Refractory and Resistant Herpes Simplex Virus Mucocutaneous Infections in Immunocompromised Patients: Literature Review and Proposed Definitions for Use in Clinical Trials.

Herpes simplex virus (HSV) infection is one of the most prevalent viral infections worldwide. In general, host immunity is sufficient to clear viral shedding and recurrences, although it is insufficient to prevent subsequent virologic reactivations. In immunocompromised patients, prolonged and difficult-to-treat HSV infections may develop.

Thigh Injections of Cabotegravir + Rilpivirine in Virally Suppressed Adults With Human Immunodeficiency Virus Type 1: A Substudy of the Phase 3b ATLAS-2M Study.

Background: Cabotegravir + rilpivirine (CAB + RPV) administered via intramuscular gluteal injections is the first complete long-acting regimen for maintaining human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) virologic suppression. We present substudy results on short-term repeat intramuscular CAB + RPV long-acting thigh injections in participants with ≥3 years of experience with gluteal administration during the ATLAS-2M study.

Methods: Substudy phases included screening, thigh injection (day 1-week 16), and return to gluteal injection (week 16-week 24).

Biologic Therapies for Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease: A Systematic Review and Network Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials.

Background: Despite limited breakthroughs in COPD pharmacotherapy, recent trials have shown promising results for biologics in COPD patients. However, robust evidence synthesis in this area is currently lacking.

Methods: We conducted a systematic review of MEDLINE, EMBASE, and Cochrane CENTRAL from inception to July 17, 2024, to identify randomized trials of biologic medications in patients with COPD.

The usefulness of Charlson Comorbidity Index (CCI) scoring in predicting all-cause mortality in Outpatients with Clinical Diagnoses of COPD.

Background: Since comorbid conditions are frequently present in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and affect outcome, a composite scoring system to quantify comorbidity might be helpful in assessing mortality risk.

Methods: We tested the hypothesis that the Charlson Comorbidity Index (CCI) score at the time of an outpatient medical clinic encounter for COPD predicts all-cause mortality. Cox Proportional Hazards analyses were used in 200 randomly selected patients to relate CCI scores to all-cause mortality out to 5 years.

Intussusception of Meckel's Diverticulum: A Case Report.

Meckel's diverticulum (MD) is a common congenital anomaly of the gastrointestinal tract, present in approximately 2% of the population. While typically asymptomatic, MD can lead to complications such as obstruction and intussusception. Here, we present a case report of a man presenting with abdominal pain with an incidental finding of MD complicated by intussusception and our management approach.

Effect of anemoside B4 on ameliorating cerebral ischemic/reperfusion injury.

Objectives: Anemoside B4 (AB4) is a multifunctional compound with anti-inflammatory, anti-apoptotic, antioxidant, antiviral, and autophagy-enhancing effects. However, the role of AB4 in cerebral ischemia/reperfusion injury (CIRI) remains obscure. This experiment aims to investigate the pharmacological effects of AB4 in CIRI.

Narrative review of targetable features of pediatric acute myeloid leukemia from molecular and metabolic perspectives.

Background And Objective: Unlike the majority of pediatric leukemia patients, young patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) have not seen significant improvement in treatment outcomes. This is frequently attributed to the heterogeneity of this malignancy in terms of its mutations and molecularly defined categories. In adult versus pediatric cases of AML, the heterogeneity is preserved, although there are key differences in the incidence of gene mutations, chromosomal translocations, and other molecular features.

SPIRIT-DEFINE explanation and elaboration: recommendations for enhancing quality and impact of early phase dose-finding clinical trials protocols.

Unlabelled: Transparent and accurate reporting in early phase dose-finding (EPDF) clinical trials is crucial for informing subsequent larger trials. The SPIRIT statement, designed for trial protocol content, does not adequately cover the distinctive features of EPDF trials. Recent findings indicate that the protocol contents in past EPDF trials frequently lacked completeness and clarity.

CONSORT-DEFINE explanation and elaboration: recommendations for enhancing reporting quality and impact of early phase dose-finding clinical trials.

Unlabelled: Early phase dose-finding (EPDF) trials are key in the development of novel therapies, with their findings directly informing subsequent clinical development phases and providing valuable insights for reverse translation. Comprehensive and transparent reporting of these studies is critical for their accurate and critical interpretation, which may improve and expedite therapeutic development. However, quality of reporting of design characteristics and results from EPDF trials is often variable and incomplete.

EyeLiner: A Deep Learning Pipeline for Longitudinal Image Registration Using Fundus Landmarks.

Objective: Detecting and measuring changes in longitudinal fundus imaging is key to monitoring disease progression in chronic ophthalmic diseases, such as glaucoma and macular degeneration. Clinicians assess changes in disease status by either independently reviewing or manually juxtaposing longitudinally acquired color fundus photos (CFPs). Distinguishing variations in image acquisition due to camera orientation, zoom, and exposure from true disease-related changes can be challenging.

The Economic Burden of Herpes Zoster in Individuals Aged 50 Years or Older and Those With Underlying Conditions in Italy.

Background: Risk of herpes zoster (HZ) infection increases with age and immunosuppression. We estimated the impact of HZ and post-herpetic neuralgia (PHN) on direct costs and health care resource utilization (HCRU) in patients ≥50 years, including those with comorbidities, as limited information exists in Italy.

Methods: This retrospective analysis used reimbursement data from local health authorities in Italy (January 2009-June 2022).

Serum lipid profile in systemic lupus erythematosus.

Background: Dyslipidemia presents in various autoimmune diseases, and the serum lipid profile in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) has not yet been clearly defined. This study aims to evaluate the level of serum lipids in patients with SLE.

