.

One Avocado per Day as Part of Usual Intake Improves Diet Quality: Exploratory Results from a Randomized Controlled Trial.

Background: Few clinical trials have evaluated diet quality change as a predictor of intervention effectiveness.

Objectives: The aim of this study was to examine changes in the Healthy Eating Index (HEI)-2015 after a food-based intervention, and assess the associations between HEI-2015 change and intervention effects on cardiometabolic risk-related outcomes.

Methods: The Habitual Diet and Avocado Trial was a 26-wk, multicenter, randomized, controlled parallel-arm study.

Cardiovascular health assessment in routine cancer follow-up in community settings: survivor risk awareness and perspectives.

Background: Guidelines recommend cardiovascular risk assessment and counseling for cancer survivors. For effective implementation, it is critical to understand survivor cardiovascular health (CVH) profiles and perspectives in community settings. We aimed to (1) Assess survivor CVH profiles, (2) compare self-reported and EHR-based categorization of CVH factors, and (3) describe perceptions regarding addressing CVH during oncology encounters.

Fatherhood and Elite Athletics: Sacrifice, Selfishness, and Gaining "Dad Strength".

This study contributes to a growing body of scholarly discussions around the many aspects and challenges of combining parenthood with elite-level sport, with a particular focus on the experiences of male elite athletes who are fathers. We used a caring masculinities theoretical framework, community-based participatory research, and semi-structured interviews to explore the experiences of 10 elite/international and world-class athletes ( = 9 fathers, = 1 expectant father). Through reflexive thematic analysis, we identified three main themes: fatherhood can (1) improve and (2) impede elite athlete-fathers' athletic performance; and (3) athlete-fathers experience a trade-off between athletic performance and fatherhood responsibilities.

Direct Formation of C-C, C-N, and C-O Bonds in Dihydroquinazolines via Hypervalent Iodine(III)-Mediated sp C-H Functionalization.

A hypervalent iodine(III)-mediated cross-dehydrogenative coupling reaction for the direct formation of C-C, C-N, and C-O bonds in dihydroquinazolines has been developed. This one-pot method allows for the synthesis of C4-disubstituted dihydroquinazolines as well as C4-spirolactam, spirolactone, and spiroindene dihydroquinazolines in moderate to high yields.

FRESH™ 3D bioprinted cardiac tissue, a bioengineered platform for pharmacology.

There is critical need for a predictive model of human cardiac physiology in drug development to assess compound effects on human tissues. two-dimensional monolayer cultures of cardiomyocytes provide biochemical and cellular readouts, and animal models provide information on systemic cardiovascular response. However, there remains a significant gap in these models due to their incomplete recapitulation of adult human cardiovascular physiology.

Predictive Biomarkers of Treatment Response in Major Depressive Disorder.

Major depressive disorder (MDD) is a highly prevalent, debilitating disorder with a high rate of treatment resistance. One strategy to improve treatment outcomes is to identify patient-specific, pre-intervention factors that can predict treatment success. Neurophysiological measures such as electroencephalography (EEG), which measures the brain's electrical activity from sensors on the scalp, offer one promising approach for predicting treatment response for psychiatric illnesses, including MDD.

Clinical EEG slowing induced by electroconvulsive therapy is better described by increased frontal aperiodic activity.

Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) is one of the most efficacious interventions for treatment-resistant depression. Despite its efficacy, ECT's neural mechanism of action remains unknown. Although ECT has been associated with "slowing" in the electroencephalogram (EEG), how this change relates to clinical improvement is unresolved.

Magnetic seizure therapy and electroconvulsive therapy increase aperiodic activity.

Major depressive disorder (MDD) is a leading cause of disability worldwide. One of the most efficacious treatments for treatment-resistant MDD is electroconvulsive therapy (ECT). Recently, magnetic seizure therapy (MST) was developed as an alternative to ECT due to its more favorable side effect profile.

Selling vs. Supporting Motherhood: How Corporate Sponsors Frame the Parenting Experiences of Elite and Olympic Athletes.

Recently, motherhood and pregnancy in elite sport have received increased attention in sport media. Through a comprehensive news media search across Factiva as well as a gray literature search using Google search engine, we analyzed 115 articles using feminist framing analysis. We developed two primary frames: 1) empowerment versus exploitation, and 2) proactivity versus reactivity.

Comparing Longitudinal Measures of Cholinesterase as Biomarkers for Insecticide Exposure Among Latinx Children in Rural Farmworker and Urban Nonfarmworker Communities in North Carolina.

Objective: In a 2-group prospective design, this study compared seasonal cholinesterase levels of Latinx children in rural farmworker families and comparable urban children to assess the impact of environmental exposure to cholinesterase-inhibiting insecticides.

Methods: Quarterly blood samples and passive dosimeter wristbands were collected over 2 years in 8-year-old children (74 rural, 62 urban). Laboratory analysis assessed total cholinesterase, acetylcholinesterase, and butyrylcholinesterase from blood samples, and insecticides from wristbands.

Clinical Phenotypes of Sepsis in a Cohort of Hospitalized Patients According to Infection Site.

