Pharmacokinetics and safety of bictegravir in pregnant and postpartum persons with HIV and their infants.

Background: Limited data exist on bictegravir pharmacokinetics in pregnancy among persons with HIV (PWH) and infant washout.

Setting: Nonrandomized, open-label, multi-center phase-IV prospective study of bictegravir pharmacokinetics and safety in pregnant PWH and their infants.

Methods: Steady-state 24-hour pharmacokinetic sampling of oral bictegravir 50 mg once daily (a component of fixed-dose combination bictegravir/emtricitabine/tenofovir alafenamide) during the 2nd and 3rd trimesters and postpartum was performed.

Problematic social media use in 3D? Relationships between traditional social media use, social virtual reality (VR) use, and mental health.

This research expanded on prior work exploring the relationship between social media use, social support, and mental health by including the usage of social virtual reality (VR). In Study 1 (undergraduate students; n = 448) we examined divergent relationships between problematic social media use (e.g.

National survey of financial burden and experience among patients with cancer and autoimmune disease receiving charitable copay assistance.

Background: Little is known about the role that charitable copay assistance (CPA) plays in addressing access to care and financial distress. The study sought to evaluate financial distress and experience with CPA among patients with cancer and autoimmune disease.

Methods: This is a national cross-sectional self-administered anonymous electronic survey conducted among recipients of CPA to cover the costs of a drug for cancer or autoimmune disease.

Artificial Intelligence-Guided Lung Ultrasound by Nonexperts.

Importance: Lung ultrasound (LUS) aids in the diagnosis of patients with dyspnea, including those with cardiogenic pulmonary edema, but requires technical proficiency for image acquisition. Previous research has demonstrated the effectiveness of artificial intelligence (AI) in guiding novice users to acquire high-quality cardiac ultrasound images, suggesting its potential for broader use in LUS.

Objective: To evaluate the ability of AI to guide acquisition of diagnostic-quality LUS images by trained health care professionals (THCPs).

Association Between Surgeon Stress and Major Surgical Complications.

Importance: Surgeon stress can influence technical and nontechnical skills, but the consequences for patient outcomes remain unknown.

Objective: To investigate whether surgeon physiological stress, as assessed by sympathovagal balance, is associated with postoperative complications.

Design, Setting, And Participants: This multicenter prospective cohort study included 14 surgical departments involving 7 specialties within 4 university hospitals in Lyon, France.

Nondestructive Mechanical Characterization of Bioengineered Tissues by Digital Holography.

Mechanical properties of engineered connective tissues are critical for their success, yet modern sensors that measure physical qualities of tissues for quality control are invasive and destructive. The goal of this work was to develop a noncontact, nondestructive method to measure mechanical attributes of engineered skin substitutes during production without disturbing the sterile culture packaging. We optimized a digital holographic vibrometry (DHV) system to measure the mechanical behavior of Apligraf living cellular skin substitute through the clear packaging in multiple conditions: resting on solid agar as when the tissue is shipped, on liquid media in which it is grown, and freely suspended in air as occurs when the media is removed for feeding.

Acne Relapse and Isotretinoin Retrial in Patients With Acne.

Importance: Isotretinoin is the only medical acne treatment capable of inducing acne remission; however, some patients experience acne relapse and require retrials of isotretinoin. There is a need to understand who is most at risk and how daily dose and cumulative dosage can influence outcomes.

Objective: To assess rates of acne relapse and isotretinoin retrial and to identify associated factors among patients with acne who received an isotretinoin treatment course.

High-Resolution OCT Reveals Age-Associated Variation in the Region Posterior to the External Limiting Membrane.

Purpose: To evaluate visibility of a sub-band posterior to the external limiting membrane (ELM) and assess its age-associated variation.

Methods: In a retrospective cross-sectional study, normal eyes were imaged using a high-resolution spectral-domain optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT) prototype (2.7-µm axial resolution).

Multicomponent Deimplementation Strategy to Reduce Low-Value Preoperative Testing.

