Perspectives and experiences regarding pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) in a community sample of Veterans with unhealthy alcohol use: overall and across sexual orientation and gender identity.

Background: Unhealthy alcohol use is an independent, modifiable risk factor for HIV, but limited research addresses alcohol use and HIV prevention synergistically. Groups that experience chronic stigma, discrimination, and/or other marginalization, such as sexual and gender minoritized groups, may have enhanced HIV risk related to unhealthy alcohol use. We described awareness of and experiences with pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) among a community sample of Veterans reporting unhealthy alcohol use (relative to those without), overall and across self-reported sexual orientation and gender identity.

Screening high-risk Veterans for cirrhosis: taking a stepwise population health approach.

Background: Because cirrhosis is often unrecognized, we aimed to develop a stepwise screening algorithm for cirrhosis in the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) and assess this approach's feasibility and acceptability.

Methods: VHA hepatology clinicians ("champions") were invited to participate in a pilot program from June 2020 to October 2022. The VHA Corporate Data Warehouse was queried to identify Veterans with possible undiagnosed cirrhosis using Fibrosis-4 (FIB-4) ≥ 3.

Economic loss attributable to premature deaths and morbidity among adolescents in India and its states.

Background: India's large youth population presents a significant opportunity to harness the demographic dividend. The disease burden in adolescents could be a hindrance for the future economy if not appropriately addressed.

Methods: We utilised the data on the number of adolescent deaths and attributable years lived with disability (morbidity) in every state of India as part of the Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors Study (GBD) 2021.

Exercise medicine as adjunct therapy during RADIation for CAncer of the prostaTE to improve treatment efficacy - protocol for the ERADICATE study: a phase II randomised controlled trial.

Background: Tumour hypoxia resulting from inadequate perfusion is common in many solid tumours, including prostate cancer, and constitutes a major limiting factor in radiation therapy that contributes to treatment resistance. Emerging research in preclinical animal models indicates that exercise has the potential to enhance the efficacy of cancer treatment by modulating tumour perfusion and reducing hypoxia; however, evidence from randomised controlled trials is currently lacking. The 'Exercise medicine as adjunct therapy during RADIation for CAncer of the prostaTE' (ERADICATE) study is designed to investigate the impact of exercise on treatment response, tumour physiology, and adverse effects of treatment in prostate cancer patients undergoing external beam radiation therapy (EBRT).

Infertility and risk of ovarian cancer in the women's health initiative.

Purpose: There is a consistent relationship with greater ovulation frequency and increased risk of ovarian cancer. However, prior research on infertility, which may be associated with ovulation frequency through multiple mechanisms, and ovarian cancer has yielded conflicting results, possibly due to prior research conflating fertility treatment with infertility and restricting follow-up to premenopausal cases. Our objective was to determine the association between infertility and risk of postmenopausal ovarian cancer, overall and by histotype, in a population that had not received treatment with IVF.

Platelet-white cell ratio is more strongly associated with mortality than other common risk ratios derived from complete blood counts.

Complete blood count indices and their ratios are associated with adverse clinical outcomes for many acute illnesses, but the mechanisms generating these associations are not fully understood. Recent identification of a consistent pattern of white blood cell and platelet count co-regulation during acute inflammatory recovery provides a potentially unifying explanation. Here we show that the platelet-to-white-cell ratio, which was selected based on this conserved recovery pattern, is more strongly associated with mortality than other blood count markers and ratios in four important illnesses involving acute inflammation: COVID-19, acute heart failure, myocardial infarction, and stroke.

Sexual identity, sexual behavior, and drug use behaviors among people who use drugs in the rural U.S.

Introduction: People who use drugs (PWUD) are at risk of HIV infection, but the frequency and distribution of transmission-associated behaviors within rural communities is not well understood. Further, while interventions designed to more explicitly affirm individuals' sexual orientation and behaviors may be more effective, descriptions of behavior variability by orientation are lacking. We sought to describe how disease transmission behaviors and overdose risk vary by sexual orientation and activity among rural PWUD.

Cognitive reserve is associated with education, social determinants, and cognitive outcomes among older American Indians in the Strong Heart Study.

Cognitive reserve, a component of resilience, may be conceptualized as the ability to overcome accumulating neuropathology and maintain healthy aging and function. However, research measuring and evaluating it in American Indians is needed. We recruited American Indians from 3 regional centers for longitudinal examinations (2010-13, n = 818; 2017-19, n = 403) including MRI, cognitive, clinical, and questionnaire data.

FIGG at 5: An update on U.S. public perspectives on forensic investigative genetic genealogy five years after its introduction to criminal investigations.

In 2018, after law enforcement announced it had used a technique called forensic investigative genetic genealogy (FIGG) to identify the Golden State Killer, we conducted a U.S. general population survey and found most respondents supported using FIGG to solve violent crimes.

An examination of factors contributing to different anesthesia models in underserved areas.

Background: Maternity care access is worsening across the United States, driven in part by difficulties staffing obstetric units in some hospitals. Certified registered nurse anesthetists (CRNAs) provide obstetric anesthesia services in underserved areas, including rural areas (Cohen et al., 2021; Martsolf et al.

Beyond the jab: Unravelling the complexities of vaccine adoption for East Coast Fever in rural Kenya.

East Coast Fever (ECF) is one of the leading causes of livestock mortality and reduced productivity across Eastern Africa, and while a live vaccine against it known as the Infection and Treatment Method has existed for three decades now, its adoption by affected communities remains low. This study sought to provide a detailed examination of the dynamics that shape Infection Treatment Method (ITM) vaccine adoption behaviours. The study examined individual, socio-cultural and ecological- level factors influencing ITM adoption using the socio-ecological model.

