Publications by authors named "Au M"

Low-income, urban-dwelling Black adults are disproportionately affected by traumatic experiences, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and depression and encounter inequities in treatment access. In addition to the benefits Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT) for depression, there is preliminary evidence of successful symptom reduction in PTSD via MBCT across two prior pilot studies in veterans. Studies examining the effects of MBCT among trauma-exposed Black adults remains limited, and examination of effects across specific PTSD clusters is almost nonexistent.

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Importance: Intraoperative parathyroid hormone (IOPTH) monitoring is recommended by the American Association of Endocrine Surgeons for use during parathyroidectomy for patients with primary hyperparathyroidism (PHPT), but there is no clinician consensus regarding the IOPTH monitoring criteria that optimize diagnostic accuracy.

Objective: To evaluate and rank the diagnostic properties of IOPTH monitoring criteria used during surgery for patients with PHPT.

Data Sources: A bayesian diagnostic test accuracy network meta-analysis (DTA-NMA) was performed, in which peer-reviewed citations from January 1, 1990, to July 22, 2023, were searched for in MEDLINE, Embase, Web of Science, CENTRAL, and CINAHL.

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Background: Randomized-clinical trials (RCTs) are the gold-standard for comparing health care interventions, but can be limited by early termination, feasibility issues, and prolonged time to trial reporting. Adaptive clinical trials (ACTs), which are defined by pre-planned modifications and analyses that occur after starting patient recruitment, are gaining popularity as they can streamline trial design and time to reporting. As adaptive methodologies continue to be adopted by researchers, it will be critical to develop a risk of bias tool that evaluates the unique methodological features of ACTs so that their quality can be improved and standardized for the future.

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  • Graphite Furnace-Atomic Absorption Spectrometry (GF-AAS) is highly sensitive for trace element analysis but struggles with solid sample preparation, like soils and microplastics, due to time-consuming methods that increase measurement uncertainty and carbon footprints.
  • A novel autosampler extension has been developed to enhance GF-AAS by ensuring sample suspension stability and preventing evaporation and contamination, offering reliable results with impressive recovery rates in various materials.
  • This advancement streamlines trace element analysis in complex samples, making it an essential tool for environmental monitoring and regulatory compliance while improving accuracy and efficiency in high-throughput settings.
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Background: This study compared the clinical and economic outcomes of laparoscopic (LLR) and open liver resection (OLR) for all hepatectomies, including minor and major hepatectomies.

Study Design: This retrospective study included 920 consecutive elective patients undergoing liver resection from 2017 to 2023. Patient demographics, postoperative surgical outcomes, postoperative length of stay (LOS), and costs were compared between LLR and OLR before and after propensity score matching (PSM).

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  • - Non-union is a serious complication of traumatic fractures that can result in long-term disability; this study explores the treatment of non-union with autologous conditioned serum (ACS) in patients who had unsuccessful open reduction internal fixation (ORIF).
  • - The study involved 11 patients with non-union who received ACS therapy on their injury sites at varying frequencies, with progress monitored through monthly X-rays for signs of bone healing.
  • - Out of the 11 participants, 10 successfully achieved bone union, suggesting that ACS may be an effective alternative treatment for non-unions not responsive to traditional surgical methods, and further research is warranted to examine its benefits.
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Introduction: Tall cell subtype papillary thyroid cancer (TCS-PTC) is associated with aggressive disease features and worse patient outcomes. It remains unclear whether adjuvant radioactive iodine (RAI) ablation following thyroidectomy is associated with improved survival in TCS-PTC. The purpose of this review and meta-analysis was to determine whether adjuvant RAI was associated with improved survival in patients with TCS-PTC.

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  • Synostosis is the abnormal fusion of bones, commonly described as a congenital condition, particularly at the radio-ulnar joint, though it can also occur post-traumatically.
  • A 57-year-old man experienced malunion and synostosis of the fourth and fifth metatarsals after a fifth metatarsal fracture, leading to two surgeries for excision of the synostosis, with successful outcomes after the second intervention.
  • This case represents the first documented instance of post-traumatic synostosis in metatarsals and adds to existing literature on the condition.
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Background: This study sought to determine the optimal treatment strategy and timing for cholecystectomy in managing gallbladder diseases during pregnancy. It evaluated the effectiveness of conservative management (CM), laparoscopic cholecystectomy (LC), and open cholecystectomy (OC) in pregnancy and compared cholecystectomy outcomes across three trimesters.

Methods: Studies comparing CM, LC, and OC or evaluating cholecystectomy outcomes across trimesters were included in a literature search until February 2024.

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Introduction And Objectives: Fluorescence confocal microscopy (FCM) is a new imaging modality capable of generating digital microscopic resolution scans of fresh surgical specimens, and holds potential as an alternative to frozen section (FS) analysis for intra-operative assessment of surgical margins. Previously, we described the LaserSAFE technique as an application of FCM for margin assessment in robot-assisted radical prostatectomy (RARP) using the Histolog® scanner. This study describes the accuracy and inter-rater agreement of FCM imaging compared to corresponding paraffin-embedded analysis (PA) among four blinded pathologists for the presence of positive surgical margins (PSM).

