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Introdução: As gestantes são particularmente vulneráveis a problemas relacionados a medicamentos (PRMs), principalmente as de alto risco com quadros de diabetes mellitus (DM) e a diabetes mellitus gestacional (DMG). Apesar da sua relevância, são escassos dados sobre a frequência, tipo e causa da insulinoterapia em gestantes hospitalizadas. Objetivo: caracterizar os PRM associados a insulinoterapia em gestantes hospitalizadas segundo a frequência, tipo e causa. Método: Coorte prospectivo (set/2019 a jun/2022) que incluiu 547 gestantes hospitalizadas em acompanhamento diário. Os problemas relacionados à terapia anti-hipertensiva foram classificados de acordo com as diretrizes da Pharmaceutical Care Network Europe (PCNE v 9.0). Os dados foram apresentados descritivamente e a comparação entre a ocorrência de PRM frente ao tipo de insulina foi avaliada via teste do qui-quadrado (Stata v 15.0). Resultados: Durante o período de estudo, 320 (58,5%) gestantes apresentaram quadros de diabetes sendo 32,2% gestacional e 26,3% mellitus. Foram identificados 163 PRM em 201 pacientes diabéticas (63,8%), média de 0,8 ± 0,8 PRM por paciente. Foram identificadas prescrições de insulina humana regular (62,1%), insulina humana NPH (35,3%) e insulinas análogas (2,6%). A maioria dos PRMs foram relacionados à inefetividade terapêutica (144; 88,3%), sobretudo relacionada a seleção da dose. A ocorrência de hipoglicemia foi reduzida (7; 4,3% dos PRMs). Não houve diferença entre a ocorrência de PRM de inefetividade quanto aos diferentes tipos de insulinas (p=0,732): análogas (100%) vs NPH (89%) vs regular (85,5%). As primeiras 48h de tratamento concentram 62,7 dos PRMs, decrescendo para 10,2% no terceiro e quarto dia. Conclusão: Os problemas relacionados à insulinoterapia são frequentes em gestantes hospitalizadas nas primeiras 48h, sobretudo relacionado a inefetividade terapêutica associada à seleção de dose inadequada. São raros eventos hipoglicêmicos.

The development, manufacturing and deployment of a South African engineered Continuous Positive Airway Pressure Ventilator is described. The CSIR L.I.F.E. (Lung Inspiratory Flow Enabler) Ventilator was developed during the COVID Pandemic in response to the need for a ventilator solution to assist patients suffering from respiratory distress. A supply chain was created resulting in a near fully locally sourced product of which 18,000 units were manufactured and distributed to hospitals throughout South Africa.

Abstract Background Patients who no-show to primary care appointments interrupt clinicians’ efforts to provide continuity of care. Prior literature reveals no-shows among diabetic patients are common. The purpose of this study is to assess whether no-shows to primary care appointments are associated with increased risk of future emergency department (ED) visits or hospital admissions among diabetics. Methods A prospective cohort study was conducted using data from 8,787 adult diabetic patients attending outpatient clinics associated with a medical center in Indiana. The outcomes examined were hospital admissions or ED visits in the 6 months (182 days) following the patient’s last scheduled primary care appointment. The Andersen-Gill extension of the Cox proportional hazard model was used to assess risk separately for hospital admissions and ED visits. Adjustment was made for variables associated with no-show status and acute care utilization such as gender, age, race, insurance and co-morbid status. The interaction between utilization of the acute care service in the six months prior to the appointment and no-show was computed for each model. Results The six-month rate of hospital admissions following the last scheduled primary care appointment was 0.22 (s.d. = 0.83) for no-shows and 0.14 (s.d. = 0.63) for those who attended (p p Conclusions No-show to a primary care appointment is associated with increased risk for hospital admission among diabetics recently hospitalized.

Abstract Background Deer mice (Peromyscus maniculatus) are the most common mammals in North America and are reservoirs for several zoonotic agents, including Sin Nombre virus (SNV), the principal etiologic agent of hantavirus cardiopulmonary syndrome (HCPS) in North America. Unlike human HCPS patients, SNV-infected deer mice show no overt pathological symptoms, despite the presence of virus in the lungs. A neutralizing IgG antibody response occurs, but the virus establishes a persistent infection. Limitations of detailed analysis of deer mouse immune responses to SNV are the lack of reagents and methods for evaluating such responses. Results We developed real-time PCR-based detection assays for several immune-related transcription factor and cytokine genes from deer mice that permit the profiling of CD4+ helper T cells, including markers of Th1 cells (T-bet, STAT4, IFNγ, TNF, LT), Th2 cells (GATA-3, STAT6, IL-4, IL-5) and regulatory T cells (Fox-p3, IL-10, TGFβ1). These assays compare the expression of in vitro antigen-stimulated and unstimulated T cells from individual deer mice. Conclusion We developed molecular methods for profiling immune gene expression in deer mice, including a multiplexed real-time PCR assay for assessing expression of several cytokine and transcription factor genes. These assays should be useful for characterizing the immune responses of experimentally- and naturally-infected deer mice.

Abstract Background Human infections with Sin Nombre virus (SNV) and related New World hantaviruses often lead to hantavirus cardiopulmonary syndrome (HCPS), a sometimes fatal illness. Lungs of patients who die from HCPS exhibit cytokine-producing mononuclear infiltrates and pronounced pulmonary inflammation. Deer mice (Peromyscus maniculatus) are the principal natural hosts of SNV, in which the virus establishes life-long persistence without conspicuous pathology. Little is known about the mechanisms SNV employs to evade the immune response of deer mice, and experimental examination of this question has been difficult because of a lack of methodologies for examining such responses during infection. One such deficiency is our inability to characterize T cell responses because susceptible syngeneic deer mice are not available. Results To solve this problem, we have developed an in vitro method of expanding and generating competent antigen presenting cells (APC) from deer mouse bone marrow using commercially-available house mouse (Mus musculus) granulocyte-macrophage colony stimulating factor. These cells are capable of processing and presenting soluble protein to antigen-specific autologous helper T cells in vitro. Inclusion of antigen-specific deer mouse antibody augments T cell stimulation, presumably through Fc receptor-mediated endocytosis. Conclusions The use of these APC has allowed us to dramatically expand deer mouse helper T cells in culture and should permit extensive characterization of T cell epitopes. Considering the evolutionary divergence between deer mice and house mice, it is probable that this method will be useful to other investigators using unconventional models of rodent-borne diseases.

