Long-Term Use of Proton Pump Inhibitors Disrupts Intestinal Tight Junction Barrier and Exaggerates Experimental Colitis.

Background: Proton pump inhibitors [PPIs] are widely used to treat a number of gastro-oesophageal disorders. PPI-induced elevation in intragastric pH may alter gastrointestinal physiology. The tight junctions [TJs] residing at the apical intercellular contacts act as a paracellular barrier.

Quantification of Plasma 8-Isoprostane by High-Performance Liquid Chromatography with Tandem Mass Spectrometry in a Case-Control Study of Lung Cancer.

Aim: 8-iso-prostaglandin F2α is a biomarker of lipid peroxidation, and one of the most commonly used measures of oxidative stress. It is an established biomarker of lung cancer risk. It is commonly measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay.

"I Am Not the Same as I Was Before": A Qualitative Analysis of COVID-19 Survivors.

Background: Little is known about the illness experience of patients' long-term emotional and physical recovery from severe COVID-19 infection. This study aimed to expand upon the recovery process of COVID-19 survivors up to 6 months after hospital discharge.

Methods: Qualitative analysis of free-response answers from a cohort study of 152 patients ≥ 18 years hospitalized with laboratory-confirmed SARS-CoV-2 surveyed at 1-month post hospital discharge and 6-months post hospital discharge.

The influence of patriarchy on Nepali-speaking Bhutanese women's diabetes self-management.

Introduction: The Nepali-speaking Bhutanese (NSB) community is a rapidly growing population in Central Pennsylvania. A community-based diabetes education pilot program found a large gender disparity with fewer women in attendance; participants reported that primary household cooks and caretakers were women. This may be an indication of women's status in the NSB community, their healthcare access, autonomy, and ability to manage their diabetes.

Hydrophilic But Not Hydrophobic Surfactant Protein Genetic Variants Are Associated With Severe Acute Respiratory Syncytial Virus Infection in Children.

Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is the leading cause of lower respiratory tract infection-related hospitalization in the first year of life. Surfactant dysfunction is central to pathophysiologic mechanisms of various pulmonary diseases including RSV. We hypothesized that RSV severity is associated with single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) of surfactant proteins (SPs).

Imaging of Headaches due to Intracranial Pressure Disorders.

Changes in intracranial pressure are a potentially serious etiology of headache. Headache secondary to changes in intracranial pressure frequently present with characteristic clinical features. Imaging plays a key role in the diagnosis and management of this category of headache.

Therapeutic Ultrasound and Shockwave Therapy for Tendinopathy: A Narrative Review.

Tendon injury is prevalent and costly in the United States, comprising 45% of the 66 million musculoskeletal injuries and costing $114 billion annually. Surgical and therapeutic methods, such as arthroscopic surgery, dry needling, and physical therapy, produce mixed success in reintroducing a healing response in tendinopathy due in part to inconsistent dosing and monitoring. Ultrasound is one therapeutic modality that has been shown to noninvasively induce bioeffects in tendon that may help promote healing.

Essential and non-essential US workers' health behaviors during the COVID-19 pandemic.

We seek to quantify the relationship between health behaviors and work-related experiences during the COVID-19 pandemic by predicting health behaviors as a function of essential worker status, job loss, change in work hours, and COVID-19 experiences. We use multivariate models and survey data from 913 employed adults in a semi-rural mid-Atlantic US county, and test whether essential worker results vary by gender, parenthood, and/or university employment. Multivariate models indicate that essential workers used tobacco on more days (4.

Systematic review of menstrual health and hygiene in Nepal employing a social ecological model.

Menstrual health and hygiene are a major public health and social issues in Nepal. Due to inadequate infrastructure to provide education, healthcare, and communication as well as religious teachings, women and girls are excluded from participation in many activities of daily living and community activities during menstruation. Evidence based research addressing menstrual health and hygiene in Nepal is scares.

A concerning trend in geriatric pharmacy that merits evidence-based intervention.

The effects of polypharmacy on geriatric populations are an emerging concern that merits more exploration. The primary goal of this review was to evaluate the current body of knowledge on polypharmacy and explore the preventive and corrective measures to avoid negative outcomes. Even if a medication has an appropriate indication, polypharmacy in the geriatric population is associated with an increased risk of drug-drug or drug-condition interactions.

Dynamics of Nigral Iron Accumulation in Parkinson's Disease: From Diagnosis to Late Stage.

Background: Higher nigral iron has been reported in Parkinson's disease (PD).

Objective: The aim is to understand the dynamics of nigral iron accumulation in PD and its association with drug treatment.

Methods: Susceptibility magnetic resonance imaging data were obtained from 79 controls and 18 drug-naive (PD ) and 87 drug-treated (PD ) PD patients.

