Publications by authors named "Azar F"

Introduction: Reverse shoulder arthroplasty (RSA) and anatomic total shoulder arthroplasty (TSA) are well-known methods of treating glenohumeral arthritis, which often leads to posterior wear of the glenoid. This study compared minimum two-year outcome measures in patients treated with RSA and TSA for Walch B2 and B3 glenoids.

Methods: Thirty-eight shoulders underwent TSA and 40 shoulders underwent RSA by two fellowship-trained shoulder surgeons at a tertiary referral center.

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Background: The goal of this study was to determine changes in orthopaedic coding practices between December 2020 and January 2021 after training providers on the 2021 Current Procedural Terminology Evaluation and Management (E&M) Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services guideline changes.

Methods: Outpatient encounters in December 2020, January 2021, December 2021, and January 2023 were grouped by provider and E&M code level. The codes used for established patients were 99211, 99212, 99213, 99214, and 99215, ordered from low to high-complexity visits.

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Background: Periscapular fractures, specifically acromial and scapular spine fractures, have been identified as one of the leading complications of reverse total shoulder arthroplasty (rTSA). However, very little is known of the etiology of these postoperative fractures, or how variations in humeral designs correlates with the risk of postoperative fracture development. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to analyze the prevalence, timing, and relationship of humeral component design to acromial or scapular spine fractures.

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Being a team physician is a unique opportunity afforded to orthopedic surgeons or medical doctors who have undergone appropriate subspecialty training and certification. Requirements include specialized skill and expertise in diagnosing and treating various medical and musculoskeletal conditions in the acute sideline setting in addition to the standard clinical setting, and furthermore requires, excellent communication and the ability to coordinate care among a curated care team. Those strongly desiring to be a team physician should seek employment in a position that supports this pathway by way of team contracts, although other opportunities may exist on a volunteer basis.

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The purpose of this articler is to discuss methods by which to successfully build a busy clinical sports medicine practice. The authors aim to provide pearls to help facilitate building a successful and busy practice as well as pitfalls to minimize the risk of failure. Topics discussed include how to build patient referral sources, online marketing, sports team coverage, and cultivating relationships with partners and providers within the community.

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  • - This study investigates the incidence of delayed intracranial hemorrhage (ICH) in older patients (65+) who suffered head trauma and were on anticoagulant medications, noting that delayed ICH rates post-injury range widely in existing literature.
  • - Conducted across two emergency departments with 3,425 enrolled patients, the findings showed a very low incidence of delayed ICH at 0.4%, and no significant difference in rates between patients on anticoagulants and those not on them.
  • - The results suggest that delayed ICH is uncommon in this population, which could influence clinical decision-making and management strategies for geriatric patients with blunt head trauma.
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Objectives: Reverse total shoulder arthroplasty (rTSA) has shown success in the treatment of end-stage glenohumeral pathology. However, one major shortcoming has been the lack of internal rotation (IR), which can have significant functional consequences. Much research has been conducted to maximize IR after rTSA, but the literature is unclear which measurement of IR represents the "gold standard" between vertebral level and goniometer-based measurements.

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Introduction: Nonoperative management (NOM) of uncomplicated appendicitis is increasingly common. Effectiveness of NOM has been studied by identifying patients via International Classification of Diseases (ICD) 9/ICD-10 codes for uncomplicated appendicitis and no code for appendectomy. We sought to assess the accuracy of such administrative definitions.

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Pickleball is the fastest growing sport in the United States. People of all ages participate in the sport, with the most being aged 35 years or older. Pickleball is a paddle and racket sport with a smaller court size, lighter racket, and similar rules as tennis.

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  • TG6050 is a novel oncolytic virus designed to target tumors by selectively replicating within them and delivering immune-modifying agents, specifically human interleukin-12 and an anti-CTLA-4 antibody, which may enhance immune responses in both "cold" and "hot" tumors.
  • The study thoroughly evaluated TG6050's replication, immune responses, and antitumoral effectiveness in various murine models, as well as its safety after repeated dosing in monkeys.
  • Results showed that TG6050 effectively promoted antitumor activity, improved the tumor microenvironment by increasing immune cell activity, and significantly reduced regulatory T cells when combined with existing checkpoint inhibitors.
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Background: Previous studies have demonstrated the safety and cost-effectiveness of outpatient total shoulder arthroplasty (TSA), with the majority of studies focusing on 90-day outcomes and complications. Patient selection algorithms have helped appropriately choose patients for an outpatient TSA setting. This study aimed to determine the outcomes of TSA between outpatient and inpatient cohorts with at least a 2-year follow-up.

