Investigating the Effects of Nosocomial Infection Among Acute Leukemia Patients: Insights From the 2020 National Inpatient Sample.

Background: Rising nosocomial infections pose high risks, especially for immunocompromised leukemia patients, necessitating targeted research to enhance patient care and outcomes.The objective of this study was to investigate the impact of nosocomial infections (CDI) on patients hospitalized with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) and acute myeloid leukemia (AML).

Methods: Our study was a retrospective analysis of adult patients hospitalized with a primary diagnosis of ALL or AML, using the Nationwide Inpatient Sample (NIS) database for 2020.

To Cut (Minimally Invasively) Is to Cure: Robotic Lobectomy for Pulmonary Mucormycosis.

Pulmonary mucormycosis is a rapidly progressive and highly morbid disease commonly found in immunosuppressed patients. Rapid diagnosis and treatment are essential, with thoracotomy and video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery techniques previously described for surgical resection of infected lobes. Here we present the case of a patient with acute myeloid leukemia and nonresolving pneumonia treated with robotic left upper lobectomy.

Health impacts of a remotely delivered prolonged nightly fasting intervention in stressed adults with memory decline and obesity: A nationwide randomized controlled pilot trial.

Objective/goals: Cognitive decline is intricately linked to various factors such as obesity, stress, poor sleep, and circadian rhythm misalignment, which are interrelated in their impact on cognitive health. Irregular food-intake timing further compounds these issues. The practice of prolonged nightly fasting (PNF) may help synchronize food intake with circadian rhythms, potentially mitigating adverse effects of cognitive decline and associated factors.

Development of a Finite Element Model of the Human Wrist Joint with Radial and Ulnar Axial Force Distribution and Radiocarpal Contact Validation.

This study presents a comprehensive finite element model for the human wrist, constructed from a CT scan of a 68-year-old male (type I wrist). This model intricately captures the bone and soft tissue geometries to study the biomechanics of wrist axial loading through tendon-driven simulations and grasping biomechanics using metacarpal loads. Validation is carried out by assessing the radial and ulnar axial loading distribution, radiocarpal articulation contact patterns, and other standard finite element metrics.

Probing the Redox Reactivity of Alkyl Bound Astatine: A Study on the Formation and Cleavage of a Stable At-C Bond.

The formation of a stable alkyl At-C bond occurs during the shipment of At on a 3-octanone-impregnated column and the reactivity of At stripped from columns has been studied. The At could not be recovered from the 3-octanone organic phase using nitric acid or sodium hydroxide, even up to 10 and 15.7 M, respectively.

Biophysical mapping of TREM2-ligand interactions reveals shared surfaces for engagement of multiple Alzheimer's disease ligands.

TREM2 is a signaling receptor expressed on microglia that has emerged as an important drug target for Alzheimer's disease and other neurodegenerative diseases. While a number of TREM2 ligands have been identified, little is known regarding the structural details of how they engage. To better understand this, we created a protein library of 28 different TREM2 variants that could be used to map interactions with various ligands using biolayer interferometry.

Cancer-related health behaviors during the COVID 19 pandemic in geographically diverse samples across the US.

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic involved business closures (e.g., gyms), social distancing policies, and prolonged stressful situations that may have impacted engagement in health behaviors.

Impact of COVID-19 Public Health Measures on Antiretroviral Therapy Use Among Ugandans Living with HIV in Sero-Different Couples.

Antiretroviral therapy (ART) use and HIV suppression among people living with HIV (PLHIV) are critical for HIV control and prevention. Extreme restrictions on movement early during the COVID-19 pandemic in Uganda may have impeded the ability to initiate and sustain access to and use of ART. From our stepped-wedge cluster-randomized trial of an integrated PrEP and ART intervention for HIV-serodifferent couples at 12 ART clinics in Uganda, we identified participants who enrolled and had a 6-month post-ART initiation viral load measured before the beginning of the first COVID-19 lockdown (Period 1), participants whose enrollment and 6-month viral load measurement straddled pre-COVID and COVID lockdown times (Period 2), and participants whose enrollment and 6-month viral load were quantified entirely during COVID-19 (Period 3).

Neoadjuvant or concurrent atezolizumab with chemoradiation for locally advanced cervical cancer: a randomized phase I trial.

Combined immune checkpoint blockade (ICB) and chemoradiation (CRT) is approved in patients with locally advanced cervical cancer (LACC) but optimal sequencing of CRT and ICB is unknown. NRG-GY017 (NCT03738228) was a randomized phase I trial of atezolizumab (anti-PD-L1) neoadjuvant and concurrent with CRT (Arm A) vs. concurrent with CRT (Arm B) in patients with high-risk node-positive LACC.

Effectiveness of shared decision making strategies for stroke prevention among patients with atrial fibrillation: cluster randomized controlled trial.

