Judicial interference with mifepristone.

In the days since Texas federal judge Matthew J. Kacsmaryk invalidated the approval by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) of mifepristone, a medication used to terminate pregnancy, a shock wave of concern has swept through many people, organizations, and companies that work closely with the agency. The strong opposition reflects the high stakes not only for pregnant persons and for the FDA, but also for the scientific process of drug development and public access to safe and effective medications.

SARS-CoV-2 Variant Pathogenesis Following Primary Infection and Reinfection in Syrian Hamsters.

Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), the causative agent of COVID-19, has evolved into multiple variants. Animal models are important to understand variant pathogenesis, particularly for variants with mutations that have significant phenotypic or epidemiological effects. Here, cohorts of naive or previously infected Syrian hamsters (Mesocricetus auratus) were infected with variants to investigate viral pathogenesis and disease protection.

Buprenorphine treatment receipt characteristics and retention among people who inject drugs at Integrated Care Centers in India.

Background: India is facing overlapping opioid injection and HIV epidemics among people who inject drugs (PWID) in several cities. Integrated Care Centers (ICCs) provide single-venue HIV and substance use services to PWID. We evaluated PWID engagement in daily observed buprenorphine treatment at 7 ICCs to inform interventions.

Excess Injury Mortality in Washington State During the 2021 Heat Wave.

Under global warming scenarios, heat waves of this magnitude will become much more common. Adaptation and planning efforts are needed to protect residents of the historically temperate Pacific Northwest for a range of health outcomes. ( 2023;113(6):657-660.

Optimizing measurement of misdiagnosis-related harms using symptom-disease pair analysis of diagnostic error (SPADE): comparison groups to maximize SPADE validity.

Diagnostic errors in medicine represent a significant public health problem but continue to be challenging to measure accurately, reliably, and efficiently. The recently developed Symptom-Disease Pair Analysis of Diagnostic Error (SPADE) approach measures misdiagnosis related harms using electronic health records or administrative claims data. The approach is clinically valid, methodologically sound, statistically robust, and operationally viable without the requirement for manual chart review.

Early Transcriptional Responses of Human Nasal Epithelial Cells to Infection with Influenza A and SARS-CoV-2 Virus Differ and Are Influenced by Physiological Temperature.

Influenza A (IAV) and SARS-CoV-2 (SCV2) viruses represent an ongoing threat to public health. Both viruses target the respiratory tract, which consists of a gradient of cell types, receptor expression, and temperature. Environmental temperature has been an understudied contributor to infection susceptibility and understanding its impact on host responses to infection could help uncover new insight into severe disease risk factors.

Obesity and Aging.

The obesity epidemic in aging populations poses significant public health concerns for greater morbidity and mortality risk. Age-related increased adiposity is multifactorial and often associated with reduced lean body mass. The criteria used to define obesity by body mass index in younger adults may not appropriately reflect age-related body composition changes.

Early transcriptional responses of human nasal epithelial cells to infection with Influenza A and SARS-CoV-2 virus differ and are influenced by physiological temperature.

Influenza A (IAV) and SARS-CoV-2 (SCV2) viruses represent an ongoing threat to public health. Both viruses target the respiratory tract, which consists of a gradient of cell types, receptor expression, and temperature. Environmental temperature has been an un-derstudied contributor to infection susceptibility and understanding its impact on host responses to infection could help uncover new insights into severe disease risk factors.

Correlates of self-reported and biomarker based adherence to daily oral HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis among a cohort of predominantly men who have sex with men in Nigeria.

Introduction: HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) significantly reduces the risk of HIV acquisition. However, studies have demonstrated discordance between self-reported measures and biomedical benchmarks of PrEP adherence. We estimated the correlation between self-reported PrEP adherence and PrEP biomarkers and explored factors associated with adherence among men who have sex with men (MSM) in Nigeria.

The impact of anti-Asian racism on routine activities and mental health among Korean American older adults and their caregivers.

Introduction: Reported anti-Asian discrimination has been on the rise since the COVID-19 pandemic. Nevertheless, limited research addresses the health impact of perceived anti-Asian racism on Asian Americans, especially among older adults, during COVID-19. To address the gap, we examined how the novel coronavirus pandemic affected Korean American older adults, one of the largest Asian subgroups.

Getaway car: Fungal HscA steers human phagosomal p11 into an escape route.

In this issue of Cell Host & Microbe, Jia and colleagues discover how the human p11 (s100A10)-Anxa2 heterodimer drives sorting of microbial phagosomes into recycling versus degradative pathways. In a remarkable evolutionary arms race, the Aspergillus fumigatus protein HscA latches to p11 to steer its phagosome away from fungal killing.

2019-20 H1N1 clade A5a.1 viruses have better replication compared with the co-circulating A5a.2 clade.

Surveillance for emerging human influenza virus clades is important for identifying changes in viral fitness and assessing antigenic similarity to vaccine strains. While fitness and antigenic structure are both important aspects of virus success, they are distinct characteristics and do not always change in a complementary manner. The 2019-20 Northern Hemisphere influenza season saw the emergence of two H1N1 clades: A5a.

Transmissibility of clinically relevant atovaquone-resistant by anopheline mosquitoes.

Rising numbers of malaria cases and deaths underscore the need for new interventions. Long-acting injectable medications, such as those now in use for HIV prophylaxis, offer the prospect of a malaria "chemical vaccine", combining the efficacy of a drug (like atovaquone) with the durability of a biological vaccine. Of concern, however, is the possible selection and transmission of drug-resistant parasites.

