Publications by authors named "Fortune E"

Reaching is a common daily activity requiring a range of humeral elevation that contributes to rotator cuff compression. The purpose of this study was to estimate supraspinatus and infraspinatus tendon compression risk relative to the acromion and coracoacromial ligament during reaching by manual wheelchair users with spinal cord injury. A cross-sectional design was used to evaluate 8 participants (7 males, median [range] age 36 y [23-61]).

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Article Synopsis
  • - The study investigates how physical activity levels affect the hospitalization and emergency department (ED) visits of older adults with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) or dementia in Rochester, Minnesota.
  • - Researchers analyzed data from 3,090 participants aged 55 and older, focusing on their activity levels categorized as sufficiently active, insufficiently active, or physically inactive.
  • - Findings revealed that individuals who were physically inactive had a significantly higher risk of hospitalization and ED visits compared to those who were sufficiently active, suggesting the need for targeted health promotion strategies.
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Humans and other animals can readily learn to compensate for changes in the dynamics of movement. Such changes can result from an injury or changes in the weight of carried objects. These changes in dynamics can lead not only to reduced performance but also to dramatic instabilities.

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This study aimed to develop and evaluate the ARM (arm repetitive movement) algorithm using inertial measurement unit (IMU) data to assess repetitive arm motion in manual wheelchair (MWC) users in real-world settings. The algorithm was tested on community data from four MWC users with spinal cord injury and compared with video-based analysis. Additionally, the algorithm was applied to in-home and free-living environment data from two and sixteen MWC users, respectively, to assess its utility in quantifying differences across activities of daily living and between dominant and non-dominant arms.

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CancerSupportSource (CSS), a distress screening and referral program, identifies unmet needs of people with cancer and links them to resources and support. We developed and validated a Spanish-language version (CSS-Spanish) to better serve Hispanic and Latino communities and promote health equity. The 25-item CSS-Spanish was created leveraging rigorous translation methods and cognitive interviews to ensure cultural relevance and topical breadth.

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To provide an effective, multidimensional, and psychometrically valid measure to screen for distress among people with HIV, we developed and assessed the psychometric properties of HIV Support Source, a distress screening, referral, and support program designed to identify the unmet needs of adults with HIV and link them to desired resources and support. Development and testing were completed in three phases: (1) item generation and initial item pool testing (N = 375), (2) scale refinement via exploratory factor analysis (N = 220); external/internal item quality, and judging theoretical and practical implications of items, and (3) confirmatory validation (N = 150) including confirmatory factor analysis along with reliability and validity analyses to corroborate dimensionality and psychometric properties of the final measure. Nonparametric receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analyses determined scoring thresholds for depression and anxiety risk subscales.

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Background: Physical activity can improve physical health for people living with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and dementia and may have cognitive benefits. Identifying modifiable social factors inhibiting physical activity among this group is needed. We sought to examine the relationship between reported physical activity levels and social determinants of health (SDOH) in a population of older adults living with MCI or dementia.

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Background: Influenza virus is responsible for a yearly epidemic in much of the world. To better predict short-term, seasonal variations in flu infection rates and possible mechanisms of yearly infection variation, we trained a Long Short-Term Memory (LSTM)-based deep neural network on historical Influenza-Like-Illness (ILI), climate, and population data.

Methods: Data were collected from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the National Center for Environmental Information (NCEI), and the United States Census Bureau.

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Objectives: This study aims to characterize patient experiences with biomarker testing, including history of biomarker testing, related communication and education, self-perceived familiarity and informational needs.

Methods: 436 U.S.

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Background: The COVID-19 pandemic presents a unique, amplified threat to those living with a cancer diagnosis, but personal factors may play a role in how this affects well-being. This cross-sectional study (1) describes the impacts of COVID-19 on cancer patients' lives, and (2) explores the extent to which specific impacts of COVID-19 and noted protective factors, hope and resilience, predict two crucial patient-reported outcomes, depression and anxiety, after controlling for relevant sociodemographic and clinical factors.

Methods: 520 cancer patients and survivors in the U.

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Objective: To identify best treatment practices by examining outcomes of anal margin cancer patients treated with radiotherapy.

Methods: Relevant literature was compared with 38 patients at our institution treated 1979 to 2019 with curative radiotherapy. Median age was 51.

