Novel treatment approach of localized juvenile spongiotic gingival hyperplasia with use of Nd:YAG laser.

Introduction: This article describes the management of two patients who presented with localized juvenile spongiotic gingival hyperplasia. This disease entity is poorly understood, and literature regarding successful treatment is scant. However, there are common themes to management including proper diagnosis and treatment via removal of the affected tissue.

Developing and Implementing a Dedicated Prone Positioning Team for Mechanically Ventilated ARDS Patients During the COVID-19 Crisis.

Background: The spread of the COVID-19 pandemic in China demonstrated at an early stage the high rate of moderate to severe acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) in the patient population. An intervention that has proved beneficial is the use of prone positioning (PP) for mechanically ventilated patients with ARDS. In one institution, PP was practiced in the medical ICU for this population.

Hactive: a smartphone application for heart rate profiling.

With advancements in popular modern wearable devices, such as Apple Watch and Fitbit, it is now possible to harness these technologies for continuous monitoring and recording of heart rate data, which can then be used for medical research and ultimately e-health applications. In this paper, we report the development of a new mobile smartphone application (app) that enables heart rate profiles to be extracted and analysed from continuous heart rate monitoring time series. The new iOS app, called Hactive, extracts heart rate data from Apple's smartwatches to construct heart rate profiles.

An Evaluation of Yoga and Meditation to Improve Attention, Hyperactivity, and Stress in High-School Students.

Problems with attention and stress are common in children and predict academic difficulties and other behavioral and emotional problems. Mind-body interventions such as yoga and meditation improve attention and reduce stress. In this study, we examined the impact of Hatha yoga on attention and stress in ninth graders.

Environmental variation shifts the relationship between trees and scatterhoarders along the continuum from mutualism to antagonism.

The conditional mutualism between scatterhoarders and trees varies on a continuum from mutualism to antagonism and can change across time and space, and among species. We examined 4 tree species (red oak [Quercus rubra], white oak [Quercus alba], American chestnut [Castanea dentata] and hybrid chestnut [C. dentata × Castanea mollissima) across 5 sites and 3 years to quantify the variability in this conditional mutualism.

Temporal Variability of Global Longitudinal Strain in Stable Patients Undergoing Chemotherapy With Trastuzumab.

Global longitudinal strain (GLS) is used to evaluate left ventricular (LV) performance after chemotherapy. Differentiating between reduction in GLS due to clinical change and normal temporal variability in measurement remains a challenge. We quantified interobserver, test-retest variability of GLS by expert observers in relation to variability of GLS quantified for clinical assessment by sonographers in our laboratory.

PTSD Symptom Severities, Interpersonal Traumas, and Benzodiazepines Are Associated with Substance-Related Problems in Trauma Patients.

Background: Trauma is commonly associated with substance-related problems, yet associations between specific substances and specific posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms (PTSSs) are understudied. We hypothesized that substance-related problems are associated with PTSS severities, interpersonal traumas, and benzodiazepine prescriptions.

Methods: Using a cross-sectional survey methodology in a consecutive sample of adult outpatients with trauma histories (n = 472), we used logistic regression to examine substance-related problems in general (primary, confirmatory analysis), as well as alcohol, tobacco, and illicit drug problems specifically (secondary, exploratory analyses) in relation to demographics, trauma type, PTSSs, and benzodiazepine prescriptions.

Left Atrial Size and Function in a Canine Model of Chronic Atrial Fibrillation and Heart Failure.

Background: Our aim was to assess how atrial fibrillation (AF) induction, chronicity, and RR interval irregularity affect left atrial (LA) function and size in the setting of underlying heart failure (HF), and to determine whether AF effects can be mitigated by vagal nerve stimulation (VNS).

Methods: HF was induced by 4-weeks of rapid ventricular pacing in 24 dogs. Subsequently, AF was induced and maintained by atrial pacing at 600 bpm.

Shock avoidance and the newer tachycardia therapy algorithms.

Sudden cardiac death is a leading cause of death in the United States and Europe. Implantable cardioverter defibrillators (ICDs) are a cornerstone of therapy for patients at risk of first occurrence of ventricular arrhythmia, or secondary prevention in those who have previously suffered cardiac arrest or life-threatening arrhythmias. Despite their efficacy, ICD shocks are associated with significant physical and psychological adverse effects.

Prognostic value of left ventricular mechanical dyssynchrony by phase analysis in patients with non-ischemic cardiomyopathy with ejection fraction 35-50% and QRS < 150 ms.

Background: Left ventricular mechanical dyssynchrony (LVMD) by phase analysis of gated single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) myocardial perfusion imaging (MPI) is a useful tool for predicting response to cardiac resynchronization therapy and has prognostic value. While most of the studies were done on patients with ischemic cardiomyopathy or those with LV ejection fraction (EF) < 35%, there are little data on the prognostic value of LVMD in patients with non-ischemic cardiomyopathy (NICM), particularly those with mildly decreased systolic function and narrow or intermediate QRS duration.

Methods And Results: From the stress SPECT-MPI database at Cleveland Clinic, we identified 324 consecutive patients (mean age 62 ± 13 years, 62% male, 36% diabetics) with NICM, LVEF 35-50% (median [Q1,Q3] 45 [41,49]), and QRS < 150 ms (13% with QRS 120-149 ms).