Point-of-care nucleic acid testing - a step forward in controlling the HIV epidemic: A review.

Introduction: The HIV/AIDS epidemic, with 85.6 million infections and 40.4 million AIDS-related deaths globally, remains a critical public health challenge.

Circulating Tumor DNA as a Marker of Recurrence Risk in Stage III Colorectal Cancer: The α-CORRECT Study.

Background And Objectives: Identification of colorectal cancer (CRC) patients at high risk of recurrence could be of substantial clinical use. We evaluated the association of ctDNA status, using a tumor-informed assay, with recurrence-free survival (RFS).

Methods: Stage III CRC patients were enrolled between 2016 and 2020.

The association of travel distance and other patient characteristics with breast cancer stage at diagnosis and treatment completion at a rural Rwandan cancer facility.

Background: Butaro Cancer Center of Excellence (BCCOE) was founded to serve Rwanda's rural low-income population, providing subsidized cancer diagnosis and treatment with transport stipends for the lowest-income patients. We examined whether travel distance to BCCOE was associated with advanced-stage diagnoses and treatment completion.

Methods: We conducted a retrospective cohort study using medical record data from BCCOE patients with pathologically-confirmed breast cancer from 2012-2016.

Exploring the Clinical Diversity of Castleman Disease and TAFRO Syndrome: A Japanese Multicenter Study on Lymph Node Distribution Patterns.

Individuals diagnosed with Castleman disease (CD) and TAFRO syndrome (characterized by thrombocytopenia, anasarca, fever, bone marrow fibrosis, and organomegaly) displays a wide range of clinical symptoms, including varying patterns of lymph node enlargement, systemic inflammation, and impaired organ function. Some patients may present with both CD and TAFRO syndrome concurrently. A retrospective study conducted across multiple centers in Japan examined 321 cases to determine if the quantity and position of swollen lymph nodes could forecast the clinical progression and intensity of these conditions.

Genome-wide profiling of tRNA modifications by Induro-tRNAseq reveals coordinated changes.

While all native tRNAs undergo extensive post-transcriptional modifications as a mechanism to regulate gene expression, mapping these modifications remains challenging. The critical barrier is the difficulty of readthrough of modifications by reverse transcriptases (RTs). Here we use Induro-a new group-II intron-encoded RT-to map and quantify genome-wide tRNA modifications in Induro-tRNAseq.

External Validation of an AI mHealth Tool for Gingivitis Detection among Older Adults at Daycare Centers: A Pilot Study.

Objectives: Periodontal disease is a significant public health concern among older adults due to its relationship with tooth loss and systemic health disease. However, there are numerous barriers that prevent older adults from receiving routine dental care, highlighting the need for innovative screening tools at the community level. This pilot study aimed first, to evaluate the accuracy of GumAI, a new mHealth tool that uses AI and smartphones to detect gingivitis, and the user acceptance of personalized oral hygiene instructions provided through the new tool, among older adults in day-care community centers.

Classifying Unstructured Text in Electronic Health Records for Mental Health Prediction Models: Large Language Model Evaluation Study.

Background: Prediction models have demonstrated a range of applications across medicine, including using electronic health record (EHR) data to identify hospital readmission and mortality risk. Large language models (LLMs) can transform unstructured EHR text into structured features, which can then be integrated into statistical prediction models, ensuring that the results are both clinically meaningful and interpretable.

Objective: This study aims to compare the classification decisions made by clinical experts with those generated by a state-of-the-art LLM, using terms extracted from a large EHR data set of individuals with mental health disorders seen in emergency departments (EDs).

Elbow Ulnar Collateral Ligament Repair With Suture Tape Augmentation Versus Reconstruction Should Be Determined Using Precise Imaging and Indications.

Current surgical treatment options for ulnar collateral ligament injury of the elbow include both reconstruction and repair. A growing amount of research has evaluated the outcomes of these various techniques in a variety of study designs. Large national database assessment indicates that overall failure rates are low and complication rates are similar between UCL reconstruction and UCL repair techniques.

Human organotypic colon in vitro microtissue: unveiling a new window into colonic drug disposition.

The purpose of this study was to evaluate EpiColon, a novel human organotypic 3D colon microtissue prototype, developed to assess colonic drug disposition, with a particular focus on permeability ranking, and compare its performance to Caco-2 monolayers. EpiColon was characterized for barrier function using transepithelial electrical resistance (TEER), morphology via histology and immunohistochemistry, and functionality through drug transport studies measuring apparent permeability (P). Cutoff thresholds for the permeability of FITC-dextran 4 kDa (FD4), FITC-dextran 10 kDa (FD10S), and [C]mannitol were established to monitor microtissue integrity.

Future directions in the evaluation and management of newly diagnosed metastatic cancer.

There is a much debate regarding optimal selection in patients with metastatic cancer who should undergo local treatment (surgery or radiation treatment) to the primary tumor and/or metastases. Additionally, the optimal treatment of newly diagnosed metastatic cancer is largely unclear. Current prognostication systems to best inform these clinical scenarios are limited, as all metastatic patients are grouped together as having Stage IV disease without further incorporation of patient and disease-specific covariates that significantly impact patient outcomes.

Life expectancy losses in the Gaza Strip during the period October, 2023, to September, 2024.

