Oral Regimens for Rifampin-Resistant, Fluoroquinolone-Susceptible Tuberculosis.

Background: For decades, poor treatment options and low-quality evidence plagued care for patients with rifampin-resistant tuberculosis. The advent of new drugs to treat tuberculosis and enhanced funding now permit randomized, controlled trials of shortened-duration, all-oral treatments for rifampin-resistant tuberculosis.

Methods: We conducted a phase 3, multinational, open-label, randomized, controlled noninferiority trial to compare standard therapy for treatment of fluoroquinolone-susceptible, rifampin-resistant tuberculosis with five 9-month oral regimens that included various combinations of bedaquiline (B), delamanid (D), linezolid (L), levofloxacin (Lfx) or moxifloxacin (M), clofazimine (C), and pyrazinamide (Z).

Foundation Models for Translational Cancer Biology.

Cancer remains a leading cause of death globally. The complexity and diversity of cancer-related datasets across different specialties pose challenges in refining precision medicine for oncology. Foundation models offer a promising solution.

Estimating the economic consequences of leveraging the novel cobas® HIV-1/HIV-2 Qualitative NAT Test in routine HIV testing.

Background: Efficient and cost-effective testing strategies are needed to reduce HIV transmission. The aim of this study was to compare the costs of using the current CDC 3-step HIV algorithm - antigen/antibody screening, differentiation immunoassay (Geenius) and NAT against an alternative algorithm using a cobas® HIV-1/HIV-2 qualitative NAT.

Methods: A one-year cost calculator was developed from a US payer perspective using a decision-tree approach to simulate testing in a population of 1 million individuals.

Mechanisms for DNA Interplay in Eukaryotic Transcription Factors.

Like their prokaryotic counterparts, eukaryotic transcription factors must recognize specific DNA sites, search for them efficiently, and bind to them to help recruit or block the transcription machinery. For eukaryotic factors, however, the genetic signals are extremely complex and scattered over vast, multichromosome genomes, while the DNA interplay occurs in a varying landscape defined by chromatin remodeling events and epigenetic modifications. Eukaryotic factors are rich in intrinsically disordered regions and are also distinct in their recognition of short DNA motifs and utilization of open DNA interaction interfaces as ways to gain access to DNA on nucleosomes.

Associations between affect variability, mean affect, and mental health among college students during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The purpose of the study was to test whether associations between affect variability and mental health (i.e., anxiety symptoms, depressive symptoms, flourishing) differ by mean levels of affect during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Fatuamide A, a Hybrid PKS/NRPS Metallophore from a sp. Marine Cyanobacterium Collected in American Samoa.

A structurally novel metabolite, fatuamide A (), was discovered from a laboratory cultured strain of the marine cyanobacterium sp., collected from Faga'itua Bay, American Samoa. A bioassay-guided approach using NCI-H460 human lung cancer cells directed the isolation of fatuamide A, which was obtained from the most cytotoxic fraction.

Prosocial behavior interventions implemented among undergraduate student populations: a scoping review.

Introduction: Undergraduate students face a multitude of unique stressors which can affect their mental health and well-being. Finding ways to promote positive mental health among students is critical. Engagement in prosocial behavior is one way to buffer against such negative mental health outcomes.

Depression, mental health culture, and graduate students: A low-cost, poster-based intervention using attribution messages.

: This research effort developed, implemented, and evaluated an inexpensive poster campaign designed to influence on-campus mental health culture and stigma. : 124 students at a Californian graduate-only university participated in the evaluation. : A single-group, pretest-posttest, quasi-experimental design tested the effect of exposing graduate students to posters carrying attribution-based messages.

Measuring Intentional Communication in Infants at Elevated Likelihood of Autism: Validity, Reliability, and Responsiveness of a Novel Coding Scale.

Purpose: Intentional communication acts, or purposefully directed vocalizations and gestures, are particularly difficult for infants at elevated likelihood for eventual diagnosis of autism. The ability to measure and track intentional communication in infancy thus has the potential to aid early identification and intervention efforts. This study assesses the validity of a novel measure of intentional communication intended for use within semistructured caregiver-infant interactions.

Targeting AXL inhibits the growth and metastasis of prostate cancer in bone.

Purpose: After failing primary and secondary hormonal therapy, castration-resistant and neuroendocrine prostate cancer metastatic to the bone is invariably lethal, although treatment with docetaxel and carboplatin can modestly improve survival. Therefore, agents targeting biologically relevant pathways in PCa and potentially synergizing with docetaxel and carboplatin in inhibiting bone metastasis growth are urgently needed.