A Path Forward: COVID-19 Vaccine Equity Community Education and Outreach Initiative.

COVID-19 vaccines offer hope to end the COVID-19 pandemic. In this article, we document key lessons learned as we continue to confront COVID-19 variants and work to adapt our vaccine outreach strategies to best serve our community. In the fall of 2020, the Office of Diversity, Inclusion and Health Equity at Johns Hopkins Medicine, in collaboration with the Office of Government and Community Affairs for Johns Hopkins University and Medicine, established the COVID-19 Vaccine Equity Community Education and Outreach Initiative in partnership with faith and community leaders, local and state government representatives, and community-based organizations.

Responsiveness of the Patient-Reported Outcome Measure for Vascular Malformation Questionnaire in Patients with Low-Flow Vascular Malformations.

Purpose: To assess the responsiveness, defined as the ability to detect change in a patient's health or function, of the Patient-Reported Outcome Measure for Vascular Malformation (PROVAM) questionnaire in a cohort of patients with low-flow vascular malformations (VMs).

Materials And Methods: PROVAM was previously developed to assess symptoms, functional limitations, and social/emotional effects experienced by patients with VMs. This is a prospective cohort study of 56 patients with venous and lymphatic VMs who completed at least 2 PROVAM questionnaires, of whom 43 had undergone treatment with sclerotherapy in the interim between questionnaires.

Obesity and Overweight: Probing Causes, Consequences, and Novel Therapeutic Approaches Through the American Heart Association's Strategically Focused Research Network.

As the worldwide prevalence of overweight and obesity continues to rise, so too does the urgency to fully understand mediating mechanisms, to discover new targets for safe and effective therapeutic intervention, and to identify biomarkers to track obesity and the success of weight loss interventions. In 2016, the American Heart Association sought applications for a Strategically Focused Research Network (SFRN) on Obesity. In 2017, 4 centers were named, including Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, New York University Grossman School of Medicine, University of Alabama at Birmingham, and Vanderbilt University Medical Center.

Novel therapeutic medications for venous thromboembolism prevention in trauma patients: Findings from the Consensus Conference to Implement Optimal Venous Thromboembolism Prophylaxis in Trauma.

Trauma patients are at high risk for venous thromboembolism (VTE). Despite evidence-based guidelines and concerted efforts in trauma centers to implement optimal chemoprophylaxis strategies, VTE remains a frequent diagnosis in trauma patients. Current chemoprophylaxis strategies largely focus on the subcutaneous injection of low-molecular-weight heparin, which is administered twice daily.

Addressing Psychosocial, Organizational, and Environmental Stressors Emerging From the COVID-19 Pandemic and Their Effect on Essential Workers' Mental Health and Well-being: A Literature Review.

Objective: This study aimed to identify stressors faced by essential workers amid the coronavirus disease pandemic and effective interventions mitigating these stressors.

Methods: We reviewed literature on psychosocial, organizational, and environmental stressors faced by essential workers during the pandemic, the consequences of those stressors, and interventions to improve worker health and well-being.

Findings: Stressors included elevated risk of coronavirus disease 2019 exposure, fear of spreading the virus, lack of social and organizational supports, and financial insecurity.

Effects of the Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension Diet on Change in Cardiac Biomarkers Over Time: Results From the DASH-Sodium Trial.

Background The Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) diet has been shown to reduce biomarkers of cardiovascular disease. We aimed to characterize the time course of change in biomarkers of cardiac injury (high-sensitivity cardiac troponin I), cardiac strain (NT-proBNP [N-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide]), and inflammation (hs-CRP [high-sensitivity C-reactive protein]) while consuming the DASH diet. Methods and Results The DASH-Sodium trial was a randomized controlled trial of 412 adults with elevated blood pressure or hypertension.

Developing a National Trauma Research Action Plan: Results from the trauma systems and informatics panel Delphi survey.

Background: The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine 2016 report on the trauma care system recommended establishing a National Trauma Research Action Plan to strengthen and guide future trauma research. To address this recommendation, the Department of Defense funded a study to generate a comprehensive research agenda spanning the trauma and burn care continuum. Panels were created to conduct a gap analysis and identify high-priority research questions.

Supramolecular filaments for concurrent ACE2 docking and enzymatic activity silencing enable coronavirus capture and infection prevention.

Coronaviruses have historically precipitated global pandemics of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) into devastating public health crises. Despite the virus's rapid rate of mutation, all SARS coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) variants are known to gain entry into host cells primarily through complexation with angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2). Although ACE2 has potential as a druggable decoy to block viral entry, its clinical use is complicated by its essential biological role as a carboxypeptidase and hindered by its structural and chemical instability.

Microbiome-Targeted Therapies as an Adjunct to Traditional Weight Loss Interventions: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Objective: This study evaluated the effect of microbiome-targeted therapies (pre-, pro-, and synbiotics) on weight loss and other anthropometric outcomes when delivered as an adjunct to traditional weight loss interventions in overweight and obese adults.

Methods: A systematic review of three databases (Medline [PubMed], Embase, and the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials) was performed to identify randomized controlled trials published between January 1, 2010 and December 31, 2020, that evaluated anthropometric outcomes following microbiome-targeted supplements in combination with dietary or dietary and exercise interventions. The pooled mean difference (MD) between treatment and control groups was calculated using a random effects model.