Racial and Socioeconomic Equity of Tecovirimat Treatment during the 2022 Mpox Emergency, New York, New York, USA.

We assessed tecovirimat treatment equity for 3,740 mpox patients in New York, New York, USA, during the 2022 mpox emergency; 32.4% received tecovirimat. Treatment rates by race/ethnicity were 38.8% (White), 31.3% (Black/African American), 31.0% (Hispanic/Latino), and 30.1% (Asian/Pacific Islander/other). Future public health emergency responses must prioritize institutional and structural racism mitigation.

The Role of a Tertiary Level Safety Net Hospital in New York City's 2022 Mpox Outbreak.

Similar to the early phases of the COVID-19 pandemic, New York City was the national epicenter of the ongoing 2022 mpox (formerly monkeypox) outbreak. Cases quickly began to rise in July 2022, primarily in gay, bisexual, or other men who have sex with men. Tools in the form of a reliable diagnostic test, an effective vaccine, and a viable treatment option have been available from the onset, although logistically complex to roll out. The special pathogens program at NYC Health + Hospitals/Bellevue, the flagship facility for the largest public hospital system in the United States, collaborated with multiple departments within Bellevue, the hospital system, and the NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, to swiftly establish ambulatory testing, immunizations, patient-centered inpatient care, and outpatient therapeutics. With the ongoing mpox outbreak, hospitals and local health departments must prepare a systemwide response to identify and isolate patients and provide high-quality care. Findings from our experience can help guide institutions in developing a multipronged, comprehensive response to the ongoing mpox outbreak.

Replication and transmission features of two experimental vaccine candidates against bovine tuberculosis subcutaneously administrated in a murine model.

Cattle vaccination is an attractive approach in compliance with control and eradication programs against Bovine Tuberculosis (bTB). Today, there is no anti bTB vaccine licensed. Two vaccine candidates, MbΔmce2 and MbΔmce2-phoP previously designed were evaluated in BALB/c mice, including the parental M. bovis NCTC10772 and a M. bovis hypervirulent Mb04-303 strains as controls. Sentinel mice (non-inoculated) cohoused with subcutaneous inoculated mice. Persistence, visible tuberculosis lesions (VTL) in lungs and spleens and bacillary load were investigated subcutaneously delivered at 60 and 90 days after inoculation (dpi) as well as their potential transmission to naïve mice. While a 100% survival was observed at 90 dpi without VTL in all groups, transmission was not evidenced in the sentinels mice. Vaccine candidates and control strains were isolated from the spleen of all inoculated mice, while Mb04-303 was isolated from the lungs of one inoculated mouse. Vaccine candidate's attenuation considering survival, lung bacillary load and VTL was confirmed, administrated by the subcutaneous route. Future experiments are necessary to demonstrate whether the persistence of both mutants in the spleen, with low CFU, remains over time to increase the potential increasing risk of dissemination to organs and subsequent transmission to other animals by airborne or other routes.

H65 fusion protein fails to improve the protection of a rationally attenuated live vaccine candidate against bovine tuberculosis in a mouse model of tuberculosis.

Background: The fusion protein H65, composed of Mycobacterium tuberculosis (TB) ESX-secreted antigens, has improved the bacillus Calmette-Guerin-induced immune protection in a mouse model of bovine TB when formulated in the liposomal adjuvant CAF01. In this study, we aimed to evaluate the protective efficacy of an attenuated Mycobacterium bovis strain - a mutant in mce2 and phoP genes - combined with H65+CAF01 immunization. We evaluated the protection of MbΔmce2-phoP alone or combined with H65+CAF01 against M. bovis challenge in mice. Methods: Groups of BALBc mice were inoculated with the vaccine candidates or phosphate buffered saline (PBS), and 6 weeks after the last immunization, the animals were aerogenically challenged with virulent M. bovis. Bacterial load in organs was counted after 45 days of the challenge. One-way analysis of variance and Bonferroni's posttest were used for statistical analysis. Results: All vaccinated mice showed reduced bacterial loads in lungs compared to unvaccinated animals. However, the protection level was similar between vaccinated groups. Conclusions: The MbΔmce2-phoP strain combined with three doses of H65+CAF01 induced equivalent protection than the MbΔmce2-phoP strain alone. Thus, the use of combined vaccination strategies requires a careful analysis of the potential interactions of each of their components with the host's immune system.

The subunit vaccine H65 + CAF01 increased the BCG- protection against Mycobacterium bovis infection in a mouse model of bovine tuberculosis.