Experimental Design: Phosphorylated (activated) AXL expression in human prostate cancer bone metastases was assessed by immunohistochemical staining.

Program Director Perspectives on DEI Initiatives in the Dermatology Residency Selection Process.

The American Academy of Dermatology (AAD) has maintained a commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives; however, a recent strike down of affirmative action by the US Supreme Court has caused similar efforts to be called into question. This prompted our investigation into dermatology program director (PD) perceptions of DEI programming and its integration into resident selection. A cross-sectional survey of PDs at US dermatology residency programs was conducted from April 2024 to July 2024 (N=30).

Variable vertical land motion and its impacts on sea level rise projections.

Coastal vertical land motion (VLM), including uplift and subsidence, can greatly alter relative sea level projections and flood mitigations plans. Yet, current projection frameworks, such as the IPCC Sixth Assessment Report, often underestimate VLM by relying on regional linear estimates. Using high-resolution (90-meter) satellite data from 2015 to 2023, we provide local VLM estimates for California and assess their contribution to sea level rise both now and in future.

Early MRI Can Predict the Indication for Surgery in Brachial Plexus Birth Injury: Results of the NAPTIME Study.

Background: Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) has not been routinely used for infants with brachial plexus birth injury (BPBI); instead, the decision to operate is based on the trajectory of clinical recovery by 6 months of age. The aim of this study was to develop an MRI protocol that can be performed without sedation or contrast in order to identify infants who would benefit from surgery at an earlier age than the age at which that decision could be made clinically.

Methods: This prospective multicenter NAPTIME (Non-Anesthetized Plexus Technique for Infant MRI Evaluation) study included infants aged 28 to 120 days with BPBI from 3 tertiary care centers.

Improved Risk Adjustment for Comorbid Diagnoses in Administrative Claims Analyses of Orthopaedic Surgery.

Background: The accurate inclusion of patient comorbidities ensures appropriate risk adjustment in clinical or health services research and payment models. Orthopaedic studies often use only the comorbidities included at the index inpatient admission when quantifying patient risk. The goal of this study was to assess improvements in capture rates and in model fit and discriminatory power when using additional data and best practices for comorbidity capture.

The role of oscillations in grid cells' toroidal topology.

Persistent homology applied to the activity of grid cells in the Medial Entorhinal Cortex suggests that this activity lies on a toroidal manifold. By analyzing real data and a simple model, we show that neural oscillations play a key role in the appearance of this toroidal topology. To quantitatively monitor how changes in spike trains influence the topology of the data, we first define a robust measure for the degree of toroidality of a dataset.

Environmental fate and aquatic risk assessment of oxyfluorfen in California rice fields.

The herbicide oxyfluorfen [OXY; 2-chloro-1-(3-ethoxy-4-nitrophenoxy)-4-(trifluoromethyl)benzene] recently emerged as a potential solution to combat herbicide resistance in California rice. Proposed as a preemergent applied preflood to soil, products are in development for use with OXY-tolerant rice strains. Currently, OXY is not registered for use with rice and its use in or near aquatic resources is restricted due to its high aquatic toxicity.

Development and implementation of an electronic health record system for use in humanitarian emergencies, disaster response, and conflict zones.

Humanitarian medical response to natural and human-made disasters can be complicated by high clinician, staff, and patient turnover. While electronic medical records are being scaled up globally, their use remains limited in humanitarian response settings. The Fast Electronic Medical Record (fEMR) system is an open-source electronic health record system specifically designed for use in resource-limited settings and humanitarian crises.

The impact of anticoagulant-related bleeding on quality of life: Development of a novel measure based on perspectives from older adults.

Background: Venous thromboembolism (VTE) and atrial fibrillation (AF) disproportionately affect older adults, who are at increased risk of bleeding from treatment with anticoagulant therapy. The impact of bleeding on older adults' quality of life (QoL) is poorly understood due to the lack of a validated measure of their experience. This study's purpose is to describe the first evidence-based steps in developing a new condition-specific patient-reported outcome measure (PROM) for the effect of anticoagulant-related bleeding on older adults' QoL.

Heterogeneity analysis provides evidence for a genetically homogeneous subtype of bipolar-disorder.

Background: Bipolar Disorder (BD) is a complex disease. It is heterogeneous, both at the phenotypic and genetic level, although the extent and impact of this heterogeneity is not fully understood. One way to assess this heterogeneity is to look for patterns in the subphenotype data.