Background: Racism is a social determinant of health inequities and associated with poorer health and health behaviors. As a domain of racism, self-reported racial discrimination affects health through unhealthy behaviors (e.g., smoking) but the understudied impact of self-reported racial discrimination's relationship with healthy behaviors (e.g., cancer screening) precludes a comprehensive understanding of racism's impact on health inequities. Understanding how self-reported racial discrimination impacts healthy behaviors is even more important for those living in rural persistent poverty areas (poverty rates of 20% or more of a population since 1980), who have a higher disease burden due to poverty's interaction with racism. The distinct sociocultural context of rural persistent poverty areas may result in differential responses to self-reported racial discrimination compared to those in non-persistent poverty areas., Methods: A community-engaged process was used to administer a survey to a convenience sample of 251 Black adults residing in 11 rural persistent poverty counties in the state of Arkansas. Self-reported racial discrimination, fruit and vegetable intake, colorectal cancer screening, cervical cancer screening, and screening mammography were assessed. Stress and religion/spirituality were also assessed as potential mediators or moderators in the relationship between self-reported racial discrimination and healthy behaviors., Results: In adjusted models, those reporting more self-reported racial discrimination had a higher probability of having had a test to check for cervical cancer (situation discrimination: OR = 1.23, 95% CI: 1.04-1.5; frequency discrimination: OR = 1.06, 95% CI: 1.02-1.12). Stress and religion/spirituality were not significant mediators/moderators., Discussion: Greater self-reported racial discrimination was associated with a higher odds of cervical cancer screening. Black adults residing in rural persistent poverty areas may have greater self-reported racial discrimination-specific coping and racial identity attitudes., (© 2023. W. Montague Cobb-NMA Health Institute.)

Introduction: Remote patient monitoring (RPM) has the power to transform health care delivery, as it allows for the digital transmission of individual health data to health care professionals, providing the most up-to-date information to be able to make medical decisions. Although RPM use has grown exponentially during the pandemic, there is limited information on the association between sociodemographic characteristics and interest in RPM use in underserved areas of the United States after the onset of the pandemic. Methods: We conducted a survey via random digit dialing of 2201 adults living in Arkansas in March of 2022. Weighted estimates were generated using rank ratio estimation to approximate the 2019 American Community Survey 1-year Arkansas estimates for race/ethnicity, age, and gender. We fit a partial proportional odds model using weighted generalized ordered logistic regression to examine adjusted odds ratios (ORs) for interest in RPM. Predictors included sociodemographic characteristics, nativity, health care access, and self-rated health. Results: Results indicate respondents who were age 60 or older had lower odds of interest in RPM than those between the ages 18-39 (OR = 0.61). Hispanic adults had lower odds of reporting interest in RPM (OR = 0.68), and non-Hispanic adults of other races/ethnicities had lower odds of reporting any interest at all (OR = 0.67) or interest greater than a little (OR = 0.67) in RPM compared with non-Hispanic White respondents. However, respondents who had previously used telehealth had greater odds of reporting higher levels of interest in RPM than those who had not previously used it (OR = 1.93). Discussion: Interest in RPM use is associated with several sociodemographic factors. Future work is needed to understand and address RPM reluctance and to increase interest in RPM among marginalized and underserved populations who may need these services.

Introduction: The WHO SAGE vaccine hesitancy working group defined vaccine hesitancy as the delay or refusal of vaccination. Questions about individuals who become vaccinated while hesitant, or remain unvaccinated even though they are not hesitant, are unimaginable when starting from this behaviorally related definition of vaccine hesitancy. More critically, behaviorally related definitions limit the possibilities for vaccine hesitancy research to be translatable into clinical and public health practices that can increase vaccination., Lessons Learned: Emerging research on hesitant adopters provides several lessons for the conceptualization of vaccine hesitancy and how practitioners might increase vaccination. Conceptualizations of vaccine hesitancy must account for some of the big lessons we have learned from hesitant adopters: (1) vaccine hesitancy and vaccination co-occur for many; (2) vaccine hesitancy may not always be characterized by a punctuated point-in-time or moment; and (3) following from the second lesson, vaccine hesitancy may not be temporally bound to the moments preceding a vaccination decision., Conclusions: We recommend conceptualizing vaccine-hesitant attitudes as distinctive from behaviors, and not temporally bound to moments preceding vaccination decisions. Sharpening the use of vaccine hesitancy and its temporal characteristics could benefit from engagement with the Life Course Paradigm. We recommend healthcare professionals provide a recommendation even when individuals express hesitancy. Finally, we recommend public health officials consider ways to improve the frequency and consistency of provider recommendations even among patients who are hesitant., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Objective: Investigate relationships between pediatric COVID-19 vaccination and social processes of healthcare provider recommendations and school encouragement to provide insights into social processes that may support pediatric COVID-19 vaccination among hesitant mothers., Methods: We analyzed survey data from a subsample (n = 509) of vaccine-hesitant mothers to child patients (ages 2 to 17) in regional clinics across Arkansas. Data were collected between September 16th and December 6th, 2022. Full information maximum likelihood multivariable logistic regression was conducted to evaluate associations with pediatric COVID-19 vaccination., Results: Adjusted odds of pediatric COVID-19 vaccination were more than three times greater when a child's healthcare provider recommended vaccination compared to when they did not (aOR = 3.52; 95% CI[2.06, 6.01]). Adjusted odds of pediatric COVID-19 vaccination were 85% greater when a child's school encouraged parents to vaccinate compared to when the school did not (aOR = 1.85; 95% CI[1.13, 3.03])., Conclusions: For pediatric COVID-19 vaccination, having a personal healthcare provider is not significantly different from having no personal healthcare provider if they do not recommend the child be vaccinated., Practice Implications: Clinical and public health interventions should consider social processes of healthcare provider recommendations and school encouragement., (© 2024. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature.)