Importance: Routine preoperative blood tests and electrocardiograms before low-risk surgery do not prevent adverse events or change management but waste resources and can cause patient harm. Given this, multispecialty organizations recommend against routine testing before low-risk surgery.

Objective: To determine whether a multicomponent deimplementation strategy (the intervention) would reduce low-value preoperative testing before low-risk general surgery operations.

Palliative Care Initiated in the Emergency Department: A Cluster Randomized Clinical Trial.

Importance: The emergency department (ED) offers an opportunity to initiate palliative care for older adults with serious, life-limiting illness.

Objective: To assess the effect of a multicomponent intervention to initiate palliative care in the ED on hospital admission, subsequent health care use, and survival in older adults with serious, life-limiting illness.

Design, Setting, And Participants: Cluster randomized, stepped-wedge, clinical trial including patients aged 66 years or older who visited 1 of 29 EDs across the US between May 1, 2018, and December 31, 2022, had 12 months of prior Medicare enrollment, and a Gagne comorbidity score greater than 6, representing a risk of short-term mortality greater than 30%.

Blood Culture Use in Medical and Surgical Intensive Care Units and Wards.

Importance: Blood culture (BC) use benchmarks in US hospitals have not been defined.

Objective: To characterize BC use in adult intensive care units (ICUs) and wards in US hospitals.

Design, Setting, And Participants: A retrospective cross-sectional study of BC use in adult medical ICUs, medical-surgical ICUs, medical wards, and medical-surgical wards from acute care hospitals from the 4 US geographic regions was conducted.

Genetic Predisposition to Low-Density Lipoprotein Cholesterol and Incident Type 2 Diabetes.

Importance: Treatment to lower high levels of low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) reduces incident coronary artery disease (CAD) risk but modestly increases the risk for incident type 2 diabetes (T2D). The extent to which genetic factors across the cholesterol spectrum are associated with incident T2D is not well understood.

Objective: To investigate the association of genetic predisposition to increased LDL-C levels with incident T2D risk.

Employment Nondiscrimination Protection and Mental Health Among Sexual Minority Adults.

Importance: In the 2020 Bostock v Clayton County decision, the US Supreme Court extended employment nondiscrimination protection to sexual minority adults. The health impacts of this ruling and similar policies related to sexual orientation-based discrimination are not currently known.

Objective: To estimate changes in mental health following the Bostock decision among sexual minority adults in states that gained employment nondiscrimination protection (intervention states) compared with those in states with protections already in place (control states).

A Retrospective, Single-Center Assessment of Changes in Pain, Agitation, and Delirium Management Before and During the COVID-19 Pandemic.

Importance: Recent studies have found an association between COVID-19 infection and deeper sedation in mechanically ventilated patients, raising concerns about the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on pain, agitation, and delirium (PAD) management practices overall.

Objectives: This study aimed to assess differences in PAD management in patients without COVID-19 infection in pre- and peri-COVID-19 pandemic timeframes.

Design, Setting, And Participants: This was a single-center, retrospective, pre-/post-cohort analysis of mechanically ventilated adult patients without COVID-19 infection admitted to an ICU in Boston, MA.

Closing the Gap: Digital Innovations to Address Hypertension Disparities.

Purpose Of Review: Significant inequities persist in hypertension detection and control, with minoritized populations disproportionately experiencing organ damage and premature death due to uncontrolled hypertension. Remote blood pressure monitoring combined with telehealth visits (RBPM) is proving to be an effective strategy for controlling hypertension. Yet there are challenges related to technology adoption, patient engagement and social determinants of health (SDoH), contributing to disparities in patient outcomes.

Longitudinal qualitative assessment of meaningful symptoms and relevance of WATCH-PD digital measures for people with early Parkinson's.

Background: Longitudinal qualitative data on what matters to people with Parkinson's disease are lacking and needed to guide patient-centered clinical care and development of outcome measures.

