NTHi killing activity is reduced in COPD patients and is associated with a differential microbiome.

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a chronic lung disease characterized by airway obstruction and inflammation. Non-typeable Haemophilus influenzae (NTHi) lung infections are common in COPD, promoting frequent exacerbations and accelerated lung function decline. The relationship with immune responses and NTHi are poorly understood.

Prevalence of hypertensive disorders of pregnancy and chronic hypertension increased throughout the COVID-19 pandemic in South Carolina (2015-2021).

Hypertensive disorders of pregnancy (HDP) and chronic hypertension (CHTN) are related to maternal and infant morbidity and mortality. We aimed to assess HDP and CHTN prevalence changes before (January 2015-February 2020) and during the COVID-19 pandemic (March 2020-December 2021) in South Carolina (SC). SC live births (2015-2021) were included (194,841 non-Hispanic White [NHW]); 108,195 non-Hispanic Black [NHB]; 25,560 Hispanic; 16,346 other race/ethnicity).

Firearm Deaths Impacting Older Adults.

Each year in the United States (U.S.) thousands of older adults die from firearm-related injuries.

PrEP Disparities Among Transgender Feminine, Transgender Masculine, Nonbinary, and Gender Expansive Youth and Young Adults in the United States.

This study assessed disparities in pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) use among transgender and gender expansive youth and young adults (N = 477) between 15 and 24 years old in the CARES (ATN 149) and TechStep (ATN 160) study protocols within the National Adolescent Medicine Trials Network for HIV/AIDS Interventions (ATN). Structural equation modeling was used to test mediation pathways between gender identity and PrEP uptake among the full sample and stratified by sex assigned at birth. Lifetime PrEP uptake was higher among those assigned male at birth (26%) versus assigned female at birth (9%), explained by greater structural and behavioral risks and perceived need for PrEP, especially among trans women.

Comparative efficacy and safety of stent retrievers as a bailout strategy following failed contact aspiration technique in acute stroke thrombectomy.

Background: The contact aspiration (CA) technique is often used to perform endovascular thrombectomy (EVT) for acute ischemic stroke (AIS); however, rescue strategies are necessary if CA fails to achieve recanalization. This study investigates the outcomes of incorporating stent retriever (SR) thrombectomy in the rescue strategy following failed CA.

Methods: EVT patients with failed CA attempts were identified from a large multicenter registry and stratified by rescue technique: CA alone or incorporating SR in the rescue strategy.

Shared Use to Promote Physical Activity and Healthy Eating in Rural South Carolina United Methodist Churches: Opportunities and Pastor Beliefs.

Access to facilities that could promote physical activity (PA) and healthy eating (HE) is limited in rural areas. Shared use agreements with churches may be a promising strategy for enhancing rural community access to facilities. The goals of this qualitative study were to (a) examine rural pastors' views on the role of faith-based organizations in improving PA and HE in rural communities; (b) describe the availability of church facilities that could be used for PA and HE; (c) understand pastors' opinions on shared use of church facilities for community health promotion.

A Latent Trait-based Measure as a Data Harmonization and Missing Data Solution Applied to the Environmental Influences on Child Health Outcomes Cohort.

Background: Collaborative research consortia provide an efficient method to increase sample size, enabling evaluation of subgroup heterogeneity and rare outcomes. In addition to missing data challenges faced by all cohort studies like nonresponse and attrition, collaborative studies have missing data due to differences in study design and measurement of the contributing studies.

Methods: We extend ROSETTA, a latent variable method that creates common measures across datasets collecting the same latent constructs with only partial overlap in measures, to define a common measure of socioeconomic status (SES) across cohorts with varying indicators in the Environmental influences on Child Health Outcomes Cohort, a consortium of pregnancy and pediatric cohorts.

Outcomes After Surgical Management of Early-Stage Lung Cancer in Octogenarians: An in-depth Analysis of a Nationally Representative Cohort.

Unlabelled: IntroductionAs the U.S. population ages more octogenarians are undergoing surgical resection for lung cancer (LC).

Current Evidence on the Care of Young Infants With Hypothermia in the Emergency Department.

The presence of hypothermia among young infants in the emergency department may be a sign of serious or invasive bacterial infections, or invasive herpes simplex viral infection. However, hypothermia may also occur due to a variety of other infectious and noninfectious conditions or environmental exposure. In some settings, hypothermia may represent a protective, energy-conserving response to illness.

Ancient genomics and the origin, dispersal, and development of domestic sheep.

The origins and prehistory of domestic sheep () are incompletely understood; to address this, we generated data from 118 ancient genomes spanning 12,000 years sampled from across Eurasia. Genomes from Central Türkiye ~8000 BCE are genetically proximal to the domestic origins of sheep but do not fully explain the ancestry of later populations, suggesting a mosaic of wild ancestries. Genomic signatures indicate selection by ancient herders for pigmentation patterns, hornedness, and growth rate.

