Characterizing Health Literacy and Its Correlates Among Individuals With Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI): A TBI Model Systems Study.

Objective: To characterize health literacy among individuals with traumatic brain injury (TBI) at least a year postinjury and to explore its relationship to sociodemographic variables, injury severity, and cognition.

Setting: Community following discharge from inpatient rehabilitation.

Participants: In total, 205 individuals with complicated mild to severe TBI who completed follow-up as part of a national longitudinal study of TBI and completed a web-based health literacy measure.

Mechanisms of HIV-mediated blood-brain barrier compromise and leukocyte transmigration under the current antiretroviral era.

HIV-associated neurological compromise is observed in more than half of all people with HIV (PWH), even under antiretroviral therapy (ART). The mechanism has been associated with the early transmigration of HIV-infected monocytes across the BBB in a CCL2 and HIV replication-dependent manner. However, the mechanisms of chronic brain damage are unknown.

Tunneling nanotubes and tumor microtubes-Emerging data on their roles in intercellular communication and pathophysiology: Summary of an International FASEB Catalyst Conference October 2023.

In the past decade, there has been a steady rise in interest in studying novel cellular extensions and their potential roles in facilitating human diseases, including neurologic diseases, viral infectious diseases, cancer, and others. One of the exciting new aspects of this field is improved characterization and understanding of the functions and potential mechanisms of tunneling nanotubes (TNTs), which are actin-based filamentous protrusions that are structurally distinct from filopodia. TNTs form and connect cells at long distance and serve as direct conduits for intercellular communication in a wide range of cell types in vitro and in vivo.

Safety, tolerability and immunogenicity of a novel 24-valent pneumococcal vaccine in toddlers: A phase 1 randomized controlled trial.

Background: Pneumococcal conjugate vaccines (PCVs) significantly reduced pneumococcal disease burden. Nevertheless, alternative approaches for controlling more serotypes are needed. Here, the safety, tolerability, and immunogenicity of a 24-valent (1/2/3/4/5/6A/6B/7F/8/9N/9V/10A/11A/12F/14/15B/17F/18C/19A/19F/20B/22F/23F/33F) pneumococcal vaccine based on Multiple Antigen-Presenting System (MAPS) technology (Pn-MAPS24v) was assessed in toddlers.

Preparing Community Health Workers to Empower Latino(a)s With Diabetes: A Real-World Implementation Study.

Purpose: The purpose of the study was to evaluate the delivery of diabetes self-management education (DSME) to Latino(a) adults by community health workers (CHWs).

Methods: Investigators developed an evidence-based, bilingual (Spanish/English) diabetes education curriculum and trained 10 CHWs on its content. CHWs then implemented the curriculum in 6-month diabetes group visit programs for low-income Latino(a)s with type 2 diabetes in nonacademic 501(c)3 community clinics.

Subunit nanovaccine elicited T cell functional activation controls Trypanosoma cruzi mediated maternal and placental tissue damage and improves pregnancy outcomes in mice.

This study investigated a candidate vaccine effect against maternal Trypanosoma cruzi (Tc) infection and improved pregnancy outcomes. For this, TcG2 and TcG4 were cloned in a nanoplasmid optimized for delivery, antigen expression, and regulatory compliance (nano2/4 vaccine). Female C57BL/6 mice were immunized with nano2/4, infected (Tc SylvioX10), and mated 7-days post-infection to enable fetal development during the maternal acute parasitemia phase.

IDR-targeting compounds suppress HPV genome replication via disruption of phospho-BRD4 association with DNA damage response factors.

Compounds binding to the bromodomains of bromodomain and extra-terminal (BET) family proteins, particularly BRD4, are promising anticancer agents. Nevertheless, side effects and drug resistance pose significant obstacles in BET-based therapeutics development. Using high-throughput screening of a 200,000-compound library, we identified small molecules targeting a phosphorylated intrinsically disordered region (IDR) of BRD4 that inhibit phospho-BRD4 (pBRD4)-dependent human papillomavirus (HPV) genome replication in HPV-containing keratinocytes.

BRD4 as a potential target for human papillomaviruses associated cancer.

Around 99% of cervical cancer and 5%-10% of human cancer are associated with human papillomaviruses (HPV). Notably, the life-cycle of HPV begins by low-level infection of the basal cells of the stratified epithelium, where the viral genomes are replicated and passed on to the daughter proliferating basal cells. The production of new viral particles remains restricted to eventually differentiated cells.

Risk Factors for Post-Discharge Adverse Outcomes Following Hospitalization Among Older Adults Diagnosed With Elder Mistreatment.

Using 100% Medicare data files, this study explored whether primary elder mistreatment (EM) diagnosis, EM type, and facility type were associated with 3-year mortality and 1-year unplanned hospital readmission among older patients diagnosed with EM with hospital discharge from 10/01/2015 through 12/31/2018 ( = 11,023). We also examined outcome differences between older patients diagnosed with EM and matched non-EM patient controls. Neglect by others was the most common EM diagnosis.

Effect of fluralaner on the biology, survival, and reproductive fitness of the neotropical malaria vector Anopheles aquasalis.

Background: Reducing mosquito abundance or interfering with its ability to support the parasite cycle can help to interrupt malaria in areas of significant risk of malaria transmission. Fluralaner is a safe and effective drug for veterinary use indicated for the treatment against fleas and ticks which acts as an antagonist of chloride ion channels mediated by γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA), preventing the entry of these ions into the postsynaptic neuron, leading to hyperexcitability of the postsynaptic neuron of the central nervous system of arthropods. Fluralaner demonstrated insecticidal activity against different insect species.

