Assessment of total carotid plaque area progression in patients with chronic kidney disease. Good practices for decision-making.

Background: Chronic kidney disease (CKD) increases cardiovascular risk, however, traditional cardiovascular risk factors cannot entirely explain it. A real-world investigation examined the concept that renal function decline is linked to carotid total plaque area progression, which strongly confirms cardiovascular risk. We analyzed CKD patients in stages 1-3 to find risk factor relationships before the onset of severe CKD.

Cost-Utility Analysis of Low-Dose Pioglitazone in a Population With Prediabetes and a History of Stroke or Transient Ischemic Attack.

Background: Pioglitazone significantly reduces the risk of stroke in people with diabetes, and in those with prediabetes, it markedly reduces the risk of stroke/myocardial infarction and new-onset diabetes. Low-dose pioglitazone provides most of the clinical benefits of high-dose pioglitazone, with fewer adverse effects. We report an economic evaluation of the cost-effectiveness of low-dose pioglitazone versus placebo from a Canadian public payer perspective in 2023 Canadian dollars.

Pickleball: A Standard Review of Injury Prevalence and Prevention in a Rapidly Growing Sport.

Pickleball is the fastest growing sport in the United States. People of all ages participate in the sport, with the most being aged 35 years or older. Pickleball is a paddle and racket sport with a smaller court size, lighter racket, and similar rules as tennis.

Pediatric Firearm Trauma on the Rise: A Retrospective Review of Over 1,100 Cases in 12 Years at One Center.

Background: Gunshot injuries are the leading cause of death among children in the United States. The goal of this study was to better understand if certain age groups, mechanisms of injury, and type of firearms were associated with the increasing rates of pediatric gun-related trauma. We hypothesized that the extremities were disproportionately targeted when compared with the random likelihood of striking specific body-surface areas.

Nonoperative Versus Operative Treatment of Z-Type Comminuted Clavicle Fractures in Adolescents: A Prospective Substratified Cohort Analysis.

Objectives: To compare the clinical, radiographic, and patient-reported outcomes of nonoperative and operative treatment of adolescents with comminuted "Z-type" midshaft clavicle fractures.

Design: Prospective observational cohort.

Setting: Eight tertiary care pediatric centers.

Online video resources pertaining to cerebral palsy: A YouTube-based quality control study.

Aim: To assess the content and quality of YouTube videos related to cerebral palsy to provide insights into the online video resources available for individuals affected by cerebral palsy and suggest strategies for improvement.

Methods: YouTube videos were analyzed based on interaction parameters, content characteristics/category, and video source. Video reliability and quality were assessed using the Journal of American Medical Association benchmark, Global Quality Scale, and cerebral palsy-specific score.

Changes in Fracture Shortening Occur in the First 2 Weeks Following Completely Displaced Adolescent Clavicle Fractures.

Background: Shortening of midshaft clavicle fractures has been described as a critical fracture characteristic to guide treatment. The degree to which shortening may change in the initial weeks following injury has not been well studied. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the change in shortening of adolescent clavicle fractures in the first 2 weeks following injury.

Carotid Stenosis and Stroke: Historical Perspectives Leading to Current Challenges.

The carotid artery is unique; it is the only vessel to bifurcate into a bulb larger than itself. The history of its anatomic description, understanding of its pathophysiology and evolution of its imaging are relevant to current controversies regarding measurement of stenosis, surgical/endovascular therapies and medical management of carotid stenosis in stroke prevention. Treatment decisions on millions of symptomatic and asymptomatic patients are routinely based on information from clinical trials from over 30 years ago.

5-Year Radiographic and Functional Outcomes of Nonoperative Treatment of Completely Displaced Midshaft Clavicular Fractures in Teenagers.

Background: Optimal treatment of completely displaced midshaft clavicular fractures in adolescents remains controversial, with some favoring surgical management and others favoring a nonoperative approach. Few studies have comprehensively assessed longer-term nonoperative outcomes.

Purpose: To prospectively assess patient-reported outcomes (PROs) and radiographic remodeling ≥5 years after injury in teenagers undergoing nonoperative treatment of completely displaced clavicular fractures.

Knee Flexion Angle of Fixation During Anterolateral Ligament Reconstruction or Lateral Extra-articular Tenodesis: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis of Lateral Extra-articular Reinforcement Techniques Performed in Conjunction With ACL Reconstruction.

Background: Anterolateral ligament reconstruction (ALLR) or lateral extra-articular tenodesis (LET) is being used more frequently in conjunction with anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction (ACLR). However, the knee flexion angle at which fixation of ALLR or LET is performed during the procedure is quite variable based on existing technique descriptions.

Purpose/hypothesis: The purpose of this study was to identify whether flexion angle at the time of ALLR/LET fixation affected postoperative outcomes in a clinical population.

Treatment of Severely Shortened or Comminuted Clavicular Fractures in Older Adolescent Athletes.

Background: Recent evidence suggests that for completely displaced midshaft clavicular fractures, surgery offers no clear benefit over nonoperative treatment in a general adolescent population from 10 to 18 years of age. However, the comparative outcomes of comminuted and/or severely shortened clavicular fractures specifically in older adolescent athletes have not been explored in a focused, methodologically rigorous fashion.

Hypothesis: The study hypothesis was that outcomes would be superior in older adolescent athletes who underwent operative treatment compared with nonoperative treatment for comminuted and/or severely shortened clavicular fractures.

Investigation of intracavity MgO:LiNbO terahertz polariton laser gain over an extended 1-5 THz range.

Most intracavity MgO:LiNbO terahertz polariton lasers generate output in the 1-3 THz range. In this study, we investigate the potential to extend this tuning range toward 6 THz. We predict broader tuning using a modified polariton gain theory that takes account of additional polariton damping at 3.

Monte Carlo modelling for elastic and Raman signals in oceanic LiDAR.

We investigate Raman returns in oceanic light detection and ranging (LiDAR), and explore the similarities and differences to conventional elastic returns. We show that Raman returns have much more complex behavior than elastic returns, which likely cannot be well matched by simple models, making Monte Carlo simulations essential. We investigate the correlation between the time of signal arrival and the depth of the Raman event, and find that a linear correlation only exists for judicious choice of system parameters.