Transgender data collection in the electronic health record: Current concepts and issues.

There are over 1 million transgender people living in the United States, and 33% report negative experiences with a healthcare provider, many of which are connected to data representation in electronic health records (EHRs). We present recommendations and common pitfalls involving sex- and gender-related data collection in EHRs. Our recommendations leverage the needs of patients, medical providers, and researchers to optimize both individual patient experiences and the efficacy and reproducibility of EHR population-based studies.

Bullous fixed drug eruption following administration of the recombinant adjuvant Shingrix vaccine.

A 51-year-old woman with Crohn's disease presented with a bullous rash on her left arm and axilla 2 days after receiving her second dose of the recombinant adjuvant Shingrix vaccine. PCR for herpes simplex virus (HSV) 1, HSV 2 and varicella zoster virus was negative. Punch biopsy revealed changes that were consistent with a bullous fixed drug eruption.

Bias and fairness assessment of a natural language processing opioid misuse classifier: detection and mitigation of electronic health record data disadvantages across racial subgroups.

Objectives: To assess fairness and bias of a previously validated machine learning opioid misuse classifier.

Materials & Methods: Two experiments were conducted with the classifier's original (n = 1000) and external validation (n = 53 974) datasets from 2 health systems. Bias was assessed via testing for differences in type II error rates across racial/ethnic subgroups (Black, Hispanic/Latinx, White, Other) using bootstrapped 95% confidence intervals.

Green Tea Suppresses Amyloid β Levels and Alleviates Cognitive Impairment by Inhibiting APP Cleavage and Preventing Neurotoxicity in 5XFAD Mice.

Scope: The consumption of green tea is considered to be associated with a lower incidence of neurodegenerative diseases. In the present study, it is investigated the role of amyloid precursor protein cleavage, glial cell activation, neuroinflammation, and synaptic alterations in the protective effects of green tea against the amyloid β (Aβ) accumulation and cognitive impairment.

Methods And Results: 5XFAD mice are treated with green tea extract (GTE) for 8 or 16 weeks.

A Review of Research on Disparities in the Care of Black and White Patients With Cancer in Detroit.

Racial disparities in cancer incidence and outcomes are well-documented in the US, with Black people having higher incidence rates and worse outcomes than White people. In this review, we present a summary of almost 30 years of research conducted by investigators at the Karmanos Cancer Institute's (KCI's) Population Studies and Disparities Research (PSDR) Program focusing on Black-White disparities in cancer incidence, care, and outcomes. The studies in the review focus on individuals diagnosed with cancer from the Detroit Metropolitan area, but also includes individuals included in national databases.

Decomposition of nitrous oxide in hydrated cobalt(I) clusters: a theoretical insight into the mechanistic roles of ligand-binding modes.

Hydrated cobalt(i) cluster ions, [Co(H2O)n]+, can decompose the inert nitrous oxide molecule, N2O. Density functional theory suggests that N2O can anchor to Co+ of [Co(N2O)(H2O)n]+ through either O end-on (η1-OL) or N end-on (η1-NL) coordinate mode. The latter is thermodynamically more favorable resulting from a subtle π backdonation from Co+ to N2O.

Is there a risk to honeybees from use of thiamethoxam as a sugar beet seed treatment?

The ban imposed by the European Union on the use of neonicotinoids as sugar beet seed treatments was based on the exposure of bees to residues of neonicotinoids in pollen and nectar of succeeding crops. To address this concern, residues of thiamethoxam (TMX) and clothianidin (CTD) were analyzed in soil collected from fields planted in at least the previous year with thiamethoxam-treated sugar beet seed. This soil monitoring program was conducted at 94 sites across Germany in two separate years.

Assessing sensitivity and reproducibility of RT-ddPCR and RT-qPCR for the quantification of SARS-CoV-2 in wastewater.

Throughout the COVID-19 global pandemic there has been significant interest and investment in using Wastewater-Based Epidemiology (WBE) for surveillance of viral pathogen presence and infections at the community level. There has been a push for widescale implementation of standardized protocols to quantify viral loads in a range of wastewater systems. To address concerns regarding sensitivity, limits of quantification, and large-scale reproducibility, a comparison of two similar workflows using RT-qPCR and RT-ddPCR was conducted.

Detection of hydrocarbon-degrading bacteria on deepwater corals of the northeast Atlantic using CARD-FISH.

Recently, studies have begun to identify oil-degrading bacteria and host-taxon specific bacterial assemblages associated with the coral holobiont, including deep-sea cold-water corals, which are thought to provide metabolic functions and additional carbon sources to their coral hosts. Here, we describe the identification of Marinobacter on the soft tissue of Lophelia pertusa coral polyps by Catalyzed Reporter Deposition Fluorescence in situ Hybridization (CARD-FISH). L.

Recommendations for Measurement of Attention Outcomes in Preschoolers With Neurofibromatosis.

Children with neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1) are at increased risk for attention problems. While most research has been conducted with school-aged cohorts, preschool-aged children offer a novel developmental window for clinical studies, with the promise that treatments implemented earlier in the developmental trajectory may most effectively modify risk for later difficulties. Designing research studies around the youngest children with NF1 can result in intervention earlier in the developmental cascade associated with NF1 gene abnormalities.

Patient Report of Hearing in Neurofibromatosis Type 2: Recommendations for Clinical Trials.

Objective: To systematically evaluate published patient-reported outcome measures for the assessment of hearing function and hearing-related quality of life (QoL) and recommend measures selected by the Response Evaluation in Neurofibromatosis and Schwannomatosis International Collaboration (REiNS) as endpoints for clinical trials in neurofibromatosis type 2 (NF2).

