Publications by authors named "Carmen Smotherman"

Objective Early onset neonatal sepsis (EONS) remains a significant cause of morbidity and mortality in newborns in the immediate postnatal period. High empiric antibiotic use in well-appearing infants with known risk factors for sepsis led the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) to revise its 2010 guidelines for the evaluation and management of EONS to avoid overuse of antibiotics. In this recent clinical report, the AAP provided a framework that outlined several evidence-based approaches for sepsis risk assessment in newborns that can be adopted by institutions based on local resources and structure.

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Given the high prevalence of pain in older adults and current trends in opioid prescribing, inclusion of genetic information in risk prediction tools may improve opioid risk assessment. Our objectives were to (1) determine the feasibility of recruiting socioeconomically disadvantaged and racially diverse middle aged and older adult populations for a study seeking to identify risk factors for opioid-related falls and other serious adverse effects and (2) explore potential associations between the Risk Index for Overdose or Serious Opioid-induced Respiratory Depression (CIP-RIOSORD) risk class and other patient factors with falls and serious opioid adverse effects. This was an observational study of 44 participants discharged home from the emergency department with an opioid prescription for acute pain and followed for 30 days.

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Background: We investigated the association of several air pollution measures with postmenopausal breast cancer (BCa) risk.

Methods: This study included 155,235 postmenopausal women (of which 6146 with BCa) from UK Biobank. Cancer diagnoses were ascertained through the linkage to the UK National Health Service Central Registers.

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Background: Metabolic derangements in sepsis influence phosphate levels, which may predict mortality outcomes. We investigated the association between initial phosphate levels and 28-day mortality in patients with sepsis.

Methods: We conducted a retrospective analysis of patients with sepsis.

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Introduction: Prehospital research and evidence-based guidelines (EBGs) have grown in recent decades, yet there is still a paucity of prehospital implementation research. While recent studies have revealed EMS agency leadership perspectives on implementation, the important perspectives and opinions of frontline EMS clinicians regarding implementation have yet to be explored in a systematic approach. The objective of this study was to measure the preferences of EMS clinicians for the process of EBG implementation and whether current agency practices align with those preferences.

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Ultrasound-assisted catheter directed thrombolysis (US-CDT) is frequently used for the treatment of pulmonary embolism. Due to the variety of thrombolytic and anticoagulant dosing utilized in practice, patients with pulmonary embolism who undergo US-CDT may be at an increased risk of bleeding. The primary objective of this study was to determine factors associated with major bleeding occurring with US-CDT.

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Introduction: Many patients with chronic pain use prescription opioids. Epigenetic modification of the μ-opioid receptor 1 () gene, which codes for the target protein of opioids, may influence vulnerability to opioid abuse and response to opioid pharmacotherapy, potentially affecting pain outcomes.

Objective: Our objective was to investigate associations of clinical and sociodemographic factors with DNA methylation in patients with chronic musculoskeletal pain on long-term prescription opioids.

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Background: As healthcare services are increasingly dependent on patient utilization of technology to effectively deliver services, the digital divide has the potential to exacerbate health disparities if health literacy and internet access present formidable barriers to patient use of technology.

Methods: We examined the differences in health literacy and internet access between lower and upper SES neighborhood primary-care clinics in Northeast Florida. The REALM-SF for health literacy was used to assess health literacy and census survey questions were used to assess internet and technology access, during the Fall, 2020.

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Introduction: Hereditary transthyretin amyloidosis (hATTR) can cause multisystem organ disorders including polyneuropathy and cardiomyopathy. Amongst the many known pathologic mutations of the transthyretin () gene, the Val122Ile (V122I) mutation can be found in 3-4% of African Americans. Up to 47% of patients with the V122I hATTR cardiomyopathy had a history of carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS).

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Introduction: With increase in the number and types of biopsies requiring rapid on-site evaluation for adequacy, telecytopathology is one of the solutions.

Materials And Methods: Using a microscope camera with MS Surface Pro, a live telecytopathology audio video feed for the adequacy of 55 study set validation cases was sent over Zoom from the satellite hospital over 10 miles away with cytopathologists at the main hospital. The study set cases included Diff-Quik-stained smears and core imprints.

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Purpose: To evaluate the impact of desmopressin acetate (DDAVP) on poor outcomes, hematoma expansion, and adverse events in patients diagnosed with a non-traumatic, antiplatelet-associated intracranial hemorrhage (ICH).

Methods: This was a multicenter, retrospective, propensity-matched cohort study comparing DDAVP to control in patients diagnosed with a non-traumatic ICH previously on antiplatelet therapy. Notable exclusion criteria included admission to trauma service, subarachnoid hemorrhages, confounding coagulopathic factors, and hematoma evacuation.