Objective: To evaluate change over time in symptoms, impacts, and relevance of digital measures to monitor disease progression in early Parkinson's.

Methods: In-depth, online symptom mapping interviews were conducted with 33 people with early Parkinson's at baseline and 1 year later to evaluate (A) symptoms, (B) impacts, and (C) relevance of digital measures to monitor personally relevant symptoms.

Outcomes of mechanical thrombectomy for medium vessel occlusion in acute ischemic stroke patients with ASPECTS 4-5 vs. 6-7: a retrospective, multicenter, and multinational study.

Introduction: Mechanical thrombectomy (MT) efficacy in medium vessel occlusion (MeVO) stroke, particularly in patients with low Alberta Stroke Program Early Computed Tomography Score (ASPECTS), remains less explored.

Methods: This retrospective study analyzed data from 443 AIS patients treated with MT for MeVO and low ASPECTS (4-7) at 37 centers across North America, Asia, and Europe, from September 2017 to July 2021. Patients were categorized into ASPECTS of 4-5 and 6-7.

Content Validity of the Friedreich Ataxia Rating Scale in Patients with Spinocerebellar Ataxia.

Introduction: The Friedreich Ataxia Rating Scale-Activities of Daily Living (FARS-ADL) is a validated and highly utilized measure for evaluating patients with Friedreich Ataxia. While construct validity of FARS-ADL has been shown for spinocerebellar ataxia (SCA), content validity has not been established.

Methods: Individuals with SCA1 or SCA3 (n = 7) and healthcare professionals (HCPs) with SCA expertise (n = 8) participated in qualitative interviews evaluating the relevance, clarity, and clinical meaningfulness of FARS-ADL for assessment of individuals with SCA.

Current Concepts and Clinical Applications in Cartilage Tissue Engineering.

Cartilage injuries are extremely common in the general population, and conventional interventions have failed to produce optimal results. Tissue engineering (TE) technology has been developed to produce neocartilage for use in a variety of cartilage-related conditions. However, progress in the field of cartilage TE has historically been difficult due to the high functional demand and avascular nature of the tissue.

Cenobamate as add-on treatment for SCN8A developmental and epileptic encephalopathy.

Objectives: Developmental and epileptic encephalopathies (DEEs) caused by pathogenic variants in SCN8A are associated with difficult-to-treat and early-onset seizures, developmental delay/intellectual disability, impaired quality of life, and increased risk of early mortality. High doses of sodium channel blockers are typically used to treat SCN8A-DEE caused by gain-of-function (GoF) variants. However, seizures are often drug resistant, and only a few patients achieve seizure freedom.

Professional improbity: How Hermann J. Muller's ethics affected his science.

The present paper provides an assessment of how the scientific and national policy achievements/goals of Hermann J. Muller were impacted by his ethics and provides several documented episodes in which Muller acted unethically to promote his personal gain-at the expense of others-within the scientific community. Muller manipulated the scientific community in self-serving ways to suppress perspectives that challenged his own views on radiation-induced gene mutation, and hereditary and cancer risk assessment in ways that influenced his significant awards (e.

Innovative applications of bio-inspired technology in bio-based food packaging.

Traditionally, food packaging was used to extend the shelf life of food or to monitor its condition. Inspired by many biological structures found in nature, bio-inspired functional materials for bio-based food packaging have been shown to have significantly improved capabilities over traditional bio-based food packaging materials in various aspects and to attract consumers through novel freshness preservation features. This review synthesizes recent advances in bio-inspired bio-based food packaging materials that mimic the structure of natural organisms with specific functionalities, with examples of specific biomimetics in different enhancement areas.

General Kernel Machine Methods for Multi-Omics Integration and Genome-Wide Association Testing With Related Individuals.

Integrating multi-omics data may help researchers understand the genetic underpinnings of complex traits and diseases. However, the best ways to integrate multi-omics data and use them to address pressing scientific questions remain a challenge. One important and topical problem is how to assess the aggregate effect of multiple genomic data types (e.