Title: Tobacco Companies Must Put New Warnings on Packaging, Court Says
Category: Health News
Created: 5/1/2018 12:00:00 AM
Last Editorial Review: 5/2/2018 12:00:00 AM

Title: Skin's 'Good' Bacteria May Be Promising Weapon Against Eczema
Category: Health News
Created: 5/3/2018 12:00:00 AM
Last Editorial Review: 5/3/2018 12:00:00 AM

Title: Health Tip: When To Call Your Doctor If You Have Lower Back Pain
Category: Health News
Created: 5/3/2018 12:00:00 AM
Last Editorial Review: 5/3/2018 12:00:00 AM

Title: Harms of Banned Pregnancy Drug Linger for Decades in Daughters
Category: Health News
Created: 5/2/2018 12:00:00 AM
Last Editorial Review: 5/3/2018 12:00:00 AM

Title: Malaria Parasite Is Infecting, Killing U.S. Baby Deer
Category: Health News
Created: 5/2/2018 12:00:00 AM
Last Editorial Review: 5/3/2018 12:00:00 AM

Title: FDA OKs Restricted Sales of 'Heat-Not-Burn' Tobacco Devices
Category: Health News
Created: 4/30/2019 12:00:00 AM
Last Editorial Review: 5/1/2019 12:00:00 AM

Title: AHA News: Study Backs Lower Blood Pressure Target for People With Diabetes
Category: Health News
Created: 4/30/2019 12:00:00 AM
Last Editorial Review: 5/1/2019 12:00:00 AM

Title: Bats and Coronaviruses Go Back Centuries
Category: Health News
Created: 4/28/2020 12:00:00 AM
Last Editorial Review: 4/28/2020 12:00:00 AM

Title: New Saliva-Based COVID-19 Test an Easier Alternative
Category: Health News
Created: 4/27/2020 12:00:00 AM
Last Editorial Review: 4/28/2020 12:00:00 AM

Title: Obamacare May Help Many Laid-Off Workers Get Health Insurance
Category: Health News
Created: 4/29/2020 12:00:00 AM
Last Editorial Review: 4/30/2020 12:00:00 AM

Title: E-Cigarettes as Bad for Arteries as Regular Smokes, Study Finds
Category: Health News
Created: 4/29/2020 12:00:00 AM
Last Editorial Review: 4/30/2020 12:00:00 AM

Title: Kidney Pain vs. Back Pain
Category: Diseases and Conditions
Created: 12/20/2019 12:00:00 AM
Last Editorial Review: 4/8/2020 12:00:00 AM

Title: Mental Health Problems After First Baby Reduce Likelihood of More Children: Study
Category: Health News
Created: 4/3/2020 12:00:00 AM
Last Editorial Review: 4/6/2020 12:00:00 AM

Title: Vaginal Bacteria Could Help Predict Risk of Premature Birth: Study
Category: Health News
Created: 4/8/2020 12:00:00 AM
Last Editorial Review: 4/9/2020 12:00:00 AM

Title: Do C-Section Babies Become Heavier Adults?
Category: Health News
Created: 4/14/2020 12:00:00 AM
Last Editorial Review: 4/15/2020 12:00:00 AM

Title: AHA News: How Pregnant Woman's High Blood Pressure Can Change Shape of Baby's Heart
Category: Health News
Created: 4/30/2020 12:00:00 AM
Last Editorial Review: 5/1/2020 12:00:00 AM

Title: Lumbar Puncture (LP or Spinal Tap)
Category: Procedures and Tests
Created: 10/13/1998 12:00:00 AM
Last Editorial Review: 12/13/2019 12:00:00 AM

Title: Sleep Disturbances May Trigger Migraine
Category: Health News
Created: 12/26/2019 12:00:00 AM
Last Editorial Review: 12/27/2019 12:00:00 AM

Title: How Long Does a Retrobulbar Block Last?
Category: Procedures and Tests
Created: 4/24/2020 12:00:00 AM
Last Editorial Review: 4/24/2020 12:00:00 AM

Title: AHA News: If You Think Before You Snack, It's Not So Bad
Category: Health News
Created: 3/26/2020 12:00:00 AM
Last Editorial Review: 3/27/2020 12:00:00 AM

Title: FDA Bans Products That Help Kids Hide Vape Use From Parents
Category: Health News
Created: 4/27/2020 12:00:00 AM
Last Editorial Review: 4/28/2020 12:00:00 AM

Title: Baby Boom After Pandemic Lockdowns? Maybe Not
Category: Health News
Created: 5/8/2020 12:00:00 AM
Last Editorial Review: 5/8/2020 12:00:00 AM

Title: Trump Says Obamacare Must Go as U.S. Coronavirus Cases Climb Past 1.2 Million
Category: Health News
Created: 5/7/2020 12:00:00 AM
Last Editorial Review: 5/8/2020 12:00:00 AM

The FDA is launching a pilot study to determine if a risk-based questionnaire could take the place of the deferral periods.