Introduction: Human papillomavirus (HPV) is the most common sexually transmitted infection in the United States. HPV-associated diseases are preventable with vaccination, but HPV vaccine coverage remains below other vaccines recommended during childhood and adolescence. We examined correlates of pediatric HPV vaccination among parents who have reported hesitancy toward the HPV vaccine. In addition to sociodemographic correlates, we investigated the relationships between the social process of healthcare provider recommendations and pediatric HPV vaccination., Methods: We utilized phone survey data (N = 2201) collected in October 2022 via random digit dialing of Arkansan adults-Black and Hispanic respondents were oversampled for adequate representation. The survey was provided in English and Spanish. The analysis focused on a subsample of parents of children ages 9 to 17 years who reported HPV vaccine hesitancy (n = 201). Analyses include descriptive statistics, bivariate logistic regression, and multivariate logistic regression with Full Information Maximum Likelihood estimation., Results: A third (32.96%) of vaccine-hesitant parents reported their child(ren) had received at least one dose of the HPV vaccine. Only half (50.93%) of vaccine-hesitant parents received a healthcare provider recommendation to vaccinate their child(ren) between the ages of 9 and 17 against HPV. Adjusted odds of pediatric HPV vaccination were four times greater when vaccine-hesitant parents received a healthcare provider's recommendation (OR = 4.67; 95% CI[1.89, 11.55]) compared to when they had not. Pediatric HPV vaccination for parents whose provider did not recommend the HPV vaccine was not significantly different from those with no provider., Conclusion: Healthcare provider recommendations are important for promoting HPV vaccination even among parents who are vaccine hesitant. Additional research is needed to understand why pediatric HPV vaccine recommendations are not made more often or consistently, particularly among vaccine-hesitant populations. This study demonstrates support for the growing body of research on hesitant adopters., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declared no conflicts of interest., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Introduction: One out of four parents reported HPV vaccine hesitancy; however, little is known about HPV vaccine-hesitant parents who vaccinate their children (e.g., hesitant adopters)., Method: We use individual interviews (n = 8) to explore hesitancy and facilitators for overcoming hesitancy among hesitant adopter parents. We drew a priori codes from the Increasing Vaccination Model domains and identified seven emergent secondary themes., Results: Understandable information about safety, side effects, and effectiveness could address HPV vaccine hesitancy. Health care professionals, family, friends, and coworkers were trusted vaccine and vaccination information sources. The study documents the lack of access to HPV vaccines with established health care providers as a barrier to vaccination., Discussion: This is the first study of hesitant adopter parents that expands our understanding of factors driving HPV vaccination among them. Study insights can inform future efforts to increase HPV vaccine uptake among the hesitant., Competing Interests: CONFLICTS OF INTEREST None to report., (Copyright © 2023 National Association of Pediatric Nurse Practitioners. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

The main objective of this study was to assess whether hesitancy toward receiving the initial COVID-19 vaccine was associated with uptake of the COVID-19 booster several months after it became available to all US adults. We ask whether hesitancy toward the initial COVID-19 vaccine was significantly associated with lower odds of COVID-19 booster uptake among adults. We test this association within the context of the highly rural state of Arkansas. By January 2022, the US had set a global record of nearly 1 million daily cases. The purpose of this study was to advance our understanding of vaccine hesitancy among those who have already received a dose of the COVID-19 vaccine and how that hesitancy may shape COVID-19 booster uptake. We analyzed data from a random sample survey of Arkansan adults ( N  = 2,201) between March 1 and March 28, 2022 and constrained our analytical sample to those who had received a vaccine ( N  = 1,649). Nearly two-thirds of vaccinated Arkansas residents had received a COVID-19 booster. Hesitancy was common even among vaccinated individuals and was significantly associated with reduced odds of COVID-19 booster uptake, even after controlling for other factors. Findings provide further support for conceptualizing vaccine hesitancy as an attitude related to-but separate from-the behavior of vaccination, as opposed to conflating vaccination with being nonhesitant. Public health interventions aimed at increasing COVID-19 booster uptake should pay attention to vaccine hesitancy indicated at the initiation of the series and should not ignore the vaccinated as an important population to target for intervention.

Introduction: COVID-19 vaccination coverage among children remains low, and many parents report being hesitant to get their children vaccinated. This study explores factors influencing hesitancy and the facilitators that helped hesitant adopter parents choose to vaccinate their children against COVID-19 despite their hesitancy., Method: We use a qualitative descriptive design with individual interviews (n = 20) to explore COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy and facilitators of vaccination among hesitant adopter parents. The Increasing Vaccination Model domains (thoughts and feelings, social processes, and practical issues) provided the framework for initial coding, and the research team identified nine emergent themes., Results: Findings document the factors influencing hesitancy and the facilitators motivating COVID-19 vaccination among hesitant adopter parents., Discussion: Findings fill the gap in the literature by providing hesitant adopters' lived experience, perspectives on vaccine hesitancy, and the influential factors that helped participants overcome their hesitancy and choose to vaccinate their children against COVID-19., Competing Interests: CONFLICTS OF INTEREST None to report., (Copyright © 2024 National Association of Pediatric Nurse Practitioners. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Bivalent COVID-19 vaccine boosters have been recommended for all Americans 12 years of age and older. However, uptake remains suboptimal with only 17% of the United States (US) population boosted as of May 2023. This is a critical public health challenge for mitigating the ongoing effects of COVID-19 infection. COVID-19 booster uptake is not currently well understood, and few studies in the US have explored the vaccination process for booster uptake in a 'post-pandemic' context. This study fills gaps in the literature through qualitative analysis of interviews with a racially/ethnically diverse sample of Arkansans who received the COVID-19 vaccine main series and expressed intent to receive a booster (n = 14), but had not yet received the COVID-19 booster at the time we recruited them. All but one did not receive the booster by the time of the interview. Participants described influences on their vaccination behavior and uptake of boosters including reduced feelings of urgency; continued concerns about the side effects; social contagion as a driver of urgency; increasing practical barriers to access and missing provider recommendations. Our findings highlight the importance of considering vaccination as an ongoing, dynamic process drawing on past/current attitudes, prior experience, perceptions of risk and urgency and practical barriers. Based on these findings, healthcare providers should continue to provide strong, consistent recommendations for COVID-19 boosters to patients, even among those with histories of vaccine uptake., (© The Author(s) 2024. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For commercial re-use, please contact reprints@oup.com for reprints and translation rights for reprints. All other permissions can be obtained through our RightsLink service via the Permissions link on the article page on our site—for further information please contact journals.permissions@oup.com.)

Introduction: Accessing electronic health record information through a patient portal is associated with numerous benefits to both health care providers and patients. However, patient portal utilization remains low. Little is known about the factors associated with patient portal utilization following the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: In March 2022, we conducted a random digit dial phone survey of both cell phones and landlines of adults living in Arkansas that asked numerous demographic and health-related measures, including patient portal utilization in the past 12 months. A total of 2,201 adult Arkansans completed the survey between March 1 and March 28, 2022. Weighted estimates were generated using rank ratio estimation to approximate the 2019 American Community Survey 1-year Arkansas estimates for race/ethnicity (72% White, 15% Black/African American, 7.8% Hispanic, 4.9% other race/ethnicity), age (73% 18-39, 32% 40-59, and 31% 60+), and gender (49% male, 51% female). We fit the data to a logistic regression model. Results: We found that education, employment, prior telehealth experience, having a check-up in the past 2 years, and having a primary care provider were all positively associated with patient portal utilization. We also found that non-Hispanic Black/African-American respondents were less likely to access a patient portal relative to non-Hispanic White respondents. Discussion: Patient portal utilization is related to several demographic and health-related factors among an adult population in Arkansas. Given that the documented benefits of patient portal utilization are broad, under-utilization by groups that already experience relatively worse health outcomes could reproduce or even exacerbate existing health disparities. Additional research is needed to further investigate what barriers to patient portal utilization remain for these populations.

