Perinatal dengue and Zika virus cross-sectional seroprevalence and maternal-fetal outcomes among El Salvadoran women presenting for labor-and-delivery.

BACKGROUND: Despite maternal flavivirus infections' linkage to severe maternal and fetal outcomes, surveillance during pregnancy remains limited globally. Further complicating maternal screening for these potentially teratogenic pathogens is the overwhelming subclinical nature of acute infection. This study aimed to understand perinatal and neonatal risk for poor health outcomes associated with flaviviral infection during pregnancy in El Salvador. METHODS: Banked serologic samples and clinical results obtained from women presenting for labor and delivery at a national referent hospital in western El Salvador March to September 2022 were used for this study. 198 samples were screened for dengue and Zika virus IgM, and statistical analyses analyzed demographic and clinical outcome associations with IgM positivity. RESULTS: This serosurvey revealed a high rate of maternal flavivirus infection-24.2% of women presenting for labor and delivery were dengue or Zika virus IgM positive, suggesting potential infection within pregnancy. Specifically, 20.2% were Zika virus IgM positive, 1.5% were dengue virus IgM positive, and 2.5% were both dengue and Zika virus IgM positive. Women whose home had received mosquito abatement assistance within the last year by the ministry of health were 70% less likely to test IgM positive (aOR = 0.30, 95%CI: 0.10, 0.83). Further, statistical geospatial clustering revealed transmission foci in six primary municipalities. Pregnancy complications and poor birth outcomes were noted among the dengue and/or Zika virus maternal infection group, although these outcomes were not statistically different than the seronegative group. None of the resulting neonates born during this study were diagnosed with congenital Zika syndrome. CONCLUSIONS: The high rate of Zika virus detected among pregnant women and the lack of Zika-specific neonatal outcomes monitoring during a non-outbreak year highlights the need for continued surveillance in Central America and among immigrant mothers presenting for childbirth from these countries. As changing climatic conditions continue to expand the range of the disease vector, asymptomatic screening programs could be vital to early identification of outbreaks and clinical management of cases.

Power to the People: Why person-generated health data is important for pharmacoepidemiology.

Person-generated health data (PGHD) are valuable to study outcomes relevant to everyday living, to obtain information not otherwise available, for long-term follow-up and in situations where decisions cannot wait for traditional clinical research to be completed. While there is no dispute that these data are subject to bias, insights gained may be better than an information void, provided the biases are understood and acknowledged. People will share information known uniquely to them about exposures that may affect drug tolerance, safety and effectiveness, e.g., using non-prescription and complementary medications, alcohol, tobacco, illicit drugs, exercise, etc. Patients may be the best source of safety information when long-term follow-up is needed, e.g., the 5-15-year follow-up required for some gene therapies. Validation studies must be performed to evaluate what people can accurately report and when supplementary confirmation information is needed. But PGHD has already proven valuable in quantifying and contrasting COVID-19 vaccine benefits and risks, and for evaluating disease transmission and the accuracy of COVID-19 testing. Going forward, PGHD will be used for patient-measured and patient-relevant outcomes, including regulatory purposes, and will be linked to broader health data networks using tokenization, becoming a mainstay for signals about risks and benefits for diverse populations.

Antibody Seroprevalence to Spotted Fever Group Rickettsiae in Miraflores, Colombia: A Cross-Sectional Study in Humans and Dogs.

Tick-borne disease burdens are increasing globally, impacting mostly rural and vulnerable communities. Among the most important emerging tick-borne pathogens are the Rickettsia species within the spotted fever group (SFGR) because of their genetic diversity and high lethality rate. Colombia is highly affected by SFGR despite not being reportable diseases; thus, research and clinical management are neglected. Although some departments have demonstrated high seroprevalence rates, in others, such as Boyacá Department, seroprevalence is unknown. Rickettsioses have not been described in Boyacá since 1943, and conversations with local physicians raised suspicions of recent undiagnosed disease compatible with rickettsiosis in some rural areas of the department, warranting epidemiological investigation. Using biobanked human and canine samples from a previous 2021 vector-borne disease study in Miraflores municipality, Boyacá, we had an opportunity to unearth SFGR's exposure in the region. Samples were evaluated using IgG indirect fluorescent assays against SFGR and complemented by survey questionnaires evaluating associated factors. Findings yielded first-time SFGR serological evidence in Boyacá with a 26.5% seroprevalence among dogs and a 20.4% among humans. Human and dog seroprevalences were positively associated, suggesting the presence of domestic transmission. Owning a greater number of domestic animals (prevalence ratio adjusted for all measured factors [aPR], 1.52) and living near crop fields (aPR, 7.77) were associated with an increased likelihood of household seropositivity. Our findings are consistent with the literature in Colombia, uncovering a suspected region where the disease is endemic. Future studies are warranted to continue defining high-risk areas to determine public health intervention plans.

