Florida Department of Health

Solid polymer electrolytes offer a promising pathway toward safe, high-energy solid-state lithium metal batteries. However, their practical deployment remains limited by insufficient ionic conductivity, narrow oxidative stability windows, and poor interfacial compatibility with metal anodes. In particular, conventional polymer systems such as PEO typically operate below ∼3.8 V and cannot sustain high-voltage cathode chemistry. In this work, a solid polymer electrolyte based on a proprietary carbonate–fluorinated methacrylate copolymer PIRION-F (denoted as PCFMA) is developed and systematically evaluated. Comprehensive FTIR, X-ray diffraction, differential scanning calorimetry, TGA, and scanning electron microscopy analyses confirm the amorphous nature of the polymer, its robust thermal stability, and the dense microstructure of the solid electrolyte membrane. The PCFMA exhibits outstanding LiTFSI solubility, high ionic conductivity (0.1 mS cm–1 at room temperature and 1.2 mS cm–1 at 70 °C), and a wide oxidative stability window up to ∼4.8 V vs Li+/Li, enabling operation with high-voltage cathodes. Li symmetric cells display ultrastable cycling for over 4500 h with low polarization. All-solid-state Li//NCM622 and high-voltage Ni-rich cells further show reversible charge/discharge behavior and strong capacity retention during extended cycling at room temperature. To contextualize broader manufacturability, an independent multilayer pouch-cell prototype fabricated by a technology startup collaborator delivers a cell-level energy density of 523 Wh kg–1. Collectively, these results demonstrate the strong potential of PCFMA-based solid electrolytes for next-generation high-voltage solid-state lithium metal batteries.

Automated external defibrillator (AED) installation has become commonplace in various public locations. However, AED retrievals involving actual shocks may still be very infrequent in many settings despite significant initial/ongoing costs for equipment acquisition, pad/battery expiry replacements and initial/refresher training for designated rescuers. The purpose here was to track frequencies of AED/CPR applications and shocks delivered following AED installations and related employee training throughout a multi-state retail store chain. Prospective 92-month observational study conducted across a large retail chain to document frequencies of AED device retrievals/applications, CPR performance, shocks delivered, and respective patient and scene characteristics. 1358 retail stores and two-dozen warehouses/offices located in multiple states. Persons collapsing with possible cardiopulmonary arrest on corporate properties. AED installation and on-going training of employees in CPR/AED use. Among 396 reported AED retrievals/applications (>4/month), 75% occurred inside stores and the remainder in parking lots/sidewalks/other venues. Among these, 294 persons (ages 1-93years; 74% men) received basic CPR and/or AED shocks (>3 cases/month), performed most often by store employees. CPR-patient median age was 60years (IQR:45-70) for men and 58 (IQR:38-68) for women. AEDs delivered 157 shocks during 112 events (>1 case/month); 71% involved one shock, 20% two, 9% three and one involved four shocks. Documented ages for shocked patients (80% men) ranged 32-90years with men's median age 62 (IQR:55-70) and women's 61 (IQR:55-65). In one state's retrospective sub-analysis of shockable cases, hospital outcome records were matched to 37 patients with the majority (at least 19 confirmed) surviving to successful hospital discharge. For this multi-state retail chain, AED installation and employee CPR/AED training appeared to be well-justified considering that AEDs were retrieved/applied frequently systemwide, quite often involving defibrillatory shocks that were associated with survival for many patients. Investigators encourage comparable businesses to adopt/study similar employee-based programs nationwide.

National data show that about 250 preschoolers are suspended or expelled daily in the United States. Jump Start is a multi-tiered infant and early childhood mental health consultation program that strengthens early care and education centers' capacity to support children's social-emotional development and prevent school suspension and expulsion. This retrospective study examined center-level exclusionary discipline practices, Jump Start participation, and related changes in discipline and expulsion policies. Data from 270 early care and education centers across Miami-Dade County that received Jump Start services during one of three academic years (2022-2023, 2023-2024, or 2024-2025) were included. Analyses examined associations between baseline exclusionary discipline practices, program duration, discipline and expulsion policy changes, and post-Jump Start exclusionary discipline practices. Statistically significant reductions were observed in the frequency of traditional suspensions/expulsions and soft expulsions following Jump Start participation. The association between the Jump Start duration and post-Jump Start soft expulsions was significantly moderated by changes in center discipline policies, such that Jump Start was effective at reducing soft expulsions only when discipline policies showed meaningful improvement. Infant and early childhood consultation models, such as Jump Start, show promise in reducing exclusionary discipline practices, especially when implementation improves discipline policies.