Researchers conducted nearly 1,500 online interviews and found that nearly 82% of those surveyed said they didn't plan to conceive during the coronavirus pandemic.

Title: HDL vs. LDL Cholesterol (Good and Bad)
Category: Diseases and Conditions
Created: 7/14/2017 12:00:00 AM
Last Editorial Review: 12/11/2019 12:00:00 AM

For any journal issue that has at least one open access or early access article, PMC is now displaying the table of contents (TOC) in advance of the whole issue becoming available. Not to worry, though—only those articles specified for early release are immediately viewable in PMC. As consistent with the terms of access in the journal agreement, the other articles will only become available on their specified release date, as shown in the TOC below.

The journal's accessiblity, as indicated on the PMC Journal list also has not changed; for example, Plant Physiology's embargo period is still 12 months. What has changed is that the issues with “preview” TOCs now additionally appear on the journal's archive page. Publishers and others can rest assured, however, that no access terms for any journal have been changed with the unveiling of this new format.

Title: Iliotibial (IT) Band Syndrome
Category: Diseases and Conditions
Created: 4/18/2011 12:00:00 AM
Last Editorial Review: 3/10/2020 12:00:00 AM

Title: Bacteria May Be a Player in Diabetes Among Very Obese
Category: Health News
Created: 3/12/2020 12:00:00 AM
Last Editorial Review: 3/13/2020 12:00:00 AM

Title: Baqsimi (glucagon)
Category: Medications
Created: 4/22/2020 12:00:00 AM
Last Editorial Review: 4/22/2020 12:00:00 AM

Title: Potato & Sausages, Cold Cuts a Bad Combo for Your Brain
Category: Health News
Created: 4/22/2020 12:00:00 AM
Last Editorial Review: 4/23/2020 12:00:00 AM

Title: Laser Process May Kill Bacteria on Metal Surfaces
Category: Health News
Created: 4/16/2020 12:00:00 AM
Last Editorial Review: 4/17/2020 12:00:00 AM

Title: Balanitis (Inflammation of the Head of the Penis)
Category: Diseases and Conditions
Created: 6/24/2013 12:00:00 AM
Last Editorial Review: 11/22/2019 12:00:00 AM

Title: Is Balanitis Contagious?
Category: Diseases and Conditions
Created: 5/28/2015 12:00:00 AM
Last Editorial Review: 12/4/2019 12:00:00 AM

Title: Back in Touch: Technology Restores Hand Sensitivity to Young Quadraplegic
Category: Health News
Created: 4/23/2020 12:00:00 AM
Last Editorial Review: 4/24/2020 12:00:00 AM

Title: Greenhouse Gases Bad for Your Brain
Category: Health News
Created: 4/23/2020 12:00:00 AM
Last Editorial Review: 4/24/2020 12:00:00 AM

Title: What Is Nasogastric Intubation Used For?
Category: Procedures and Tests
Created: 5/4/2020 12:00:00 AM
Last Editorial Review: 5/4/2020 12:00:00 AM

Title: Have a Hangover? Try This Herbal Remedy
Category: Health News
Created: 5/1/2020 12:00:00 AM
Last Editorial Review: 5/4/2020 12:00:00 AM

Title: Cymbalta (duloxetine)
Category: Medications
Created: 7/11/2007 12:00:00 AM
Last Editorial Review: 2/12/2020 12:00:00 AM

Title: Bacterial Blood Infections Tied to Heightened Colon Cancer Risk
Category: Health News
Created: 4/22/2020 12:00:00 AM
Last Editorial Review: 4/23/2020 12:00:00 AM

Title: Obamacare May Have Boosted Use of Mammograms
Category: Health News
Created: 5/1/2020 12:00:00 AM
Last Editorial Review: 5/4/2020 12:00:00 AM

Title: Fewer Kids in Cancer Trials, Which Might Not Be a Bad Thing
Category: Health News
Created: 5/5/2020 12:00:00 AM
Last Editorial Review: 5/6/2020 12:00:00 AM

Title: Using Pot to Help You Sleep? It Could Backfire
Category: Health News
Created: 4/14/2020 12:00:00 AM
Last Editorial Review: 4/15/2020 12:00:00 AM

