An empirical test of the biodiversity hypothesis: Exposure to plant diversity is associated with a reduced risk of childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia.

The biodiversity hypothesis posits that declining biodiversity may be responsible, at least in part, for the global increase in immune diseases. However, few studies have been able to demonstrate a link between exposure to biodiversity and specific health outcomes. We test whether exposure to plant diversity protects against childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) by promoting immune maturation.

Prevalence and Correlates of Nonprescription Hormone Use Among Trans Women in São Paulo, Brazil.

The purpose of this study was to determine the prevalence and correlates of nonprescription hormone use among Brazilian trans women. This study is a cross-sectional survey of trans women in São Paulo, Brazil, recruited by respondent-driven sampling in 2017-2019. Of 790 trans women, 36.

Characteristics, treatment, and outcomes of newly diagnosed atrial fibrillation patients with heart failure: GARFIELD-AF.

Aims: Heart failure (HF) and atrial fibrillation (AF) may coexist and influence each other. However, characteristics, anticoagulant treatment, and outcomes of contemporary AF patients with concurrent HF are ill-defined. This study analyses characteristics, treatment, and 2 year outcomes in newly diagnosed Global Anticoagulant Registry in the FIELD-Atrial Fibrillation (GARFIELD-AF) patients with vs.

The Pretreatment Gut Microbiome Is Associated With Lack of Response to Methotrexate in New-Onset Rheumatoid Arthritis.

Objective: Although oral methotrexate (MTX) remains the anchor drug for rheumatoid arthritis (RA), up to 50% of patients do not achieve a clinically adequate outcome. In addition, there is a lack of prognostic tools for treatment response prior to drug initiation. This study was undertaken to investigate whether interindividual differences in the human gut microbiome can aid in the prediction of MTX efficacy in new-onset RA.

Sensitivity and specificity of rapid hepatitis C antibody assays in freshly collected whole blood, plasma and serum samples: A multicentre prospective study.

Background: This study evaluated performance of two hepatitis C virus (HCV) rapid diagnostic tests (RDTs) performed by intended users in resource-limited settings.

Methods: Testing was conducted at three facilities in two countries (Georgia, Cambodia) using matched fingerstick whole blood, plasma and serum samples. Investigational RDTs were compared with a composite reference standard (CRS) comprised of three laboratory tests, and a reference RDT.

Organizational readiness for artificial intelligence in health care: insights for decision-making and practice.

Purpose: Artificial intelligence (AI) raises many expectations regarding its ability to profoundly transform health care delivery. There is an abundant literature on the technical performance of AI applications in many clinical fields (e.g.

Estimates of Cancer Mortality Attributable to Carcinogenic Infections in Italy.

Several infectious agents are ascertained causes of cancer, but the burden of cancer mortality attributable to carcinogenic infections in Italy is still unknown. To tackle this issue, we calculated the rate and regional distribution of cancer deaths due to infections sustained by seven pathogens ranked as group 1 carcinogenic agents in humans by the International Agency for Research on Cancer. Population attributable fractions related to these agents were applied to annual statistics of cancer deaths coded according to the 10th International Classification of Diseases.

Changing trends in the types of drug used and infectious disease prevalence among drug users in jiangsu province, china.

Background: In recent years, a boom of synthetic drugs, especially methamphetamine has been documented in China, however, the situation in Jiangsu was unclear. The objective of this study was to evaluate the changing trends in types of drug used, examine the prevalence trends of HIV, syphilis and HCV over time and compare the demographic, drug and sexual behaviors among different types of people who use drugs (PWD) in Jiangsu Province, China.

Methods: Consecutive cross-sectional studies were conducted from 2011 to 2015 in nine compulsory detoxification centers, which were HIV sentinel surveillance sites, in Jiangsu Province, China.

Enterovirus 2C Protein Suppresses IKK Phosphorylation by Recruiting IKK and IKK into Viral Inclusion Bodies.

The nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-B) signaling network constitutes a first line of defense against the invading viruses. However, viruses also adopted multiple strategies to interfere with NF-B activation. Enterovirus 71 (EV71), in the family Picornaviridae, has become the main pathogen responsible for hand, foot, and mouth disease.

Microbial Diversity and Phage-Host Interactions in the Georgian Coastal Area of the Black Sea Revealed by Whole Genome Metagenomic Sequencing.

Viruses have the greatest abundance and highest genetic diversity in marine ecosystems. The interactions between viruses and their hosts is one of the hot spots of marine ecology. Besides their important role in various ecosystems, viruses, especially bacteriophages and their gene pool, are of enormous interest for the development of new gene products with high innovation value.

Spatial analysis of malaria in Kotabaru, South Kalimantan, Indonesia: an evaluation to guide elimination strategies.

Background: Malaria remains a significant public health concern in Indonesia. Knowledge about spatial patterns of the residual malaria hotspots is critical to help design elimination strategies in Kotabaru district, South Kalimantan, Indonesia.

