Brief communication: Long-term treatment outcomes of transitioning to dolutegravir-based ART from efavirenz in HIV study participants in Mbeya, Tanzania.

Background: The World Health Organization recommends dolutegravir-based antiretroviral therapy (ART) as the preferred first-line regimen for HIV treatment. This retrospective cohort study evaluated the long-term virologic outcomes and safety of transitioning from an efavirenz-based regimen (tenofovir, lamivudine, efavirenz [TLE]) to a dolutegravir-based regimen (tenofovir, lamivudine, dolutegravir [TLD]) among adult HIV participants in Mbeya, Tanzania.

Methods: Medical records of 250 adult HIV participants who transitioned from TLE to TLD at Mbeya Zonal Referral Hospital were reviewed from August 2022 to December 2022.

Medical research engagement among resident doctors in Nigeria: assessing knowledge, attitudes, and barriers in a public and private tertiary hospital in Nigeria.

Background: Medical research is an essential aspect of the training of resident doctors and is required by postgraduate medical colleges in Nigeria as part of the fulfilment of fellowship awards. However, research participation among resident doctors in Nigeria is low, despite seemingly high interest in research among resident doctors. The objective of our study is to examine the knowledge, attitudes, practices, and barriers related to medical research among resident doctors in a public and private tertiary care in Nigeria.

Identifying the presence of atrial fibrillation during sinus rhythm using a dual-input mixed neural network with ECG coloring technology.

Background: Undetected atrial fibrillation (AF) poses a significant risk of stroke and cardiovascular mortality. However, diagnosing AF in real-time can be challenging as the arrhythmia is often not captured instantly. To address this issue, a deep-learning model was developed to diagnose AF even during periods of arrhythmia-free windows.

Melodinines J Induces Apoptosis in Temozolomide-Resistant Glioma Cells by Disrupting TMX1-Dependent Homeostasis of Endoplasmic Reticulum-Mitochondria-Associated Membrane Contacts.

Glioma is recognized as one of the most lethal and aggressive brain tumors. Although the standard-of-care treatment for glioblastoma (GBM) involves maximal surgical resection and temozolomide (TMZ) chemotherapy, the discovery of novel anti-tumor agents from nature sources is an effective strategy for glioma treatment. In this study, we conducted a screening process to identify the bisindole alkaloid melodinine J (MDJ) from Melodinus tenuicaudatus.

Atezolizumab, bevacizumab, pemetrexed and platinum for EGFR-mutant NSCLC patients after EGFR TKI failure: A phase II study with immune cell profile analysis.

Background: Acquired resistance to epidermal growth factor receptor tyrosine kinase inhibitors (EGFR TKIs) remains a significant hurdle for patients with EGFR-mutated non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), particularly those lacking the EGFR. IMpower 150 study demonstrated promising efficacy for a combination of immune-chemotherapy and bevacizumab in patients with EGFR-mutated NSCLC.

Methods: This open-label, single-arm, phase II trial evaluated the efficacy and immune cell profile of the modified regimen combining atezolizumab, bevacizumab (7.

Endovascular arterial embolization versus conservative management with nasal packing alone for severe epistaxis: a nationwide cohort study.

Background: Endovascular arterial embolization (EAE) is an effective treatment for severe epistaxis refractory to conservative management with nasal packing. However, contemporary real-world data are lacking, as are data on head-to-head comparisons of EAE versus nasal packing alone.

Methods: This was a retrospective cohort study of the Nationwide Readmissions Database (NRD) from 2016 to 2021 in the United States.

Systematic assessment of COVID-19 host genetics using whole genome sequencing data.

Courses of SARS-CoV-2 infections are highly variable, ranging from asymptomatic to lethal COVID-19. Though research has shown that host genetic factors contribute to this variability, cohort-based joint analyses of variants from the entire allelic spectrum in individuals with confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infections are still lacking. Here, we present the results of whole genome sequencing in 1,220 mainly vaccine-naïve individuals with confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection, including 827 hospitalized COVID-19 cases.

Predicting the infecting dengue serotype from antibody titre data using machine learning.

The development of a safe and efficacious vaccine that provides immunity against all four dengue virus serotypes is a priority, and a significant challenge for vaccine development has been defining and measuring serotype-specific outcomes and correlates of protection. The plaque reduction neutralisation test (PRNT) is the gold standard assay for measuring serotype-specific antibodies, but this test cannot differentiate homotypic and heterotypic antibodies and characterising the infection history is challenging. To address this, we present an analysis of pre- and post-infection antibody titres measured using the PRNT, collected from a prospective cohort of Thai children.

Management of adult sepsis in resource-limited settings: global expert consensus statements using a Delphi method.

Purpose: To generate consensus and provide expert clinical practice statements for the management of adult sepsis in resource-limited settings.

Methods: An international multidisciplinary Steering Committee with expertise in sepsis management and including a Delphi methodologist was convened by the Asia Pacific Sepsis Alliance (APSA). The committee selected an international panel of clinicians and researchers with expertise in sepsis management.

Assessing the predicted impact of single amino acid substitutions in calmodulin for CAGI6 challenges.

Recent thermodynamic and functional studies have been conducted to evaluate the impact of amino acid substitutions on Calmodulin (CaM). The Critical Assessment of Genome Interpretation (CAGI) data provider at University of Verona (Italy) measured the melting temperature (T) and the percentage of unfolding (%unfold) of a set of CaM variants (CaM challenge dataset). Thermodynamic measurements for the equilibrium unfolding of CaM were obtained by monitoring far-UV Circular Dichroism as a function of temperature.

