Firearm Deaths Impacting Older Adults.

Each year in the United States (U.S.) thousands of older adults die from firearm-related injuries.

Social Networks and Loneliness in the Blackfeet American Indian Community.

Background: While characteristics of an individual's social network and reported loneliness may be linked, they can be distinct. Prior work indicates that gender moderates the relationship between social networks and loneliness; however, these relationships have not been investigated in American Indian adults. The current work investigates whether the relationship between characteristics of one's social network (i.

Changes in physical activity since cancer diagnosis and associations with health-related quality of life: a study of adults living with advanced cancer.

Purpose: Physical activity (PA) is associated with better quality of life for cancer survivors; however, less is known about this association among individuals with advanced cancer. This study assesses whether changes in PA following an advanced cancer diagnosis are associated with health-related quality of life (HRQoL) outcomes.

Methods: Data were collected from 247 participants in a survey of adults with advanced cancer who visited the University of Wisconsin Carbone Cancer Center (January 2021-2023).

Are Non-invasive Multi-cancer Early Cancer Detection Tests the Future?

Current cancer screening methods are effective for detecting early stage cancers and even preventing some cancers, but their effectiveness has only been demonstrated for a handful of cancers, and for many cancers, there are no screening tests clinically available. In addition, the majority of the screening methods are not ideal, resulting in suboptimal compliance and the occurrence of preventable cancers. A screening test that is convenient, safe, accurate and that can screen for multiple cancers is an ideal screening test that would address many of the shortcomings of the current tests.

PrEP Disparities Among Transgender Feminine, Transgender Masculine, Nonbinary, and Gender Expansive Youth and Young Adults in the United States.

This study assessed disparities in pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) use among transgender and gender expansive youth and young adults (N = 477) between 15 and 24 years old in the CARES (ATN 149) and TechStep (ATN 160) study protocols within the National Adolescent Medicine Trials Network for HIV/AIDS Interventions (ATN). Structural equation modeling was used to test mediation pathways between gender identity and PrEP uptake among the full sample and stratified by sex assigned at birth. Lifetime PrEP uptake was higher among those assigned male at birth (26%) versus assigned female at birth (9%), explained by greater structural and behavioral risks and perceived need for PrEP, especially among trans women.

Unmasking CHANTER syndrome: A rare neurological consequence of opioid overdose.

The opioid epidemic remains a major public health issue in the U.S., with over 100,000 overdose deaths in 2022, many linked to synthetic opioids.

Variability in technical fee billing for cardiac CT across congenital cardiac centers.

Background: Cardiac Computed Tomography (CCT) is increasingly used to provide 2D, 3D and 4D information in patients with congenital heart disease of all ages. Historically, negotiated rates for professional and technical fees associated with cardiac imaging were confidential, with variability in professional, technical and global charges, reimbursement and cost to patients for the same current procedural terminology (CPT) code at different institutions. Billing transparency is a key component of both the CARE act passed in 2020 and the Health Care PRICE Transparency Act 2.

Practical naloxone communication tips for pharmacists: Lessons learned from the Linguistic Model of Patient Participation in Care.

Background: Opioid overdose is an ongoing public health issue in the rural United States and can be countered by increasing access to the opioid antagonist naloxone. Community pharmacists are well-positioned to offer and dispense naloxone to patients at risk of opioid overdose, but still experience a range of communication barriers. Understanding rural patient communication preferences is essential to prepare pharmacists to discuss naloxone in a patient-centered manner.

COVID-19 and influenza vaccine Hesitancy among adults hospitalized in the United States, 2019-2022.

Background: Understanding similarities and differences between hesitancy for influenza and COVID-19 vaccines could facilitate strategies to improve public receptivity toward vaccination.

Methods: We compared hesitancy for COVID-19 vaccines during the first 13 months of availability (January 2021-January 2022) with hesitancy for influenza vaccines in the 15 months prior to COVID-19 vaccine availability (October 2019-December 2020) among adults hospitalized with acute respiratory illness at 21 hospitals in the United States. We interviewed patients regarding vaccination status, willingness to be vaccinated, and perceptions of vaccine safety and efficacy.

Incorporating Transformation Products for an Integrated Assessment of Antibiotic Pollution and Risks in Surface Water.

The widespread presence of antibiotics in aquatic ecosystems is a global challenge, yet the occurrence and risks associated with their transformation products (TPs) remain poorly understood. This study investigated the occurrence and potential risks of antibiotics and their TPs in water along the Chaobai River in Beijing. We used high-resolution mass spectrometry and an integrated target, suspect, and nontarget screening approach to identify 21 parent antibiotics and 78 TPs among 90 water samples, with the majority from macrolides and sulfonamides.

The Small Cycloamylose (CA15) Synthesizing Properties of 4-α-Glucanotransferase from Hyperthermophilic Archaeon with Its Distinct Disproportionation Activity.

4-α-Glucanotransferase (4-α-GTase, EC 2.4.1.

Ethnicity, Skin Tones, and Cultural Considerations in Wound Care: Challenges and Solutions.

Wound care patients often have a variety of chronic medical conditions that result in poor outcomes, such as delayed healing and nontraumatic limb loss. Many of these suboptimal patient outcomes result from healthcare disparities linked to social determinants of health (SDOH). Race and ethnicity influence SDOH by impacting patients' access to consistent quality healthcare.

Tropical Diseases Wounds.

Tropical diseases are no longer restricted to the tropics, and we have seen an emergency for many diseases in the United States. Increasing migration, international travel, tourism, and work visits to the tropical regions have contributed to the increase. Climate change and global warming may be causing tropical diseases and vectors to spread to areas previously spared.

