Simultaneous photoplethysmography and blood flow measurements towards the estimation of blood pressure using speckle contrast optical spectroscopy.

Non-invasive continuous blood pressure monitoring remains elusive. There has been extensive research using the photoplethysmographic (PPG) waveform for blood pressure estimation, but improvements in accuracy are still needed before clinical use. Here we explored the use of an emerging technique, speckle contrast optical spectroscopy (SCOS), for blood pressure estimation.

Relationship of anthropometric measurements and percent body fat mass to cardiovascular disease risk factors in adults with cerebral palsy.

Introduction: Adults with cerebral palsy (CP) face high morbidity from cardiovascular disease (CVD). Of concern, classic screening parameters are inconsistent in identifying CVD risk in this population. Dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry (DEXA), which provides direct measurements of fat mass (FM), may be an alternative screening method.

Association Between Daily Physical Activity and Clinical Anthropomorphic Measures in Adults With Cerebral Palsy.

Objective: To describe the relationship between activity level and cardiovascular risk measures as well as describe general activity patterns of adults with cerebral palsy.

Design: Cross-sectional.

Setting: Academic outpatient rehabilitation clinic.

Diet quality in adults with cerebral palsy: a modifiable risk factor for cardiovascular disease prevention.

Aim: To assess diet quality and its relationship with cardiovascular health measures for adults with cerebral palsy (CP).

Method: A convenience sample of 45 adults with CP (26 females, 19 males; mean age 35y 10mo [SD 14y 9mo]). were recruited for this cross-sectional study.

Spasticity and pain in adults with cerebral palsy.

Aim: To evaluate whether spasticity measures are related to pain in adults with cerebral palsy (CP).

Method: This cross-sectional study recruited individuals aged 16 to 89 years with a diagnosis of CP. Participants completed the Penn Spasm Frequency Scale (PSFS), Brief Pain Inventory (BPI), and PROMIS Pain Interference measures.

Community Efforts to Reduce Racial and Ethnic Health Disparities: Challenges and Facilitators Identified by 16 Multistakeholder Alliances.

The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation's Aligning Forces for Quality (AF4Q) program aimed to improve health care quality and reduce racial and ethnic disparities in 16 diverse communities in the United States from 2006 to 2015; yet most communities failed to make substantive progress toward advancing health care equity by the program's end. This qualitative analysis of key stakeholder interviews aims to identify the major contributors to success versus failure in addressing local health disparities during AF4Q and identified five major themes. Three themes highlight challenges related to collecting local data on racial and ethnic health disparities and transitioning from data collection to action.

Understanding Black Patients' Refusal of Pneumococcal Vaccination.

Objective: Racial disparities in rates of pneumococcal vaccine (PPSV23) exist. In one practice, 3.1 % of white patients refused PPSV23 following doctor recommendation, whereas 11.

Postoperative outcomes after robotic versus abdominal myomectomy.

Background And Objectives: Differences in postoperative outcomes comparing robotic-assisted laparoscopic myomectomy (RALM) with abdominal myomectomy (AM) have rarely been reported. The objective of this study was to compare surgical, quality-of-life, and residual fibroid outcomes after RALM and AM.

Methods: Consecutive patients who underwent RALM (n = 16) were compared with AM patients (n = 23) presenting with a uterine size of <20 weeks.