Bacterial vaginosis is associated with transcriptomic changes but not higher concentrations of cervical leukocytes in a study of women at high risk for HIV acquisition.

Background: The association between bacterial vaginosis (BV) and increased HIV acquisition risk may be related to concentrations of HIV-susceptible immune cells in the cervix.

Methods: Participants (31 with BV and 30 with normal microbiota) underwent cervical biopsy at a single visit. Immune cells were quantified and sorted using flow cytometry (N=55), localization assessed by immunofluorescence (N=16), and function determined by bulk RNA sequencing (RNA-seq) of live CD45+ cells (N=21).

Safety and Efficacy of Lotilaner Ophthalmic Solution (0.25%) in Treating Demodex Blepharitis: Pooled Analysis of Two Pivotal Trials.

Introduction: Lotilaner ophthalmic solution (0.25%) is the first United States Food and Drug Administration (US FDA)-approved drug for treating Demodex blepharitis. In pivotal trials, it was found to be well tolerated and demonstrated a significant reduction in collarettes and mite density after a 6-week treatment regimen.

Preoperative MRI to Predict Upstaging of DCIS to Invasive Cancer at Surgery.

Background: Ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) is overtreated, in part because of inability to predict which DCIS cases diagnosed at core needle biopsy (CNB) will be upstaged at excision. This study aimed to determine whether quantitative magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) features can identify DCIS at risk of upstaging to invasive cancer.

Methods: This prospective observational clinical trial analyzed women with a diagnosis of DCIS on CNB.

The association between maternal diabetes and the risk of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder in offspring: an updated systematic review and meta-analysis.

Mixed results have been reported regarding the link between different types of maternal diabetes and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in offspring. Hence, we conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis to explore these associations. Relevant studies on the subject were retrieved from six major databases, including PubMed, Medline, Embase, Scopus, CINAHL, and PsychINFO.

Dual-energy CT iodine concentration as a biomarker for immunotherapy treatment response in metastatic melanoma and renal cell carcinoma patients.

Objective: To investigate the predictive value of tumor iodine concentration obtained with dual-energy CT (DECT) for treatment response in patients treated with immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICI).

Materials And Methods: Retrospective single-center study of consecutive metastatic melanoma and renal cell carcinoma (RCC) patients undergoing first-line ICI treatment. The iodine concentration measurement time points include prior to initiation of therapy (baseline [BL]), after initiation (follow-up [FU1]), and either time point nearest to 12 months or at time of progression (final follow-up [FFU]).

Duration of aromatase inhibitor use and long-term cardiovascular risk in breast cancer survivors.

Background: There are limited data on duration of aromatase inhibitor (AI) and cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk in breast cancer (BC) survivors. We examined risk of CVD and mortality associated with duration of AI use in postmenopausal women with early-stage hormone receptor-positive BC.

Methods: Postmenopausal women diagnosed with hormone receptor-positive BC (n = 5,853) who used an AI were included.

Case 337.

A 38-year-old previously healthy male patient presented with left-sided facial pain over the prior 5 weeks. He first noticed the pain while washing and applying pressure to his face. The pain was described as shock-like, sharp and shooting, and radiating along the left cheek and temple.

An Exploratory Analysis of Early Care Differences and Risk of Post-Maxillary Advancement VPI in Individuals With Cleft Palate.

Objective: To investigate whether differences in early cleft care increase risk of velopharyngeal insufficiency (VPI) after maxillary advancement.

Design: Retrospective cohort study.

Setting: Large pediatric tertiary care hospital.

Subventricular Accumulation of Cu in the Aging Mouse Brain Does Not Associate with Anticipated Increases in Markers of Oxidative Stress.

Natural aging is associated with mild memory loss and cognitive decline, and age is the greatest risk factor for neurodegenerative diseases, such as Alzheimer's disease. There is substantial evidence that oxidative stress is a major contributor to both natural aging and neurodegenerative disease, and coincidently, levels of redox active metals such as Fe and Cu are known to be elevated later in life. Recently, a pronounced age-related increase in Cu content has been reported to occur in mice and rats around a vital regulatory brain region, the subventricular zone of lateral ventricles.

Oral care methods to reduce salivary bacteria in infants undergoing cardiac surgery: A randomized controlled trial.

Background/purpose: Complications, such as postoperative pneumonia, can occur after pediatric cardiac surgery; however, studies on related changes in perioperative oral bacterial counts are scarce. Herein, we investigated the changes in oral bacterial counts before and after surgery in infants who underwent cardiac surgery, as well as after oral care using an antiseptic mouthwash.

Materials And Methods: A total of 102 infants who underwent congenital heart disease surgery were enrolled in this study.

Understanding Parental Perspectives on Childhood Hearing Impairment and Timely Interventions.

Objectives: Hearing impairment during childhood is a widespread health issue. Prompt recognition and timely intervention are vital for the advancement of language skills. Insufficient parental knowledge can lead to a delay in diagnosing and treating a condition, which can have a negative impact on academic performance.

Genetic Evidence of Killer Whale Predation on White Sharks in Australia.

Killer whales () have been documented to prey on white sharks (), in some cases causing localised shark displacement and triggering ecological cascades. Notably, a series of such predation events have been reported from South Africa over the last decade, with killer whales specifically targeting sharks' liver. However, observations of these interactions are rare, and knowledge of their frequency across the world's oceans remains limited.

Remote Monitoring in Heart Failure: Revolutionizing Patient Management and Outcomes.

Heart failure (HF) is a global health issue, contributing significantly to morbidity and mortality, particularly in North America. The management of HF is complex, requiring diligent monitoring to prevent decompensation and clinical progression. While there have been improvements in treating HF, it still leads to significant negative health outcomes and heavily contributes to the use of healthcare services.