Sugar-sweetened or artificially sweetened beverage consumption, physical activity and risk of type 2 diabetes in US adults.

Aims/hypothesis: A positive association between sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs) and diabetes risk has been shown, with inconsistent evidence between artificially sweetened beverages (ASBs) and diabetes. Moreover, it is uncertain if physical activity can mitigate the negative effects of these beverages on diabetes development. Therefore, we aimed to evaluate the independent and joint associations between SSB or ASB consumption and physical activity on the risk of type 2 diabetes.

Cardiac Biomarkers, Subclinical Brain Vascular Changes, and Cognitive Decline: Post Hoc Analysis of the SPRINT Trial.

Background: The association between subclinical cardiovascular disease (CVD) and cognitive decline in hypertensive adults and the underlying brain pathologies remain unclear. It is also undetermined whether intensifying blood pressure (BP) treatment slows down cognitive decline associated with subclinical CVD.

Methods: We conducted a post hoc analysis of the Systolic Blood Pressure Intervention Trial.

Correlates of COVID-19 conspiracy theory beliefs in Japan: A cross-sectional study of 28,175 residents.

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic was associated with an increase in conspiracy theories worldwide. However, in Japan, the prevalence of COVID-19 conspiracy beliefs has remained unclear. This study aimed to estimate the prevalence and correlates of COVID-19 conspiracy beliefs using a survey of 28,175 residents of Japan aged 16-81 years old.

Bias in mobility datasets drives divergence in modeled outbreak dynamics.

Background: Digital data sources such as mobile phone call detail records (CDRs) are increasingly being used to estimate population mobility fluxes and to predict the spatiotemporal dynamics of infectious disease outbreaks. Differences in mobile phone operators' geographic coverage, however, may result in biased mobility estimates.

Methods: We leverage a unique dataset consisting of CDRs from three mobile phone operators in Bangladesh and digital trace data from Meta's Data for Good program to compare mobility patterns across these sources.

Costs of home-delivered antiretroviral therapy refills for persons living with HIV: Evidence from a pilot randomized controlled trial in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa.

Antiretroviral therapy (ART) is needed across the lifetime to maintain viral suppression for people living with HIV. In South Africa, obstacles to reliable access to ART persist and are magnified in rural areas, where HIV services are also typically costlier to deliver. A recent pilot randomized study (the Deliver Health Study) found that home-delivered ART refills, provided at a low user fee, effectively overcame logistical barriers to access and improved clinical outcomes in rural South Africa.

Trauma history and persistent poor objective and subjective sleep quality among midlife women.

Objectives: Whereas some work links trauma exposure to poor subjective sleep quality, studies largely rely upon limited trauma measures and self-reported sleep at one time point. It is unknown whether trauma is related to persistent poor sleep, whether associations differ based on childhood versus adulthood trauma, and whether trauma exposure is related to poorer objectively assessed sleep. We tested whether childhood or adult trauma associated with persistent poor objectively and subjectively measured sleep at two time points in midlife women.

Women's Empowerment and Health: A Narrative Review.

Empowerment, the process by which a person is enabled to increase control over decisions concerning their life, is a multidimensional construct that has been extensively discussed by various disciplines for more than four decades. Several empowerment models have been presented, based on different approaches. This paper proposes a four-step model, based on individual and contextual awareness and advancement.

Improving the Health and Environmental Health Literacy of Professionals: Evaluating the Effect of a Virtual Intervention on Phthalate Environmental Health Literacy.

The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists provided updated guidance in 2021, recommending that reproductive health professionals should include discussion of environmental exposures with their patients. However, environmental health is seldom included in medical training, with endocrine-disrupting chemicals, such as phthalates-linked to adverse pregnancy outcomes-being among the least discussed. We developed a one-hour virtual educational intervention to train reproductive health professionals on the routes of phthalate exposure, potential associated health impacts, and suggestions on how to discuss exposure reduction with patients.

Pneumonia in Patients with Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia Treated with Venetoclax-Based Regimens: A Real-World Analysis of the Polish Adult Leukemia Group (PALG).

Background/objectives: Patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) are susceptible to infections that can affect their clinical outcomes.

Aims: The aims of this study were to assess the following: (1) the incidence of pneumonia in CLL patients treated with venetoclax-based regimens in a real-world setting, (2) the risk factors for event-free survival (EFS), and (3) overall survival (OS).

Methods: This multicenter study included 322 patients from eight centers.

Neurodevelopmental outcomes in children exposed in utero to dolutegravir- or efavirenz-based ART.

Objective: To examine the impact of in utero exposure to dolutegravir (DTG)- or efavirenz (EFV)-based antiretroviral treatment (ART) on child neurodevelopmental (ND) outcomes.

