Silence of the labs.

This is a commentary on 'Virtual diversity: Resolving the tension between the wider culture and the institution of science', by Harry Collins, Robert Evans, Luis Reyes-Galindo.

Clinical Research Network: JHCRN Infrastructure and Lessons Learned.

Clinical research studies are becoming increasingly complex resulting in compounded work burden and longer study cycle times, each fueling runaway costs. The impact of protocol complexity often results in inadequate recruitment and insufficient sample sizes, which challenges validity and generalizability. Understanding the need to provide an alternative model to engage researchers and sponsors and bringing clinical research opportunities to the broader community, clinical research networks (CRN) have been proposed and initiated in the United States and other parts of the world.

Global Delphi consensus on treatment goals for generalised pustular psoriasis.

Background: Generalised pustular psoriasis (GPP) is a chronic, systemic, neutrophilic inflammatory disease. A previous Delphi panel established areas of consensus on GPP, although patient perspectives were not included, and aspects of treatment goals remain unclear.

Objectives: To identify and achieve consensus on refined, specific treatment goals for GPP treatment via a Delphi panel with patient participation.

Signal Transduction Pathway Mediating Carotid Body Dependent Sympathetic Activation and Hypertension by Chronic Intermittent Hypoxia.

Patients with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) experience chronic intermittent hypoxia (CIH). OSA patients and CIH-treated rodents exhibit overactive sympathetic nervous system and hypertension, mediated through hyperactive carotid body (CB) chemoreflex. Activation of olfactory receptor 78 (Olfr78) by hydrogen sulfide (H2S) is implicated in CB activation and sympathetic nerve responses to CIH, but the downstream signaling pathways remain unknown.

Obesity Is Associated With Worsened Outcomes in Patients With Ulcerative Colitis on Advanced Therapies: A Propensity Matched Cohort Study From the U.S.

Background: Obesity has been linked to a more severe phenotype in patients with ulcerative colitis (UC).

Aim: To evaluate the impact of obesity on outcomes of advanced therapies in UC.

Methods: We conducted a retrospective cohort study utilising the TriNetX database comparing the composite score of corticosteroid use, change in advanced therapy or colectomy within two years between two cohorts of patients with UC-those with obesity (BMI ≥ 30 kg/m) and those without (BMI 18.

Long-Term Care Insurance and Health Inequality: Evidence From China.

This study examined the relationship between the Chinese Long-Term Care Insurance (LTCI) programme and health inequality among older adults in China and explored potential explanatory factors. Overall, the LTCI was found to improve the health of Chinese older adults. However, it was also associated with widening health inequality among older residents across income classes and between urban and rural areas.

Looking under the hood of a hybrid two-way texting intervention to improve early retention on antiretroviral therapy in Malawi: an implementation fidelity evaluation.

Background: While key to interpreting findings and assessing generalizability, implementation fidelity is underreported in mobile health (mHealth) literature. We evaluated implementation fidelity of an opt-in, hybrid, two-way texting (2wT) intervention previously demonstrated to improve 12-month retention on antiretroviral therapy (ART) among people living with HIV (PLHIV) in a quasi-experimental study in Lilongwe, Malawi.

Methods: Short message service (SMS) data and ART refill visit records were used to evaluate adherence to 2wT content, frequency and duration through the lens of the Conceptual Framework for Implementation Fidelity.

A single-site randomized controlled trial of partner navigation to HCV treatment for people who inject drugs: a study protocol for the You're Empowered for Treatment Initiation (YETI) partner trial.

Background: Disparities persist in testing and treatment for hepatitis C virus (HCV), leaving socially marginalized populations, including people who inject drugs (PWID), less likely to benefit from curative treatment. Linkage services are often insufficient to overcome barriers to navigating the medical system and contextual factors.

Methods: The You're Empowered for Treatment Initiation (YETI) Partner trial is a single-site randomized controlled trial evaluating the efficacy of a two-session behavioral intervention that engages injecting partners as peer navigators for HCV treatment.

DNA methylation profiling at base-pair resolution reveals unique epigenetic features of early-onset colorectal cancer in underrepresented populations.

Background: The incidence of early-onset colorectal cancer (EOCRC) has been rising at an alarming rate in the USA, and EOCRC disproportionately affects racial/ethnic minorities. Here, we construct comprehensive profiles of EOCRC DNA methylomes at base-pair resolution for a cohort of Hispanic and African American patients.

Results: We show the epigenetic landscape of these EOCRC patients differs from that of late-onset colorectal cancer patients, and methylation canyons in EOCRC tumor tissue preferentially overlapped genes in cancer-related pathways.

Use of alternative payment models for substance use disorder prevention in the United States: development of a conceptual framework.

Background: Alternative payment models (APMs) are methods through which insurers reimburse health care providers and are widely used to improve the quality and value of health care. While there is a growing movement to utilize APMs for substance use disorder (SUD) treatment services, they have rarely included SUD prevention strategies. Challenges to using APMs for SUD prevention include underdeveloped program outcome measures, inadequate SUD prevention funding, and lack of clarity regarding what prevention strategies might fit within the scope of APMs.

Cost-effectiveness of watchful waiting versus immediate emergency department transfer after epinephrine autoinjector use in Canada.

Background: Until recently, immediate emergency department (ED) transfer after food-related anaphylactic reactions was recommended regardless of symptom resolution following use of an epinephrine autoinjector (EAI). We evaluated the cost-effectiveness of delayed ED transfer after EAI use in non-medical settings (watchful waiting) compared to immediate ED transfer among pediatric patients with food allergies in Canada.

Methods: We developed a probabilistic Markov model of individuals starting at age of one year who are at risk of severe food-related allergic reactions requiring epinephrine.

Bacillus Calmette-Guerin (BCG) infections following intravesical BCG immunotherapy: a systematic review protocol.

Background: Although intravesical Bacillus Calmette-Guerin (BCG) immunotherapy usually exhibits a favorable safety profile, it can lead to the development of BCG infections, both localized and disseminated. Understanding of BCG infections following intravesical BCG immunotherapy is limited because of the lack of consensus definitions of BCG infections and limited post-instillation follow-up. We aim to perform a systematic review of the literature of BCG infections following intravesical BCG immunotherapy to elucidate the epidemiology, risk factors, and outcomes of BCG infections.

Evaluating the potential of Kalanchoe pinnata, Piper amalago amalago, and other botanicals as economical insecticidal synergists against Anopheles gambiae.

Background: Synergists reduce insecticide metabolism in mosquitoes by competing with insecticides for the active sites of metabolic enzymes, such as cytochrome P450s (CYPs). This increases the availability of the insecticide at its specific target site. The combination of both insecticides and synergists increases the toxicity of the mixture.

APOE Christchurch enhances a disease-associated microglial response to plaque but suppresses response to tau pathology.

Background: Apolipoprotein E ε4 (APOE4) is the strongest genetic risk factor for late-onset Alzheimer's disease (LOAD). A recent case report identified a rare variant in APOE, APOE3-R136S (Christchurch), proposed to confer resistance to autosomal dominant Alzheimer's Disease (AD). However, it remains unclear whether and how this variant exerts its protective effects.

Associations of maternal night shift work during pregnancy with DNA methylation in offspring: a meta-analysis in the PACE consortium.

Background: Night shift work during pregnancy has been associated with differential DNA methylation in placental tissue, but no studies have explored this association in cord blood. We aimed to examine associations of maternal night shift work with cord blood DNA methylation.

Methods: A total of 4487 mother-newborn pairs from 7 studies were included.

Cell deconvolution-based integrated time-series network of whole blood transcriptome reveals systemic antiviral activities and cell-specific immunological changes against PRRSV infection.

Porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome (PRRS) causes significant economic losses in the swine industry. However, the molecular mechanisms behind the common and cell type-specific systemic responses during PRRS virus (PRRSV) infection are not well understood. In this study, we collected viremia data, antibody levels, and whole-blood RNA-seq data obtained from eight PRRSV-infected piglets.

