Introduction: Breast reconstruction with the deep inferior epigastric perforator (DIEP) flap is the current gold-standard autologous option. The profunda artery perforator (PAP) and lumbar artery perforator (LAP) flaps have more recently been described as alternatives for patients who are not candidates for a DIEP flap. The aim of this study was to review the survival and complication rates of PAP and LAP flaps, using the DIEP flap as a benchmark.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFContext: One-third of American adults have prediabetes. However, only 11% are aware of their condition, and they often do not receive prediabetes education or management. Prior studies have indicated knowledge gaps among primary care providers and patients on prediabetes management.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFOne-third of U.S. adults have prediabetes, but only 11% are aware of their condition.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFSince 2020, people who use drugs (PWUD) experienced heightened risks related to drug supply disruptions, contamination, overdose, social isolation, and increased stress. This study explored how the lives of PWUD changed in Philadelphia over a one-year period. Using semi-structured interviews with 20 participants in a Housing First, low-barrier medication for opioid use (MOUD) program in Philadelphia, the effects of the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic on the daily lives, resources, functioning, substance use, and treatment of PWUD were explored.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: The Person-Centered Primary Care Measure (PCPCM) is a relatively new and concise yet comprehensive measure of primary care quality. The objectives of this study are to administer the PCPCM in Canada and to understand whether there is an association between the PCPCM and sociodemographic and patient experience measures.
Methods: The PCPCM was added to the routine patient experience survey administered at a multi-site academic primary care practice in Toronto, Canada.
Background: A novel coronavirus, SARS-CoV-2 (known as COVID-19), spread rapidly around the world, affecting all and creating an ongoing global pandemic. Across the United States, Latinx and Indigenous populations have been disproportionately affected by COVID-19 cases and death rates. An examination of the perceptions and beliefs about the spread of the virus, COVID-19 testing, and vaccination amongst racial-ethnic minority groups, specifically Latinx and Indigenous Latin American immigrant communities, is needed to alleviate the widespread disparity in new cases and deaths.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPractices in surgical repair of uncomplicated gastroschisis are varied. Data regarding hospital volume, surgical technique, clinical outcomes, and costs remain limited. Neonatal patients with uncomplicated gastroschisis were identified using the 2015-2019 National Readmissions Database.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFA growing body of epidemiological and research data has associated neurotropic viruses with accelerated brain aging and increased risk of neurodegenerative disorders. Many viruses replicate optimally in senescent cells, as they offer a hospitable microenvironment with persistently elevated cytosolic calcium, abundant intracellular iron, and low interferon type I. As cell-cell fusion is a major driver of cellular senescence, many viruses have developed the ability to promote this phenotype by forming syncytia.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFCarbapenem-resistant are prevalent in low- and middle-income countries such as Egypt, but little is known about the molecular epidemiology and mechanisms of resistance in these settings. Here, we characterize carbapenem-resistant from Alexandria, Egypt, and place it in a regional context. Fifty-four carbapenem-resistant isolates from Alexandria Main University Hospital (AMUH), Alexandria, Egypt, collected between 2010 and 2015 were genome sequenced using Illumina technology.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: A novel coronavirus, SARS-CoV-2 (known as COVID-19), spread rapidly around the world, affecting all and creating an ongoing global pandemic. In the United States, Latinx, African American, and Indigenous populations across the country have been disproportionately affected by COVID-19 cases and death rates. An examination of the perceptions and beliefs about the spread of the virus, COVID-19 testing, and vaccination amongst racial/ethnic minority groups is needed in order to alleviate the widespread disparity in new cases and deaths.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFDuring the COVID pandemic, a surge in pediatric Type 1 Diabetes Mellitus (T1DM) cases appears to be occurring, potentially due to the presence of autoantibody-induced immune dysregulation triggered by COVID-19. We describe one such case in a previously healthy 7-year-old with asymptomatic COVID-19 presenting with a high nasopharyngeal SARS CoV-2 virus load, detectable COVID-19 IgG antibodies, diabetic keto-acidosis and islet cell autoantibodies. COVID-19 is not a trivial disease in children and adolescents and can lead to lifelong sequelae such as T1DM.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFMedication for opioid use disorder (MOUD) with buprenorphine is effective in treating opioid use disorder yet remains underutilized. Scant research has examined the experience of patients, clinic staff, and providers in a "low-threshold" group-based MOUD program. This study evaluates a "low-threshold" MOUD program at a federally qualified health center (FQHC) in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania through the perspectives of its key stakeholders.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIntroduction: Lifestyle modification can significantly reduce the risk of developing diabetes. However, the effect of prediabetes status awareness on perceptions of health and health behaviors are mixed. We used the 2015 to 2016 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) data to evaluate the association of prediabetes status awareness with self-reported perception of health and health behaviors.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Conference abstracts serve an important role in the timely dissemination of scientific and clinical advancements, but most fail to be published. The goal of this study was to investigate the publication rate and factors associated with publication of abstracts presented at the North American Neuro-Ophthalmology Society (NANOS) Annual Meeting over a 10-year period.
Methods: NANOS Annual Meeting abstracts from 2008 to 2017 were extracted and categorized into Walsh presentations, scientific platforms, or poster presentations.
Dysregulated wound healing and subsequent fibrosis represents the most common cause of failure in glaucoma filtration surgery. Primary means to prevent this outcome are the anti-metabolite surgical adjuvants, however, topical corticosteroids are commonly used postoperatively to permit further control of wound healing and development of the filtration bleb. Unfortunately, they carry important side effects such as raised intraocular pressure, cataract and increased infection risk.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Recent studies have suggested associations between statins and enhanced survival among patients with pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC). However, the relationship between statins, cholesterol, and survival remains unclear.
Methods: We conducted a retrospective cohort study on 2142 PDAC patients in a regional integrated healthcare system from 2006 to 2014.
Adolescent relationship abuse (ARA) is prevalent with significant health and social consequences. Faith-based organizations could play an important role in ARA prevention and intervention. Studies on the role of faith-based organizations in interpersonal violence have focused on adult survivor perspectives rather than adolescents.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFRheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a destructive polyarthritis in which synovial-like fibroblasts (SFs) invade and erode cartilage by expressing membrane-anchored type 1 matrix metalloproteinase (MT1-MMP). The mitogen activated protein kinase (MAPK) pathway is activated in RA SFs, but the mechanism of activation is unknown. Here we identify aberrant BRAF splice variants with deletions in both the kinase domain and RAS-binding domain (RBD) in SFs from the majority of RA patients and show that these BRAF splice variants constitutively activate MAPK through CRAF, increase expression of MT1-MMP, and enhance fibroblast invasion of collagen.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe therapeutic use of antibodies is restricted by the limited access of antibodies to intracellular compartments. To overcome this limitation, we developed a cell-penetrating monoclonal antibody, mAb 3E10, as an intracellular delivery vehicle for the intracellular and intranuclear delivery of antibodies constructed as bispecific single-chain Fv fragments. Because MDM2 is an important target in cancer therapy, we selected monoclonal antibody (mAb) 3G5 for intracellular transport.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFHexavalent chromium (Cr[VI]) is a toxic environmental contaminant that is capable of producing a broad spectrum of DNA damage. The ability of Cr[VI] to induce mutagenesis and neoplastic transformation has been attributed to its genotoxic action, however our understanding of molecular mechanisms involved in the repair of Cr[VI]-induced DNA damage remains incomplete. Here, we report that Mus81, an enzyme that participates with Eme1 in the resolution of replication fork damage caused by certain lesions, is involved in the repair of Cr[VI]-induced DNA damage.
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