Management of a COVID-19 outbreak using a multidisciplinary approach and infection prevention control practices at a community living center in Veterans Administration Hospital, North Texas.

Background: The increase in severe acute respiratory coronavirus virus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) cases due to the omicron strain led to reduced acute care hospital beds at the Veterans Administration (VA) Hospital, North Texas; veterans with non-severe coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) disease were managed at a community living center (CLC), a VA nursing home. The management of non-severe COVID-19 in VA nursing homes has not been extensively described.

Methods: We describe resident characteristics and outcomes, and infection control practices implemented during 2 COVID-19 outbreak periods (January 12-February 15, 2022, June 28-July 14, 2023).

The Influence of Migration Timing and Local Conditions on Reproductive Timing in Arctic-Breeding Birds.

For birds breeding in the Arctic, nest success is affected by the timing of nest initiation, which is partially determined by local conditions such as snow cover. However, conditions during the non-breeding season can carry over to affect the timing of breeding. We used tracking and breeding data from 248 individuals of 8 species and subspecies of Arctic-breeding shorebirds to estimate how the timing of nest initiation is related to local conditions like snowmelt phenology versus prior conditions, measured by the timing and speed of migration.

Burnt Plastic (Pyroplastic) from the M/V Ship Fire and Plastic Spill Contain Compounds That Activate Endocrine and Metabolism-Related Human and Fish Transcription Factors.

In May 2021, the M/V ship fire disaster led to the largest maritime spill of resin pellets (nurdles) and burnt plastic (pyroplastic). Field samples collected from beaches in Sri Lanka nearest to the ship comprised nurdles and pieces of pyroplastic. Three years later, the toxicity of the spilled material remains unresolved.

Examination of adolescent and youth modern contraceptive users' perceptions on how religion influences contraceptive use and their rationale and circumstances of use: qualitative evidence from Burkina Faso, Kenya and Niger.

While religion is a key determining factor of contraceptive use, few studies examine how religion influences adolescent and youth contraceptive attitudes, beliefs, and use. We use recently collected (August-November 2022) qualitative data from Burkina Faso, Kenya, and Niger among young users of modern contraception who practice Christianity or Islam. In-depth interviews with married and unmarried young women ages 18-24 years were conducted in two sites in each country to obtain a mix of religions and method users.

Complex bacterial diversity of Guaymas Basin hydrothermal sediments revealed by synthetic long-read sequencing (LoopSeq).

Hydrothermal sediments host phylogenetically diverse and physiologically complex microbial communities. Previous studies of microbial community structure in hydrothermal sediments have typically used short-read sequencing approaches. To improve on these approaches, we use LoopSeq, a high-throughput synthetic long-read sequencing method that has yielded promising results in analyses of microbial ecosystems, such as the human gut microbiome.

Estimating financial and health burden by initial Medicare plan choice and history of cancer.

Understanding the downstream consequences of initial Medicare plan selection is necessary to ensure access to and affordability of health care services, especially for older adults with serious illness. We used 2008-2020 data from the Health and Retirement Study to estimate financial and health burden by initial Medicare plan selection (traditional Medicare without supplemental coverage, traditional Medicare plus supplemental coverage, or Medicare Advantage) and self-reported history of cancer. Initially choosing benefits with greater financial protections (either traditional Medicare plus supplemental coverage or Medicare Advantage) relative to traditional Medicare without supplemental coverage was associated with lower levels of out-of-pocket spending and a lower likelihood of reporting cost-related medication nonadherence and fair or poor health.

Development of a Second-Generation, Chemical Probe for PIKfyve.

We optimized our highly potent and cell-active chemical probe for phosphatidylinositol-3-phosphate 5-kinase (PIKfyve), SGC-PIKFYVE-1, resulting in compounds with improved potency and demonstrated stability. Use of an in-cell, kinome-wide selectivity panel allowed for confirmation of excellent in-cell selectivity of our lead compound, , and another promising analogue, . Evaluation of the pharmacokinetic (PK) profiles of these two compounds revealed that both are well tolerated systemically and orally bioavailable.

Fishers and First Responders: Oil Spill Safety Workshop Design and Evaluation.

Objectives: This paper describes the design and evaluation of a workshop created to develop safer disaster response strategies for fishing communities, using the 2019 Northeast Brazil Oil Spill as a starting point for community-engaged education.

Methods: The 3-day pilot workshop included presentations, structured discussions, and interactive activities with small-scale fishers (SSFs), university researchers, and representatives of local government agencies. The workshop was evaluated through a mixed-method approach that considered qualitative data from discussion groups, collectively built products, and content retention.

Review and meta-analysis of gene expression biomarkers predictive of chemical-induced genotoxicity in vivo.

There is growing recognition across broad sectors of the toxicology community that gene expression biomarkers have the potential to identify genotoxic and nongenotoxic carcinogens through a weight-of-evidence approach, providing opportunities to reduce reliance on the 2-year bioassay to identify carcinogens. In August 2022, a workshop within the International Workshops on Genotoxicity Testing (IWGT) was held to critically review current methods to identify genotoxicants using various 'omics profiling methods. Here, we describe the findings of a workshop subgroup focused on the state of the science regarding the use of biomarkers to identify chemicals that act as genotoxicants in vivo.

The Role of Interventional Radiology in Managing Placenta Accreta Spectrum Disorder.