Background: Medical researchers have historically utilized the variable of race uncritically, rarely defining race, rarely acknowledging it as a social construct, and often omitting information about how it was measured. In this study, we use the following definition of race: "a system of structuring opportunity and assigning value based on the social interpretation of how one looks." We examine the influence of racial misclassification, racial discrimination, and racial consciousness on the self-rated health of Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islanders (NHPI) living in the United States of America (USA)., Methods: Our analysis used online survey data from a subgroup of NHPI adults living in the USA (n = 252) who were oversampled as part of a larger study of US adults (N = 2022). Respondents were recruited between September 7, 2021 and October 3, 2021, from an online opt-in panel of individuals across the USA. Statistical analyses include weighted and unweighted descriptive statistics for the sample, as well as a weighted logistic regression for poor/fair self-rated health., Results: Odds of poor/fair self-rated health were greater for women (OR = 2.72; 95% CI [1.19, 6.21]) and those who experienced racial misclassification (OR = 2.90; 95% CI [1.20, 7.05]). No other sociodemographic, healthcare, or race-related variables were significantly associated with self-rated health in the fully adjusted results., Conclusions: Findings suggest that racial misclassification may be an important correlate of self-rated health among NHPI adults in the US context., (© 2023. W. Montague Cobb-NMA Health Institute.)

COVID-19 vaccine coverage remains low for US children, especially among those living in rural areas and the Southern/Southeastern US. As of 12 September 2023, the CDC recommended bivalent booster doses for everyone 6 months and older. Emerging research has shown an individual may be vaccine hesitant and also choose to receive a vaccine for themselves or their child(ren); however, little is known regarding how hesitant adopters evaluate COVID-19 booster vaccinations. We used an exploratory qualitative descriptive study design and conducted individual interviews with COVID-19 vaccine-hesitant adopter parents (n = 20) to explore COVID-19 parental intentions to have children receive COVID-19 boosters. Three primary themes emerged during the analysis: risk, confidence, and intent, with risk assessments from COVID-19 and COVID-19 vaccine confidence often related to an individual parent's intent to vaccinate. We also found links among individuals with persistent concerns about the COVID-19 vaccine and low COVID-19 vaccine confidence with conditional and/or low/no intent and refusal to receive recommended boosters for children. Our findings suggest that healthcare providers and public health officials should continue making strong recommendations for vaccines, continue to address parental concerns, and provide strong evidence for vaccine safety and efficacy even among the vaccinated.

Experiences of racism and discrimination are stressors that adversely affect the well-being of marginalized populations, including Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders (NHPI). However, commonly used data aggregation methods obscure information on NHPI communities and their lived experiences. The aim of our study is to understand the types and frequency of discrimination experienced by NHPI adults in the USA. The study utilized online survey data collected from 252 NHPI adults living in the USA between September and October 2021. Younger NHPI adults, those who report constantly thinking about their race/ethnicity, and those who are socially assigned a race/ethnicity that does not match their own report experiencing more types of discrimination. NHPI who constantly think about their race/ethnicity and those who are socially assigned a race/ethnicity that does not match their own report a greater frequency of discrimination. Findings indicate the need to understand the experiences of discrimination in this population., (© 2023. W. Montague Cobb-NMA Health Institute.)

Objectives. To evaluate the effect of COVID-19 on Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) receipt among pregnant individuals overall and by race/ethnicity. Methods. We measured changes in WIC receipt among Medicaid-covered births (n = 10 484 697) from the US National Center for Health Statistics Natality Files (2016-2022). Our interrupted time series logistic model included a continuous monthly variable, a binary post-COVID variable, and a continuous slope shift variable. We additionally fit separate models for each race/ethnicity relative to White individuals, using interaction terms between the time series variables and race/ethnicity. Results. We found decreases in WIC receipt (adjusted odds ratio [AOR] = 0.899; P  < .001) from before COVID (66.6%) to after COVID (57.9%). There were larger post-COVID decreases for American Indian/Alaska Native (AOR = 0.850; P  < .001), Native Hawaiian/Other Pacific Islander (AOR = 0.877; P  = .003), Black (AOR = 0.974; P  < .001), and Hispanic (AOR = 0.972, P  < .001) individuals relative to White individuals. Conclusions. The greater reductions in WIC receipt among minoritized individuals highlights a pathway through which the pandemic may have widened gaps in already disparate maternal and infant health. Public Health Implications. Continued efforts to increase WIC utilization are needed overall and among minoritized populations. ( Am J Public Health . 2023;113(S3):S240-S247. https://doi.org/10.2105/AJPH.2023.307525).

Background: Neuropathic pain impairs quality of life, is widely prevalent, and incurs significant costs. Current pharmacological therapies have poor/no efficacy and significant adverse effects; safe and effective alternatives are needed. Hyperpolarisation-activated cyclic nucleotide-regulated (HCN) channels are causally implicated in some forms of peripherally mediated neuropathic pain. Whilst 2,6-substituted phenols, such as 2,6-di-tert-butylphenol (26DTB-P), selectively inhibit HCN1 gating and are antihyperalgesic, the development of therapeutically tolerable, HCN-selective antihyperalgesics based on their inverse agonist activity requires that such drugs spare the cardiac isoforms and do not cross the blood-brain barrier., Methods: In silico molecular dynamics simulation, in vitro electrophysiology, and in vivo rat spared nerve injury methods were used to test whether 'hindered' variants of 26DTB-P (wherein a hydrophilic 'anchor' is attached in the para-position of 26DTB-P via an acyl chain 'tether') had the desired properties., Results: Molecular dynamics simulation showed that membrane penetration of hindered 26DTB-Ps is controlled by a tethered diol anchor without elimination of head group rotational freedom. In vitro and in vivo analysis showed that BP4L-18:1:1, a variant wherein a diol anchor is attached to 26DTB-P via an 18-carbon tether, is an HCN1 inverse agonist and an orally available antihyperalgesic. With a CNS multiparameter optimisation score of 2.25, a >100-fold lower drug load in the brain vs blood, and an absence of adverse cardiovascular or CNS effects, BP4L-18:1:1 was shown to be poorly CNS penetrant and cardiac sparing., Conclusions: These findings provide a proof-of-concept demonstration that anchor-tethered drugs are a new chemotype for treatment of disorders involving membrane targets., (Copyright © 2023 British Journal of Anaesthesia. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

We assessed COVID-19 vaccination (≥1 dose) status as influenced by sociodemographic factors (i.e., age, gender, race/ethnicity, education, income, and parent or guardian status), healthcare provider recommendation, and personal vaccine hesitancy among Arkansas residents in October 2022. We asked: did the likelihood of vaccination differ across sociodemographic groups of Arkansas during this period of the pandemic? Is COVID-19 vaccination associated with recommendations from healthcare providers and/or COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy? We analyzed data from a random sample survey of adults in Arkansas (N = 2,201). Three in four adults self-reported vaccination against COVID-19 in October 2022. We found both positive and negative association between COVID-19 vaccination and age, gender, race/ethnicity, education, income, healthcare provider recommendation, and vaccine hesitancy. We highlight racial differences in COVID-19 coverage and the higher odds of COVID-19 vaccination among Black adults compared to White adults in particular, which has broad implications for the study of vaccine coverage and hesitancy. We also discuss implications of our findings regarding healthcare provider recommendations to be vaccinated against COVID-19., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2023. Published by Elsevier Ltd.)

COVID-19 vaccines effectively protect against COVID-19-related hospitalization or death, and 67.1% of the US population is fully vaccinated. However, the disparity in COVID-19 vaccination persists among minority and rural populations who often report greater hesitancy about COVID-19 vaccines. This exploratory study aimed to understand and document trusted sources of information about the COVID-19 vaccine among a diverse sample of hesitant adopters with in-depth interviews. Participants ( n  = 21) described how information from trusted sources influenced their decision to get a COVID-19 vaccine despite being hesitant. Participants reported health care professionals, family members, friends, coworkers, community leaders, public health experts, government officials, and the mainstream media as trusted sources of information about the COVID-19 vaccines. Participants discussed obtaining trusted information from multiple modes, including direct conversations with trusted messengers and public health communications from public influencers who reinforced the information shared with trusted messengers. Notably, participants discussed having multiple conversations with trusted messengers during their decision-making process, and these trusted messengers often facilitated the participants' vaccination process. Study findings highlight the continued need for clear, understandable information about vaccine side effects, safety, and efficacy to address concerns that contribute to vaccine hesitancy.

Introduction: Neurons transport mRNA and translational machinery to axons for local translation. After spinal cord injury (SCI), de novo translation is assumed to enable neurorepair. Knowledge of the identity of axonal mRNAs that participate in neurorepair after SCI is limited. We sought to identify and understand how axonal RNAs play a role in axonal regeneration., Methods: We obtained preparations enriched in axonal mRNAs from control and SCI rats by digesting spinal cord tissue with cold-active protease (CAP). The digested samples were then centrifuged to obtain a supernatant that was used to identify mRNA expression. We identified differentially expressed genes (DEGS) after SCI and mapped them to various biological processes. We validated the DEGs by RT-qPCR and RNA-scope., Results: The supernatant fraction was highly enriched for mRNA from axons. Using Gene Ontology, the second most significant pathway for all DEGs was axonogenesis. Among the DEGs was Rims2, which is predominately a circular RNA (circRNA) in the CNS. We show that Rims2 RNA within spinal cord axons is circular. We found an additional 200 putative circRNAs in the axonal-enriched fraction. Knockdown in primary rat cortical neurons of the RNA editing enzyme ADAR1, which inhibits formation of circRNAs, significantly increased axonal outgrowth and increased the expression of circRims2. Using Rims2 as a prototype we used Circular RNA Interactome to predict miRNAs that bind to circRims2 also bind to the 3'UTR of GAP-43, PTEN or CREB1, all known regulators of axonal outgrowth. Axonally-translated GAP-43 supports axonal elongation and we detect GAP-43 mRNA in the rat axons by RNAscope., Discussion: By enriching for axonal RNA, we detect SCI induced DEGs, including circRNA such as Rims2. Ablation of ADAR1, the enzyme that regulates circRNA formation, promotes axonal outgrowth of cortical neurons. We developed a pathway model using Circular RNA Interactome that indicates that Rims2 through miRNAs can regulate the axonal translation GAP-43 to regulate axonal regeneration. We conclude that axonal regulatory pathways will play a role in neurorepair., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2023 Siddiq, Toro, Johnson, Hansen, Xiong, Mellado, Tolentino, Johnson, Jayaraman, Suhail, Harlow, Dai, Beaumont, Sebra, Willis, Cardozo and Iyengar.)

Introduction: The purpose of this study is to examine relationships between COVID-19 vaccination, social processes, and the practical issues of healthcare coverage and workplace requirements. We examine these relationships among individuals who expressed some degree of hesitancy towards receiving the vaccine. Assessing relationships between COVID-19 vaccination, social processes, and practical issues among vaccine-hesitant individuals has implications for public health policy and intervention., Methods: We analyzed weighted data from a random sample phone survey of Arkansas adults (N = 2,201) between March 1st and March 28th, 2022 and constrained our analytical sample to those who had reported some degree of vaccine hesitancy (N = 1,251). Statistical analyses included weighted and unweighted descriptive statistics, weighted bivariate logistic regressions, and a weighted multivariate logistic regression to obtain adjusted odds ratios for COVID-19 vaccination., Results: More than two-thirds (62.5 %) of respondents were vaccinated, despite their hesitancy. Adjusted odds of COVID-19 vaccination were greater among Black (OR = 2.55; 95 % CI[1.63, 3.97]) and Hispanic respondents (OR = 2.46; 95 % CI[1.53, 3.95]), respondents whose healthcare provider recommended vaccination (OR = 2.50; 95 % CI[1.66, 3.77]), and as perceptions of vaccination coverage (OR = 2.04; 95 % CI[1.71, 2.43]) and subjective social status increased (OR = 1.10; 95 % CI[1.01, 1.19]). Adjusted odds of COVID-19 vaccination were greater among respondents with a workplace that recommended (OR = 1.96; 95 % CI[1.03, 3.72]) or required vaccination (OR = 12.62; 95 % CI[4.76, 33.45]) and among respondents who were not employed (OR = 1.82; 95 % CI[1.10, 3.01]) compared to those whose workplace did not recommend or require COVID-19 vaccination., Conclusions: Some hesitant individuals become vaccinated despite their hesitancy-a group we refer to as "hesitant adopters." Social processes and practical issues are important correlates of vaccination among those who are hesitant. Workplace requirements appear to be of particular importance for vaccination among hesitant individuals. Provider recommendations, norms, social status, and workplace policies may be effective points of intervention among those who express vaccine hesitancy., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2023. Published by Elsevier Ltd.)

Photocatalytic advanced oxidation processes (AOPs) promise a chemical-free route to energy-efficient degradation of waterborne micropollutants if long-standing mass transfer and light management issues can be overcome. Herein, we developed a dual-porous photocatalytic system consisting of a mesoporous (i.e., 2-50 nm pores) TiO 2 (P25) photocatalyst supported on macroporous (i.e., >50 nm pores) fused quartz fibers (P25/QF). Our reusable photocatalytic AOP reduces chemical consumption and exhibits excellent energy efficiency, demonstrated by degrading various pharmaceutical compounds (acetaminophen, sulfamethoxazole, and carbamazepine) in natural waters with electrical energy per order (E EO ) values of 4.07, 0.96, and 1.35 kWh/m 3 , respectively. Compared to the conventional H 2 O 2 /UVC AOP, our photocatalytic AOP can treat water without chemical additives while reducing energy consumption by over 2800%. We examine these improvements based on mass transport and optical (UVA and UVC) transmittance and demonstrate that the enhancements scale with increasing flow rate., Competing Interests: The authors declare no competing financial interest., (© 2023 The Authors. Published by American Chemical Society.)

