Acceptability of a hypothetical dengue vaccine and the potential impact of dengue vaccination on personal vector control behavior: a qualitative study in Fortaleza, Brazil.

Background: Dengue is the most rapidly spreading viral vector-borne disease in the world. Promising new dengue vaccines have contributed to a growing consensus that effective dengue control will require integrated strategies of vaccination and vector control. In this qualitative study, we explored the perspectives of residents of Fortaleza, Brazil on acceptability of a hypothetical safe and effective dengue vaccine, specific drivers of dengue vaccine acceptance or hesitance, and the expected impact of dengue vaccination on their personal vector control practices.

A multistep mediation model examining how consultation in prolonged exposure therapy affects PTSD treatment outcomes.

Prolonged exposure therapy (PE) is an evidence-based psychotherapy (EBP) for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) that is underutilized in the military health system. Previous research suggests that postworkshop consultation is important for successful implementation. However, little is known about how consultation may relate to EBP adoption or patient outcomes.

Cost and cost effectiveness of reactive case detection (RACD), reactive focal mass drug administration (rfMDA) and reactive focal vector control (RAVC) to reduce malaria in the low endemic setting of Namibia: an analysis alongside a 2×2 factorial design cluster randomised controlled trial.

Objectives: To estimate the cost and cost effectiveness of reactive case detection (RACD), reactive focal mass drug administration (rfMDA) and reactive focal vector control (RAVC) to reduce malaria in a low endemic setting.

Setting: The study was part of a 2×2 factorial design cluster randomised controlled trial within the catchment area of 11 primary health facilities in Zambezi, Namibia.

Participants: Cost and outcome data were collected from the trial, which included 8948 community members that received interventions due to their residence within 500 m of malaria index cases.

Serological evaluation of the effectiveness of reactive focal mass drug administration and reactive vector control to reduce malaria transmission in Zambezi Region, Namibia: Results from a secondary analysis of a cluster randomised trial.

Background: Due to challenges in measuring changes in malaria at low transmission, serology is increasingly being used to complement clinical and parasitological surveillance. Longitudinal studies have shown that serological markers, such as Etramp5.Ag1, can reflect spatio-temporal differences in malaria transmission.

Allele-Specific Chemical Rescue of Histone Demethylases Using Abiotic Cofactors.

Closely related protein families evolved from common ancestral genes present a significant hurdle in developing member- and isoform-specific chemical probes, owing to their similarity in fold and function. In this piece of work, we explore an allele-specific chemical rescue strategy to activate a "dead" variant of a wildtype protein using synthetic cofactors and demonstrate its successful application to the members of the alpha-ketoglutarate (αKG)-dependent histone demethylase 4 (KDM4) family. We show that a mutation at a specific residue in the catalytic site renders the variant inactive toward the natural cosubstrate.

The effects of a prolonged exposure workshop with and without consultation on provider and patient outcomes: a randomized implementation trial.

Background: Prolonged exposure therapy (PE) is an evidence-based treatment for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) that is underutilized in the military health system. Standard workshop training in PE may not be sufficient to alter provider behavior, but post-workshop consultation requires significant resources. Therefore, it is important to determine the incremental utility of post-workshop consultation.

Fixed dose rivaroxaban can be used in extremes of bodyweight: A population pharmacokinetic analysis.

Background: Emerging safety and efficacy data for rivaroxaban suggest traditional therapy and rivaroxaban are comparable in the morbidly obese. However, real-world data that indicate pharmacokinetic (PK) parameters are comparable at the extremes of body size are lacking. The International Society of Thrombosis and Haemostasis Scientific and Standardisation Committee (ISTH SSC) suggests avoiding the use of direct oral anticoagulants (DOACs) in patients weighing >120 kg or with a body mass index >40 kg/m and gives no recommendation on the use of DOACs in those <50 kg.

Effectiveness of reactive focal mass drug administration and reactive focal vector control to reduce malaria transmission in the low malaria-endemic setting of Namibia: a cluster-randomised controlled, open-label, two-by-two factorial design trial.

Background: In low malaria-endemic settings, screening and treatment of individuals in close proximity to index cases, also known as reactive case detection (RACD), is practised for surveillance and response. However, other approaches could be more effective for reducing transmission. We aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of reactive focal mass drug administration (rfMDA) and reactive focal vector control (RAVC) in the low malaria-endemic setting of Zambezi (Namibia).

Probing Ca-induced conformational change of calmodulin with gold nanoparticle-decorated single-walled carbon nanotube field-effect transistors.

Nanomaterials are ideal for electrochemical biosensors, with their nanoscale dimensions enabling the sensitive probing of biomolecular interactions. In this study, we compare field-effect transistors (FET) comprised of unsorted (un-) and semiconducting-enriched (sc-) single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs). un-SWCNTs have both metallic and semiconducting SWCNTs in the ensemble, while sc-SWCNTs have a >99.

Allele-Specific Inhibition of Histone Demethylases.

Histone demethylases play a critical role in mammalian gene expression by removing methyl groups from lysine residues in degree- and site-specific manner. To specifically interrogate members and isoforms of this class of enzymes, we have developed demethylase variants with an expanded active site. The mutant enzymes are capable of performing lysine demethylation with wild-type proficiency, but are sensitive to inhibition by cofactor-competitive molecules embellished with a complementary steric "bump".

Randomised placebo-controlled safety and tolerability trial of FK506 (tacrolimus) for pulmonary arterial hypertension.

Pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) is a devastating disease characterised by occlusive pulmonary vasculopathy. Activation of bone morphogenetic protein receptor 2 (BMPR2) signalling by FK506 (tacrolimus) reverses occlusive vasculopathy in rodent PAH models. Here, we determined the safety and tolerability of low-level FK506 therapy in stable PAH patients.

The implementation of prolonged exposure: Design of a multisite study evaluating the usefulness of workshop with and without consultation.

This randomized trial examines the dissemination and implementation of prolonged exposure (PE) therapy for posttraumatic stress symptoms in U.S. Army medical treatment facilities.

Expanding access to parasite-based malaria diagnosis through retail drug shops in Tanzania: evidence from a randomized trial and implications for treatment.

Background: Tanzania has seen a reduction in the fraction of fevers caused by malaria, likely due in part to scale-up of control measures. While national guidelines require parasite-based diagnosis prior to treatment, it is estimated that more than half of suspected malaria treatment-seeking in Tanzania initiates in the private retail sector, where diagnosis by malaria rapid diagnostic test (RDT) or microscopy is illegal. This pilot study investigated whether the introduction of RDTs into Accredited Drug Dispensing Outlets (ADDOs) under realistic market conditions would improve case management practices.

Robust CNT field emitters: patterning, growth, transfer, and in situ anchoring.

Robust carbon nanotube (CNT)-based cold cathodes were fabricated on titanium (Ti) substrates. Methods to grow vertically aligned CNTs  directly on Ti substrates were developed. These cathodes can be treated post-growth at elevated temperatures under inert atmosphere which causes the surface-grown CNTs to become anchored to the substrate surface.

Community Health Workers' Provision of Family Planning Services in Low- and Middle-Income Countries: A Systematic Review of Effectiveness.

This systematic review evaluates the strength of the evidence that community health workers' (CHW) provision of family planning (FP) services in low- and middle-income countries is effective. In a search of eight databases, articles were screened by study design and outcome measure and ranked by strength of evidence. Only randomized trials, longitudinal studies with a comparison group, and pre-test/post-test studies met inclusion criteria.

The hazards of off-road motor sports: Are four wheels better than two?

Background: Off-road motorsports are an increasing popular activity, yet the relative safety profile of all-terrain vehicles (ATV) to off-road motorcycles (ORMC) has not been compared.

Study Design: A retrospective review of the 2002-2006 US National Trauma Data Bank of ATV and ORMC crash victims. Patients were described according to demographic (age, sex, race and ethnicity, insurance status) and injury characteristics (Injury Severity Score, hypotension, motor component of the Glasgow Coma Score, presence of a severe head or extremity injury) known to affect trauma outcomes.

Amine Analysis Using AlexaFluor 488 Succinimidyl Ester and Capillary Electrophoresis with Laser-Induced Fluorescence.

Fluorescent probes enable detection of otherwise nonfluorescent species via highly sensitive laser-induced fluorescence. Organic amines are predominantly nonfluorescent and are of analytical interest in agricultural and food science, biomedical applications, and biowarfare detection. Alexa Fluor 488 N-hydroxysuccinimidyl ester (AF488 NHS-ester) is an amine-specific fluorescent probe.

Unconscious Race and Class Biases among Registered Nurses: Vignette-Based Study Using Implicit Association Testing.

Background: Implicit bias is an unconscious preference for a specific social group that can have adverse consequences for patient care. Acute care clinical vignettes were used to examine whether implicit race or class biases among registered nurses (RNs) impacted patient-management decisions.

Study Design: In a prospective study conducted among surgical RNs at the Johns Hopkins Hospital, participants were presented 8 multi-stage clinical vignettes in which patients' race or social class were randomly altered.

Unconscious race and social class bias among acute care surgical clinicians and clinical treatment decisions.

Importance: Significant health inequities persist among minority and socially disadvantaged patients. Better understanding of how unconscious biases affect clinical decision making may help to illuminate clinicians' roles in propagating disparities.

Objective: To determine whether clinicians' unconscious race and/or social class biases correlate with patient management decisions.

Incremental Cost of Emergency Versus Elective Surgery.

Objective: To determine hospital costs and the adjusted risk of death associated with emergent versus elective surgery.

Background: Emergency surgery has a higher cost and worse outcomes compared with elective surgery. However, no national estimates of the excess burden of emergency surgery exist.

Unconscious race and class bias: its association with decision making by trauma and acute care surgeons.

Background: Recent studies have found that unconscious biases may influence physicians' clinical decision making. The objective of our study was to determine, using clinical vignettes, if unconscious race and class biases exist specifically among trauma/acute care surgeons and, if so, whether those biases impact surgeons' clinical decision making.

Methods: A prospective Web-based survey was administered to active members of the Eastern Association for the Surgery of Trauma.

Association between intentional injury and long-term survival after trauma.

Objective: To determine the risk-adjusted mortality of intentionally injured patients within 7 to 9 years postinjury, compared with unintentionally injured patients.

Background: Violent injury contributes significantly to trauma mortality in the United States. Homicide is the second leading killer of American youth, aged 15 to 24 years.

Increased complications after appendectomy in patients with cerebral palsy: are special needs patients at risk for disparities in outcomes?

Background: Cerebral palsy (CP) is a nonprogressive neurologic disorder. Anecdotal evidence suggests there are worse outcomes in this population after common operative procedures like appendectomy. This study aims to classify whether there are relevant disparities in postoperative outcomes in CP versus non-CP patients after open or laparoscopic appendectomy.