Performance of Chat Generative Pre-Trained Transformer on Personal Review of Learning in Obstetrics and Gynecology.

Objectives: Chat Generative Pre-Trained Transformer (ChatGPT) is a popular natural-language processor that is able to analyze and respond to a variety of prompts, providing eloquent answers based on a collection of Internet data. ChatGPT has been considered an avenue for the education of resident physicians in the form of board preparation in the contemporary literature, where it has been applied against board study material across multiple medical specialties. The purpose of our study was to evaluate the performance of ChatGPT on the Personal Review of Learning in Obstetrics and Gynecology (PROLOG) assessments and gauge its specialty specific knowledge for educational applications.

Maternal and Infant Outcomes in a Subset of Patients with Sickle Cell Disease in South Carolina.

Objectives: Sickle cell disease (SCD), which disproportionately affects minorities, increases complications during pregnancy. Severe maternal mortality is increased in women with SCD, including morbidity related to the disease and other nondisease-related complications. It also can have devastating complications for fetuses, with increases in premature birth and low birth weight.

Polystyrene Nanoplastics Hitch-Hike the Gut-Brain Axis to Exacerbate Parkinson's Pathology.

The neurological implications of micro- and nanoplastic exposure have recently come under scrutiny due to the environmental prevalence of these synthetic materials. Parkinson's disease (PD) is a major neurological disorder clinically characterized by intracellular Lewy-body inclusions and dopaminergic neuronal death. These pathological hallmarks of PD, according to Braak's hypothesis, are mediated by the afferent propagation of α synuclein (αS) via the enteric nervous system, or the so-called gut-brain axis.

Differences in Combustible Cigarette Smoking-Related Biomarkers by Hormonal Contraceptive Use: An Exploratory Study.

Introduction: Hormonal contraceptives (HCs), which contain synthetic forms of estrogen (i.e., ethinyl estradiol) and/or progesterone (i.

Increased expression of the small lysosomal gene SVIP in the Drosophila gut suppresses pathophysiological features associated with a high-fat diet.

Lysosomes are digestive organelles that are crucial for nutrient sensing and metabolism. Lysosome impairment is linked to a broad spectrum of metabolic disorders, underscoring their importance to human health. Thus, lysosomes are an attractive target for metabolic disease therapies.

The Intersection of a Life Partner and Professional Wellness for the Plastic Surgeon.

Our literature review describes the complicated intersection of the physician/surgeon's professional practice and their spouse/domestic partner, acknowledging that the existing literature specific to plastic surgeons is limited. Nevertheless, the broader research of physicians and other surgical fields identifies many risk factors for work-home conflicts, which can negatively impact the surgeon and the spouse. Furthermore, certain studied groups have other unique challenges and considerations, such as women surgeons, residents, and dual-physician couples.

Investigating Fast Scanning Calorimetry and Differential Scanning Calorimetry as Screening Tools for Thermoset Polymer Material Compatibility with Laser-Based Powder Bed Fusion.

As additive manufacturing (AM) technology has developed and progressed, a constant topic of research in the area is expanding the library of materials to be used with these techniques. Among AM methods that utilize polymers, laser-based powder bed fusion (PBF-LB) has preferentially used thermoplastic polymers as its starting materials, but the deposition and material joining method employed in PBF-LB may also be compatible with powdered thermoset polymer precursors as feedstocks. To assess the compatibility of candidate thermosetting polymers and PBF-LB, characterization techniques and protocols that link fundamental material behavior to material behavior in the processing environment are needed.

Pedals possible: a pilot study of adaptive cycling as a school-based rehabilitation intervention for students with disabilities.

Introduction: Pediatric therapists in school-based practice can incorporate exercise promotion through adaptive cycling for children with disabilities who experience high levels of sedentary behavior and low levels of moderate to vigorous activity.

Methods: The impacts of an adaptive cycling pilot program for children with disabilities were investigated through a community-based participatory study. During an eight-week intervention, students had a goal of riding adaptive cycles three times a week for twenty minutes.

Quick Oil Red O, Paint3D and Biopython as an economical tool to measure total lipid levels in .

Quick Oil Red O staining is a well established method to assay total lipid levels in , but the software to clean up and analyse the images is either laborious, expensive or both. We have developed a process that uses an existing protocol to stain the animals, followed by Magic Select in Paint3D to remove background and then a custom script in Biopython to quantify average pixel intensity animal. The software is free, accessible and relatively easy to use for undergraduate researchers.

Ranking Surgeon Performance After ACL Reconstruction Using the Knee Injury and Osteoarthritis Outcome Score (KOOS) Subscales.

Background: Patient-reported outcomes (PROs) are considered the gold standard for evaluating value-based care in orthopaedics. However, there is little evidence to guide implementation of PROs for surgeon performance evaluation.

Purpose: To develop a risk-adjusted surgeon performance measure using the Knee injury and Osteoarthritis Outcome Score (KOOS) for patients undergoing anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction (ACLR).