2,6-di- tert -butylphenol (2,6-DTBP) ameliorates mechanical allodynia and thermal hyperalgesia produced by partial sciatic nerve ligation in mice, and selectively inhibits HCN1 channel gating. We hypothesized that the clinically utilized non-anesthetic dimerized congener of 2,6-DTBP, probucol (2,6-di- tert -butyl-4-[2-(3,5-di- tert -butyl-4-hydroxyphenyl)sulfanylpropan-2-ylsulfanyl]phenol), would relieve the neuropathic phenotype that results from peripheral nerve damage, and that the anti-hyperalgesic efficacy in vivo would correlate with HCN1 channel inhibition in vitro. A single oral dose of probucol (800 mg/kg) relieved mechanical allodynia and thermal hyperalgesia in a mouse spared-nerve injury neuropathic pain model. While the low aqueous solubility of probucol precluded assessment of its possible interaction with HCN1 channels, our results, in conjunction with recent data demonstrating that probucol reduces lipopolysaccharide-induced mechanical allodynia and thermal hyperalgesia, support the testing/development of probucol as a non-opioid, oral antihyperalgesic albeit one of unknown mechanistic action., Competing Interests: The authors declare the following financial interests/personal relationships which may be considered as potential competing interests: Peter A. Goldstein reports financial support was provided by US Department of Defense. Olaf A. Andersen reports financial support was provided by National Institutes of Health. Dianna E. Willis reports financial support was provided by National Institutes of Health. Peter A. Goldstein reports a relationship with Akelos, Inc. that includes: board membership and non-financial support. Gareth R. Tibbs reports a relationship with Akelos, Inc. that includes: board membership and non-financial support. Dianna E. Willis reports a relationship with Akelos, Inc. that includes: board membership and non-financial support. J. David Warren reports a relationship with Akelos, Inc. that includes: board membership and non-financial support. Peter A. Goldstein, Rebecca L. Joyce, and Gareth R. Tibbs are co-inventors on patents related to the development of alkylphenols for the treatment of neuropathic pain. J. David Warren, Dianna E. Willis, Gareth R. Tibbs, and Peter A. Goldstein serve on the Scientific Advisory Board for Akelos, Inc., a research-based biotechnology company that has secured a licensing agreement for the use of those patents., (© 2023 The Authors.)

Background: Some cancer survivors experience medical financial hardship, which may reduce their food security. The purpose of this study was to explore whether medical financial hardship is related to food security among cancer survivors., Methods: The study was based on cross-sectional data from the 2020 National Health Interview Survey. We used ordinal logistic regression to examine the relationship between material, psychological, and behavioral medical financial hardships and household food security (i.e., high, marginal, low, or very low) among individuals ages ≥18 years who reported a cancer diagnosis from a health professional (N = 4,130)., Results: The majority of the sample reported high household food security (88.5%), with 4.8% reporting marginal, 3.6% reporting low, and 3.1% reporting very low household food security. In the adjusted model, the odds of being in a lower food security category were higher for cancer survivors who had problems paying or were unable to pay their medical bills compared with those who did not [OR, 1.73; 95% confidence interval (CI), 1.06-2.82, P = 0.027], who were very worried about paying their medical bills compared with those who were not at all worried (OR, 2.88; 95% CI, 1.64-5.07; P < 0.001), and who delayed medical care due to cost compared with those who did not (OR, 2.56; 95% CI, 1.29-5.09; P = 0.007)., Conclusions: Food insecurity is rare among cancer survivors. However, medical financial hardship is associated with an increased risk of lower household food security among cancer survivors., Impact: A minority of cancer survivors experience medical financial hardship and food insecurity; social needs screenings should be conducted., (©2023 American Association for Cancer Research.)

This study aimed to examine the demographic characteristics of pregnant women in a Healthy Start program who are presumed eligible for the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC), but who have not yet applied for WIC benefits. We used a cross sectional evaluation of data collected from pregnant women (n=203) participating in a Healthy Start program. Data came from surveys administered at enrollment in the Healthy Start program from July 15th, 2019 until January 14th, 2022. The primary outcome was WIC application status, which was determined by whether the woman had applied or was receiving benefits at the time of enrollment. Covariates included race/ethnicity, marital status, insurance, education, income, age, employment, and having previous children/pregnancies. Fisher exact tests and logistic regression were used to examine associations. Approximately 65% of women had not yet applied for WIC benefits. Marshallese women (80.9%) and other NHPI women (80.0%) had the highest need for assistance. In adjusted analyses, White women (p = 0.040) and Hispanic women (p = 0.005) had lower rates of needing assistance applying for WIC than Marshallese women. There were higher rates of needing assistance in applying for women with private insurance or with no insurance and for those with higher incomes. Nearly two out of every three pregnant women who were eligible for WIC had not yet applied for benefits. The findings highlight the need for outreach for all populations that may be eligible, particularly among racial/ethnic minorities and those with higher incomes., (© 2023. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature.)

The coronavirus disease (COVID-19) was the third leading cause of death in 2021 in the United States and has led to historic declines in life expectancy for Americans. While vaccination is an effective mitigation strategy for COVID-19, vaccine hesitancy remains a major barrier to individual and population-level protection. An emerging literature on hesitant adopters of COVID-19 vaccines highlights co-occurrence of hesitancy and vaccine uptake as an understudied phenomenon, with the potential to provide insight into factors that lead hesitant individuals to become vaccinated despite their hesitancy. We use qualitative interviews among hesitant adopters in Arkansas to examine vaccine hesitancy among this understudied group. Drawing on the Increasing Vaccination Model, we find that the most frequently reported motivations of hesitant adopters were within the domain of social processes, pointing to a critical focal point for targeted health communications intervening in this domain (e.g. social norms, social networks, and altruistic behavior). We find that recommendations from health care workers (HCWs) other than physicians/providers may serve as an effective influence to vaccinate. We also demonstrate negative effects of low provider and HCW confidence and weak recommendations on motivations to vaccinate among individuals expressing vaccine hesitancy. Additionally, we find individual information-seeking behaviors among hesitant adopters bolstered confidence in the efficacy of the COVID-19 vaccine. Based on these findings, clear, accessible, and authoritative health communication has a role in combatting the COVID-19 misinformation/disinformation infodemic.

