Evidence of Incomplete Feeding Behaviors among South Carolina Tick Populations.

Dynamic environmental conditions, such as climate change and host availability, have greatly influenced the expansion of medically relevant tick vectors into new regions throughout the southeastern United States of America. As tick populations migrate into new areas, it has been suggested they can exhibit a phenomenon known as incomplete feeding. With this phenomenon, tick vectors feed on more than one host at each life stage, thus increasing the likelihood of pathogen transmission.

Hip Fracture Repair by the Post-Call Surgeon: A Multicenter Retrospective Review.

Introduction: The purpose of this study was to evaluate surgeons' ability to perform or supervise a standard operation with agreed-upon radiologic parameters after being on call.

Methods: We reviewed a consecutive series of patients with intertrochanteric hip fractures treated with a fixed angle device at 9 centers and compared corrected tip-apex distance and reduction quality for post-call surgeons versus those who were not. Subgroup analyses included surgeons who operated the night before versus not and attending-only versus resident involved cases.

Contrived Materials and a Data Set for the Evaluation of Liquid Biopsy Tests: A Blood Profiling Atlas in Cancer (BLOODPAC) Community Study.

The Blood Profiling Atlas in Cancer (BLOODPAC) Consortium is a collaborative effort involving stakeholders from the public, industry, academia, and regulatory agencies focused on developing shared best practices on liquid biopsy. This report describes the results from the JFDI (Just Freaking Do It) study, a BLOODPAC initiative to develop standards on the use of contrived materials mimicking cell-free circulating tumor DNA, to comparatively evaluate clinical laboratory testing procedures. Nine independent laboratories tested the concordance, sensitivity, and specificity of commercially available contrived materials with known variant-allele frequencies (VAFs) ranging from 0.

Combined Orthopaedic and Vascular Injuries With Ischemia: A Multicenter Analysis.

Objectives: To review a large, multicenter experience to identify the current salvage and amputation rates of these combined injuries and, where possible, the variables that predict amputation.

Design: Retrospective.

Setting: Nine trauma centers.

Generic Protocols for the Analytical Validation of Next-Generation Sequencing-Based ctDNA Assays: A Joint Consensus Recommendation of the BloodPAC's Analytical Variables Working Group.

Liquid biopsy, particularly the analysis of circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA), has demonstrated considerable promise for numerous clinical intended uses. Successful validation and commercialization of novel ctDNA tests have the potential to improve the outcomes of patients with cancer. The goal of the Blood Profiling Atlas Consortium (BloodPAC) is to accelerate the development and validation of liquid biopsy assays that will be introduced into the clinic.

Postoperative Complications of Hip Fractures Patients on Chronic Coumadin: A Comparison Based on Operative International Normalized Ratio.

In current clinical practice, orthopedic surgeons often delay the surgery intervention on geriatric hip fracture patients to optimize the international normalized ratio (INR), in order to decrease the risk of postoperative hematological complications. However, some evidence suggests that full reversal protocols may not be necessary, especially for patients with prior thromboembolic history. Our study aims to compare the surgical outcomes of patients with normal versus elevated INR values.

Henry Versus Thompson Approach for Fixation of Proximal Third Radial Shaft Fractures: A Multicenter Study.

Objective: To compare the volar Henry and dorsal Thompson approaches with respect to outcomes and complications for proximal third radial shaft fractures.

Design: Multicenter retrospective cohort study.

Patients/participants: Patients with proximal third radial shaft fractures ± associated ulna fractures (OTA/AO 2R1 ± 2U1) treated operatively at 11 trauma centers were included.

Previous Implant Fractures: A New Descriptive Classification System.

Objectives: To propose a previous implant fractures (PIFs) classification system with good interobserver reliability.

Design: Retrospective classification.

Setting: Four academic medical centers.

Expression profiling and in situ screening of circular RNAs in human tissues.

Circular RNAs (circRNAs) were recently discovered as a class of widely expressed noncoding RNA and have been implicated in regulation of gene expression. However, the function of the majority of circRNAs remains unknown. Studies of circRNAs have been hampered by a lack of essential approaches for detection, quantification and visualization.

Simultaneous detection of lung fusions using a multiplex RT-PCR next generation sequencing-based approach: a multi-institutional research study.

Background: Gene fusion events resulting from chromosomal rearrangements play an important role in initiation of lung adenocarcinoma. The recent association of four oncogenic driver genes, ALK, ROS1, RET, and NTRK1, as lung tumor predictive biomarkers has increased the need for development of up-to-date technologies for detection of these biomarkers in limited amounts of material.

Methods: We describe here a multi-institutional study using the Ion AmpliSeq™ RNA Fusion Lung Cancer Research Panel to interrogate previously characterized lung tumor samples.

Magnetic Resonance Imaging of Trauma Patients Treated With Contemporary External Fixation Devices: A Multicenter Case Series.

Objectives: To report the safety and clinical outcomes of placing current magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) components inside and outside the MRI bore during MRIs.

Design: Retrospective case series.

Setting: Four trauma centers (3 Level I and 1 Level II), from January 2005 to January 2015.

External validation of the clinical indications of computed tomography (CT) of the head in patients with low-energy geriatric hip fractures.