Parkinson's disease (PD) is the fastest-growing neurodegenerative disease in the world1. Gastrointestinal (GI) dysfunction can occur decades before motor impairments and in up to 80% of individuals living with PD2-4. We investigated peripheral relationships that may underlie mechanisms along the gut-blood axis that contribute to PD progression. Single-cell multiomic spatial molecular imaging (SMI) of colonic tissue localized and identified inflammatory injury within epithelial cells that appear to be associated with iron mishandling in both inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and PD biosamples. We found that both the single-cell SMI of RNA and protein revealed parallel cross-modal dysregulation in the gut epithelium, in both IBD and PD biosamples. These data are accompanied by plasma (PD) and stool (IBD) protein depletion of CCL22. Our findings suggest iron mishandling along the gut barrier likely contributes to systemic inflammation, which may be one catalyst that primes circulating immune cells to body-first PD progression.

People with HIV (PWH) have increased Kaposi sarcoma (KS) risk. Among 2,645 PWH with KS in the United States HIV/AIDS Cancer Match Study, subsequent cancer risk was elevated 2.8-fold (95% confidence interval [CI]: 2.4–3.3) compared to PWH without KS. Mortality after KS declined 2000–2002 and 2012–2015 (hazard ratio = 0.64; 95%CI: 0.55–0.74).Supplementary InformationThe online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s10552-025-02105-0.

We aimed to determine differences in the occurrence and timing of all-cause excess mortality among people with HIV (PWH) in Florida early in the COVID-19 pandemic by sex, race and ethnicity, age, rural/urban residence, and neighborhood poverty levels. We used de-identified data from the Florida Department of Health enhanced HIV/AIDS reporting system. Expected numbers of monthly deaths and the 95% upper bound from March to December 2020 were estimated from observed deaths during January 2016-February 2020. The difference between expected and observed deaths was considered excess mortality. We also compared the age-adjusted all-cause mortality rate for PWH in 2020 to the average age-adjusted mortality rate for 2016 - 2019 using direct standardization. During the observation period from 2016 to 2020, there were a total of 9843 deaths among PWH. From March to December 2020, there were an estimated 314 excess deaths, and 61 excess deaths above the estimated 95% upper bound. The highest excess mortality occurred in July and August and was primarily due to increases in COVID-19 deaths. All groups of PWH experienced excess mortality except rural residents. Deaths among female, non-Hispanic Black, andurban-residing PWH exceeded the 95% upper bound of expected deaths. Compared to males, female PWH experienced a greater absolute increase in the 2020 age-adjusted mortality rate. Non-Hispanic Black and non-Hispanic White PWH had larger absolute and relative increases in the 2020 age-adjusted mortality rate compared to Hispanic PWH. Findings related to excess mortality should be considered in pandemic planning and preparation efforts for vulnerable groups like PWH.

<div>AbstractBackground:<p>Head and neck cancer (HNC) mortality differs by race, ethnicity, and socioeconomic status (SES). However, it is unclear whether the relationship between race/ethnicity and HNC-specific mortality varies according to the residence-level SES.</p>Methods:<p>Data from the Surveillance Epidemiology and End Results database included participants with primary HNC between 2006 and 2017 (followed through 2018) to assess the joint association of race/ethnicity and census-tract level SES Yost-index groups (quintiles) with all-cause and HNC-specific mortalities. Relative survival rates at 1, 5, and 10 years were calculated. Multivariable Cox proportional hazard regression models estimated hazard-ratios and 95% confidence intervals for all-cause mortality, and Fine-Gray subdistribution hazard models for HNC-specific mortality. Cumulative incidence curves for HNC-specific deaths were estimated.</p>Results:<p>76,095 patients were included in the analysis: 63.2% were <65 years, 73.4% male, and 11.3% non-Hispanic (NH) Black. Most patients (58.3%) were diagnosed at regional or distant stages and 20.6% died of HNC. The five-year relative survival rate increased with SES group, with 51.6% in the lowest SES group, and 74.1% in the highest SES group. NH-Black patients had higher risk of all-cause and HNC-specific mortality than NH-White patients, regardless of the SES group. NH-Asian/Pacific Islander and Hispanic patients had higher risk of HNC-specific mortality in some SES groups.</p>Conclusions:<p>NH-Black patients of all SES strata had significantly worse outcomes. Other factors, such as healthcare quality, may be associated with persistent disparities.</p>Impact:<p>The study highlights the persistence of significant racial disparities in HNC survival across socioeconomic categories. There is need to consider additional factors underlying these disparities.</p></div>