The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the research productivity of K-awardees.

The COVID-19 pandemic disrupted many aspects of academic research, particularly for early career investigators striving for independence. This study examines geographic heterogeneity in the pandemic's impact on the publication productivity of recipients of National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute K01, K08, and K23 awards within Departments of Medicine across different states in the US using data from the National Institutes of Health RePORTER and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention COVID data tracker from 2015 to 2022. Findings indicate that while publication productivity increased steadily until 2020, it plateaued soon after.

Comparison of Periodic In-person ID Care to Daily Tele-ID Care at a Community Hospital.

Background: Access to infectious diseases (ID) specialists is absent in most US counties. Remote access to ID specialists via telemedicine is a potential alternative to in-person ID care, although comparative data are lacking. Armstrong Center for Medicine and Health, a 164-bed community hospital located in Armstrong County, Pennsylvania, that historically had periodic access to an in-person ID specialist every third business day established daily Tele-ID services in April 2020.

Epidemiology and Clinical Outcome of Common Multi-drug Resistant Gram-negative Bacterial Infections in a Network of Hospitals in India (IMPRES): A Multicenter Intensive Care Unit-based Prospective Clinical Study.

Background And Aims: India witnessed the exponential rise of antibiotic resistance due to the high burden of communicable disease. The Indian Council of Medical Research reported , and (PEAK organisms) as the most common gram-negative isolates, constituting 65.5% of total isolates.

A Home Hemodialysis Objective Structured Clinical Examination for Formative Assessment of Nephrology Fellows.

Key Points: Because of low patient numbers and uneven geographical distribution, nephrology fellows may not have experience caring for home hemodialysis (HHD) patients. We developed and preliminarily validated a formative HHD objective structured clinical examination. The objective structured clinical examination may be used to assess HHD curriculum and basic HHD clinical skills in individual fellows.

Home Hemodialysis Practice and Curriculum Recommendations Among Graduates of a Military Nephrology Training Program Without Home Hemodialysis Clinic Experience.

Introduction: The Advancing American Kidney Health Initiative set a goal that ≥80% of new end-stage kidney disease patients receive home dialysis or kidney transplant by 2025. Home hemodialysis (HHD) prevalence remains low, and one barrier may be a lack of familiarity with HHD among nephrologists and insufficient training during fellowship.

Materials And Methods: We performed an anonymous survey of 92/94 graduates from the Walter Reed military nephrology program (1984-2023) regarding their HHD practice and training.

Program Director and Nephrology Fellow's Perceptions of Home Hemodialysis Education in the United States.

Key Points: Our survey reports the existence of home hemodialysis (HHD) curricula, including didactic, outside HHD courses, shared decision-making training, and continuity clinics. Fellows attending outpatient clinics were more likely to be confident in their ability and prepared to manage HHD patients. The critical barrier to HHD education identified by program directors and fellows was insufficient patients.

Cardiovascular Outcomes in Patients on Home Hemodialysis and Peritoneal Dialysis.

Key Points: Home hemodialysis is associated with decreased risk of stroke and acute coronary syndrome relative to peritoneal dialysis. Home hemodialysis is associated with decreased risk of cardiovascular death and all-cause death relative to peritoneal dialysis.

Background: Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of morbidity and mortality in patients with ESKD.

Systematic Review of Per Person Violence Costs.

Introduction: Data on the long-term and comprehensive cost of violence are essential for informed decision making regarding the future benefits of resources directed toward violence prevention. This review aimed to summarize original per-person estimates of the attributable cost of interpersonal violence to support public health economic research and decision making.

Methods: In 2023, English-language peer-reviewed journal articles published in 2000-2022 with a focus on high-income countries reporting original per-person average cost of violence estimates were identified using index terms in multiple databases.

A facile alternative strategy of upcycling mixed plastic waste into vitrimers.

Chemical depolymerization has been identified as a promising approach towards recycling of plastic waste. However, complete depolymerization may be energy intensive with complications in purification. In this work, we have demonstrated upcycling of mixed plastic waste comprising a mixture of polyester, polyamide, and polyurethane through a reprocessable vitrimer of the depolymerized oligomers.

Optimal Care for Kidney Health: Development of a Merit-based Incentive Payment System (MIPS) Value Pathway.

The Merit-based Incentive Payment System (MIPS) is a mandatory pay-for-performance program through the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) that aims to incentivize high-quality care, promote continuous improvement, facilitate electronic exchange of information, and lower health care costs. Previous research has highlighted several limitations of the MIPS program in assessing nephrology care delivery, including administrative complexity, limited relevance to nephrology care, and inability to compare performance across nephrology practices, emphasizing the need for a more valid and meaningful quality assessment program. This article details the iterative consensus-building process used by the American Society of Nephrology Quality Committee from May 2020 to July 2022 to develop the Optimal Care for Kidney Health MIPS Value Pathway (MVP).

Toward highly effective loading of DNA in hydrogels for high-density and long-term information storage.