Objective: To evaluate the effectiveness of multiple decision aid strategies in promoting high quality shared decision making for prevention of stroke in patients with non-valvular atrial fibrillation.

Design: Cluster randomized controlled trial.

Setting: Six academic medical centers in the United States.

Analysis of time to regulatory approval in an exception from informed consent trial in trauma patients.

Background: The interactive media-based approach to community consultation and public disclosure (CC/PD), a key step when conducting exception from informed consent (EFIC) clinical trials, is intended to be completed in 4 months. This analysis characterizes the process, from initiation of CC/PD activities to institutional review board approval, to better understand the barriers and how these can be mitigated.

Methods: This is a retrospective post hoc analysis of data collected as part of the CC/PD campaigns conducted for a large trial involving up to 90 trauma centers in the United States.

Surgical Site Infection After Sacral Neuromodulation: Impact of Postoperative Antibiotics.

Importance: There are limited data to guide practices to reduce surgical site infections following sacral neuromodulation; however, many surgeons prescribe prophylactic postoperative antibiotics after device implantation.

Objective: The aim of the study was to compare the proportion of patients with sacral neuromodulation device-associated surgical site infections after use of prophylactic postoperative antibiotics versus none.

Study Design: This was a multicenter retrospective cohort study of patients undergoing sacral neuromodulation device implantation at 11 institutions from January 2014 to December 2023, comparing outcomes in patients who did versus did not receive prophylactic postoperative antibiotic treatment.

Updating an HIV Knowledge Questionnaire With Pre-exposure Prophylaxis Through Expert Opinions in the United States Using Delphi Methodology: A Qualitative Study.

Our study was designed to update the HIV Knowledge Questionnaire by incorporating pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) knowledge questions, as previous HIV knowledge tools lack this focus. Four rounds of Delphi surveys were conducted with 47 expert participants, each with extensive HIV-related expertise (mean experience: 18.94 years).

Scaling and spreading age-friendly care: Early lessons from the VA National Age-Friendly Action Community.

Background: The Age-Friendly Health System (AFHS) initiative seeks to improve care for older adults through assessing and acting on the 4Ms (What Matters, Medication, Mentation, Mobility). The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) joined the initiative in 2020, and from 2022 to 2023, VA led its first Age-Friendly Action Community, a 7-month online educational series to teach clinicians about implementing the 4Ms across VA care settings.

Methods: The VA Action Community was designed to spread awareness about Age-Friendly care for older Veterans, improve interprofessional team knowledge for providing care guided by the 4Ms, and support AFHS implementation across multiple care settings.

A genomics learning framework for undergraduates.

Genomics is an increasingly important part of biology research. However, educating undergraduates in genomics is not yet a standard part of life sciences curricula. We believe this is, in part, due to a lack of standard concepts for the teaching of genomics.

Other-oriented emotional intelligence, OCBs, and job performance: a relational perspective.

In this study, we draw on social identity and social exchange theory to propose pathways via which emotional intelligence directed toward others in the organization has an impact on employee effectiveness. Findings from 122 supervisor-employee dyads showed that employees' other-oriented emotional intelligence is related to their organizational citizenship behaviors (OCBs) via the mechanisms of building high-quality exchanges with one's leaders and coworkers. We theorize and find evidence for unique mechanisms involved in mediating the effects of other-oriented emotional intelligence on taking charge and helping.

Patient Characteristics and Outcomes by Sex and Smoking Status in Pulmonary and Cardiac Rehabilitation.

Introduction: Those with established symptomatic cardiopulmonary disease should attend secondary prevention programs. Attendance at these programs is known to differ by sex and by smoking status, with females and those who smoke being less likely to attend. However, little is known about whether the risk factors of being female and smoking are cumulative, and how outcomes from secondary prevention differ by these subgroups.

Exploring Demographic Disparities in Private Well Water Testing in North Carolina.

The natural, built, and social environments shape drinking water quality supplied by private wells. However, the combined effects of these factors are not well understood. Using North Carolina as a case study, we (i) estimate the demographic characteristics of the private well population; (ii) evaluate representation in well testing records; and (iii) demonstrate how spatial scale influences knowledge of well-using household demographics and representation in testing.

Prognostic and therapeutic implications of measurable residual disease levels during remission induction of childhood ALL.

We evaluated the prognostic and therapeutic significance of measurable residual disease (MRD) during remission induction in pediatric acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) patients. In the CCCG-ALL-2015 protocol, 7640 patients were categorized into low-, intermediate-, or high-risk groups based on clinical and genetic features. Final risk classification was determined by MRD assessed via flow cytometry on Days 19 and 46 of remission induction, with additional intensified chemotherapy for Day 19 MRD ≥1%.