Impacts of zero-fare transit policy on health and social determinants: protocol for a natural experiment study.

Population-level efforts are needed to increase levels of physical activity and healthy eating to reduce and manage chronic diseases such as obesity, cardiovascular disease, and type 2 diabetes. Interventions to increase public transit use may be one promising strategy, particularly for low-income communities or populations of color who are disproportionately burdened by health disparities and transportation barriers. This study employs a natural experiment design to evaluate the impacts of a citywide zero-fare transit policy in Kansas City, Missouri, on ridership and health indicators.

Untargeted lipidomics reveals novel HDL metabotypes and lipid-clinical correlates.

Plasma high-density lipoprotein (HDL), originally studied for its role in lipid transport, is now appreciated to have wide-ranging biological functions that become defective during disease. While >200 lipids have collectively been detected in HDL, published HDL lipidomic analyses in different diseases have commonly been targeted to prespecified subsets of lipids. Here, we report the results of untargeted lipidomic analysis of HDL isolated from 101 subjects referred for computed tomographic coronary imaging for whom multiple additional clinical and lipoprotein metadata were measured.

Novel management of pseudomonas biofilm-like structure in a post-pneumonectomy empyema.

We present a patient with a post-pneumonectomy empyema refractory to surgical debridement and systemic antibiotics. The patient initially presented with a bronchopleural fistula and pneumothorax secondary to tuberculosis (TB) destroyed lung, which required a pneumonectomy with Eloesser flap. Ongoing pleural infection delayed the closure of the Eloesser flap, and thoracoscopic inspection of his chest cavity revealed a green, mucous biofilm-like structure lining the postpneumonectomy pleural cavity.

Transcatheter electrosurgical aortic septostomy optimizes distal landing zone in chronic dissection.

Objective: Efficacy of thoracic endovascular aortic repair (TEVAR) for chronic type B aortic dissection (CTBAD) is dependent on eliminating retrograde false lumen perfusion and remodeling the aorta. We describe the efficacy of a novel transcatheter electrosurgical technique to fenestrate the dissection flap and create a distal seal zone for TEVAR in CTBAD.

Methods: A retrospective review of the Emory Aortic Database from 2016 to 2023 identified 33 patients who underwent TEVAR with intentional endovascular rupture of the dissection flap (Knickerbocker; KNICK) for CTBAD.

Preparing better: Accelerating COVID-19 Therapeutic Interventions and Vaccines (ACTIV) therapeutics trials lessons learned: A call to the future.

The Accelerating COVID-19 Therapeutic Interventions and Vaccines Therapeutic-Clinical Working Group members gathered critical recommendations in follow-up to lessons learned manuscripts released earlier in the COVID-19 pandemic. Lessons around agent prioritization, preclinical therapeutics testing, master protocol design and implementation, drug manufacturing and supply, data sharing, and public-private partnership value are shared to inform responses to future pandemics.

Hematopoietic Cell Transplant compared with Standard Care in Adolescents and Young Adults with Sickle Cell Disease.

Disease-modifying therapies are standard of care (SOC) for sickle cell disease (SCD), but hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT) has curative potential. We compared outcomes prospectively through 2-years after biologic assignment to a Donor or No Donor (SOC) Arm based on the availability of an HLA-matched sibling or unrelated donor (BMTCTN 1503; NCT02766465). A donor search was commenced after eligibility confirmation.

modXNA: A Modular Approach to Parametrization of Modified Nucleic Acids for Use with Amber Force Fields.

Modified nucleic acids have surged as a popular therapeutic route, emphasizing the importance of nucleic acid research in drug discovery and development. Beyond well-known RNA vaccines, antisense oligonucleotides and aptamers can incorporate various modified nucleic acids to target specific biomolecules for various therapeutic activities. Molecular dynamics simulations can accelerate the design and development of these systems with noncanonical nucleic acids by observing intricate dynamic properties and relative stability on the all-atom level.

Expanding and improving analyses of nucleotide recoding RNA-seq experiments with the EZbakR suite.

Nucleotide recoding RNA sequencing methods (NR-seq; TimeLapse-seq, SLAM-seq, TUC-seq, etc.) are powerful approaches for assaying transcript population dynamics. In addition, these methods have been extended to probe a host of regulated steps in the RNA life cycle.

TGF-β antagonism synergizes with PPARγ agonism to reduce fibrosis and enhance beige adipogenesis.

Objectives: Adipose tissue depots vary markedly in their ability to store and metabolize triglycerides, undergo beige adipogenesis and susceptibility to metabolic disease. The molecular mechanisms that underlie such heterogeneity are not entirely clear. Previously, we showed that TGF-β signaling suppresses beige adipogenesis via repressing the recruitment of dedicated beige progenitors.

Differences in COVID-19 Vaccination and Experiences among Patients with Hypertension in Colombia and Jamaica during the COVID-19 Pandemic.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, hypertensive patients had increased infection and healthcare disruption in many low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) with limited vaccine access. The objective of this report is to describe COVID-19 experiences and vaccination uptake among hypertensive patients in Colombia and Jamaica. A cross-sectional study of patients with hypertension was conducted in primary care clinics in both countries between 2021 and 2022.

Measurable residual mutated IDH2 before allogeneic transplant for acute myeloid leukemia.

Routine genetic profiling of acute myeloid leukemia (AML) at initial diagnosis has allowed subgroup specific prognostication, drug development, and clinical management strategies. The optimal approach for treatment response assessment for AML subgroups has not yet however been determined. A nationwide cohort of 257 adult patients in first remission (CR1) from AML associated with an IDH2 mutation (IDH2m) undergoing allogeneic transplant during the period 2013-2019 in the United States had rates of relapse and survival three years after transplantation of 24% and 71%, respectively.

Comparison of exercise training modalities and change in peak oxygen consumption in heart failure with preserved ejection fraction: a secondary analysis of the OptimEx-Clin trial.

Aims: Exercise training (ET) is an effective therapy in heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF), but the influence of different ET characteristics is unclear. We aimed to evaluate the associations between ET frequency, duration, intensity [% heart rate reserve (%HRR)] and estimated energy expenditure (EEE) with the change in peak oxygen consumption (V̇O2) over 3 months of moderate continuous training (MCT, 5×/week) or high-intensity interval training (HIIT, 3×/week) in HFpEF.

Methods And Results: ET duration and heart rate (HR) were recorded with a smartphone application.

A Wireless and Wearable Multimodal Sensor to Non-Invasively Monitor Transabdominal Placental Oxygen Saturation and Maternal Physiological Signals.

Poor placental development and placental defects can lead to adverse pregnancy outcomes such as pre-eclampsia, fetal growth restriction, and stillbirth. This study introduces two sensors, which use a near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) technique to measure placental oxygen saturation transabdominally. The first one, an NIRS sensor, is a wearable device consisting of multiple NIRS channels.

Proteases and protease inhibitors in saliva of hard ticks: Biological role and pharmacological potential.

Hard ticks (family Ixodidae) are significant vectors of pathogens affecting humans and animals. This review explores the composition of tick saliva, focusing on proteases and protease inhibitors, their biological roles, and their potential in vaccines and therapies. Tick saliva contains various proteases, mostly metalloproteases, serpins, cystatins, and Kunitz-type inhibitors, which modulate host hemostatic, immune, and wound healing responses to facilitate blood feeding and pathogen transmission.