Epigenome-wide association study of biomarkers of liver function identifies albumin-associated DNA methylation sites among male veterans with HIV.

: Liver disease (LD) is an important cause of morbidity and mortality for people with HIV (PWH). The molecular factors linked with LD in PWH are varied and incompletely characterized. We performed an epigenome-wide association study (EWAS) to identify associations between DNA methylation (DNAm) and biomarkers of liver function-aspartate transaminase, alanine transaminase, albumin, total bilirubin, platelet count, FIB-4 score, and APRI score-in male United States veterans with HIV.

Sexual and reproductive health experiences and care of adult women with cystic fibrosis.

Background: As survival and health improve in people with cystic fibrosis (CF), more women with CF (wwCF) are considering their sexual and reproductive health (SRH). This study compared SRH experiences, behaviors, and care utilization of wwCF to the general population and defined CF-impacted considerations and care preferences.

Methods: We surveyed wwCF aged ≥25 years regarding SRH and compared results to the US National Survey of Family Growth (NSFG;n = 4357) and friend controls(n = 123).

Prophylactic fresh frozen plasma versus prothrombin complex concentrate for preprocedural management of the coagulopathy of liver disease: A systematic review.

Background: The optimal prophylactic preprocedural management of patients with coagulopathy due to liver disease is not known.

Objectives: Our objective was to compare the efficacy and safety of fresh frozen plasma (FFP) with prothrombin complex concentrate (PCC) in the preprocedural management of patients with coagulopathy of liver disease.

Methods: We conducted a systematic review to examine published evidence regarding treatment with FFP or PCC in adults with coagulopathy of liver disease undergoing an invasive procedure.

Symptom phenotypes in pulmonary arterial hypertension: The PAH "symptome".

Women with pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) experience multiple symptoms, including dyspnea, fatigue, and sleep disturbance, that impair their health-related quality of life (HRQOL). However, we know little about phenotypic subgroups of patients with PAH with similar, concurrent, multiple symptoms. The objectives of this study were to define the "symptome" by symptom cluster phenotypes and compare characteristics such as biomarkers, cardiac structure and function (echocardiography), functional capacity (6-min walk distance), and HRQOL between the groups.

Estimating the prevalence of COPD in an African country: evidence from southern Nigeria.

# Background: Though several environmental and demographic factors would suggest a high burden of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) in most African countries, there is insufficient country-level synthesis to guide public health policy.

# Methods: A systematic search of MEDLINE, EMBASE, Global Health and African Journals Online identified studies reporting the prevalence of COPD in Nigeria. We provided a detailed synthesis of study characteristics, and overall median and interquartile range (IQR) of COPD prevalence in Nigeria by case definitions (spirometry or non-spirometry).

Proteomic Analysis of Effects of Spironolactone in Heart Failure With Preserved Ejection Fraction.

Background: The TOPCAT trial (Treatment of Preserved Cardiac Function Heart Failure With an Aldosterone Antagonist Trial) suggested clinical benefits of spironolactone treatment among patients with heart failure with preserved ejection fraction enrolled in the Americas. However, a comprehensive assessment of biologic pathways impacted by spironolactone therapy in heart failure with preserved ejection fraction has not been performed.

Methods: We conducted aptamer-based proteomic analysis utilizing 5284 modified aptamers to 4928 unique proteins on plasma samples from TOPCAT participants from the Americas (n=164 subjects with paired samples at baseline and 1 year) to identify proteins and pathways impacted by spironolactone therapy in heart failure with preserved ejection fraction.

Time-Dependent Risk of Cardiovascular Events Following an Exacerbation in Patients With Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease: Post Hoc Analysis From the IMPACT Trial.

Background The association between chronic obstructive pulmonary disease exacerbations and increased cardiovascular event risk has not been adequately studied in a heterogenous population with both low and high cardiovascular risk. Methods and Results This post hoc analysis of the IMPACT (Informing the Pathway of COPD Treatment) trial (N=10 355 symptomatic patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease at risk of exacerbations) evaluated time-dependent risk of cardiovascular adverse events of special interest (CVAESI) following exacerbations and impact of exacerbation history, cardiovascular risk factors, and study treatment on this association. Risk (time-to-first) of CVAESI or CVAESI resulting in hospitalization or death was assessed during and 1 to 30, 31 to 90, and 91 to 365 days after resolution of moderate or severe exacerbations.

The Hepatitis C Care Cascade During the Direct-Acting Antiviral Era in a United States Commercially Insured Population.

Background: Periodic surveillance of the hepatitis C virus (HCV) care cascade is important for tracking progress toward HCV elimination goals, identifying gaps in care, and prioritizing resource allocation. In the pre-direct-acting antiviral (DAA) era, it was estimated that 50% of HCV-infected individuals were diagnosed and that 16% had been prescribed interferon-based therapy. Since then, few studies utilizing nationally representative data from the DAA era have been conducted in the United States.

TCRvβ-CART therapy mediates high-precision targeting of malignant T-cell clones.

