Alternative approaches for monitoring and evaluation of lymphatic filariasis following mass drug treatment with ivermectin, diethylcarbamazine and albendazole in East New Britain Province, Papua New Guinea.

Background: WHO recommends two annual rounds of mass drug administration (MDA) with ivermectin, diethylcarbamazine, and albendazole (IDA) for lymphatic filariasis (LF) elimination in treatment naïve areas that are not co-endemic for onchocerciasis such as Papua New Guinea (PNG). Whether two rounds of MDA are necessary or sufficient and the optimal sampling strategies and endpoints for stopping MDA remain undefined.

Methods And Findings: Two cross-sectional studies were conducted at baseline (N = 49 clusters or villages) and 12 months after mass drug administration (MDA) with IDA (N = 47 villages) to assess lymphatic filariasis (LF) by circulating filarial antigenemia (CFA) and microfilariae (Mf).

The WHO Disease Outbreak News during the Covid-19 pandemic.

During the Covid-19 pandemic, the World Health Organization (WHO) was an important public source of information - not only about the pandemic, but also thousands of other potential health emergencies. Here, we examine the 242 reports published in the WHO Disease Outbreak News (DON) during the first four years of the Covid-19 pandemic (2020 to 2023), and document the diseases and regions that were reported. We find that multinational epidemics of diseases like Ebola virus and MERS-CoV continue to dominate the DON.

Measuring self-reliance and wellbeing among forcibly displaced women enrolled in a gender-focused economic empowerment program: A protocol for a pilot randomized controlled trial in Colombia.

Colombia currently hosts nearly three million Venezuelan refugees and migrants and is home to seven million internally displaced Colombians. For forcibly displaced populations in Colombia, and especially for women, gender-based violence (GBV) poses a threat during transit and in their new homes where xenophobia, lack of accessible and adequate services, limited safe economic opportunities, and lack of information on access to services, further increase risk. The dearth of livelihood opportunities also affects forcibly displaced populations, especially women.

Maternal mental health matters: Indicators for perinatal mental health-A scoping review.

Perinatal mental health disorders are a significant contributor to morbidity and mortality in childbearing women. The World Health Organization recommends all women be screened for mental health disorders postnatally and have diagnostic and management services available. There are, however, currently no global indicators in use which measure the status and progress of perinatal mental health.

White matter connections within the central sulcus subserving the somato-cognitive action network.

The somato-cognitive action network (SCAN) consists of three nodes interspersed within Penfield's motor effector regions. The configuration of the somato-cognitive action network nodes resembles the one of the 'plis de passage' of the central sulcus: small gyri bridging the precentral and postcentral gyri. Thus, we hypothesize that these may provide a structural substrate of the somato-cognitive action network.

Prophylactic Irradiation for the Prevention of Heterotopic Ossification After Foot Amputation: A Case Series.

Background: The formation of heterotopic ossification (HO) is a common complication after transosseous partial foot amputation. Development of HO in weightbearing and/or superficial areas can lead to increased pressures, which increases the likelihood of wound formation and pain. Current treatment modalities for HO of the foot include mechanical off-loading and surgical resection; however, prophylactic measures such as nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, bisphosphonates, and other medical therapies have been attempted previously with mixed efficacy.

Severity and Long-Term Mortality of COVID-19, Influenza, and Respiratory Syncytial Virus.

Importance: SARS-CoV-2, influenza, and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) contribute to many hospitalizations and deaths each year. Understanding relative disease severity can help to inform vaccination guidance.

Objective: To compare disease severity of COVID-19, influenza, and RSV among US veterans.

Apixaban to Prevent Covert Infarcts After Cryptogenic Stroke in Patients With Atrial Cardiopathy: A Secondary Analysis of the ARCADIA Randomized Clinical Trial.

Importance: In the Atrial Cardiopathy and Antithrombotic Drugs in Prevention After Cryptogenic Stroke (ARCADIA) randomized clinical trial, anticoagulation did not prevent recurrent stroke among patients with a recent cryptogenic stroke and atrial cardiopathy. It is unknown whether anticoagulation prevents covert infarcts in this population.

Objective: To test the use of apixaban vs aspirin for prevention of nonlacunar covert infarcts after cryptogenic stroke in patients with atrial cardiopathy.

Pharmacy Subscription Program and Medication Refills, Days' Supply, and Out-of-Pocket Costs.

Importance: Medication nonadherence imposes high morbidity, mortality, and costs but is challenging to address given its multiple causes. Subscription models are increasingly used in health care to encourage healthy behaviors; in January 2023, Amazon Pharmacy launched RxPass, a subscription program offering Amazon Prime members (hereafter, company members) in 45 states access to 60 common generic medications for a flat $5 monthly fee.

Objective: To evaluate the associations of program enrollment with medication refills, days' supply, and out-of-pocket costs.

Trends in Prostate Cancer Incidence and Mortality Rates.

Importance: Incidence of distant stage prostate cancer is increasing in the United States. Research is needed to understand trends by social and geographic factors.

Objective: To examine trends in prostate cancer incidence and mortality rates in California by stage, age, race and ethnicity, and region.

Stress regulatory hormones and cancer: the contribution of epinephrine and cancer therapeutic value of beta blockers.

The word "cancer" evokes myriad emotions, ranging from fear and despair to hope and determination. Cancer is aptly defined as a complex and multifaceted group of diseases that has unapologetically led to the loss of countless lives and affected innumerable families across the globe. The battle with cancer is not only a physical battle, but also an emotional, as well as a psychological skirmish for patients and for their loved ones.

Role of Glial Cells and Receptors in Schizophrenia Pathogenesis.

The specific pathogeneses of schizophrenia (SCZ) remain an enigma despite extensive research that has implicated both genetic and environmental factors. Recent revelations that dysregulated immune system caused by glial cell overactivation result in neuroinflammation, a key player in neurodegenerative as well as neuropsychiatric disorders including SCZ are providing novel clues on potential therapeutic interventions. Here, we review the roles of glial cells (Dr.

The Johns Hopkins Hope at Hopkins Clinic: supporting the comprehensive needs of individuals with metastatic breast cancer.

Purpose: Individuals with metastatic breast cancer (MBC) may live with their disease for many years. We initiated the Johns Hopkins Hope at Hopkins Clinic to assess the needs and optimize the care of these patients.

Patients And Methods: Patients with MBC who agreed to participate in the Clinic in addition to usual care completed patient-reported outcome (PRO) surveys.

Trends and Disparities in Intrahepatic Cholangiocarcinoma-related Mortality in the United States from 1999 to 2020.

Purpose: Intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (ICC) arises from the epithelial cells of the bile ducts present inside the liver parenchyma and is associated with an overall poor prognosis due to advanced disease stage at the time of diagnosis. We used the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Wide-Ranging Online Data for Epidemiologic Research (CDC WONDER) database to determine ICC-related mortality patterns in the United States from 1999 till 2020.

Methods: Age-adjusted mortality rates (AAMR) and crude mortality rates (CMR) were extracted from the CDC WONDER database.

Evaluation of Accuracy and Safety of the 365-Day Implantable Eversense Continuous Glucose Monitoring System: The ENHANCE Study.

The implanted Eversense Continuous Glucose Monitoring (CGM) System transitioned from 90- to 180- to 365-day durations marketed today. This report summarizes the 365-day clinical study. ENHANCE was a prospective, multicenter study evaluating the accuracy and safety of the Eversense 365 CGM system through 1 year in adults with diabetes.

Photochemical Evolution of Alanine in Association with the Martian Soil Analog Montmorillonite: Insights Derived from Experiments Conducted on the International Space Station.

The (PSS) experiment was part of the European Space Agency's mission and was conducted on the International Space Station from 2014 to 2016. The PSS experiment investigated the properties of montmorillonite clay as a protective shield against degradation of organic compounds that were exposed to elevated levels of ultraviolet (UV) radiation in space. Additionally, we examined the potential for montmorillonite to catalyze UV-induced breakdown of the amino acid alanine and its potential to trap the resulting photochemical byproducts within its interlayers.

Operationalising a Haemophilia Gene Editing Lexicon for Practical Use.

Introduction: Gene editing therapies offer the possibility of substantial improvement in treatment and quality of life for people with haemophilia (PWH) in a landscape of dynamic therapeutic advancement. Developing a common and understandable language to discuss gene editing will be essential to ensure these treatments can be deployed in a safe and effective manner with fully informed and shared decision-making between healthcare professionals (HCPs) and PWH. A lexicon explaining and clarifying key concepts is one potential tool to address these aims.

Mindful self-compassion for lung cancer (MSC-LC): Incorporating perspectives of lung cancer patients, clinicians, and researchers to create an adapted intervention to reduce lung cancer stigma.

Background: Stigma is a pervasive and distressing problem experienced frequently by lung cancer patients, and there is a lack of psychosocial interventions that target the reduction of lung cancer stigma. Mindful self-compassion (MSC) is an empirically supported intervention demonstrated to increase self-compassion and reduce feelings of shame and distress in non-cancer populations. However, there are several anticipated challenges for delivering MSC to lung cancer patients, and modifications may be needed to improve acceptability, appropriateness, and feasibility.

Extending Badger's rule. I. The relationship between energy and structure in hydrogen bonds.

We derive a new expression for the strength of a hydrogen bond (VHB) in terms of the elongation of the covalent bond of the donor fragment participating in the hydrogen bond (ΔrHB) and the intermolecular coordinates R (separation between the heavy atoms) and θ (deviation of the hydrogen bond from linearity). The expression includes components describing the covalent D-H bond of the hydrogen bond donor via a Morse potential, the Pauli repulsion, and electrostatic interactions between the constituent fragments using a linear expansion of their dipole moment and a quadratic expansion of their polarizability tensor. We fitted the parameters of the model using ab initio electronic structure results for six hydrogen bonded dimers, namely, NH3-NH3, H2O-H2O, HF-HF, H2O-NH3, HF-H2O, and HF-NH3, and validated its performance for extended parts of their potential energy surfaces, resulting in a mean absolute error ranging from 0.

Cross-Sectional Comparison of Structural MRI Markers of Impairment in a Diverse Cohort of Older Adults.

Neurodegeneration is presumed to be the pathological process measure most proximal to clinical symptom onset in Alzheimer Disease (AD). Structural MRI is routinely collected in research and clinical trial settings. Several quantitative MRI-based measures of atrophy have been proposed, but their low correspondence with each other has been previously documented.

Exploring the role of T cells in Alzheimer's and other neurodegenerative diseases: Emerging therapeutic insights from the T Cells in the Brain symposium.

This proceedings article summarizes the inaugural "T Cells in the Brain" symposium held at Columbia University. Experts gathered to explore the role of T cells in neurodegenerative diseases. Key topics included characterization of antigen-specific immune responses, T cell receptor (TCR) repertoire, microbial etiology in Alzheimer's disease (AD), and microglia-T cell crosstalk, with a focus on how T cells affect neuroinflammation and AD biomarkers like amyloid beta and tau.

Investigation of Genomic and Transcriptomic Risk Factors of Clopidogrel Response in African Americans.

Clopidogrel, an anti-platelet drug, is used to prevent thrombosis after percutaneous coronary intervention. Clopidogrel resistance results in recurring ischemic events, with African Americans (AA) suffering disproportionately. The aim of this study was to discover novel biomarkers of clopidogrel resistance in African Americans using genome and transcriptome data.

Genetic Services in Appalachia Conference Series.

This study examined the data generated as part of a seven-session webinar series that focused on genetics care provision in the medically underserved, rural Appalachian region and examined how these services have adapted to challenging practice environments. Barriers and facilitators to care in our region were considered. Data included a baseline survey of registrants, transcripts of sessions, and feedback about sessions.