Rise of the beta-lactams: a retrospective, comparative cohort of oral beta-lactam antibiotics as step-down therapy for hospitalized adults with acute pyelonephritis.

Objective: The aim of this study was to determine if oral beta-lactam therapy is non-inferior to alternative therapy at discharge following inpatient treatment with an IV cephalosporin for acute pyelonephritis.

Design: Institutional Review Board (IRB)-approved, multicenter, retrospective, non-inferiority cohort (15% non-inferiority margin).

Setting: Six hospitals within two healthcare systems.

Antimicrobial use before and during COVID-19: data from 108 Veterans Affairs medical centers.

Objective: Inpatient antibiotic use increased during the early phases of the COVID-19 pandemic. We sought to determine whether these changes persisted in persons with and without COVID-19 infection.

Design: Retrospective cohort analysis.

Healthcare staff perceptions of an electronic hand hygiene monitoring system within a large university system.

Objective: The acceptability of an electronic HH monitoring system (EHHMS) was evaluated among hospital staff members.

Design: An electronic HH monitoring system was implemented in June 2020 at a large, academic medical center. An interdisciplinary team developed a cross-sectional survey to gather staff perceptions of the EHHMS.

Burden of death associated with SARS-CoV-2 infection during the pandemic in Flint, Michigan (MI), mortality trends over the 2-year period: impact of social and health inequities.

Background: This cross-sectional study aims to determine the mortality trends in patients with SARS-CoV-2 infection during the pandemic in Flint, MI.

Methods: Records from 1,663 consecutive adult patients (≥18 years of age) with confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection, admitted and discharged from our facility from 03/2020 through 02/2022, were abstracted and analyzed. Multivariable logistic regression analysis was performed to examine the association between study explanatory variables (ie, sex, age, co-morbidities, etc.

Neurodegeneration: 2024 update.

This review highlights a collection of both diverse and highly impactful studies published in the previous year selected by the author from the neurodegenerative neuropathology literature. As with previous reviews in this series, the focus is, to the best of my ability, to highlight human tissue-based experimentation most relevant to experimental and clinical neuropathologists. A concerted effort was made to balance the selected studies across neurodegenerative disease categories, approaches, and methodologies to capture the breadth of the research landscape.

Similar Conditions With Opposite Effects: Predation-Risk Effects on Prey Abundance Are Highly Contingent.

Experiments have shown that predation-risk effects on prey fitness can be highly contingent on environmental conditions, suggesting a potential difficulty in generalizing risk effects on prey abundance in natural settings. Rather than study the influence of a particular controlled factor, we examine the problem with a novel approach. We examined the influence of risk effects in multiple experiments performed under similar study conditions.

To increase trust in clinical research: Be worthy of trust and enhance the role of clinical research nurses.

There has been an erosion of trust in medical care and clinical research, and this has raised issues about whether institutions and investigators conducting clinical research are worthy of trust. We review recent literature on research on trust and trustworthiness in the clinical research enterprise and identify opportunities to enhance trustworthiness, which will likely increase participant trust in clinical research. In addition, we review materials reporting the results of national polls related to the public's trust in different occupations.

Predictors of willingness to participate in COVID-19 clinical trials among Black and Latino adults.

Introduction: Black and Latino individuals are underrepresented in COVID-19 treatment and vaccine clinical trials, calling for an examination of factors that may predict willingness to participate in trials.

Methods: We administered the Common Survey 2.0 developed by the Community Engagement Alliance (CEAL) Against COVID-19 Disparities to 600 Black and Latino adults in Baltimore City, Prince George's County, Maryland, Montgomery County, Maryland, and Washington, DC, between October and December 2021.

The Gendered Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Employment in Argentina: The Mediating Role of the Public vs. Private Sectors.

This study examines the COVID-19 pandemic's immediate and long-term impact on Argentina's labor market with a focus on gender disparities and the mediating role of the public vs. private sectors. Using household survey data, we assess men and women's employment trends before, during, and after the pandemic.

