Publications by authors named "BERMAN M"

Article Synopsis
  • Disposable e-cigarettes are the most popular choice among youth in the US, but there is limited data on their characteristics in the online market.
  • The study analyzed 2,320 unique disposable e-cigarette products from five online vape shops, focusing on features like size, pricing, consumer reviews, and key product attributes.
  • The findings revealed that products with higher nicotine concentrations received more positive reviews and ratings, while fruit and sweet flavors were preferred over alcohol flavors; additionally, online prices per milliliter were lower compared to in-store prices.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: To help inform COVID-19 vaccination recommendations, we evaluated the impact of age and dosing interval on clinical benefit of a third dose of mRNA-1273.

Methods: Approximately 17 000 participants from the phase 3 Coronavirus Efficacy trial who previously received 2 doses of 100 µg mRNA-1273 were evaluated for COVID-19 between September 2021 and April 2022 during uptake of a third booster dose of 50 µg of mRNA-1273. Cox models assessed booster relative efficacy of a third dose.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: Soluble transferrin receptor (sTfR) is a useful marker in the differentiation of anemia. Clinical utility is limited by lack of standardization between measurement procedures and interpretative recommendations. Our objective was to evaluate the analytical performance of a research sTfR immunoturbidimetric assay (Alinity c, Abbott Diagnostics) and compare it to three established measurement procedures.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

The machine perfusion (MP) of transplantable grafts has emerged as an upcoming field in Cardiothoracic (CT) transplantation during the last decade. This technology carries the potential to assess, preserve, and even recondition thoracic grafts before transplantation, so it is a possible game-changer in the field. This technology field has reached a critical turning point, with a growing number of publications coming predominantly from a few leading institutions, but still need solid scientific evidence.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Restricting access to fisheries and other common property resources through creation of individual transferable rights has been documented to create wealth and promote conservation, but has also reduced employment and increased inequality in fishing communities. Creating group rights instead of individual rights has been suggested as an alternative strategy that could realize the benefits with diminished social cost; however, little independent evaluation of actual implementations of group rights to fisheries has occurred. The Western Alaska Community Development Quota (CDQ) program represents an example of allocation of group fishery rights to six not-for-profit organizations representing 65 small, largely Indigenous coastal communities.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

The current diagnosis of metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD) and its severe form, metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis (MASH), is suboptimal. Here, we recruited 700 individuals, including 184 from Hong Kong as a discovery cohort and 516 from San Diego, Wenzhou, and Hong Kong as three validation cohorts. A panel of 3 parameters (C-X-C motif chemokine ligand 10 [CXCL10], cytokeratin 18 fragments M30 [CK-18], and adjusted body mass index [BMI]) was formulated (termed N3-MASH), which discriminated patients with MASLD from healthy controls with an area under the receiver operating characteristic (AUROC) of 0.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Balancing on a tightrope twenty feet above the ground is outside the comfort zones of many health law professors. Being there forces you to consider in new ways yourself, your skills, and your surroundings. Fears arise, and yet you must still act.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Arterial thrombosis is a leading cause of death and disability worldwide with no effective bioassay for clinical prediction. As a symbolic feature of arterial thrombosis, severe stenosis in the blood vessel creates a high-shear, high-gradient flow environment that facilitates platelet aggregation towards vessel occlusion. Here, we present a thrombus profiling assay that monitors the multi-dimensional attributes of thrombi forming in such biomechanical conditions.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • Some object concepts are more memorable than others due to features and typicality, but the exact reasons remain unclear.
  • This study investigates whether the geometric organization of object concepts in hierarchical structures affects their memorability, using Hyperbolic representation spaces to analyze a large dataset of images.
  • Findings indicate that concepts positioned closer to the center of the representation space are more typical and memorable, with Hyperbolic geometry providing better predictions for both memorability and typicality compared to traditional Euclidean methods.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF

The effects of heat exposure on negative affect are thought to be central to the observed relationships between hot summer days and deleterious outcomes, such as violent crime or mental health crises. As these relationships are likely to be magnified by the effects of climate change, a better understanding of how consistent or variable the effects of hot weather on affective states is required. The current work combines data gathered from an ecological momentary assessment (EMA) study on individuals' thermal perceptions, comfort, and affective states in outdoor environments during their daily lives with high spatiotemporal resolution climate-modeled weather variables.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: Severe early graft dysfunction (EGD) is defined by mechanical circulatory support (MCS) <24 hours of heart transplantation (HT). We classified severe EGD based on timing of post-HT MCS: ''Immediate'' intra-operative vs ''Delayed'' post-operative MCS (after admission into intensive care unit (ICU) from operating theater). We hypothesized that (1) risk factors and clinical course differ between ''Immediate'' and ''Delayed'' MCS; and (2) diastolic perfusion pressure (DPP=diastolic blood pressure-central venous pressure) and Norepinephrine equivalents (NE=sum of vasopressor doses), as measures of vasoplegia are related to ''Delayed'' MCS.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Aims: We investigated the efficacy and safety profile of commonly used venous thromboembolism (VTE) prophylaxis agents following hip and knee arthroplasty.

Methods: A systematic search of PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Library, Web of Science, and OrthoSearch was performed. Prophylaxis agents investigated were aspirin (< 325 mg and ≥ 325 mg daily), enoxaparin, dalteparin, fondaparinux, unfractionated heparin, warfarin, rivaroxaban, apixaban, and dabigatran.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: Nicotine forms (salt vs. freebase) and isomers (synthetic vs. tobacco-derived) are key characteristics of e-cigarettes that manufacturers manipulate, and "tobacco-free" claims may have served to attract new consumers and increase their intention to use.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • Scientists wanted to see if a new method called hypothermic oxygenated machine perfusion (HOPE) is better for keeping donor hearts alive before they are transplanted, compared to the traditional cold storage method.
  • They did a big study with 229 patients across 15 transplant centers in Europe to compare these two methods.
  • The main goal was to find out if using HOPE reduces serious problems after heart transplant surgery, like heart failure or rejection, within the first 30 days.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background And Aims: Metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease and metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis are pressing public health problems occurring alongside the rising prevalence of obesity and diabetes. This feasibility study explored the use of a novel prescription digital therapeutic (PDT) in this patient population.

Methods: A prospective, open-label study was conducted at two hepatology clinics.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Aggression refers to a wide range of behaviors with lasting individual and societal consequences. Recurrent, unplanned aggressive behavior is the core diagnostic criterion for intermittent explosive disorder (IED). In this study, we compared two behavioral measures of aggression in the laboratory: the Taylor Aggression Paradigm (TAP) and the Point-Subtraction Aggression Paradigm (PSAP).

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Arterial thrombosis, which represents a critical complication of cardiovascular diseases, is a leading cause of death and disability worldwide with no effective bioassay for clinical prediction. As a symbolic feature of arterial thrombosis, severe stenosis in the blood vessel creates a high-shear, high-gradient flow environment that effectively facilitates platelet aggregation towards vessel occlusion even with platelet amplification loops inhibited. However, no approach is currently available to comprehensively characterize the size, composition and platelet activation status of thrombi forming under this biorheological condition.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • An implantable left ventricular assist device (LVAD) is used in the UK mainly as a temporary solution for patients awaiting heart transplants or recovery.
  • LVADs create a unique hemodynamic state, making standard measurements like blood pressure and pulse difficult to obtain, leading to challenges in patient assessment.
  • To address these challenges, UK experts developed specific guidelines for managing emergencies in LVAD patients, aimed at healthcare providers in advanced heart failure centers, ensuring appropriate care during critical situations.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF