National survey of financial burden and experience among patients with cancer and autoimmune disease receiving charitable copay assistance.

Background: Little is known about the role that charitable copay assistance (CPA) plays in addressing access to care and financial distress. The study sought to evaluate financial distress and experience with CPA among patients with cancer and autoimmune disease.

Methods: This is a national cross-sectional self-administered anonymous electronic survey conducted among recipients of CPA to cover the costs of a drug for cancer or autoimmune disease.

Testing a Web-Based Interactive Comic Tool to Decrease Obesity Risk Among Racial and Ethnic Minority Preadolescents: Randomized Controlled Trial.

Background: Childhood obesity prevalence remains high, especially in racial and ethnic minority populations with low incomes. This epidemic is attributed to various dietary behaviors, including increased consumption of energy-dense foods and sugary beverages and decreased intake of fruits and vegetables. Interactive, technology-based approaches are emerging as promising tools to support health behavior changes.

Cardiomeds, an mHealth App for Self-Management to Support Swiss Patients With Heart Failure: 2-Stage Mixed Methods Usability Study.

Background: Mobile health apps have shown promising results in improving self-management of several chronic diseases in patients. We have developed a mobile health app (Cardiomeds) dedicated to patients with heart failure (HF). This app includes an interactive medication list; daily self-monitoring of symptoms, weight, blood pressure, and heart rate; and educational information on HF delivered through various formats.

Length of Hospital Stay and Its Predictions Among Patients With Exacerbations of Chronic Respiratory Diseases.

Background: Chronic respiratory disorders such as asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) may deteriorate into acute exacerbations requiring hospitalization. Assessing the predictors of prolonged hospital stays could help identify potential interventions to reduce the burden on patients and healthcare systems.

Aim: This study aimed to identify the risk factors attributed to prolonged hospital stays among patients admitted with acute exacerbations of chronic respiratory disorders in Jordan.

The Effect of Nursing Students' Artificial Intelligence Anxiety on Their Knowledge of Robotic Surgery: The Mediating Role of Individual Innovativeness.

Aims: This study aims of determine the mediating role of individual innovativeness in the effect of nursing students' artificial intelligence anxiety on their robotic surgery knowledge level.

Design: This study was cross-sectional type.

Methods: It was conducted with 391 students.

Novel Anti-Microbial/Anti-Inflammatory Combination Improves Clinical Outcome of Bacillus cereus Endophthalmitis.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to explore the therapeutic potential of the novel combination of Bacillus bacteriophage lysin (PlyB) and a synthetic TLR2/4 inhibitor (oxidized 1-palmitoyl-2-arachidonoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine, OxPAPC) in the treatment of experimental Bacillus cereus endophthalmitis.

Methods: C57BL/6J mice were injected with 100 colony forming units (CFUs) Bacillus cereus to induce endophthalmitis. Two hours postinfection, groups of mice were treated with either PlyB, PlyB with OxPAPC, or the groups were left untreated to serve as a control.

Palliative Care Initiated in the Emergency Department: A Cluster Randomized Clinical Trial.

Importance: The emergency department (ED) offers an opportunity to initiate palliative care for older adults with serious, life-limiting illness.

Objective: To assess the effect of a multicomponent intervention to initiate palliative care in the ED on hospital admission, subsequent health care use, and survival in older adults with serious, life-limiting illness.

Design, Setting, And Participants: Cluster randomized, stepped-wedge, clinical trial including patients aged 66 years or older who visited 1 of 29 EDs across the US between May 1, 2018, and December 31, 2022, had 12 months of prior Medicare enrollment, and a Gagne comorbidity score greater than 6, representing a risk of short-term mortality greater than 30%.

Low-Intensity Online Intervention for Mental Distress Among Help-Seeking Young People in Hong Kong: A Randomized Clinical Trial.

Importance: Mental health issues among young people are increasingly concerning. Conventional psychological interventions face challenges, including limited staffing, time commitment, and low completion rates.

Objective: To evaluate the effect of a low-intensity online intervention on young people in Hong Kong experiencing moderate or greater mental distress.