Interventional Radiology (IR) can be a crucial player in managing placenta accrete spectrum disorder (PAS), offering minimally invasive angiographic techniques that can prevent or control hemorrhage and preserve fertility. These include prophylactic balloon occlusion of the aorta or iliac arteries, preoperative catheter placement in the iliac or uterine arteries for subsequent embolization, or pre-emptive arterial embolization preceding hysterotomy and delivery. This review provides obstetricians with an overview of IR's role in the management of PAS by describing specific endovascular techniques; existing outcomes data; and considerations for protocol development, preoperative planning, and intraoperative dynamics for when IR assists with PAS cases.

Lessons from the pandemic: Relationship between patient visits and patient length of stay in California's health system.

Background: The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic placed a heavy strain on the United States healthcare system. Common hospital operational performances were impacted to varying degrees by the pandemic. This study examined the healthcare operational measures during COVID-19 pandemic.

CRYβB2 alters cell adhesion to promote invasion in a triple-negative breast cancer cell line.

Objective: African American women with breast cancer experience disproportionately poor survival outcomes, primarily due to the high prevalence of the deadliest subtype; triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC). The CRYβB2 gene is upregulated in tumors from African American patients across all breast cancer subtypes, including TNBC, and is associated with worse survival rates. This study investigated the effect of CRYβB2 on the invasion of TNBC cells and the underlying mechanisms contributing to this phenotype.

Endothelial cells under disturbed flow release extracellular vesicles to promote inflammatory polarization of macrophages and accelerate atherosclerosis.

Background: Extracellular vesicles (EVs) derived from endothelial cells (ECs) are increasingly recognized for their role in the initiation and progression of atherosclerosis. ECs experience varying degrees and types of blood flow depending on their specific arterial locations. In regions of disturbed flow, which are predominant sites for atherosclerotic plaque formation, the impact of disturbed flow on the secretion and function of ECs-derived EVs remains unclear.

Medical Students' Observations of High Value and Potentially Wasteful Care Behaviors Modeled During Clinical Rotations.

Background: Medical student exposure to role-modeling of high-value care (HVC) behaviors may shape professional identity formation and future HVC practices.

Objective: To investigate the frequency and characteristics of HVC role-modeling witnessed by medical students during core clinical rotations.

Design: Cross-sectional survey study.

Interactive and unimodal relationships between plant biomass, abiotic factors, and plant diversity in global grasslands.

Grasslands cover approximately a third of the Earth's land surface and account for about a third of terrestrial carbon storage. Yet, we lack strong predictive models of grassland plant biomass, the primary source of carbon in grasslands. This lack of predictive ability may arise from the assumption of linear relationships between plant biomass and the environment and an underestimation of interactions of environmental variables.

Scaffold-enabled high-resolution cryo-EM structure determination of RNA.

Cryo-EM structure determination of protein-free RNAs has remained difficult with most attempts yielding low to moderate resolution and lacking nucleotide-level detail. These difficulties are compounded for small RNAs as cryo-EM is inherently more difficult for lower molecular weight macromolecules. Here we present a strategy for fusing small RNAs to a group II intron that yields high resolution structures of the appended RNA.

Creating codes of ethics for public health professionals and institutions.

Background: The World Health Organization and the Association of Schools of Public Health in the European Region called for the professionalization of the public health workforce, including the creation of codes of ethics. In this article, the Public Health Ethics and Law Network provides guidance on creating such codes, based on values and principles commonly identified for public health.

Methods: Our interest was in codes addressing public health broadly rather than disciplines within public health.

Durability of response of UGN-101: Longitudinal follow up of multicenter study.

Purpose: UGN-101, a reverse thermal mitomycin gel for upper tract instillation, recently became the first FDA approved treatment for upper tract urothelial carcinoma (UTUC). However, the durability of UGN-101 treatment has not been well described. Here we present long term outcomes from our multi-institutional cohort for patients who initially responded to treatment.

Predicting 90-day return to the emergency department in orthopaedic trauma patients in the Southeastern USA: a machine-learning approach.

Introduction: Return-to-acute-care metrics, such as early emergency department (ED) visits, are key indicators of healthcare quality, with ED returns following surgery often considered avoidable and costly events. Proactively identifying patients at high risk of ED return can support quality improvement efforts, allowing interventions to target vulnerable patients. With its predictive capabilities, machine learning (ML) has shown potential in forecasting various clinical outcomes but remains underutilised in orthopaedic trauma.

Effects of estradiol administration on brain activation and anhedonia in perimenopausal women: A pharmaco-fMRI study.

Background: Half of perimenopausal women experience depressive symptoms, including anhedonia. Anhedonia is associated with dysregulation of the frontostriatal circuit. Both the frontrostriatal circuit and depression may be regulated by the reproductive hormone estradiol (E2).

An in-depth review of AI-powered advancements in cancer drug discovery.

The convergence of artificial intelligence (AI) and genomics is redefining cancer drug discovery by facilitating the development of personalized and effective therapies. This review examines the transformative role of AI technologies, including deep learning and advanced data analytics, in accelerating key stages of the drug discovery process: target identification, drug design, clinical trial optimization, and drug response prediction. Cutting-edge tools such as DrugnomeAI and PandaOmics have made substantial contributions to therapeutic target identification, while AI's predictive capabilities are driving personalized treatment strategies.

There is no "I" in team: Implications for academic radiology.

All of us must find the right balance between team science and fostering leadership with dynamic colleagues. That dichotomy was well-encapsulated in a famous exchange between basketball players Shaquille O'Neal and Kobe Bryant regarding there "being no 'I' in team". In our view, there is nothing more satisfying than collaborating with a team of people and publishing impactful papers or making key discoveries.