Search

BackgroundAdolescents and young adults in the age range of 13-24 years are at the highest risk of developing HIV infections. As social media platforms are extremely popular among youths, researchers can utilize these platforms to curb the HIV epidemic by investigating the associations between the discourses on HIV infections and the epidemiological data of HIV infections. ObjectiveThe goal of this study was to examine how Twitter activity among young men is related to the incidence of HIV infection in the population. MethodsWe used integrated human-computer techniques to characterize the HIV-related tweets by male adolescents and young male adults (age range: 13-24 years). We identified tweets related to HIV risk and prevention by using natural language processing (NLP). Our NLP algorithm identified 89.1% (2243/2517) relevant tweets, which were manually coded by expert coders. We coded 1577 HIV-prevention tweets and 17.5% (940/5372) of general sex-related tweets (including emojis, gifs, and images), and we achieved reliability with intraclass correlation at 0.80 or higher on key constructs. Bivariate and multivariate analyses were performed to identify the spatial patterns in posting HIV-related tweets as well as the relationships between the tweets and local HIV infection rates. ResultsWe analyzed 2517 tweets that were identified as relevant to HIV risk and prevention tags; these tweets were geolocated in 109 counties throughout the United States. After adjusting for region, HIV prevalence, and social disadvantage index, our findings indicated that every 100-tweet increase in HIV-specific tweets per capita from noninstitutional accounts was associated with a multiplicative effect of 0.97 (95% CI [0.94-1.00]; P=.04) on the incidence of HIV infections in the following year in a given county. ConclusionsTwitter may serve as a proxy of public behavior related to HIV infections, and the association between the number of HIV-related tweets and HIV infection rates further supports the use of social media for HIV disease prevention.

BackgroundSubstance use by youth remains a significant public health concern. Social media provides the opportunity to discuss and display substance use–related beliefs and behaviors, suggesting that the act of posting drug-related content, or viewing posted content, may influence substance use in youth. This aligns with empirically supported theories, which posit that behavior is influenced by perceptions of normative behavior. Nevertheless, few studies have explored the content of posts by youth related to substance use. ObjectiveThis study aimed to identify the beliefs and behaviors of youth related to substance use by characterizing the content of youths’ drug-related tweets. Using a sequential explanatory mixed methods approach, we sampled drug-relevant tweets and qualitatively examined their content. MethodsWe used natural language processing to determine the frequency of drug-related words in public tweets (from 2011 to 2015) among youth Twitter users geolocated to Pennsylvania. We limited our sample by age (13-24 years), yielding approximately 23 million tweets from 20,112 users. We developed a list of drug-related keywords and phrases and selected a random sample of tweets with the most commonly used keywords to identify themes (n=249). ResultsWe identified two broad classes of emergent themes: functional themes and relational themes. Functional themes included posts that explicated a function of drugs in one’s life, with subthemes indicative of pride, longing, coping, and reminiscing as they relate to drug use and effects. Relational themes emphasized a relational nature of substance use, capturing substance use as a part of social relationships, with subthemes indicative of drug-related identity and companionship. We also identified topical areas in tweets related to drug use, including reference to polysubstance use, pop culture, and antidrug content. Across the tweets, the themes of pride (63/249, 25.3%) and longing (39/249, 15.7%) were the most popular. Most tweets that expressed pride (46/63, 73%) were explicitly related to marijuana. Nearly half of the tweets on coping (17/36, 47%) were related to prescription drugs. Very few of the tweets contained antidrug content (9/249, 3.6%). ConclusionsData integration indicates that drugs are typically discussed in a positive manner, with content largely reflective of functional and relational patterns of use. The dissemination of this information, coupled with the relative absence of antidrug content, may influence youth such that they perceive drug use as normative and justified. Strategies to address the underlying causes of drug use (eg, coping with stressors) and engage antidrug messaging on social media may reduce normative perceptions and associated behaviors among youth. The findings of this study warrant research to further examine the effects of this content on beliefs and behaviors and to identify ways to leverage social media to decrease substance use in this population.

