Improving Prediction of Tobacco Use Over Time: Findings from Waves 1-4 of the Population Assessment of Tobacco and Health Study.

Introduction: First-order Markov models assume future tobacco use behavior is dependent on current tobacco use and are often used to characterize patterns of tobacco use over time. Higher-order Markov models that assume future behavior is dependent on current and prior tobacco use may better estimate patterns of tobacco use.

Aims And Methods: This study compared Markov models of different orders to examine whether incorporating information about tobacco use history improves model estimation of tobacco use and estimated tobacco use transition probabilities.

Evaluating video-based lectures on YouTube for dental education.

Purpose/objectives: Multimedia presentations and online platforms are used in dental education. Though studies indicate the benefits of video-based lectures (VBLs), data regarding user reception and optimal video features in dental education are limited, particularly on Web 2.0 platforms like YouTube.

A Pilot Study Assessing Treatment Outcomes in Neovascular Glaucoma Using Ahmed Glaucoma Valve with and without Cyclophotocoagulation.

Purpose: The purpose of this retrospective pilot study was to examine the short-term effect of simultaneous Ahmed Glaucoma Valve implantation and cyclophotocoagulation on postoperative outcomes in patients with neovascular glaucoma.

Methods And Materials: Patient charts were selected for inclusion in this study if they carried a diagnosis of neovascular glaucoma and underwent Ahmed glaucoma valve implantation only, Ahmed glaucoma valve implantation with cyclophotocoagulation, or cyclophotocoagulation only. A total of 55 eyes of 54 patients were selected for data collection and analysis.

Effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on dentists' workforce confidence and workflow.

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has affected the US economy and workforce, including marked effects on small businesses. Researchers have evaluated workers' views of financial confidence and advancement, but there has been limited focus on the dental industry.

Methods: To extend investigations to dentistry, the authors used published scales and pretested questions to determine workforce confidence and workflow changes among dentists.

Seroreduction of syphilis non-treponemal titers during pregnancy for women with and without HIV co-infection.

Objective: To evaluate the effect of HIV co-infection on non-treponemal titers during pregnancy in women with syphilis.

Methods: This is a secondary analysis of pregnant women with syphilis in the prospective, observational Zambian Preterm Birth Prevention Study (ZAPPS). Treponemal (Treponema pallidum particle agglutination) and non-treponemal (rapid plasma reagin; RPR) testing were performed on serum biospecimens, resulting in 47 participants with serologically confirmed syphilis (27 HIV-positive, 20 HIV-negative).

Sociodemographic Disparities in Tobacco Retailer Density in the United States, 2000-2017.

Introduction: Studies find differences in tobacco retailer density according to neighborhood sociodemographic characteristics, raising issues of social justice, but not all research is consistent.

Aims And Methods: This study examined associations between tobacco retailer density and neighborhood sociodemographic characteristics in the United States at four timepoints (2000, 2007, 2012, and 2017) and investigated if associations remained stable over time. Data on tobacco retailers came from the National Establishment Time-Series Database.

A longitudinal study of olfactory dysfunction and parosmia in mild COVID-19 cases.

Background: COVID-19-related olfactory dysfunction (OD) can persist long after patients recover from acute infection, yet few studies have investigated the long-term progression of this complication. Moreover, existing studies are focused on hyposmia/anosmia but parosmia is becoming an increasingly recognized long-term symptom.

Methods: We completed a longitudinal study about OD in individuals with mild cases of COVID-19.

A machine learning approach to determine the prognosis of patients with Class III malocclusion.

Introduction: The conundrum of determining how to treat a patient with Class III malocclusion is significant, creating a burden on the patient and challenging the orthodontist. The objective of this study was to employ a statistical prediction model derived from our previous cephalometric data on 5 predominant subtypes of skeletal Class III malocclusion to test the hypothesis that Class III subtypes are associated with treatment modalities (eg, surgical vs nonsurgical) and treatment outcome.

Methods: Pretreatment lateral cephalometric records of 148 patients were digitized for 67 cephalometric variables, and measurements were applied to a mathematical equation to assign a Class III subtype.

COVID-19 related olfactory dysfunction prevalence and natural history in ambulatory patients.

Background: Evidence regarding prevalence of COVID-19 related Olfactory dysfunction (OD) among ambulatory patients is highly variable due to heterogeneity in study population and measurement methods. Relatively few studies have longitudinally investigated OD in ambulatory patients with objective methods.

Methods: We performed a longitudinal study to investigate OD among COVID-19 ambulatory patients compared to symptomatic controls who test negative.

A cross-institutional analysis of the effects of broadening trainee professional development on research productivity.

