Leveraging de-implementation science to promote infection prevention and stewardship: a roadmap and practical examples (Part II of II).

De-implementation of established practices is a common challenge in infection prevention and antimicrobial stewardship and a necessary part of the life cycle of healthcare quality improvement programs. Promoting de-implementation of ineffective antimicrobial use and increasingly of low-value diagnostic testing are cornerstones of stewardship practice. Principles of de-implementation science and the interplay of implementation and de-implementation are discussed in part I of this Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America White Paper Series.

Congenital hearing loss in Palestine: Mapping the socioeconomic and clinical factors on infant health in Gaza.

Introduction: Congenital hearing loss (CHL) is a significant chronic condition affecting children's development and communication skills. Globally, its incidence is 1.33 per 1000 newborns, but data from Gaza is limited, this study aims to investigate clinical profile, and risk factors associated with congenital hearing loss (CHL) in infants within the Gaza Strip, focusing on the period before the 2023 military escalation.

Influence of obesity and socio-linguistic factors on otitis externa treatment outcomes in children.

Background: Established risk factors for the development of otitis externa (OE) include stenotic ear canals, dermatologic disease and insertion of foreign objects. The link between obesity and susceptibility to different systemic diseases have been demonstrated, but not yet with OE.

Objective: This study was aimed at determining whether obese patients had OE infections that were more difficult to treat compared to normal weight children and investigate other measurable patient factors contributing to OE infection resolution in our unique patient population.

Lower risk of cardiovascular events in patients initiated on semaglutide 2.4 mg in the real-world: Results from the SCORE study (Semaglutide Effects on Cardiovascular Outcomes in People with Overweight or Obesity in the Real World).

Aims: In this first interim analysis of the SCORE study, we investigated the risk of major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE) among individuals with atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD) and overweight/obesity but without diabetes who initiated semaglutide 2.4 mg in real-world settings.

Materials And Methods: Individuals initiating semaglutide 2.

The systematic assessment of completeness of public metadata accompanying omics studies in the Gene Expression Omnibus data repository.

Background: Recent advances in high-throughput sequencing technologies have enabled the collection and sharing of a massive amount of omics data, along with its associated metadata-descriptive information that contextualizes the data, including phenotypic traits and experimental design. Enhancing metadata availability is critical to ensure data reusability and reproducibility and to facilitate novel biomedical discoveries through effective data reuse. Yet, incomplete metadata accompanying public omics data may hinder reproducibility and reusability and limit secondary analyses.

Structure, function and assembly of nuclear pore complexes.

The defining property of eukaryotic cells is the storage of heritable genetic material in a nuclear compartment. For eukaryotic cells to carry out the myriad biochemical processes necessary for their function, macromolecules must be efficiently exchanged between the nucleus and cytoplasm. The nuclear pore complex (NPC) - which is a massive assembly of ~35 different proteins present in multiple copies totalling ~1,000 protein subunits and architecturally conserved across eukaryotes - establishes a size-selective channel for regulated bidirectional transport of folded macromolecules and macromolecular assemblies across the nuclear envelope.

The mesocorticolimbic system in stimulant use disorder.

Stimulant Use Disorder (StUD) is a pervasive and extremely dangerous form of addiction for which there are currently no approved medications. Discovering treatments will require a deep understanding of the neural mechanisms underlying the behavioral effects of stimulant drugs. A major target is the mesocorticolimbic system.

Drugs linked to blepharitis, meibomian gland dysfunction, and chalazion: a real-world, population-based pharmacovigilance analysis.

Background: Blepharitis, meibomian gland dysfunction (MGD), and chalazia are common disorders impacting quality of life. This population-based, pharmacovigilance study aims to identify systemic drugs disproportionately linked to these disorders.

Methods: Data from the Food and Drug Administration Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS) were analysed (Q4 2003 to Q2 2024).

Repair of rotator cuff injuries using transosseous tunnels. Introduction to the technique, devices and other relevant points.

Rotator cuff injuries are common and procedures of repair have evolved from open techniques to minimally invasive and arthroscopic ones. Despite these advances, the biomechanics, biology, and value of transosseous repairs remain superior, leading to the development of innovative devices that enable the utilization of this technique without the use of anchors, improving both the efficiency and safety of the procedure. This article reviews the latest advances in transosseous rotator cuff repair, highlighting its biomechanical advantages, as well as the factors that enhance recovery and offer more consistent long-term outcomes.

Variations in Medical Clearance Testing for Mental Health Emergency Department Visits.

Background And Objectives: There are recommendations against routine medical clearance testing for children evaluated in the emergency department (ED) for mental health concerns. Our objective was to determine variation, factors, and costs associated with medical clearance testing during ED encounters for mental health concerns.

Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional study of ED encounters among children aged 5 to 18 years who presented to 35 US children's hospitals for mental health concerns (2016-2023).

Diverging trends in erythrocyte size elucidate cardiovascular evolution in stem dinosaurs and crocodilians.

Red blood cell (RBC) size constrains the rate of diffusion of gases between (i) the environment and the capillary beds of the gas exchanger and (ii) the blood and organs. In birds, small RBCs with a high surface area to volume ratio permit a high O diffusion capacity and facilitate sustained, vigorous exercise. Unfortunately, our knowledge of archosaur cardiovascular evolution is incomplete without fossilized RBCs and blood vessels.

Nonlinear acoustic phenomena tune the adults' facial thermal response to baby cries with the cry amplitude envelope.

Getting caregivers to respond to their pain cries is vital for the human baby. Previous studies have shown that certain features of baby cries-the nonlinear phenomena (NLP)-enable caregivers to assess the pain felt by the baby. However, the extent to which these NLP mobilize the autonomic nervous system of an adult listener remains unexplored.

