Navigated African American breast cancer patients as incidental change agents in their family/friend networks.

Background: Patient navigation is an increasingly widespread intervention to address the persistent, severe, and disproportionate breast cancer (BC) burden that African Americans (AA) face. Navigation may have more widespread effects than previously estimated due to patient-driven diffusion of BC information.

Methods: This pilot study examined the network effects of a randomized controlled trial via recruitment of navigated and non-navigated AA BC patients as well as their network members.

Understanding the relationship between positive and negative social support and the quality of life among African American breast cancer survivors.

Purpose: Social support improves several quality of life (QOL) domains among African American breast cancer survivors. How different dimensions of social support are associated with QOL among African American breast cancer survivors may however differ from other populations. This study explores this hypothesis by examining associations of positive social support (supportive interactions that promote affection) and negative social support (non-supportive interactions wherein the provider of support may not have the best intended actions) with QOL among Chicago-based African American breast cancer survivors.

Oral examination findings, taste and smell testing during and following head and neck cancer therapy.

Purpose: Diet and nutrition are critical in health and disease and are highly impacted by the presence and treatment for head and neck cancer (HNC). The purpose of this paper is to present oral examination findings and taste and smell test results in patients during and following HNC.

Methods: Patients with HNC were evaluated during and following radiation therapy with/without chemotherapy.

Leveraging system sciences methods in clinical trial evaluation: An example concerning African American women diagnosed with breast cancer via the Patient Navigation in Medically Underserved Areas study.

Background: Systems science methodologies offer a promising assessment approach for clinical trials by: 1) providing an laboratory to conduct investigations where purely empirical research may be infeasible or unethical; and, 2) offering a more precise measurement of intervention benefits across individual, network, and population levels. We propose to assess the potential of systems sciences methodologies by quantifying the spillover effects of randomized controlled trial via empirical social network analysis and agent-based models (ABM).

Design/methods: We will evaluate the effects of the Patient Navigation in Medically Underserved Areas (PNMUA) study on adult African American participants diagnosed with breast cancer and their networks through social network analysis and agent-based modeling.

Use of Initial Noninvasive Cardiac Testing and Association with Downstream Healthcare Resource: A Retrospective Review of Resources Used Across a 12-Month Window for Probable Type I Myocardial Infarction Patients.

Background: Clinical guidelines provide clinicians with substantial discretion in the use of noninvasive cardiac testing for patients with suspected coronary artery disease. Repeat testing, frequent emergency department (ED) visits, and increases in other cardiac-related procedures can be a burden on patients and payers and can complicate treatment planning. We assessed downstream healthcare resource utilization (HCRU) for patients undergoing initial single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT), myocardial perfusion imaging (MPI), stress echocardiography (ECHO), or exercise treadmill testing (ETT) with probable type I myocardial infarction (MI).

Medical student preferences for the internal medicine residency interview day: A cross-sectional study.

Background: Applicant recruitment is an essential part of a residency program's activities with valuable resources dedicated to ensuring its success. Most programs design interview days based on a mix of tradition, budget availability and perception of applicant preferences. There is a paucity of available data on preferences of applicants for interview days.

Efficacy of a glycopolymer-based oral rinse upon pain associated with ulcerative and erosive lesions of the oral mucosa: A within-subject pilot study.

Objectives: The purpose of this pilot study was to assess the magnitude of effect for a new topical rinse that may impact oral soreness and function in ulcerative oral mucosal lesions.

Study Design: Twenty-five consecutive patients with ulcerative/erosion lesion and moderate pain visual analogue pain score (≥4) rated their mouth and throat soreness and oral symptoms at baseline and at 24, 48, and 72 hours after open-label use of a chitosan-based, nonanesthetic oral rinse (Synvaza) at least twice a day. No changes in prior therapy, including analgesics, were allowed during the trial.

Importance of baseline heart rate as a predictor of cardiac functional recovery in newly diagnosed heart failure with reduced ejection fraction.

Background: Left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) has shown to predict outcomes in patients with heart failure (HF). Left ventricular recovery (LVR) has shown to improve prognosis.

Hypothesis: Guideline-directed medical therapy will predict LVR in patients with HF and reduced LVEF.

Patterns of oral and dental care education and utilization in head and neck cancer patients.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to examine patterns of oral health care among patients undergoing oral cancer therapy in order to better understand how oral care is being utilized, what types of providers are being utilized at various stages of cancer therapy, and assessing patients' satisfaction with the care they received at these stages.

Methods: An online survey was conducted via the Oral Cancer Foundation's support group message board. Participants were asked about their oral care immediately prior to cancer therapy, during cancer therapy, and post cancer therapy.

An Exploratory Descriptive Study of Registered Nurse Innovation: Implications for Levels of Adoption.

Purpose: The aims of this study were to describe registered nurses' levels of personal innovativeness and registered nurses' perceived organizational innovativeness and determine the relationship between these 2 variables.

Background: There is limited research to describe the levels of innovation of nurses within a hospital. The levels of innovation can determine the likelihood of adoption of evidence-based practices at the bedside.

Comparison of nonoperative and surgical management of renal trauma: Can we predict when nonoperative management fails?

Background: Limited data exist on risk factors for the failure of nonoperative management of renal trauma. Our study objective was to determine the incidence, salvage procedure, and risk factors for failure of nonoperative management of renal trauma.

Methods: The National Trauma Data Bank research data sets for admission years 2010-2014 were queried for renal injury by Abbreviated Injury Score code.

Management of dry mouth: assessment of oral symptoms after use of a polysaccharide-based oral rinse.