Glucocorticoid intermittence coordinates rescue of energy and mass in aging-related sarcopenia through the myocyte-autonomous PGC1alpha-Lipin1 transactivation.

Sarcopenia burdens the elderly population through loss of muscle energy and mass, yet treatments to functionally rescue both parameters are missing. The glucocorticoid prednisone remodels muscle metabolism based on frequency of intake, but its mechanisms in sarcopenia are unknown. We found that once-weekly intermittent prednisone rescued muscle quality in aged 24-month-old mice to levels comparable to young 4-month-old mice.

The Relationship of Health Literacy to Health Outcomes Among Individuals With Traumatic Brain Injury: A Traumatic Brain Injury Model Systems Study.

Objective: To examine the associations between health literacy and health outcomes among individuals with traumatic brain injury (TBI) at least a year post-injury.

Setting: Community following discharge from inpatient rehabilitation.

Participants: A total of 205 individuals with complicated mild to severe TBI who completed a TBI Model Systems National Database follow-up interview and a web-based health literacy measure.

Implementation and Evaluation of a mHealth-Based Community Health Worker Feedback Loop for Hispanics with and at Risk for Diabetes.

Background: Gaps in accessibility and communication hinder diabetes care in poor communities. Combining mobile health (mHealth) and community health workers (CHWs) into models to bridge these gaps has great potential but needs evaluation.

Objective: To evaluate a mHealth-based, Participant-CHW-Clinician feedback loop in a real-world setting.

A Historical Perspective on Brachial Plexus Palsy Management: From Ancient Civilizations to the Modern Era.

Evidence of brachial plexus palsies and potential therapies have been identified by investigators across cultures and civilizations. It could be argued that there are early records of brachial plexus injuries in not only literary work but also paintings, sculptures, and ancient medical texts. The compiled ancient evidence in this review provides a historical framework of brachial plexus palsies and potential management techniques that have been utilized from ancient to modern time.

RIPTACs: A groundbreaking approach to drug discovery.

Regulated induced proximity targeting chimeras (RIPTACs), a new class of heterobifunctional molecules, show promise in specifically targeting and eliminating cancer cells while leaving healthy cells unharmed. As a groundbreaking drug discovery approach, RIPTACs work by forming a stable complex with two proteins, one specifically found in cancer cells (target protein, TP) and the other pan-essential for cell survival (effector protein, EP), selectively disrupting the function of the EP in cancer cells and causing cell death. Interestingly, the TPs need not be linked to disease progression, broadening the spectrum of potential drug targets.

The role of Pannexin-1 channels, ATP, and purinergic receptors in the pathogenesis of HIV and SARS-CoV-2.

Infectious agents such as human immune deficiency virus-1 (HIV) and severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) use host proteins to infect, replicate, and induce inflammation within the host. A critical component of these diseases is the axis between pannexin-1 channels, extracellular ATP, and purinergic receptors. Here, we describe the potential therapeutic role of Pannexin-1/purinergic approaches to prevent or reduce the devastating consequences of these pathogens.

Drug Discovery Targeting Nuclear Receptor Binding SET Domain Protein 2 (NSD2).

Nuclear receptor binding SET domain proteins (NSDs) catalyze the mono- or dimethylation of histone 3 lysine 36 (H3K36me1 and H3K36me2), using -adenosyl-l-methionine (SAM) as a methyl donor. As a key member of the NSD family of proteins, NSD2 plays an important role in the pathogenesis and progression of various diseases such as cancers, inflammations, and infectious diseases, serving as a promising drug target. Developing potent and specific NSD2 inhibitors may provide potential novel therapeutics.

The role of tunneling nanotubes during early stages of HIV infection and reactivation: implications in HIV cure.

Tunneling nanotubes (TNTs), also called cytonemes or tumor microtubes, correspond to cellular processes that enable long-range communication. TNTs are plasma membrane extensions that form tubular processes that connect the cytoplasm of two or more cells. TNTs are mostly expressed during the early stages of development and poorly expressed in adulthood.

Type 2 diabetes and in-hospital sudden cardiac arrest in ST-elevation myocardial infarction in the US.

Aims: We aimed to assess the impact of diabetes on sudden cardiac arrest (SCA) in US patients hospitalized for ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI).

Methods: We used the National Inpatient Sample (2005-2017) data to identify adult patients with STEMI. The primary outcome was in-hospital SCA.

Discovery of Novel Oleamide Analogues as Brain-Penetrant Positive Allosteric Serotonin 5-HT Receptor and Dual 5-HT/5-HT Receptor Modulators.

The serotonin 5-HT receptor (5-HTR) and 5-HTR localize to the brain and share overlapping signal transduction facets that contribute to their roles in cognition, mood, learning, and memory. Achieving selective targeting of these receptors is challenged by the similarity in their 5-HT orthosteric binding pockets. A fragment-based discovery approach was employed to design and synthesize novel oleamide analogues as selective 5-HTR or dual 5-HTR/5-HTR positive allosteric modulators (PAMs).

Identification of immune biomarkers in recent active pulmonary tuberculosis.

Tuberculosis (TB) has remained an unsolved problem and a major public health issue, particularly in developing countries. Pakistan is one of the countries with the highest tuberculosis infection rates globally. However, methods or biomarkers to detect early signs of TB infection are limited.