COVID-19 Contact Tracing Highlights Disparities: Household Size and Low-English Proficiency.

Although it is known that coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) disproportionately affects racial and ethnic minorities, our study characterizes the connection between COVID-19 susceptibility and both limited English proficiency (LEP) and large household size. We examined demographic and social data for 1130 individuals who tested positive for or were exposed to COVID-19. Analysis revealed that LEP persons were 3.

Effects of chronically skipping meals on atrial fibrillation risk.

Atrial fibrillation is the most common form of arrhythmia and can result in significant morbidity and mortality. While there are many potential causes of atrial fibrillation that have been well studied, this work considers the potential effect of chronically skipping meals on the development of atrial fibrillation. The authors discuss the various processes that skipping meals initiates in the body that may ultimately result in atrial fibrillation.

Rate of Rise of Platelet Count After IVIG for Pediatric Immune Thrombocytopenia.

Immune thrombocytopenia (ITP) is an autoimmune disease causing platelet destruction, and is a common cause of symptomatic thrombocytopenia in children. Intravenous immune globulin (IVIG) is a treatment for ITP that increases the platelet counts of most patients within 24 to 48 hours. This study aimed to calculate the rate of rise in pediatric ITP after a dose of IVIG and to analyze if patient characteristics affected the rate.

Hypochlorous acid as a disinfectant for high-risk HPV: Insight into the mechanism of action.

Medical instruments that are not autoclavable but may become contaminated with high-risk human papillomaviruses (HPVs) during use must be thoroughly disinfected to avoid the possibility of iatrogenic transmission of infection. There is an expectation that prolonged soaking of instruments in the United States Food and Drug Administration-cleared chemical disinfectant solutions will result in high-level decontamination, but HPV16 and HPV18 are known to be resistant to commonly used formulations. However, they are susceptible to a variety of oxidative agents, including those based on chlorine.

Effect of neighborhood-level income on access to emergency contraception.

Objective: We aim to investigate whether the availability of over-the-counter EC varies by neighborhood income level, independent vs chain pharmacies, or urban vs rural pharmacies.

Study Design: We conducted a cross-sectional "mystery shopper" telephone survey in July 2019 to ascertain whether sampled pharmacies stocked EC. Pharmacies located in 12 Pennsylvania counties were randomly sampled after stratification by neighborhood income level.

Influence of exclusive breastfeeding on hippocampal structure, satiety responsiveness, and weight status.

Longer exclusive breastfeeding duration has been associated with differences in neural development, better satiety responsiveness, and decreased risk for childhood obesity. Given hippocampus sensitivity to diet and potential role in the integration of satiety signals, hippocampus may play a role in these relationships. We conducted a secondary analysis of 149, 7-11-year-olds (73 males) who participated in one of five studies that assessed neural responses to food cues.

Refined characterization of circulating tumor DNA through biological feature integration.

Circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) in blood plasma is present at very low concentrations compared to cell-free DNA (cfDNA) of non-tumor origin. To enhance ctDNA detection, recent studies have been focused on understanding the non-random fragmentation pattern of cfDNA. These studies have investigated fragment sizes, genomic position of fragment end points, and fragment end motifs.

Stable Rates of Obstructive Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy in a Contemporary Era.

Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy is the most common genetic heart disease in the US, with an estimated prevalence of 1 in 500. However, the extent to which obstructive hypertrophic cardiomyopathy is clinically recognized is not well-established. Therefore, the objective of this study was to estimate the annual prevalence of clinically diagnosed oHCM in the US from 2016 to 2018.

Aspiration-assisted freeform bioprinting of mesenchymal stem cell spheroids within alginate microgels.

Aspiration-assisted freeform bioprinting (AAfB) has emerged as a promising technique for precise placement of tissue spheroids in three-dimensional (3D) space enabling tissue fabrication. To achieve success in embedded bioprinting using AAfB, an ideal support bath should possess shear-thinning behavior and yield-stress to facilitate tight fusion and assembly of bioprinted spheroids forming tissues. Several studies have demonstrated support baths for embedded bioprinting in the past few years, yet a majority of these materials poses challenges due to their low biocompatibility, opaqueness, complex and prolonged preparation procedures, and limited spheroid fusion efficacy.

Evidence-Based Clinical Practice Guidelines for Extramammary Paget Disease.

Importance: Extramammary Paget disease (EMPD) is a frequently recurring malignant neoplasm with metastatic potential that presents in older adults on the genital, perianal, and axillary skin. Extramammary Paget disease can precede or occur along with internal malignant neoplasms.

Objective: To develop recommendations for the care of adults with EMPD.