Expression of the DNA/RNA helicase schlafen family member 11 (SLFN11) has been identified as a sensitizer of tumor cells to DNA-damaging agents including platinum chemotherapy. We assessed the impact of SLFN11 expression on response to platinum chemotherapy and outcomes in patients with metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC). Tumor expression of SLFN11 was assessed in 41 patients with CRPC treated with platinum chemotherapy by RNA sequencing (RNA-seq) of metastatic biopsy tissue (n = 27) and/or immunofluorescence in circulating tumor cells (CTC; n = 20). Cox regression and Kaplan–Meier methods were used to evaluate the association of SLFN11 expression with radiographic progression-free survival (rPFS) and overall survival (OS). Multivariate analysis included tumor histology (i.e., adenocarcinoma or neuroendocrine) and the presence or absence of DNA repair aberrations. Patient-derived organoids with SLFN11 expression and after knockout by CRISPR-Cas9 were treated with platinum and assessed for changes in dose response. Patients were treated with platinum combination (N = 38) or platinum monotherapy (N = 3). Median lines of prior therapy for CRPC was two. Median OS was 8.7 months. Overexpression of SLFN11 in metastatic tumors by RNA-seq was associated with longer rPFS compared with those without overexpression (6.9 vs. 2.8 months, HR = 3.72; 95% confidence interval (CI), 1.56–8.87; P < 0.001); similar results were observed for patients with SLFN11-positive versus SLFN11-negative CTCs (rPFS 6.0 vs. 2.2 months, HR = 4.02; 95% CI, 0.77–20.86; P = 0.002). A prostate-specific antigen (PSA) decline of ≥50% was observed in all patients with SLFN11 overexpression. No association was observed between SLFN11 expression and OS. On multivariable analysis, SLFN11 was an independent factor associated with rPFS on platinum therapy. Platinum response of organoids expressing SLFN11 was reduced after SLFN11 knockout. Our data suggest that SLFN11 expression might identify patients with CRPC with a better response to platinum chemotherapy independent of histology or other genomic alterations. Additional studies, also in the context of PARP inhibitors, are warranted.

The aims of this study were to qualitatively assess dental public health (DPH) residents’ perspectives on teaching methods for DPH competencies and to develop and implement a case-based simulation to address those competencies, constructed on the basis of the qualitative assessment. Focus group discussions were conducted with 18 DPH residents enrolled in two university-based DPH programs. Topic areas discussed in the two focus groups were perceived value of DPH competencies, ways to acquire new DPH skills/abilities, and additional skills/abilities needed by DPH residents. The focus groups’ responses showed that the residents felt competent in the analytical thinking competencies such as research methodology and critiquing literature. They emphasized the importance of learning leadership skills and reported feeling somewhat uncertain about their mastery of the policy and advocacy and system evaluation competencies. Of the two distinct categories of DPH skills and competencies— analytical/critical thinking and practical competencies—these residents reported that a greater proportion of time needed to be devoted to integrating the practical competencies into their education. Based on the residents’ feedback, the authors developed a structured seminar series taking a case-based approach to simulate real-world DPH problems, using real and semi-hypothetical planning projects to meet the residents’ perceived needs and covering gaps between didactic learning and practice.

Clinical teaching is a cornerstone of health sciences education; it is also the most challenging aspect. The University of Pittsburgh Schools of Dental Medicine, Nursing, and Pharmacy developed a new evidence-based interprofessional course framed as a faculty learning community (FLC) around the principles of learning in a clinical environment. The aim of this study was to assess the overall effectiveness of this two-semester FLC at four health professions schools in academic year 2014-15. The assessment included anonymous participant surveys in each session and an anonymous end-of-course survey. Thirty-five faculty members from dental, health and rehabilitation sciences, nursing, and pharmacy enrolled in the FLC, with six to 32 enrollees attending each session. All attendees at each session completed the session evaluation surveys, but the attendance rate at each session ranged from 17.1% to 91.4%. Sixteen participants (46%) completed the end-of-course survey. The results showed overall positive responses to the FLC and changes in the participants’ self-reported knowledge. Session surveys showed that the participants found the FLC topics helpful and appreciated the opportunity to learn from each other and the interprofessional nature of the FLC. Responses to the end-of-course survey were in alignment with the individual session surveys and cited specific benefits as being the content, teaching materials, and structured discussions. In additional feedback, participants reported interest to continue as a cohort and to extend the peer-support system beyond the FLC. This outcomes assessment of the first round of the FLC confirmed that this cohort-based faculty development in an interprofessional setting was well received by its participants. Their feedback provided valuable insights for changes to future offerings.

Despite advances in oral health care, inequalities in oral health outcomes persist due to problems in access. With proper training, primary care providers can mitigate this inequality by providing oral health education, screening, and referral to advanced dental treatment. Diverging sets of oral health competencies and guidelines have been released or endorsed by multiple primary care disciplines. The aim of this study was to transform multiple sets of competencies into Entrustable Professional Activities (EPAs) for oral health integration into primary care training. A scoping review of the literature between January 2000 and December 2016 was conducted according to PRISMA methodology to identify all existing sets of competencies. The following primary care disciplines were included in the search: allopathic/osteopathic medical schools and residency programs in family medicine, internal medicine, and pediatrics; physician assistant programs; and nurse practitioner programs. Competencies were compared using the Health Resources and Services Administration Integration of Oral Health and Primary Care Practice competencies as the foundational set and translated into EPAs. The resulting EPAs were tested with a reactor panel. The scoping review produced 1,466 references, of which 114 were selected for full text review. Fourteen competencies were identified as being central to the integration of oral health into primary care. These were converted to seven EPAs for oral health integration into primary care and were mapped onto Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education residency competency domains as well to the Association of American Medical Colleges EPAs for graduating medical students. The resulting EPAs delineate the essential, observable work required of primary care providers to ensure that oral health is treated as a critical determinant of overall health.

Acne is one of the most common dermatological conditions, but the details of its pathology are unclear, and current management regimens often have adverse effects. Cutibacterium acnes is known as a major acne-associated bacterium that derives energy from lipase-mediated sebum lipid degradation. C. acnes is commensal, but lipase activity has been observed to differ among C. acnes types. For example, higher populations of the type IA strains are present in acne lesions with higher lipase activity. In the present study, we examined a conserved lipase in types IB and II that was truncated in type IA C. acnes strains. Closed, blocked, and open structures of C. acnes ATCC11828 lipases were elucidated by X-ray crystallography at 1.6–2.4 Å. The closed crystal structure, which is the most common form in aqueous solution, revealed that a hydrophobic lid domain shields the active site. By comparing closed, blocked, and open structures, we found that the lid domain-opening mechanisms of C. acnes lipases (_CAlipases) involve the lid-opening residues, Phe-179 and Phe-211. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first structure-function study of _CAlipases, which may help to shed light on the mechanisms involved in acne development and may aid in future drug design.

ABSTRACT

Synthesis and cleavage of the cell wall polymer peptidoglycan (PG) are carefully orchestrated processes and are essential for the growth and survival of bacteria. Yet, the function and importance of many enzymes that act on PG in Mycobacterium tuberculosis remain to be elucidated. We demonstrate that the activity of the N-acetylmuramyl-l-alanine amidase Ami1 is dispensable for cell division in M. tuberculosis in vitro yet contributes to the bacterium’s ability to persist during chronic infection in mice. Furthermore, the d,l-endopeptidase RipA, a predicted essential enzyme, is dispensable for the viability of M. tuberculosis but required for efficient cell division in vitro and in vivo. Depletion of RipA sensitizes M. tuberculosis to rifampin and to cell envelope-targeting antibiotics. Ami1 helps sustain residual cell division in cells lacking RipA, but the partial redundancy provided by Ami1 is not sufficient during infection, as depletion of RipA prevents M. tuberculosis from replicating in macrophages and leads to dramatic killing of the bacteria in mice. Notably, RipA is essential for persistence of M. tuberculosis in mice, suggesting that cell division is required during chronic mouse infection. Despite the multiplicity of enzymes acting on PG with redundant functions, we have identified two PG hydrolases that are important for M. tuberculosis to replicate and persist in the host.

IMPORTANCE Tuberculosis (TB) is a major global heath burden, with 1.6 million people succumbing to the disease every year. The search for new drugs to improve the current chemotherapeutic regimen is crucial to reducing this global health burden. The cell wall polymer peptidoglycan (PG) has emerged as a very successful drug target in bacterial pathogens, as many currently used antibiotics target the synthesis of this macromolecule. However, the multitude of genes encoding PG-synthesizing and PG-modifying enzymes with apparent redundant functions has hindered the identification of novel drug targets in PG synthesis in Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Here, we demonstrate that two PG-cleaving enzymes are important for virulence of M. tuberculosis. In particular, the d,l-endopeptidase RipA represents a potentially attractive drug target, as its depletion results in the clearance of M. tuberculosis from the host and renders the bacteria hypersusceptible to rifampin, a frontline TB drug, and to several cell wall-targeting antibiotics.