Publications by authors named "Connors C"

Healthcare leaders are responsible for creating an environment where their staff can maintain their resilience and well-being. However, there is a crisis of burnout among healthcare workers. The resulting increased turnover, diminished morale and performance, safety risks, and decreased worker engagement produces a vicious cycle of burnout.

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Objectives: Few opportunities exist for postgraduate physicians to learn to address racism in their professional practice. We created a virtual, 5-session antiracism course that included the development of a formal action project to address racism at participants' home institution.

Methods: We delivered this curriculum virtually to 2 cohorts (2021 and 2022) of postgraduate physicians, nationally.

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Purpose: We sought to investigate the disease characteristics, treatment patterns, and survival outcomes of upper urinary tract squamous cell carcinoma (UT-SCC) using the National Cancer Database (NCDB).

Methods: The NCDB was queried for UT-SCC patients from 2004 to 2020. Patients with upper tract urothelial carcinoma (UTUC) were also identified for comparison with UT-SCC.

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Article Synopsis
  • The study analyzed trends and factors influencing the use of palliative care among patients with metastatic upper tract urothelial carcinoma (mUTUC) by reviewing data from the National Cancer Database between 2004 and 2020.
  • Out of 4,044 patients included, 22.5% received palliative care, and the utilization significantly increased from 15.0% in 2004 to 23.1% in 2019.
  • Key predictors for receiving palliative care included a recent diagnosis year, prior nonsurgical treatments, and a prognosis of less than 6 months, while factors like older age and treatment at minority-serving hospitals were linked to lower palliative care uptake.
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Cytokinesis, the physical division of one cell into two, is typically assumed to use the same molecular process across animal cells. However, regulation of cell division can vary significantly among different cell types, even within the same multicellular organism. Using six fast-acting temperature-sensitive (ts) cytokinesis-defective mutants, we found that each had unique cell type-specific profiles in the early 2-cell through 8-cell embryo.

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One advantage of supine percutaneous nephrolithotomy (sPCNL) is the ability to access anterior as well as posterior calyces, but the safety and efficacy of anterior calyceal entry has never been investigated to our knowledge. We prospectively evaluated patients scheduled for sPCNL comparing anterior and posterior calyceal access. After Institutional Review Board approval, we prospectively enrolled 100 consecutive patients undergoing sPCNL from February to September 2023.

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Background: This study aimed to determine if the neoadjuvant (NAT) KEYNOTE-522 regimen was associated with higher rates of pathologic complete response (pCR), corresponding to higher rates of breast conservation therapy (BCT) in early-stage triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) patients.

Patients And Methods: Stage II-III TNBC patients diagnosed between 2019 and 2022 who underwent NAT were analyzed retrospectively. NAT with KEYNOTE-522 versus control NAT were compared for rates of BCT, axillary node dissection (ALND), pCR, and survival outcomes.

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Article Synopsis
  • Increased awareness of stress and burnout among healthcare workers (HCWs) post-COVID-19 highlights the need for tailored support interventions, particularly for those in rural settings.
  • A literature review identified 25 studies (out of 1,583 records) focusing on supportive interventions for rural HCWs, revealing their overall quality as weak to moderate, with common themes of shared decision making and effective supervision as promising strategies.
  • The findings indicate a lack of funding and randomized studies, underscoring the necessity for larger, well-designed research to effectively support the well-being of rural HCWs.
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The Northern Territory (NT) and Far North Queensland (FNQ) have a high proportion of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women birthing who experience hyperglycaemia in pregnancy. A multi-component health systems intervention to improve antenatal and postpartum care in these regions for women with hyperglycaemia in pregnancy was implemented between 2016 and 2019. We explored health professional perspectives on the impact of the intervention on healthcare.

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Cytokinesis, the physical division of one cell into two, is typically assumed to use the same molecular process across animal cells. However, regulation of cell division can vary significantly among different cell types, even within the same multicellular organism. Using six fast-acting temperature-sensitive (ts) cytokinesis-defective mutants, we found that each had unique cell type-specific profiles in the early embryo.

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There are many opportunities for urologists to be emotionally impacted, and possibly injured, in the regular course of their work. In particular, urologists are vulnerable to become Second Victims as a result of errors, adverse events, and distressing clinical events. This article reviews best practices that individuals, training programs, hospitals, and healthcare systems can implement to intentionally and programmatically mitigate the short and long-term effects on healthcare professionals.

