Perspectives and Factors Related to Pre-exposure Prophylaxis Use Among Young Men Who Have Sex With Men in the United States: A Mixed-Methods Study on the Role of History of PrEP Use.

This study quantitatively examined factors related to young men who have sex with men (YMSM)'s decisions to use pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) by their history of PrEP use and qualitatively elicited their perspectives on PrEP options. Higher proportions of YMSM who had never used (vs. ever used) PrEP considered the following factors as important in their decisions to use PrEP: (a) Returning to PrEP follow-up visits ( p = .

Comparison of in-hospital outcomes of ST-elevation myocardial infarction patients with cardiogenic shock receiving left ventricular mechanical circulatory support devices based on transfer status.

Background: We aimed to compare outcomes in patients who receive on-site left ventricular mechanical support versus those transferred to other facilities for mechanical support in ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) patients with cardiogenic shock.

Methods: This retrospective study analyzed data from the 2016 to 2020 Nationwide Inpatient Sample (NIS) database. We identified patients with STEMI and cardiogenic shock who received Impella and LVAD placement during their hospital stay.

Preparations of Students for Enrollment in Medical Schools.

Improving medical education is an important process that changes from time to time based on the development of medical science and practice, society's need for a certain number of quality doctors, better preparations, and better selection of candidates for admission into medical schools. In most European countries, partial preparation of students for admission is done in secondary schools, and additional preparation is achieved in the first year of medical school. Such preparations enabled more than 60% of students to complete their studies, before the German Federal Ministry of Science and Education implemented the .

Tryptophan-Kynurenine Pathway Activation and Cognition in Virally Suppressed Women With HIV.

Background: Immune and cognitive dysfunction persists even in virally suppressed women with HIV (VS-WWH). Since inflammation and HIV proteins induce the enzyme indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase (IDO), converting tryptophan (T) to kynurenine (K) while producing downstream neurotoxic metabolites, we investigated IDO activation (KT ratio) in relation to cognition in VS-WWH and demographically similar women without HIV (WWoH).

Methods: Ninety-nine VS-WWH on stable antiretroviral therapy and 102 WWoH (median age 52 vs 54 years; 73% vs 74% Black, respectively) from the New York and Chicago sites of the Women's Interagency HIV Study (WIHS) completed a neuropsychological test battery assessing motor function, processing speed, attention/working memory, verbal fluency, verbal learning and memory, and executive function and had plasma measured for tryptophan-kynurenine metabolites through liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry and monocyte-derived [soluble cluster of differentiation-14 (sCD14), soluble cluster of differentiation-163 (sCD163), monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 (MCP-1)] plus general inflammatory markers [tumor necrosis factor alpha-2 receptor (TNF-R2), high-sensitivity C-reactive protein, high-sensitivity interleukin-6] through enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays between 2017 and 2020.

Associations between hollow viscus injury and acute kidney injury in blunt abdominal trauma: A national trauma data bank analysis.

Purpose: It is well established that hollow viscus perforation leads to sepsis and acute kidney injury (AKI) in non-trauma patients. However, the relationship between traumatic hollow viscus injury (HVI) and AKI is not well understood. Utilizing data from the National Trauma Data Bank, we investigated whether HVI serves as a risk factor for AKI.

Regulating Tissue Growth Factors for Healing With Etherified Carboxymethylcellulose Matrix.

Etherified Carboxymethylcellulose Matrix (eCMC) is a revolutionary application of carboxymethylcellulose (CMC) in wound care, known for its potential in hemostasis and tissue regeneration. This study aims to investigate the mechanism of eCMC in tissue healing by establishing a rat burn model and administering eCMC as a treatment. The objective is to analyze cytokines and inflammatory mediators using a Cytokine Array and histochemical staining to understand the effects of eCMC on tissue regeneration.

Jaw Thrust: A Simple Predictor of Success in Mandibular Distraction Osteogenesis.

