A Curated Compendium of Transcriptomic Data for the Exploration of Neocortical Development.

Vast quantities of multi-omic data have been produced to characterize the development and diversity of cell types in the cerebral cortex of humans and other mammals. To more fully harness the collective discovery potential of these data, we have assembled gene-level transcriptomic data from 188 published studies of neocortical development, including the transcriptomes of ~30 million single-cells, extensive spatial transcriptomic experiments and RNA sequencing of sorted cells and bulk tissues: nemoanalytics.org/landing/neocortex.

Abnormal Exertional Breathlessness on Cardiopulmonary Cycle Exercise Testing in Relation to Self-Reported and Physiologic Responses in Chronic Airflow Limitation.

Background: Exertional breathlessness is a cardinal symptom of cardiorespiratory disease.

Research Question: How does breathlessness abnormality, graded using normative reference equations during cardiopulmonary exercise testing (CPET), relate to self-reported and physiologic responses in people with chronic airflow limitation (CAL)?

Study Design And Methods: An analysis was done of people aged ≥ 40 years with CAL undergoing CPET in the Canadian Cohort Obstructive Lung Disease study. Breathlessness intensity ratings (Borg CR10 scale [0-10 category-ratio scale for breathlessness intensity rating]) were evaluated in relation to power output, rate of oxygen uptake, and minute ventilation at peak exercise, using normative reference equations as follows: (1) probability of breathlessness normality (probability of having an equal or greater Borg CR10 rating among healthy people; lower probability reflecting more severe breathlessness) and (2) presence of abnormal breathlessness (rating above the upper limit of normal).

Invasive Fungal Infections in Inpatient Solid Organ Transplant Recipients With COVID-19: A Multicenter Retrospective Cohort.

Background: The prevalence and outcomes of COVID-19-associated invasive fungal infections (CAIFIs) in solid organ transplant recipients (SOTRs) remain poorly understood.

Methods: A retrospective cohort study of SOTRs with COVID-19 admitted to 5 hospitals within Johns Hopkins Medicine was performed between March 2020 and March 2022. Cox regression multilevel mixed-effects ordinal logistic regression was used.

Food insecurity in pediatric HIV: understanding a critical challenge in the United States.

Advancing the well-being of individuals living with HIV necessitates attention to social determinants of health, including food insecurity. Through a clinical and community-based needs assessment, we aimed to gain insight into experiences of food insecurity among patients receiving care at a large pediatric HIV outpatient clinic in the Southeastern United States. We adopted a multimodal assessment approach involving a literature review, community profiling, key informant interviews, focus group discussions with staff, patients and parents and a community stakeholder advisory meeting.

Adherence to the healthy eating index-2010 and alternative healthy eating index-2010 in relation to metabolic syndrome among African Americans in the Jackson heart study.

Objective: The primary objective of this study was to determine whether Healthy Eating Index (HEI) and Alternative Healthy Eating Index (AHEI) scores were associated with incident metabolic syndrome.

Design: This study is a secondary analysis of data from the Jackson Heart Study. HEI and AHEI scores were divided into quintiles and Cox proportional hazards regression models were analysed for 1864 African American adults free from metabolic syndrome at Exam 1 to examine the incidence of metabolic syndrome by quintile of dietary quality score.

Immigrant women's and families' views and experiences of routine postnatal care: findings from a qualitative evidence synthesis.

Background: Uptake of postnatal care (PNC) is low and inequitable in many countries, and immigrant women may experience additional challenges to access and effective use. As part of a larger study examining the views of women, partners, and families on routine PNC, we analysed a subset of data on the specific experiences of immigrant women and families.

Methods: This is a subanalysis of a larger qualitative evidence synthesis.

Aggregation of RNA-seq data improves inference of consensus and tissue-specific gene co-expression networks.

Background: Gene co-expression networks (GCNs) describe relationships among expressed genes key to maintaining cellular identity and homeostasis. However, the small sample size of typical RNA-seq experiments which is several orders of magnitude fewer than the number of genes is too low to infer GCNs reliably. , a publicly available dataset comprised of 316,443 uniformly processed human RNA-seq samples, provides an opportunity to improve power for accurate network reconstruction and obtain biological insight from the resulting networks.

Identification of differentially recognized T cell epitopes in the spectrum of tuberculosis infection.

There is still incomplete knowledge of which Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) antigens can trigger distinct T cell responses at different stages of infection. Here, a proteome-wide screen of 20,610 Mtb-derived peptides in 21 patients mid-treatment for active tuberculosis (ATB) reveals IFNγ-specific T cell responses against 137 unique epitopes. Of these, 16% are recognized by two or more participants and predominantly derived from cell wall and cell processes antigens.

Intimate partner violence and excess fertility among women of reproductive age in Malawi.

Purpose: Gender inequity and adverse health outcomes continue to be of concern among women in sub-Saharan Africa. We determined prevalence of intimate partner violence and excess fertility (having more children than desired) in reproductive age women in Malawi. We also explored factors associated with these outcomes and with spousal fertility intentions.

Translating the consent form is the tip of the iceberg: using cognitive interviews to assess the barriers to informed consent in South African health facilities.

The increasing digitisation of personal health data has led to an increase in the demand for onward health data. This study sought to develop local language scripts for use in public sector maternity clinics to capture informed consent for onward health data use. The script considered five possible health data uses: 1.

A food color based colorimetric assay for laccase activity.

is a fungal pathogen that causes cryptococcosis mostly in immune compromised patients, such as those with HIV/AIDS. One survival mechanism of during infection is melanin production, which catalyzed by laccase, and protects fungal cells against immune attack. Hence comparative assessment of laccase activity is useful for characterizing cryptococcal strains.