Objective: Salivary dysfunction is associated with a range of oral/dental issues, and management of oral symptoms may improve oral function and overall quality of life. The purpose of this pilot study was to evaluate oral symptoms and function in a xerostomic population after use of a proprietary topical for dry mouth, Moisyn (Synedgen Inc., Claremont, CA), which is a polysaccharide-based product.

Inappropriate use of commercial Antinuclear Antibody Testing in a community-based US hospital: a retrospective study.

Healthcare providers use antinuclear antibodies (ANAs) to screen and diagnose patients with autoimmune diseases. In the recent years, commercial multiplex ANA kits have emerged as a convenient and fast diagnostic method. Diagnostic testing should follow sequenced algorithms: initial screen followed by specific antibody analysis.

Bullying in the American Graduate Medical Education System: A National Cross-Sectional Survey.

Objectives: To deliver an estimate of bullying among residents and fellows in the United States graduate medical education system and to explore its prevalence within unique subgroups.

Design/setting/participants: A national cross-sectional survey from a sample of residents and fellows who completed an online bullying survey conducted in June 2015. The survey was distributed using a chain sampling method that relied on electronic referrals from 4,055 training programs, with 1,791 residents and fellows completing the survey in its entirety.

Correlation Between Partial Pressure of Arterial Carbon Dioxide and End Tidal Carbon Dioxide in Patients with Severe Alcohol Withdrawal.

Background: Respiratory depression is a common adverse effect of benzodiazepine administration to patients with severe alcoholic withdrawal. This study was conducted to assess the value of end tidal carbon dioxide (ETCO2) levels compared to partial pressure of arterial carbon dioxide (PaCO2) levels in monitoring respiratory depression secondary to benzodiazepine treatment in patients with severe alcohol withdrawal.

Methods: We retrospectively analyzed 36 patients admitted to the intensive care unit for severe alcohol withdrawal who had been administered sedative agents.

Predictors of short- and long-term outcomes of Takotsubo cardiomyopathy.

Takotsubo cardiomyopathy (TC) is a reversible cardiomyopathy with a benign short-term prognosis but is associated with recurrence rate of 10%. Clinical variables that predict long-term mortality and recurrence are unknown; 56 consecutive patients presenting to a single urban medical center who fulfilled the Mayo Clinic criteria for the diagnosis of TC were included. Patients were followed with 100% completeness; >60 clinical factors were analyzed, including presentation, treatment, electrocardiogram, and echocardiographic, angiographic, and demographic variables.

Patient reported outcomes of the -clinical use of a proprietary topical dry mouth product.

Purpose: To present patient reported changes in oral symptoms in response to an open-label product trial conducted in patients self-identifying as having Sjögren's syndrome.

Methods: A survey was conducted in conjunction with the Sjögren's Syndrome Foundation and 151 foundation members completed a survey rating their common oral symptoms, based upon the Vanderbilt Head and Neck Symptom Survey before and after use of the trial products, including rinse, -lozenges, gel, and spray.

Results: Subjects reported multiple oral symptoms with the highest rated symptoms involving dry mouth with 80% of symptoms showing statistically significant reduction from pre- to posttest.

What do I do? Developing a taxonomy of chaplaincy activities and interventions for spiritual care in intensive care unit palliative care.

Background: Chaplains are increasingly seen as key members of interdisciplinary palliative care teams, yet the specific interventions and hoped for outcomes of their work are poorly understood. This project served to develop a standard terminology inventory for the chaplaincy field, to be called the chaplaincy taxonomy.

Methods: The research team used a mixed methods approach to generate, evaluate and validate items for the taxonomy.

Managing the care of patients with Sjögren syndrome and dry mouth: comorbidities, medication use and dental care considerations.

Background: As North Americans live longer, have more chronic conditions and take more medications, adverse oral events are likely to increase and aggravate the symptoms of Sjögren syndrome (SS).

Methods: A total of 151 adults who self-reported having SS and who had a mean (standard deviation [SD]) age of 65.8 (11.

The impact of seat belts and airbags on high grade renal injuries and nephrectomy rate in motor vehicle collisions.

Purpose: Motor vehicle collisions are the most common cause of blunt genitourinary trauma. We compared renal injuries with no protective device to those with seat belts and/or airbags using NTDB. Our primary end point was a decrease in high grade (grades III-V) renal injuries with a secondary end point of a nephrectomy rate reduction.

Lenalidomide monotherapy in chemotherapy-naive, castration-resistant prostate cancer patients: final results of a phase II study.

Background: We investigated the activity of lenalidomide, which has antiangiogenic, antineoplastic, and immunomodulatory properties, in chemotherapy-naive, castration-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC) patients.

Patients: Patients received 25 mg/d lenalidomide for 21 days in 28-day cycles, until disease progression or unacceptable toxicity developed. Endpoints included overall response rate and clinical benefit (overall response + stable disease), toxicity, time to radiographic progression, and time to prostate-specific antigen (PSA) progression, overall survival, and quality of life.

A systematic review of comparative schedule-related toxicities with maintenance rituximab in follicular and mantle cell lymphomas.

Abstract We conducted a systematic review of grade 3/4 adverse events (AEs) reported in prospective trials enrolling patients with follicular lymphoma (FL) and mantle cell lymphoma (MCL) receiving maintenance rituximab (MR). Random-effects models were used to calculate summary estimates and 95% confidence intervals for the proportion of AEs occurring during MR. Differences by induction program, histology, setting and MR schedule were examined by stratified analyses and univariate random-effects meta-regression.

Survival after resection of cutaneous adnexal carcinomas with eccrine differentiation: risk factors and trends in outcomes.

Background: Current staging systems do not specifically address cutaneous adnexal carcinomas with eccrine differentiation. Due to their rarity, prognosis and management strategies are not well established. A population-based study was performed to determine prognostic factors and survival.