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Background: There is currently no dedicated measurement for assessing nursing students' study interest in China. Considering the good reliability, validity, and widespread applicability of the Study Interest Questionnaire-Short Form (SIQ-SF), the objective of this study was to validate its usage among Chinese nursing students.

Methods: The translation and cross-cultural adaptation rigorously followed the modified Brislin model.

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  • Hypospadias and undescended testicles (UDT) are common conditions in boys, with a study analyzing 177 cases from 2000 to 2021 to determine the prevalence of Disorders of Sex Development (DSD) among these patients.
  • Of the patients studied, 15.3% were diagnosed with DSD, with mixed gonadal dysgenesis being the most common type (35.3%).
  • The findings indicate that those with DSD had higher rates of proximal hypospadias and lower rates of palpable gonads compared to those without DSD, suggesting a correlation between UDT and DSD.
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  • - The study explored how family health influences mental health outcomes like depression and anxiety, focusing on sleep quality as a potential mediating factor, and considering different living situations that can affect social support.
  • - Conducted in five regions of China with nearly 5,000 participants, researchers assessed family health, sleep quality, and mental health symptoms using various standardized scales and mediation analysis.
  • - Results showed a significant negative correlation between family health and depression or anxiety, with sleep quality serving as a mediator; both living with family and shared accommodations influenced this relationship.
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Aims: Heart failure and associated cachexia is an unresolved and important problem. This study aimed to determine the factors that contribute to cardiac cachexia in a new model of heart failure in mice that lack the integrated stress response (ISR) induced eIF2α phosphatase, PPP1R15A.

Methods And Results: Mice were irradiated and reconstituted with bone marrow cells.

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Background: Treatment de-intensification, including transoral robotic surgery (TORS), may outcomes in HPV-positive oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma (OPSCC). Early return to work (RTW) improves quality of life in oncology patients. Our objective was to compare the RTW time in OPSCC patients undergoing primary TORS or chemoradiotherapy (CRT).

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Joint pain and osteoarthritis can occur as coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) sequelae after infection. However, little is known about the damage to articular cartilage. Here we illustrate knee joint damage after wild-type, Delta and Omicron variants of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection in vivo.

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The analysis of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) via sum parameters like extractable organic fluorine (EOF) in combination with high resolution-continuum source-graphite furnace molecular absorption spectrometry (HR-CS-GFMAS) is highly promising regarding fluorine sensitivity and selectivity. However, the HR-CS-GFMAS method includes several drying and heating steps which can lead to losses of volatile PFAS before the molecular formation step using e.g.

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Single-particle inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (sp-ICP-MS) is one of the most powerful tools in the thriving field of nanomaterial analysis. Along the same lines, single-cell ICP-MS (sc-ICP-MS) has become an invaluable tool in the study of the variances of cell populations down to a per-cell basis. Their importance and application fields have been listed numerous times, across various reports and reviews.

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Background: It is imperative to use a validated tool to measure and understand health behavior as it greatly impacts health status. It has been demonstrated that the Health Behavior Inventory - Short Form (HBI-SF) is valid in several countries. The purpose of this study was to translate the HBI-SF into Chinese and test its psychometric properties.

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Background: Lymphatic mapping with SPECT-CT has been demonstrated to accurately define lymphatic drainage patterns in oropharyngeal cancer but there has yet to be a study demonstrating its feasibility across multiple institutions.

Methods: Twelve adult patients with lateralized oropharyngeal carcinoma (T1-T3) who were planned for definitive or adjuvant radiotherapy without contralateral nodal disease underwent injection of 99-m technetium sulfur colloid followed by static planar lymphoscintigraphy to verify tracer migration, and SPECT-CT acquired at 30 ± 15 min (optional) and 3 h (±1 h) (mandatory time-point).

Results: All 12 patients completed the study with 7/12 patients having the injections performed under local anesthetic and 5 patients requiring general anesthetic.

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  • Hyperparathyroidism is an endocrine disorder caused by issues with parathyroid glands, and surgery may be a solution, especially with intraoperative parathyroid hormone (IOPTH) monitoring potentially improving outcomes.
  • A survey will be conducted to understand how North American surgeons use IOPTH monitoring, focusing on demographics, surgical practices, and barriers to its adoption.
  • The findings aim to enhance knowledge about IOPTH usage in parathyroid surgeries and help shape future research to improve treatments for harder-to-cure types of hyperparathyroidism.
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Background: Education in nursing has noticed a positive effect of simulation-based education. There are many studies available on the effects of simulation-based education, but most of those involve a single institution, nonrandomized controlled trials, small sample sizes and subjective evaluations of the effects. The purpose of this multicenter randomized controlled trial was to evaluate the effects of high-fidelity simulation, computer-based simulation, high-fidelity simulation combined with computer-based simulation, and case study on undergraduate nursing students.

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Background: We aimed to compare outcomes and cost effectiveness of extra-corporeal anastomosis (ECA) versus intra-corporeal anastomosis (ICA) for laparoscopic right hemicolectomy using the National Surgical Quality Improvement Programme data.

Methods: Patients who underwent elective laparoscopic right hemicolectomy for colon cancer from January 2018 to December 2022 were identified. Non-cancer diagnoses, emergency procedures or synchronous resection of other organs were excluded.

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