The Role of Complicated Grief in Health Inequities in American Indian Communities.

Complicated grief is both a cause and a consequence of health inequities in Native (American Indian/Alaska Native [AI/AN]) communities. Given disproportionately high rates of physical (e.g.

Electronic health Literacy gaps among adults with diabetes in the United States: Role of socioeconomic and demographic factors.

Background: Digital health technologies hold promises for enhancing healthcare and self-management in diabetes. However, disparities in Electronic Health Literacy (EHL) exist among diabetes populations. This study investigates EHL trends and demographic differences among adults with diabetes in the United States from 2011 to 2018.

Design and validation of cell-based potency assays for frataxin supplementation treatments.

Friedreich's ataxia (FRDA) is a multisystem, autosomal recessive disorder caused by mutations in the frataxin () gene. As FRDA is considered an FXN deficiency disorder, numerous therapeutic approaches in development or clinical trials aim to supplement FXN or restore endogenous expression. These include gene therapy, protein supplementation, genome editing or upregulation of transcription.

Bone-derived nanoparticles (BNPs) enhance osteogenic differentiation Notch signaling.

Mesenchymal stem cell (MSC)-based bone tissue regeneration has gained significant attention due to the excellent differentiation capacity and immunomodulatory activity of MSCs. Enhancing osteogenesis regulation is crucial for improving the therapeutic efficacy of MSC-based regeneration. By utilizing the regenerative capacity of bone ECM and the functionality of nanoparticles, we recently engineered bone-based nanoparticles (BNPs) from decellularized porcine bones.

Risk factors for recurrence in stage I colorectal cancer after curative resection: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Purpose: Patients with stage I colorectal cancer (CRC) rarely experience recurrence after curative resection. Therefore, the risk factors for stage I CRC recurrence are yet to be established. We aimed to identify risk factors for stage I CRC recurrence.

Sleep disturbances and progression of mobility disability: Longitudinal findings from the Nurses' Health Study.

Objective: To examine longitudinal associations between self-reported sleep disturbances and mobility disability progression among women, including subgroups with multiple sclerosis (MS), diabetes, and osteoarthritis (OA).

Methods: Prospective cohort study using data from Nurses' Health Study long-form questionnaires (2008, 2012, 2014, 2016). Logistic regression was used to quantify associations between sleep-related variables at baseline and subsequent increase in mobility disability.

Prospective Multi-Site Validation of AI to Detect Tuberculosis and Chest X-Ray Abnormalities.

Background: Using artificial intelligence (AI) to interpret chest X-rays (CXRs) could support accessible triage tests for active pulmonary tuberculosis (TB) in resource-constrained settings.

Methods: The performance of two cloud-based CXR AI systems - one to detect TB and the other to detect CXR abnormalities - in a population with a high TB and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) burden was evaluated. We recruited 1978 adults who had TB symptoms, were close contacts of known TB patients, or were newly diagnosed with HIV at three clinical sites.

Efficacy of prophylactic sodium valproate in pediatric migraines: a systematic review of randomized clinical studies.

Background: Migraine is a neurological disorder that is chronic and presents with episodes of paroxysmal features consisting of multiphase attacks of head pain, along with other symptoms related to neurological dysfunction such as sensitivity to movement, photophobia, phonophobia, nausea, and vomiting. Antiseizure medications are frequently used for the treatment of migraine. Of the antiseizure medications, sodium valproate and topiramate have received approval from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to prevent adult migraine.

Pain management after pediatric minimally invasive repair of pectus excavatum: a narrative review.

Background And Objective: Pectus excavatum is a common congenital chest wall abnormality characterized by a concave appearance of the chest, and minimally invasive repair of pectus excavatum (MIRPE) is the surgical treatment of choice. A rapidly growing field of research is pain management in children undergoing MIRPE, with many shifts in practice occurring over the last decade. The primary objectives of this narrative review are to describe current methods of perioperative pain management and the development of enhanced recovery after surgery (ERAS) to improve the experience of patients undergoing MIRPE.

