Articles: health.
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Hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection is regarded as a major health concern worldwide. In patients with chronic HBV infection, exhausted virus-specific CD8+ T cells, resulting from the activation of the programmed cell death protein 1 and programmed death ligand 1 axis, play a key role in the chronicity of infection. ⋯ Both interferon treatment and finite antiviral therapy have been found to be associated with positive HBV outcomes. Overall, combining immune checkpoint inhibitors with nucleos(t)ide analogs appears to be a promising approach for achieving HBsAg loss, particularly in patients with low HBsAg levels.
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COVID-19, caused by SARS-CoV-2, has had a significant impact on global health. While the virus primarily affects the respiratory system, the intricate interplay between immune cells and the virus remains poorly understood. This study investigates the causal relationship between 731 immune cell phenotypes and COVID-19 using Mendelian randomization analysis. ⋯ This study provides compelling evidence for a causal relationship between specific immune cell phenotypes and COVID-19 risk. These findings highlight the potential for targeting these immune cell phenotypes as novel therapeutic targets for COVID-19 treatment and prevention.
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Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is a leading cause of death and disability worldwide and a major global health concern. In the United States (US), individuals of Black or African American racial identity experience disproportionately higher rates of TBI and suffer from worse post-injury outcomes. Contemporary research agendas have largely overlooked or excluded Black populations, resulting in the continued marginalization of Black patient populations in TBI studies, thereby limiting the generalizability of ongoing research to patients in the US and around the world. ⋯ Studies identified statistical variation in S100ß, ubiquitin C-terminal hydrolase-L1, amyloid-ß, and tau across participant race, either at baseline or following TBI. Additionally, several studies identified genetic polymorphisms associated with TBI outcomes related to apolipoprotein E, ANKK1, and COMT polymorphism and TBI outcome and identified allele frequency variation across population ancestry. The role of race and ancestry on biomarkers associated with TBI outcome remains indeterminate and subsequent work is still required to understand the implications for patients with TBI.
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Healthcare avoidance and delay (HAD) is prevalent among transgender (trans) populations. This study sought to identify patterns of HAD and examine associations between HAD and 5 behavioral health outcomes among trans adults: depression, anxiety, tobacco and alcohol use, and intimate partner violence (IPV). ⋯ While the demographic profiles of the Combined HAD and Stigma HAD classes were distinct, the behavioral health of these groups was comparable. Preventing HAD among trans adults and mitigating its potential health consequences requires greater attention to healthcare affordability and health services acceptability.