Design: Prospective cohort design, enrolling 3 cohorts of 2-year-olds: children HIV-negative born to mothers with HIV (CHEU) receiving either DTG-based or EFV-based 3-drug ART during pregnancy, and children born to mothers without HIV (CHUU).

Methods: Primary child ND outcomes were assessed using the Bayley Scales of Infant and Toddler Development, Third Edition (BSID-III) and compared between cohorts using generalized estimating equation models adjusted for confounders.

Refinement of a Published Gene-Physical Activity Interaction Impacting HDL-Cholesterol: Role of Sex and Lipoprotein Subfractions.

Large-scale gene-environment interaction (GxE) discovery efforts often involve analytical compromises for the sake of data harmonization and statistical power. Refinement of exposures, covariates, outcomes, and population subsets may be helpful to establish often-elusive replication and evaluate potential clinical utility. Here, we used additional datasets, an expanded set of statistical models, and interrogation of lipoprotein metabolism via nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR)-based lipoprotein subfractions to refine a previously discovered GxE modifying the relationship between physical activity (PA) and HDL-cholesterol (HDL-C).

High prevalence of reverse transcriptase inhibitors associated resistance mutations among people living with HIV on dolutegravir-based antiretroviral therapy in Francistown, Botswana.

Objectives: We assessed HIV-1 drug resistance profiles among people living with HIV (PLWH) with detectable viral load (VL) and on dolutegravir-based antiretroviral therapy (ART) in Botswana.

Methods: The study utilised available 100 residual HIV-1 VL samples from unique PLWH in Francistown who had viraemia at-least 6 months after initiating ART in Botswana's national ART program from November 2023 to January 2024. Viraemia was categorized as low-level viraemia (LLV) (VL: 200-999 copies/mL) or virologic failure (VF) (VL ≥1000 copies/mL).

Association between somatic microsatellite instability, hypermutation status, and specific T cell subsets in colorectal cancer tumors.

Background: Microsatellite instability-high (MSI-high) tumors comprise ~15% of sporadic colorectal cancers (CRC) and are associated with elevated T cell infiltration. However, the universality of this response across T cell subtypes with distinct functions is unknown.

Methods: Including 1,236 CRC tumors from three observational studies, we conducted T cell profiling using a customized 9-plex (CD3, CD4, CD8, CD45RA, CD45RO, FOXP3, KRT, MKI67, and DAPI) multispectral immunofluorescence assay.

Factors and Outcomes Associated With Using Scratch-Cooked, Organic, and Locally Grown Foods in School Meals in California.

Background: Incorporating scratch-cooked, organic, and locally grown foods into school meal programs can enhance meal quality and support local food systems.

Methods: 430 California school food authorities were surveyed to (1) evaluate their use of scratch-cooked, organic, and locally grown foods in their programs; (2) identify demographic and operational characteristics related to this use; and (3) analyze the relationship between serving more of these foods and perceived barriers to student meal participation. Poisson and logistic regression models, adjusted for SFAs' demographic characteristics, were used.

Implementation research logic model in the design and execution of eHealth innovations for maternal and newborn healthcare in Ethiopia.

Background: The use of eHealth innovations is becoming increasingly important in improving health outcomes, especially for maternal and newborn health. However, planning and executing these innovations can be challenging due to their complex nature. To provide guidance and clarity on implementation approaches, researchers need to use implementation research (IR) tools.

The additive effect of the stress hyperglycemia ratio on type 2 diabetes: a population-based cohort study.

Background: The stress hyperglycemia ratio (SHR) has recently gained attention as a marker for acute hyperglycemia, which has been linked to adverse clinical outcomes. However, its independent role in the development of type 2 diabetes (T2D) remains understudied. This cohort study aimed to assess the association between SHR and the incidence of T2D.

High organofluorine concentrations in municipal wastewater affect downstream drinking water supplies for millions of Americans.

Wastewater receives per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) from diverse consumer and industrial sources, and discharges are known to be a concern for drinking water quality. The PFAS family includes thousands of potential chemical structures containing organofluorine moieties. Exposures to a few well-studied PFAS, mainly perfluoroalkyl acids (PFAA), have been associated with increased risk of many adverse health outcomes, prompting federal drinking water regulations for six compounds in 2024.

Human mobility and malaria risk in peri-urban and rural communities in the Peruvian Amazon.

Background: While the global burden of malaria cases has decreased over the last two decades, the disease remains a major international threat, even on the rise in many regions. More than 85% of Peruvian malaria cases are in the Amazonian region of Loreto. Internal mobility primarily related to occupation is thought to be primarily responsible for maintaining endemicity and introducing and reintroducing malaria parasites into areas of anophelism, a challenge for malaria eradication.

Evaluating hypothetical prevention strategies for internalizing symptoms in the general population and at-risk children.

Objective: Specific modifiable factors (e.g., screen time [ST], sleep duration, physical activity, or social connections) are targets for reducing depression risk in adults.