Examining cefazolin utilization and perioperative anaphylaxis in patients with and without a penicillin allergy label: A cross-sectional study.

Study Objective: To compare the occurrence of cefazolin perioperative anaphylaxis (POA) in patients with and without a penicillin allergy label (PAL) to determine whether the prevalence of cefazolin POA differs based on the presence of a PAL.

Design: Cross-sectional study.

Setting: A large U.

Cocaine regulates antiretroviral therapy CNS access through pregnane-x receptor-mediated drug transporter and metabolizing enzyme modulation at the blood brain barrier.

Background: Appropriate interactions between antiretroviral therapies (ART) and drug transporters and metabolizing enzymes at the blood brain barrier (BBB) are critical to ensure adequate dosing of the brain to achieve HIV suppression. These proteins are modulated by demographic and lifestyle factors, including substance use. While understudied, illicit substances share drug transport and metabolism pathways with ART, increasing the potential for adverse drug:drug interactions.

Respectful maternity care in Israel during the Covid-19 pandemic: a cross-sectional study of associations between childbirth care practices and women's perceptions of care.

Background: Respectful maternity care is a crucial part of quality care and is associated with better health outcomes. Early in the Covid-19 pandemic, reports from across the world indicated that infection containment measures were often implemented in ways that resulted in disrespectful care of women during facility-based childbirths in violation of evidence-based practices. This study aimed to explore the associations between childbirth care practices and perceptions of care as satisfactory and respectful among women who delivered in Israeli hospitals during the first six months of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Preliminary evidence for chaotic signatures in host-microbe interactions.

Host-microbe interactions constitute dynamical systems that can be represented by mathematical formulations that determine their dynamic nature and are categorized as deterministic, stochastic, or chaotic. Knowing the type of dynamical interaction is essential for understanding the system under study. Very little experimental work has been done to determine the dynamical characteristics of host-microbe interactions, and its study poses significant challenges.

Sympathetic dysfunction is associated with worse fatigue and early and subtle symptoms in heart failure: an exploratory sex-stratified analysis.

Aims: Physical symptoms impact patients with heart failure (HF) despite treatment advancements; however, our understanding of the pathogenic mechanisms underlying HF symptoms remains limited, including sex differences therein. The objective of this study was to quantify associations between sympathetic markers [norepinephrine (NE) and 3,4-dihydroxyphenylglycol (DHPG)] and physical symptoms in patients with HF and to explore sex differences in these associations.

Methods And Results: We performed a secondary analysis of combined data from two studies: outpatients with HF (n = 111), and patients prior to left ventricular assist device implantation (n = 38).

Comparison of Empirically Derived and Model-Based Estimates of Key Population HIV Incidence and the Distribution of New Infections by Population Group in Sub-Saharan Africa.

Background: The distribution of new HIV infections among key populations, including female sex workers (FSWs), gay men and other men who have sex with men (MSM), and people who inject drugs (PWID) are essential information to guide an HIV response, but data are limited in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). We analyzed empirically derived and mathematical model-based estimates of HIV incidence among key populations and compared with the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) estimates.

Methods: We estimated HIV incidence among FSW and MSM in SSA by combining meta-analyses of empirical key population HIV incidence relative to the total population incidence with key population size estimates (KPSE) and HIV prevalence.

Association between demographics, socioeconomics, and disease-related factors and the perception of stigma in people with MS.

Background: Stigma is prevalent among individuals with chronic diseases, such as multiple sclerosis (MS) and those with comorbid mental health disorders, but its associated factors are poorly understood.

Objective: To investigate the prevalence and correlates of stigma in people living with MS.

Methods: We analyzed data from the MS Partners Advancing Technology and Health Solutions (MS PATHS) network, which collected patient information and outcomes during routine clinic visits.

Homoprejudiced Violence Experiences and High-Risk Sexual Behaviors among Chinese Men Who Have Sex with Men: Depression Severity and Recreational Drug Usage as Potential Mediators.

Homoprejudiced violence is a type of aggression against an individual or a community based on their actual or perceived sexual orientation. It may be linked to risks of acquiring HIV/STI via psychosocial variables. This study explored the association between homoprejudiced violence experiences and high-risk sexual behaviors, and potential psychosocial mediators.

Prisoner's science.

Decisions involving cooperation or competition are common in science. Here, we consider three situations frequently encountered in the biomedical sciences, namely, establishing priority, sharing reagents, and selecting a journal for publication, through the lens of the prisoner's dilemma. In each situation, cooperation is the best strategy for scientists and for science.

Perspectives on HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) implementation in Mississippi among Black women and clinical staff: Recommendations for clinical trauma-informed programs.

Intimate partner violence (IPV) can constraint Black women's ability to prioritize and access Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) services. Recent research has called for the development of trauma-informed PrEP implementation programs to improve the delivery of PrEP to Black cisgender women; however, many PrEP-prescribing settings do not reflect this recommendation. The current study sought to identify key components to develop a trauma-informed PrEP implementation program for Black cisgender women and clinical staff.

Latent Class Analysis of Social Needs in Medicaid Population and Its Impact on Risk Adjustment Models.

Background: A growing number of US states are implementing programs to address the social needs (SNs) of their Medicaid populations through managed care contracts. Incorporating SN might also improve risk adjustment methods used to reimburse Medicaid providers.

Objectives: Identify classes of SN present within the Medicaid population and evaluate the performance improvement in risk adjustment models of health care utilization and cost after incorporating SN classes.