This review explores the crucial role of glycosphingolipids (GSLs) in the context of cardiovascular diseases (CVDs), focusing on their biosynthesis, metabolic pathways, and implications for clinical outcomes. GSLs are pivotal in regulating a myriad of cellular functions that are essential for heart health and disease progression. Highlighting findings from both human cohorts and animal models, this review emphasizes the potential of GSLs as biomarkers and therapeutic targets. We advocate for more detailed mechanistic studies to deepen our understanding of GSL functions in cardiovascular health, which could lead to innovative strategies for diagnosis, treatment, and personalized medicine in cardiovascular care. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Turner syndrome (TS) is a genetic condition occurring in ~1 in 2000 females characterized by the complete or partial absence of the second sex chromosome. TS research faces similar challenges to many other pediatric rare disease conditions, with homogenous, single‐center, underpowered studies. Secondary data analyses utilizing electronic health record (EHR) have the potential to address these limitations; however, an algorithm to accurately identify TS cases in EHR data is needed. We developed a computable phenotype to identify patients with TS using PEDSnet, a pediatric research network. This computable phenotype was validated through chart review; true positives and negatives and false positives and negatives were used to assess accuracy at both primary and external validation sites. The optimal algorithm consisted of the following criteria: female sex, ≥1 outpatient encounter, and ≥3 encounters with a diagnosis code that maps to TS, yielding an average sensitivity of 0.97, specificity of 0.88, and C‐statistic of 0.93 across all sites. The accuracy of any estradiol prescriptions yielded an average C‐statistic of 0.91 across sites and 0.80 for transdermal and oral formulations separately. PEDSnet and computable phenotyping are powerful tools in providing large, diverse samples to pragmatically study rare pediatric conditions like TS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Mesenteric fibromatosis (intra-abdominal desmoid tumor) is rare, with only a few cases reported in the literature. Clinical symptoms range from asymptomatic, nausea, early satiety, abdominal pain, and gastrointestinal bleeding. Although histologically benign, such a tumor may become locally invasive, and aggressive forms contribute to significant morbidity and mortality. Case Presentation: We report the case of a 52-year-old West African male with a 1-year history of intermittent hematochezia and intermittent bloating. Colonoscopy revealed a 4-mm rectal polyp and internal hemorrhoids. Esophagogastroduodenoscopy revealed a severe duodenal stricture 4–5 cm distal to the ampulla. Further work-up with contrast-enhanced computed tomography of the abdomen and pelvis revealed a 5.0 × 3.7 × 4.3-cm mass within the mesentery, encasing the distal portion of the duodenum. Exploratory laparotomy was performed, and the mass was excised from the jejunum. Histopathology findings and immunohistochemical analysis revealed the diagnosis to be mesenteric fibromatosis (desmoid tumor), positive for nuclear β-catenin and SMA, and negative expression of STAT6, desmin, caldesmon, pan-cytokeratin, or c-KIT. The Ki67 index is <1%. Conclusion: This case report highlights the diagnostic challenges of mesenteric fibromatosis due to its nonspecific clinical presentation. Recognizing uncommon presentations of mesenteric fibromatosis and risk factors aids in early diagnosis, management, and treatment. Importantly, this also aids in the prevention of complications such as intestinal obstruction, bowel ischemia, and fistula formation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Breast cancer metastasis is initiated by invasion of tumor cells into the collagen type I-rich stroma to reach adjacent blood vessels. Prior work has identified that metabolic plasticity is a key requirement of tumor cell invasion into collagen. However, it remains largely unclear how blood vessels affect this relationship. Here, we developed a microfluidic platform to analyze how tumor cells invade collagen in the presence and absence of a microvascular channel. We demonstrate that endothelial cells secrete pro-migratory factors that direct tumor cell invasion toward the microvessel. Analysis of tumor cell metabolism using metabolic imaging, metabolomics, and computational flux balance analysis revealed that these changes are accompanied by increased rates of glycolysis and oxygen consumption caused by broad alterations of glucose metabolism. Indeed, restricting glucose availability decreased endothelial cell-induced tumor cell invasion. Our results suggest that endothelial cells promote tumor invasion into the stroma due, in part, to reprogramming tumor cell metabolism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It has been postulated that during human fetal development, all cells of the lung epithelium derive from embryonic, endodermal, NK2 homeobox 1-expressing ([NKX2-1.sup.+]) precursor cells. However, this hypothesis has not been formally tested owing to an inability to purify or track these progenitors for detailed characterization. Here we have engineered and developmentally differentiated [NKX2-1.sup.GFP] reporter pluripotent stem cells (PSCs) in vitro to generate and isolate human primordial lung progenitors that express NKX2-1 but are initially devoid of differentiated lung lineage markers. After sorting to purity, these primordial lung progenitors exhibited lung epithelial maturation. In the absence of mesenchymal coculture support, this [NKX2-1.sup.+] population was able to generate epithelial-only spheroids in defined 3D cultures. Alternatively, when recombined with fetal mouse lung mesenchyme, the cells recapitulated epithelial-mesenchymal developing lung interactions. We imaged these progenitors in real time and performed time-series global transcriptomic profiling and single-cell RNA sequencing as they moved through the earliest moments of lung lineage specification. The profiles indicated that evolutionarily conserved, stage-dependent gene signatures of early lung development are expressed in primordial human lung progenitors and revealed a [CD47.sup.hi][CD26.sup.lo] cell surface phenotype that allows their prospective isolation from untargeted, patient-specific PSCs for further in vitro differentiation and future applications in regenerative medicine., Introduction Little is known about the early stages of human lung development, preventing an understanding of whether successful healing from adult lung injury involves recapitulation of embryonic mechanisms and limiting [...]

