Evaluating the Impact of Phosphatidylethanol Testing on Hospital Outcomes.

Background: Alcohol dependence remains a significant global health issue, exacerbated by the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. Phosphatidylethanol (PEth), a direct biomarker of recent alcohol consumption, offers improved specificity, sensitivity, and a longer detection window of 2 - 4 weeks compared to traditional biomarkers. This study evaluates the association between PEth testing and hospital outcomes in hospitalized patients by comparing outcomes among patients with positive PEth and negative PEth test results.

Prenatal exposure to per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) from contaminated water and risk of childhood cancer in California, 2000-2015.

Background: Few studies have investigated associations between per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) and childhood cancers. Detectable levels of PFAS in California water districts were reported in the Third Unregulated Contaminant Monitoring Rule for 2013-2015.

Methods: Geocoded residences at birth were linked to corresponding water district boundaries for 10,220 California-born children (aged 0-15 years) diagnosed with cancers (2000-2015) and 29,974 healthy controls.

A cross-sectional study characterizing the prevalence of utility service outages across demographic characteristics and health correlates in New York City.

Background: Utility services for electricity, gas, heat, and hot water are necessities for everyday activities (e.g., lighting, cooking, and thermal safety).

Lipoprotein(a), high-sensitivity c-reactive protein, homocysteine and cardiovascular disease in the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis.

Background And Aims: Elevated lipoprotein(a) [Lp(a)], high-sensitivity C-Reactive Protein (hs-CRP), and total homocysteine (tHcy) are associated with atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD) risk. This study investigated the individual and joint associations of Lp(a), hs-CRP and tHcy with coronary heart disease (CHD) and stroke.

Methods: This study was conducted in the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis (MESA) cohort (2000-2017) (CHD analytic = 6,676; stroke analytic = 6,674 men and women).

American society for preventive cardiology 2024 cardiovascular disease prevention: Highlights and key sessions.

Groundbreaking strategies for preventive cardiology were showcased at the 2024 American Society for Preventive Cardiology (ASPC) Congress on Cardiovascular Disease (CVD) Prevention held in Salt Lake City, Utah, from August 2nd to 4th, 2024. The event featured 69 moderators and 13 scientific sessions comprised of 98 topics, 36 satellite events, 133 poster presentations, and 27 lifestyle classes. The conference highlighted innovative strategies focused on integrating cardiovascular, kidney, and metabolic health, presenting a cohesive approach for managing complex, interrelated conditions.

Design of INSPIRE: Evaluation of the effectiveness of practice facilitation on implementation of screening, brief interventions, referral to treatment and medication for unhealthy alcohol use identification and treatment in primary care.

Background: Unhealthy alcohol use is a leading cause of preventable mortality and a risk factor for an array of social and health problems. The Intervention in Small primary care Practices to Implement Reduction in unhealthy alcohol use (INSPIRE) study is part of a nationwide campaign to improve the identification and treatment of patients engaging in unhealthy alcohol use.

Methods: We conducted a single arm, pragmatic study consisting of seventeen primary care practices in the Chicago metropolitan area, Wisconsin, and California across two waves with a 6-month latent period, a 12-month intervention period, followed by a 6-month sustainability period.

A scoping review of the Trauma Recovery Center model for underserved victims of violent crime.

Victimization in the United States is common and has long lasting negative impacts for individuals, often disproportionately impacting those of color and from low socioeconomic communities. The Trauma Recovery Center (TRC) model aims to provide comprehensive mental health and wrap-around case management services for underserved victims of crime. Following PRISMA-ScR guidelines, we sought to further our knowledge about the impact of the TRC model.

Social support and cognitive reappraisal in adolescent females: The moderating role of lifetime stressor exposure.

Although social support is known to shape how individuals use emotion regulation strategies such as cognitive reappraisal, little is known about the specific dimensions of social support that facilitate such use and whether this use is moderated by lifetime stressor exposure. To investigate, we harnessed data from 47 adolescent females who participated in the Psychobiology of Stress and Adolescent Depression (PSY SAD) study to examine how six dimensions of social support related to youths' use of cognitive reappraisal. In addition, we investigated whether lifetime stressor exposure moderated the association between social support and cognitive reappraisal use in this sample.

Patriarchy, Fertility and Excess Female Child Mortality in India.

Research investigating association between patriarchy and demographic behavior is limited in India. The only study on this subject utilized 1981 Indian Census data to examine associations between patriarchy and fertility. We examined the association of patriarchy, measured using India Patriarchy Index (IPI), with total fertility rate (TFR) and excess female child mortality in India.

A Real-World Evidence Primer for Advanced Practice Providers: Integrating P-Reality X Into Shared Decision-Making for People With HR+/HER2- Metastatic Breast Cancer.

Advanced practice providers in oncology are now likely to encounter real-world data (RWD) studies in addition to data from randomized controlled trials (RCTs) in their practice. Real-world evidence derived from RWD can provide important information about a therapeutic agent's effectiveness outside of the confines of RCTs. It is important to understand how these studies are conducted and how data from these two types of studies can be interpreted and integrated for practical clinical use and shared decision-making.

Seamless Navigation of Bispecific Therapies: Optimizing Management and Outpatient Access With a Focus on Coordination.

Bispecific antibodies (BsAbs) have emerged as crucial therapeutic agents for patients with relapsed/refractory diffuse large B-cell lymphoma, multiple myeloma, and most recently, lung cancer. These therapies have demonstrated remarkable efficacy in clinical trials; however, multidisciplinary collaboration is essential to ensure optimal patient outcomes amid the operational complexities associated with BsAb therapy. As BsAbs are being prepared for broader adoption, clinicians and treatment centers must navigate operational challenges, including financial considerations, patient selection, caregiver involvement, and transitions of care.