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Background: We investigated the associations of oral contraceptives (OC) with percent breast density (PD), absolute dense area (DA), nondense area (NDA), and a novel image intensity variation (V) measure in premenopausal women.

Methods: This study included 1,233 controls from a nested case-control study within Nurses' Health Study II cohort. Information on OCs was collected in 1989 and updated biennially.

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Introduction: To decrease the complications related to central catheters there has been an increasing utilization of peripherally inserted central catheters (PICC) and ultrasound-guided long peripheral intravenous catheters (i.e. midlines).

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Objective: Approximately one-third of sepsis patients experience poor outcomes including chronic critical illness (CCI, intensive care unit (ICU) stay > 14 days) or early death (in-hospital death within 14 days). We sought to characterize lipoprotein predictive ability for poor outcomes and contribution to sepsis heterogeneity.

Design: Prospective cohort study with independent replication cohort.

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Article Synopsis
  • Most patients with intermediate-to-severe submassive pulmonary embolism are stable but there's a lack of evidence on treatment effectiveness and safety for this group.
  • A study reviewed 122 cases of submassive pulmonary embolism to identify factors linked to bad outcomes, finding that 41% experienced adverse events.
  • The research highlighted that as fluid volume increases, so does the risk of adverse events, suggesting careful management of fluid levels in these patients.
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Background: This study aimed to assess sex and racial differences related to high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) levels in those presenting with acute coronary syndromes (ACS).

Methods: Records from patients with ACS presenting to the Emergency Department of University of Florida Hospital Jacksonville from 2009 to 2012, were reviewed. Detailed medical history was obtained.

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Objective: Using the Risk Index for Overdose or Serious Opioid-induced Respiratory Depression (CIP-RIOSORD) in patients returning to the emergency department (ED) for pain and discharged with an opioid prescription, we assessed overall opioid overdose risk and compared risk in opioid naive patients to those who are non-opioid naive.

Design: This was a secondary analysis from a prospective observational study of patients ≥ 18 years old returning to the ED within 30 days. Data were collected from patient interviews and chart reviews.

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Background And Aim: Specific drug therapy to target the underlying proinflammatory and prothrombotic state in patients with metabolic syndrome (MS) is lacking. We sought to study the effect of high-intensity atorvastatin on markers of lipogenesis, inflammation and thrombogenesis, in women with MS in the absence of cardiovascular disease or diabetes.

Methods And Results: This randomized double-blinded controlled trial included 88 women with MS (according to National Cholesterol Education Panel Adult Treatment Panel III criteria) and low atherosclerotic cardiovascular risk.

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Objective: The study aimed to evaluate the efficacy of dual medication therapy (DMT) with oral acetaminophen and oral ibuprofen for the closure of a hemodynamically significant patent ductus arteriosus (hsPDA).

Study Design: In a prospective case-control cohort study (July 2017-May 2019), infants <29 weeks' gestational age and birth weight <1,000 g at ≤14 postnatal days with hsPDA and ratio of the smallest ductal diameter to the ostium of the left pulmonary artery diameter >0.5 were eligible.

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We have previously shown that quarterly preventive onabotulinumtoxin A (BTA) injections administered to diurnally active patients for chronic migraines (CM) associate with increased discomfort when performed in the morning. The purpose of this study was to further examine if the effectiveness of preventive BTA injections depends on the procedure's circadian timing. A total of 90 diurnally active patients with a medical history of CM and undergoing BTA injection therapy were enrolled in the study.

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Objective: To assess the effect of a standardized feeding protocol (SFP) on growth velocity (GV) and necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC) in extremely low birth weight infants.

Methods: This single-study center retrospectively compared growth, nutritional, and gastrointestinal outcomes in two infant cohorts before (cohort 1; n = 145) and after (cohort 2; n = 69) SFP implementation.

Results: Although weekly GV in the first 4 weeks of life did not differ between the two cohorts, median GV at 36 weeks' post-menstrual age (PMA) was higher in cohort 2 compared with cohort 1 (26.

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To examine how socioeconomic status (SES) and race affect parents' initial response (IR) to their child's mental illness (MI) including 1. Parental confidant(s); 2. Lag time in professional help-seeking; and 3.

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Objective: Research evaluating the relationship between vasopressor initiation timing and clinical outcomes is limited and conflicting. We investigated the association between time to vasopressors, worsening organ failure, and mortality in patients with septic shock.

Methods: This was a retrospective study of patients with septic shock (2013-2016) within 24 hours of emergency department (ED) presentation.

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