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Background: The Northern Territory (NT) has the highest prevalence of chronic hepatitis B (CHB) in Australia. The Hep B PAST program aims to improve health outcomes for people living with CHB.

Methods: This mixed methods study involves First Nations peoples living in the NT.

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This research presents our application of artificial intelligence (AI) in predicting urolithiasis risk. Previous applications, including AI for stone disease, have focused on stone composition and aiding diagnostic imaging. AI applications centered around patient-specific characteristics, lifestyle considerations, and diet have been limited.

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Background: Renal neuroendocrine neoplasms (R-NEN) are exceptionally rare tumours characterized by high mortality rates.

Objective: The objective of this study is to analyse prognostic factors and treatment impact on overall survival in patients with R-NEN.

Design Setting And Participants: We identified all patients with R-NEN in the National Cancer Database (NCDB) from 2004 to 2019 and identified prognostic factors for improved survival.

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Background: The period before, during, and after pregnancy presents an opportunity to reduce diabetes-related risks, which in Australia disproportionately impact Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women. Collaboration with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women/communities is essential to ensure acceptability and sustainability of lifestyle modifications. Using a novel co-design approach, we aimed to identify shared priorities and potential lifestyle strategies.

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Surgical de-escalation of the axilla has evolved over the past 28 years since the emergence of sentinel lymph node surgery. Well-documented complications of the once standard of care axillary lymph node dissection (ALND), including lymphedema, led physician scientists towards a progressive push to study and incorporate less invasive techniques in the axilla. Many trials have justified oncologic safety of axillary de-escalation in patients who are spared neoadjuvant treatment.

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Animal cell cytokinesis, or the physical division of one cell into two, is thought to be driven by constriction of an actomyosin contractile ring at the division plane. The mechanisms underlying cell type-specific differences in cytokinesis remain unknown. Germ cells are totipotent cells that pass genetic information to the next generation.

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Objective: To evaluate the mFI-5 as a predictor of postoperative outcomes following transurethral resection of bladder tumor (TURBT).

Methods: The National Surgical Quality Improvement Program database was queried for TURBT cases from 2015-2019. mFI-5 scores were calculated by assigning a point to chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, congestive heart failure, dependent functional status, hypertension, and diabetes.

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Purpose: We seek to compare clinical and 24-h urine parameters between pure-uric acid (UA) and UA-CaOx stone formers in our practice and explore how any differences in metabolic profiles could suggest different prevention strategies between the two groups.

Methods: We retrospectively reviewed patients with either pure- or mixed-UA nephrolithiasis from 2020 to 2023 at a tertiary care center. We included patients with a 24-h urine collection and a stone analysis detecting any amount of UA.

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Article Synopsis
  • * A mixed-methods, co-design approach will involve young people with diabetes, their families, and health professionals to develop and improve care models, including guidelines, support networks, and training for healthcare providers.
  • * The study has received ethical approval and aims to produce valuable insights and practices for enhancing diabetes care that are both age-appropriate and culturally sensitive.
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Artificial intelligence (AI) platforms such as ChatGPT and Bard are increasingly utilized to answer patient health care questions. We present the first study to blindly evaluate AI-generated responses to common endourology patient questions against official patient education materials. Thirty-two questions and answers spanning kidney stones, ureteral stents, benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH), and upper tract urothelial carcinoma were extracted from official Urology Care Foundation (UCF) patient education documents.

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Cancer is one of the leading causes of death for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in the Northern Territory (NT). Accessible and culturally appropriate cancer screening programs are a vital component in reducing the burden of cancer. Primary health care plays a pivotal role in facilitating the uptake of cancer screening in the NT, due to the significant challenges caused by large distances, limited resources, and cultural differences.

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Background: Chronic hepatitis B (CHB) is endemic in the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander population of Australia's Northern Territory. Progression to liver disease can be prevented if holistic care is provided. Low health literacy amongst health professionals is a known barrier to caring for people living with CHB.

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Introduction: Rural-urban discrepancies in care and outcomes for kidney cancer (KCa) in the United States remains poorly understood. Our study aims to improve our understanding of the influence of rurality on KCa outcomes in the United States by analyzing differences in presentation, treatment, and mortality between urban areas (UAs) and rural areas (RAs) in the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEERs) database.

Methods: SEERs data was queried from 2000 to 2019 for KCa patients.

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