Background: In the context of the ongoing war in the Gaza Strip, the Gaza Health Ministry (GHM) has reported 45 936 fatalities and more than 10 000 individuals missing or under the rubble for the period Oct 7, 2023, to Jan 8, 2025. The scope of this death count is difficult to fully interpret because it does not account for the size and age distribution of the Gaza Strip population. Moreover, the quality of this death count has been questioned.

Communication-efficient federated learning of temporal effects on opioid use disorder with data from distributed research networks.

Objective: To develop a distributed algorithm to fit multi-center Cox regression models with time-varying coefficients to facilitate privacy-preserving data integration across multiple health systems.

Materials And Methods: The Cox model with time-varying coefficients relaxes the proportional hazards assumption of the usual Cox model and is particularly useful to model time-to-event outcomes. We proposed a One-shot Distributed Algorithm to fit multi-center Cox regression models with Time varying coefficients (ODACT).

Metabolic Syndrome and the Risk of Postoperative Complications Following Esophagectomy: National Surgical Quality Improvement Program Study.

Introduction: Metabolic syndrome has become a major health risk affecting patients worldwide and has been shown to be a risk factor for postoperative complications following abdominal surgery. This study aims to elucidate the link between metabolic syndrome and postoperative complications and mortality following esophagectomy.

Methods: This is a retrospective study analyzing the American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Program database (2017-2021).

Body Image and sex among postpartum women.

Body image and sexuality both pertain to the body. Positive experiences in one domain are generally associated with positive experiences in the other. Yet, less is known about body image among postpartum women specifically.

Association of Epstein-Barr Virus and its clinical relevance in Human Papillomavirus-negative oral squamous cell carcinoma: A cohort study from South India.

Objective: The study assessed the prevalence and clinical implications of Epstein Barr Virus (EBV)-positive but Human Papillomavirus (HPV)-negative oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) in a tertiary care hospital setting. The overall goal was to elucidate the potential impact of EBV on OSCC disease progression and prognosis.

Design: A total of 134 surgically resected and histopathologically confirmed OSCC tumor biopsies were collected from a tertiary care hospital.

Cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia across the spectrum of alcohol use disorder: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Insomnia is prevalent among patients with alcohol use disorder (AUD), potentially undermining treatment and increasing the risk of relapse. Cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia (CBT-I) is the recommended first-line treatment for insomnia, but its efficacy is not well-characterized in patients across the spectrum of AUD. The aim of this meta-analysis was to quantify the effectiveness of CBT-I in improving insomnia severity and alcohol-related outcomes in adults with heavy alcohol use and/or varying levels of AUD severity and comorbid insomnia.

Sigma1 inhibitor suppression of adaptive immune resistance mechanisms mediated by cancer cell derived extracellular vesicles.

Adaptive immune resistance in cancer describes the various mechanisms by which tumors adapt to evade anti-tumor immune responses. IFN-γ induction of programmed death-ligand 1 (PD-L1) was the first defined and validated adaptive immune resistance mechanism. The endoplasmic reticulum (ER) is central to adaptive immune resistance as immune modulatory secreted and integral membrane proteins are dependent on ER.

Catheter-Based Aspiration of A Large Superior Vena Cava Mass In A Patient With Endocarditis.

Infective endocarditis carries a high risk of morbidity and mortality with recurrent infections and non-compliance. In the case of right-sided endocarditis, the indications for intervention are less clear. The Angiovac procedure provides a treatment for right-sided endocarditis that is a less-invasive and ideal for a complicated patient population.

Diverging evolutionary trajectories for palm seed sizes in mainland Africa and Madagascar.

Seed size is a trait which determines survival rates for individual plants and can vary as a result of numerous trade-offs. In the palm family (Arecaceae) today, there is great variation in seed sizes. Past studies attempting to establish drivers for palm seed evolution have sometimes yielded contradictory findings in part because modern seed size variations are complicated by long-term legacies, including biogeographic differences across lineages.

A meta-analysis of sex differences in neonatal rodent ultrasonic vocalizations and the implication for the preclinical maternal immune activation model.

As the earliest measure of social communication in rodents, ultrasonic vocalizations (USVs) in response to maternal separation are critical in preclinical research on neurodevelopmental disorders (NDDs). While sex differences in both USV production and behavioral outcomes are reported, many studies overlook sex as a biological variable in preclinical NDD models. We aimed to evaluate sex differences in USV call parameters and determine if USVs are differently impacted based on sex in the preclinical maternal immune activation (MIA) model.

Global metabolomic alterations associated with endocrine-disrupting chemicals among pregnant individuals and newborns.

Background: Gestational exposure to non-persistent endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs) may be associated with adverse pregnancy outcomes. While many EDCs affect the endocrine system, their effects on endocrine-related metabolic pathways remain unclear. This study aims to explore the global metabolome changes associated with EDC biomarkers at delivery.

Empathy and helping: the role of affect in response to others' suffering.

Decades of research hold that empathy is a multifaceted construct. A related challenge in empathy research is to describe how each subcomponent of empathy uniquely contributes to social outcomes. Here, we examined distinct mechanisms through which different components of empathy-Empathic Concern, Perspective Taking, and Personal Distress-may relate to prosociality.