Amyloid Targeting-Gold Nanoparticles-Assisted X-ray Therapy Rescues Islet β-Cells from Amyloid Fibrils and Restores Insulin Homeostasis.

Type-2-diabetes is a metabolic disorder where misfolding and oligomerization of islet amyloid polypeptide (IAPP) around islet-β cells oligomerizes and participates in the pathology. The oligomeric stage is toxic but transitory and leads to the formation of mature amyloid fibrils. The pathological specifics of mature amyloid fibrils are poorly understood.

Protein biomarkers of interstitial lung abnormalities in relatives of patients with pulmonary fibrosis.

Rationale: First-degree relatives of patients with pulmonary fibrosis (relatives) are at high risk for interstitial lung abnormalities (ILA), highlighting the need for biomarkers for risk prediction. We aimed to identify blood proteins associated with and predictive of ILA among relatives of patients with pulmonary fibrosis.

Methods: Relatives enrolled in two independent cohorts had protein levels measured using an aptamer-based proteomic platform.

Internalized Sexism and Well-Being in the United States.

Although structural sexism in state-level institutions is harmful to women's and men's health, less is known about how micro-level structural sexism relates to well-being. Using the 2017 and 2021 Gallup Values and Beliefs of the American Public surveys (N = 1,501 in 2017; N = 1,248 in 2021), we investigate diverse approaches to internalized sexism. Although we find no significant associations with self-rated health, gender traditionalism is linked to greater depressive and anxiety symptoms for women and men, providing the first population evidence for its universal harm in the United States.

sgRNA Single-Nucleotide Resolution by Ion-Pairing Reversed-Phase Chromatography.

Single-stranded guide RNAs (sgRNAs) are important therapeutic modalities that facilitate selective genome editing by the CRISPR/Cas9 system. While these therapeutic modalities are synthesized through solid phase oligonucleotide synthesis similar to small interfering RNA (siRNAs) and antisense oligonucleotide (ASOs) therapeutics, their sequence length and complex secondary and tertiary structure hinder analytical characterization. The resulting current sgRNA methodologies have limited chromatographic selectivity near the FLP and limited MS compatibility.

Methamphetamine-Associated Psychosis and Criminal Responsibility.

Stimulants are among the most widely used substances in the world after cannabis, with a rapid rise in methamphetamine use in the last 15 years. Methamphetamine has a high propensity to cause psychosis ranging from transient psychosis during acute intoxication to persisting psychosis with similarities to schizophrenia. Although the former condition may not abrogate criminal responsibility, the latter is recognized as a basis for an exculpatory mental state in a majority of jurisdictions across the United States.

HydE Catalytic Mechanism Is Powered by a Radical Relay with Redox-Active Fe(I)-Containing Intermediates.

[FeFe]-hydrogenases are enzymes that catalyze the redox interconversion of H and H using a six-iron active site, known as the H-cluster, which consists of a structurally unique [2Fe] subcluster linked to a [4Fe-4S] subcluster. A set of enzymes, HydG, HydE, and HydF, are responsible for the biosynthesis of the [2Fe] subcluster. Among them, it is well established that HydG cleaves tyrosine into CO and CN and forms a mononuclear [Fe(II)(Cys)(CO)(CN)] complex.

Electrochemical Removal of Se(IV) from Wastewater Using RuO-Based Catalysts.

The removal of selenite (SeO) from water is challenging due to the risk of secondary pollutants. To address this, we developed RuO-based nanocatalysts on the titanium plate (RuO/TP) for direct electrochemical reduction of Se(IV) to elemental selenium [Se(0)]. Optimizing Sn doping in RuO nanoparticles to induce charge redistribution enabled the RuSnO/TP catalyst to achieve ∼90% Se(IV) removal across concentrations of 0.

Physicochemical Design of Nanoparticles to Interface with and Degrade Neutrophil Extracellular Traps.

Neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs) are networks of decondensed chromatin, histones, and antimicrobial proteins released by neutrophils in response to an infection. NET overproduction can cause an exacerbated hyperinflammatory response in a variety of diseases and can lead to host tissue damage without clearance of infection. Nanoparticle drug delivery is a promising avenue for creating materials that can both target NETs and deliver sustained amounts of NET-degrading drugs to alleviate hyperinflammation.

The Circulating Renin-Angiotensin System and Mortality among Patients Hospitalized for COVID-19: A Mechanistic Substudy of the ACTIV-4 Host Tissue Trials.

SARS-CoV-2 targets angiotensin converting enzyme-2 (ACE2), a key peptidase of the renin-angiotensin system (RAS), which regulates the balance of the vasoconstrictor/inflammatory peptide Ang II and the vasodilator/anti-inflammatory peptide Ang-(1-7). Few studies have quantified the circulating elements of the RAS longitudinally in SARS-CoV-2 infection and their association with COVID-19 outcomes. Thus, we evaluated the association of circulating RAS enzymes and peptides with mortality among patients with COVID-19.

Engineered hydrogel biomaterials facilitate lung progenitor cell differentiation from induced pluripotent stem cells.

Lung progenitor (LP) cells identified by the expression of transcription factor NK2 homeobox 1 (NKX2.1) are essential for development of all lung epithelial cell types and hold tremendous potential for pulmonary research and translational regenerative medicine applications. Here we present engineered hydrogels as a promising alternative to the naturally derived materials that are often used to differentiate human induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) into LP cells.