Notes

Medical top features of homozygous FIG4-p.Ile41Thr Charcot-Marie-Tooth 4J individuals.
5%. Both outcomes were associated with mechanical ventilation and periocular burn. The most frequent pathogenic microorganisms in the ocular surface were Candida parapsilosis, Acinetobacter baumanii, and Pseudomonas aeuroginosa. We did not observe any case of persistent epithelial defect, infectious keratitis, corneal perforation or corneal opacity in this cohort. Results from our study may benefit future patients by allowing better risk stratification and treatment strategies for the ocular surface care in burn units.Although many of the pioneers of present-day bioethics came from religious and theological backgrounds, the recent controversy about the role of religion in bioethics has elicited much attention. Timothy Murphy would ban religion from bioethics altogether. Much of the ado hinges on conflicting understandings of just what bioethics is and just what religion is. This paper attempts to make more explicit how the fields of bioethics and religion have been understood in this context, and how they should not be understood. We begin by looking at bioethics as a field its origins, purpose, scope, and its methods. We then examine the notion of religion, looking especially at its importance for bioethics. Humanity is not just Homo sapiens but also Homo religiosus. Religion is more than a code of ethics; it gives insight into many of the foundational matters of bioethics.Timothy Murphy has done those of us in the field of bioethics a great service by being forthright about how irreligious centers of power work against theology and theologians. This has opened the door to direct and honest conversation about some facts that were previously known (especially to theologians working in the field) but rarely discussed publicly. Now, eight years after Murphy's important article appeared in the American Journal of Bioethics, there is room to engage the facts and arguments surrounding the (lack of a) role for theology in the field. It is important, first of all, to agree that if theology is to be excluded while other normative traditions included this must be defended on the basis of a coherent set of defensible claims, not merely raw assertions and power plays. Once the field comes to terms with the fact that no coherent set of defensible claims exist which can justify excluding theology from the field, this will create the conditions for the possibility of the kind of intellectual solidarity which can transform bioethics into a field that is at once much more diverse and inclusive while also of its very nature interested in robust debate which includes references first principles and metaphysical foundations.
Ivermectin (IVM) plus albendazole (ALB), or IA, is widely used in mass drug administration (MDA) programs that aim to eliminate lymphatic filariasis (LF) in Africa. However, IVM can cause severe adverse events in persons with heavy Loa loa infections that are common in Central Africa. ALB is safe in loiasis, but more information is needed on its efficacy for LF. This study compared the efficacy and safety of three years of semiannual treatment with ALB to annual IA in persons with bancroftian filariasis.

Adults with Wuchereria bancrofti microfilaremia (Mf) were randomized to receive either three annual doses of IA (N=52), six semiannual doses of ALB 400mg (N=45), or six semiannual doses of ALB 800mg (N=47). The primary outcome amicrofilaremia at 36 months.

IA was more effective for completely clearing Mf than ALB 400mg or ALB 800mg (79%, CI 67-91; vs. 48%, CI 32-66 and 57%, CI 41-73, respectively). Mean % reductions in Mf counts at 36 months relative to baseline tended to be greater after IA (98%, CI 88-100) than after ALB 400mg (88%, CI 78-98) and ALB 800mg (89%, CI 79-99) (P=0.07 and P=0.06, respectively). Adult worm nest numbers (assessed by ultrasound) were reduced in all treatment groups. Treatments were well tolerated.

Repeated semiannual treatment with ALB is macrofilaricidal for W. bancrofti and leads to sustained reductions in Mf counts. This is a safe and effective regimen that could be used as MDA to eliminate LF in areas ivermectin cannot be used.
Repeated semiannual treatment with ALB is macrofilaricidal for W. bancrofti and leads to sustained reductions in Mf counts. This is a safe and effective regimen that could be used as MDA to eliminate LF in areas ivermectin cannot be used.
Current guidelines recommend community-wide mass azithromycin for trachoma, but a targeted treatment strategy could reduce the volume of antibiotics required.

48 Ethiopian communities were randomized to mass, targeted, or delayed azithromycin distributions. In the targeted arm, only children aged 6 months to 5 years with evidence of ocular chlamydia received azithromycin, distributed thrice over the following year. The primary outcome was ocular chlamydia at months 12 and 24, comparing the targeted and delayed arms (0-5 year-olds, superiority analysis) and the targeted and mass azithromycin arms (8-12 year-olds, non-inferiority analysis, 10% non-inferiority margin).

