Nevin Manimala

Am J Public Health. 2025 Mar;115(3):414-424. doi: 10.2105/AJPH.2024.307921.

ABSTRACT

Objectives. To identify factors associated with persistent COVID-19 vaccine refusal among Nebraska residents 6 months after an initial COVID-19 diagnosis. Methods. Using case investigation surveillance data and vaccination records from the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services, a cohort of 16 344 unvaccinated, COVID-19‒confirmed individuals (May 2021‒February 2023) were asked for their reason for nonvaccination (RNV), then followed for 6 months to assess subsequent vaccination status. We used a modified Poisson regression to estimate risk of unvaccinated status at follow-up against predictors, including RNV, demographic characteristics, adherence to mitigation measures, hospitalization, and rurality. Results. Compared with those whose RNV was missed opportunity/lack of convenience, individuals who cited religious exemption (adjusted incidence risk ratio [AIRR = 1.36; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.31, 1.41), philosophical objection (AIRR = 1.28; 95% CI = 1.24, 1.34), or institutional confidence/complacency concerns (AIRR = 1.26; 95% CI = 1.19, 1.33) showed greatest risk of nonvaccination. Older age, nonadherence to mitigation measures, and higher rurality are positively associated with nonvaccination. Minority status and hospitalization were correlated with vaccination. Conclusions. Ideology-centered objections held significant weight among previously infected individuals who displayed sustained reluctance toward COVID-19 vaccination. Distinguishing sources of misinformation among ideologically similar communities could instigate reconsideration for vaccination. (Am J Public Health. 2025;115(3):414-424. https://doi.org/10.2105/AJPH.2024.307921).

PMID:39938043 | DOI:10.2105/AJPH.2024.307921

Am J Public Health. 2025 Mar;115(3):397-402. doi: 10.2105/AJPH.2024.307918.

ABSTRACT

Objectives. To measure the effect of the ROE Act on abortion timing for adolescents aged 16 to 17 years in Massachusetts. Methods. The primary outcome was gestational duration at abortion for individuals aged 16 to 19 years at Planned Parenthood League of Massachusetts from 2017 to 2022. Our control group included individuals aged 18 to 19 years undergoing abortions. In our primary analysis, we used a comparative interrupted time series with a linear model to capture temporal trends, seasonality, whether an abortion was undergone during the acute phase of the COVID-19 pandemic, previous abortion, and race/ethnicity categories. Results. Minors aged 16 to 17 years underwent 749 abortions during the study. Individuals aged 18 to 19 years underwent 2773 abortions. The ROE Act resulted in a 5.46-day decrease in gestational duration at abortion among minors (95% confidence interval = -11.82, 0.91). Conclusions. Removal of the parental involvement requirement for adolescents aged 16 to 17 years in Massachusetts led to minors undergoing abortions at earlier gestational durations, highlighting the importance of potential impacts of similar legislation to decrease barriers to abortion access for minors. (Am J Public Health. 2025;115(3):397-402. https://doi.org/10.2105/AJPH.2024.307918).

PMID:39938038 | DOI:10.2105/AJPH.2024.307918

Am J Public Health. 2025 Mar;115(3):387-396. doi: 10.2105/AJPH.2024.307917.

ABSTRACT

Objectives. To assess contraceptive service changes during the Family Planning Elevated (FPE) Contraceptive Access Program in Utah clinics from 2018 to 2023. Methods. We assessed de-identified electronic health record data on female clients aged 18 to 50 years from intervention and matched control sites. We used comparative interrupted time series analyses comparing total number of contraceptive services and their proportion relative to visits between intervention and control sites before, during, and after FPE. Results. Intervention sites provided on average 1.76 (95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.17, 2.66) times as many contraceptive services per month as controls during the 24-month intervention period, with no significant decreases in services noted in the postintervention period. The proportions of total visits related to family planning decreased by a factor of 0.70 (95% CI = 0.52, 0.94) during the intervention period. However, this effect was mitigated at intervention sites where proportions of contraceptive services were 1.44 (95% CI = 0.97, 2.14) times greater than control sites and did not significantly decrease after the intervention. Conclusions. Contraceptive access initiatives have capacity to make meaningful change in communities where they are employed, even after they end. (Am J Public Health. 2025;115(3):387-396. https://doi.org/10.2105/AJPH.2024.307917).