Digital information, when converted into a DNA sequence, provides dense, stable, energy-efficient, and sustainable data storage. The most stable method for encapsulating DNA has been in an inorganic matrix of silica, iron oxide, or both, but are limited by low DNA uptake and complex recovery techniques. This study investigated a rationally designed thermally responsive functionally graded (TRFG) hydrogel as a simple and cost-effective method for storing DNA.

Sex and Racial/Ethnic Differences in Home Hemodialysis Mortality.

Key Points: Women on home hemodialysis have higher 1-year mortality than men, and women and men have comparable survival on long-term follow-up. Compared with White patients on home hemodialysis, there was no difference in all-cause mortality for Black patients, Hispanics, or Native Americans. Among patients undergoing home hemodialysis, Asians had a lower risk of all-cause mortality than White patients.

In-Person Versus Tele-Infectious Disease (Tele-ID) Care: Is One Better?

We compared outcomes at 3 community hospitals before and after switching from in-person to a Tele-ID group from an academic medical center. Compared to in-person, Tele-ID received significantly more consultations with similar outcomes for length of hospital stay, transfers, readmission, and mortality. Tele-ID is a suitable alternative for community settings.

Kidney dysfunction requiring dialysis is a heterogeneous syndrome: we should treat it like one.

Purpose Of Review: Advanced kidney failure requiring dialysis, commonly labeled end-stage kidney disease or chronic kidney disease stage 5D, is a heterogeneous syndrome -a key reason that may explain why: treating advanced kidney dysfunction is challenging and many clinical trials involving patients on dialysis have failed, thus far. Treatment with dialytic techniques - of which maintenance thrice-weekly hemodialysis is most commonly used - is broadly named kidney 'replacement' therapy, a term that casts the perception of a priori abandonment of intrinsic kidney function and subsumes patients into a single, homogeneous group.

Recent Findings: Patients with advanced kidney failure necessitating dialytic therapy may have ongoing endogenous kidney function, and differ in their clinical manifestations and needs.

Highly Robust Interfacially Polymerized PA Layer on Thermally Responsive Semi-IPN Hydrogel: Toward On-Demand Tuning of Porosity and Surface Charge.

Hydrogel composites with skin layer that allows fast and selective rejection of molecules possess high potential for numerous applications, including sample preconcentration for point-of-use detection and analysis. The stimuli-responsive hydrogels are particularly promising due to facile regenerability. However, poor adhesion of the skin layer due to swelling-degree difference during continuous swelling/deswelling of the hydrogel hinders its further development.

Strategic Planning for Starting or Expanding a Home Hemodialysis Program.

The American Advancing Kidney Health Initiative has renewed interest in home hemodialysis (HHD). Many perceived barriers exist for adoption of HHD despite well-reported clinical benefits. A well-designed program ensures patient success further engaging more patients.

Comparative Study of USG and MRI in Evaluation of Isthmocele.

Objective: To study the presence of isthmocele in post-cesarean women using USG and MRI and its correlation with risk factors.

Method: This was a prospective observational study. A total of 90 patients were enrolled at the time of discharge of cesarean delivery and were advised to come for follow-up at 3-4 months for detection of isthmocele.

Effect of Transdermal Estradiol and Insulin-like Growth Factor-1 on Bone Endpoints of Young Women With Anorexia Nervosa.

Context: Anorexia nervosa (AN) is prevalent in adolescent girls and is associated with bone impairment driven by hormonal alterations in nutritional deficiency.

Objective: To assess the impact of estrogen replacement with and without recombinant human insulin-like growth factor-1 (rhIGF-1) administration on bone outcomes.

Design: Double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled 12-month longitudinal study.

Impact of Coronavirus Disease 2019 on Infectious Diseases Fellows in the United States: Perspectives From the First National Infectious Diseases Fellows Call.

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has affected many providers, but its impact on Infectious Diseases (ID) fellows in the United States is largely undescribed. In this study, we discuss key issues that emerged from the first national ID Fellows Call with respect to the ID fellow's role during the COVID-19 pandemic, teaching/learning, and research.

Heat Shock Protein 27 Injection Leads to Caspase Activation in the Visual Pathway and Retinal T-Cell Response.

Heat shock protein 27 (HSP27) is one of the small molecular chaperones and is involved in many cell mechanisms. Besides the known protective and helpful functions of intracellular HSP27, very little is known about the mode of action of extracellular HSP27. In a previous study, we showed that intravitreal injection of HSP27 led to neuronal damage in the retina and optic nerve after 21 days.

Clinical, microbiological, and radiographic evaluation of sealed carious dentin after minimal intervention in primary molars.

Background: In continuation with the ultraconservative minimal intervention approach for carious lesions treatment, lesion sterilization and tissue repair (LSTR) is a novel concept of using antibacterial drugs to disinfect dentinal, pulpal, and periapical lesions.

Aims: The purpose of this study is to evaluate the clinical, radiographic, and microbiologic success rate of indirect pulp treatment (IPT) using a new technique minimal excavation and LSTR with triple antibiotic paste (TAP), for primary molars.

Settings And Design: This was randomized controlled trial design.