A clinical and genotype-phenotype analysis of MACF1 variants.

Microtubule-actin cross-linking factor 1 (MACF1) is a large protein of the spectraplakin family, which is essential for brain development. MACF1 interacts with microtubules through the growth arrest-specific 2 (Gas2)-related (GAR) domain. Heterozygous MACF1 missense variants affecting the zinc-binding residues in this domain result in a distinctive cortical and brain stem malformation.

Cortical versus hippocampal network dysfunction in a human brain assembloid model of epilepsy and intellectual disability.

Neurodevelopmental disorders often impair multiple cognitive domains. For instance, a genetic epilepsy syndrome might cause seizures due to cortical hyperexcitability and present with memory impairments arising from hippocampal dysfunction. This study examines how a single disorder differentially affects distinct brain regions using induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC)-derived cortical- and hippocampal-ganglionic eminence assembloids to model developmental and epileptic encephalopathy 13, a condition arising from gain-of-function mutations in the SCN8A gene encoding the sodium channel Nav1.

Isatuximab for Relapsed and/or Refractory AL Amyloidosis: Results of a Prospective Phase 2 Trial (SWOG S1702).

Isatuximab is an IgG1k monoclonal antibody that binds with high affinity to CD38 expressed on plasma cells. Anti-CD38 antibodies have shown efficacy as monotherapy and in combination in a variety of settings for patients with multiple myeloma and light chain (AL) amyloidosis. This multi-center, cooperative group phase 2 trial was designed to evaluate hematologic response, organ response, and safety of isatuximab monotherapy for the treatment of relapsed AL amyloidosis.

Wearable bioelectronics for skin cancer management.

Wearable bioelectronics have transformed modern biomedical applications by enabling seamless integration with biological tissues, providing continuous, comprehensive, and personalized healthcare. Skin cancer, particularly melanoma, poses a significant clinical challenge due to its high metastatic potential and associated mortality. Traditional diagnostic approaches face limitations in accuracy, accessibility, and reproducibility, while existing treatments are often constrained by systemic toxicity and therapeutic resistance.

"Just Being Connected, It's Like a Way of Resisting": Latinx Youth Strengthening Cultural Ties as Resilience and Resistance in the Deep South.

Over the last decade, a range of research has demonstrated the detrimental impacts of policies criminalizing migration ("crimmigration") on Latinx mental health. In this study, we seek to examine youth perspectives on how crimmigration policies affect Latinx adolescents' connections to Latinx identity, culture, and communities and the implications for Latinx youth mental health. We explored how immigration enforcement policies affect Latinx youths' mental health using photovoice with ten youth in a high-deportation county in Atlanta in 2022.

Tumor microenvironment differences between diagnostic and relapsed classic Hodgkin lymphoma revealed by scRNA-seq.

Classical Hodgkin Lymphoma (CHL) is characterized by a complex tumor microenvironment (TME) that supports disease progression. While immune cell recruitment by Hodgkin and Reed-Sternberg (HRS) cells is well-documented, the role of non-malignant B cells in relapse remains unclear. Using single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) on paired diagnostic and relapsed CHL samples, we identified distinct shifts in B-cell populations, particularly an enrichment of naïve B cells and a reduction of memory B cells in early-relapse compared to late-relapse and newly diagnosed CHL.

Type 4 Macular Neovascularization (NV): A New Member of the Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT) Classification of NV Age-Related Macular Degeneration (AMD).

Purpose: To describe the clinical and multimodal imaging features of a novel form of macular neovascularization (MNV), designated Type 4 MNV, defined by mixed Type 1 and Type 2 neovascularization (NV), extensive intraretinal anastomotic NV, and central posterior hyaloid fibrosis (CPHF).

Methods: This multicenter retrospective observational case series included patients with neovascular age-related macular degeneration (AMD) exhibiting both Type 1 and 2 MNV and an overlying anastomotic intraretinal NV network. This was confirmed with OCT and OCT angiography (OCTA).

Evaluating antibody mediated opsonophagocytosis of bacteria via lab protocol: RAW 264.7 cell phagocytosis assay.

Assessing the phagocytosis of microbes by macrophages is an important component of studies of novel immunotherapeutics, antimicrobial drugs, immune effectors, or any immunology related research. Here we define two protocols for measuring in vitro phagocytosis by RAW 246.7 cells - a photographic phagocytosis assay that allows optical measurement of bacterial cells inside of the RAW 246.

Analysis of United Network for Organ Sharing: Neurodevelopmental Outcomes of Mechanical Circulatory Support as a Bridge-to-Transplantation in Pediatric Heart Transplant Recipients.

This analysis evaluates the longitudinal impact of extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) and ventricular assist device (VAD) on the progression of motor delay and cognitive delay in pediatric heart transplant recipients. The United Network for Organ Sharing Registry was queried for pediatric patients (<18 years) who received a heart transplant between 2008 and 2022 and were bridged-to-transplantation with either ECMO or VAD. Patients were further stratified based on the progression of delay status pretransplant to post-transplant.

The Role of Perceived Sleep Quality in Mental and Cognitive Health: A Study of Older Korean Americans Living in Subsidized Senior Housing.

This study examined the association between perceived sleep quality and mental and cognitive health among older Korean Americans residing in subsidized senior housing. Survey data from 318 participants (Mean age = 79.5, SD = 6.

Protocol for constructing an accessible exposure chamber for in vitro and in vivo modeling of airway environmental exposures.

Exposure systems to study the effects of environmental exposures can be costly to purchase and difficult to use. Here, we present an accessible and cost-effective approach to building an exposure chamber in the lab. We describe steps for constructing the exposure system and writing the code to run it and simple instructions for experiments using the system.