Lack of Prescription Drug Benefit Knowledge and Problems Paying Medical Bills Among Medicare Beneficiaries.

Aims And Objectives: Approximately 50% of Americans report having low health insurance literacy, leading to uncertainty when choosing their insurance coverage to best meet their healthcare needs. Therefore, we aimed to evaluate the association between lack of prescription drug benefit knowledge and problems paying medical bills among Medicare beneficiaries.

Methods: We analysed the 2021 Medicare Current Beneficiary Survey Public Use File of 5586 Medicare beneficiaries aged ≥ 65 years.

Reassurance for Patients-Essential Not Optional.

Appropriate patient reassurance is an essential feature of clinical practice. My recent experience as a patient, interpreted via my expertise as a health services researcher, led me to insights on ideal and suboptimal reassurance styles in the context of worrisome symptoms. Reassurance is complex: often poorly defined in the scientific literature, rarely rigorously studied, imperfectly understood, and requiring some adaptation to each patient situation.

Perceptions on circumcision for HIV prevention: an application of the health belief model in a qualitative enquiry among young men in Eswatini.

Voluntary medical male circumcision (VMMC) was identified as an effective strategy in HIV prevention. Although circumcision reduces heterosexual acquisition of HIV by 60%, there is low uptake of VMMC services in Eswatini. This study applies the health belief model (HBM) in understanding perceptions of young men in Eswatini towards VMMC for HIV prevention to upscale its adoption.

Acceptability and feasibility of a urine-based tenofovir adherence assay for monitoring and providing feedback on PrEP adherence in Kenya.

Objective measures of oral PrEP adherence - especially point-of-care (POC) measures that enable real-time assessment, intervention, and feedback - have the potential to improve adherence. Our team previously developed and validated a novel urine-based POC metric of PrEP adherence. In this study, we sought to determine whether this assay is acceptable and feasible among women taking PrEP and PrEP providers in Kenya.

Spongy-looking microfabrics in the earliest named stromatolite represent deep burial alteration and incipient metamorphism.

The earliest named stromatolite Cryptozoon Hall, 1884 (Late Cambrian, ca. 490 Ma, eastern New York State), was recently re-interpreted as an interlayered microbial mat and non-spiculate (keratosan) sponge deposit. This "classic stromatolite" is prominent in a fundamental debate concerning the significance or even existence of non-spiculate sponges in carbonate rocks from the Neoproterozoic (Tonian) onwards.

Inactivation of the SLC25A1 gene during embryogenesis induces a unique senescence program controlled by p53.

Germline inactivating mutations of the SLC25A1 gene contribute to various human disorders, including Velocardiofacial (VCFS), DiGeorge (DGS) syndromes and combined D/L-2-hydroxyglutaric aciduria (D/L-2HGA), a severe systemic disease characterized by the accumulation of 2-hydroxyglutaric acid (2HG). The mechanisms by which SLC25A1 loss leads to these syndromes remain largely unclear. Here, we describe a mouse model of SLC25A1 deficiency that mimics human VCFS/DGS and D/L-2HGA.

Beyond Juul: The New Face of Underage Nicotine Addiction - A Survey of College Students.

Background: Youth nicotine addiction is a major public health concern in the United States. Disposable Electronic Nicotine Delivery Systems (ENDS), or disposable vapes, are commonly sought out by youth despite not having received premarket authorization from the FDA. The objective of this study was to identify factors contributing to underage consumption of disposable ENDS.

Beneficial Effects of Pomegranate Extracts for Benign Gynecologic Disorders.

Pomegranate (Punica granatum) is a widely cultivated fruit historically recognized for its health benefits and is regarded as a nutritional powerhouse. Pomegranate has a unique composition of bioactive compounds including hydrolysable tannins, anthocyanins, and other polyphenolic components. Of those, punicalagin and its subsequent metabolites are the most extensively studied, demonstrating antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, anti-cancer, and anti-nociceptive activity.

Iron-sulfur cluster redox chemistry and dimer dissociation in the outer mitochondrial membrane protein, mitoNEET.

