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Tissue regression in the hair follicle is thought to be mediated through programmed cell death (7). However, it is unclear which cells within the follicle are removed and whether this [...], Tissue homeostasis is achieved through a balance of cell production (growth) and elimination (regression) (1,2). In contrast to tissue growth, the cells and molecular signals required for tissue regression remain unknown. To investigate physiological tissue regression, we use the mouse hair follicle, which cycles stereotypically between phases of growth and regression while maintaining a pool of stem cells to perpetuate tissue regeneration (3). Here we show by intravital microscopy in live mice (4-6) that the regression phase eliminates the majority of the epithelial cells by two distinct mechanisms: terminal differentiation of suprabasal cells and a spatial gradient of apoptosis of basal cells. Furthermore, we demonstrate that basal epithelial cells collectively act as phagocytes to clear dying epithelial neighbours. Through cellular and genetic ablation we show that epithelial cell death is extrinsically induced through transforming growth factor (TGF)-β activation and mesenchymal crosstalk. Strikingly, our data show that regression acts to reduce the stem cell pool, as inhibition of regression results in excess basal epithelial cells with regenerative abilities. This study identifies the cellular behaviours and molecular mechanisms of regression that counterbalance growth to maintain tissue homeostasis.

Author(s): Samara Brown [1]; Cristiana M. Pineda [1]; Tianchi Xin [1]; Jonathan Boucher [1]; Kathleen C. Suozzi [1]; Sangbum Park [1]; Catherine Matte-Martone [1]; David G. Gonzalez [1]; Julie Rytlewski [...]

Photoreceptor development begins in the larval eye imaginal disc, where eight distinct photoreceptor cells (R1-R8) are sequentially recruited into each of the developing ommatidial clusters. Final photoreceptor differentiation, including rhabdomere formation and rhodopsin expression, is completed during pupal life. During pupation, spalt was previously proposed to promote R7 and R8 terminal differentiation. Here we show that spalt is required for proper R7 differentiation during the third instar larval stage since the expression of several R7 larval markers (prospero, enhancer of split m[delta]0.5, and runt) is lost in spalt mutant clones. In R8, spalt is not required for cell specification or differentiation in the larval disc but promotes terminal differentiation during pupation. We show that spalt is necessary for senseless expression in R8 and sufficient to induce ectopic senseless in R1-R6 during pupation. Moreover, misexpression of spalt or senseless is sufficient to induce ectopic rhodopsin 6 expression and partial suppression of rhodopsin 1. We demonstrate that spalt and senseless are part of a genetic network, which regulates rhodopsin 6 and rhodopsin 1. Taken together, our results suggest that while spalt is required for R7 differentiation during larval stages, spalt and senseless promote terminal R8 differentiation during pupal stages, including the regulation of rhodopsin expression. Keywords: spalt; senseless; Rhodopsin; Drosophila; Photoreceptor; Eye development

The article reports on the Rhode Island Department of Health's (RIDOH) Birth Defects Program (RIBDP), which examined the trends and risk factors for birth defects in the state in 2018-2020. The aim is to provide additional support services and develop policies to reduce birth defects and infant mortality. Also cited are the maternal characteristics used in the study like education level, pre-pregnancy weight, and education.

The article offers information on the maternal obesity and birth defects in Rhode Island. It mentions that according to the Rhode Island Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System (PRAMS), the prevalence of pre-pregnancy obesity was 21 percent from 2012-2015, an increase over previous time periods; and also mentions medical information related to the pregnancy, including birth weight, gestational age, and diabetes status, were reported to the birth registration system by a physician.

The article focuses on public reporting of hospital-acquired infections (HAIs) in Rhode Island. It notes that the Hospital Infection Disclosure Act in 2008 has expanded the state's quality reporting legislation to include HAIs which affect a significant number of hospital patients. It highlights that the HAI reporting of the Rhode Island Department of Health is equipped with authority under the law and the strong commitment of the members of its stakeholder group which includes hospitals and their medical personnel and infection preventionists, stressing that several initiatives related to HAIs have been reported.

The article reports on the health status and healthcare utilization among children in Rhode Island for the year 2007. It mentions that the health status and healthcare utilization among children are greatly influenced by health insurance coverage where those insured children may adequately receive a preventive health care, while the uninsured children are less likely to receive medical treatment. Moreover, it also presents the data from the 2007 National Survey of Children's Health conducted by the National Center for Health Statistics. The result reveals that children with public health insurance are less likely to have very good or excellent general health.

The article discusses a 2021 survey which provided an opportunity to explore the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on the adoption of telemedicine and physicians' experience using it. Topics include a 2017 review of telemedicine policy trends, findings on physicians who had used telemedicine in the prior year, and barriers to providing telemedicine according to the respondents.

The article offers information on the identification of the drug overdoses in Rhode Island using multiple sources of data by Rhode Island Department of Health. Topics discussed include information of naloxone, a medication for opioid overdose as per Rhode Island Emergency Medical Services (EMS) protocol; determination of the number of repeat overdoses using EMS compliant data; and reports on the opioid overdose reversal using naloxone and improvement in patient's consciousness.