At baseline the mean prevalence of ocular chlamydia in the three arms ranged from 7-9% among 0-5 year-olds and from 3-9% among 8-12 year-olds. Averaged across months 12-24, the mean prevalence of ocular chlamydia among 0-5 year-olds was 16.7% (95%CI 9.0%-24.4%) in the targeted arm and 22.3% (95%CI 11.1%-33.6%) in the delayed arm (P=0.61). ThThe role of Fusobacterium nucleatum, often associated with intestinal diseases, in the remission of dextran sulfate sodium (DSS)-induced colitis was investigated. Female mice were divided into groups DC (DSS control) and DF (DSS + F. nucleatum). F. nucleatum (1.0 × 1010 cfu/mouse/day) in phosphate-buffered saline (PBS) was orally given to DF, while DC had PBS only. All mice had DSS in drinking water. In Experiment 1, mice underwent 2 inflammation phases, an in-between recovery phase and had their disease activity indices (DAI) calculated. Experiment 2 was similarly conducted, except that mice were dissected 3 days postrecovery, and had blood and colonic mucosal samples collected. In Experiment 1, DF had significantly (P less then .05) higher DAI than DC, during the recovery and 2nd inflammation phases. In Experiment 2, genus Bacteroides was significantly (P less then .05) higher and family Lachnospiraceae significantly lower in cecal mucosa-associated microbiota of DF than in that of DC. We concluded that F. nucleatum can impede colitis remission.
Despite increasing use of hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) for adults with sickle cell disease (SCD), little is known about pain management experiences throughout this process. The objective of this study was to explore patients' experiences with pain and pain management during and after HSCT for SCD.

We conducted a qualitative interview study with 10 patients who underwent HSCT for SCD. We transcribed interviews verbatim and inductively identified codes. We used thematic analysis alongside a constant comparative method to develop and refine a codebook that aided in the identification of themes.

Four key themes emerged. (1) The pain trajectory patients described a fluctuating course of pain during HSCT, which often extended long afterwards and impacted all aspects of life, particularly affected by pre-HSCT experiences; (2) The role of opioids-a double-edged sword patients described opioids as reducing pain but insufficiently to balance significant adverse effects and burden; (3) Patient-centered decision making in pain management patients described insufficient agency in decisions about opioid use and weaning; and (4) Consequences of health-related stigma patients described experiences with stigma, mainly related to opioid use and weaning, as similar to pre-HSCT.

From the perspective of patients who have undergone HSCT for SCD, clinicians should use a patient-centered approach, integrating non-opioid approaches into pain management, particularly psychosocial support. As transplant for SCD becomes increasingly available, incorporating patient perspectives may improve health care delivery and overall patient experiences.
From the perspective of patients who have undergone HSCT for SCD, clinicians should use a patient-centered approach, integrating non-opioid approaches into pain management, particularly psychosocial support. As transplant for SCD becomes increasingly available, incorporating patient perspectives may improve health care delivery and overall patient experiences.The Food & Drug Administration (FDA) is considering the permanent exemption of premarket notification requirements for several Class I and II medical device products, including several artificial Intelligence (AI)-driven devices. The exemption is based on the need to rapidly more quickly disseminate devices to the public, estimated cost-savings, a lack of documented adverse events reported to the FDA's database. However, this ignores emerging issues related to AI-based devices, including utility, reproducibility and bias that may not only affect an individual but entire populations. We urge the FDA to reinforce the messaging on safety and effectiveness regulations of AI-based Software as a Medical Device products to better promote fair AI-driven clinical decision tools and for preventing harm to the patients we serve.Energy supplementation may reduce oxidative stress by correcting a negative energy balance, but in some contexts, it has been shown to increase oxidative stress, especially at peak lactation. The current experiment examined if a pelleted energy supplement with or without the addition of Lactobacillus-fermented seaweed or seaweed plus terrestrial plants extracts affected oxidative stress of ewes from late gestation through to weaning and ewe and lamb production from lambing to weaning. Treatments were either no supplement (CON-), a pelleted supplement only (CON+, 100 g/ewe per d), CON+ with seaweed extract only (SWO, 10 mL/ewe per day), or CON+ with seaweed plus an arrangement of terrestrial plant extract (SWP, 10 mL/ewe per d). Ewes (n = 160; mean initial BW = 72.3 ± 9.5 kg [mean ± SD]) were randomized to pastures (n = 4 pastures per treatment with 10 ewes each). After lambing, ewes with twins were reallocated to pastures (n = 3 pastures per treatment with 10 ewes each) according to lambing date. At 4 wk in mition of Lactobacillus-fermented plant extracts (SWO and SWP) to improve antioxidant status.
Despite the promise of mobile health (mHealth), engagement is often too low for durable health behavior change, and little is known regarding why certain individuals abandon mHealth tools.

Guided by a mHealth engagement framework, we evaluated contextual predictors of objective engagement with an app for adolescents and young adults (AYA) who survived cancer.

One hundred and ten AYA survivors (M age = 20.5, 43% female, 30% racial/ethnic minority) were randomized to receive a disease self-management app that delivered 1-2 tailored messages/day for 16 weeks, and contained a survivorship care plan (SCP). Demographic, disease, psychosocial, and setting characteristics were examined as predictors of three objective engagement outcomes (a) % of active app days, (b) % of messages read, and (c) viewed SCP in the app versus not. A subsample (n = 10) completed qualitative interviews to further assess engagement barriers.

Self-reported uninterrupted app access (β = -0.56, p < .001), iPhone (vs. Android) ownership (β = 0.
Here's my website: