The Berg balance scale for assessing dynamic stability and balance in the adult spinal deformity (ASD) population.

Background: Adult spinal deformity (ASD) is a prevalent condition in individuals over the age of 65; leading to impaired standing balance and abnormal gait patterns. This functional impairment may be due to the fixed sagittal or coronal malalignment; associated spinal stenosis or deconditioning. The Berg balance scale (BBS) was developed to measure balance by assessing the performance of functional tasks.

Accuracy of cortical bone trajectory screw placement in midline lumbar fusion (MIDLF) with intraoperative cone beam navigation.

Background: Cortical bone trajectory (CBT) screws have been recently described as a method of lumbosacral fixation. These screws are typically inserted under fluoroscopic guidance with a medial-to-lateral trajectory in the axial plane and a caudal-to-cephalad trajectory in the sagittal plane. In an effort to reduce surgeon radiation exposure and improve accuracy, CBT screws may be inserted under navigation with intraoperative cone beam computed tomography (CT).

Prolonged standing reduces fasting plasma triglyceride but does not influence postprandial metabolism compared to prolonged sitting.

Prolonged periods of sedentary behavior are linked to cardiometabolic disease independent of exercise and physical activity. This study examined the effects of posture by comparing one day of sitting (14.4 ± 0.

Exploring capsule structure and assembly with a hydroxylamine-armed fluorescent probe.

Chemical biology is an emerging field that enables the study and manipulation of biological systems with probes whose reactivities provide structural insights. The opportunistic fungal pathogen possesses a polysaccharide capsule that is a major virulence factor, but is challenging to study. We report here the synthesis of a hydroxylamine-armed fluorescent probe that reacts with reducing glycans and its application to study the architecture of the capsule under a variety of conditions.

The scoop on brain health dietary supplement products containing huperzine A.

Public health concerns are emerging surrounding huperzine A commonly found in dietary supplements. We sought to determine the actual content of products claiming to contain huperzine A and whether the ingredients on the supplement facts labels matched the analyses. We identified and analyzed 22 dietary supplement products listing huperzine A on product labels.

Adolescents with congenital heart defects: a patient and parental perspective of genetic information and genetic risk.

Congenital heart defects (CHDs) occur in 8 of 1000 live-born children, making them common birth defects in the adolescent population. CHDs may have single gene, chromosomal, or multifactorial causes. Despite evidence that patients with CHD want information on heritability and genetics, no studies have investigated the interest or knowledge base in the adolescent population.

Blood pressure monitoring in high-risk pregnancy to improve the detection and monitoring of hypertension (the BUMP 1 and 2 trials): protocol for two linked randomised controlled trials.

Introduction: Self-monitoring of blood pressure (BP) in pregnancy could improve the detection and management of pregnancy hypertension, while also empowering and engaging women in their own care. Two linked trials aim to evaluate whether BP self-monitoring in pregnancy improves the detection of raised BP during higher risk pregnancies (BUMP 1) and whether self-monitoring reduces systolic BP during hypertensive pregnancy (BUMP 2).

Methods And Analyses: Both are multicentre, non-masked, parallel group, randomised controlled trials.

Index episode-of-care propensity-matched comparison of transforaminal lumbar interbody fusion (TLIF) techniques: open traditional TLIF versus midline lumbar interbody fusion (MIDLIF) versus robot-assisted MIDLIF.

Objective: Posterior fixation with interbody cage placement can be accomplished via numerous techniques. In an attempt to expedite recovery by limiting muscle dissection, midline lumbar interbody fusion (MIDLIF) has been described. More recently, the authors have developed a robot-assisted MIDLIF (RA-MIDLIF) technique.

Intervention planning and modification of the BUMP intervention: a digital intervention for the early detection of raised blood pressure in pregnancy.

Background: Hypertensive disorders in pregnancy, particularly pre-eclampsia, pose a substantial health risk for both maternal and foetal outcomes. The BUMP (Blood Pressure Self-Monitoring in Pregnancy) interventions are being tested in a trial. They aim to facilitate the early detection of raised blood pressure through self-monitoring.

Estimated Burden of Community-Onset Respiratory Syncytial Virus-Associated Hospitalizations Among Children Aged <2 Years in the United States, 2014-15.

Background: Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is a major cause of hospitalizations in young children. We estimated the burden of community-onset RSV-associated hospitalizations among US children aged <2 years by extrapolating rates of RSV-confirmed hospitalizations in 4 surveillance states and using probabilistic multipliers to adjust for ascertainment biases.

Methods: From October 2014 through April 2015, clinician-ordered RSV tests identified laboratory-confirmed RSV hospitalizations among children aged <2 years at 4 influenza hospitalization surveillance network sites.

The North American Consortium for the Study of End-Stage Liver Disease-Acute-on-Chronic Liver Failure Score Accurately Predicts Survival: An External Validation Using a National Cohort.

Acute-on-chronic liver failure (ACLF) carries high short-term mortality. The North American Consortium for the Study of End-Stage Liver Disease (NACSELD)-ACLF score, positive if ≥2 organ failures are present, is a bedside tool that predicts short-term mortality in patients with cirrhosis. However, it was created using major liver referral centers, where a minority of patients with cirrhosis are hospitalized.

Impact of a Multiplexed Polymerase Chain Reaction Panel on Identifying Diarrheal Pathogens in Hematopoietic Cell Transplant Recipients.

Background: Diarrhea is common and associated with substantial morbidity among hematopoietic cell transplant (HCT) recipients, but the etiology is often not identified. Multiplexed polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assays increase the detection of diarrheal pathogens, but the impact of this technology in this population has not been evaluated.

Methods: Our center replaced stool cultures and other conventional microbiologic methods with the FilmArray Gastrointestinal Panel (GI PCR) in June 2016.

Job Selection After Orthopedic Surgery Training: Why Are Our Trainees Failing to Select the Right Job?

A survey was administered to a random sampling of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS) members to determine the rate at which recently trained orthopedic surgeons switch their first job and to identify factors affecting the job selection process. There were 351 (21%) respondents. Respondents considered practice location (41%), practice type (28%), and family proximity (23%) as most important while research opportunity (54%) and signing bonus (33%) were considered least important in their first job.

Effects of dopamine and serotonin synthesis inhibitors on the ketamine-, d-amphetamine-, and cocaine-induced locomotor activity of preweanling and adolescent rats: sex differences.

The pattern of ketamine-induced locomotor activity varies substantially across ontogeny and according to sex. Although ketamine is classified as an NMDA channel blocker, it appears to stimulate the locomotor activity of both male and female rats via a monoaminergic mechanism. To more precisely determine the neural mechanisms underlying ketamine's actions, male and female preweanling and adolescent rats were pretreated with vehicle, the dopamine (DA) synthesis inhibitor ∝-methyl--p-tyrosine (AMPT), or the serotonin (5-HT) synthesis inhibitor 4-chloro--phenylalanine methyl ester hydrochloride (PCPA).

Antenatal determinants of early childhood talking delay and behavioural difficulties.

The determinants of talking delay alone or its comorbidity with behavioural difficulties was examined in 5768 two-year-old members of the Growing Up in New Zealand longitudinal study. Using the MacArthur-Bates Communicative Development inventories and the total difficulties score from the preschool Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire, a composite measure was created so that children were categorised as showing no language or behavioural concerns (72.5%), behavioural only difficulties (6.

Recurrent Gastrointestinal Near-Tetraploid Diffuse Large B-Cell Lymphoma Causing Intussusception and Ileal Ulceration.

Polyploid karyotypes in diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) are rare and carry a poor prognosis. Extranodal polyploid lymphoma is uncommon. A 71-year-old man with back pain was found to have ileal intussusception.

A randomised controlled trial of blood pressure self-monitoring in the management of hypertensive pregnancy. OPTIMUM-BP: A feasibility trial.

Objective: To assess the feasibility of a blood pressure self-monitoring intervention for managing pregnancy hypertension.

Study Design: OPTIMUM-BP was an unmasked randomised controlled trial comparing a self-monitoring of blood pressure (SMBP) intervention versus usual care for the management of pregnancy hypertension. Women with chronic (CH) or gestational hypertension (GH) from 4 UK centres were randomised (2:1) intervention to control.

Effects of monoamine depletion on the ketamine-induced locomotor activity of preweanling, adolescent, and adult rats: Sex and age differences.

Ketamine significantly increases the locomotor activity of rodents, however this effect varies according to the sex and age of the animal being tested. To determine the role monoamine systems play in ketamine's locomotor activating effects: (a) male and female preweanling, adolescent, and adult rats were pretreated with vehicle or the monoamine depleting agent reserpine (1 or 5 mg/kg), and (b) the behavioral actions of ketamine (20 or 40 mg/kg) were then compared to d-amphetamine (2 mg/kg) and cocaine (10 or 15 mg/kg). The ability of reserpine to deplete dorsal striatal dopamine (DA) and serotonin (5-HT) in male and female rats was determined using HPLC.

Minimally-Invasive midline posterior interbody fusion with cortical bone trajectory screws compares favorably to traditional open transforaminal interbody fusion.

Objective: Posterior interbody fusion is commonly performed for degenerative lumbar conditions. A minimally invasive technique of midline exposure limited only to the facets and fixation with laterally directed cortical bone trajectory (CBT) screws was introduced with the intent of decreasing surgical morbidity. The purpose of this study was to determine if posterior interbody fusion with this limited midline exposure will have less blood loss and shorter operative times (i.

Synthesis and Magnetic Properties of a Copper Cube: [Cu(OH)(CHN)] (ClO) CHO [CHN=()-1,6-[Di(pyridin-4-yl)hex-3-ene].

The synthesis of a Cu(OH) cube which is coordinated by four molecules of the dipyridyl ligand 1,6-[di(pyridin-4-yl)hex-3-ene] is reported. This compound has a double bond which restricts the conformational freedom of the ligand and favours coordination within a unique copper cube. The structure was solved by an X-Ray single crystal structure determination and low temperature magnetic susceptibility measurements examined its magnetic properties.

Cost-effectiveness of minimally invasive midline lumbar interbody fusion versus traditional open transforaminal lumbar interbody fusion.

Objective: The midline transforaminal lumbar interbody fusion (MIDLIF) using cortical screw fixation is a novel, minimally invasive procedure that may offer enhanced recovery over traditional open transforaminal lumbar interbody fusion (TLIF). Little information is available regarding the comparative cost-effectiveness of the MIDLIF over conventional TLIF. The purpose of this study was to compare cost-effectiveness of minimally invasive MIDLIF with open TLIF.

Addition of Advanced Practice Registered Nurses to the Trauma Team: An Integrative Systematic Review of Literature.

The total cost of inpatient care from a traumatic mechanism of injury in the United States between 2001 and 2011 was $240.7 billion. Medical resident work hour reductions mandated in 2011 left a shortage of available in-hospital providers to care for trauma patients.

Differential Susceptibility of and Species to Compound-Enhanced Copper Toxicity.

Rationale: Mycoplasmas represent important etiologic agents of many human diseases. Due to increasing antimicrobial resistance and slow rate of novel discovery, unconventional methods of drug discovery are necessary. Copper ions are utilized in host microbial killing, and bacteria must regulate intracellular Cu concentrations to avoid toxicity.