Introduction: On evaluation of the clinical indications of computed tomography (CT) scan of head in the patients with low-energy geriatric hip fractures, Maniar et al. identified physical evidence of head injury, new onset confusion, and Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS)<15 as predictive risk factors for acute findings on CT scan. The goal of the present study was to validate these three criteria as predictive risk factors for a larger population in a wider geographical distribution.

Collaborating to Compete: Blood Profiling Atlas in Cancer (BloodPAC) Consortium.

The cancer community understands the value of blood profiling measurements in assessing and monitoring cancer. We describe an effort among academic, government, biotechnology, diagnostic, and pharmaceutical companies called the Blood Profiling Atlas in Cancer (BloodPAC) Project. BloodPAC will aggregate, make freely available, and harmonize for further analyses, raw datasets, relevant associated clinical data (e.

The Clinical and Economic Impact of Preoperative Transthoracic Echocardiography in Elderly Patients with Hip Fractures.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to evaluate preoperative transthoracic echocardiography (TTE) on cardiac intervention, length of stay (LOS), inpatient mortality, and costs.

Methods: A retrospective series of 43 preoperative TTE and 161 non-TTE (control) hip fracture patients (> 65 years) was reviewed. The data collected included ASA score, comorbidities, indication for TTE, perioperative cardiac intervention, LOS, inpatient mortality, and cost.

Genes related to mitochondrial functions are differentially expressed in phosphine-resistant and -susceptible Tribolium castaneum.

Background: Phosphine is a valuable fumigant to control pest populations in stored grains and grain products. However, recent studies indicate a substantial increase in phosphine resistance in stored product pests worldwide.

Results: To understand the molecular bases of phosphine resistance in insects, we used RNA-Seq to compare gene expression in phosphine-resistant and susceptible laboratory populations of the red flour beetle, Tribolium castaneum.

Genetic predisposition to neuroblastoma mediated by a LMO1 super-enhancer polymorphism.

Neuroblastoma is a paediatric malignancy that typically arises in early childhood, and is derived from the developing sympathetic nervous system. Clinical phenotypes range from localized tumours with excellent outcomes to widely metastatic disease in which long-term survival is approximately 40% despite intensive therapy. A previous genome-wide association study identified common polymorphisms at the LMO1 gene locus that are highly associated with neuroblastoma susceptibility and oncogenic addiction to LMO1 in the tumour cells.

Impact of local administration of liposome bupivacaine for postsurgical analgesia on wound healing: a review of data from ten prospective, controlled clinical studies.

Background: Liposome bupivacaine is a liposomal formulation that allows delivery of bupivacaine for 96 hours with a single local administration. It is indicated for the management of postsurgical pain.

Objective: This retrospective review of 10 clinical trials assessed the potential impact of local anesthetics on wound healing and chondrolysis.

Efficacy profile of liposome bupivacaine, a novel formulation of bupivacaine for postsurgical analgesia.

Background: Liposome bupivacaine is a novel formulation of the local anesthetic bupivacaine, designed to provide prolonged postsurgical analgesia. This analysis examined pooled efficacy data as reflected in cumulative pain scores from 10 randomized, double-blind liposome bupivacaine clinical studies in which the study drug was administered via local wound infiltration.

Methods: A total of 823 patients were exposed to liposome bupivacaine in 10 local wound infiltration studies at doses ranging from 66 mg to 532 mg in five surgical settings; 446 patients received bupivacaine HCl (dose: 75-200 mg) and 190 received placebo.

RNA-Seq mapping and detection of gene fusions with a suffix array algorithm.

High-throughput RNA sequencing enables quantification of transcripts (both known and novel), exon/exon junctions and fusions of exons from different genes. Discovery of gene fusions-particularly those expressed with low abundance- is a challenge with short- and medium-length sequencing reads. To address this challenge, we implemented an RNA-Seq mapping pipeline within the LifeScope software.

A randomized, double-blind, dose-ranging study comparing wound infiltration of DepoFoam bupivacaine, an extended-release liposomal bupivacaine, to bupivacaine HCl for postsurgical analgesia in total knee arthroplasty.

Introduction: DepoFoam bupivacaine is a novel liposomal formulation of bupivacaine designed to provide prolonged postsurgical analgesia. This dose-ranging study evaluated extent and duration of analgesia following administration of DepoFoam bupivacaine in patients undergoing total knee arthroplasty (TKA).

Methods: Efficacy, safety, and pharmacokinetics of DepoFoam bupivacaine doses of 133, 266, 399, or 532 mg were compared with bupivacaine HCl (150 mg) with epinephrine given as single injections via wound infiltration in TKA patients (N=138).

MicroRNAs and their isomiRs function cooperatively to target common biological pathways.

Background: Variants of microRNAs (miRNAs), called isomiRs, are commonly reported in deep-sequencing studies; however, the functional significance of these variants remains controversial. Observational studies show that isomiR patterns are non-random, hinting that these molecules could be regulated and therefore functional, although no conclusive biological role has been demonstrated for these molecules.

Results: To assess the biological relevance of isomiRs, we have performed ultra-deep miRNA-seq on ten adult human tissues, and created an analysis pipeline called miRNA-MATE to align, annotate, and analyze miRNAs and their isomiRs.