Spotted Fever Group Rickettsia spp. Molecular and Serological Evidence among Colombian Vectors and Animal Hosts: A Historical Review.

Spotted fever group Rickettsia spp. (SFGR) are a large group of tick-borne bacteria causing important emerging and re-emerging diseases that affect animals and humans. While SFGR are found worldwide, a lack of surveillance and misdiagnosis particularly affect South American countries. Colombia is a high burdened country in South America, yet rickettsioses are not deemed a nationally reportable condition limiting disease-specific public health resources. As mortality rates are high for one Rickettsia pathogen species, there is a great need to better understand the epidemiological and ecological factors that increase SFGR transmission risk regionally. This literature review provides an overview of Colombia-based SFGR studies connecting knowledge about both vectors and hosts.

Human Gingival Fibroblast Growth and Function in Response to Laser-Induced Meso-and Microscale Hybrid Topography on Dental Implant Healing Abutments.

PURPOSE: Laser-created titanium surface topographies enhance soft tissue attachment and implant stability. However, knowledge about the underlying mechanisms governing the tissue-level reaction is lacking. The objective of this study was to examine the behavior and function of human gingival fibroblasts growing on healing abutments with or without laser-textured topography. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Human primary gingival connective tissue fibroblasts were cultured on healing abutments with machined or laser-textured (Laser-Lok, BioHorizons) surfaces. Cellular and molecular responses were evaluated by cell density assay (WST-1), fluorescence microscopy, qRT-PCR, and detachment test. RESULTS: The machined surface showed mono-directional traces and scratches from milling, whereas the laser-textured surface showed a distinct morphology consisting of mono-directional meso-scale channels (15 µm pitch) and woven, oblique micro-ridges formed within the channel. There were no differences in initial fibroblast attachment, subsequent fibroblast proliferation, nor collagen production between the machined and laser-textured surfaces. Fibroblasts growing on laser-textured surface spread mono-directionally along the meso-channels, while cells growing on machined surfaces spread randomly. Fibroblasts on laser-textured surfaces were 1.8-times more resistant to detachment than those on machined surfaces. An adhesive glycoprotein (fibronectin) and trans-membrane adhesion linker gene (integrin beta-1) were upregulated on laser-textured surfaces. CONCLUSIONS: The increased fibroblast retention, uniform growth, increased transcription of cell adhesion proteins compellingly explain the enhanced tissue-level response to laser-created, hybrid textured titanium surfaces. These results provide a cellular and molecular rationale for the tissue reaction to this unique surface and support its extended use from implant fixtures and healing abutments to diverse prosthetic components where enhanced soft tissue responses would be desirable.

Physical activity and depressive symptoms during the fifth wave of COVID-19 pandemic: Implication for public policy and administrators.

Depression is a public mental health problem that can progress to suicidal ideation, literature suggests regular physical activity may ameliorate it. The study assessed the link between physical activity and depression symptoms during the fifth wave of the COVID-19 pandemic and the Academic Staff Union (ASU) strike among undergraduates. Four hundred and eighteen undergraduates were recruited and participated in the study. Participants completed the International Physical Activity Questionnaire-Short Form (IPAQ-SF) and Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) to measure depression severity. The result on PA showed that about one-third of the participants were inactive, above half were moderately active, while a few achieved high PA levels. Above one-fifth of the participants experienced minimal or no depression while a good percent had mild, moderate, moderately severe, and severe depression. Non-parametric tests between PA total score and depression total score with demographic variables were not significant. Spearman's correlation showed a strong negative relationship between PHQ-9 scores and IPAQ-SF scores. This suggests that a high PA level is associated with lower depression symptoms. The COVID-19 pandemic and the ASU strike experiences resulted in increased depression among undergraduates. The university administration needs to formulate an urgent policy to promote PA among undergraduates and provide treatment for the affected students.

