Publications by authors named "Carrie Wang"

Background: A quarter of patients who present to emergency departments (EDs) have difficult intravenous access (DIVA), making it challenging for clinicians to successfully place a peripheral intravenous catheter (PIVC). Some literature suggests that guidewire PIVC improves first-insertion success rate.

Aim: The aim was to determine the clinical and cost-effectiveness of a novel long PIVC (5.

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Introduction: First-insertion success rates for peripheral vascular access devices (PVADs) in patients with difficult venous access (DIVA) are low, which negatively affects staff workload, patient experience, and organizational cost. There is mixed evidence regarding the impact of a peripheral vascular access device with retractable coiled tip guidewire (GW; AccuCath™, BD) on the first-insertion success rate. The aim of this study is to investigate whether the use of long GW-PVADs, compared with standard PVADs, reduces the risk of first-time insertion failure, in patients admitted to emergency departments (EDs).

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Background: Opioids are routinely prescribed to patients postoperatively after cesarean delivery. With rates of cesarean deliveries increasing globally and the opioid epidemic continuing to have deleterious effects, finding methods to achieve effective pain control without opioids is of increasing importance. The ERAS (Enhanced Recovery After Surgery) protocol applied following cesarean delivery engages multimodal perioperative management techniques to encourage early recovery.

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Background: The etonogestrel implant is generally considered an effective, three-year, long-acting reversible contraceptive device. Previous research, such as the landmark CHOICE study, has reported a one-year continuation rate of 72% to 84%, however, in a real-world setting these rates may be significantly lower.

Objective: To study etonogestrel implant continuation rates and factors associated with early discontinuation in a specific clinical setting.

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Bi-femoral axillary bypass graft placement is a well-known and typically safe procedure. It is generally indicated for patients with advanced peripheral vascular disease, aortoiliac occlusive disease, or infectious artery disease. In rare cases, the graft can be fractured or dislodged after placement, though most often, this occurs almost exclusively at the anastomosis site, secondary to blunt trauma.

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Hemophilia A is an inherited insufficiency of Factor VIII (FVIII), one of the critical clotting factors. The gold standard for the management of moderate-to-severe hemophilia A is prophylaxis using regular replacement therapy with clotting factor concentrates. Compared with conventional treatment, extended half-life products reduce the burden of frequent factor replacement injections.

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Importance: Prostate cancer (PCa) disproportionately affects African American men, but research evaluating the extent of racial and ethnic disparities across the PCa continuum in equal-access settings remains limited at the national level. The US Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Veterans Hospital Administration health care system offers a setting of relatively equal access to care in which to assess racial and ethnic disparities in self-identified African American (or Black) veterans and White veterans.

Objective: To determine the extent of racial and ethnic disparities in the incidence of PCa, clinical stage, and outcomes between African American patients and White patients who received a diagnosis or were treated at a VA hospital.

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IL6 is a pleiotropic cytokine with both pro- and anti-inflammatory properties, which acts directly on cancer cells to promote their survival and proliferation. Elevated serum IL6 levels negatively correlate with survival of cancer patients, which is generally attributed to the direct effects of IL6 on cancer cells. How IL6 modulates the host immune response in cancer patients is unclear.

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Overexpression of P2X7 receptors correlates with tumor growth and metastasis. Yet, release of ATP is associated with immunogenic cancer cell death as well as inflammatory responses caused by necrotic cell death at sites of trauma or ischemia-reperfusion injury. Using an FDA-approved anti-parasitic agent Ivermectin as a prototype agent to allosterically modulate P2X4 receptors, we can switch the balance between the dual pro-survival and cytotoxic functions of purinergic signaling in breast cancer cells.

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Bone remodeling relies on a dynamic balance between bone formation and resorption, mediated by osteoblasts and osteoclasts, respectively. Under certain stimuli, osteoprogenitor cells may differentiate into premature osteoblasts and further into mature osteoblasts. This process is marked by increased alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activity and mineralized nodule formation.

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