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Article Synopsis
  • The study aimed to develop a reliable tool, called CancerSupportSource-Caregiver, to evaluate distress in cancer caregivers and link them to support resources.
  • It utilized a sample of 400 caregivers, employing methods like factor analysis and reliability testing to ensure the tool's effectiveness, resulting in an 18-item measure focused on five key areas of caregiver concerns.
  • The final measure demonstrated strong psychometric properties, showing it can effectively identify risks for depression and anxiety, making it a valuable resource for improving caregiver well-being.
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Advances in diagnostics and therapeutics have improved prognosis for metastatic breast cancer (MBC). Yet, treatment and disease burden-including experiences of pain and nausea-present practical and emotional challenges. To better support patients and enhance quality of life, deeper understanding of the pathways linking physical and psychological health is needed.

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Objective: Enhancing cancer patients' sense of control can positively impact psychological well-being. We developed and assessed the psychometric properties of Valued Outcomes in the Cancer Experience (VOICE), a measure of patients' perceived control over key personal priorities within their cancer experience.

Methods: VOICE construction and testing were completed in three phases with separate participant samples: (1) item generation and initial item pool testing ( = 459), (2) scale refinement ( = 623), and (3) confirmatory validation ( = 515).

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Recent studies conducted in the natural habitats of songbirds have provided new insights into the neural mechanisms of turn-taking. For example, female and male plain-tailed wrens () sing a duet that is so precisely timed it sounds as if a single bird is singing. In this review, we discuss our studies examining the sensory and motor cues that pairs of wrens use to coordinate the rapid alternation of syllable production.

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The COVID-19 pandemic heightened the psychosocial impact of a cancer diagnosis as patients face concerns about the risk of infection and serious disease and uncertainties about the impact on their treatment. We conducted an online survey (n = 317) and focus groups (n = 19) with patients to examine their experiences with cancer care during the pandemic. Most survey respondents (68%) reported one or more disruptions or delays in care, including appointments switched to telehealth (49%).

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Background: In patients with well-differentiated thyroid cancer, there is controversy about the prognostic importance of a large number of positive neck nodes and the potential value of radioiodine therapy. The purpose of this study was to evaluate this issue in the group of patients for whom it is most clinically important - those with classic histology and favorable T and M stage.

Materials And Methods: Twenty-five patients met the following inclusion criteria: classic histology of papillary or follicular thyroid carcinoma treated with total thyroidectomy and neck dissection followed by adjuvant I-131 treatment in our department between January 1, 2003, and December 31, 2013; adult age of > 21 years; and American Joint Committee on Cancer (AJCC ) stage (8 edition) of T0-3, N1b with ≥ 5 positive nodes, and M0.

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The COVID-19 pandemic struck the world unawares. The virus is now spreading as never before, despite the initial progress recorded by several countries towards kerbing the pandemic. As the pandemic continues to spread across Africa, there is a need for countries in the continent to re-evaluate, re-strategise, and re-invigorate their COVID-19 responses and efforts based on lessons from the first wave, and Nigeria is no exception.

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Background: High maternal mortality ratio in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) has been linked to inadequate medical care for pregnant women due to limited health facility delivery utilization. Thus, this study, examined the association between age at first childbirth and health facility delivery among women of reproductive age in Nigeria.

Methods: The study used the most recent secondary dataset from Nigeria's Demographic and Health Survey (NDHS) conducted in 2018.

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Coordination of behavior for cooperative performances often relies on linkages mediated by sensory cues exchanged between participants. How neurophysiological responses to sensory information affect motor programs to coordinate behavior between individuals is not known. We investigated how plain-tailed wrens () use acoustic feedback to coordinate extraordinary duet performances in which females and males rapidly take turns singing.

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Shoulder pain and pathology are extremely common for individuals with spinal cord injuries (SCI) who use manual wheelchairs (MWC). Although risky humeral kinematics have been measured during wheelchair-based activities performed in the lab, little is known about arm kinematics in the free-living environment. The purpose of this study was to measure the humeral elevation workspace throughout a typical day for individuals with SCI who use a MWC and matched able-bodied controls.

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Manual wheelchair (MWC) users with spinal cord injuries (SCI) are at a significantly higher risk of experiencing rotator cuff pathology than able-bodied individuals. A deeper understanding of where the arm is used dynamically within the humeral workspace during daily life may help explain why MWC users have higher shoulder pathology rates than able-bodied individuals. The purpose of this study was to report the daily percentage and consecutive durations MWC users and matched able-bodied individuals (controls) spent static and dynamic across the humeral elevation workspace.

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Arm use in manual wheelchair (MWC) users is characterized by a combination of overuse and a sedentary lifestyle. This study aimed to describe the percentage of daily time MWC users and able-bodied individuals spend in each arm use intensity level utilizing accelerometers. Arm use intensity levels of the upper arms were defined as stationary, low, mid, and high from the signal magnitude area (SMA) of the segment accelerations based on in-lab MWC activities performed by eight MWC users.

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