Outcomes of SARS-CoV-2 and Seasonal Viruses Among Children Hospitalized in Brazil.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Understanding how severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) interacts with other respiratory viruses is crucial for developing effective public health strategies in the postpandemic era. This study aimed to compare the outcomes of SARS-CoV-2 and seasonal viruses in children and adolescents hospitalized with severe acute respiratory infection (SARI). METHODS: This population-based, retrospective cohort study included children and adolescents hospitalized with SARI from February 2020 to February 2023 in Brazil. The main exposure of interest was viral etiology. The primary outcome was in-hospital mortality. Competing risk analysis was used to account for time dependency and competing events. RESULTS: A total of 235 829 patients had available results of the viral tests, with SARS-CoV-2 predominance. According to the competing-risk survival analysis, the estimated probability of a fatal outcome at 30 days of hospitalization according to the viral strain was 6.5%, 3.4%, 2.9%, 2.3%, 2.1%, and 1.8%, for SARS-CoV-2, coinfection, adenovirus, influenza, other viruses, and respiratory syncytial virus, respectively. Individuals with a positive test for SARS-CoV-2 had hazard of death 3 times higher than subjects with a negative test (hazard ratio, 3.3; 95% confidence interval, 3.1-3.5). After adjustment by the competing-risk multivariable analysis, admission in Northeast and North regions, oxygen saturation <95%, and the presence of comorbidities were risk factors for death in all viral strains. CONCLUSIONS: SARS-CoV-2 infection had the highest hazard of in-hospital mortality in this pediatric cohort hospitalized with SARI. Regardless of viral etiology, the presence of underlying medical conditions was a risk factor for death.

Effectiveness, safety and cost-effectiveness of sacral neuromodulation for idiopathic slow-transit constipation: a systematic review.

AIM: Sacral neuromodulation (SNM) is a minimally invasive treatment option for functional constipation. Evidence regarding its effectiveness is contradictory, driven by heterogeneous study populations and designs. The aim of this study was to assess the effectiveness, safety and cost-effectiveness of SNM in children and adults with refractory idiopathic slow-transit constipation (STC). METHOD: OVID Medline, OVID Embase, Cochrane Library, the KSR Evidence Database, the NHS Economic Evaluation Database and the International HTA Database were searched up to 25 May 2023. For effectiveness outcomes, randomized controlled trials (RCTs) were selected. For safety outcomes, all study designs were selected. For cost-effectiveness outcomes, trial- and model-based economic evaluations were selected for review. Study selection, risk of bias and quality assessment, and data extraction were independently performed by two reviewers. For the intervention 'sacral neuromodulation' effectiveness outcomes included defaecation frequency and constipation severity. Safety and cost-effectiveness outcomes were, respectively, adverse events and incremental cost-effectiveness ratios. RESULTS: Of 1390 records reviewed, 67 studies were selected for full-text screening. For effectiveness, one cross-over and one parallel-group RCT was included, showing contradictory results. Eleven studies on safety were included (four RCTs, three prospective cohort studies and four retrospective cohort studies). Overall infection rates varied between 0% and 22%, whereas reoperation rates varied between 0% and 29%. One trial-based economic evaluation was included, which concluded that SNM was not cost-effective compared with personalized conservative treatment at a time horizon of 6 months. The review findings are limited by the small number of available studies and the heterogeneity in terms of study populations, definitions of refractory idiopathic STC and study designs. CONCLUSION: Evidence for the (cost-)effectiveness of SNM in children and adults with refractory idiopathic STC is inconclusive. Reoperation rates of up to 29% were reported.

AttnPep: A Self-Attention-Based Deep Learning Method for Peptide Identification in Shotgun Proteomics.

