Barriers and facilitators of integrated hepatitis B, C, and HIV screening among pregnant mothers and newborns attending maternal and newborn clinics in Koboko District, Uganda: a qualitative inquiry of providers' perspective.

Background: HIV and HBV remain significant public health challenges characterized by high prevalence, morbidity, and mortality, especially among women of reproductive age in Uganda. Patients with HBV do not receive routine counselling and education, and there are limited resources for laboratory investigation coupled with a high loss to follow-up. This study set out to assess barriers and facilitators of integrated viral hepatitis B C and HIV care model to optimize screening uptake among mothers and newborns at health facilities in Koboko District, west Nile sub-region, Uganda.

Examining the physical and psychological effects of combining multimodal feedback with continuous control in prosthetic hands.

Myoelectric prosthetic hands are typically controlled to move between discrete positions and do not provide sensory feedback to the user. In this work, we present and evaluate a closed-loop, continuous myoelectric prosthetic hand controller, that can continuously control the position of multiple degrees of freedom of a prosthesis while rendering proprioceptive feedback to the user via a haptic feedback armband. Twenty-eight participants without and ten participants with upper limb difference (ULD) were recruited to holistically evaluate the physical and psychological effects of the controller via isolated control and sensory tasks, dexterity assessments, embodiment and task load questionnaires, and post-study interviews.

Low-coverage whole genome sequencing of low-grade dysplasia strongly predicts advanced neoplasia risk in ulcerative colitis.

Background: The risk of developing advanced neoplasia (AN; colorectal cancer and/or high-grade dysplasia) in ulcerative colitis (UC) patients with a low-grade dysplasia (LGD) lesion is variable and difficult to predict. This is a major challenge for effective clinical management.

Objective: We aimed to provide accurate AN risk stratification in UC patients with LGD.

Acceptability and feasibility of shared medical appointments to support self-management of anxiety and depression in primary care in England: a qualitative study of service user/patient perspectives.

Objective: Shared medical appointments (SMAs) are an innovative care delivery method that provides delivery of clinical care while also supporting self-management. Their usefulness for mental health conditions has only briefly been explored, though early evidence demonstrates their utility for supporting mental health management. Therefore, this study set out to better understand the views that adults with anxiety and depression have towards SMAs as a way of receiving care to support self-management in primary care.

Barriers and enablers encountered by bereaved informal motor neuron disease (MND) caregivers when trying to access bereavement support: a qualitative cross-sectional thematic analysis of semistructured interviews with 6-36 months postbereavement informal MND caregivers in the UK.

Background: Caregivers of people with motor neuron disease (MND) face more negative consequences of caregiving than other terminal illnesses. The impact of this caregiver burden can negatively influence bereavement outcomes.

Objectives: This study aims to explore the support needs of caregivers of people with MND, the types of bereavement services they use, or the reasons for not using bereavement services, and understanding the opportunities and barriers to accessing bereavement services.

Activation of G protein gated inwardly rectifying potassium (GIRK) channels in keratinocytes mediates peripheral kappa opioid receptor-mediated antinociception.

Kappa opioid receptors (KOR) expressed by peripheral pain-sensing neurons (nociceptors) are a promising target for development of effective and safer analgesics for inflammatory pain that are devoid of central nervous system adverse effects. Here we sought to delineate the signaling pathways that underlie peripheral KOR-mediated antinociception in adult male and female Sprague-Dawley rats. In an inflammatory model of pain, local intraplantar (i.

Measuring STEM Instructors' Learning of and Growth in Inclusive Teaching: Development and Evaluation of the STEM Faculty Inclusive Teaching Survey (FITS).

There is a growing emphasis for professional development programs that teach instructors about inclusive Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) practices and the impact of instructor and student identities on these practices. As instructors implement these practices, there is a need for instructors, departments, and faculty developers to measure instructor progress and to help identify next steps in improving inclusive STEM teaching. This study describes the development of the Faculty Inclusive Teaching Survey (FITS) using scale-development theory, frameworks using Clarke and Hollingsworth's interconnected model of professional growth and Dewsbury's Deep Teaching model, and higher-education STEM, Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, and professional development literature.

Simultaneous Unbinned Differential Cross-Section Measurement of Twenty-Four Z+jets Kinematic Observables with the ATLAS Detector.

Z boson events at the Large Hadron Collider can be selected with high purity and are sensitive to a diverse range of QCD phenomena. As a result, these events are often used to probe the nature of the strong force, improve Monte Carlo event generators, and search for deviations from standard model predictions. All previous measurements of Z boson production characterize the event properties using a small number of observables and present the results as differential cross sections in predetermined bins.

Measurement of Λ_{b}^{0}, Λ_{c}^{+}, and Λ Decay Parameters Using Λ_{b}^{0}→Λ_{c}^{+}h^{-} Decays.

