Machine learning algorithms do not outperform preoperative thresholds in predicting clinically meaningful improvements after total knee arthroplasty.

Purpose: Patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs) are important measures of success after total knee arthroplasty (TKA) and being able to predict their improvements could enhance preoperative decision-making. Our study aims to compare the predictive performance of machine learning (ML) algorithms and preoperative PROM thresholds in predicting minimal clinically important difference (MCID) attainment at 2 years after TKA.

Methods: Prospectively collected data of 2840 primary TKA performed between 2008 and 2018 was extracted from our joint replacement registry and split into a training set (80%) and test set (20%).

Do Patients With Diabetes Have Poorer Improvements in Patient-Reported Outcomes After Total Knee Arthroplasty?

Background: Diabetes is one of the most common comorbidities in patients undergoing total knee arthroplasty (TKA) for osteoarthritis. However, the evidence remains unclear on how it affects patient-reported outcome measures after TKA.

Methods: We reviewed prospectively collected data of 2840 patients who underwent primary unilateral TKA between 2008 and 2018, of which 716 (25.

Correlation Between Gastrocnemius Tightness and Heel Pain Severity in Plantar Fasciitis.

Background: It is known that there is an association between gastrocnemius tightness and plantar fasciitis, but this has never been quantified. The purpose of the study was to determine the correlation between gastrocnemius tightness and the severity of heel pain in plantar fasciitis.

Methods: Thirty-three patients were prescribed physiotherapist-directed gastrocnemius stretching exercises, a Strassburg Sock or night splint, and silicone heel insoles as required.

Impact of maternal obesity and breastfeeding intention on lactation intensity and duration.

Exclusive breastfeeding (EBF) has numerous maternal health benefits. However, EBF rates are lower in mothers with obesity. We sought to better understand whether maternal body composition measurements in early pregnancy are also predictive of lower rates of EBF.

Outcomes of Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction in Females Using Patellar-Tendon-Bone versus Hamstring Autografts: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

The current review aims to compare the outcomes of anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction in the female population after patellar-tendon-bone and hamstring grafts. The review was conducted using the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines. All original randomized controlled trials and prospective cohort studies that compared clinical outcomes after female ACL reconstruction using hamstring versus patellar-tendon-bone grafts were included.

Single Working Portal Technique for Knotless Arthroscopic Bankart Repair.

Arthroscopic Bankart repair is widely accepted as the method of choice in restoring the labrum to the glenoid rim. It has been shown to have comparable outcomes with open stabilization. This usually involves the use of 2 portals anteriorly: one anterosuperior accessory portal and another anteroinferior working portal.

Shifting Patterns in Cesarean Delivery Scheduling and Timing in Oregon before and after a Statewide Hard Stop Policy.

Objectives: To assess the use and timing of scheduled cesareans and other categories of cesarean delivery and the prevalence of neonatal morbidity among cesareans in Oregon before and after the implementation of Oregon's statewide policy limiting elective early deliveries.

Data Sources: Oregon vital statistics records, 2008-2013.

Study Design: Retrospective cohort study, with multivariable logistic regression, regression controlling for time trends, and interrupted time series analyses, to compare the odds of different categories of cesarean delivery and the odds of neonatal morbidity pre- and postpolicy.

The utility of magnetic resonance imaging in addition to computed tomography scans in the evaluation of cervical spine injuries: a study of obtunded blunt trauma patients.

Purpose: Evidence guiding the use of CT and MRI scans in blunt trauma patients who are obtunded remains controversial. This study aims to determine and predict if computed tomography (CT) scans alone can be performed without risking oversight of substantial injuries found on follow-up magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).

Methods: This is a retrospective cohort study of 63 blunt trauma patients with a Glasgow Coma Scale of < 8.

Traumatic dislocation of the S1 polyaxial pedicle screw head: a case report.

Polyaxial screw head dislocation in the absence of a manufacture defect is extremely rare and represents a biomechanical overload of the screw, leading to early failure. A 58-year-old gentleman underwent instrumented fusion using polyaxial pedicle screws-titanium rod construct with interbody cage for spondylolytic spondylolisthesis at the L5/S1 level. He attempted to bend forward ten days after the surgery which resulted in a dislocation of the right S1 polyaxial screw head from the screw shank with recurrence of symptoms.