In shotgun proteomics, the proteome search engine analyzes mass spectra obtained by experiments, and then a peptide-spectra match (PSM) is reported for each spectrum. However, most of the PSMs identified are incorrect, and therefore various postprocessing software have been developed for reranking the peptide identifications. Yet these methods suffer from issues such as dependency on distribution, reliance on shallow models, and limited effectiveness. In this work, we propose AttnPep, a deep learning model for rescoring PSM scores that utilizes the Self-Attention module. This module helps the neural network focus on features relevant to the classification of PSMs and ignore irrelevant features. This allows AttnPep to analyze the output of different search engines and improve PSM discrimination accuracy. We considered a PSM to be correct if it achieves a q-value <0.01 and compared AttnPep with existing mainstream software PeptideProphet, Percolator, and proteoTorch. The results indicated that AttnPep found an average increase in correct PSMs of 9.29% relative to the other methods. Additionally, AttnPep was able to better distinguish between correct and incorrect PSMs and found more synthetic peptides in the complex SWATH data set.

Eco-epidemiology of Rickettsia amblyommatis and Rickettsia parkeri in naturally infected ticks (Acari: Ixodida) from South Carolina.

BACKGROUND: Spotted fever group Rickettsia (SFGR) is the largest group of Rickettsia species of clinical and veterinary importance emerging worldwide. Historically, SFGR cases were linked to Rickettsia rickettsii, the causal agent of Rocky Mountain spotted fever; however, recently discovered species Rickettsia parkeri and Rickettsia amblyommatis have been shown to cause a wide range of clinical symptoms. The role of R. amblyommatis in SFGR eco-epidemiology and the possible public health implications remain unknown. METHODS: This study evaluated statewide tick surveillance and land-use classification data to define the eco-epidemiological relationships between R. amblyommatis and R. parkeri among questing and feeding ticks collected across South Carolina between 2021 and 2022. Questing ticks from state parks and feeding ticks from animal shelters were evaluated for R. parkeri and R. amblyommatis using reverse transcriptase quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) on pooled samples. A Bayesian multivariable logistic regression model for pool testing data was used to assess associations between R. parkeri or R. amblyommatis infection and land-use classification variables among questing ticks. The Spearman correlation was used to evaluate the relationship between the two tested pathogens. RESULTS: The infection prevalence for R. amblyommatis was 24.8% (23.4-26.3%) among questing ticks, and 39.5% (37.4-42.0%) among feeding ticks; conversely, for R. parkeri it was 19.0% (17.6-20.5%) among questing ticks and 22.4% (20.3-24.5%) among feeding ticks. A negative, refractory correlation was found between the species, with ticks significantly more likely to contain one or the other pathogen, but not both simultaneously. The Bayesian analysis revealed that R. amblyommatis infection was positively associated with deciduous, evergreen, and mixed forests, and negatively associated with hay and pasture fields, and emergent herbaceous wetlands. Rickettsia parkeri infection was positively associated with deciduous, mixed, and evergreen forests, herbaceous vegetation, cultivated cropland, woody wetlands, and emergent herbaceous wetlands, and negatively associated with hay and pasture fields. CONCLUSIONS: This is the first study to evaluate the eco-epidemiological factors driving tick pathogenicity in South Carolina. The negative interactions between SFGR species suggest the possible inhibition between the two pathogens tested, which could have important public health implications. Moreover, land-use classification factors revealed environments associated with tick pathogenicity, highlighting the need for tick vector control in these areas.

Niobium Carbide and Tantalum Carbide as Nitrogen Reduction Electrocatalysts: Catalytic Activity, Carbophilicity, and the Importance of Intermediate Oxidation States.