The article presents a case-control study of the association of maternal smoking with birth defects and poor neonatal conditions such as premature labor and sudden infant death syndrome in Rhode Island. The study selected birth defects including clubfoot, cryptochidism, and cleft/lip palate. It uses logistic regression to assess the exposure-outcome link influencing gestational age, infant sex, and maternal race or ethnicity. Results demonstrate strong relationship between maternal smoking and clubfoot and pulmonary stenosis.

The article presents a study which examines the relationship of obesity with birth defects in Rhode Island. The study shows that among 995 cases of birth defects, 233 were obese before being pregnant. The study reveals that preterm delivery rates and low birth weight among the cases were more than double the related of the control group. In addition, conotruncal heart defects revealed a higher degree of relation with pregnancy obesity compared to other heart defects groups after separating the cardiovascular defects into three congenital heart defect groups.

The article presents a study which examines central line-associated bloodstream infections (CLABSIs) in Rhode Island. Hospitals in the state have collected and reported data on CLABSI rates in hospital Intensive Care Units (ICUs) to the state's Department of Health as part of the Health Care Quality Performance Program's public reporting mandate. Findings of the study emphasize the significance of tracking CLABSI rates which will provide opportunity for hospitals to measure and determine their progress in the prevention and reduction of CLABSIs in their facilities.

Unintentional opioid overdoses are a growing public health epidemic in the United States. Rhode Island is also faced with a challenging crisis of drug overdose deaths. The State Unintentional Drug Overdose Reporting Surveillance (SUDORS) data from the second half of 2016 were used to present opioid overdose deaths and characteristics in Rhode Island. During July-December 2016, 142 individuals died of opioid overdose in Rhode Island. People who died by opioid overdose were more likely to be 25–65 years old, male, and non-Hispanic white. The most common precipitating circumstances were substance abuse (88%), current mental health problems (43%), and physical health problems (27.5%). Over 83% of decedents had 2 or more substances attribute to causing their death, with fentanyl (71.1%) as the most common substance. Only 36.6% of decedents had naloxone administered. Fatal opioid overdose data are important for understanding this public health crisis and can guide overdose intervention efforts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article reports on the assessment of developmental, educational, and parent support services given to families with children suffering from craniofacial birth defects. Topics mentioned include the development of Rhode Island Birth Defects Program (RIBDP), the medical care for families of children with craniofacial birth defects, and the promotion of quality of life for patient and their families.

The article offers information on the Rhode Island Violent Death Reporting System (RIVDRS), which collects violent death data in Rhode Island. Topics discussed include collecting details of mechanisms of injury, location of death, and toxicology information, efforts from U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in introduction of the system, and strengths and limitations of the system.

The article discusses regarding the trend in prevalence of supine sleeping among white and black infants of Rhode Island, New England and the disparity in spine sleeping position in black and white infants. Topics discussed include recommendation of American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) on safe infant sleep environment, Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System (PRAMS) survey data analysis and the charts and tables representing supine sleep pattern and selected maternal characteristics.

The article presents a report which identifies the trends in the daily utilization of multivitamins prior to pregnancy among Rhode Island women with a live birth from 2002-2009. The data from the state's Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System (PRAMS) were used to evaluate the trends and the 2004-2008 aggregated data were examined to distinguish disparities among subgroups. The report has showed that the percentage of Rhode Island women who accounted daily use of multivitamins prior to pregnancy increased from 32 percent to 36.7 percent. Also, the aggregated data have demonstrated that the percentage of daily multivitamin use among women prior to pregnancy deviated by socio-demographic characteristics.

The article presents a study which aims to determine the prevalence of intimate partner violence (IPV) before or during pregnancy in Rhode Island (RI) as well as the association of IPV with maternal health and well-being. It mentions that the study analyzed the data from the 2004-2007 Rhode Island Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System (PRAMS) and four survey questions were created focusing on physical abuse by partner. The study found that 5.5% of RI women experienced physical IPV before and/or during the most recent pregnancy, 4.2% before pregnancy and 3.2% during pregnancy. It notes that IPV was higher among teenagers, Hispanics, unmarried and in households with income < 15,000 dollars.

BACKGROUND: The Rhode Island Department of Health (RIDOH) has administered the Health Information Technology (HIT) survey since 2009 to report clinician-level process measures relating to HIT adoption and use. METHODS: RIDoH administers the Rhode Island HIT survey to all licensed independent practitioners. Descriptive analyses examined HIT adoption and the clinician experience working with HIT. RESULTS: Most physician and Advanced practice provider (App) respondents report using an EHR (92.5% and 94.3%) and e-prescribing medications (84.1% and 81.6%). Less than half of physicians (40.9% or n=565) and Apps (35.4% or n=195) who prescribe controlled substances currently submit controlled substance prescriptions electronically. A higher percentage of physicians, compared to Apps, reported experiencing HIT-related stress (80.9% and 66.6%). The overall prevalence of physicians reporting symptoms of burnout was 29.7% (n=539) but varied between specialties. DISCUSSION: As of 2019, the majority of Rhode Island physicians have adopted EHRs and e-prescribing. Adoption plateaued after 2012, and challenges persist in integrating existing technology into practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]