H65, a fusion protein of three pairs of ESX-secreted antigens of Mycobacterium tuberculosis and Mycobacterium bovis, formulated with the liposomal adjuvant CAF01 has been shown to confer protection against M. tuberculosis infection in mice. In this study, we evaluated the impact of combining BCG with H65 + CAF01 immunization in a M. bovis mouse model of infection. We found that a BCG-H65 + CAF01/ H65 + CAF01 prime-boost scheme induced higher protection than BCG and H65 + CAF01 alone. Altogether, H65 antigen formulated in liposomal adjuvant improved the BCG-induced immune protection, thus making this vaccine strategy a promising tool to control bovine tuberculosis.

Comparison of Internal Patient Satisfaction Scores at a Cancer Center With Star Ratings on Online Physician-Rating Websites.

PURPOSE: Patients have been increasingly using physician-rating websites (PRWs); however, few studies have analyzed the validity of star ratings on PRWs. We aimed to compare PRW patient satisfaction scores with internally generated patient satisfaction scores (internal scores) of physicians at a large quaternary cancer center. METHODS: We collected internal scores and PRW scores for physicians at MD Anderson Cancer Center. Internal scores were based on patient responses to the Clinician and Group Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems patient experience (CG-CAHPS) survey. Only physicians with an internal score on the basis of ≥ 30 patient reviews were included. The median numbers of reviews and median scores were compared between internal data and four PRWs (Google, HealthGrades, Vitals, and WebMD). Both internally and on PRWs, possible scores ranged from 1 (least satisfied) to 5 (most satisfied). RESULTS: Of 640 physicians with an internal score, 510 (79.7%) met the inclusion criteria. For these 510 physicians, the median (IQR) number of internal reviews was 49.5 (30-93) and the median (IQR) internal score was 4.89 (4.81-4.93); the median number of reviews on PRWs ranged from 2 to 7, and the median score on PRWs ranged from 4.40 to 5.00. No physician had an internal score < 4, but the proportions with score < 4 on PRWs ranged from 16% to 30%. CONCLUSION: Internal patient satisfaction scores were higher and calculated from more reviews than PRW patient satisfaction scores and correlated weakly with PRW scores. Given that patients rely on PRWs when evaluating potential physicians, we recommend publishing internal scores online to give patients more complete information regarding physician performance.

Role of PhoPR in the response to stress of Mycobacterium bovis.

PhoP is part of the two-component PhoPR system that regulates the expression of virulence genes of Mycobacteria. The goal of this work was to elucidate the role of PhoP in the mechanism that Mycobacterium bovis, the causative agent of bovine tuberculosis, displays upon stress. An analysis of gene expression and acidic growth curves indicated that M. bovis neutralized the external acidic environment by inducing and secreting ammonia. We found that PhoP is essential for ammonia production/secretion and its role in this process seems to be the induction of asparaginase and urease expression. We also demonstrated that the lack of PhoP negatively affected the synthesis of phthiocerol dimycocerosates. This finding is consistent with the role of the lipid anabolism in maintaining the redox environment upon stress in mycobacteria. Altogether the results of this study indicate that PhoP plays an important role in the response mechanisms to stress of M. bovis.

Elimination of ESAT-6 and CFP-10 from a candidate vaccine against bovine tuberculosis impaired its protection efficacy in the BALBc mouse model.

Background: Bovine tuberculosis (bTB) is a zoonotic disease caused by Mycobacterium bovis that mainly affects cattle. Although vaccination is the most effective strategy to control bTB, it may interfere with the diagnosis of the infection. Therefore, ancillary tests to differentiate vaccinated from infected animals (DIVA) are essential in a cattle vaccination scenario. ESAT-6 and CFP-10 are the most promissory DIVA antigens. Method: In this study, we deleted esat6 and cfp10 genes from the M. bovis Δ mce2 live-attenuated vaccine candidate and evaluated its protection level against bTB in BALBc mice. Results: We found that the M. bovis strain mutant in mce2, esat-6 and cfp-10 failed to confer protection against virulent M. bovis challenge in a mouse model of tuberculosis. Conclusions: This result highlights the relevant role of ESAT-6 and CFP-10 in the induction of protective immune response against M. bovis infection and reveals the need of evaluating different strategies to compensate for the lack of these DIVA antigens in new vaccine formulations.

Does Mycobacterium bovis persist in cattle in a non-replicative latent state as Mycobacterium tuberculosis in human beings?