Significant interest in the electrocatalytic reduction of molecular nitrogen to ammonia (the nitrogen reduction reaction: NRR) has focused attention on transition metal carbides as possible electrocatalysts. However, a fundamental understanding of carbide surface structure/NRR reactivity relationships is sparse. Herein, electrochemistry, DFT-based calculations, and in situ photoemission studies demonstrate that NbC, deposited by magnetron sputter deposition, is active for NRR at pH 3.2 but only after immersion of an ambient-induced Nb2O5 surface layer in 0.3 M NaOH, which leaves Nb suboxides with niobium in intermediate formal oxidation states. Photoemission data, however, show that polarization to -1.3 V vs Ag/AgCl restores the Nb2O5 overlayer, correlating with electrochemical measurements showing inhibition of NRR activity under these conditions. In contrast, a similar treatment of a sputter-deposited TaC sample in 0.3 M NaOH fails to reduce the ambient-induced Ta2O5 surface layer, and TaC is inactive for NRR at potentials more positive than -1.0 V even though a significant cathodic current is observed. A TaC sample with surface oxide partially reduced by Ar ion sputtering in UHV prior to in situ transfer to UHV exhibits a restored Ta2O5 surface layer after electrochemical polarization to -1.0 V vs Ag/AgCl. The electrochemical and photoemission results are in accord with DFT-based calculations indicating greater N≡N bond activation for N2 bound end-on to Nb(IV) and Nb(III) sites than for N2 bound end-on to Nb(V) sites. Thus, theory and experiment demonstrate that with respect to NbC, the formation and stabilization of intermediate (non-d0) oxidation states for surface transition metal ions is critical for N≡N bond activation and NRR activity. Additionally, the Nb suboxide surface, formed by immersion in 0.3 M NaOH of ambient-exposed NbC, is shown to undergo reoxidation to catalytically inactive Nb2O5 at -1.3 V vs Ag/AgCl, possibly due to hydrolysis or other, as yet not understood, phenomena.

m5UMCB: Prediction of RNA 5-methyluridine sites using multi-scale convolutional neural network with BiLSTM.

As a prevalent RNA modification, 5-methyluridine (m5U) plays a critical role in diverse biological processes and disease pathogenesis. High-throughput identification of m5U typically relies on labor-intensive biochemical experiments using various sequencing-based techniques, which are not only time-consuming but also expensive. Consequently, there is a pressing need for more efficient and cost-effective computational methods to complement these high-throughput techniques. In this study, we present m5UMCB, a novel approach that harnesses a multi-scale convolutional neural network (CNN) in tandem with bidirectional long short-term memory (BiLSTM) to recognize m5U sites. Our method involves segmenting RNA sequences into smaller fragments based on a 3-mer length and subsequently mapping each fragment to a lower-dimensional vector representation using the global vectors for word representation (GloVe) technique. Through a series of multi-scale convolution and pooling operations, local features are extracted from RNA sequences and transformed into abstract, high-level features. The feature matrix is then inputted into a BiLSTM network, enabling the capture of contextual information and long-term dependencies within the sequence. Ultimately, a fully connected layer is employed to classify m5U sites. The validation results from 5-fold cross-validation (5-fold CV) test indicate that m5UMCB outperforms existing state-of-the-art predictive methods, demonstrating a 1.98% increase in the area under ROC curve (AUC) and significant improvements in relevant evaluation metrics. We are confident that m5UMCB will serve as a valuable tool for m5U prediction.

Human spotted fever group Rickettsia seroprevalence and associated epidemiologic factors among diverse, marginalized populations in South Carolina.

Illness caused by spotted fever group Rickettsia (SFGR) is increasing nationally, with affluent, white residents most likely to be diagnosed. The common under-representativeness of marginalized populations in research studies and these vulnerable populations' health inequities make veritable epidemiologic risk factor profiling challenging, which inhibits equitable public health intervention. The current study leveraged 749 banked sera and associated surveys from a cross-sectional minority-represented COVID-19 study to perform an SFGR seroprevalence investigation. SFGR titers (1:64, 1:128, 1:256, 1:512, and 1:1024) were measured using commercially available indirect fluorescent antibody slides-SFGR positive cases were defined as titers ≥1:128. Multivariable logistic regression and Getis-Ord-Gi* hotspot analyses were used to identify seropositivity-associated factors and determine seropositive clusters. Among a mostly minority and lower socioeconomic population, a 3.4 % SFGR seropositivity was noted at the ≥1:128 titer level. Male gender (Odds Ratio (OR): 3.20; adjusted Odds Ratio (aOR)s: 3.73), age (aOR: 1.05), any frequency of tick bite (OR: 2.29), and spending time working outdoors (OR: 5.05) were associated with SFGR IgG seropositivity. Moreover, the geospatial analysis showed clusters of seropositivity in areas where previous case reports occurred, suggesting potential endemic foci.

Physicochemical and bacteriological assessment of Wupa wastewater treatment plant effluent and the effluent-receiving Wupa River in Abuja, Nigeria.

