Vericiguat Global Study in Participants with Chronic Heart Failure: Design of the VICTOR trial.

Aims: In the VICTORIA (Vericiguat Global Study in Subjects with Heart Failure with Reduced Ejection Fraction) trial, the soluble guanylate cyclase stimulator vericiguat reduced the risk of hospitalization for heart failure (HHF) or cardiovascular death in patients with heart failure (HF) and reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF) with recent worsening HF. The effect of vericiguat in patients with HFrEF without recent worsening HF remains unknown. The VICTOR (Vericiguat Global Study in Participants with Chronic Heart Failure) trial was designed to assess the efficacy and safety of vericiguat in patients with ejection fraction ≤40% without recent worsening HF on a background of current foundational HFrEF therapy.

Grief and coping among relatives of patients who died of COVID-19 in intensive care during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Background: The grief of relatives of patients who died of COVID-19 in an intensive care unit (ICU) has exacted an enormous toll worldwide.

Aims: To determine the prevalence of probable prolonged grief disorder (PGD) at 12 months post-loss and beyond. We also sought to examine circumstances of the death during the COVID-19 pandemic that might pose a heightened risk of PGD, and the associations between probable PGD diagnosis, quality of life and social disconnection.

Society for endocrinology guideline for understanding, diagnosing and treating female hypogonadism.

Female hypogonadism (FH) is a relatively common endocrine disorder in women of premenopausal age, but there are significant uncertainties and wide variation in its management. Most current guidelines are monospecialty and only address premature ovarian insufficiency (POI); some allude to management in very brief and general terms, and most rely upon the extrapolation of evidence from the studies relating to physiological estrogen deficiency in postmenopausal women. The Society for Endocrinology commissioned new guidance to provide all care providers with a multidisciplinary perspective on managing patients with all forms of FH.

Impact of coronary microvascular dysfunction in heart failure with preserved ejection fraction: a meta-analysis.

Aims: Several mechanisms have been identified in the aetiopathogenesis of heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF). Among these, coronary microvascular dysfunction (CMD) may play a key pathophysiological role. We performed a systematic review and meta-analysis to investigate the prevalence, echocardiographic correlates, and prognostic implications of CMD in patients with HFpEF.

Exposure to war and conflict: The individual and inherited epigenetic effects on health, with a focus on post-traumatic stress disorder.

War and conflict are global phenomena, identified as stress-inducing triggers for epigenetic modifications. In this state-of-the-science narrative review based on systematic principles, we summarise existing data to explore the outcomes of these exposures especially in veterans and show that they may result in an increased likelihood of developing gastrointestinal, auditory, metabolic and circadian issues, as well as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). We also note that, despite a potential "healthy soldier effect", both veterans and civilians with PTSD exhibit the altered DNA methylation status in hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis regulatory genes such as .

HIV enteropathy and 'Slim disease': Historical and current perspectives.

Objectives: Chronic diarrhoea and severe wasting associated with HIV infection were first described in East African patients as slim disease (SD) in 1985. The main histological features are flattening of the villi (villous atrophy) and crypt hyperplasia (elongated crypts), i.e.

'Unable to have a proper conversation over the phone about my concerns': a multimethods evaluation of the impact of COVID-19 on routine childhood vaccination services in London, UK.

Objectives: Investigating the completion rate of 12-month vaccinations and parental perspectives on vaccine services during COVID-19.

Study-design: Service evaluation including parental questionnaire.

Methods: Uptake of 12-month vaccinations in three London general practices during three periods: pre-COVID (1/3/2018-28/2/2019, n = 826), during COVID (1/3/2019-28/2/2020, n = 775) and post-COVID first wave (1/8/2020-31/1/2021, n = 419).

Characterisation of a Live-Attenuated Rabies Virus Expressing a Secreted scFv for the Treatment of Rabies.

Rabies virus (RABV) causes possibly the oldest disease and is responsible for an estimated >59,000 human fatalities/year. Post exposure prophylaxis (PEP), the administration of vaccine and rabies immunoglobulin, is a highly effective tool which is frequently unavailable in RABV endemic areas. Furthermore, due to the constraints of the blood-brain barrier, current PEP regimes are ineffective after the onset of clinical symptoms which invariably result in death.

COVID-19 and Multiorgan Response: The Long-Term Impact.

