Laser speckle contrast imaging compared with indocyanine green in renal perfusion of a porcine model.

Background: When viewed under near-infrared light, indocyanine green (ICG) signal for kidney perfusion can be utilized in partial nephrectomy. Laser speckle contrast imaging (LSCI) uses coherent light to detect perfusion during real-time laparoscopic surgery.

Materials And Methods: Laser speckle contrast imaging or ActivSight, an imaging sensor adapter, was used during laparoscopy of an anesthetized porcine kidney model.

Feasibility and comparison of laparoscopic laser speckle contrast imaging to near-infrared display of indocyanine green in intraoperative tissue blood flow/tissue perfusion in preclinical porcine models.

Objective: To determine if laser speckle contrast imaging (LSCI) mitigates variations and subjectivity in the use and interpretation of indocyanine green (ICG) fluorescence in the current visualization paradigm of real-time intraoperative tissue blood flow/perfusion in clinically relevant scenarios.

Methods: De novo laparoscopic imaging form-factor detecting real-time blood flow using LSCI and blood volume by near-infrared fluorescence (NIRF) of ICG was compared to ICG NIRF alone, for dye-less real-time visualization of tissue blood flow/perfusion. Experienced surgeons examined LSCI and ICG in segmentally devascularized intestine, partial gastrectomy, and the renal hilum across six porcine models.

Effect of Medical Marijuana Card Ownership on Pain, Insomnia, and Affective Disorder Symptoms in Adults: A Randomized Clinical Trial.

Importance: Despite the legalization and widespread use of cannabis products for a variety of medical concerns in the US, there is not yet a strong clinical literature to support such use. The risks and benefits of obtaining a medical marijuana card for common clinical outcomes are largely unknown.

Objective: To evaluate the effect of obtaining a medical marijuana card on target clinical and cannabis use disorder (CUD) symptoms in adults with a chief concern of chronic pain, insomnia, or anxiety or depressive symptoms.

Patient Experience and Predictors of Improvement in a Group Behavioral and Educational Intervention for Individuals With Diabetes and Serious Mental Illness: Mixed Methods Case Study.

Background: In a previous study, participation in a 16-week reverse integrated care and group behavioral and educational intervention for individuals with diabetes and serious mental illness was associated with improved glycemic control (hemoglobin A) and BMI. To inform future implementation efforts, more information about the effective components of the intervention is needed.

Objective: The goal of this study is to identify the aspects of the intervention participants reported to be helpful and to evaluate the predictors of outcomes.

Improved Glycemic Control in Adults With Serious Mental Illness and Diabetes With a Behavioral and Educational Intervention.

Objective: The purpose of this study was to evaluate a 16-week, reverse-integrated care (bringing primary care interventions/services into the psychiatric setting) behavioral and educational group intervention for individuals with serious mental illness and diabetes.

Methods: The primary outcome was change in glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c). Secondary outcomes included body mass index (BMI), blood pressure, lipid levels, physical activity, diabetes knowledge, and self-care.

White matter integrity differences associated with post-traumatic stress disorder are not normalized by concurrent marijuana use.

Marijuana (MJ) use and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) have both been associated with abnormalities in brain white matter tracts, including the cingulum and the anterior thalamic radiations (ATR), which project from subcortical regions to frontal cortex. Studies have not assessed the integrity of these tracts in patients with comorbid PTSD and MJ use. To examine effects of PTSD and MJ use on brain structure, we performed diffusion tensor imaging scans on seventy-two trauma-exposed participants, categorized into four groups: those with PTSD who used MJ at least weekly (PTSD+MJ; n = 20), those with PTSD with no regular MJ use (PTSD; n = 19), trauma-exposed controls without PTSD who used MJ (TEC+MJ; n = 14) and trauma-exposed controls with no PTSD or MJ use (TEC; n = 19).

Suggestibility is associated with alcohol self-administration, subjective alcohol effects, and self-reported drinking behavior.

Background: Suggestibility, defined as an individual's inclination to accept and internalize messages, has not been studied in relation to alcohol use. Peer conformity, a component of suggestibility, may be related to alcohol use, as peer groups show similarities in patterns of alcohol use. Few studies have assessed how suggestibility and peer conformity relate to alcohol self-administration or to reinforcing effects of alcohol.