Duke University

Predictive value of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) nasal screening for MRSA in a clinical culture in solid organ transplant recipients

In this retrospective cohort study of 318 solid organ transplant (SOT) recipients, the MRSA nasal PCR demonstrated high specificity (0.95) and negative predictive value (0.98) for MRSA in clinical cultures. In low-risk SOT recipients, negative MRSA nasal PCR may support de-escala...

The impact of non-medical determinants of health on patient-reported outcomes in pediatric lupus: A CARRA registry study

Objectives Social determinants of health (SDOH) and race are associated with disease activity, including lower achievement of the low lupus disease activity state (LLDAS), but it is unknown whether these factors are associated with patient-reported outcomes (PROs). Among a cohort...

Sequential Exposure to Acute, Intermediate, and Late Synovial Fluid Fracture Hematoma after Ankle Fracture Promotes Cartilage Damage in Vitro Partially Attenuated by Anti Inflammatory Agents

Background Post-traumatic osteoarthritis (PTOA) following intra-articular fractures (IAFs) remains a common sequela after injury. Cartilage degeneration after injury is influenced by multiple factors, including elevated proinflammatory cytokines produced by synovial fluid fractur...

Patient-Reported Changes in Alcohol Use Following Glucagon-Like Peptide-1 Receptor Agonist Initiation

This survey study with a nationally representative sample evaluates whether individuals who initiate glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists (GLP-1 RAs) report reducing alcohol consumption after starting the drug.

Cross-sectional Comparison of the PREVENT and Pooled Cohort Equations for 10-Year Atherosclerotic Cardiovascular Risk Estimates in a U.S. Cohort of Black and Latina Transgender Women with HIV

Background: Transgender women with HIV face higher rates of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD) than the general population. However, ASCVD risk estimators use binary sex variables that may misclassify their risk. We examined the effects of sex variable inputs in the P...

Hsp90 as a master regulator in autoimmunity: from cellular stress to clinical opportunity

Heat shock protein 90 (Hsp90) is a ubiquitous molecular chaperone that governs the folding, stabilization and activity of a wide range of client proteins, many of which are critical regulators of immune cell signalling and inflammatory responses. Recent research has underscored t...

Psychometric analysis of an intersectional stigma scale for women who have experienced intimate partner violence in Botswana

Intimate Partner Violence (IPV) is pervasive in Botswana. IPV stigma may affect the mental health of women survivors. We developed and validated a new scale for intersectional stigma for women who experienced IPV in Botswana. We used a known-groups design. With interviews held in...

The Effect of Stimulant Medications on Symptom and Treatment Outcomes in Adults With Comorbid Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity and Substance Use Disorder: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Objective Symptoms of Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) are increasingly recognized among adults and frequently co-occur with substance use disorders (SUD). Changing guidelines and complexity of treatment merit a review of approaches for managing this diagnostic ove...

Near-random behavior in strategic games

Humans struggle to produce random behavior when asked to do so, leading some to suggest that our ability to randomize is attenuated (or even absent). Here, we demonstrate that the capacity for random behavior is much greater than previously acknowledged: Humans can behave in (nea...

Real‐World HRR Testing Pathways and Patterns of Detected Alterations in Prostate Cancer From the Multinational ARON‐3 Study

ABSTRACT Background Homologous recombination repair (HRR) testing is increasingly relevant in prostate cancer because it identifies patients who may benefit from biomarker‐guided treatment strategies, including poly(ADP‐ribose) polymerase inhibitors (PARPi). However, real‐world i...

Gradient Estimates for the Insulated Conductivity Problem with Partially Flat Inclusions

Abstract. We study the insulated conductivity problem with inclusions embedded in a bounded domain in [Formula: see text]. It was known that in the setting of strictly convex inclusions, the gradient of solutions may blow up as the distance between inclusions approaches 0. The op...

Enhancing Coherence Length in Tailored Chiral Hybrid Polymer‐Wrapped Single‐Walled Carbon Nanotube Superstructures

ABSTRACT Quantum interference governs the transport behavior of low‐dimensional conductors, where the phase coherence of scattered electrons gives rise to phenomena such as weak localization (WL) and weak anti‐localization (WAL). Understanding how molecular environments influence...

Testing peripheral and central therapies for provoked vestibulodynia: results from the UPDATe trial

Introduction Vestibulodynia (VBD) is a common chronic pelvic pain condition with heterogeneous clinical presentation, including subtypes distinguished by the presence (VBD-central; VBD-c) or absence (VBD-peripheral; VBD-p) of comorbid pain conditions. Despite frequent prescribing...

“Strangely Familiar”: Tolkien’s Notion of Fantasy, Creation, and the Anthropocentric in Tarkovsky’s Solaris

J. R. R. Tolkien’s notion of fantasy is intriguing and invites conversation with other art forms and theologies of art. For Tolkien, fantasy is the art of using one’s imagination to create a “secondary world”—or “sub-creation”—that has “‘the inner consistency of reality’” and tha...

Carbonic anhydrase VIII regulates IP3R1-dependent Ca 2+ signaling to coordinate insulin secretion and hepatic glucose production

Intracellular Ca 2+ signaling is essential for glucose-induced insulin secretion (GIIS) and hepatic glucose production (HGP), yet how Ca 2+ dynamics are coordinated across organs remains unclear. Carbonic anhydrase VIII (CA8), an endogenous inhibitor of inositol 1,4,5-trisphospha...

The BdryMatérn GP: A New Gaussian Process Model for Incorporating Boundary Information

Abstract. Gaussian processes (GPs) are broadly used as surrogate models for expensive computer simulators of complex phenomena. However, a key bottleneck is that its training data are generated from this expensive simulator and thus can be highly limited. A promising solution is...

A Rotary DNA Mazzocchio Nanostructure

Abstract DNA nanotechnology offers architectures ranging from compact motifs to scaffolded origami, with trade-offs in structural complexity, addressability, and component economy. Here, we translate Leonardo da Vinci’s mazzocchio geometry into a programmable DNA assembly. Twenty...

Effect of Age on Physical Function Improvement in Older Veterans Enrolled in the Gerofit Exercise Program

Background/Objectives: Aging is associated with declines in strength, balance, and mobility that contribute to falls, disability, and loss of independence. While exercise interventions improve physical function, limited data exist on community-dwelling adults aged 90 years and ol...

Indigenous Strengths, Community Care, and Cancer Disparities: Insights from Talking Circles with American Indian Tribes in North Carolina

Abstract Background: American Indian communities experience disproportionally higher cancer incidence and mortality rates compared to other populations in North Carolina (NC). As part of the SAICEP (Southeastern American Indian Cancer health Equity Partnership) initiative, talkin...

Rigorous Evaluation of Microarchitectural Side-Channels with Statistical Model Checking

Rigorous quantitative evaluation of microarchitectural side channels is challenging for two reasons. First, the processors, attacks, and defenses often exhibit probabilistic behaviors. These probabilistic behaviors arise due to natural noise in systems (e.g., from co-running proc...