A comprehensive study of the angular distributions in the bottom-baryon decays Λ_{b}^{0}→Λ_{c}^{+}h^{-}(h=π,K), followed by Λ_{c}^{+}→Λh^{+} with Λ→pπ^{-} or Λ_{c}^{+}→pK_{S}^{0} decays, is performed using a data sample of proton-proton collisions corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 9  fb^{-1} collected by the LHCb experiment at center-of-mass energies of 7, 8, and 13 TeV. The decay parameters and the associated charge-parity (CP) asymmetries are measured, with no significant CP violation observed. For the first time, the Λ_{b}^{0}→Λ_{c}^{+}h^{-} decay parameters are measured.

A Commitment to Gender Equity in Medicine: An American Medical Women's Association Position Paper.

The American Medical Women's Association (AMWA) highlights the ongoing gender inequities in the medical profession, particularly in pay, leadership roles, workplace treatment, and work-life integration. To present evidence of gender disparities in medicine, analyze their root causes, and propose strategies for fostering a more equitable and inclusive environment. Despite progress, women physicians continue to face significant disparities, including lower salaries, underrepresentation in leadership roles, and discrimination.

Wavefront aberrations in aging measured with Hartmann-Shack at 3- and 5-mm pupil sizes.

Significance: Visual acuity (VA) depends on many factors. When the goal is to assess retinal health rather than performance, then using a 3-mm pupil reduces unwanted wavefront aberrations. The axis of astigmatism can still potentially change with age.

Optically Transparent Carbon Electrodes for Single Entity Electrochemistry.

We demonstrate the application and benefit of optically transparent carbon electrodes (OTCEs) for single entity nanoelectrochemistry. OTCEs are prepared by pyrolyzing thin photoresist films on fused quartz coverslips to create conductive, transparent, thin films. Optical, electrical, topographical, and electrochemical properties of OTCEs are characterized to evaluate their suitability for single entity electrochemistry.

The significance of isolated de novo red patches in the bladder in patients referred with suspected urinary tract cancer: Results from the IDENTIFY study.

Objectives: To assess the contemporary malignancy rate in isolated de novo red patches in the bladder and associated risk factors for better selection of red patch biopsy.

Patients: Patients from the IDENTIFY dataset; Patients referred to secondary care with suspected urinary tract cancer and found to have isolated de novo red patches on cystoscopy.

Methods: We reported the unadjusted cancer prevalence in isolated de novo red patches that were biopsied; multivariable logistic regression was used to explore cancer-associated risk factors including age, sex, smoking, type of haematuria, LUTS, UTIs and a suspicious-looking red patch (as reported by the cystoscopist).

EyeLiner: A Deep Learning Pipeline for Longitudinal Image Registration Using Fundus Landmarks.

Objective: Detecting and measuring changes in longitudinal fundus imaging is key to monitoring disease progression in chronic ophthalmic diseases, such as glaucoma and macular degeneration. Clinicians assess changes in disease status by either independently reviewing or manually juxtaposing longitudinally acquired color fundus photos (CFPs). Distinguishing variations in image acquisition due to camera orientation, zoom, and exposure from true disease-related changes can be challenging.

The Histone Demethylase LSD1/ZNF217/CoREST Complex is a Major Restriction Factor of Epstein-Barr Virus Lytic Reactivation.

Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) contributes to ~1.5% of human cancers, including lymphomas, gastric and nasopharyngeal carcinomas. In most of these, nearly 80 viral lytic genes are silenced by incompletely understood epigenetic mechanisms, precluding use of antiviral agents such as ganciclovir to treat the 200,000 EBV-associated cancers/year.

A Pilot Trial of Tongue Reconstruction Using the Chimeric Innervated Vastus Lateralis Muscle and Antero-Lateral Thigh Free Flap.

Background: Subtotal and total glossectomies for advanced tongue cancer result in significant speech- and swallow-related morbidity, impairing quality of life. This prospective pilot study compares the safety and functional outcomes associated with using a chimeric innervated muscle and fasciocutaneous flap for soft tissue reconstruction.

Materials And Methods: A prospective, non-randomized controlled pilot study evaluated a standardized technique for tongue reconstruction using a chimeric innervated vastus lateralis muscle and anterolateral thigh fasciocutaneous flap.

All-reflective freeform microscope objective for ultra-broadband microscopy.

Conventional refractive microscope objective lenses have limited applicability to a range of imaging modalities due to the dispersive nature of their optical elements. Designing a conventional refractive microscope objective that provides well-corrected imaging over a broad spectral range can be challenging, if not impossible. In contrast, reflective optics are inherently achromatic, so a system composed entirely of reflective elements is free from chromatic aberrations and, as a result, can image over an ultra-wide spectral range with perfect color correction.