Methods: The REiNS Patient-Reported Outcomes Working Group systematically evaluated published patient-reported outcome measures of (1) hearing function and (2) hearing-related QoL for individuals with hearing loss of various etiologies using previously published REiNS rating procedures. Ten measures of hearing functioning and 11 measures of hearing-related QoL were reviewed.

Current Recommendations for Patient-Reported Outcome Measures Assessing Domains of Quality of Life in Neurofibromatosis Clinical Trials.

Objective: To review and recommend patient-reported outcome (PRO) measures assessing multidimensional domains of quality of life (QoL) to use as clinical endpoints in medical and psychosocial trials for children and adults with neurofibromatosis (NF) type 1, NF2, and schwannomatosis.

Methods: The PRO working group of the Response Evaluation in Neurofibromatosis and Schwannomatosis (REiNS) International Collaboration used systematic methods to review, rate, and recommend existing self-report and parent-report PRO measures of generic and disease-specific QoL for NF clinical trials. Recommendations were based on 4 main criteria: patient characteristics, item content, psychometric properties, and feasibility.

Implementation of Gender Identity and Assigned Sex at Birth Data Collection in Electronic Health Records: Where Are We Now?

In 2015, the United States Department of Health and Human Services instantiated rules mandating the inclusion of sexual orientation and gender identity (SO/GI) data fields for systems certified under Stage 3 of the Meaningful Use of Electronic Health Records (EHR) program. To date, no published assessments have benchmarked implementation penetration and data quality. To establish a benchmark for a U.

Investigation of Coatings, Corrosion and Wear Characteristics of Machined Biomaterials through Hydroxyapatite Mixed-EDM Process: A Review.

Together, 316L steel, magnesium-alloy, Ni-Ti, titanium-alloy, and cobalt-alloy are commonly employed biomaterials for biomedical applications due to their excellent mechanical characteristics and resistance to corrosion, even though at times they can be incompatible with the body. This is attributed to their poor biofunction, whereby they tend to release contaminants from their attenuated surfaces. Coating of the surface is therefore required to mitigate the release of contaminants.

The state of science on severe air pollution episodes: Quantitative and qualitative analysis.

Severe episodic air pollution blankets entire cities and regions and have a profound impact on humans and their activities. We compiled daily fine particle (PM) data from 100 cities in five continents, investigated the trends of number, frequency, and duration of pollution episodes, and compared these with the baseline trend in air pollution. We showed that the factors contributing to these events are complex; however, long-term measures to abate emissions from all anthropogenic sources at all times is also the most efficient way to reduce the occurrence of severe air pollution events.

Assessment of the Vulnerability to Pesticide Exposures Across Bee Species.

In many countries, the western honey bee is used as surrogate in pesticide risk assessments for bees. However, uncertainty remains in the estimation of pesticide risk to non-Apis bees because their potential routes of exposure to pesticides, life histories, and ecologies differ from those of honey bees. We applied the vulnerability concept in pesticide risk assessment to 10 bee species including the honey bee, 2 bumble bee species, and 7 solitary bee species with different nesting strategies.

Understanding total energy expenditure in people with dementia: A systematic review with directions for future research.

Objective: Weight loss is a primary manifestation of dementia. This review aimed to systematically synthesise the literature on total energy expenditure (TEE) in people with dementia.

Methods: The protocol, registered with PROSPERO, was reported against PRISMA guidelines.

Healthcare provider cultural competency and receptivity to colorectal cancer screening among African Americans.

African Americans suffer disproportionately from colorectal cancer (CRC), due in part to disparities in CRC screening. Better understanding culturally relevant psychosocial factors that impact CRC screening is therefore critical. This study examined how African Americans' perceived cultural competency of their physician is associated with receptivity to take-home stool-based CRC screening.

Self-Paced Online Training on Healthy Beverage Policy for Child Care Providers.

Objective: Determine if online training for child care providers increases knowledge and awareness of and adherence to California's Healthy Beverages in Child Care Act (AB2084) policy.

Design: Cluster, randomized controlled trial with 2 intervention groups and 1 control group.

Setting: Licensed child care centers and family child care homes.

Recurrent breast cancer diagnosis delayed by COVID-19 pandemic.

We describe the case of a 64-year-old female with a no relevant medical history. Screening mammography in March 2020 demonstrated calcifications in the right breast, and a diagnostic mammogram was recommended. In the months that followed, the patient experienced tissue changes in the right breast but avoided returning to the facility as the COVID-19 pandemic worsened.

Factors Associated With Racial/Ethnic Group-Based Medical Mistrust and Perspectives on COVID-19 Vaccine Trial Participation and Vaccine Uptake in the US.

Importance: The impact of COVID-19 in the US has been far-reaching and devastating, especially in Black populations. Vaccination is a critical part of controlling community spread, but vaccine acceptance has varied, with some research reporting that Black individuals in the US are less willing to be vaccinated than other racial/ethnic groups. Medical mistrust informed by experiences of racism may be associated with this lower willingness.

Internet-of-Things Smart Home Technology to Support Aging-in-Place: Older Adults' Perceptions and Attitudes.

The purpose of the current study was to examine older adults' perceptions of Internet-of-Things (IoT) smart home devices as part of a real-world feasibility study and describe what factors affect adoption of these technologies. A total of 37 community-dwelling older adults enrolled in the 2-month study. Participants chose among different IoT devices to be installed in their home for the study period.