Publications by authors named "Arthur J"

Background: There is much concern that opioids administered as intravenous (iv) bolus for pain relief may inadvertently increase their risk for abuse. However, there is insufficient data to support this. The authors compared the abuse liability potential, analgesic efficacy, and adverse effect profile of fast (iv push) versus slow (iv piggyback) administration of iv hydromorphone among hospitalized patients requiring iv opioids for pain.

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Purpose: In this study, we aimed to evaluate the association between the Extension for Community Healthcare Outcomes-Palliative Care (ECHO-PC; ECHO Model-Based comprehensive educational and telementoring intervention) for health care professionals (HCPs) and change in patient-reported quality-of-life (QOL; Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy-General [FACT-G]) among patients with advanced cancer. We also examined the association between ECHO-PC and changes in symptom distress (Edmonton Symptom Assessment Scale [ESAS]), patient experience and satisfaction, and caregiver distress scores.

Methods: ECHO-PC Clinic sessions were conducted twice a month for 1 year by an interdisciplinary team of PC clinicians at the MD Anderson Cancer Center, with participation of experts in PC in sub-Saharan Africa, using standardized curriculum on the basis of PC needs in the region.

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Background: Prolonged cold storage (CS) of kidneys results in poor long-term outcomes after transplantation (Tx). We reported previously that CS of rat kidneys for 18 h before transplant impaired proteasome function, disrupted protein homeostasis, and reduced graft function. The goal of the present study was to identify the renal proteins, including phosphoproteins, that are dysregulated by this CS injury.

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Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD)-associated fibrosis causes significant morbidity. Mechanisms are poorly understood but implicate the microbiota, especially adherent-invasive Escherichia coli (AIEC). We previously demonstrated that AIEC producing the metallophore yersiniabactin (Ybt) promotes intestinal fibrosis in an IBD mouse model.

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  • * A scoping review conducted in Ghana analyzed 248 studies, finding that the majority of research focuses on sexual and reproductive health, but there is a lack of longitudinal studies and randomized control trials for more reliable data.
  • * The review highlights the need for a broader range of youth-focused health interventions and research to address the diverse challenges faced by adolescents in Ghana, promoting their well-being as they transition into adulthood.
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  • Lassa fever (LF) is a viral hemorrhagic illness that is increasing in reported cases in Nigeria and is also endemic in West African countries.
  • The study analyzed LF epidemiology data from Nigeria’s Centre for Disease Control and examined the genetic sequences of the virus to understand its evolution and outbreaks.
  • To address the rising cases of LF, the study recommends enhancing diagnostic capabilities, raising public health awareness, implementing integrated surveillance, and supporting vaccine research in Africa.
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Tuberculosis (TB) is characterized by immunopathology in the blood and monocytes have been shown to be highly sensitive to plasma environment changes in TB patients. Here, we investigated TB plasma effects on 'reference monocytes' using RNA sequencing to characterize a potential immunomodulatory role of monocytes in TB. Candidate pathways induced by plasma samples from TB patients (n=99) compared to healthy controls (n=62) were analyzed for changes in signal transduction, phenotype and secreted cytokines by flow cytometry.

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Background: The COVID-19 pandemic created stressors to daily living, leading to increased mental health problems. It is important to assess the influence of COVID-19 pandemic on mental health, specifically anxiety.

Objectives: The goal was to determine the prevalence and sociodemographic, clinical, and other correlates of likely Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD) among study subjects in Ghana.

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Immunopathology of human tuberculosis (TB) in a subgroup of patients is characterized by aberrantly high concentrations of inflammatory cytokines, for example Interleukin (IL)-6. Concomitant (co-)infections by parasites can affect host immunity, but the impact on immunopathology in TB patients is poorly defined. Here we characterized a group of patients with TB ( n = 76) from Ghana with different protozoan and helminth co-infections.

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  • One in five cancer patients may face the risk of nonmedical opioid use, potentially leading to opioid use disorder (OUD).
  • Buprenorphine is a key medication for managing patients who have both OUD and chronic pain, but finding specialists who can provide this care can be difficult.
  • The text discusses the experiences of three hospitalized cancer patients with OUD being treated with buprenorphine, highlighting the challenges faced by non-specialist clinicians in this situation.
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  • The Public Health Agency of Canada faced a challenge during the COVID-19 pandemic in managing numerous investigational therapeutics and needed an effective way to prioritize their assessment.
  • They created the Rapid Scoring Tool (RST) through a literature search and validation process, aiming to streamline the review of potential treatments based on specific criteria.
  • The RST, which utilizes a unique scoring system from -10 to 10, effectively ranks therapeutics and can adapt to evolving information, indicating its potential for broader applications in future health crises.
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Purpose: Clinicians are often uncertain about their prognostic estimates, which may impede prognostic communication and clinical decision-making. We assessed the impact of a web-based prognostic calculator on physicians' prognostic confidence.