The outer mitochondrial membrane protein known as mitoNEET was discovered when it was labeled by a photoaffinity derivative of the anti-diabetes medication, pioglitazone. The biological role for mitoNEET and its specific mechanism for achieving this remains an active subject for research. There is accumulating evidence suggesting that mitoNEET could be a component of mitochondrial FeS cofactor biogenesis.

Racial and Ethnic Differences in Long-Term Outcomes among Individuals with Opioid Use Disorder at Opioid Treatment Programs.

Objectives: Racial and ethnic differences in long-term outcomes associated with medications for opioid use disorder (MOUD) are poorly understood.

Methods: The present analyses were based on 751 participants with opioid use disorder (OUD) who were initially recruited from opioid treatment programs located in California, Connecticut, Oregon, Pennsylvania, and Washington and participated in a randomized controlled trial and at least one follow-up interview. 9.

EAES rapid guideline: surgical management of complicated diverticulitis - with ESCP participation.

Background: The surgical management of complicated diverticulitis varies across Europe. EAES members prioritized this topic to be addressed by a clinical practice guideline through an online questionnaire.

Objective: To develop evidence-informed clinical practice recommendations for key stakeholders involved in the treatment of complicated diverticulitis; to improve operative and perioperative outcomes, patient experience and quality of life through a systematic evidence-to-decision approach by a diverse, multidisciplinary panel.

Surgical management of complicated diverticulitis: systematic review and individual patient data network meta-analysis : An EAES/ESCP collaborative project.

Background: We performed a systematic review and network meta-analysis (NMA) of individualized patient data (IPD) to inform the development of evidence-informed clinical practice recommendations.

Methods: We searched MEDLINE, Embase, and Cochrane Central in October 2023 to identify RCTs comparing Hartmann's resection (HR), primary resection and anastomosis (PRA), or laparoscopic peritoneal lavage (LPL) among patients with class Ib-IV Hinchey diverticulitis. Outcomes of interest were prioritized by an international, multidisciplinary panel including two patient partners.

A novel sweat sensor detects inflammatory differential rhythmicity patterns in inpatients and outpatients with cirrhosis.

Patients with cirrhosis have high systemic inflammation (TNFα, CRP, and IL-6) that is associated with poor outcomes. These biomarkers need continuous non-invasive monitoring, which is difficult with blood. We studied the AWARE sweat-sensor to measure these in passively expressed sweat in healthy people (N = 12) and cirrhosis (N = 32, 10 outpatients/22 inpatients) for 3 days.

New-onset cardiovascular diseases post SARS-CoV-2 infection in an urban population in the Bronx.

This study investigated the incidence of new-onset cardiovascular disorders up to 3.5 years post SARS-CoV-2 infection for 56,400 individuals with COVID-19 and 1,093,904 contemporary controls without COVID-19 in the Montefiore Health System (03/11/2020 to 07/01/2023). Outcomes were new incidence of major adverse cardiovascular event (MACE), arrhythmias, inflammatory heart disease, thrombosis, cerebrovascular disorders, ischemic heart disease and other cardiac disorders between 30 days and (up to) 3.

Optimizing T cell inflamed signature through a combination biomarker approach for predicting immunotherapy response in NSCLC.

The introduction of anti-PD-1/PD-L1 therapies revolutionized treatment for advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), yet response rates remain modest, underscoring the need for predictive biomarkers. While a T cell inflamed gene expression profile (GEP) has predicted anti-PD-1 response in various cancers, it failed in a large NSCLC cohort from the Stand Up To Cancer-Mark (SU2C-MARK) Foundation. Re-analysis revealed that while the T cell inflamed GEP alone was not predictive, its performance improved significantly when combined with gene signatures of myeloid cell markers.

405 nm violet-blue light inactivates hepatitis C cell culture virus (HCVcc) in ex vivo human platelet concentrates and plasma.

Added safety measures coupled with the development and use of pathogen reduction technologies (PRT) significantly reduces the risk of transfusion-transmitted infections (TTIs) from blood products. Current approved PRTs utilize chemical and/or UV-light based inactivation methods. While the effectiveness of these PRTs in reducing pathogens are well documented, these can cause tolerable yet unintended consequences on the quality and efficacy of the transfusion products.