The algebraic extended atom-type graph-based model for precise ligand-receptor binding affinity prediction.

Accurate prediction of ligand-receptor binding affinity is crucial in structure-based drug design, significantly impacting the development of effective drugs. Recent advances in machine learning (ML)-based scoring functions have improved these predictions, yet challenges remain in modeling complex molecular interactions. This study introduces the AGL-EAT-Score, a scoring function that integrates extended atom-type multiscale weighted colored subgraphs with algebraic graph theory.

Transgressive hybrids as hopeful holobionts.

Background: Hybridization between evolutionary lineages has profound impacts on the fitness and ecology of hybrid progeny. In extreme cases, the effects of hybridization can transcend ecological timescales by introducing trait novelty upon which evolution can act. Indeed, hybridization can even have macroevolutionary consequences, for example, as a driver of adaptive radiations and evolutionary innovations.

Atherogenic index of plasma and coronary artery disease: a systematic review and meta-analysis of observational studies.

Background: Atherogenic index of plasma (AIP), a novel logarithmic index that combines fasting triglyceride and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol concentrations, is associated with the burden of atherosclerosis. This study aimed to evaluate the relationship between AIP and coronary artery disease (CAD) risk, severity, and prognosis in populations with and without established CAD.

Methods: PubMed, Embase, and Web of Science were systematically searched from the inception of each database to August 13, 2024.

South to south collaboration: advancing quality of abortion care through health care professionals exchange program.

Background: South-South Cooperation (SSC) is recognized as a vital component of goal 17 - 'Partnerships for the goals' within the SDGs and countries in the global south has been utilizing this cooperation mainly in research. We report the first health care professional exchange program through this south-to-south collaboration focusing on advancing quality of abortion care in the Sub-Saharan region.

Methods: We conducted a comprehensive mixed method study, incorporating both quantitative and qualitative approaches, to assess the impact of health care professionals' exchange program within the obstetrics and gynecology departments of two teaching institutions in Ethiopia and Rwanda over the course of a year (February 1, 2023-January 31,2024).

Multi-omics analysis reveals novel causal pathways in psoriasis pathogenesis.

Background: To elucidate the genetic and molecular mechanisms underlying psoriasis by employing an integrative multi-omics approach, using summary-data-based Mendelian randomization (SMR) to infer causal relationships among DNA methylation, gene expression, and protein levels in relation to psoriasis risk.

Methods: We conducted SMR analyses integrating genome-wide association study (GWAS) summary statistics with methylation quantitative trait loci (mQTL), expression quantitative trait loci (eQTL), and protein quantitative trait loci (pQTL) data. Publicly available datasets were utilized, including psoriasis GWAS data from the European Molecular Biology Laboratory-European Bioinformatics Institute and the UK Biobank.

Dynamic co-evolution of transposable elements and the piRNA pathway in African cichlid fishes.

Background: East African cichlid fishes have diversified in an explosive fashion, but the (epi)genetic basis of the phenotypic diversity of these fishes remains largely unknown. Although transposable elements (TEs) have been associated with phenotypic variation in cichlids, little is known about their transcriptional activity and epigenetic silencing. We set out to bridge this gap and to understand the interactions between TEs and their cichlid hosts.

X-Mapper: fast and accurate sequence alignment via gapped x-mers.

Sequence alignment is foundational to many bioinformatic analyses. Many aligners start by splitting sequences into contiguous, fixed-length seeds, called k-mers. Alignment is faster with longer, unique seeds, but more accurate with shorter seeds avoiding mutations.

The impact of the Lesotho health reform in the re-structuring of the village health workers program.

Background: Community Health Workers locally known as Village Health Workers (VHW) in Lesotho are key members of the primary health workforce, and has been playing a significant role in building primary health systems in many countries and they can fill significant gaps in human resources as low and middle income countries work towards universal health coverage in the era of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The 2014 Lesotho health reform restructured the VHW program to compensate, professionalize, and integrate VHWs into primary care services. We sought to document the ways in which the VHW program changed as a result of the health reform and the perceived impact of those changes.