PhD-trained scientists are essential contributors to the workforce in diverse employment sectors that include academia, industry, government, and nonprofit organizations. Hence, best practices for training the future biomedical workforce are of national concern. Complementing coursework and laboratory research training, many institutions now offer professional training that enables career exploration and develops a broad set of skills critical to various career paths.

State-Level Patterns and Trends in Cigarette Smoking Across Racial and Ethnic Groups in the United States, 2011-2018.

Introduction: Reducing racial/ethnic disparities in smoking is a priority for state tobacco control programs. We investigated disparities in cigarette use by race/ethnicity, as well as trends in cigarette use across racial/ethnic groups from 2011 to 2018 in 50 US states and the District of Columbia.

Methods: We used data from the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System.

Beliefs About the Health Effects of Smoking Among Adults in the United States.

The majority of U.S. adults believe that smoking is a cause of lung cancer, but research suggests that the percentage of adults who believe smoking causes other types of cancers and chronic disease is lower.

The Relationship Between Menthol Cigarette Use, Smoking Cessation, and Relapse: Findings From Waves 1 to 4 of the Population Assessment of Tobacco and Health Study.

Introduction: Some, but not all, studies suggest that menthol cigarette smokers have more difficulty quitting than non-menthol cigarette smokers. Inconsistent findings may be a result of differences in smoker characteristics (eg, daily vs. non-daily smokers) across studies.

Dynamic Eye Tracking as a Predictor and Outcome Measure of Social Skills Intervention in Adolescents and Adults with Autism Spectrum Disorder.

To evaluate an eye tracking task as a predictor and outcome measure of treatment response for autism spectrum disorder (ASD) social skills interventions, adolescents and young adults with ASD completed the eye tracking task before, immediately after, and two months after completing Social Cognition and Interaction Training for Autism (SCIT-A). The study compared SCIT-A participants (n = 20) to participants with ASD who received treatment as usual (TAU; n = 21). Overall, increased visual attention to faces and background objects and decreased attention to hands playing with toys at baseline were associated with improved social functioning immediately following intervention, suggesting this eye tracking task may reliably predict ASD social intervention outcomes.

Detection-Based Monetary Incentives to Improve Syphilis Screening Uptake: Results of a Pilot Intervention in a High Transmission Setting in Southern China.

Background: Underscreening of syphilis in clinical settings is a pervasive problem in resource-constrained settings where heavy patient loads and competing health priorities inhibit health providers' ability to meet screening coverage targets. A "detection-based" pay-for-performance (P4P) strategy can incentivize more targeted testing by rewarding providers with a monetary bonus for every confirmed case.

Methods: Five clinics in a high transmission setting of China participated in the 6-month pilot intervention.

Social and nonsocial visual prediction errors in autism spectrum disorder.

Impaired predictive coding has been proposed as a framework to explain discrepancies between expectations and outcomes in autism spectrum disorder (ASD) that may contribute to core symptoms of the disorder. However, no eye tracking study has directly addressed this framework in the context of visual predictions of social and nonsocial stimuli. The current study used eye tracking to examine violations of learned visual associations of both social and nonsocial stimuli.

Five-year success rate of resin-bonded fixed partial dentures: A systematic review.

Objectives: To assess and compare the 5-year success rate of resin-bonded fixed partial dentures (RBFPDs) fabricated from different materials.

Methods: An electronic search on 3 databases from January 1965 to March of 2017 was done for human randomized clinical trials (RCTs), and prospective and retrospective cohort studies. The key words used in the search were: Bridge OR bridges OR fixed partial OR fixed dental AND resin bonded OR Maryland OR ceramic bonded.

A general approach for estimating scale score reliability for panel survey data.

Scale score measures are ubiquitous in the psychological literature and can be used as both dependent and independent variables in data analysis. Poor reliability of scale score measures leads to inflated standard errors and/or biased estimates, particularly in multivariate analysis. Reliability estimation is usually an integral step to assess data quality in the analysis of scale score data.

A preliminary trial of adherence-coping-education (ACE) therapy for early psychosis.

A pilot randomized controlled trial was conducted to examine the effectiveness of adherence-coping-education (ACE) therapy. Twenty-four individuals with early psychosis were randomized to receive 14 sessions of either ACE therapy in addition to treatment as usual, or supportive therapy in addition to treatment as usual. Participants were assessed at baseline, midtreatment, and posttreatment on measures of medication attitudes, psychotic and depressive symptoms, and social functioning.

The WORD (wholeness, oneness, righteousness, deliverance): a faith-based weight-loss program utilizing a community-based participatory research approach.

Despite multidisciplinary efforts to control the nation's obesity epidemic, obesity has persisted as one of the U.S.'s top public health problems, particularly among African Americans.