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  • The study examines basketball-related injuries in NBA players from the 2013-2014 to 2018-2019 seasons to understand injury trends and impacts over time.
  • Analysis of injuries using the NBA Injury and Illness Database showed that annual injury incidence ranged from 1550 to 1892, with a significant proportion leading to missed games.
  • Results indicated that preseason games had the highest injury rates, while playoff games had the lowest, and most injuries were acute and often resulted from contact with other players.
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Background: Recovery after anatomic total shoulder arthroplasty (aTSA) and reverse total shoulder arthroplasty (rTSA) has many similarities; however, recently surgeons have suggested patients undergoing rTSA have a less difficult postoperative course with less pain compared with aTSA patients. Given the heightened awareness to postoperative pain control and opioid consumption, as well as the expanding indications for rTSA, we sought to determine the differences in pain and opioid consumption between aTSA and rTSA patients in a 12-week postoperative period.

Methods: A retrospective chart review was performed to identify all patients who underwent a primary aTSA or rTSA from January 2013 to April 2018 at a single institution.

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  • The study examined how preoperative factors like tobacco use, opioid usage, and obesity affect pain and function after arthroscopic rotator cuff repairs.
  • Smoking significantly correlated with worse pain and functional scores post-surgery, while opioid use had no notable impact.
  • Interestingly, alcohol use was linked to better functional scores in the long term, highlighting that smoking and opioid consumption are modifiable factors that could enhance surgical outcomes.
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This systematic review aimed to provide an overview of test protocols used to measure peak oxygen uptake (VOpeak) in adults with Down syndrome (DS) and to determine how generalisable the outcomes are for the entire population of adults with DS by describing the sample characteristics of these studies and their impact on VOpeak. A literature search (PROSPERO CRD42022309560) was performed (18 July 2023) using the following databases: PubMed, CINAHL, APA PsycINFO, Web of Science, Embase and SPORTDiscus. For articles to be included, they had to be peer-reviewed pubications, reporting VOpeak or VOmax for individuals with DS separately, with a sample of n ≥ 5 and a mean age ≥18 years.

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Background: This study aimed to determine the clinical impact of wound management technique on surgical site infection (SSI), hospital length of stay (LOS), and mortality in emergent colorectal surgery.

Methods: A prospective observational study (2021-2023) of urgent or emergent colorectal surgery patients at 15 institutions was conducted. Pediatric patients and traumatic colorectal injuries were excluded.

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Background and purpose Color change caused by materials used for endodontic treatment is an important clinical issue. The current research examined the impact of internal bleaching with 10% carbamide peroxide on discolored teeth resulting from various types of sealers. Materials and methods In this study, 36 anterior teeth were cut from 1 mm beneath the cementoenamel junction (CEJ), and the samples were divided into three groups of 12.

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The scaffold protein 14-3-3ζ is an established regulator of adipogenesis and postnatal adiposity. We and others have demonstrated the 14-3-3ζ interactome to be diverse and dynamic, and it can be examined to identify novel regulators of physiological processes, including adipogenesis. In the present study, we sought to determine if factors that influence adipogenesis during the development of obesity could be identified in the 14-3-3ζ interactome found in white adipose tissue of lean or obese TAP-tagged-14-3-3ζ overexpressing mice.

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Systemic chemotherapeutics target cancer cells but are also known to impact other cells away from the tumor. Questions remain whether systemic chemotherapy crosses the blood-brain barrier and causes inflammation in the periphery that impacts the central nervous system (CNS) downstream. The meningeal lymphatics are a critical component that drain cerebrospinal fluid from the CNS to the cervical lymph nodes for immunosurveillence.

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The grit score is used to measure passion and perseverance for long-term goals. We hypothesized that higher grit scores would predict improved 90-day outcomes and reduced opioid requirements after primary arthroscopic rotator cuff repair (RCR). Included were 103 patients.

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Objective: To explore the impact of telemedicine on access to gender-affirming care for rural transgender and gender diverse youth.

Study Design: A retrospective analysis of data drawn from the electronic medical records of a clinic that provides approximately 10 000 adolescent and young adult visits per year and serves patients seeking gender health care. The no-show rate was examined as a proxy for access to care due to anticipated challenges with recruiting a representative sample of a historically marginalized population.

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