Practical management of adverse events in patients receiving tarlatamab, a delta-like ligand 3-targeted bispecific T-cell engager immunotherapy, for previously treated small cell lung cancer.

Tarlatamab is a bispecific T-cell engager immunotherapy targeting delta-like ligand 3 (DLL3) and the cluster of differentiation 3 (CD3) molecule. In the phase 2 DeLLphi-301 trial of tarlatamab for patients with previously treated small cell lung cancer, tarlatamab 10 mg every 2 weeks achieved durable responses and encouraging survival outcomes. Analyses of updated safety data from the DeLLphi-301 trial demonstrated that the most common treatment-emergent adverse events were cytokine release syndrome (53%), pyrexia (38%), decreased appetite (36%), dysgeusia (32%), and an emia (30%).

Knowledge and attitude of nosocomial infection prevention and control precautions among healthcare personnel at Kiruddu Referral Hospital in Kampala, Uganda.

Background: A key concern for global public health is nosocomial infections. Essential to the fight against nosocomial infection, is healthcare professionals' knowledge and attitudes. Therefore, this study investigated healthcare professionals' knowledge and attitudes toward nosocomial infection at the Kiruddu Referral Hospital, Kampala, Uganda.

Knowledge translation initiatives at the Transitional Pain Service: insights from healthcare provider outreach and patient education.

Evidence-based treatment of chronic pain requires a multidisciplinary approach grounded in the biopsychosocial model. Implementing this approach within health systems relies on its acceptance by both healthcare providers and patients. While pioneering multidisciplinary pain clinics can serve as a model for implementation, a systematic effort is needed to share knowledge effectively and broadly.

NLRX1 limits inflammatory neurodegeneration in the anterior visual pathway.

Chronic innate immune activation in the central nervous system (CNS) significantly contributes to neurodegeneration in progressive multiple sclerosis (MS). Using multiple experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE) models, we discovered that NLRX1 protects neurons in the anterior visual pathway from inflammatory neurodegeneration. We quantified retinal ganglion cell (RGC) density and optic nerve axonal degeneration, gliosis, and T-cell infiltration in Nlrx1 and wild-type (WT) EAE mice and found increased RGC loss and axonal injury in Nlrx1 mice compared to WT mice in both active immunization EAE and spontaneous opticospinal encephalomyelitis (OSE) models.

Residency training programs to support residents working in First Nations, Inuit, and Métis communities.

Background: To gain culturally appropriate awareness of First Nations, Inuit and/or Métis Health, research suggests that programs focus on sending more trainees to First Nations, Inuit and/or Métis communities Working within this context provides experiences and knowledge that build upon classroom education and support trainees' acquisition of skills to engage in culturally safe healthcare provision. This study examines residents' and faculty members' perceptions of how residency training programs can optimize First Nations, Inuit and/or Métis health training and support residents in gaining the knowledge, skills, and experiences for working in and with First Nations, Inuit and/or Métis communities.

Methods: A qualitative approach was used, guided by a relational lens for collecting data and a constructivist grounded theory for data interpretation.

A mutation in LXRα uncovers a role for cholesterol sensing in limiting metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis.

Liver x receptor alpha (LXRα) functions as an intracellular cholesterol sensor that regulates lipid metabolism at the transcriptional level in response to the direct binding of cholesterol derivatives. We have generated mice with a mutation in LXRα that reduces activity in response to endogenous cholesterol derived LXR ligands while still allowing transcriptional activation by synthetic agonists. The mutant LXRα functions as a dominant negative that shuts down cholesterol sensing.

Mutations in hnRNP A1 drive neurodegeneration and alternative RNA splicing of neuronal gene targets.

RNA binding protein dysfunction is a pathogenic feature of multiple neurological diseases, including multiple sclerosis (MS). Neurodegeneration (the loss of, or damage to neurons and axons) is the primary driver of disease progression in MS. Herein, we utilized a novel, neuron-specific model of neurodegeneration by transducing primary mouse neurons with mutant forms of the RNA binding protein heterogeneous nuclear ribonucleoprotein A1 (hnRNP A1) identified from MS patients, including one within the M9-nuclear localization sequence of hnRNP A1 (A1(P275S)) and a second in the prion-like domain of hnRNP A1 (A1(F263S)) to test the hypothesis that neuronal hnRNP A1 dysfunction drives neurodegeneration in MS.

Safety and Immunogenicity of Omicron Protein Vaccines in mRNA-Vaccinated Adolescents: A Phase 3, Randomised Trial.

Objectives: Safety and immunogenicity assessment of updated monovalent and bivalent SARS-CoV-2 vaccines in adolescents.

Methods: This phase 3, double-blinded study randomised 12-<18-year-old participants, who received ≥2 prior doses of an approved/authorised mRNA-based COVID-19 vaccine, 1:1 to receive NVX-CoV2601 (XBB.1.