Members of the Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex (MTBC) are responsible for tuberculosis in several mammals. In this complex, Mycobacterium tuberculosis and Mycobacterium bovis, which are closely related, show host preference for humans and cattle, respectively. Although human and bovine tuberculosis are clinically similar, M. tuberculosis mostly causes latent infection in humans, whereas M. bovis frequently leads to an acute infection in cattle. This review attempts to connect the pathology in experimental animal models as well as the cellular responses to M. bovis and M. tuberculosis regarding the differences in protein expression and regulatory mechanisms of both pathogens that could explain their apparent divergent latency behaviour. The occurrence of latent bovine tuberculosis (bTB) would represent a serious complication for the eradication of the disease in cattle, with the risk of onward transmission to humans. Thus, understanding the physiological events that may lead to the state of latency in bTB could assist in the development of appropriate prevention and control tools.

Coronavirus (COVID-19): Patient experience-Administrative services on the frontline during crisis.

The COVID-19 pandemic has had a dramatic impact on care delivery among health care institutions and providers in the United States. As a categorical cancer center, MD Anderson has prioritized care for our patients based on acuity of their disease. We continue to implement measures to protect patients and employees from acquiring the infection within our facilities, and to provide acute management of cancer patients with concomitant COVID-19 infections who are considered at high risk of death. The Division of Patient Experience, formerly established in October 2016, has played an integral role in the institution's pandemic response from its inception. The team actively supported programs and processes in anticipation of the pandemic's effect on our patients and employees. We will describe how the team continues to serve in the ever-dynamic environment as we approach the expected surge in COVID-19 cases among our patient population, our employees, and in our community.

Correction to: A suite of automated tools to quantify hand and wrist motor function after cervical spinal cord injury.

The original article [1] contains several errors which the authors would like to rectify.

A Minimal Information Model for Potential Drug-Drug Interactions.

Despite the significant health impacts of adverse events associated with drug-drug interactions, no standard models exist for managing and sharing evidence describing potential interactions between medications. Minimal information models have been used in other communities to establish community consensus around simple models capable of communicating useful information. This paper reports on a new minimal information model for describing potential drug-drug interactions. A task force of the Semantic Web in Health Care and Life Sciences Community Group of the World-Wide Web consortium engaged informaticians and drug-drug interaction experts in in-depth examination of recent literature and specific potential interactions. A consensus set of information items was identified, along with example descriptions of selected potential drug-drug interactions (PDDIs). User profiles and use cases were developed to demonstrate the applicability of the model. Ten core information items were identified: drugs involved, clinical consequences, seriousness, operational classification statement, recommended action, mechanism of interaction, contextual information/modifying factors, evidence about a suspected drug-drug interaction, frequency of exposure, and frequency of harm to exposed persons. Eight best practice recommendations suggest how PDDI knowledge artifact creators can best use the 10 information items when synthesizing drug interaction evidence into artifacts intended to aid clinicians. This model has been included in a proposed implementation guide developed by the HL7 Clinical Decision Support Workgroup and in PDDIs published in the CDS Connect repository. The complete description of the model can be found at https://w3id.org/hclscg/pddi.

Rv2617c and P36 are virulence factors of pathogenic mycobacteria involved in resistance to oxidative stress.

In this study, we characterized the role of Rv2617c in the virulence of Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Rv2617c is a protein of unknown function unique to M. tuberculosis complex (MTC) and Mycobacterium leprae. In vitro, this protein interacts with the virulence factor P36 (also named Erp) and KdpF, a protein linked to nitrosative stress. Here, we showed that knockout of the Rv2617c gene in M. tuberculosis CDC1551 reduced the replication of the pathogen in a mouse model of infection and favored the trafficking of mycobacteria to phagolysosomes. We also demonstrated that Rv2617c and P36 are required for resistance to in vitro hydrogen peroxide treatment in M. tuberculosis and Mycobacterium bovis, respectively. These findings indicate Rv2617c and P36 act in concert to prevent bacterial damage upon oxidative stress.

A suite of automated tools to quantify hand and wrist motor function after cervical spinal cord injury.

BACKGROUND: Cervical spinal cord injury (cSCI) often causes chronic upper extremity disability. Reliable measurement of arm function is critical for development of therapies to improve recovery after cSCI. In this study, we report a suite of automated rehabilitative tools to allow simple, quantitative assessment of hand and wrist motor function. METHODS: We measured range of motion and force production using these devices in cSCI participants with a range of upper limb disability and in neurologically intact participants at two time points separated by approximately 4 months. Additionally, we determined whether measures collected with the rehabilitative tools correlated with standard upper limb assessments, including the Graded Redefined Assessment of Strength, Sensibility, and Prehension (GRASSP) and the Jebsen Hand Function Test (JHFT). RESULTS: We find that the rehabilitative devices are useful to provide assessment of upper limb function in physical units over time in SCI participants and are well-correlated with standard assessments. CONCLUSIONS: These results indicate that these tools represent a reliable system for longitudinal evaluation of upper extremity function after cSCI and may provide a framework to assess the efficacy of strategies aimed at improving recovery of upper limb function.