Methods: Laboratory-confirmed malaria cases from 2012 to 2016 were analysed to examine the trend in malaria cases.

The future of Extracellular Vesicles as Theranostics - an ISEV meeting report.

The utilization of extracellular vesicles (EVs) in clinical theranostics has rapidly advanced in the past decade. In November 2018, the International Society for Extracellular Vesicles (ISEV) held a workshop on "EVs in Clinical Theranostic". Here, we report the conclusions of roundtable discussions on the current advancement in the analysis technologies and we provide some guidelines to researchers in the field to consider the use of EVs in clinical application.

Aberrant oligodendroglial LDL receptor orchestrates demyelination in chronic cerebral ischemia.

Oligodendrocytes express low-density lipoprotein receptor (LDLR) to endocytose cholesterol for the maintenance of adulthood myelination. However, the potential role of LDLR in chronic cerebral ischemia-related demyelination remains unclear. We used bilateral carotid artery stenosis (BCAS) to induce sustained cerebral ischemia in mice.

mA Reader HNRNPA2B1 Promotes Esophageal Cancer Progression via Up-Regulation of ACLY and ACC1.

N6-methyladenosine (mA) modification is the most abundant modification on eukaryotic RNA. In recent years, lots of studies have reported that mA modification and mA RNA methylation regulators were involved in cancer progression. However, the mA level and its regulators in esophageal cancer (ESCA) remain poorly understood.

High HIV prevalence among transgender women in Paraguay.

Transgender women have been understudied and underserved in Paraguay; data are urgently needed to understand their HIV prevention and care needs. To estimate HIV prevalence and related risk and preventive behaviors among trans women in Paraguay, we conducted a cross-sectional survey in 2017. We employed starfish sampling - a hybrid venue-based and peer-referral method combining recruitment at randomly sampled venues and randomly selected clients from program lists, followed by short-chain referrals of eligible peers.

Guiding Pay-As-You-Live Health Insurance Models Toward Responsible Innovation in Health.

While the transition toward digitalized health care and service delivery challenges many publicly and privately funded health systems, patients are already producing a phenomenal amount of data on their health and lifestyle through their personal use of mobile technologies. To extract value from such user-generated data, a new insurance model is emerging called Pay-As-You-Live (PAYL). This model differs from other insurance models by offering to support clients in the management of their health in a more interactive yet directive manner.

Event-Level Association Between Daily Alcohol Use and Same-Day Nonadherence to Antiretroviral Therapy Among Young Men Who Have Sex With Men and Trans Women Living With HIV: Intensive Longitudinal Study.

Background: Young trans women (TW) and men who have sex with men (MSM) are disproportionately impacted by HIV. Optimizing adherence to antiretroviral therapy (ART) is one mechanism by which public health experts aim to achieve favorable HIV health outcomes while reducing disease transmission. However, alcohol use is prevalent among young TW and MSM and threatens optimal adherence.

High Acceptability of Assisted Partner Notification Services Among HIV-Positive Females in Kenya: Results From an Ongoing Implementation Study.

Background: Assisted partner services (aPS) involves notification and HIV testing for sexual partners of persons diagnosed HIV-positive (index clients). Because the impact of aPS is contingent on high acceptance, we assessed characteristics and reasons for nonenrollment among female index clients in an ongoing scale-up project.

Methods: We analyzed data from HIV-positive females offered aPS in 31 facilities from May 2018 to August 2019.

Magnitude and time-course of excess mortality during COVID-19 outbreak: population-based empirical evidence from highly impacted provinces in northern Italy.

Background: The real impact of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) on overall mortality remains uncertain as surveillance reports have attributed a limited number of deaths to novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) during the outbreak. The aim of this study was to assess the excess mortality during the COVID-19 outbreak in highly impacted areas of northern Italy.

Methods: We analysed data on deaths that occurred in the first 4 months of 2020 provided by the health protection agencies (HPAs) of Bergamo and Brescia (Lombardy), building a time-series of daily number of deaths and predicting the daily standardised mortality ratio (SMR) and cumulative number of excess deaths through a Poisson generalised additive model of the observed counts in 2020, using 2019 data as a reference.

EVs Containing Host Restriction Factor IFITM3 Inhibited ZIKV Infection of Fetuses in Pregnant Mice through Trans-placenta Delivery.

Zika virus (ZIKV) infection can lead to neurological complications and fetal defects, and it has attracted global public health concerns. Effective treatment for ZIKV infection remains elusive, and a preventative vaccine is not yet available. Therapeutics for fetuses need to overcome placenta barriers to reach the fetuses and require higher safety standards.

Awareness and Willingness to use HIV Pre-exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP) Among Trans Women in China: A Community-Based Survey.

China's national guidelines call for increasing HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) use to reverse the epidemic in populations at highest risk. However, few data exist on PrEP awareness and willingness among trans women in China. Our research aim was to fill this data gap through a cross-sectional survey among trans women in Nanjing and Suzhou cities of Jiangsu province.