Methods: In this prospective study, palliative care physicians estimated the prognosis of patients with advanced cancer in an outpatient clinic using the temporal, surprise, and probabilistic approaches for 6 m, 3 m, 2 m, 1 m, 2 w, 1 w, and 3 d.

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  • Complex structural variations (cxSVs) are often missed in genome studies due to difficulties in detection, but ARC-SV provides a machine-learning method to accurately identify and reconstruct them from standard genetic datasets.
  • * Our research identified cxSVs as key contributors to human genetic diversity, showing that rare cxSVs frequently occur in genes related to neural functions and rapid human evolution.
  • * Through advanced analysis of brain tissue, we found cxSVs are linked to gene expression changes and are associated with psychiatric disorders, suggesting they play a significant role in the development of neuropsychiatric conditions.
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Introduction: Acute kidney injury (AKI) is associated with adverse outcomes, including death and dialysis. The goal of this study was to identify prognostic biomarkers of AKI that could be used across multiple phenotypes of AKI and across different species.

Methods: Liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry analysis of urine samples from three species (human, rat, and mouse) and four etiologies of AKI identified five potential biomarkers, of which two were validated, complement C3 and vitamin D-binding protein, in a cohort of 157 patients that developed AKI following cardiothoracic surgery.

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  • The endometrium is vital for reproduction, and chronic endometritis (CE) is linked to negative reproductive outcomes like infertility and recurrent pregnancy loss (RPL).
  • A systematic review analyzed data from over 1,000 women; findings indicated a higher incidence of CE in infertile women (19.46%) compared to healthy controls (7.7%) and a significant correlation between CE and RPL.
  • However, there was no meaningful connection between CE and recurrent implantation failure (RIF), suggesting that while CE impacts infertility and RPL, it may not affect RIF.
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Context: Naloxone nasal spray is recommended for patients with risk factors for opioid overdose. However, cancer patients' perceptions and beliefs regarding naloxone prescriptions and their self-perceived risks for overdose are understudied.

Objective: To determine the proportion of cancer patients at risk for overdose who perceived naloxone as beneficial.

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There is considerable interest in the development of nootropics, pharmacological agents that can improve cognition across a range of both cognitive modalities and cognitive disabilities. One class of cognitive enhancers, the ampakines, has attracted particular attention by virtue of improving cognition associated with animal models of neurodevelopmental, neurodegenerative, and psychiatric conditions, as well as in age-related cognitive impairment. Ampakines elevate CNS levels of BDNF, and it is through this elevation that their beneficial actions are believed to occur.

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Background: Dual mobility (DM) implants in primary total hip arthroplasty (THA) have gained recent popularity; however, safety concerns persist. The purpose of this study was twofold: 1) assess trends in DM implant adoption; and 2) evaluate the impact of modular DM implants on dislocation and all-cause revision rates at short-term follow-up.

Methods: This retrospective study identified patients in our institutional arthroplasty database who underwent primary posterior approach THA for degenerative conditions from November 2013 to December 2020.

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Objectives: Clinical settings are increasingly focused on addressing patients' social needs, thus medical education must prepare future clinicians for this task. Critical consciousness, an awareness that puts health within a broader social, historical, and cultural context, could help shape students' understanding of patient social needs. Our paper explores how experiential learning through participation in a social care intervention deepened students' critical consciousness, or their understanding of the systems and structures that make it difficult for patients to meet their basic needs.

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Objectives: Epidemic Thunderstorm asthma (TA) is a serious public health threat with a potential to overwhelm health systems. Being the first documented incidence in Ghana, we sought to determine whether the chronic respiratory risk factors for the development of TA as identified in other countries were similar or different from that in Ghana.

Study Design: A matched case-control study involving 41 cases and 82 controls was conducted in two conveniently selected health facilities in the Ashanti Region of Ghana.

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Purpose: The purpose of the study is to examine the psychological impact of COVID-19 on health workers' career satisfaction and intention to leave the health profession, with neurotic personality type as a moderator.

Design/methodology/approach: A total of 277 health workers in two public hospitals in Ghana were included in this study. Purposive and convenience sampling techniques were adopted for the study, focusing on eight departments that were involved in the management of COVID-19 cases.

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 Patients often turn to online reviews as a source of information to inform their decisions regarding care. Existing literature has analyzed factors associated with positive online patient ratings among hand and wrist surgeons. However, there is limited in-depth analysis of factors associated with low patient satisfaction for hand and wrist surgeons.

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BCG vaccination affects other diseases beyond tuberculosis by unknown-potentially immunomodulatory-mechanisms. Recent studies have shown that BCG vaccination administered during overt type 1 diabetes (T1D) improved glycemic control and affected immune and metabolic parameters. Here, we comprehensively characterized Ghanaian T1D patients with or without routine neonatal BCG vaccination to identify vaccine-associated alterations.

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