Biopreservation and reversal of oxidative injury during blood storage by a novel curcumin-based gel formulation.

Blood storage lesion induces cytosolic and membrane changes driven in part by hemoglobin (Hb) oxidation reactions within red blood cells (RBCs). A novel gel formulation containing the antioxidant curcuminoids in a biocompatible solvent system was used to deliver curcumin into RBCs. Incubation of peroxide treated RBCs stored in PBS with curcumin gel led to a reduction in prooxidant ferrylHb and recovery in ATP.

Knockdown of an ATP-binding cassette transporter in resistant western corn rootworm larvae partially reverses resistance to eCry3.1Ab protein.

The western corn rootworm (WCR), Diabrotica virgifera virgifera LeConte, has evolved resistance to nearly every management tactic utilized in the field. This study investigated the resistance mechanisms in a WCR strain resistant to the Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) protein eCry3.1Ab using dsRNA to knockdown WCR midgut genes previously documented to be associated with the resistance.

Anatomy and transcriptomics of the common jingle shell (Bivalvia, Anomiidae) support a sensory function for bivalve tentacles.

Animals have evolved numerous mechanisms to perceive and interact with the environment that can be translated into different sensory modalities. However, the genomic and phenotypic features that support sensory functions remain enigmatic for many invertebrates, such as bivalves, an ecologically and economically important taxonomic group. No repertoire of sensory genes has been characterized in bivalves, representing a significant knowledge gap in molluscan sensory biology.

Higher abdominal fat area associates with lower donor kidney function before and after living kidney donation.

Central body fat distribution affects kidney function. Abdominal fat measurements using computed tomography (CT) may prove superior in assessing body composition-related kidney risk in living kidney donors. This retrospective cohort study including 550 kidney donors aimed to determine the association between CT-measured abdominal fat areas and kidney function before and after donor nephrectomy.

Genome-wide association mapping in safflower (Carthamus tinctorius L.) for genetic dissection of drought tolerance using DArTseq markers.

Understanding the genetic basis of drought tolerance in safflower (Carthamus tinctorius L.) is essential for developing resilient varieties. In this study, we performed a genome-wide association study (GWAS) using DArTseq markers to identify marker-trait associations (MTAs) linked to drought tolerance across 90 globally diverse safflower genotypes.

Influence of rock bolt reinforcement on shear behaviour of a nonpersistent joint plane.

The impact of rock bolts on the mechanical behavior of nonpersistent joints, including the intricate interactions between the joints, rock bridges, and rock bolts, has received limited investigation despite their effectiveness in reinforcing rock mass discontinuities. In order to tackle this issue, a variety of normal stresses were applied during direct shear tests conducted on artificial rock-like specimens with nonpersistent joints, both bolted and unbolted. Meanwhile, to measure the deformation in the rock bridge and joint plane region, a set of strain gauges were implemented.

Differential effects of intrinsic- versus extrinsic-first corrective exercise programs on morphometric outcomes and navicular drop in pediatric flatfoot.

Although the connection between muscular strength and flatfoot condition is well-established, the impact of corrective exercises on these muscles remains inadequately explored. This study aimed to assess the impact of intrinsic- versus extrinsic-first corrective exercise programs on muscle morphometry and navicular drop in boys with flexible flatfoot. Twenty-five boys aged 10-12 with flexible flatfoot participated, undergoing a 12-week corrective exercise program, with a shift in focus at six weeks.

Sponge exhalent metabolites influence coral reef picoplankton dynamics.

Coral reef sponges efficiently take up particulate and dissolved organic matter (DOM) from the water column and release compounds such as nucleosides, amino acids, and other dissolved metabolites to the surrounding reef via their exhalent seawater, but the influence of this process on reef picoplankton and nutrient processing is relatively unexplored. Here we examined the impact of sponge exhalent on the reef picoplankon community and subsequent alterations to the reef dissolved metabolite pool. We exposed reef picoplankton communities to a sponge exhalent water mixture (Niphates digitalis and Xestospongia muta) or filtered reef seawater (control) in closed, container-based dark incubations.