The occurrence of pathogens in discharged wastewater effluent may constitute potential public health risks. This study assessed the physicochemical and bacteriological characteristics of water samples taken from the Wupa River in Abuja, Nigeria, which receives the final effluent of the Wupa Wastewater Treatment Plant. Sixty sewage/water samples were collected over 12 months from five sampling points. Coliform bacteria and Escherichia coli were simultaneously enumerated using the membrane filtration technique and Chromocult Coliform Agar. HANNA multiparameter metre was used to measure the physicochemical parameters including temperature, pH, electrical conductivity (EC), dissolved oxygen (DO) and total dissolved solids (TDS). Results of the bacteriological analysis showed that impermissible high mean counts of E. coli (≥ 1.2 × 104 CFU/100 ml) and total coliforms (≥ 5.4 × 104 CFU/100 ml) were detected in 95% and 100% of the water samples respectively. These values exceed the acceptable standard limits. The mean values of physicochemical parameters ranged from 6.3 to 8.7, 20.9 to 27.3 °C, 116 to 325.0 µS/cm, 1.3 to 11.4 mg/l and 98.0 to 180.0 mg/l for pH, temperature, EC, DO and TDS respectively, with all conforming to international and national standards. Wupa River seems to have a minor negative environmental impact, per the physicochemical data obtained in this study. However, the high counts of faecal indicator bacteria demonstrated in the effluent samples were higher than those of the river at both upstream and downstream sites, implying that the river microbial load may increase to constitute an unchecked environmental hazard. Adequate disinfection of the Wupa plant effluent before discharge into the Wupa River is imperative.

Sacral Neuromodulation Versus Conservative Treatment for Refractory Idiopathic Slow-transit Constipation: The Randomized Clinical No.2-Trial.

OBJECTIVE: Assess the effectiveness of sacral neuromodulation (SNM) versus personalized conservative treatment (PCT) in patients with refractory idiopathic slow-transit constipation (STC). SUMMARY BACKGROUND DATA: Evidence on SNM for idiopathic STC is conflicting and of suboptimal methodological quality. METHODS: The No.2-Trial was a multicenter, open-label, pragmatic, randomized trial performed in two Dutch hospitals. Sixty-seven patients with idiopathic STC, a defecation frequency <3 per week and refractory (i.e. unresponsive) to maximal conservative (non-operative) treatment were included. Exclusion criteria included outlet obstruction, rectal prolapse, and previous colon surgery. Patients were randomized (3:2) to SNM (n=41) or PCT (n=26) with randomization minimization between Feb 21, 2017 and Mar 12, 2020. In SNM patients an implantable pulse generator was implanted after a successful four-week test stimulation. PCT patients received conservative treatment such as laxatives or retrograde colonic irrigation. The primary outcome was treatment success (defined as average defecation frequency ≥3 per week) after six months. Secondary outcomes included constipation severity, fatigue, quality of life (QOL) and adverse events. Analysis was according to intention-to-treat. RESULTS: After six months, 22 (53.7%) patients were successfully treated with SNM versus 1 (3.8%) patient with PCT (odds ratio 36.4, 95% CI 3.4-387.5, P=0.003). At six months, SNM patients reported lower constipation severity and fatigue scores (P<0.001) and improved QOL compared with PCT (P<0.001). Eight serious adverse events (6 SNM, 2 PCT) and 78 adverse events (68 SNM, 10 PCT) were reported. CONCLUSIONS: SNM is a promising surgical treatment option in a homogeneous group of adults and adolescents with refractory idiopathic STC. No.2-Trial registered at ClinicalTrials.gov NCT02961582.

Neighborhood Unsafety, Discrimination, and Food Insecurity among Nigerians Aged 15-49.