PMID:39938037 | DOI:10.2105/AJPH.2024.307917

JCO Precis Oncol. 2025 Feb;9:e2400675. doi: 10.1200/PO-24-00675. Epub 2025 Feb 12.

ABSTRACT

PURPOSE: CD276 (B7-H3) is an immunoregulatory protein that plays an important role in the inhibition of T-cell function. CD276 is overexpressed on a variety of human solid cancer cells with limited expression in normal tissues, making it an appealing target for innovative cancer immunotherapy approaches. Pleural mesothelioma (PM) is a highly aggressive disease with a need for new treatment options. Our objective was to investigate the expression of CD276 in the multicenter PM cohort of the European Thoracic Oncology Platform Mesoscape project and correlate the results with annotated clinical data.

MATERIALS AND METHODS: Using tissue microarrays (TMAs), the expression of CD276, assessed using a semiquantitative aggregate H-score method on the membrane (and secondarily in the cytoplasm), was correlated with clinicopathologic characteristics and survival outcome.

RESULTS: CD276 immunohistochemistry results were available for 353 patients, with mostly epithelioid histology (71%). Membranous CD276 expression was present in 86%. High membranous CD276 expression (H-score ≥the median H-score of 120) was significantly more common in females (P = .0029; 71% v 47%) and in epithelioid histology (P < .001; 59% v 29%), whereas no significant association in clinical outcome (overall survival [OS]/progression-free survival) was found. Cross-validation of the TMA method using whole sections revealed a moderate agreement for membranous assessment (Cohen’s kappa = 0.47) and a lower agreement for cytoplasm assessment (Cohen’s kappa = 0.37). In an exploratory analysis, high cytoplasmic CD276 expression was associated with worse prognosis (OS, log-rank P = .043), but was not significant when adjusting for other clinical variables.

CONCLUSION: Although no prognostic value of CD276 expression was found, its high membranous expression (86%) in the PM samples of the study supports further research of its potential as a therapeutic target for this disease.

PMID:39938010 | DOI:10.1200/PO-24-00675

J Am Coll Health. 2025 Feb 12:1-13. doi: 10.1080/07448481.2025.2461606. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

Objective: Campus sexual misconduct causes adverse physical, mental, behavioral, reproductive, and financial consequences. Informing prevention efforts at federal, state, and institution levels requires valid data. We assessed the appropriateness of Clery Act Campus Crime Statistics data for evaluating campus sexual misconduct. Participants: We sampled 40 institutions within the American Association of Universities (AAU) from 2014 to 2020. Methods: We determined annual differences between rates of sexual misconduct reported in public Clery Act data and those reported by institutional Title IX coordinator offices (which are not required to be public). Results: Clery Act data offer a considerable undercount relative to Title IX Office sexual misconduct data. The magnitude of the differences was similar in both the institutions that published Title IX data and those that did not. Conclusions: Clery Act data are not appropriate for evaluating campus sexual misconduct, necessitating policy steps that require standardization and publication of Title IX Office data.

PMID:39937991 | DOI:10.1080/07448481.2025.2461606

ACS Nano. 2025 Feb 12. doi: 10.1021/acsnano.4c16468. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

Glycerol electrolysis is a promising strategy for generating hydrogen at the cathode and value-added products at the anode. However, the effect of the atomic distribution within catalysts on their catalytic performance remains largely unexplored, primarily because of the inherent complexity of the glycerol oxidation reaction (GOR). Herein, an ordered Pt₃Mn (O-Pt₃Mn) intermetallic compound and a disordered Pt₃Mn (D-Pt₃Mn) alloy are used as model catalysts, and their performance in the GOR and hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) is studied. O-Pt₃Mn consistently outperforms D-Pt₃Mn and commercial Pt/C catalysts. It can generate high-value glycerate at a notable production rate of 17 mM h^-1 while achieving an impressively low cell voltage of 0.76 V for glycerol electrolysis, which is ∼0.98 V lower than that required for water electrolysis. Statistical analysis using theoretical calculations reveals that Pt-Pt-Pt hollow sites are crucial for the catalytic GOR and HER. The averaged adsorption energies of key intermediates (simplified as C*, O*, and H*) on diverse catalysts closely correlate with their experimentally observed activity. Our proposed linear models accurately predict these adsorption energies, exhibiting high correlation coefficients ranging from 0.97 to 0.99 and highlighting the significance of the distribution of the topmost and subsurface-corner Mn atoms in determining these adsorption energies. By sampling all possible Mn configurations within the fitted linear models, we confirm that O-Pt₃Mn establishes the maximum activity threshold for the GOR and HER compared with any disordered variant. This study presents an innovative framework for exploring the effect of the atomic distribution within catalysts on their catalytic performance and designing high-performance catalysts for complex reactions.

PMID:39937986 | DOI:10.1021/acsnano.4c16468

J Refract Surg. 2025 Feb;41(2):e102-e113. doi: 10.3928/1081597X-20241113-01. Epub 2025 Feb 1.

ABSTRACT

PURPOSE: To compare clinical outcomes for patients implanted with either FineVision HP or FineVision Triumf intraocular lenses (IOL) (Beaver-Visitec International, Inc) following cataract surgery.

METHODS: Twenty-six patients bilaterally implanted with the HP IOL and 27 patients with the Triumf IOL were followed up for 6 months in a prospective randomized study. Refraction, uncorrected and corrected distance visual acuity (CDVA), uncorrected and distance-corrected intermediate visual acuity (DCIVA), and uncorrected and distance-corrected near visual acuity (DCNVA) were evaluated. Defocus curves and contrast sensitivity were also measured. Patient-reported outcomes were assessed using the National Eye Institute Visual Function Questionnaire 25, and adverse events were registered.

RESULTS: Ninety-four percent of the eyes in both groups were within ±1.00 diopter (D) of spherical equivalent. All of the patients had 20/20 or better binocular CDVA in both groups and 96% and 100% had 20/25 or better binocular CDIVA in the Triumf and HP IOL groups, respectively, being reduced to 32% and 91.7% for DCNVA, respectively. Differences between groups were statistically significant from -2.00 to -4.50 D with better visual acuity outcomes for the HP IOL group (P < .01). Better monocular photopic contrast sensitivity was found for the Triumf IOL group at 12 and 18 cycles per degree (P < .01). There was a statistically significant increase of the overall composite score in both groups before and after surgery (P < .001). Spectacle independence was similar between groups for distance and intermediate vision but higher for the HP IOL for near vision (96% versus 75%). There were no adverse events related to the IOLs.

CONCLUSIONS: Both IOLs showed good and comparable distance and intermediate visual acuities but near vision was better for the HP IOL. This model provided higher spectacle independence for near vision. [J Refract Surg. 2025;41(3):e102-e113.].

PMID:39937980 | DOI:10.3928/1081597X-20241113-01

J Refract Surg. 2025 Feb;41(2):e164-e172. doi: 10.3928/1081597X-20241230-04. Epub 2025 Feb 1.

ABSTRACT

PURPOSE: To evaluate the effects of SMART surgery (SCHWIND eye-tech-solutions GmbH) on corneal abnormalities and refractive errors compared to traditional femtosecond laser-assisted laser in situ keratomileusis (FSLASIK).

METHODS: A retrospective case series was conducted at Xi’an Gucheng Aier-Eye Hospital, analyzing data from 83 patients who underwent FS-LASIK and SMART procedures in 2021. Pentacam (Oculus Optikgeräte GmbH) measurements were taken before surgery and at 1, 3, and 6 months postoperatively to assess corneal higher order aberrations, spherical aberrations, and coma. Statistical analyses included an independent Student test between the two groups. Visual acuities were compared by the Mann-Whitney U test, paired t-tests, and repeated measures analysis of variance.

RESULTS: Comparison of visual acuity at 1 week and 1 month postoperatively showed significant differences between the FSLASIK and SMART groups. After 6 months, a higher percentage of patients in the SMART group achieved spherical equivalent within +1.00 diopter compared to the FS-LASIK group. Both groups showed a shift from negative to positive Q-values, indicating improved visual quality. Corneal spherical aberrations and horizontal coma were more prevalent at 6 months postoperatively in both groups compared to preoperatively.

CONCLUSIONS: In the long term, SMART surgery demonstrates comparable results to FS-LASIK for myopia and astigmatism correction. Higher order aberrations were less common after SMART surgery compared to FS-LASIK. These findings suggest that SMART surgery may be a suitable option for patients seeking refractive surgery, considering its potential benefits for visual quality and corneal health. [J Refract Surg. 2025;41(2):e164-e172.].