Exaggerated mechanoreflex in early-stage type 1 diabetic rats: role of Piezo channels.

Recent findings have shown that muscle contraction evokes an exaggerated pressor response in type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM) rats; however, it is not known whether the mechanoreflex, which is commonly stimulated by stretching the Achilles tendon, contributes to this abnormal response. Furthermore, the role of mechano-gated Piezo channels, found on thin-fiber afferent endings, in evoking the mechanoreflex in T1DM is also unknown. Therefore, in male and female streptozotocin (STZ, 50 mg/kg)-induced T1DM and healthy control (CTL) rats, we examined the pressor and cardioaccelerator responses to tendon stretch during the early stage of the disease. To determine the role of Piezo channels, GsMTx-4, a selective Piezo channel inhibitor, was injected into the arterial supply of the hindlimb. At 1 wk after STZ injection in anesthetized, decerebrate rats, we stretched the Achilles tendon for 30 s and measured pressor and cardioaccelerator responses. We then compared pressor and cardioaccelerator responses to tendon stretch before and after GsMTx-4 injection (10 µg/100 ml). We found that the pressor (change in mean arterial pressure) response [41 ± 5 mmHg (n = 15) for STZ and 18 ± 3 mmHg (n = 11) for CTL (P < 0.01)] and cardioaccelerator (change in heart rate) response [18 ± 4 beats/min for STZ (n = 15) and 8 ± 2 beats/min (n = 11) for CTL (P < 0.05)] to tendon stretch were exaggerated in STZ rats. Local injection of GsMTx-4 attenuated the pressor [55 ± 7 mmHg (n = 6) before and 27 ± 9 mmHg (n = 6) after GsMTx-4 (P < 0.01)], but not the cardioaccelerator, response to tendon stretch in STZ rats and had no effect on either response in CTL rats. These data suggest that T1DM exaggerates the mechanoreflex response to tendon stretch and that Piezo channels play a role in this exaggeration.

Characterization of the two component regulatory system PhoPR in Mycobacterium bovis.

Mycobacterium bovis is the causative agent of bovine tuberculosis and is a member of Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex, which causes tuberculosis in a number of mammals including humans. Previous studies have shown that the genes encoding the two-component system PhoPR, which regulates several genes involved in the virulence of M. tuberculosis, are polymorphic in M. bovis, when compared to M. tuberculosis, which results in a dysfunctional two-component system. In this study we investigated the role of PhoPR in two M. bovis strains with differing degrees of virulence. We found that the deletion of phoP in an M. bovis isolate reduced its capacity of inducing phagosomal arrest in bovine macrophages. By gene expression analysis, we demonstrated that, in both M. bovis strains, PhoP regulates the expression of a putative lipid desaturase Mb1404-Mb1405, a protein involved in redox stress AhpC, the sulfolipid transporter Mmpl8 and the secreted antigen ESAT-6. Furthermore, the lack of PhoP increased the sensitivity to acidic stress and alteration of the biofilm/pellicle formation of M. bovis. Both these phenotypes are connected to bacterial redox homeostasis. Therefore, the results of this study suggest a role of PhoPR in M. bovis to be linked to the mechanisms that mycobacteria display to maintain their redox balance.

Temporal changes in the exercise pressor reflex in type 1 diabetic rats.