Vole hunting: novel predatory and carnivorous behavior by California ground squirrels.

Unlabelled: Dietary flexibility allows animals to respond adaptively to food pulses in the environment. Here we document the novel emergence of widespread hunting of California voles and carnivorous feeding behavior by California ground squirrels. Over two months in the twelfth year of a long-term study on the squirrel population, we document 74 events of juvenile and adult ground squirrels of both sexes depredating, consuming, and/or competing over vole prey.

Challenges and potential solutions to enrollment in a clinical trial of arteriovenous fistula vs arteriovenous graft vascular access strategy.

This article presents the rationale, challenges, and adaptive strategies employed during the initiation and execution of the arteriovenous (AV) access trial-a multicenter randomized controlled trial (RCT) comparing AV fistulas and AV grafts for hemodialysis in older adults with major comorbidities. Motivated by shifts in epidemiologic landscapes and evolving guidelines moving away from a fistula-first approach and to more patient-centric approaches, the objective of this randomized controlled trial was to fill critical knowledge gaps in determining the optimal vascular access for this complex patient population. We outline the challenges encountered in patient recruitment along with measures employed to overcome these obstacles in recruitment.

Nicolau syndrome: A case of ischemic necrosis after subcutaneous immunotherapy.

A rare injection site reaction known as Nicolau syndrome can occur in patients receiving subcutaneous immunotherapy. This syndrome has been reported only a handful of times in the literature related to subcutaneous immunotherapy.

Effect of information awareness on attitudes toward human papillomavirus vaccination intentions in Japan.

Background: The Human Papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination rate among Japanese high school girls remains critically low, reflecting ongoing public apprehension and misinformation. This study explores the relationship between information presentation and attitudes toward HPV vaccination in Japan.

Methods: We conducted a web-based survey of female high school students aged 15 to 16 and mothers of daughters of similar age across Japan.

Identifying biomarker-driven subphenotypes of cardiogenic shock: analysis of prospective cohorts and randomized controlled trials.

Background: Cardiogenic shock (CS) is a heterogeneous clinical syndrome, making it challenging to predict patient trajectory and response to treatment. This study aims to identify biological/molecular CS subphenotypes, evaluate their association with outcome, and explore their impact on heterogeneity of treatment effect (ShockCO-OP, NCT06376318).

Methods: We used unsupervised clustering to integrate plasma biomarker data from two prospective cohorts of CS patients: CardShock (N = 205 [2010-2012, NCT01374867]) and the French and European Outcome reGistry in Intensive Care Units (FROG-ICU) (N = 228 [2011-2013, NCT01367093]) to determine the optimal number of classes.

Impact of pericarditis on cardiovascular complications and healthcare utilization in patients with inflammatory bowel disease: a National Inpatient Sample study.

Background: Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), which affects over 2.3 million people in the USA, involves chronic gut inflammation and can lead to cardiovascular complications, including pericarditis. Whether pericarditis in IBD patients is caused by medication, or by the disease itself, remains unclear.

Highly effective batch effect correction method for RNA-seq count data.

RNA sequencing (RNA-seq) has become a cornerstone of transcriptomics, providing detailed insights into gene expression across diverse biological conditions and sample types. However, RNA-seq data are often confounded by batch effects, systematic non-biological variations that compromise data reliability and obscure true biological differences. To address these challenges, we introduce ComBat-ref, a refined batch effect correction method designed to enhance the statistical power and reliability of differential expression analysis in RNA-seq data.

Temporal and spatial pattern analysis of escaped prescribed fires in California from 1991 to 2020.

Background: Prescribed fires play a critical role in reducing the intensity and severity of future wildfires by systematically and widely consuming accumulated vegetation fuel. While the current probability of prescribed fire escape in the United States stands very low, their consequential impact, particularly the large wildfires they cause, raises substantial concerns. The most direct way of understanding this trade-off between wildfire risk reduction and prescribed fire escapes is to explore patterns in the historical prescribed fire records.

Streptococcus pneumoniae endophthalmitis after exposed glaucoma drainage implant.

A patient with juvenile glaucoma status post 2 glaucoma drainage implants in each eye presents with painful vision loss in the left eye and is found to have streptococcus pneumoniae endophthalmitis from an exposed inferior glaucoma drainage implant. The infection is managed medically with intravitreal antibiotics and surgically with a glaucoma drainage device revision, anterior chamber washout and pars plana vitrectomy.

Bleb leak revision with Tenon's autograft.

This video demonstrates two surgical cases where autologous Tenon grafts are used to shut down leaking trabeculectomies. Variations in this technique with a rotational graft and a hinge graft are explored.

Impact of Mg Substitution on the Structure, Stability, and Properties of the NaFeF Weberite Cathode.

Of the few weberite-type Na-ion cathodes explored to date, NaFeF exhibits the best performance, with capacities up to 184 mAh/g and energy densities up to 550 Wh/kg reported for this material. However, the development of robust structure-property relationships for this material is complicated by its tendency to form as a mixture of metastable polymorphs, and transform to a lower-energy Na FeF perovskite compound during electrochemical cycling. Our first-principles-guided exploration of Fe-based weberite solid solutions with redox-inactive Mg and Al predicts an enhanced thermodynamic stability of NaMg Fe F as the Mg content is increased, and the = 0.