PMID:39937977 | DOI:10.3928/1081597X-20241230-04

J Refract Surg. 2025 Feb;41(2):e114-e119. doi: 10.3928/1081597X-20241204-01. Epub 2025 Feb 1.

ABSTRACT

PURPOSE: To investigate the effect of capsular tension rings (CTRs) on the accuracy of nine new-generation intraocular lens (IOL) formulas in long eyes.

METHODS: A total of 106 eyes (106 patients) with CTR (CTR group) and another 106 eyes (106 patients) without CTR (NCTR group) were analyzed. The differences in mean prediction error, standard deviation, mean absolute prediction error (MAE), median absolute prediction error (MedAE), root mean square absolute prediction error (RMSAE), and percentage of eyes within ±0.25, ±0.50, ±0.75, ±1.00, and greater than ±1.00 diopter (D) were compared.

RESULTS: In the CTR group, only the Hoffer QST and VRF-G formulas showed significantly lower MedAE compared to the NCTR group. There was no statistically significant difference found among other formulas. The VRF-G and Hoffer QST formulas had lower MAE (0.351 to 0.367) than the Kane (0.469) (P < .05). The K6 and Pearl-DGS formulas had higher MAE (0.441 to 0.452) than the Zhu-Lu (0.351) and Emmetropia Verifying Optical (EVO) 2.0 (0.377) (P < .05). In the NCTR group, the Zhu-Lu and RBF 3.0 formulas had lower MAE (0.340 to 0.411) compared to the Kane (0.477) (P < .05). The Zhu-Lu and EVO 2.0 formulas also had lower MAE (0.340 to 0.363) than Pearl-DGS (0.429) (P < .05), and the EVO 2.0 had lower MedAE (0.273) than the Kane (0.433) (P < .05). The percentage of eyes within ±0.50 D (76 to 85, 71.70% to 80.19%) of the RBF3.0, K6, EVO 2.0, and Zhu-Lu formulas were higher than Kane (53.77%) (P < .02).

CONCLUSIONS: CTR implantation does not improve the refractive prediction accuracy of the most new generation IOL formula. The Zhu-Lu formula is recommended for use in long eyes, regardless of CTR implantation. [J Refract Surg. 2025;41(2):e114-e119.].

PMID:39937975 | DOI:10.3928/1081597X-20241204-01

J Refract Surg. 2025 Feb;41(2):e144-e154. doi: 10.3928/1081597X-20241230-02. Epub 2025 Feb 1.

ABSTRACT

PURPOSE: To examine lenticule decentration and visual quality following small incision lenticule extraction (SMILE) using either the coaxially sighted corneal light reflex (CSCLR) or the tear film mark (TFM) centration method.

METHODS: A total of 186 eyes from 93 patients were enrolled in this prospective, randomized, contralateral eye comparison study. Each patient had one eye randomly assigned to the CSCLR group (n = 93) and the contralateral eye to the TFM group (n = 93). Visual outcomes, optical zone decentration, contrast sensitivity, corneal higher order aberrations (HOAs), and the relationships between the magnitude of decentration and induced corneal HOAs were evaluated at 3 months postoperatively.

RESULTS: The magnitudes of total decentration (CSCLR: 0.23 ± 0.13; TFM: 0.22 ± 0.13; P = .996), as well as horizontal and vertical decentration, were comparable between the two methods. However, in the angle kappa greater than 200 µm subgroup, a statistically significant smaller horizontal decentered displacement was observed in the CSCLR group (0.01 ± 0.16) compared to the TFM group (0.07 ± 0.18) (P = .024). The induced HOAs and contrast sensitivity were comparable between the two methods (all P > .05). Additionally, significant correlations were identified between total decentered displacement and induced HOAs, including RMS HOAs, RMS coma, vertical coma, and RMS spherical aberration, in both groups.

CONCLUSIONS: Both the CSCLR and TFM methods can yield accurate treatment centration and satisfactory visual quality. However, the CSCLR method may contribute to less horizontal decentration in patients with a large preoperative pupil offset. [J Refract Surg. 2025;41(2):e144-e154.].

PMID:39937974 | DOI:10.3928/1081597X-20241230-02