Publications by authors named "Benjamin Stone"

Background: The impact of behavioral habits such as exercise on the physical health of prostate cancer (PCa) patients is poorly understood. We aimed to investigate PCa patients' exercise habits and the association between exercise and self-reported physical health status.

Methods: The 2016-2020 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) databases were used to identify men with a history of PCa.

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Background: Factors associated with cancer survivors' preventive health behaviors are understudied. We hypothesized that socioeconomic and healthcare access factors may be associated with adherence to recommended cancer screenings.

Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional analysis using the 2020 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System.

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Background: As robotic surgeries increase nationwide, residency programs are implementing commensurate curriculum. Medical student exposure and comfort with these surgeries, however, is lagging. This program sought to improve student interest and confidence through additional robotic exposure.

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Article Synopsis
  • This study looked at a new way to place a tiny device in men's tumors to see how they respond to different cancer drugs.
  • They used a special scan to help put the devices in the right spot, just before surgery to remove the tumors.
  • The results showed that the method was safe and let them see how the tumors reacted to the drugs, which might help doctors make better treatment choices in the future.
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Background: Focal therapy, a minimally invasive procedure, offers targeted treatment for kidney and prostate cancer using image guidance. However, the current institutional landscape of its adoption in localized prostate and kidney cancer remains less understood. This analysis compares its usage between the 2 cancers to discern health system determinants affecting the adoption of these treatments.

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Background: Despite mandated insurance coverage since 2006 and robust health infrastructure in urban settings with high concentrations of minority patients, race-based disparities in prostate cancer (PCa) treatment persist in Massachusetts. In this qualitative study, the authors sought to identify factors driving inequities in PCa treatment in Massachusetts.

Methods: Four hospitals offering PCa treatment in Massachusetts were selected using a case-mix approach.

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Importance: Prostate-specific antigen (PSA) screening for prostate cancer is controversial but may be associated with benefit for certain high-risk groups.

Objectives: To evaluate associations of county-level PSA screening prevalence with prostate cancer outcomes, as well as variation by sociodemographic and clinical factors.

Design, Setting, And Participants: This cohort study used data from cancer registries based in 8 US states on Hispanic, non-Hispanic Black, and non-Hispanic White men aged 40 to 99 years who received a diagnosis of prostate cancer between January 1, 2000, and December 31, 2015.

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Introduction: With the rise in antibiotic resistance, new methodologies are needed to combat musculoskeletal infections. Silver is an antimicrobial that can be synthesized in different forms, but its pharmacokinetics are difficult to control. This study details the antibacterial efficacy and cellular cytotoxicity of a formulation consisting of silver carboxylate (AgCar) released through a titanium dioxide/polydimethylsiloxane matrix with a predictable release profile on , , human-derived primary osteoblasts.

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Purpose: To evaluate how limited English proficiency (LEP) impacts the prevalence of prostate-specific antigen (PSA) screening in a contemporary, nationally representative cohort of men in the USA.

Methods: The Medical Expenditure Panel Survey was utilized to identify the prevalence of PSA screening between 2013 and 2016 among men ≥ 55. Men who speak a language other than English at home were stratified by self-reported levels of English proficiency (men who speak English very well, well, not well, or not at all).

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Adaptive radiations are characterized by rapid ecological diversification and speciation events, leading to fuzzy species boundaries between ecologically differentiated species. Adaptive radiations are therefore key systems for understanding how species are formed and maintained, including the role of de novo mutations versus preexisting variation in ecological adaptation and the genome-wide consequences of hybridization events. For example, adaptive introgression, where beneficial alleles are transferred between lineages through hybridization, may fuel diversification in adaptive radiations and facilitate adaptation to new environments.

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Introduction: Building on a Canadian study associating unvaccinated individuals to increased car accidents, we examined the relationship between COVID-19 vaccination status and US preventive care practices.

Methods: We queried the 2021 National Health Interview Survey. First, we fitted a model to identify respondent-level factors associated with receipt of at least one COVID-19 vaccination.

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Background And Objective: There exists ongoing debate about the benefits and harms of prostate-specific antigen (PSA) screening for prostate cancer. This study sought to evaluate the association of county-level PSA screening rates with county-level incidence of metastatic prostate cancer and prostate cancer mortality in the USA.