Objectives: The aim of the study was to determine the relation between coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) death exposure and COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy and vaccine uptake among Arkansans, controlling for sociodemographic factors., Methods: Data were collected from a telephone survey administered in Arkansas between July 12 and July 30, 2021 (N = 1500) via random digit dialing of telephone landlines and cellular telephones. Weighted data were used to estimate regressions., Results: Controlling for sociodemographic variables, COVID-19 death exposure was not a significant predictor of COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy ( P = 0.423) or COVID-19 vaccine uptake ( P = 0.318). Younger individuals, those with lower levels of education, and those who live in rural counties were more likely to be COVID-19 vaccine hesitant. Older individuals, Hispanic/Latinx individuals, those who reported higher levels of education, and those who reported living in urban counties were more likely to have reported receiving the COVID-19 vaccine., Conclusions: Many efforts to promote COVID-19 vaccines have focused on prosocial norms, including encouraging vaccination to protect the community from COVID-19 infection and death; however, COVID-19 death exposure was not related to COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy or uptake in the present study. Future research should examine whether prosocial messaging is effective in decreasing hesitancy or motivating some individuals to receive the vaccine among those who have been exposed to COVID-19 deaths.

Background: Diabetes Mellitus causes a systemic oxidative stress due in part to the hyperglycemia and the reactive oxygen species generated. Up to 75% of diabetic patients present with an autonomic neuropathy affecting the Enteric Nervous System. Deficits in the human population are chronic dysmotilities with either increased (i.e., constipation) or decreased (i.e., diarrhea) total gastrointestinal transit times. These are recapitulated in the streptozocin-induced diabetic rat, which is a model of Type I Diabetes Mellitus., Aims: Examine the effects that a precursor of nicotinamide adenosine dinucleotide (NAD), nicotinamide riboside (NR), had on the development of dysmotility in induced diabetic rats and if fecal microbiota transplant (FMT) could produce the same results., Materials and Methods: Utilizing a 6-week treatment paradigm, NR was administered intraperitoneally every 48 h. Total gastrointestinal transit time was assessed weekly utilizing the carmine red method. Three weeks following hyperglycemic induction, FMT was performed between NR-treated animals and untreated animals., Significant Results: There is improvement in overall gastrointestinal transit time with the use of NR. 16S microbiome sequencing demonstrated decreased alpha and beta diversity in induced diabetic rats without change in animals receiving FMT. Improvements in myenteric plexus ganglia density in small and large intestines in diabetic animals treated with NR were seen., Conclusions: NR treatment led to functional improvement in total gastrointestinal transit time in induced diabetic animals. This was associated with neuroprotection in the myenteric plexuses of both small and large intestines of induced diabetic rats. This represents an important first step in showing NR's benefit as a treatment for diabetic enteric neuropathy. Streptozocin-induced diabetic rats have improved transit times and increased myenteric plexus ganglia density when treated with intraperitoneal nicotinamide riboside., (© 2023. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature.)

Objective: This study estimates the prevalence of, and associations between, family food insecurity and overweight/obesity among Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander (NHPI) adolescents and explores socio-demographic factors which might have a moderation effect on the association., Design: Cross-sectional study using 2014 NHPI-National Health Interview Survey data reported by a parent or guardian. Family-level food security was assessed by the US Department of Agriculture 10-item questionnaire. BMI for age and sex ≥ 85th and 95th percentiles defined overweight and obesity, respectively, according to US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention criteria., Setting: The USA, including all 50 states and the District of Columbia., Participants: 383 NHPI adolescents aged 12-17 in the USA., Results: A third (33·5 %) of NHPI adolescents aged 12-17 were overweight (19·1 %) or obese (14·4 %); 8·1 % had low food security; and 8·5 % had very low food security. Mean family food security score was 1·06, which corresponds to marginal food security. We found no association between family food insecurity and adolescent overweight/obesity or between any other covariates and overweight/obesity, except for family Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) participation. Odds of being overweight/obese were 77 % lower for adolescents in families participating in SNAP (OR: 0·23, 95 % CI: 0·08, 0·64, P = 0·007). The association between SNAP participation and lower odds of overweight/obesity was particularly pronounced for adolescent girls in food-insecure families., Conclusions: The association between SNAP participation and lower odds of overweight/obesity suggests potential benefit of research to determine whether interventions to increase SNAP enrollment would improve NHPI adolescents' health outcomes.

Background: Despite the United States (US) having an abundant supply of COVID-19 vaccines, vaccination rates lag behind other high-income countries, suggesting that vaccine hesitancy and attitudes play a greater role in public health measures than pure supply and access. With the acknowledgment that vaccination attitudes and status may or may not be correlated, this study examined COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy among vaccinated US adults by asking: 1) What is the prevalence of COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy among the vaccinated? 2) Does COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy vary across sociodemographic characteristics? 3) Does COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy vary by healthcare access and influenza vaccination over the past 5 years?, Methods: Data were collected through an online survey of 2022 US adults with a final analytic sample of 1383 vaccinated respondents., Results: Overall, 48.8% of vaccinated adults reported some level of hesitancy, while a slight majority reported they were "not at all hesitant". Younger respondents, women, and Black and American Indian or Alaska Native participants had greater adjusted odds of being more hesitant towards receiving the COVID-19 vaccine. Respondents who had a primary care physician had greater adjusted odds than those who did not have a primary care physician of being more hesitant towards receiving the COVID-19 vaccine., Conclusions: This is the first population-based national sample study examining COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy among vaccinated individuals from subgroups of distinctive backgrounds in order to inform targeted strategies for reducing vaccine hesitancy. Findings can assist in efforts to increase vaccination rates and also decrease vaccine hesitancy at the national level., (© 2023 The Author(s).)

Early in the COVID-19 vaccine rollout, Black adults consistently reported more hesitancy than White adults, but few studies have examined variation in hesitancy among Black adults or its associations with racial discrimination. Data were collected from Black Arkansas residents age 18 and older (n = 350) between July 12 th and July 30 th , 2021, as part of a larger survey of Arkansans (N = 1500). Participants were recruited through random digit dialing of both landline and cell phones, with oversampling of Black and Hispanic residents. Respondents reported COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy, sociodemographic information, influenza vaccination history, pandemic-related experiences, and experiences of racial discrimination. Almost half (48.9%) of Black adults in Arkansas were not hesitant towards COVID-19 vaccines, while the remainder reported some level of hesitancy. Nearly a quarter were very hesitant (22.4%), while fewer reported being somewhat (14.0%) and a little (14.7%) hesitant. Using an ordered logistic regression with partial proportional odds, we find odds of COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy decreased as age and influenza vaccination increased. Odds of COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy were 1.70 times greater for Black adults who experienced the death of a close friend/family member due to COVID-19 and 2.61 times greater for individuals reporting discrimination with police or in the courts. Within-group analysis revealed nearly half of Black adults did not report any COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy and heterogeneity among those who were hesitant. Findings suggest there may be an important link between racial discrimination in the criminal justice system and COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy among Black adults., (© 2022. W. Montague Cobb-NMA Health Institute.)