Insecticides may facilitate the escape of weeds from biological control.

Background: Preventative pesticide seed treatments (hereafter preventative pest management or PPM) are common corn and soybean treatments, and often include both fungicides and neonicotinoid insecticides. While PPM is intended to protect crops from soil-borne pathogens and early season insect pests, these seed treatments may have detrimental effects on biological control of weed seeds by insects.

Methods: Here, in two 3-year corn-soy rotations in Pennsylvania USA, we investigated a PPM approach to insect management compared to an integrated pest management approach (IPM) and a "no (insect) pest management" (NPM) control.

Seizures and premature death in mice with targeted Kv1.1 deficiency in corticolimbic circuits.

Sudden unexpected death in epilepsy (SUDEP) is the leading cause of epilepsy-related death, likely stemming from seizure activity disrupting vital brain centres controlling heart and breathing function. However, understanding of SUDEP's anatomical basis and mechanisms remains limited, hampering risk evaluation and prevention strategies. Prior studies using a neuron-specific conditional knockout mouse model of SUDEP identified the primary importance of brain-driven mechanisms contributing to sudden death and cardiorespiratory dysregulation; yet, the underlying neurocircuits have not been identified.

Motivators and Barriers to Seeking Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery Among Adolescents: A Qualitative Study.

Background: The prevalence of severe obesity among adolescents has increased the use of metabolic and bariatric surgery (MBS) as a therapeutic option. Understanding factors influencing adolescent MBS choice and the support needed to undergo MBS is crucial for improving health outcomes. This study examines the motivations and support needs of a diverse sample of adolescents seeking MBS via the patient voice.

Evaluating the effects, implementation experience and political economy of primary healthcare facility autonomy reforms within counties in Kenya: a mixed methods study protocol.

Introduction: There is a growing emphasis on improving primary health care services and granting frontline service providers more decision-making autonomy. In October 2023, Kenya enacted legislation mandating nationwide facility autonomy. There is limited understanding of the effects of health facility autonomy on primary health care (PHC) facilities performance.

Current and potential contributions of large-scale food fortification to meeting micronutrient requirements in Senegal: a modelling study using household food consumption data.

Introduction: Micronutrient deficiencies are common among women of reproductive age (WRA) and children in Senegal. Large-scale food fortification (LSFF) can help fill gaps in dietary intakes.

Methods: We used household food consumption data to model the contributions of existing LSFF programs (vitamin A-fortified refined oil and iron and folic acid-fortified wheat flour) and the potential contributions of expanding these programs to meeting the micronutrient requirements of WRA (15-49 years) and children (6-59 months).

Developing emergency medical care policy across Kenya: A framework for policy development.

Background And Objectives: The Kenya Emergency Medical Care (EMC) Policy 2020-2030 was created to guide the advancement of EMC throughout Kenya. This report describes and maps the ongoing EMC policy development process across Kenya's 47 counties, serving as a real-world example of EMC policy development within a decentralized healthcare system in a low-or middle-income country (LMIC).

Methods: This report evaluates the development of county-specific EMC policies using the Kenya Institute for Public Policy Research and Analysis (KIPPRA) six stages for policy development: 1) problem identification, 2) agenda setting, 3) policy design, 4) approval, 5) implementation, and 6) monitoring and evaluation.

Patient and Family Experience: Targets for Improvements in Care and Communication in the ICU.

This process improvement project sought to further explore the experience of patients and family members within an intensive care unit (ICU) hospital setting to develop specific interventions that can be executed to provide better patient-centered outcome. We surveyed 103 family members using the satisfaction with care subscale of Family Satisfaction with the ICU survey (FS-ICU) (validated ICU experience survey). 103 patients also completed FS-ICU subscale with a modification to make it applicable to patients.