Interventions to Reduce Mental Health Stigma in Young People: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Importance: Mental health stigma is a considerable barrier to help-seeking among young people.

Objective: To systematically review and meta-analyze randomized clinical trials (RCTs) of interventions aimed at reducing mental health stigma in young people.

Data Sources: Comprehensive searches were conducted in the CENTRAL, CINAHL, Embase, PubMed, and PsycINFO databases from inception to February 27, 2024.

Exploring the Complex Relationship Between Psychosocial Stress and the Gut Microbiome: Implications for Inflammation and Immune Modulation.

There is growing interest in understanding the complex relationship between psychosocial stress and the human gastrointestinal microbiome (GIM). This review explores the potential physiological pathways connecting these two and how they contribute to a pro-inflammatory environment that can lead to the development and progression of the disease. Exposure to psychosocial stress triggers the activation of the sympathetic nervous system (SNS) and hypothalamic-pituitary axis (HPA), leading to various physiological responses essential for survival and coping with the stressor.

Interactions of Chronic Stress Exposure and Stress Appraisal on Vascular Endothelial Function Among Young Adults.

We investigated the associations of ongoing, chronic stress exposure and stress appraisal on vascular endothelial function (VEF) in young adults. In 72 healthy young adults (74% female; age = 25±1 y), we assessed chronic stress exposure and appraisal with a measure that quantified chronic stress exposure and chronic stress appraisal related to 8 specific stressors over the last year. Participants completed the perceived stress scale (PSS) as a measure of global, proximal stress appraisal.

Mpox primer for clinicians: what makes the difference in 2024?

Purpose Of Review: The 2024 mpox outbreak, primarily driven by the possibly more virulent clade Ib strain, prompted the WHO declaring it a public health emergency of international concern (PHEIC) on August 14, 2024. This review provides essential guidance for clinicians managing mpox cases, as it contrasts the features of the 2024 outbreak with those of the 2022 epidemic to support better clinical decision-making.

Recent Findings: The review highlights significant differences between the 2024 and 2022 outbreaks, including total case numbers, demographic distribution, and fatality rates.

Effect of Plant Versus Animal Protein on Muscle Mass, Strength, Physical Performance, and Sarcopenia: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials.

Context: Dietary protein is recommended for sarcopenia-a debilitating condition of age-related loss of muscle mass and strength that affects 27% of older adults. The effects of protein on muscle health may depend on protein quality.

Objective: The aim was to synthesize randomized controlled trial (RCT) data comparing plant with animal protein for muscle health.

miR-145b/AP2B1 Axis Contributes to Noise-induced Sensorineural Hearing Loss In a Male Mouse Model.

Sensorineural hearing loss (SNHL) is an increasingly prevalent sensory disorder, but the underlying mechanisms remain poorly understood. Adaptor related protein complex 2 subunit beta 1 (AP2B1) has been indicated to be detectable in mature cochleae. Nonetheless, it is unclear whether AP2B1 is implicated in the progression of SNHL.

Comparative analysis of kidney function prediction: traditional statistical methods vs. deep learning techniques.

Background: Chronic kidney disease (CKD) represents a significant public health challenge, with rates consistently on the rise. Enhancing kidney function prediction could contribute to the early detection, prevention, and management of CKD in clinical practice. We aimed to investigate whether deep learning techniques, especially those suitable for processing missing values, can improve the accuracy of predicting future renal function compared to traditional statistical method, using the Japan Chronic Kidney Disease Database (J-CKD-DB), a nationwide multicenter CKD registry.

Chitinase-3-like Protein 1 Reduces the Stability of Atherosclerotic Plaque via Impairing Macrophagic Efferocytosis.

CHI3L1 is strongly associated with atherosclerosis, but its role in macrophages remains unknown. In this study, we observed a significant up-regulation of CHI3L1 in both carotid plaques and serum of symptomatic patients, and demonstrated that CHI3L1 impairs the efferocytosis of macrophages by down-regulating crucial efferocytic mediator MFGE8 through inhibiting ATF2, which binds directly to the enhancer of MFGE8. In human plaques, we observed a negative correlation between CHI3L1 expression and both ATF2 and MFGE8 levels, further proved their involvement in plaque destabilization.

