1,009 results match your criteria: "Boston University School of Medicine and.[Affiliation]"

Background: Substance use is common among U.S. military veterans and veterans are at high risk for negative consequences associated with substance use, such as injection-related infections and overdose.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Transcription factor induction of vascular blood stem cell niches in vivo.

Dev Cell

June 2023

Stem Cell Program and Division of Hematology/Oncology, Boston Children's Hospital and Dana Farber Cancer Institute, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Harvard Medical School, Harvard Stem Cell Institute, Stem Cell and Regenerative Biology Department, Harvard University, Boston, MA, USA. Electronic address:

The hematopoietic niche is a supportive microenvironment composed of distinct cell types, including specialized vascular endothelial cells that directly interact with hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells (HSPCs). The molecular factors that specify niche endothelial cells and orchestrate HSPC homeostasis remain largely unknown. Using multi-dimensional gene expression and chromatin accessibility analyses in zebrafish, we define a conserved gene expression signature and cis-regulatory landscape that are unique to sinusoidal endothelial cells in the HSPC niche.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) hijacks multiple human proteins during infection and viral replication. To examine whether any viral proteins employ human E3 ubiquitin ligases, we evaluated the stability of SARS-CoV-2 proteins with inhibition of the ubiquitin proteasome pathway. Using genetic screens to dissect the molecular machinery involved in the degradation of candidate viral proteins, we identified human E3 ligase RNF185 as a regulator of protein stability for the SARS-CoV-2 envelope protein.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Umbilical cord DNA methylation is associated with body mass index trajectories from birth to adolescence.

EBioMedicine

May 2023

Department of Epidemiology, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, 655 Huntington Avenue, Building II, 2nd Floor, Boston, MA 02115, USA; Department of Biostatistics, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, 655 Huntington Avenue, Building II, 4th Floor, Boston, MA 02115, USA. Electronic address:

Background: DNA methylation (DNAm) in cord blood has been associated with various prenatal factors and birth outcomes. This study sought to fill an important knowledge gap: the link of cord DNAm with child postnatal growth trajectories from birth to age 18 years (y).

Methods: Using data from a US predominantly urban, low-income, multi-ethnic birth cohort (N = 831), we first applied non-parametric methods to identify body-mass-index percentile (BMIPCT) trajectories from birth to age 18 y (the outcome); then, conducted epigenome-wide association study (EWAS) of the outcome, interrogating over 700,000 CpG sites profiled by the Illumina Infinium MethylationEPIC BeadChip.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: The effectiveness and sustainability of masking policies as a pandemic control measure remain uncertain. Our aim was to evaluate different masking policy types on severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) incidence and to identify factors and conditions impacting effectiveness.

Methods: Nationwide, retrospective cohort study of US counties from 4/4/2020-28/6/2021.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Substance use disorder bridge clinics: models, evidence, and future directions.

Addict Sci Clin Pract

April 2023

Division of General Internal Medicine, Department of Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA.

Background: The opioid overdose and polysubstance use crises have led to the development of low-barrier, transitional substance use disorder (SUD) treatment models, including bridge clinics. Bridge clinics offer immediate access to medications for opioid use disorder (MOUD) and other SUD treatment and are increasingly numerous. However, given relatively recent implementation, the clinical impact of bridge clinics is not well described.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Barriers and Facilitators to the Adoption of Evidence-Based Interventions for Adults Within Occupational and Physical Therapy Practice Settings: A Systematic Review.

Arch Phys Med Rehabil

July 2023

VA Rocky Mountain Mental Illness Research, Education, and Clinical Center (MIRECC), Aurora, CO; University of Colorado, Anschutz Medical Campus, Departments of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Psychiatry, and Neurology, Aurora, CO.

Objective: Synthesize data regarding barriers and facilitators of adoption (ie, adoption determinants) of evidence-based occupational (OT) and physical therapy (PT) interventions within real-world practice. Whether evidence varied across disciplines, settings, and use of theoretical frameworks was also examined.

Data Sources: Literature published from database inception to December 9, 2022, in OVID MEDLINE, EMBASE, OVID PsycINFO, Web of Science Core Collection, Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature, Cochrane Library, and Google Scholar.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • Neurological symptoms, including movement disorders, are common in patients with acute COVID-19, but information on their long-term outcomes is limited.
  • A study found that movement disorders typically start about 12.6 days after the initial COVID-19 symptoms, with 92% of affected patients needing hospitalization for an average of 23 days.
  • Overall, most patients recover fully within a few weeks or months, but some may experience persistent movement disorders, potentially revealing or exacerbating underlying issues.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are a major public health concern worldwide due to their ubiquitous exposures, environmental persistence, maternal-to-fetal transfer, and multi-organ toxicity. This pilot study aimed to generate preliminary data to inform future studies to address data gaps in the field, including early life PFAS exposure levels, longitudinal changes, determinants, and associated metabolomic alterations in understudied Black and Hispanic children in the United States (U.S.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: Fatal opioid-related overdoses (OOD) present significant public health challenges. Intuitive and replicable analytical approaches are needed to inform targeted public health responses.

Methods: We obtained fatal OOD data for 2005-2021 from the Massachusetts Registry of Vital Records and Statistics.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Objective: To adapt and validate an algorithm to ascertain transgender and gender diverse (TGD) patients within electronic health record (EHR) data.

Methods: Using a previously unvalidated algorithm of identifying TGD persons within administrative claims data in a multistep, hierarchical process, we validated this algorithm in an EHR data set with self-reported gender identity.

Results: Within an EHR data set of 52 746 adults with self-reported gender identity (gold standard) a previously unvalidated algorithm to identify TGD persons via TGD-related diagnosis and procedure codes, and gender-affirming hormone therapy prescription data had a sensitivity of 87.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors, or pNETs, represent a rare and clinically heterogenous subset of pancreatic neoplasms. One such pNET, the insulinoma, is found to be malignant in just 4% of all insulinomas. Due to the exceedingly uncommon occurrence of these tumors, there is controversy regarding the optimal evidence-based management for these patients.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Polysubstance Use Patterns Associated With HIV Disease Severity Among Those With Substance Use Disorders: A Latent Class Analysis.

J Stud Alcohol Drugs

January 2023

Grayken Center for Addiction, Clinical Addiction Research and Education Unit, Section of General Internal Medicine, Boston University School of Medicine and Boston Medical Center, Boston, Massachusetts.

Objective: Polysubstance use is common among people with HIV infection (PWH) and with substance use disorder (SUD), but its effects are understudied. We aimed to identify polysubstance use patterns over time and assess their associations with HIV disease severity.

Method: In 233 PWH with current or past SUD, latent class analysis identified polysubstance use patterns based on the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test-Consumption and past-30-day use of cannabis, cocaine, opioids, and tranquilizers at baseline.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: Alcohol use has been linked to worse human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) immunologic/virologic outcomes, yet few studies have explored the effects of alcohol use disorder (AUD). This study assessed whether AUD severity is associated with HIV viral suppression and CD4 count in the three cohorts of the Uganda Russia Boston Alcohol Network for Alcohol Research Collaboration on HIV/AIDS (URBAN ARCH) Consortium.

Methods: People with HIV (PWH) in Uganda (n = 301), Russia (n = 400), and Boston (n = 251), selected in-part based on their alcohol use, were included in analyses.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Teaching NeuroImage: Imaging and Pathologic Findings in SARS-CoV-2-Related Acute Demyelinating Encephalomyelitis.

Neurology

June 2023

From the Department of Neurology (R.L., D.V., K.S., A.C.-A.); Department of Pathology (R.N., B.M.); Department of Radiology (M.A.); Department of Neurosurgery (K.S., A.C.-A.); and Department of Medicine (Infectious Disease) (A.C.-A.), Boston University School of Medicine and Boston Medical Center, MA.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Cross-municipality migration and spread of tuberculosis in South Africa.

Sci Rep

February 2023

Wits Diagnostic Innovation Hub, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa.

Human migration facilitates the spread of infectious disease. However, little is known about the contribution of migration to the spread of tuberculosis in South Africa. We analyzed longitudinal data on all tuberculosis test results recorded by South Africa's National Health Laboratory Service (NHLS), January 2011-July 2017, alongside municipality-level migration flows estimated from the 2016 South African Community Survey.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: Medical hospitalizations for people with opioid use disorder (OUD) frequently result in patient-directed discharges (PDD), often due to untreated pain and withdrawal.

Objective: To investigate the association between early opioid withdrawal management strategies and PDD.

Design: Retrospective cohort study using three datasets representing 362 US hospitals.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: Understanding the association of prior SARS-CoV-2 infection with subsequent reinfection has public health relevance.

Objective: To explore COVID-19 severity and SARS-CoV-2 infection and reinfection rates.

Design: Retrospective cohort study.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Clinicians' risk behaviors, including their personal alcohol use, may influence patients' attitudes and motivation to make changes in their lifestyle, as well as the provision of clinical preventive services to reduce unhealthy behaviors. The aim of the systematic review was to summarize the existing evidence on the association between clinicians' alcohol consumption and their preventive practices to reduce unhealthy alcohol use. The review was conducted following Cochrane guidelines and Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) statement guidance.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Key Points: The effects of spironolactone on arrhythmia in patients receiving maintenance hemodialysis are unclear. In these analyses, spironolactone resulted in a higher frequency of bradycardia and conduction blocks, compared with placebo. Close monitoring may be warranted for patients on maintenance hemodialysis receiving MRAs, while definitive trial results are awaited.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: Protein biomarkers may provide insight into kidney disease pathology but their use for the identification of phenotypically distinct kidney diseases has not been evaluated.

Methods: We used unsupervised hierarchical clustering on 225 plasma biomarkers in 541 individuals enrolled into the Boston Kidney Biopsy Cohort, a prospective cohort study of individuals undergoing kidney biopsy with adjudicated histopathology. Using principal component analysis, we studied biomarker levels by cluster and examined differences in clinicopathologic diagnoses and histopathologic lesions across clusters.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Patient-reported outcomes in AL amyloidosis have not been well-studied. We analyzed health-related quality of life (HRQOL) and AL amyloidosis symptoms data from the phase 3 TOURMALINE-AL1 trial (NCT01659658) (ixazomib-dexamethasone, n = 85; physician's choice of chemotherapy [PC], n = 83). HRQOL and symptom burden were measured with the SF-36v2, Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy/Gynecologic Oncology Group Neurotoxicity subscale (FACT/GOG-Ntx), and an amyloidosis symptom questionnaire (ASQ).

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Acute promyelocytic leukemia (APL) is a unique subtype of acute myeloid leukemia (AML) that is characterized by the fusion or, more rarely, a variant translocation. While APL can be clinically suspected, diagnosis of APL requires genetic confirmation. Targeted therapy such as all-trans-retinoic acid (ATRA) and arsenic trioxide (ATO) has dramatically improved the prognosis of APL patients, but this is dependent on timely genetic testing as different fusions and/or mutations can affect therapeutic outcomes.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF