Safety and Effectiveness of a Novel Liposomal Intra-Articular Lubricant in Symptomatic Knee Osteoarthritis: A First-in-Human Study.

Osteoarthritis (OA) is a common disease that affects almost half the population at some point in their lives, causing pain and decreased functional capacity. New conservative treatment modalities are being proposed to provide symptomatic relief and delay surgical intervention. This study aimed at evaluating the safety of the novel liposomal boundary lubricant, injected intra-articularly in patients with moderate knee OA.

Change in Contraceptive Use Within South Carolina Medicaid Following the Choose Well Contraceptive Access Initiative: Did COVID-19 Alter the Trends?

Objectives: COVID-19 hit at the midpoint of Choose Well, a statewide contraceptive access initiative commenced in South Carolina (SC) in 2017. This study assessed whether the pandemic altered the trends in contraceptive use among SC Medicaid during the first half of Choose Well.

Methods: Contraception use among 333,253 women was analyzed from 2017 to 2022, divided into (January 2017-February 2020) and (March 2020-December 2022) periods.

Contraceptive Method Use Among a Population-Based Cohort During the South Carolina Choose Well Initiative.

Importance: Evaluating the impact of statewide contraceptive access initiatives is necessary for informing health policy and practice.

Objective: To examine changes in contraceptive method use among a cohort of women of reproductive age in South Carolina during the Choose Well contraceptive access initiative.

Design, Setting, And Participants: In this cohort study, baseline data from the initial Statewide Survey of Women administered from October 1, 2017, to April 30, 2018, to a probability-based sample of women of reproductive age in South Carolina and a peer state (Alabama) were linked with 3 follow-up surveys given in 2019, 2020, and 2021.

14-3-3ζ regulates adipogenesis by modulating chromatin accessibility during the early stages of adipocyte differentiation.

We previously established the scaffold protein 14-3-3ζ as a critical regulator of adipogenesis and adiposity, but the temporal specificity of its action during adipocyte differentiation remains unclear. To decipher if 14-3-3ζ exerts its regulatory functions on mature adipocytes or on adipose precursor cells (APCs), we generated 14-3-3ζKO and 14-3-3ζKO mouse models. Our findings revealed a pivotal role for 14-3-3ζ in APC differentiation in a sex-dependent manner, whereby male and female 14-3-3ζKO mice display impaired or potentiated weight gain, respectively, as well as fat mass.

Contraceptive counseling, method satisfaction, and planned method continuation among women in the U.S. southeast.

Objectives: We used the validated Person-Centered Contraceptive Counseling (PCCC) scale to examine experiences with counseling and associations between counseling quality, method satisfaction, and planned method continuation at the population level in two southeastern states.

Study Design: We used data from the Statewide Survey of Women, a probability-based sample of reproductive-aged women in Alabama and South Carolina in 2017/18. We included women using a contraceptive method and reporting a contraceptive visit in the past year (n = 1265).

Impact of the Choose Well Initiative on Contraceptive Access at Federally Qualified Health Centers in South Carolina: A Midline Evaluation.

Choose Well (CW) is a statewide contraceptive access initiative to reduce unintended pregnancy among patients utilizing federally funded family planning services. We examined CW's impact on contraceptive access at South Carolina federally qualified health centers from 2016 to 2019, which reported significantly higher increases in providing the full range of contraceptive methods and training onsite. CW prioritized ensuring change sustainability through obtaining funding and institutionalizing changes.

Impact of the Choose Well Contraceptive Access Initiative on Method Use Among Women Enrolled in South Carolina's Medicaid Program: A Mid-line Assessment.

Introduction: A six-year statewide contraceptive access initiative focused on equitable access to contraception, removing cost barriers, capacity building and training, raising consumer awareness, and expanding contraceptive care at safety net clinics was implemented in South Carolina beginning in 2017. This study assessed changes in contraceptive method use among women enrolled in the South Carolina Medicaid program during the first three years of Choose Well.

Methods: Contraception use among a retrospective cohort of women aged 15 to 45 enrolled in South Carolina Medicaid from 2012 to 2020 was examined.

Reduced cutout for reverse oblique intertrochanteric hip fractures treated with trochanteric fixation advanced (TFN-A) nail compared to the short gamma-3 nail.

Background: Reverse oblique fractures (AO/OTA 31-A3) account for 5-23% of all intertrochanteric fractures and are challenging to manage. The Gamma 3-Proximal Femoral Nail (GPFN) and the Trochanteric Fixation Nail Advanced (TFNA) are two common cephalomedullary systems used to treat this fracture. No study has reported on outcomes with the TFN-A for reverse oblique fractures.

The effect of patient body mass index and sex on the magnification factor during pre-operative templating for total hip arthroplasty.

Introduction: Pre-operative templating prior to hip arthroplasty has traditionally used implant-company-provided acetates, which assumed a magnification factor between 115% and 120%. In recent years, pre-operative planning has been performed with digital calibration devices, in order to calculate the magnification factor. However, these devices are not without their limitations and are not readily available at many institutions.

Increases in IUD Provision at Alabama Department of Public Health Clinics From 2016 to 2019.

The Alabama Department of Public Health (ADPH) began allocating Title X funding to intrauterine device (IUD) provision at family planning clinics in 2019, instated more training opportunities, and expanded nurse practitioner scope of practice to include IUD placements. We assessed IUD provision and protocols at ADPH Title X clinics in 2016 and 2019 before and after ADPH policy changes. Generalized binomial regression models assessed differences between years.

Association of Health Insurance with Contraceptive Use and Interpersonal Quality of Contraceptive Care in the Southeast United States.

Objectives: Health insurance remains an important dimension of contraceptive access. This study investigated the role of insurance in contraceptive use, access, and quality in South Carolina and Alabama.

Methods: The study used a cross-sectional statewide representative survey that assessed reproductive health experiences and contraceptive use among reproductive-age women in South Carolina and Alabama.

The association between electric scooter riding position and injury characteristics.

Background: The popularity of electric scooters (e-scooters) and the shared e-scooter services as new means of transportation worldwide led to high numbers of injuries requiring emergency department (ED) visits. Private and rental e-scooters have different sizes and capabilities, offering several possible riding positions. While the rising use of e-scooters and their associated injuries have been reported, little is known about the influence of riding position on injury characteristics.

Three-dimensional technologies in presurgical planning of bone surgeries: current evidence and future perspectives.

Background: The recent development of three-dimensional (3D) technologies introduces a novel set of opportunities to the medical field in general, and specifically to surgery. The preoperative phase has proven to be a critical factor in surgical success. Utilization of 3D technologies has the potential to improve preoperative planning and overall surgical outcomes.

Development of a New Model of Humeral Hemiarthroplasty in Rats.

Purpose: models are anatomically comparable to humans allowing to reproduce the patterns and progression of the disease and giving the opportunity to study the symptoms and responses to new treatments and materials. This study aimed to establish a valid and cost-effective rat model to assess the effects of implanted shoulder hemiarthroplasty materials on glenoid articular cartilage wear.

Methods: Eight adult male Wistar rats underwent right shoulder hemi-arthroplasty.

Contraception Use and Pregnancy Outcomes for Alabama Medicaid Enrollees: A Baseline Analysis Using 2012-2017 Data.

Objectives: Access to the full range of contraceptive methods, including long-acting reversible contraception (LARC), is key for preventing unintended pregnancies and improving health outcomes. In 2019, Alabama Medicaid started paying for LARC devices for postpartum women. In anticipation of evaluating the impact of this programmatic change, we conducted a baseline study exploring contraception use and pregnancy-end outcomes for enrollees before the change.

The Clinician's Guide to Differential Diagnosis of Non-Localized Musculoskeletal Pain A Primer on Musculoskeletal Medicine.

Orthopedic surgeons may encounter patients with musculo- skeletal complaints that are not localized to a specific joint or anatomical area. The list of diagnoses that may cause generalized pain originating from bones, muscles, fasciae, and joints, including surrounding tissues like tendons, ligaments, and bursae, is vast; starting with influenza or fibromyalgia and ending with mycetism and ultra-rare he- reditary disorders. A systematic multidisciplinary approach is required.

Ranges of pregnancy preferences and contraceptive use: Results from a population-based survey in the southeast United States.

Context: Understanding how pregnancy preferences shape contraceptive use is essential for guiding contraceptive interventions and policies that center individuals' preferences and desires. Lack of rigorous measurement of pregnancy preferences, particularly on the population level, has been a methodologic challenge.

Methods: We investigated associations between prospective pregnancy preferences, measured with a valid instrument, the Desire to Avoid Pregnancy (DAP) scale, and contraceptive use in a representative sample of 2601 pregnancy-capable self-identified women, aged 18-44 years, in Alabama and South Carolina (2017-2018).

Increased postoperative glycemic variability is associated with increased mortality in diabetic patients undergoing hip arthroplasty for hip fracture.

Background: Increased glycemic variability (GV) during hospitalization has been associated with increased rates of surgical site and periprosthetic joint infections (PJI) following elective total joint arthroplasty. Uncertainty exists surrounding GV as a predictor for complications in urgent arthroplasty cases following hip fractures. In this study, we evaluated the association between GV and postoperative complications in diabetic patients undergoing total hip arthroplasty (THA) and hemiarthroplasty (HA) for hip fractures.

Contraceptive care service provision via telehealth early in the COVID-19 pandemic at rural and urban federally qualified health centers in 2 southeastern states.

Purpose: To investigate telehealth use for contraceptive service provision among rural and urban federally qualified health centers (FQHCs) in Alabama (AL) and South Carolina (SC) during the initial months of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Methods: This is a mixed-methods study using data from the FQHC Contraceptive Care Survey and key informant interviews with FQHC staff in AL and SC conducted in 2020. Differences between rural and urban clinics in telehealth use for contraceptive service provision were assessed with a chi-square test of independence.

Changes in Adolescent Birth Rates within Appalachian Subregions and Non-Appalachian Counties in the United States, 2012-2018.

Background: Adolescent births are associated with numerous challenges. While adolescent birth rates have declined across the U.S.

Would giving priority in surgery timing to the oldest patients result in lower mortality?

Purpose: Early hip fracture surgery in elderly patients is recognized as a positive prognostic factor. When applied as an intervention, it does not always reduce overall patient mortality. A plausible explanation for this is that not all patients equally benefit from early surgery.

Multilevel Influences on Providers' Delivery of Contraceptive Services: A Qualitative Thematic Analysis.

Introduction: Access to a full range of contraceptive services is essential for quality health care. Contraceptive provision practices of primary care providers play an important role in patients' decision-making about their reproductive health care. Understanding the multilevel factors influencing contraceptive care delivery in primary care settings is critical for advancing quality care.