Adolescent vs. Young Adult Idiopathic Scoliosis patients: how different are their two year postoperative radiographic and clinical outcomes?

Purpose: To compare the long-term outcomes among AIS (10-18 years) and young AdIS (YAdIS) (19-40 years) patients with minimum 2 year follow up.

Methods: A retrospective review of AIS and YAdIS patients who underwent primary corrective surgery at a single center was conducted. Demographic, radiographic, operative data, patient reported outcome measures (PROMs), including the ODI and SRS-22r, and long-term complications were collected.

Prognostic serum biomarkers of synaptic, neuronal and glial injury in patients with acute ischemic stroke of the anterior circulation.

Background: We aimed to investigate the prognostic role of β-synuclein in comparison to that of neurofilament light chain (NfL) and glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) for predicting functional outcome after acute ischemic stroke (AIS).

Methods: We measured serum concentrations of β-synuclein, NfL and GFAP 24 h after hospital admission in 213 consecutive patients with moderate-to-severe AIS. We investigated the association between serum biomarkers and radiological/clinical characteristics, 3-months mortality and functional outcome on the modified Rankin Scale (mRS).

Validation of ACC/AHA and ESC Sudden Cardiac Death Risk Guidelines in Diverse Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy Cohort: Stratification HCM Study.

Background: Sudden cardiac death (SCD) is a major concern in patients with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM). The American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association (ACC/AHA) and the European Society of Cardiology (ESC) have different guidelines for SCD risk stratification. Their comparative performance in diverse populations remains uncertain.

Scoping Review of Virtual Reality (VR)-Based Disaster Mitigation Education.

This study explored the use of virtual reality (VR) in disaster preparedness education, focusing on VR scenarios, disaster types, and user interactivity to identify gaps in existing research. A scoping review methodology, based on the Arksey and O'Malley framework and Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses-Scoping Reviews (PRISMA-ScR) guidelines, was used, and the protocols were registered in the UMIN Clinical Trials Registry (UMIN000052800). The review included PubMed, CINAHL, the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials in the Cochrane Library, and Ichushi-Web of the Japan Medical Abstract Society, with data up to January 31, 2024.

Analysis of the Thickness of Ligamentum Flavum and Its Relationship With Degenerative Disc Changes at L3-4, L4-5, and L5-S1 Levels in Patients Undergoing Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) of the Lumbosacral Spine.

Background Low back pain (LBP) is the leading cause of disability among working-age adults, with its prevalence increasing with age and peaking in the 45-54 age group. It is common practice for clinicians to conduct advanced imaging procedures, such as computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) when a patient presents with LBP. The objective of this study was to measure and analyze the width of the ligamentum flavum (LF) on each side and the extent of degeneration of the disc at the L3-4, L4-5, and L5-S1 levels.

Recent developments in connective tissue disease associated pulmonary arterial hypertension.

Connective tissue disease associated pulmonary arterial hypertension (CTD-PAH) has benefited from the major treatment advances that have occurred within pulmonary hypertension over the past three decades. Inclusion of CTD-PAH cases in pivotal clinical trials led to regulatory approval and drug availability. This has improved outcomes but there are additional challenges for management.

Investigating the pathogenicity of the recessive p.A251T variant in monogenic diabetes using iPSC-derived beta-like cells.

Monogenic diabetes, formerly called Maturity-Onset Diabetes of the Young (MODY), involves single-gene mutations, typically with dominant inheritance, and has been associated with variants in 14 genes. Among these, mutations are the most common, and their diagnosis allows the use of alternative therapies, including sulfonylureas. In an earlier study, we described a variant displaying recessive transmission, p.

Depression is Associated with Treatment Response Trajectories in Adults with Prolonged Grief Disorder: A Machine Learning Analysis.

Unlabelled: Although evidence-based treatments for Prolonged Grief Disorder (PGD) exist, pretreatment characteristics associated with differential improvement trajectories have not been identified. To identify clinical factors relevant to optimizing PGD treatment outcomes, we used unsupervised and supervised machine learning to study treatment effects from a double-blinded, placebo-controlled, randomized clinical trial. Participants were randomized into four treatment groups for 20 weeks: citalopram with grief-informed clinical management, citalopram with prolonged grief disorder therapy (PGDT), pill placebo with PGDT, or pill placebo with clinical management.

Trends in Specialty Training and National Institutes of Health Funding Among Surgeon-Scientists.

Purpose: To determine if dual-degree training [ie, completion of a National Institutes of Health (NIH)-funded MD/PhD program], among other professional development and demographic variables, predicted academic productivity (eg, K-to-R conversion, number of publications, etc.) among early-career surgeon-scientists.

Methods: We analyzed publicly available data from the National MD/PhD Program Outcomes Study and the Association of American Medical Colleges Graduate Medical Education Track database to identify trends in the number and proportion of MD/PhD graduates pursuing surgical specialties.

A shielded cascade of targeted nanocarriers spanning multiple microenvironmental barriers for inflammatory disease therapy.

Background: The multi-biological barriers present in the inflammatory microenvironment severely limit the targeted aggregation of anti-inflammatory drugs in the lesion area. However, conventional responsive drug carriers inevitably come into contact with several pro-responsive stimulatory mediators simultaneously, leading to premature drug release and loss of most therapeutic effects. Breaking through the multi-level barriers of the inflammatory microenvironment is essential to improve the enrichment and bioavailability of drugs.