Elucidating stearoyl metabolism and NCOA4-mediated ferroptosis in gastric cancer liver metastasis through multi-omics single-cell integrative mendelian analysis: advancing personalized immunotherapy strategies.

Background: The metabolism of stearoyl-GPE plays a key role in the liver metastasis of gastric cancer. This investigation delves into the mechanisms underlying the intricate tumor microenvironment (TME) heterogeneity triggered by stearoyl metabolism in gastric cancer with liver metastasis (LMGC), offering novel perspectives for LMGC.

Objective: Utilizing Mendelian randomization, we determined that stearoyl metabolism significantly contributes to the progression of gastric cancer (GC).

Extracellular Matrix Alterations Due to Early-Life Adversity: Implications for Auditory Learning in Male Sprague-Dawley Rats.

This study aimed to investigate the impact of early childhood chronic stress on the development of the brain extracellular matrix (ECM) and how alterations in the ECM following early-life adversity (ELA) affect auditory learning and cognitive flexibility. ELA was induced through a combination of maternal separation and neonatal isolation in male Sprague-Dawley rats, and the success of the ELA model was assessed behaviorally and biochemically. A cortex-dependent go/no-go task with two phases was used to determine the impact of ELA on auditory learning and cognitive flexibility.

Rings and Rebuttals: A Quasi-Experimental Study on the Psychological Impact of Marriage Equality on Low-Income Black Sexual Minorities in the United Kingdom.

Critiques from queer theory have suggested that the legalization of same-sex marriage (SSM) predominantly benefits White, middle-class segments of the lesbian, gay, and bisexual (LGB) community. This study investigates the impact of the legalization of SSM on mental health among Black LGB individuals, focusing on those with lower incomes in the UK. Using a nationally representative panel sample and employing a quasi-experimental methodology, we analyzed changes in psychological distress and life dissatisfaction following the legalization of SSM.

Post-transplant cyclophosphamide plus anti-thymocyte globulin decreased serum IL-6 levels when compared with post-transplant cyclophosphamide alone after haploidentical hematopoietic stem cell transplantation.

Background: Post-transplantation cyclophosphamide (PTCy) and anti-thymocyte globulin (ATG) are common prophylactic strategies for graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) after haploidentical hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (haplo-HSCT). Interleukin (IL)-6 is a surrogate marker for cytokine release syndrome (CRS) and acute GVHD.

Method: The clinical outcomes and complications of haplo-HSCT with PTCy plus ATG versus PTCy monotherapy were compared according to serum IL-6 levels at Chungnam National University Hospital (Daejeon, South Korea) from January 2019 to February 2023.

Restorative Neurostimulation Therapy Compared to Optimal Medical Management: A Randomized Evaluation (RESTORE) for the Treatment of Chronic Mechanical Low Back Pain due to Multifidus Dysfunction.

Introduction: Many interventional strategies are commonly used to treat chronic low back pain (CLBP), though few are specifically intended to target the distinct underlying pathomechanisms causing low back pain. Restorative neurostimulation has been suggested as a specific treatment for mechanical CLBP resulting from multifidus dysfunction. In this randomized controlled trial, we report outcomes from a cohort of patients with CLBP associated with multifidus dysfunction treated with restorative neurostimulation compared to those randomized to a control group receiving optimal medical management (OMM) over 1 year.

Guidance for Prescribing Oral Antihypertensive Medications in the Emergency Department.

Purpose Of Review: To review the most current recommendations regarding assessment and treatment of asymptomatic hypertension treatment in the emergency department (ED) and to provide guidance for prescribing oral antihypertensive therapy for ED providers.

Recent Findings: There are varying management strategies for the treatment of asymptomatic hypertension in the ED likely due to a lack of direct guidelines for treatment. There is an increasing body of evidence for the safety of initiating therapy to treat chronic asymptomatic hypertension in the ED.