Publications by authors named "Christine Liaw"

Introduction: The limitations of lectures are magnified when teaching technical skills. A "flipped classroom" (FC) model allows learners to first review material and replaces lectures with active teacher-learner engagement. FC has been shown to improve knowledge retention, but its impact on skill acquisition is unknown.

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Introduction: The global prevalence of pediatric nephrolithiasis continues to rise amidst increased sodium and animal protein intake. Plant-based meat alternatives (PBMAs) have recently gained popularity due to health benefits, environmental sustainability, and increased retail availability. PBMAs have the potential to reduce the adverse metabolic impact of animal protein on kidney stone formation.

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Introduction: We aimed to assess the impact of discharge instruction (DCI) readability on 30-day postoperative contact with the healthcare system.

Materials And Methods: Utilizing a multidisciplinary team, DCI were modified for patients undergoing cystoscopy, retrograde pyelogram, ureteroscopy, laser lithotripsy, and stent placement (CRULLS) from a 13th grade to a 7th grade reading level. We retrospectively reviewed 100 patients including 50 consecutive patients with original DCI (oDCI) and 50 consecutive patients with improved readability DCI (irDCI).

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Background: Percutaneous nephrolithotomy (PCNL) is an effective surgery for complex kidney stones yet with inherent bleeding risks. It remains unclear whether aspirin should be discontinued prior to PCNL. We aimed to further substantiate the safety of continuing aspirin during PCNL surgery and to determine whether aspirin status affects postoperative outcomes following PCNL.

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Patients who form kidney stones are typically advised to limit intake of nondairy animal protein. Plant-based meat products may be a processed substitute protein source for these patients and have recently gained popularity because of health concerns, increased retail availability, decreased environmental impact, and meat supply shortages during the COVID-19 pandemic. Despite these perceived benefits and tangential association with whole food plant-based diets, the potential lithogenic risks associated with these products are not well characterized.

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Purpose: Residual fragments following retrograde intrarenal surgery can lead to future stone episodes. The lower pole of the kidney presents a unique challenge as it is the most difficult location for retrograde intrarenal surgery. We investigated a modified patient position to increase stone-free rate by analyzing presence of residual fragments.

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Adrenal incidentalomas are common neoplasms and while they are often benign, they have the potential to be malignant. The American Urological Association guidelines state that adrenal incidentalomas should be surgically resected if they are large, metabolically active, or display malignant characteristics. Other groups have suggested that growth kinetics be factored in as well.

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Introduction: Historically, staging and treatment for upper tract urothelial carcinoma were extrapolated from bladder urothelial carcinoma literature. However, embryological, genetic, and anatomical differences exist between them. We sought to explore the relationship between location of urothelial cancer and overall survival (OS).

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There are many nonmalignant complications after urinary reconstruction. Anastomotic strictures and redundancy of an ileal chimney are such. A patient with both issues might necessitate an open surgical approach; yet endoscopic techniques are more attractive for these older frail patients.

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Although upper pole renal masses and adrenal masses can usually be distinguished on cross-sectional imaging, large masses can obscure the boundaries between the kidney and adrenal gland. We describe a unique case of an adrenal pheochromocytoma in a 42-year-old female who was referred for robotic partial nephrectomy. During the procedure, the patient developed severe hypertension.

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Objective: To review differences in bladder and renal cell cancer (RCC) incidence, diagnosis, treatment, and outcomes between men and women, and to summarize the evidence that explains these differences.

Methods: A review of the current literature was performed using PubMed and Google Scholar.

Results: The incidence of bladder cancer and RCC is higher in men.

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The ability to accurately determine a complete clinical response (cCR) to neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC) before cystectomy could have paradigm-shifting implications for the management of muscle-invasive bladder cancer. Level 1 evidence demonstrates that up to 40% of patients are downstaged to pT0 disease following NAC, presenting an intriguing opportunity to identify select patients who might be spared the morbidity of radical surgery. However, clinical investigations in this space are hindered by lack of a uniform approach to postchemotherapy restaging and a standardized definition of cCR.

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Purpose Of Review: To review the growth kinetics of small renal masses and available imaging modalities for mass characterization and surveillance, highlight current organizational recommendations for the active surveillance of small renal masses, and discuss the most recently reported oncological outcomes of patients as they relate to various surveillance imaging protocols and progression to delayed intervention.

Recent Findings: Overall, organizational guideline recommendations are broad and lack specifics regarding timing and modality for follow-up imaging of small renal masses. Additionally, despite general consensus in the literature about certain criteria to trigger delayed intervention, there exist no formal guidelines.

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Angioedema-nonpitting edema of the mucous membranes and skin-most commonly occurs as a complication from the use of angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors. At our institution, the otolaryngology department has incorporated the use of the endotracheal tube cuff-leak test and bedside direct laryngoscopy to aid in timing for extubation of angioedema patients. Prospective data collection of patients presenting to the emergency department with angioedema was performed.

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Objectives: To determine the prevalence of sleep-disordered breathing (SDB) in children with asthma compared to non-asthmatic children and to determine if behavior problems are associated with asthma and SDB.

Study Design: Cross-Sectional.

Methods: Parents of 263 children with asthma and 266 controls ages 2 to 15 years attending routine pediatric office visits completed the Pediatric Sleep Questionnaire (PSQ) and the Child Behavior Checklist.

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