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Zika virus (ZIKV) is a re-emerging flavivirus that is transmitted to humans through the bite of an infected mosquito or through sexual contact with an infected partner. ZIKV infection during pregnancy has been associated with numerous fetal abnormalities, including prenatal lethality and microcephaly. However, until recent outbreaks in the Americas, ZIKV has been relatively understudied, and therefore the biology and pathogenesis of ZIKV infection remain incompletely understood. Better methods to study ZIKV infection in live cells could enhance our understanding of the biology of ZIKV and the mechanisms by which ZIKV contributes to fetal abnormalities. To this end, we developed a fluorescent cell-based reporter system allowing for live imaging of ZIKV-infected cells. This system utilizes the protease activity of the ZIKV non-structural proteins 2B and 3 (NS2B-NS3) to specifically mark virus-infected cells. Here, we demonstrate the utility of this fluorescent reporter for identifying cells infected by ZIKV strains of two lineages. Further, we use this system to determine that apoptosis is induced in cells directly infected with ZIKV in a cell-autonomous manner. Ultimately, approaches that can directly track ZIKV-infected cells at the single cell-level have the potential to yield new insights into the host-pathogen interactions that regulate ZIKV infection and pathogenesis.

Patients with subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) usually have prolonged hospitalizations due to the need to closely monitor their neurological status. Therefore, these patients have higher risk of experiencing hospital-acquired complications (HACs), which can complicate their clinical course and recovery. However, there is no evidence on the impact of HACs of long-term clinical outcomes. We aimed to identify if HACs are independent risk factors for poor clinical outcomes at 12–18 months of follow-up. Retrospective analysis of 323 patients with SAH diagnosis from 2013 until June 2018. We collected patient-related factors (age, sex, body mass index (BMI), ethnicity), comorbidities (hypertension, smoke status, diabetes, coronary heart diseases, prothrombotic diseases and hypercholesterolemia), clinical variables (Hunt-Hess grade, modified Fisher grade, treatment, delayed cerebral ischemia), aneurysm characteristics (location, size) and HACs (pneumonia, deep vein thrombosis (DVT), urinary tract infection (UTI), external ventricular drainage (EVD) infections, sepsis, hyponatremia and acute respiratory distress syndrome). Poor outcomes were defined as mRS ≥ 3. 204 patients were included in the primary analysis. 82 (40.2%) experienced one or more HACs during their hospital course. Patients that developed HACs have significantly increased ICU (12.1 ± 6.6 vs 24.3 ± 23.6, p < .001) and hospital (18.7 ± 14.2 vs 35.3 ± 26.3, p < .001) length of stays. Moreover, patients with HACs had significant higher rates of delayed cerebral ischemia, non-routine discharge and poor outcomes at 90 days. 177 patients had complete follow-ups at 12–18 months, HACs were independent risk factors for poor functional outcomes at 12–18 months after adjusting for demographic, comorbidities and clinical variables [OR = 3.205, 95% CI 1.231−8.347, p < 0.001]. HACs are an independent risk factor of sustaining poor clinical outcomes 12–18 months after a SAH. Furthermore, HACs are significantly related with the occurrence of DCI, with non-routine discharge and 90-day poor functional outcomes.

To investigate the effect of racial and demographic differences on the short-term outcome of patients following a non-pyogenic cerebral venous thrombosis. Data from the National Inpatient Sample were gathered from the years 2013 to 2016. Patients who had a non-pyogenic cerebral venous thrombosis were identified. Admissions of patients between different racial groups were compared. Outcome measures included inpatient mortality, length of stay (LOS), all patients refined diagnosis-related group (APR-DRG) severity and mortality risk scores, non-routine discharges, total charges, sepsis, and urinary tract infections (UTIs). We identified 973 patients who were admitted with a non-pyogenic cerebral venous thrombosis between 2013 and 2016. Of those, 65.7% were classified as White, 15.6% as Black, 14.1% as Hispanic, and 4.6% as Asian or Pacific Islander. Compared to White patients, Black patients were found to have a higher severity score upon admission (2.94 ± 0.818 vs 2.77 ± 0.839; p = 0.025) as well as a longer adjusted LOS (8.085 ± 5.917 vs 6.503 ± 5.552; p = 0.004) and log LOS (0.934 ± 0.507 vs 0.773 ± 0.521; p = 0.001). On initial analysis, we found that older age, elevated WBC count, income group, anemia, and an expected primary payer of Medicare/Medicaid were significantly associated with Black race and also worse outcomes. When controlling for these variables using multivariate regression, older age, lower income group, and elevated WBC count were not significantly associated with any measures of outcome. The race was no longer associated with a higher APR-DRG severity score but was still significant for adjusted LOS (p = 0.001) and adjusted log LOS (p = 0.004). Lastly, we noted that anemia and the expected primary payer of Medicare/Medicaid were both independently and significantly associated with APR-DRG severity score (p = 0.003; p = 0.010) and the adjusted log LOS (p = 0.019; p = 0.035). Black patients admitted with a non-pyogenic intracranial venous thrombosis have significantly longer LOS compared to White patients. Anemia and Medicare/Medicaid as the primary expected payer also seem to play a role in longer LOS, as well as the severity of the case.

Background Management of urinary symptoms in elderly patients with benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) is complex given challenges with medications and invasive surgeries. Rezum, a minimally invasive water vapor therapy, is an emerging alternative. We compare real-world Rezum outcomes between young and elderly patients over 4 years. Methods We retrospectively analyzed a multiethnic population treated with Rezum at a single center between 2017–2019. Patients were stratified into young (<65 years) or elderly (≥65 years) cohorts. International Prostate Symptom Score (IPSS), Quality of Life (QoL), maximum urinary flow rate (Qmax), decisional regret scores, and adverse events (AEs) were assessed at baseline, 1-, 3-, 6-, 12-, and/or 48-months. Descriptive statistics were compared using t -tests, Chi-squared, or Mann-Whitney U tests. Changes in outcomes were assessed using Wilcoxon signed-rank tests, stratified by age. Results 256 patients – 146 (57%) young and 110 (43%) elderly – were included. The majority were Asian (33.2%) or non-Hispanic Black (28.9%). Significant improvements were observed in the combined cohort at 4-years in IPSS, QoL, and Qmax when compared to baseline (all p  < 0.05). Between the age cohorts, there were no significant differences in IPSS, QoL, or Qmax at any follow-up. Within both cohorts, significant improvements in IPSS and QoL were found from baseline to all follow-ups. In the young cohort, Qmax was significantly improved from baseline to all follow-ups while in the elderly cohort, this was observed only at the 3-month follow-up. No significant differences in AEs or regret was found between cohorts. There was no significant difference in 4-year surgical retreatment rates between cohorts (elderly 11.9% vs young 5.1%, p  = 0.06). Conclusions There were no significant differences in IPSS, QoL, or AEs between elderly and younger men over 4 years following Rezum, suggesting comparable benefits and risks. Future research is warranted to clarify the impact of Rezum on Qmax in elderly men.

The objective of this study is to evaluate the conventional dietary recommendations for stone prevention among patients in the National Health and Nutritional Examination Survey (NHANES) and compare dietary components and special diets between stone formers and non-stone formers. We analyzed the NHANES 2011–2018 dietary and kidney condition questionnaires, among 16,939 respondents who were included in this analysis. Dietary variables were selected based on the American Urological Association (AUA) guideline for Medical Management of Kidney Stones and from other studies on kidney stone prevention. Weighted multivariate logistic regression models were used to assess the relationship of dietary food components (categorized into quartiles) and dietary recommendations with kidney stone formation (yes vs no), adjusted for total caloric intake, comorbidities, age, race/ethnicity, and sex. The prevalence of kidney stones was 9.9%. Our results showed association of kidney stones with lower levels of potassium (p for trend = 0.047), which was strongest for < 2000 mg (OR = 1.35; 95% CI 1.01–1.79). Higher vitamin C intake was inversely associated with stone formation (p for trend = 0.012), particularly at daily intake levels between 60 and 110 mg (OR = 0.76; 95% CI 0.60–0.95) and above 110mcg (OR = 0.80; 95% CI 0.66–0.97). There were no associations between other dietary components and kidney stone formation. Higher levels of dietary vitamin C and potassium intake may be indicated for stone prevention and warrants further investigation.

PurposeThis study aimed to investigate the relationship between self-reported food security and kidney stone formation.MethodsData were collected from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES), a database representative of the United States population. Food security status was assessed using the US Household Food Security Survey Module: Six-Item Short Form. Characteristics of patients were compared using the Chi-square test and the student t-test. Multivariate logistic regression was performed using a multi-model approach.ResultsWe analyzed 6,800 NHANES survey respondents. 37.2% of respondents were categorized as having “low food security” (scores 2–4) and 24.0% having “very low food security” (scores 5–6). 8.4% of respondents had a history of kidney stones. We found that people with very low food security had a 42% increased likelihood of developing kidney stones compared to those with high or marginal food security, after controlling for race, age, and comorbidities (OR 1.42; 95% CI 1.01–1.99). Between the different food security groups, no significant differences were observed in age, race/ethnicity, body mass index, gout history, osteoporosis history, or coronary artery disease history. Lower food security was associated with slightly younger age (< 1 year difference, p = 0.001), higher poverty-income ratio (p = 0.001), and many comorbidities, including kidney stones (p = 0.007).ConclusionOur study provides evidence for an association between food access and the risk of kidney stone disease. Given these findings, food insecurity should be investigated as a modifiable risk factor for the development of kidney stone disease.

Gaining insight into patient characteristics to predict the success of procedures is crucial for improving outcomes and for preoperative counselling. We identified predictors of achieving a minimal clinically important difference (MCID) in lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) 3 months after Rezūm. A retrospective study was conducted on patients treated with Rezūm. Patients with moderate or severe LUTS and a recorded International Prostate Symptom Score (IPSS) at 3 months were included and categorised into 2 cohorts based on experiencing a MCID at 3 months (≥ 25% improvement in IPSS). Predictors were identified through multivariate logistic regression analysis. Out of 174 patients, 134 (77%) achieved a MCID at 3 months, and those who did had a higher median baseline IPSS (20 [16-26] vs 15 [10-21], P <0.001) and were more likely to have severe LUTS at baseline (53.0% vs 35.0%, P = 0.046) when compared to those who did not experience a MCID at 3 months. Higher baseline IPSS (OR: 1.10, 95% CI 1.04-1.17) and larger baseline prostate volumes (OR: 1.03, 95% CI 1.0-1.05) were predictors of achieving a MCID at 3 months. More specifically, a significantly greater proportion of patients with severe LUTS (83.5 vs 70.8%, P = 0.046) and prostate volume ≥60 cc (94.6 vs 71.4%, P = 0.003) achieved MCID at 3 months when compared to patients with moderate LUTS and prostate volumes <60 cc, respectively. More than three-quarters of patients treated with Rezūm achieved a MCID at 3 months. Patients with severe LUTS and prostate volumes ≥ 60 cc may be optimal candidates for experiencing early relief in LUTS following Rezūm.

Abstract BACKGROUND Several predictors have been studied for shunt dependency after stroke and other brain injuries. However, little is known about the association between ventriculostomy-associated infections (VAIs) and impaired cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) outflow. Moreover, gram-negative (GN) VAIs induce a potent neuroinflammatory process and are clinically challenging to treat. OBJECTIVE To assess if GN-VAIs predict ventriculoperitoneal shunt (VPS) dependency. METHODS Retrospective analysis of postprocedure infection rates was performed in 586 patients with external ventricle drainage (EVD) placed on site between 2012 and 2018. We collected sex, age, stroke and nonstroke related, location of EVD placement, type of hospital, EVD duration, and EVD exchange. RESULTS Among 586 patients requiring an EVD, 55 developed a VAI. Most were caused by gram-positive (GP) pathogens (61.8%). A total of 120 patients required a conversion from EVD to VPS. Patients with VAIs had higher rates of VPS placement (49.09% vs 17.65%, P < .001), whereas patients with GN-VAIs had significantly higher rates of EVD conversion to VPS (77.78% vs 35.29%, P = .012) compared with GP-VAIs. The multivariate analysis showed that GN-VAIs were an independent predictor for shunt dependency (odds ratio = 12.896; 95% CI 3.407-48.82, P < .001). In receiver operating characteristics analysis, those less than 44.5 yr of age and more than 12 d of EVD duration were identified as the best cutoff values to discriminate the development of GN-VAI. CONCLUSION Patients who experience a GN VAI are in greater risk of impaired CSF outflow, thus requiring VPS placement.