We investigated the association between discrimination, neighborhood unsafety, and household food insecurity (FI) among Nigerian adults, as well as the gender-specific differences in these associations. Our analysis utilized data from the 2021 Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey (MICS), comprising 56,146 Nigerian adults aged 15-49 (17,346 males and 38,800 females). For bivariate analysis, we employed the Rao-Scott chi-square test to examine the relationship between predictors (discrimination, neighborhood unsafety, and a composite variable of both) and the outcome variable (FI). Food insecurity was assessed using both a dichotomous measure (food insecure vs. food secure) and a multinomial variable (food secure, mild FI, moderate FI, and severe FI). To model the association between predictors and FI while controlling for potential confounding factors, we utilized weighted binary and multinomial logistic regression. Among Nigerian adults, the prevalence of having ever experienced FI was 86.1%, with the prevalence of mild FI, moderate FI, and severe FI being 11.5%, 30.1%, and 44.5%, respectively. In the binary model, experiencing discrimination (OR = 1.36, 95% CI = 1.19-1.55), living in an unsafe neighborhood (OR = 1.33, 95% CI = 1.14-1.54), and facing both discrimination and unsafe neighborhood conditions (OR = 1.97, 95% CI = 1.57-2.48) were significantly associated with FI. In the multinomial model, discrimination, neighborhood unsafety, and experiencing both remained associated with moderate and severe FI. In the gender-specific models, discrimination and neighborhood unsafety were found to be significantly associated with FI in women but not in men. This study underscores the importance of implementing policies and programs that address the underlying causes of food insecurity, with specific attention to discrimination and neighborhood safety concerns, particularly for Nigerian women.

Pulmonary Arterial Aneurysms and Thrombosis in a Young Male: A Rare Presentation of Behcet's Disease.

Behcet's disease (BD) is a chronic systemic inflammatory vasculitis with a relapsing and remitting course. The disease predominantly affects males between the ages of 20 and 40 years. The disease is more prevalent in Middle Eastern and Asian countries but is less common in North American countries. BD typically presents as recurrent oro-genital ulcers and ocular inflammation. Pulmonary vasculitis with pulmonary arterial involvement is a unique manifestation, with most pulmonary manifestations occurring later in the disease course. Here, we report a case with pulmonary arterial aneurysms and variable arterial-venous thrombosis in a young African American Male diagnosed with BD after he presented with pulmonary manifestations. This report emphasizes that a high index of suspicion is needed to diagnose a rare condition with such variable manifestations as Behcet's disease and that early detection and immunosuppression therapy can confer improved prognosis.

MPFFPSDC: A multi-pooling feature fusion model for predicting synergistic drug combinations.

Drug combination therapies are common practice in the treatment of cancer, but not all combinations result in synergy. As traditional screening approaches are restricted in their ability to uncover synergistic drug combinations, computer-aided medicine is becoming a increasingly prevalent in this field. In this work, a predictive model of potential interactions between drugs named MPFFPSDC is presented, which can maintain the symmetry of drug inputs and eliminate inconsistencies in predictive results caused by different drug inputting sequences or positions. The experimental results show that MPFFPSDC outperforms comparative models in major performance indicators and exhibits better generalization for independent data. Furthermore, the case study demonstrates that our model can capture molecular substructures that contribute to the synergistic effect of two drugs. These results indicate that MPFFPSDC not only offers strong predictive performance, but also has good model interpretability that may provide new insights for the study of drug interaction mechanisms and the development of new drugs.

First report of multiple Rickettsia sp., Anaplasma sp., and Ehrlichia sp. in the San Miguel Department of El Salvador from zoonotic tick vectors.

Neglected bacterial zoonoses are a group of Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTDs) that are commonly underdiagnosed and underreported due to their undifferentiated febrile illness symptomology. Spotted fever group rickettsioses (SFGR), a subset of tick-borne bacterial zoonoses, belong in this group. There is a dichotomy in the reporting and recognition of these pathogens in Central America: countries with reduced human development scores-like El Salvador-have little to no research or surveillance dedicated to these pathogens and the diseases they cause. This was the third-ever tick survey in El Salvador, highlighting the knowledge gap in this country. A total of 253 ticks were collected from 11 animals at two farm sites and one veterinary office. Standard and quantitative PCR were used to detect presence of SFGR, Ehrlichia, and Anaplasma sp. pathogens in ticks. Ehrlichia sp. were detected in 2.4% of all collected ticks and Anaplasma sp. were detected in 5.5% of all ticks. Rickettsia rickettsii was amplified in 18.2% of ticks, and amplicons similar to R. parkeri, and R. felis were found in 0.8% and 0.4%, of collected ticks, respectively. This is the first report of these pathogenic bacterial species in El Salvador. This study emphasizes the need for further surveillance and research including incorporating additional human seroprevalence and testing to understand the public health burden in this country.