Type-2 diabetes mellitus: does prenatal care affect outcomes?

Objective: To determine if prenatal care affects adverse perinatal outcomes in pregnant women with Type-2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM).

Study Design: This was a retrospective cohort study of pregnant women with pregestational diabetes mellitus pregnancies in the state of California between 1997 and 2006, using vital statistics data linked to birth certificates. Women were stratified by time of presentation to care and we compared those who presented in the first trimester, third trimester, and those who had no prenatal care prior to delivery.

Overcoming chemoresistance in prostate cancer with Chinese medicine Tripterygium wilfordii via multiple mechanisms.

A leading cause of cancer chemotherapy failure is chemoresistance, which often involves multiple mechanisms. Chinese medicines (CM) usually contain multiple components which could potentially target many mechanisms simultaneously and may offer an advantage over single compounds that target one mechanism at a time. The purpose of this study was to investigate the chemosensitizing effect (CE) of a specific CM, Tripterygium wilfordii (TW), on prostate cancer cells resistant to docetaxel (Dtx) and identify the potential mechanisms.

The Importance of Patient Sex in the Outcomes of Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstructions: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.

Background: One of the well-studied epidemiological phenomena of anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injuries is the 2- to 9-fold increase in the relative risk of ACL rupture in female athletes compared with male athletes. However, the influence of patient sex on the outcome after ACL reconstruction remains unclear, with some authors reporting inferior outcomes in females and others noting no significant difference.

Purpose: To provide a comprehensive systematic review and meta-analysis to examine the possible association between patient sex and the subjective and objective outcomes after ACL reconstruction.

Emerging lessons from regional and state innovation in value-based payment reform: balancing collaboration and disruptive innovation.

Context: In recent decades, practitioners and policymakers have turned to value-based payment initiatives to help contain spending on health care and to improve the quality of care. The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation funded 7 grantees across the country to design and implement value-based, multistakeholder payment reform projects in 6 states and 3 regions of the United States.

Methods: As the external evaluator of these projects, we reviewed documents, conducted Internet searches, interviewed key stakeholders, cross-validated factual and narrative interpretation, and performed qualitative analyses to derive cross-site themes and implications for policy and practice.

A report on eight early-stage state and regional projects testing value-based payment.

To help contain health care spending and improve the quality of care, practitioners and policy makers are trying to move away from fee-for-service toward value-based payment, which links providers' reimbursement to the value, rather than the volume, of services delivered. With funding from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, eight grantees across the country are designing and implementing value-based payment reform projects. For example, in Salem, Oregon, the Physicians Choice Foundation is testing "Program Oriented Payments," which include incentives for providers who follow a condition-specific program of care designed to meet goals set jointly by patient and provider.

Identifying cell and molecular stress after radiation in a three-dimensional (3-D) model of oral mucositis.

Mucositis is a debilitating adverse effect of chemotherapy and radiation treatment. It is important to develop a simple and reliable in vitro model, which can routinely be used to screen new drugs for prevention and treatment of mucositis. Furthermore, identifying cell and molecular stresses especially in the initiation phase of mucositis in this model will help towards this end.

Measuring the medical home infrastructure in large medical groups.

The patient-centered medical home is taking center stage in discussions of primary care innovation as a new delivery model that provides comprehensive, coordinated care across the lifespan. Although the medical home is widely discussed by policymakers, payers, and other stakeholders, the extent to which physician practices have the infrastructure in place to function as medical homes is not known. Using data from the 2006-07 National Study of Physician Organizations, we examine the extent of adoption of medical home infrastructure components among large primary care and multispecialty medical groups and their association with medical group size and ownership.

Relaxation training methods for nurse managers in Hong Kong: a controlled study.

Nurse managers are under increased stress because of excessive workloads and hospitals' restructuring which is affecting their work tasks. High levels of stress could affect their mental health. Yet, few stress management training programmes are provided for this population.