Methods: A case-control study evaluated four conventional sera lipids-total cholesterol (TC), triglyceride (TG), high-density lipoprotein (HDL), and low-density lipoprotein (LDL)-in patients with SLE compared to healthy controls (HCs).

Maternal seafood intake, dietary contaminant exposure, and risk of juvenile idiopathic arthritis: exploring gene-environment interactions.

Objectives: Juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) originates from a complex interplay between genetic and environmental factors. We investigated the association between seafood intake and dietary contaminant exposure during pregnancy and JIA risk, to identify sex differences and gene-environment interactions.

Methods: We used the Norwegian Mother, Father, and Child Cohort Study (MoBa), a population-based prospective pregnancy cohort (1999-2008).

Clustering Sequence Data with Mixture Markov Chains with Covariates Using Multiple Simplex Constrained Optimization Routine (MSiCOR).

Mixture Markov Model (MMM) is a widely used tool to cluster sequences of events coming from a finite state-space. However, the MMM likelihood being multi-modal, the challenge remains in its maximization. Although Expectation-Maximization (EM) algorithm remains one of the most popular ways to estimate the MMM parameters, however, convergence of EM algorithm is not always guaranteed.

Content analysis of conversations on Reddit: reactions to FDA's ENDS prioritized enforcement policy.

Introduction: On January 2, 2020, the FDA announced a policy focused in part on prioritizing enforcement of flavored (other than tobacco- or menthol-flavored) cartridge-based electronic nicotine delivery systems (ENDS) without premarket authorization.

Methods: We used a query to identify Reddit conversations relevant to the policy from January 2 to May 6, 2020. Our sample included 576 posts (46 posts and 530 accompanying comments).

Analysis of the Behavioral Change and Utility Features of Electronic Activity Monitors.

The aim of this study was to perform a content analysis of electronic activity monitors that also evaluates utility features, code behavior change techniques included in the monitoring systems, and align the results with intervention functions of the Behaviour Change Wheel program planning model to facilitate informed device selection. Devices were coded for the implemented behavior change techniques and device features. Three trained coders each wore a monitor for at least 1 week from December 2019-April 2020.

Evaluating endogenous viral targets as potential treatment monitoring surrogates for onsite non-potable water reuse.

Onsite non-potable water reuse systems (ONWS) are decentralized systems that treat and repurpose locally collected waters ( greywater or combined wastewater) for uses such as irrigation and flushing toilets. To ensure that treatment is meeting risk benchmarks, it is necessary to monitor the efficacy of pathogen removal. However, accurate assessment of pathogen reduction is hampered by their sporadic and low occurrence rates in source waters and concentrations in treated water that are generally below measurement detection limits.

Transforming the tradition of discrete milk yield correction factors: A continuous 1-step DeLorenzo-Wiggans method.

Over the past decades, various methods have been proposed to estimate daily milk yields from partial yields. Many of these methods divide milking interval time into varied classes, assuming that the yield correction factors are constant within classes but vary between classes. The DeLorenzo and Wiggans (D-W) method has been widely used in the United States, typically following a 2-step process.

Efficacy of methods to synchronize follicular wave emergence in pregnant heifers.

The objective of the present study was to evaluate the efficacy of various methods for synchronization of follicular wave emergence (FWE) in pregnant heifers. Pregnant (60 d of gestation) Holstein heifers (n = 86) arranged in cohorts were randomly assigned to be administered 172 µg of gonadorelin acetate (GnRH), 3,300 IU of human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG), follicular ablation of follicles >5 mm (FA), or saline (control). Ultrasonography was performed to determine ovulation and emergence of a new follicular wave.

Preliminary evidence on the effects of exercise on tumor biology: a potential guide for prescribing exercise.

Purpose Of Review: This report reviews the preliminary evidence of how exercise may alter the tumor microenvironment and tumor biology in animal and human studies; and how to incorporate this information in clinical practice of oncology rehabilitation.

Recent Findings: Potential mechanisms explaining the impact of exercise on the tumor microenvironment include activating and mobilizing immune cells, reducing inflammation, and modifying tumor vasculature which enhances the delivery of anticancer therapies. Pre-clinical data translates to promising preliminary data in human studies; however, randomized, controlled trials in patients are limited.

MT-Keyboard: A Bayesian Model-assisted Interval Design to Account for Toxicity Grades and Types for Phase I Trials.

Conventionally, dose finding trials are based on dose-limiting toxicity (DLT) that only captures the most severe toxicities, e.g., treatment related grade 3 or higher toxicity according to the NCI Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events.

Efficient inferences for linear transformation models with doubly censored data.

Doubly-censored data, which consist of exact and case-1 interval-censored observations, often arise in medical studies, such as HIV/AIDS clinical trials. This article considers nonparametric maximum likelihood estimation (NPMLE) of semiparametric transformation models that encompass the proportional hazards and proportional odds models when data are subject to double censoring. The maximum likelihood estimator is obtained by directly maximizing a nonparametric likelihood concerning a regression parameter and a nuisance function parameter, which facilitates efficient and reliable computation.

Comparative assessment of alcaftadine and olopatadine for allergic conjunctivitis: a meta-analysis.

Introduction: It is unclear to compare the efficacy of alcaftadine versus olopatadine for patients with allergic conjunctivitis, and this meta-analysis aims to perform the comparative assessment of their efficacy for allergic conjunctivitis.

Methods: We systematically searched PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, EBSCO, and Cochrane library databases, and included randomized controlled trials (RCTs) comparing alcaftadine with olopatadine for allergic conjunctivitis. The random-effect model was used for the significant heterogeneity, and otherwise the fixed-effect model was used.