Background: The hypoplastic mandible in the congenital condition Pierre Robin sequence (PRS) displaces the base of the tongue posteriorly, which results in upper airway obstruction (UAO) that can potentially be corrected with mandibular distraction osteogenesis (MDO). Jaw thrust (JT) is routinely performed during evaluation of the airway; similar to MDO, it projects the mandible and tongue anteriorly to open the airway. The authors demonstrate that JT can be used as a criterion to predict successful MDO outcomes in infants with PRS.

Nationwide Analysis of Adult-Onset Still Disease With and Without Hemophagocytic Lymphohistiocytosis.

Introduction: Adult-onset Still disease (AOSD) is a rare inflammatory condition with a monophasic, intermittent, or chronic clinical course, and a subset may experience life-threatening complications such as hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis (HLH). This study aims to characterize concurrent AOSD and HLH and identify variables independently associated with in-hospital death.

Methods: We performed a medical records review of AOSD with and without HLH from the 2016-2019 National Inpatient Sample database.

A Trial of Automated Outbreak Detection to Reduce Hospital Pathogen Spread.

Background: Detection and containment of hospital outbreaks currently depend on variable and personnel-intensive surveillance methods. Whether automated statistical surveillance for outbreaks of health care-associated pathogens allows earlier containment efforts that would reduce the size of outbreaks is unknown.

Methods: We conducted a cluster-randomized trial in 82 community hospitals within a larger health care system.

Basic Principles and Role of Endoscopic Ultrasound in Diagnosis and Differentiation of Pancreatic Cancer from Other Pancreatic Lesions: A Comprehensive Review of Endoscopic Ultrasound for Pancreatic Cancer.

Pancreatic cancer is one of the leading causes of cancer-related deaths worldwide. Pancreatic lesions consist of both neoplastic and non-neoplastic lesions and often pose a diagnostic and therapeutic challenge due to similar clinical and radiological features. In recent years, pancreatic lesions have been discovered more frequently as incidental findings due to the increased utilization and widespread availability of abdominal cross-sectional imaging.

Microbial Translocation and Gut Damage Are Associated With an Elevated Fast Score in Women Living With and Without HIV.

Background: Steatohepatitis is common in persons living with HIV and may be associated with gut microbial translocation (MT). However, few studies have evaluated the gut-liver axis in persons living with HIV. In the Women's Interagency HIV Study, we examined the associations of HIV and circulating biomarkers linked to MT and gut damage using the FibroScan-aspartate aminotransferase (FAST) score, a noninvasive surrogate for steatohepatitis with advanced fibrosis.

Personalized, tumor-informed, circulating tumor DNA assay for detecting minimal residual disease in non-small cell lung cancer patients receiving curative treatments.

Background: Circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) has emerged as a prognostic and predictive biomarker for detection of minimal residual disease (MRD), monitoring treatment response, and early detection of recurrence in cancer patients. In this study, we explored the utility of ctDNA-based MRD detection to predict recurrence in a real-world cohort of primarily early-stage non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients treated with curative intent.

Methods: Longitudinal plasma samples were collected post curative-intent treatment from 36 patients with stage I-IV NSCLC.

Clinical practice guidelines for prevention and treatment of postoperative gastrointestinal disorder with Integrated Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine (2023).

Postoperative gastrointestinal disorder (POGD) was a common complication after surgery under anesthesia. Strategies in combination with Traditional Chinese Medicine and Western medicine showed some distinct effects but standardized clinical practice guidelines were not available. Thus, a multidisciplinary expert team from various professional bodies including the Perioperative and Anesthesia Professional Committees of the Chinese Association of Integrative Medicine (CAIM), jointly with Gansu Province Clinical Research Center of Integrative Anesthesiology/Anesthesia and Pain Medical Center of Gansu Provincial Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine and WHO Collaborating Center for Guideline Implementation and Knowledge Translation/Chinese Grading of Recommendations, Assessment, Development, and Evaluation (GRADE) Center/Gansu Provincial Center for Medical Guideline Industry Technology/Evidence-based Medicine Center of Lanzhou University, was established to develop evidence-based guidelines.