Disseminated histoplasmosis is a rare complication of infection due to Histoplasma capsulatum. Typically, histoplasmosis is self‐limiting and asymptomatic in infected individuals with immunocompetence. Disseminated disease, however, can arise in high‐risk populations with primary or acquired cellular immunodeficiency including HIV/AIDS, transplant recipients, and those undergoing immunosuppressive therapy. Here we describe a unique case of extrapulmonary gastrointestinal histoplasmosis by infiltrative Peyer's patch disease with bone marrow involvement in a transgender HIV‐infected woman. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recent events have increased public awareness of drinking water quality in Canada. The goal of this review was to examine how much information about arsenic (As) in Canadian drinking water is available. Provincial, territorial, and federal Web sites were searched for information about As in drinking water. Major scientific databases (PubMed, Web of Science) were searched for drinking water As information for all provinces and territories. Resulting information was examined for availability, accessibility, quality, and timeliness. Most provinces provided at least basic fact sheets about As, and several provinces provided comprehensive databases containing actual test results. The vast majority of Canadian municipal drinking water systems with As data show a concentration below 10 µg/L, the current guideline level. Several locations in Alberta, British Columbia, Manitoba, New Brunswick, Newfoundland and Labrador, Nova Scotia, Quebec, and Saskatchewan have localized elevations of As ('hotspots', >10 µg/L As); this information is available at the provincial level, but may not include exact locations nor the degree by which they exceed the current guideline limit of 10 µg/L. For other locations, however, little information is available. The lack of a centralized information source represents a significant obstacle to obtaining drinking water quality data. Although difficult to implement, a centralized and standardized source of national drinking water quality data is urgently needed to determine the effects of As and other contaminants on Canadians. Key words: arsenic, drinking water, Canada, water quality and safety, environmental contaminants, human exposure, public health. De recents evenements ont augmente la vigilance publique concernant la qualite de l'eau au Canada. Dans cette revue, les auteurs examinent l'information qui existe au sujet de l'arsenic (As), dans l'eau potable au Canada. Ils ont recense les sites internets provinciaux, territoriaux et feederaux pour y rechercher l'information sur l'arsenic dans l'eau potable. Ils ont extrait des donnees de base majeures (PubMed, Web of Science) l'information sur l'arsenic dans l'eau potable, dans l'ensemble des provinces et territoires. Ils ont enfin examinee la disponibilite, l'accessibilite, la qualite; et la mise a jour des resultats obtenus. La plupart des provinces presentent au moins des documents factuels de base au sujet de l'As et plusieurs provinces fournissent egalement des bases de donnees irtegrees contenant les resultats d' analyses recentes. Les donnees sur l'As dans grande majorite des systemes municipaux d'eau potable au Canada montrent des teneurs inferieures a 10 µg/L, constituant la ligne de base actuelle. Plusieurs localiteis en Alberta, Colombie Canadienne, Manitoba, Nouveau Brunswick, Terre-Neuve et Labrador, Nouvelle Ecosse, Quebec et Saskatchewan ont repere des elevations localisees d'As (<< points chauds >>, >10 µg/L); cette information est disponible a l'eechelle des provinces, mais peut ne pas inclure les localiteis exactes ni jusqu'a quel degree elle excedent la ligne de base actuelle de Mots-cles: arsenic, eau potable, Canada, qualite et innocuitee de l'eau, contaminants environnementaux, danger pour les humains, santee publique. [Traduit par la Redaction], Introduction Canada is the second-largest country in the world, with a land area of 9984670 km2. However, Canada's relatively small population (31612 895) results in a very low population density [...]