Objectives: Clinical sepsis phenotypes may be defined by a wide range of characteristics such as site of infection, organ dysfunction patterns, laboratory values, and demographics. There is a paucity of literature regarding the impact of site of infection on the timing and pattern of clinical sepsis markers. This study hypothesizes that important phenotypic variation in clinical markers and outcomes of sepsis exists when stratified by infection site.

Interpolated retrieval retroactively increases recall and promotes cross-episode memory interdependence.

Retrieving existing memories before new learning can lead to retroactive facilitation. Three experiments examined whether interpolated retrieval is associated with retroactive facilitation and memory interdependence that reflects integrative encoding. Participants studied two lists of cue-response word pairs that repeated across lists (A-B, A-B), appeared in list 1 (A-B, -), or included the same cues with changed responses in each list (A-B, A-C).

Endometrial cancer survivors' perceptions of their cardiovascular disease risk (results from WF-1804CD AH-HA).

Objective: Despite considerable burden of cardiovascular disease (CVD), data on endometrial cancer survivors' CVD perceptions are lacking. We assessed survivors' perspectives on addressing CVD risk during oncology care.

Methods: This cross-sectional analysis utilized data from an ongoing trial of an EHR heart health tool (R01CA226078 & UG1CA189824) conducted through the NCI Community Oncology Research Program (NCORP, WF-1804CD).

Exploring the stress of olympic postponement due to COVID-19 on elite/international and world-class parenting and pregnant runners.

The primary objective of this community-based participatory research is to explore the impacts of COVID-19 and the delayed Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games on world-class and elite/international-class parenting and pregnant athletes. Participants in this study include 11 female and 10 male parenting and/or pregnant middle and distance runners. Combined, the participants have competed at 26 Olympic Games and 31 World Championships.

Clinical Impact of a Sepsis Alert System Plus Electronic Sepsis Navigator Using the Epic Sepsis Prediction Model in the Emergency Department.

Background: The Epic Sepsis Prediction Model (SPM) is a proprietary sepsis prediction algorithm that calculates a score correlating with the likelihood of an International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision code for sepsis.

Objective: This study aimed to assess the clinical impact of an electronic sepsis alert and navigator using the Epic SPM on time to initial antimicrobial delivery.

Methods: We performed a retrospective review of a nonrandomized intervention of an electronic sepsis alert system and navigator using the Epic SPM.

"Just add small molecules" cell-free protein synthesis: Combining DNA template and cell extract preparation into a single fermentation.

Cell-free protein synthesis (CFPS) is a versatile biotechnology platform enabling a broad range of applications including clinical diagnostics, large-scale production of officinal therapeutics, small-scale on-demand production of personal magistral therapeutics, and exploratory research. The shelf stability and scalability of CFPS systems also have the potential to overcome cost and infrastructure challenges for distributing and using essential medical tests at home in both high- and low-income countries. However, CFPS systems are often more time-consuming and expensive to prepare than traditional in vivo systems, limiting their broader use.

Magnetic seizure therapy and electroconvulsive therapy increase aperiodic activity.

Major depressive disorder (MDD) is a leading cause of disability worldwide. One of the most efficacious treatments for treatment-resistant MDD is electroconvulsive therapy (ECT). Recently, magnetic seizure therapy (MST) was developed as an alternative to ECT due to its more favorable side effect profile.

Engineering At-Home Dilution and Filtration Methods to Enable Paper-Based Colorimetric Biosensing in Human Blood with Cell-Free Protein Synthesis.

Diagnostic blood tests can guide the administration of healthcare to save and improve lives. Most clinical biosensing blood tests require a trained technician and specialized equipment to process samples and interpret results, which greatly limits test accessibility. Colorimetric paper-based diagnostics have an equipment-free readout, but raw blood obscures a colorimetric response which has motivated diverse efforts to develop blood sample processing techniques.

Change and Continuity in Preventive Practices Across the COVID-19 Pandemic Among Rural and Urban Latinx Immigrant Worker Families.

Background: (1)The COVID-19 pandemic has put essential workers at high risk for contracting the disease. This study documents situational compliance with public health recommendations such as masking and social distancing among rural and urban Latinx families, with the goal of understanding change over time in COVID-19 risk reduction behaviors.

Methods: (2)Respondents for 67 rural families and 44 urban families responded to repeated telephone surveys at three time points in the first year of the pandemic, providing data on use of masks and social distancing by themselves and family members while interacting with others at home, work, and in the community.

Delayed viral vector mediated delivery of neurotrophin-3 improves skilled hindlimb function and stability after thoracic contusion.

Intramuscular injection of an Adeno-associated viral vector serotype 1 (AAV1) encoding Neurotrophin-3 (NT3) into hindlimb muscles 24 h after a severe T9 spinal level contusion in rats has been shown to induce lumbar spinal neuroplasticity, partially restore locomotive function and reduce spasms during swimming. Here we investigate whether a targeted delivery of NT3 to lumbar and thoracic motor neurons 48 h following a severe contusive injury aids locomotive recovery in rats. AAV1-NT3 was injected bilaterally into the tibialis anterior, gastrocnemius and rectus abdominus muscles 48-h following trauma, persistently elevating serum levels of the neurotrophin.