Peripheral T-cell lymphomas (PTCLs) are a heterogeneous group of lymphoid malignancies associated with poor prognosis due to ineffective treatment options and high rates of relapse. The success of chimeric antigen receptor T-cell (CART) therapy for certain hematologic malignancies makes it an attractive treatment option for PTCLs. However, shared expression of potential target antigens by both malignant and healthy T cells poses a challenge.

Global public awareness of Castleman disease and TAFRO syndrome between 2015 and 2021: A Google Trends analysis.

Castleman disease (CD) is a rare lymphoproliferative disorder with multiple subtypes. Thrombocytopenia, anasarca, fever, reticulin fibrosis or renal insufficiency, and organomegaly (TAFRO) syndrome can occur in the context of CD. The study evaluated worldwide public awareness of CD and TAFRO syndrome using Google Trends data between 2015 and 2021.

A Randomized Trial of Lipid Metabolism Modulation with Fenofibrate for Acute Coronavirus Disease 2019.

Background Abnormal cellular lipid metabolism appears to underlie SARS-CoV-2 cytotoxicity and may involve inhibition of peroxisome proliferator activated receptor alpha (PPARα). Fenofibrate, a PPAR-α activator, modulates cellular lipid metabolism. Fenofibric acid has also been shown to affect the dimerization of angiotensin-converting enzyme 2, the cellular receptor for SARS-CoV-2.

Financial impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on an academic otolaryngology department.

Objective: To quantify the financial impact of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic on an academic otolaryngology department.

Methods: A year-over-year comparison was used to compare department revenue from April 2020 and April 2021 as a percentage of baseline April 2019 activity.

Results: At the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in April 2020, total department charges decreased by 83.

Excreted 99m Tc-Pertechnetate in a Renal Pelvis as a Potential False Positive in a Meckel's Scan.

A 14-year-old girl presented with right lower quadrant pain. A 99m Tc-pertechnetate scan with SPECT/CT was performed to exclude a Meckel's diverticulum. The images demonstrated focal tracer uptake in the right midabdomen, which appeared early and decreased over time.

Association Between Community-Level Violent Crime and Cardiovascular Mortality in Chicago: A Longitudinal Analysis.

Background Violent crime has recently increased in many major metropolitan cities in the United States. Prior studies suggest an association between neighborhood crime levels and cardiovascular disease, but many have been limited by cross-sectional designs. We investigated whether longitudinal changes in violent crime rates are associated with changes in cardiovascular mortality rates at the community level in one large US city-Chicago, IL.

Genotype-phenotype correlations in CPT1A deficiency detected by newborn screening in Pacific populations.

Carnitine palmitoyltransferase 1A (CPT1A) deficiency is a long chain fatty acid oxidation disorder, typically presenting with hypoketotic hypoglycaemia and liver dysfunction during fasting and intercurrent illness. Classical CPT1A deficiency is a rare disease, although a milder 'Arctic variant' (p.P479L) is common in the Inuit population.

A consensus view of the proteome of the last universal common ancestor.

The availability of genomic and proteomic data from across the tree of life has made it possible to infer features of the genome and proteome of the last universal common ancestor (LUCA). A number of studies have done so, all using a unique set of methods and bioinformatics databases. Here, we compare predictions across eight such studies and measure both their agreement with one another and with the consensus predictions among them.

Implementation of an enhanced recovery after surgery protocol for head and neck cancer patients: Considerations and best practices.

Enhanced recovery after surgery (ERAS) protocols have been developed in numerous surgical specialties as a means of systematically improving patient recovery, functional outcomes, cost savings, and resource utilization. Such multidisciplinary initiatives seek to minimize variability in several aspects of perioperative patient care, helping to reduce inpatient length of hospital stay, complications, and the overall resource and financial burden of surgical care. Head and neck oncology patients stand to benefit from the implementation of comprehensive ERAS protocols, as these patients have complex medical needs that may dramatically impact multiple aspects of their recovery, including breathing, eating, nutrition, pain, speech, swallowing, and communication.

Nonopioid perioperative analgesia in head and neck cancer surgery: A systematic review.

Objective: Management of postoperative pain after head and neck cancer surgery is a complex issue, requiring a careful balance of analgesic properties and side effects. The objective of this review is to discuss the efficacy and safety of multimodal analgesia (MMA) for these patients.

Methods: Pubmed, Cochrane, Embase, Scopus, and clinicaltrials.

Reduction in Ferritin Concentrations among Patients Consuming a Dark-Green Leafy Vegetable-Rich, Low Inflammatory Foods Everyday (LIFE) Diet.

Background: Ferritin is an iron-containing protein and acute-phase reactant, which may be elevated due to systemic iron overload or inflammation. Various diseases are associated with excess iron, but therapeutic iron chelation is suboptimal. Prior studies suggest that several plant phytochemicals possess iron-chelating properties, indicating that a plant-based diet may benefit patients with iron overload.