In late December 2019, severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus type-2 (SARS-CoV-2) was discovered following a cluster of pneumonia cases in Wuhan, China. During the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, it was unclear how this virus would manifest into a multiorgan impacting disease. After over 750 million cases worldwide, it has become increasingly evident that SARS-CoV-2 is a complex multifaceted disease we continue to develop our understanding of the pathophysiology of COVID-19 and how it affects these systems has many theories, ranging from direct viral infection via ACE2 receptor binding, to indirect coagulation dysfunction, cytokine storm, and pathological activation of the complement system.

Evaluating a research training programme for frontline health workers in conflict-affected and fragile settings in the middle east.

Background: Health Research Capacity Building (HRCB) is key to improving research production among health workers in LMICs to inform related policies and reduce health disparities in conflict settings. However, few HRCB programmes are available in the MENA region, and few evaluations of HRCB globally are reported in the literature.

Methods: Through a qualitative longitudinal design, we evaluated the first implementation of the Center for Research and Education in the Ecology of War (CREEW) fellowship.

Knowledge and experience of physicians during the COVID-19 Pandemic: A global cross-sectional study.

Physicians are on the frontline of the COVID-19 pandemic with responsibility to manage the disease. The aim of this study is to investigate physicians' knowledge, attitudes, perceptions and experiences, as well as preventative practices regarding the COVID-19 pandemic and COVID-19 vaccinations. Further, we explore physicians' recommendations for future pandemics.

JMM Profile: Swine influenza A virus: a neglected virus with pandemic potential.

Swine influenza is an acute respiratory disease of swine caused by swine influenza A virus (SwIAV). The ability of SwIAV to spread bidirectionally from animals to humans (zoonotic), and from humans to animals (reverse zoonotic), drives coinfection that can result in gene segment exchange and elevates the risk of generating viruses with pandemic potential. Compared to human-origin influenza A viruses, current data indicate a greater diversity amongst circulating SwIAVs, with three major subtypes (classified by haemagglutinin and neuraminidase) circulating globally in swine (H1N1, H1N2 and H3N2).

The Comparison of Gender Dysphoria, Body Image Satisfaction and Quality of Life Between Treatment-Naive Transgender Males With and Without Polycystic Ovary Syndrome.

The prevalence of polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) among trans men has been reported as higher than among the cisgender population, which varies between 14.4% and 58%. In this cross-sectional study, we aimed to evaluate the association of oligo-anovulation and/or features of hyperandrogenism with the scores on the Utrecht Gender Dysphoria Scale (UGDS), the Body Image Scale (BIS), and the Short Form-36 Health Survey (SF-36) in treatment-naive trans men with PCOS seeking help for gender transition.

Taiwan Bat Lyssavirus: In Vitro and In Vivo Assessment of the Ability of Rabies Vaccine-Derived Antibodies to Neutralise a Novel Lyssavirus.

Rabies is a neglected tropical disease. The prototype virus, the rabies virus, still causes tens of thousands of human fatalities annually. Rabies is one member of the genus Lyssavirus.

Age-related blood transcriptional regulators affect disease progression in pediatric multiple sclerosis.

Background: Pediatric onset multiple sclerosis patients (POMS) are defined as multiple sclerosis with an onset before the age of 18 years. Compared to adult onset multiple sclerosis (AOMS), POMS has more severe disease activity at onset, but better recovery. Little is known about the molecular mechanism responsible for the differences in the clinical presentations.

Risk Stratification for Lung Cancer Patients.

A comprehensive review of relevant clinical literature on evidence-based recommendations and existing prediction models specific to lung cancer surgery was undertaken. Preoperative risk assessment parameters such as pulmonary function tests (PFT), cardiopulmonary exercise testing (CPET), Brunelli models, Thoracoscore and frailty were analyzed for predicting postoperative risk of complications. When assessing fitness for surgery, the primarily used PFT parameters such as predictive postoperative forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV1) and diffusion capacity for carbon monoxide(DLCO ) showed conflicting evidence in determining a positive correlation with postoperative mortality.

Examining the Characteristics of Colchicine-Induced Myelosuppression in Clinical Cases: A Systematic Review.

Objective: The use of colchicine has been associated with varying degrees of myelosuppression. Despite expanded use in cardiovascular and inflammatory conditions, there remains clinician concern because of potential myelosuppressive side effects. A systematic review was conducted to explore the reported myelosuppressive events of colchicine.