Previous studies have shown that diabetic peripheral neuropathy affects both unmyelinated and myelinated afferents, similar to those evoking the exercise pressor reflex. However, the effect of type 1 diabetes (T1DM) on this reflex is not known. We examined, in decerebrate male and female T1DM [streptozotocin (STZ)] and healthy control (CTL) rats, pressor and cardioaccelerator responses to isometric contraction of the hindlimb muscles during the early and late stages of the disease. STZ (50 mg/kg) was injected to induce diabetes, and experiments were conducted at 1, 3, and 6 wk after injection. On the day of the experiment, we statically contracted the hindlimb muscles by stimulating the sciatic nerve and measured changes in mean arterial pressure and heart rate. We found that the pressor but not cardioaccelerator response was exaggerated in STZ rats at 1 wk (STZ: 21 ± 3 mmHg, n = 10, and CTL: 14 ± 2 mmHg, n = 10, P < 0.05) and at 3 wk (STZ: 26 ± 5 mmHg, n = 10, and CTL: 17 ± 3 mmHg, n = 11, P < 0.05) after injection. However, at 6 wk, and only in male rats, both the pressor (STZ: 13 ± 3 mmHg, n = 12, and CTL: 17 ± 3 mmHg, n = 13, P < 0.05) and cardioaccelerator responses (STZ: 7 ± 3 beats/min, n = 12, and CTL: 10 ± 3 beats/min, n = 13, P < 0.05) to contraction were significantly attenuated in STZ rats compared with CTL rats. These data indicate that T1DM exaggerates the exercise pressor reflex during the early stages of the disease in both male and female rats. Conversely, T1DM attenuates this reflex in the late stage of the disease in male but not female rats.NEW & NOTEWORTHY This is the first study to provide evidence that the pressor and cardioaccelerator responses to skeletal muscle contraction vary depending on the duration of type 1 diabetes.

Fighting cancer together: Development and implementation of shared medical appointments to standardize and improve chemotherapy education.

OBJECTIVE: Shared medical appointments offer a novel approach to improve efficiency and quality of care consistent with the goals of the Institute of Medicine. Our objective was to develop and implement a shared medical appointment for gynecologic cancer patients initiating chemotherapy. METHODS: We first assessed the level of interest in shared medical appointments among our patients and providers through qualitative interviews. Both patients and providers identified pre-chemotherapy as an optimal area to pilot shared medical appointments. We subsequently created a multidisciplinary team comprised of physicians, advanced practice providers, nurses, pharmacists, administrators, health education specialists and members of the Quality Improvement Department to establish a Shared Medical Appointment and Readiness Teaching (SMART) program for all gynecologic oncology patients initiating chemotherapy with platinum- and/or taxane-based regimens. We developed a standardized chemotherapy education presentation and provided patients with a tool kit that consisted of chemotherapy drug education, a guide to managing side effects, advance directives, and center contact information. RESULTS: From May 9, 2014 to June 26, 2015, 144 patients participated in 51 SMART visits. The majority of patients had ovarian cancer and were treated with carboplatin/paclitaxel. Surveyed patients reported being highly satisfied with the group visit and would recommend shared medical appointments to other patients. CONCLUSIONS: This model of care provides patient education within a framework of social support that empowers patients. Shared medical appointments for oncology patients initiating chemotherapy are both feasible and well accepted.

TcTASV: a novel protein family in trypanosoma cruzi identified from a subtractive trypomastigote cDNA library.

BACKGROUND: The identification and characterization of antigens expressed in Trypanosoma cruzi stages that parasitize mammals are essential steps for the development of new vaccines and diagnostics. Genes that are preferentially expressed in trypomastigotes may be involved in key processes that define the biology of trypomastigotes, like cell invasion and immune system evasion. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: With the initial aim of identifying trypomastigote-specific expressed tags, we constructed and sequenced an epimastigote-subtracted trypomastigote cDNA library (library TcT-E). More than 45% of the sequenced clones of the library could not be mapped to previously annotated mRNAs or proteins. We validated the presence of these transcripts by reverse northern blot and northern blot experiments, therefore providing novel information about the mRNA expression of these genes in trypomastigotes. A 280-bp consensus element (TcT-E element, TcT-Eelem) located at the 3' untranslated region (3' UTR) of many different open reading frames (ORFs) was identified after clustering the TcT-E dataset. Using an RT-PCR approach, we were able to amplify different mature mRNAs containing the same TcT-Eelem in the 3' UTR. The proteins encoded by these ORFs are members of a novel surface protein family in T. cruzi, (which we named TcTASV for T. cruzi Trypomastigote, Alanine, Serine and Valine rich proteins). All members of the TcTASV family have conserved coding amino- and carboxy-termini, and a central variable core that allows partitioning of TcTASV proteins into three subfamilies. Analysis of the T. cruzi genome database resulted in the identification of 38 genes/ORFs for the whole TcTASV family in the reference CL-Brener strain (lineage II). Because this protein family was not found in other trypanosomatids, we also looked for the presence of TcTASV genes in other evolutionary lineages of T. cruzi, sequencing 48 and 28 TcTASVs members from the RA (lineage II) and Dm28 (lineage I) T. cruzi strains respectively. Detailed phylogenetic analyses of TcTASV gene products show that this gene family is different from previously characterized mucin (TcMUCII), mucin-like, and MASP protein families. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: We identified TcTASV, a new gene family of surface proteins in T. cruzi.