Publications by authors named "Alexandra Rubin"

Neural progenitor cells within the cerebral cortex undergo a characteristic switch between symmetric self-renewing cell divisions early in development and asymmetric neurogenic divisions later. Yet, the mechanisms controlling this transition remain unclear. Previous work has shown that early but not late neural progenitor cells (NPCs) endogenously express the autism-linked transcription factor Foxp1, and both loss and gain of Foxp1 function can alter NPC activity and fate choices.

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Rationale And Objective: To determine if patient demographic data, medical history, physical examination, and laboratory tests will help predict likelihood of imaging-based diagnosis using CT of the neck performed in the ED for a chief complaint of throat pain.

Material And Methods: Single institutional, retrospective review of 367 CT scans of the neck performed for the evaluation of throat pain in the ED from August 2013 to September 2019. Patients' clinical history, physical exams, lab findings, and imaging results were recorded.

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Trichology tools historically have been limited in their ability to provide noninvasive detailed assessments of the hair and scalp. Recent advances in diagnostic and treatment monitoring technologies have begun to fill this gap. Global photography previously relied on a film camera and stereotactic imaging equipment but has been simplified by the advent of cameras that use software analysis and provide adjustable outlines to match facial features for the capture of standardized views.

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Background: Sleep deprivation is a condition in which an individual does not get enough sleep, leading to a variety of negative effects on their physical and mental health. In the United States, sleep deprivation is a common problem, with many people not getting the recommended 7-9 hours of sleep per night. Excessive daytime sleepiness is also a common condition in the United States.

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Background: Previous literature supports a disparity in income between male and female physicians across multiple specialties, even when controlling for variables such as working hours, maternity leave, and productivity.

Objective: To understand if income disparity exists between male and female general dermatologists (GDs), and in dermatologists who completed a dermatologic surgical fellowship.

Materials And Methods: The authors surveyed members of the American Academy of Dermatology, including 66 dermatologic surgeons (DSs) (34 male and 32 female DSs) and 252 GDs (119 male and 133 female GDs), on questions related to total annual income, demographics, current employment, and time spent providing patient care.

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Isolated marijuana use is frequently used as an indication for urine drug screening in labor and delivery units. We aimed to identify the results of urine drug screening in a labor and delivery unit for isolated marijuana use. This retrospective cohort study reviewed data from patients admitted for delivery at an urban academic center from January 1, 2020, to December 31, 2020.

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Background: Fetal acidemia at the time of a scheduled cesarean delivery is generally unexpected. In the setting of reassuring preoperative monitoring, the duration of fetal acidemia in this scenario is presumably brief. The neonatal sequelae and risks associated with brief fetal acidemia in this setting are unknown.

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Oral tranexamic acid (TXA) is a relatively new treatment option for melasma. It is thought to reduce hyperpigmentation through inhibition of the plasminogen/plasmin pathway with resulting decreases in epidermal melanocyte tyrosinase activity, inflammatory mediators, dermal neovascularization, and mast cell numbers.

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Dermatofibrosarcoma protuberans (DFSP) is an overall rare malignancy yet is one of the most common cutaneous sarcomas. The diagnosis of DFSP is typically made following histopathologic examination of the lesion, classically revealing a storiform pattern of spindle cells with elongated nuclei infiltrating the dermis and subcutis. Surgical excision is the standard treatment.

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Introduction: The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends Patient- and Family-centered Rounds (PFCRs) to improve communication between the healthcare team and families while allowing the latter to participate in medical decision-making. PFCRs have a secondary goal of increasing rounds' efficiency and providing a positive learning environment for residents and students. There are many published best practices for PFCR.

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A 27-year-old patient presented with acral chilblain-like lesions atypical of dermatological presentations appearing in current reports of COVID-19. Prominent bullae had formed on the dorsa of her toes and became haemorrhagic 2 days after the initial presentation. The patient had no underlying medical conditions, including any history of collagen vascular disease, Raynaud's phenomenon, chilblains or cold exposure, and was not taking any medications.

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Background: Pelvic pain has been associated with Essure, a permanent contraceptive implant. Here we describe histopathologic findings in long-term Essure users with chronic pelvic pain.

Methods: We descriptively evaluated and compared histopathologic features of hysterectomy specimens removed for a primary diagnosis of chronic pelvic pain from women with (n = 3) and without (n = 3) prior placement of Essure coils (mean of 8.

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Objectives: Firearm-related deaths remain a top cause of mortality in American children and adolescents. In a 2012 policy statement, the American Academy of Pediatrics urged pediatricians to incorporate questions about the availability of firearms into their patient history taking. We aim to evaluate the frequency of screening for home firearms in an academic tertiary-care hospital inpatient setting.

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Lotus birth is the practice of leaving the umbilical cord uncut until separation occurs naturally. Our case series report describes delivery characteristics, neonatal clinical course, cord and placenta management, maternal reasons for a lotus birth, and desire for future lotus births. Between April 2014 and January 2017, six lotus births occurred.

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Background: Gamma-delta (gammadelta) T cells regulate immune responses to foreign protein at mucosal surfaces. Whether they can modify allergen-induced early (EAR) and late airway responses (LAR) is unknown.

Objective: We have tested the hypothesis that the CD8+ subtype of gammadelta T cells decreases allergen-induced LAR and airway eosinophilia in the rat.

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Preprotachykinin-A (PPT-A) gene-derived neuropeptides, namely substance P (SP) and neurokinin (NK)A, and their receptors participate in allergen-induced airway responses. Whether airway smooth muscle cells (ASMC) may react directly to SP through expression of the NK-1 receptor or express the gene for the synthesis of SP, the PPT-A gene, is unknown. We demonstrated using reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction that tracheal SMC (TSMC) from atopic Brown Norway rats contained mRNA transcripts for the full-length isoform of the NK-1 receptor.

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