Trends and factors associated with opioid prescribing from 2017 to 2023.

Widespread misuse of prescription opioids has resulted in large numbers of opioid-related overdose deaths. It is critical to have a better understanding of the temporal patterns of opioid prescribing practices and associated clinical scenarios. We examined opioid prescription trends over 7 years in a large medical system using electronic health record data.

A Comprehensive Scoping Review of Technology in the Care of Historically Marginalized Populations With Asthma: A Work Group Report of the AAAAI Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee.

Background: Health care technology strategies are increasingly being used in research and clinical care in asthma. The use of technology in addressing asthma disparities has not been reported.

Objective: To determine the effect of technology in historically marginalized racial and ethnic populations with asthma.

Centering Health Equity in an Increasingly Digital Environment.

Health care has become increasingly digitized. Given that under-invested health systems and patient populations frequently have worse access to the newest innovations, there is concern that this digitalization may exacerbate preexisting health inequities. This article discusses the multiple ways that digital health may increase health inequities.

Patient Safety Event Risk and Language Barriers: A Scoping Review.

Patients who experience language barriers (LBs) may be at risk for patient safety events (PSEs). We conducted a scoping review of the literature to understand the risk for and type of PSEs in those who experience LBs. We searched PubMed, Web of Science, and Embase in October 2023.

Genome Sequence of Three Siphoviruses in the EE, GA and EA5 Actinobacteriophage Clusters: Biscayne, Bush and GreenIvy.

Bacteriophages Biscayne, Bush and GreenIvy were isolated from soil samples in Miami, FL using NRRL B-24224 as host. Transmission electron microscopy shows siphoviral morphologies for all three phages. Based on gene content similarity to other actinobacteriophages, they are assigned to the EE, GA and EA5 clusters, respectively.

Further Characterization of Lipase B from Ustilago maydis Expressed in Pichia pastoris: a Member of the Candida antarctica Lipase B-like Superfamily.

Lipases from the basidiomycete fungus Ustilago maydis are promising but underexplored biocatalysts due to their high homology with Candida antarctica lipases. This study provides a comprehensive characterization of a recombinant CALB-like lipase from U. maydis, expressed in Pichia pastoris (rUMLB), and compares its properties with those of the well-studied recombinant lipase B from C.

Microplate spectrophotometric method for regioselective lipase screening using structured triglycerides with punicic acid as probe.

In this study, we propose a continuous assay that provides a high-throughput, efficient method for screening the regioselectivity of lipases at the sn-1,3 and sn-2 positions on triacylglycerols (TAGs). This assay measures the specific hydrolysis rates at the primary and secondary positions of TAGs derivates containing oleic (O) and punicic (P) acids. The method is based on the absorbance ratio of released punicic acid from the hydrolysis of sn-POP (sn-1,3 regiospecific lipases) and sn-OPO (sn-2 regiospecific lipases).

Design of a Golden Gate Cloning Plasmid for the Generation of a Chimeric Virus-Like Particle-Based Subunit Vaccine Against Porcine Circovirus Type 2.

Porcine circovirus type 2 (PCV2) is a pervasive pathogen in the swine industry, leading to a spectrum of disorders known as porcine circovirus associated diseases (PCVAD). The PCV2 Cap protein contains critical antigenic epitopes and is the primary target for vaccine development. Current vaccines include inactivated viral particles and virus-like particles (VLPs), with experimental vaccines exploring various innovative approaches.

Recommendations for Clinicians, Technologists, and Healthcare Organizations on the Use of Generative Artificial Intelligence in Medicine: A Position Statement from the Society of General Internal Medicine.

Generative artificial intelligence (generative AI) is a new technology with potentially broad applications across important domains of healthcare, but serious questions remain about how to balance the promise of generative AI against unintended consequences from adoption of these tools. In this position statement, we provide recommendations on behalf of the Society of General Internal Medicine on how clinicians, technologists, and healthcare organizations can approach the use of these tools. We focus on three major domains of medical practice where clinicians and technology experts believe generative AI will have substantial immediate and long-term impacts: clinical decision-making, health systems optimization, and the patient-physician relationship.

Spectrophotometric assay for the screening of selective enzymes towards DHA and EPA ethyl esters hydrolysis.

Polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs), such as docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) and eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA), hold notable significance due to their pharmaceutical relevance. Obtaining PUFAs from diverse sources like vegetables, fish oils, and algae poses challenges due to the mixed fatty acid (FA) composition. Therefore, focusing on particular FAs necessitates purification and resolution processes.

Evaluation of a Primary Care-Integrated Mobile Health Intervention to Monitor between-Visit Asthma Symptoms.

Objectives:  This study aimed to evaluate implementation of a digital remote symptom monitoring intervention that delivered weekly symptom questionnaires and included the option to receive nurse callbacks via a mobile app for asthma patients in primary care.

Methods:  Research questions were structured by the NASSS (Nonadoption, Abandonment, Scale-up Spread, and Sustainability) framework. Quantitative and qualitative methods assessed scalability of the electronic health record (EHR)-integrated app intervention implemented in a 12-month randomized controlled trial.

Lessons learned from a multi-site collaborative working toward a digital health use screening tool.

Digital health has the potential to expand health care and improve outcomes for patients-particularly for those with challenges to accessing in-person care. The acceleration of digital health (and particularly telemedicine) prompted by the Coronavirus-19 (COVID-19) pandemic facilitated continuity of care in some settings but left many health systems ill-prepared to address digital uptake among patients from underserved backgrounds, who already experience health disparities. As use of digital health grows and the digital divide threatens to widen, healthcare systems must develop approaches to evaluate patients' needs for digital health inclusion, and consequentially equip patients with the resources needed to access the benefits of digital health.

Exploring the Telephone Call Experience of Patients with Non-English Language Preference in Primary Care vs. Specialty.

Background: Latine people, comprising 18.5% of the US population, constitute the largest ethnic minority group, with nearly one-third self-identifying as having non-English language preference (NELP). Despite the importance of the telephone in health care access, there is limited understanding of how NELP patients navigate telephone calls with primary and specialty care clinics.

Cloning, Expression, Characterization and Immobilization of a Recombinant Carboxylesterase from the Halophilic Archaeon, NCR-1.

Only a few halophilic archaea producing carboxylesterases have been reported. The limited research on biocatalytic characteristics of archaeal esterases is primarily due to their very low production in native organisms. A gene encoding carboxylesterase from NRC-1 was cloned and successfully expressed in .

Access challenges for patients with limited English proficiency: a secret-shopper study of in-person and telehealth behavioral health services in California safety-net clinics.

The recent growth of telehealth may be impacting access to care for patients, including those with limited English proficiency (LEP). Using a secret-shopper design, simulated patients contacted 386 safety-net clinics in California in both Spanish and English from February-March 2023. Callers stated that they were new patients seeking medication for depression, and they documented time to an appointment and available visit modalities (telehealth and in-person).