Methods: This ecological study used data from the 2004-2012 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) to build a multilevel mixed-effect model with poststratification using US Census data to estimate county-level PSA screening rates for all 3143 US counties adjusted for age, race, ethnicity, and county-level poverty rates.

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Adaptive radiations are characterized by rapid ecological diversification and speciation events, leading to fuzzy species boundaries between ecologically differentiated species. Adaptive radiations are therefore key systems for understanding how species are formed and maintained, including the role of de novo mutations vs. pre-existing variation in ecological adaptation and the genome-wide consequences of hybridization events.

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During infection, bacteriophages produce diverse gene products to overcome bacterial antiphage defenses, to outcompete other phages, and to take over cellular processes. Even in the best-studied model phages, the roles of most phage-encoded gene products are unknown, and the phage population represents a largely untapped reservoir of novel gene functions. Considering the sheer size of this population, experimental screening methods are needed to sort through the enormous collection of available sequences and identify gene products that can modulate bacterial behavior for downstream functional characterization.

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Objectives: Early 2010s data suggest a reverse stage and grade migration towards more aggressive prostate cancer (PCa) at diagnosis, accelerated by the 2012 US Preventive Services Task Force recommendation against PSA screening. Using the National Cancer Database, we investigated the impact of the 2018 USPSTF recommendation and the COVID-19 outbreak on this shift. We hypothesized that the COVID-19 outbreak would further contribute to a stage and grade migration towards more aggressive disease.

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In this paper we investigate the criterion validity of forced-choice comparisons of the quality of written arguments with normative solutions. Across two studies, novices and experts assessing quality of reasoning through a forced-choice design were both able to choose arguments supporting more accurate solutions-62.2% (SE = 1%) of the time for novices and 74.

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Objective: To assess the HIV prevalence in patients diagnosed with gestational trophoblastic neoplasia (GTN).

Design: A retrospective single centre cohort study.

Methods: A database from the Sheffield Trophoblastic Disease Centre (STDC), Sheffield, UK was searched between 1st January 2015 and 31st December 2021.

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Background: Management of small renal masses often involves a nonoperative approach, but there is a paucity of information about the use and associated predictors of such approaches. This study aimed to determine the trends in and predictors of use of nonoperative management of small renal masses.

Methods: Using data from the National Cancer Database for localized small renal masses (N0/M0, cT1a) diagnosed between 2010 and 2020, we conducted a cross-sectional study.

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Background: Recent efforts to repurpose existing drugs to different indications have been accompanied by a number of computational methods, which incorporate protein-protein interaction networks and signaling pathways, to aid with prioritizing existing targets and/or drugs. However, many of these existing methods are focused on integrating additional data that are only available for a small subset of diseases or conditions.

Methods: We have designed and implemented a new R-based open-source target prioritization and repurposing method that integrates both canonical intracellular signaling information from five public pathway databases and target information from public sources including OpenTargets.

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The management of prostate cancer (PCa) has evolved from a paradigm of "treat when caught early" to "treat only when necessary". Despite inconsistency in its use, active surveillance has evolved over the past two decades into the gold standard for management of low-risk PCa. Our objective was to investigate whether the use of expectant management (active surveillance, watchful waiting, no treatment) as a first-line approach for low-risk PCa has increased over the past decade.

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Endoscopic spine surgery (ESS) is an innovative technique allowing for minimally invasive, direct visualization of spinal abnormalities. The growth of ESS in the United States has been stunted by high start-up costs, low reimbursement rates, and the steep learning curve associated with mastering endoscopic techniques. Hergrae, we describe the current state and future direction of ESS and provide key action items for ESS program implementation.

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Objectives: Colorectal cancer (CRC) screening rates continue to be low among safety-net populations. We sought to elucidate the impact of social determinants of health (SDOH) on the noncompletion of fecal immunochemical tests (FITs) and colonoscopies at the Providence Community Health Centers (PCHC).

Study Design: This was a retrospective cohort review of PCHC patients with associated SDOH profiles between December 1, 2018, and December 1, 2019.

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Objective: To evaluate the association between urinary incontinence and depression. An estimated 21 million adults in the United States (U.S.

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