Role of Myeloid Cell-Specific Adenylyl Cyclase Type 7 in Lipopolysaccharide- and Alcohol-Induced Immune Responses.

Clinical and experimental evidence indicates that alcohol use causes various abnormalities in the immune system and compromises immune functions. However, the mechanistic understanding of ethanol's effects on the immune system remains limited. Cyclic AMP (cAMP) regulates multiple processes, including immune responses.

The Role of Vitamin D Deficiency in Hepatic Encephalopathy: A Review of Pathophysiology, Clinical Outcomes, and Therapeutic Potential.

Hepatic encephalopathy (HE) is a neuropsychiatric condition frequently associated with cirrhosis and portosystemic shunting (PSS). It imposes a significant clinical and economic burden, with increasing attention toward identifying modifiable factors that could improve outcomes. Emerging evidence suggests that vitamin D deficiency (VDD), prevalent in patients with cirrhosis, may contribute to the development and severity of HE.

Multicenter Clinical Performance Evaluation of the NeuMoDx™ CT/NG Assay 2.0.

Background: Given the continued increases in rates of both Chlamydia trachomatis (CT) and Neisseria gonorrhoeae (NG) infection, additional diagnostic assays may be useful in increasing access to testing for these sexually transmitted infections. We evaluated the performance of the NeuMoDx™ CT/NG Assay 2.0 on the NeuMoDx-96 and NeuMoDx-288 Molecular Systems.

Racism and cannabis-related problems among Black adults who smoke cigarettes: The role of negative emotions in responses to experiencing racism.

Black Americans who use cannabis appear at greater risk for negative cannabis-related outcomes, and cannabis use is more common among individuals who smoke cigarettes. Race-based health disparities concerning cannabis outcomes indicate a need to identify psycho-socio-cultural factors that may play a role in cannabis use and related problems among Black Americans to inform prevention and treatment efforts. Minority stress-based models posit that stressors such as racism increase negative emotions, which may be associated with using substances such as cannabis to cope with negative emotions.

Twice-Yearly Lenacapavir for HIV Prevention in Men and Gender-Diverse Persons.

Background: Twice-yearly subcutaneous lenacapavir has been shown to be efficacious for prevention of HIV infection in cisgender women. The efficacy of lenacapavir for preexposure prophylaxis (PrEP) in cisgender men, transgender women, transgender men, and gender-nonbinary persons is unclear.

Methods: In this phase 3, double-blind, randomized, active-controlled trial, we randomly assigned participants in a 2:1 ratio to receive subcutaneous lenacapavir every 26 weeks or daily oral emtricitabine-tenofovir disoproxil fumarate (F/TDF).

Convergence of Alcohol Consumption and Dietary Quality in US Adults Who Currently Drink Alcohol: An Analysis of Two Core Risk Factors of Liver Disease.

Background/objectives: Alcohol consumption and poor dietary habits are on the rise in the United States, posing significant challenges to public health due to their contribution to chronic diseases such as liver failure. While associations between alcohol consumption patterns and diet quality have been explored, the relationship between specific alcoholic beverage types and diet quality remains underexamined. This study aims to compare diet quality among consumers of different alcoholic beverage types.

A Phase II Open-Label, Randomized Clinical Trial of Atezolizumab with or without Human Recombinant IL-7 (CYT107) in Advanced Urothelial Cancer.

Purpose: Advanced urothelial cancer generally has high mortality despite modern anti-PD-1/L1 antibody-based combinations. Augmenting checkpoint inhibitor-mediated immune responses with lymphocyte growth factors may improve outcomes. We conducted a randomized phase II study (Cancer Immunotherapy Trials Network-14) in 47 patients to explore whether human recombinant IL-7 (CYT107) could be safely combined with PD-L1 inhibition to enhance responses.

BLA inputs to the BNST regulate social stress-escalated alcohol consumption.

Background: Aversive social experiences can lead to escalated drug consumption and increase the risk of relapse to drug seeking. Individuals who consume alcohol to alleviate the effects of social stress are more likely to develop an alcohol use disorder (AUD). Repeated social defeat stress (SDS) enhances the rewarding and reinforcing effects of alcohol.

Development and in vitro evaluation of a lignin-PLGA nanocarrier for florfenicol delivery.

Florfenicol (FF) is a widely used antimicrobial in veterinary medicine because of its broad antimicrobial activity, although it has certain limitations and raises concerns about the development of antimicrobial resistance genes. These limitations highlight the need to explore novel drug with controlled release systems to enhance the therapeutic efficacy of FF, while minimizing the potential for resistance development. This study introduces an innovative approach for the design, synthesis, and evaluation of lignin-poly(lactic-co-glycolic) acid (PLGA)-FF nanoparticles.

Life Course Stressors, Latent Coping Strategies, Alcohol Use, and Adherence among People with HIV.

People with HIV (PWH) have often experienced chronic stressors across their lifespan, including adverse childhood experiences (ACES), lifetime economic hardship (LEH), and concurrent stressors associated with living in urban areas (urban stress). Prolonged exposure to stressors might result in differential coping patterns among PWH that can impact care trajectories. We utilized a life course-informed approach to examine chronic stressors as antecedents of latent coping strategies among PWH in care.

A pilot randomized clinical trial of a smartphone-based application to support at-home PSA screening and culturally tailored prostate cancer education for African American men: A study protocol.

Background: Prostate cancer is the most diagnosed cancer in Black/African American men (AA) and the second‑leading cause of cancer-related deaths. A prostate-specific antigen (PSA) blood test is an early detection screening tool for prostate cancer, but uptake of PSA screening remains low among AA men. Greater PSA screening rates among AA men, coupled with earlier treatment, may reduce disparities in prostate cancer outcomes, including mortality.

Motivational interviewing-based interventions with patients with comorbid anxiety and substance use disorders.

Individuals with substance misuse and substance use disorder (SUD) experience especially high rates of elevated anxiety, including anxiety disorders, and the co-occurrence of these conditions is related to worse treatment outcomes. Given that these patients may have little motivation to change their substance misuse if they use substances to cope with their chronically elevated anxiety, interventions that include components that target motivation may be especially useful. Thus, this paper reviews the recent extant literature on treatments developed specifically for these high-risk patients that include motivational interviewing (MI) techniques to increase motivation for behavioral change.

The association between alpha-1 antitrypsin and B-type natriuretic peptide blood levels in healthy African Americans.

Objective: B-type natriuretic peptide (BNP) is a neurohormone primarily secreted from cardiac ventricles in reaction to increased volume and pressure. The plasma level of BNP is used to measure the mechanical function of the heart and the risk of developing chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Alpha-1 antitrypsin (AAT) is a glycoprotein that acts as an inhibitor of serine proteases and plays a crucial role in protecting the lungs against potential harm.

Racial and Ethnic Differences in Liver Transplantation and Post-Liver Transplant Survival Among Patients With Hepatocellular Carcinoma.

Background: Racial and ethnic disparities in diagnosis and overall outcomes for HCC are well known. We present updated real-world data on racial or ethnic differences in LT and post-LT survival among patients with HCC in a large population-based database.

Methods: We used the TriNetX database to retrospectively identify patients who had HCC (ICD-10 C22.

Sexism and Cannabis-Related Problems Among Women in the U.S.: The Role of Negative Affect and Coping-Motivated Cannabis Use.

Background: Although previous studies have highlighted the detrimental impact of sexism on other substance use and use-related outcomes among women, limited empirical attention has tested whether sexism is related to worse cannabis-related outcomes. It may be that women use cannabis to cope with negative affect related to experiencing sexism, and thus continue to use despite cannabis-related problems. However, no known studies have tested this hypothesis.

Integrated systems biology identifies disruptions in mitochondrial function and metabolism as key contributors to heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF).

Background: Heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF) accounts for ~50% of HF cases, with no effective treatments. The ZSF1-obese rat model recapitulates numerous clinical features of HFpEF including hypertension, obesity, metabolic syndrome, exercise intolerance, and LV diastolic dysfunction. Here, we utilized a systems-biology approach to define the early metabolic and transcriptional signatures to gain mechanistic insight into the pathways contributing to HFpEF development.

Peptide Receptor Radionuclide Therapy and clinical associations with renal and hematological toxicities and survival in patients with neuroendocrine tumors: an analysis from two U.S. medical centers.

Purpose: Renal and hematological toxicity are side effects and dose-limiting factors of Peptide Receptor Radionuclide Therapy (PRRT). We aimed to assess the changes in renal and hematological function and associations with survival in neuroendocrine tumor (NET) patients treated with PRRT.

Methods: A retrospective cohort of 448 NET patients treated with either Lu-DOTATATE or Y-DOTATOC were followed for changes of renal and hematological function.

Is hyperactivity in children with attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) a functional response to demands on specific executive functions or cognitive demands in general?

Objective: Hyperactivity is a core and impairing deficit in the clinical model of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). However, the extent to which hyperactivity in ADHD is evoked by cognitively challenging tasks in general or by demands on specific executive functions remains unclear.

Method: A clinically evaluated and carefully phenotyped community-referred sample of 184 children ages 8-13 (M = 10.

Using Phosphatidylethanol as an Adjunct to Self-Reported Alcohol Use Improves Identification of Liver Fibrosis Risk.

Introduction: Accurate assessment of alcohol use informs prevention and management of liver disease. We examined whether phosphatidylethanol (PEth, an alcohol metabolite) blood concentrations are associated with liver fibrosis risk independently of self-reported alcohol use, among persons with and without HIV.

Methods: We pooled individual-level data from 12 studies from the United States, Russia, Uganda, and South Africa with PEth, Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test-Consumption (AUDIT-C), and fibrosis-4 (FIB-4) measurements.

Association of circulating adipokines with metabolic measures among people with HIV: Moderating effects of alcohol use.

Background: People with HIV (PWH) are at increased risk for cardiometabolic comorbidities. We have reported that lifetime alcohol use among people with HIV (PWH) is associated with increased risk for metabolic syndrome. Dysfunctional adipose tissue and altered circulating adipokines mediate metabolic dysregulation.