Despite widespread availability of vaccines, COVID-19 is a leading cause of death in the United States (US), and sociodemographic disparities in vaccine uptake remain. Race/ethnicity, partisanship, and perception of peer vaccination status are strong predictors of vaccine uptake, but research is limited among some racial/ethnic groups with small populations. The current study used an online survey to examine the relationship between these factors among a diverse sample of US adults (n = 1,674), with oversampling of racial and ethnic minorities. Respondents provided sociodemographic information and answered questions regarding COVID-19 vaccination status, political affiliation, perception of peers' vaccination status, COVID-19 death exposure, and previous COVID-19 infection. Respondents who identified as Asian American had higher odds of being vaccinated, whereas those who identified as Black/African American or American Indian or Alaska Native (AIAN) had lower odds. Respondents who identified as Independent/Other or Republican had lower vaccination odds. Respondents who perceived anything less than nearly all of their peers were vaccinated had lower vaccination odds. Further, lack of a primary care provider, younger age, and lower educational attainment were associated with lower vaccination odds. Findings may help to determine where additional work is needed to improve vaccine uptake in the US. Results indicate the need for intentional and tailored vaccination programs in Black/African American and AIAN communities; the need to understand how media and political actors develop vaccination messaging and impact vaccine uptake; and the need for additional research on how people estimate, understand, and form decisions around peer vaccination rates., (© 2022. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature.)

Why do adult mammalian central nervous system axons not regenerate, when peripheral axons do? Two studies in PLOS Biology point to the role of 2 related ribosomal S6 kinase family members in the differences in regeneration capacity between central and peripheral axons., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist., (Copyright: © 2023 Mellado, Willis. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.)

Epidemiological evidence suggests that one's risk of being diagnosed with a neurodevelopmental disorder (NDD)-such as autism, ADHD, or schizophrenia-increases significantly if their mother had a viral or bacterial infection during the first or second trimester of pregnancy. Despite this well-known data, little is known about how developing neural systems are perturbed by events such as early-life immune activation. One theory is that the maternal immune response disrupts neural processes important for typical fetal and postnatal development, which can subsequently result in specific and overlapping behavioral phenotypes in offspring, characteristic of NDDs. As such, rodent models of maternal immune activation (MIA) have been useful in elucidating neural mechanisms that may become dysregulated by MIA. This review will start with an up-to-date and in-depth, critical summary of epidemiological data in humans, examining the association between different types of MIA and NDD outcomes in offspring. Thereafter, we will summarize common rodent models of MIA and discuss their relevance to the human epidemiological data. Finally, we will highlight other factors that may interact with or impact MIA and its associated risk for NDDs, and emphasize the importance for researchers to consider these when designing future human and rodent studies. These points to consider include: the sex of the offspring, the developmental timing of the immune challenge, and other factors that may contribute to individual variability in neural and behavioral responses to MIA, such as genetics, parental age, the gut microbiome, prenatal stress, and placental buffering., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2023 Hall, Willis, Rodriguez and Schwarz.)

We administered a survey during the fifteen-minute wait time after the COVID-19 vaccine was given (N = 1475) to examine attitudes towards COVID-19 vaccines among adults who were vaccinated in Arkansas between April 22nd and July 6th, 2021. We found 60% of those who had just been vaccinated reported some level of hesitancy, including 10% who reported being "very hesitant." Hesitancy was not evenly distributed across sociodemographic groups (age, sex, race/ethnicity, and education) and was associated with whether a non-English language is spoken in the home, health care coverage, and flu vaccination over the past five years in bivariate analysis. Generalized ordered logistic regression results reveal associations between the log-ordered odds of COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy and age, sex, race/ethnicity, health care coverage, health literacy, and flu vaccination over the past five years. Surprisingly, a prior COVID-19 diagnosis was not significantly associated with COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy. These results can inform health care and communication strategies. Further attention to "hesitant adopters" can provide insights into the process of overcoming vaccine hesitancy that are critical to vaccine uptake., (© 2022. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature.)

Background: Vaccines provide protection against numerous diseases that can cause serious illness and death. However, vaccine hesitancy threatens to undermine progress in reducing preventable diseases and illness. Vaccine hesitancy has been shown to vary by sociodemographic characteristics. However, studies examining associations between healthcare access and vaccine hesitancy are lacking., Objective: Using a statewide random sample of Arkansas adults, we examined the relationship between general vaccine hesitancy and healthcare access., Design: From July 12 to 30, 2021, participants were contacted by landlines and cellular phones using random digit dialing., Participants: A total of 1500 Arkansas adults were surveyed. Black/African American and Hispanic/Latinx adults were oversampled to ensure adequate representation. The survey had a cooperation rate of 20%., Main Measures: The dependent variable was an ordinal measure of general vaccine hesitancy. Age, gender, race, education, relationship status, and rural/urban residence were included in the model. Healthcare access was measured across four domains: (1) health insurance coverage; (2) having a primary care provider (PCP); (3) forgoing care due to cost; and (4) time since last routine checkup. The relationship between general vaccine hesitancy and healthcare access was modeled using ordinal logistic regression, controlling for sociodemographic characteristics., Key Results: Mean age was 48.5 years, 51.1% were women, 28% reported a race other than White, and 36.3% held a bachelor's degree or higher. Those with a PCP and those with health insurance had approximately two-thirds the odds of being more hesitant ([OR=0.63, CI=0.47, 0.84] and [OR=0.68; CI=0.49, 0.94]) than those without a PCP and those without health insurance. Participants reporting a routine checkup in the last 2 years were almost half as likely to be more hesitant than those reporting a checkup more than 2 years prior (OR=0.58; CI=0.43, 0.79)., Conclusions: Results suggest improving access to health insurance, PCPs, and routine preventative care services may be critical to reducing vaccine hesitancy., (© 2022. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Society of General Internal Medicine.)

Few studies have investigated the relationship between influenza vaccination and health care access. Furthermore, despite the well-documented disparities in vaccine coverage for communities of color, few studies have examined how experiences of discrimination may influence vaccine uptake. To fill this gap in the literature, this study examined associations between 5-year influenza vaccination rates and sociodemographic characteristics, health care access, and racial discrimination. Age, race/ethnicity, education, health care coverage, primary care provider, no medical care due to cost, and routine doctor checkups were significant correlates of 5-year influenza vaccination. In contrast to previous studies, discrimination scores were not a significant correlate of regular influenza vaccination. Respondents who reported forgoing care due to cost were less likely to report vaccination every year out of the last 5 years compared to all of the less frequent categories combined, demonstrating a more complex association between sometimes not being able to afford medical care and influenza vaccination. Future research should examine the relationship between influenza vaccination uptake, racial discrimination, and forgone care due to cost to enhance resources and messaging for influenza vaccination uptake.